Loren and I would have left for Australia this week, where we would have caught up with some friends, like this Italian couple who sent photos from their visit there now,

however, we have canceled our travel reservations to stay in California to help with Loren’s Mom care for now. How does the saying go? “Humans plan, God laughs.” At least that is true some of the time.

One day this week a childhood friend of Loren and his wife came to visit Loren’s Mom which she thoroughly enjoyed, and another day their son paid a visit and again she was happy, even enjoying a bite of the breakfast pastries he brought. Sadly, I neglected to take photos to post… I did try to capture one of Loren’s sister’s cat who kept me company a little while on the chair in Loren’s Mom’s room, but she refused to pose nicely this time.

I want to record some of Loren’s Mom’s favorite sayings that I have heard these past few weeks – actually she has said them over the nearly 30 years I have known her, like,
     ”It’s a beau-u-u-u-u-tiful day!”
     “How’s it going?” or, “How’s it going wichu?“
     “Hallelujah Baby!” 
     “That’s yummy,” sometimes emphasized as “yummmm-mee!”
          which she nearly always says on drinking a sip of water these days.

And, in her first language of Italian or the Piemontese and Genovese dialects of her heritage,
     “A domani!” meaning “See you tomorrow!”
     “Salute!” for “Cheers!” when she is enjoying a sip of her favorite Moscato wine with us!
     “Anduma!” a short form of “Anduma, stuma o cosca fuma!”
          meaning, “Are we going, are we staying, or what are we doing?”

I caught an image of her reading the San Francisco Chronicle one day, and I want to share these two precious photos, one from her Oakland High School graduation and another from her wedding day.

Otherwise this week, Loren and I have enjoyed seeing part of the Oscars, a couple of Warriors Games on TV,

and, it was a delight to run into a San Jose yogi friend who was also taking class at the local studio here one day this week!