Hidden Bunny

Cancer surgery and chemotherapy have affected and permeated all aspects of my being. From reading my entries since January, you know it all already. Whereas I would have driven to my aunt's home for Easter Sunday dinner today, I was forced to spend the time at home for recovery -- essentially making me a shut-in. Perhaps I could have made the trek, but I am no fool to chance it.

I dressed up a little today anyway instead of being in another set of pyjamas like yesterday. My phone was busy with sending and receiving Easter messages. The meds made me extra sleepy around lunch and I didn't hear my aunt's initial phone call to come over.

My aunt and uncle wanted to come and bring me some cooked food this afternoon so I wouldn't have to cook for a few days. I called them back about a half hour later. They ended up not having a traditional Easter meal either since their grandkids and my cousins came right after church for a two hours before celebrating the other grandma's birthday on the other side of town. My aunt and uncle had not expected the short visit but I know this pleased them immensely.

The food drop off last no more than ten minutes which was okay. I was grateful to see a family member. I then prepared all the food in more manageable and separate containers. My aunt had made beef and broccoli which I know Tawny enjoys so I made her a container for her lunch tomorrow complete with rice and a packet of soy sauce on top of the plastic lid. I texted her of the news...

Bananas. You can buy bananas thinking you can eat the whole bunch before they ripen to that stage that is almost uncomfortable to chew. Today I had three that I couldn't let go another day so I made banana muffins. While baking them in the oven, Tawny texted me that she was on her way over.

Tawny came bearing her own gifts of a plate of traditional Easter dinner and an adorable basket of Easter candies and blue marshmallow peeps:



I was thrilled at the gifts and I am never too old to receive Easter candy baskets. I giggled. Tawny stayed for a little bit to chat and to breathe from her apartment full of her extended family. We also tried out the delicious banana muffins. She went home with her lunch for tomorrow as well as some banana muffins. There was no way I could eat it all and I didn't have any room left in my freezer to store some.

The rest of my evening was making a list and preparing all my stuff for work tomorrow. Took more meds and showered. Now enjoying tea before bedtime. Hope you had a great Easter!

Hidden Bunny,
Sprinkles xxoo

Hidden Bunny

Overflow & Profusion

Happy Easter Bunnies!

Overflow. My favorite television preacher Joel Osteen talked about having or being in overflow this morning. He had a couple who wanted to him to pray with them that the furniture they wanted to buy would go on sale. Joel thought about it and decided that praying to have enough money to buy the furniture at regular price and to also have extra for whatever else would be more positive. His teachings speak about having the faith and belief that your season of favor [from God] was here or forthcoming and because of who your [spiritual] Father [God] is. It was a positive way to begin the morning...

Myrna picked me up before 11am since we had plans to watch a movie before going to my aunt's house for Easter dinner. (Her own husband was working.) I picked the Brit film The Bank Job (starring Jason Statham) and it was most excellent to watch. An American film critic recommended it for a good story on a bank robbery. The pace was fast and fun with plenty of holding-your-breath scenes. It was very cleverly done. Myrna ended up liking it, too.

Called my aunt's house to see if it would be okay if we were a bit early and welcomed us over. After we parked at her home, I noticed a big beautiful pot of flowers greeting us by the door. It took a minute before I realized the smiling lovelies were miniature orchids! Clusters of them everywhere. A profusion of shameless color screaming for admiration.

Orchid cluster. Each blossom no longer than an inch.



Walked inside my aunt's home and my cousin Dave was there with his family. I introduced Myrna to them and reintroduced Myrna to my aunt and uncle. They've met her before when I've brought her over for a shorter visit. We snacked right away. To deter from further piggish behavior, I gave Myrna a tour outside of Little Philippines. My aunt's fruit trees had either blossoms promising fruit or baby fruit beginning to weigh down their trees' limbs. Profusion again.

Baby mangoes were all over her tree!



We ate my aunt's delicious meal of a tender and flavorful roast beef (instead of ham) with more roast pork on the side. There were some Filipino dishes included. It was a first Easter meal of its kind for Myrna, I'm sure. She had no complaints and neither did the rest of us.

The afternoon was more low key -- even the kids were not as hyper. This suited me just fine. Baby Colton was the only one fussing because his teeth were starting to come in. He finally settled for a nap between his mother and me on the sofa.

Simplest (yet complicated) form of human overflow and profusion.



I requested a caffeine run via a drive-thru before Myrna dropped me off. The extra boost was much needed if I had any hope of staying awake past seven. I needed to catch up on my blog by filling out my notes on the days I hadn't fully updated. My eyes were open but I felt a mellowness from an undemanding weekend. Three days is definitely the way to go.
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Overflow & Profusion

Stress Relieving Bunny Ears

Traffic on the way to work was like a parking lot. Zero to 10mph thanks to an accident on the side of the road. As soon as we passed it, the rest of us on the left lane zoomed to 70mph to make up some time.

The following picture made me chuckle. There is a fire extinguisher in the back of the gasoline tanker which as you see to the left is clearly marked as flammable by the hazard sign. Now...is it me or do you think you will need something bigger than that to put out a fire on a gasoline tanker? The words kaboom and foam/fire hoses come to mind. Something to think about. Consequently, the AGOL's first real job was working at the Flying J in Cheyenne, Wyoming. It wasn't exactly the glam job she thought of having first. Had to wait a few years before that happened.



My day at work started out late which meant I had to forgo the gym and take a shorter lunch just to get a chunk of work completed. Parts of the day were stressful until our staff meeting. My boss gave each of us gals bunny ear headbands and giant plastic eggs filled with candy. We had a howling good time with the ears. I wore it around the office and watched jaws drop and people giggle as I walked by. Bridget and I took pictures of each other with these things on and sent them to our friends. Tawny almost died. I thought I would pee my pants laughing so hard; needless to say, these Easter gifts were a hit.



Left late and for some reason felt very mellow the rest of the evening. It was like taking half a muscle relaxant but without the muscle relaxant. A little disconcerting, but not enough to bother my super...mellow...vibe. My bed is getting warm thanks to the electric blanket as I type. Can't wait to sleep. I'll be hopping on over in a few...

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FYI - Food cravings, what they can mean and a healthy way to satisfy them.
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Stress Relieving Bunny Ears

Sweepy Happens

Rolled out of bed at 5am and talked to Yummy for about three hours. He was my Easter Bunny and makes sense that he is playing in his garden today. (Bunnies love gardens, ya know!)

I came across these this morning. The featured group today on youtube was Filipino. You can Learn Tagalog or have fun in this office bit dedicated to my cousin Angie. This is the kind of humor I grew up with which might explain many many things. Both of these are from greenpinoy.

Let's see how the rest of my day goes...

Sweepy Happens

Holy Incense, AGOL!

Oh, Sweet Saturday -- how you've teased me all week! So happy you're here, my friend!

Enjoyed a talk with Yummy before he met a friend who was visiting him for the day. I was so delighted to talk to him in less stressful tones...

Caught up on my blog and forced myself to take a nap for an hour before I prepared to leave for an evening of Easter festivities. I managed to squeeze in almost another hour of talk time with Yummy (30 minutes turned into 45 minutes - so addicted to this man!). Afraid I was going to be late since I still had to stop at the gas station, but I was more than on time.

My cousin Ida's kids received their first communion and were confirmed into the Catholic church tonight. I agreed to become their sponsor since I am the only one my cousin knows who has been through the same thing and can be there for them as they receive their sacraments.

I am not a practicing Catholic for I have found my own peace with my worship of God especially having spent years being an active member of the church. I am a spiritual person, but I do not subscribe to religion as a whole nor the ideologies of The Church. Yummy and I have discussed this and he teased me that the crosses in the church would start turning once I entered it or the water fountains filled with holy water would start bubbling (a la Devil's Advocate with Al Pacino and Keanu Reeves). I half wondered myself, but they didn't move a smidge!

The twins looked great in their sea green dresses and their older brother Will looked grown-up in his white dress shirt under a black suit. It seemed only yesterday I had an infant William laying on my chest sleeping while I reclined on my uncle's chair.

This evening I helped Will put on his black silky tie. It had been a while since I had tied a man's tie, but it's like riding a bike, I guess. The psychological leap from an infant William to a 16-year old Will was throat constricting. I could feel pinpricks of tears come on.

Thankfully, I was diverted by a funny story of Cristina receiving unconsecrated wafer during rehearsal this morning. She received the wafer, got it stuck on the roof of her mouth and held her finger up to the priest as if to say hang on and then proceeded to dislodge the wafer with her finger while she was still in front of the priest. I pointed out that it was a faux pas and she cringed, covered her eyes and said her favorite curse word: Oh, biscuits!

We ate a good dinner before the long Easter service at a small family restaurant across from St. Anne's in Ruskin. Having a hearty meal beforehand really helped make the experience more bearable. The service started at 8:30pm and continued until 11:00pm with the acrid and the long-time familiar scent of incense woven throughout the service. We sat in the front and it was all I could do not to succumb to a coughing fit. All in all, it was beautiful and quite pleasant to watch the kids receive their sacraments.

My aunt ended up making the service which made the evening more special for all of us. I didn't even know she was going to try to make it. Afterwards I drove my aunt's vehicle to Ida's house so I could get my car and for us to enjoy some cheesecake and coffee with the family.

I finally made it home at 1am with Angie in California talking to me on the way home so she could make sure I got home safely. Home sweet home. Took care of Cabal, jumped online to wind down reading blog bits before making quick headway to bed for sleep well-earned.

Holy Incense, AGOL!