AN EXCELLENT AND MEANINGFUL HOLIDAY
May I first deeply apologize to (all two) of you have wondered if I ran away to Costa Rica or something? We have been sorta busy lately, doing the really cool and interesting crap I am gonna blog about right now. So return with me now go those thrilling days of yesteryear....
Thanksgiving in Capitola is a much-anticipated yearly event for the Cook/Caples/Moss families. We often have had friends join us for Thanksgiving dinner, and this year Cherie’s (and Grammy’s) chiropractor, Dr. Val was a part of the mayhem. Dr. Val’s Mom musta been horrified, but she didn’t show it! Friday is flung open to whomever wants to show up for the day-long lunching, noshing, and general tomfoolery. Oh yeah, Cuzzin Tom was in fact in attendance prior to his departure for (of all places) Cincinnati, OH. Additionally, Cherie’s first-grade friend Mellie made a delightful appearance, and likewise Jan T.
The weather was spectacular, albeit a bit on the cool side. Saturday dawned with rain, so loading up and heading over the hill was quite wet. No worries, it was a stupendous time. What was really nice was that it was stupendous for me, too. Very often I have been about as entertaining as a pile of fertilizer, just better-smelling. But it seems version 2.0 was well-received, making its owner quite pleased. Only fly in the ointment was the nagging and inconsistent pain I had in my back and legs. It really never let up at all.
OH, NO MR. BILL! A TRIP TO ANOTHER EMERGENCY ROOM!
This was certainly the most calm and collected ER visit I have made of the many in my long and storied relationships with several of them. To address the above-mentioned eeks and oiks, we got an urgent care appointment with a doc at Muir for Sunday morning. As I expected, he was unable to diagnose this elusive malady, whatever it is. He needed more information, and at the Physician Network office they have no ability to perform these, whether or not it is a weekend. So I was dispatched to the brand-spanking new ER at Muir/Concord for X-rays, an ultrasound, and lab work. Ironically, we recently toured the very same facility before its operational opening. We liked it a lot as casual visitors but definitely did not think we would need to re-visit as clients so soon.
Final result was that it was not a clot, fracture, infection, toe jam football, shortness of pants or anything recognizable to the medical community at the present time. The ER doc gave me some flak juice for pain, and after the usual six-hour stay we got tossed out with a recommendation to make a follow-up visit with my primary care provider. Miraculously, sometime during the wee (literally) hours of Tuesday morning I couldn't help but notice most of the pain had disappeared. I still feel a bit fatigued in my legs at times, and get an occasional jolt in my back. But at this moment nobody seems to know what if anything is amiss.
HOWEVER, ON A LIGHTER NOTE
Lately I have been reminiscing for some strange reason. For example, I decided to renew and wear some of my Dad's jewelry. And I did the same with a ring Cherie got me in Ceylon on her Semester at Sea in 1971. I have never been into bling, but somehow I felt a need to sorta reflect back a bit. This lead my feeble mind to further look back on my Jewish education days, my Bar Mitzvah, and how I felt about actually practicing Judaism when I was young.
I recall clearly the occasion that caused my slide into disregard for my religious roots. When our family moved to Los Angeles from Pittsburgh, we did not join a congregation. For our first High Holy Days in California, Dad purchased tickets for services from a temple in West LA. Unfortunately the temple was too small to accommodate the large influx of worshippers at these important services, so they were held at the Shrine Auditorium in Downtown Los Angeles. It was September, and the usual early-Autumn heat wave arrived just in time for Yom Kippur. So here we are, Gary and I and the folks, in a crappy part of town, it's like 174 degrees in the joint, we're dressed in dark suits, attending services in a huge, unfamiliar place without air conditioning! And Yom Kippur is a fasting day, so as official Mosses we were miserably hungry and therefore quite unhappy. Our father never did find a temple he wanted to join, as nowhere measured up to Temple Emanuel of South Hills in a suburb of Pittsburgh. So by the time I went off to Santa Barbara, I had drifted away.
So, Bob/Irv, dood, get to the point already. Sorry, maybe I shoulda made this a separate post. Anyhoooo...here it is Hanukkah, probably Gary's and my favorite Jewish holiday. Duh, I wonder why. So with my recent musings about the past, I took particular interest in various menorah lighting around our area. We were able to attend the San Ramon event, held at Whole Paycheck. There we met several nice folks, including Rabbi Levy who warmly welcomed us. He climbed up a ladder to light the candles, and we all recited the Hanukkah blessing. Then everyone sang the traditional melodies, which miraculously came springing up outta my shopworn memory. Both Cherie and I were suitably amazed. It was fun! I don't think I will be joining a congregation anytime soon, but it has been a cool trip to have a bit of Jewish nostalgia.
SO, WHAT'S THAT LOOMING UP AHEAD, BOB/IRV?
You will have to tune in to the next blog to find out, but from here it looks like a lineup of Holiday events stacked up like a buncha planes circling SFO waiting to land. Or something like that. 'Til then, enjoy this very special time of year.
Bob/Irv
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