I know, I know, It's Been a While

Just assume that my life has been really boring when there are big gaps between postings.  The reunion with the Willard Hellcats was so very special that it has been difficult to top it.  Since then, my days have consisted of radiation and whatever else is going on.  The facility where I take my radiation is a really lovely place, inside and out.  The grounds are nicely landscaped and the waiting room is filled with things to keep you entertained.  There is always a jigsaw puzzle going--which reminds me how much I enjoy doing puzzles.  So, I cracked out a puzzle of Vernal Falls that I bought on some trip to Yosemite.  I did that in less than a week--because I had a real treat waiting for me.  The radiation oncology nurse has a stash of puzzles.  Among them is one that a patient gave the center.  It is a very special puzzle, since they go for $500.00 each--this patient orders three of them a year.  They are made of wood and each piece is individually crafted.  The nurse does NOT put this puzzle out of the table for everyone to work on.  When she finds a patient who likes puzzles, she loans it out.  There are 550 pieces.  At first, I wasn't sure I would ever get it done--then maybe that I could find two matching pieces a day.  It occurred to me that I should have taken a picture when I started.  I didn't, but I did take a picture before I started working on it yesterday. 

Here are two pictures I took of the individual shapes:

Note the lovely nails.  Oh, no, this is about the puzzle.  Here are the pieces left in the box, waiting to find homes.

I started working on it yesterday when the Cal game started (Go Bears!).  I finished it sometime during the Oregon-USC game (Go Ducks!)

I am quite proud of myself.  Of course, now that I have finished it and photographed it and blogged about it, I can put it back in the box and take it back to the center for the next poor unsuspecting soul.

On the same subject of puzzles and the radiation oncology center, we've been working on the same puzzle for the two weeks that I've been going there this round.  I've started getting there early to work on the puzzle.  When I got there Friday, I discovered the meanest thing that anyone could do.  Someone had scrambled all the pieces, destroying the corporate work of several devoted fans.  There were several not very happy patients.  I separated out the border pieces and did as much as I could before they interrupted me with the actual reason I was there.  I stayed on for a while, trying to get it back together, but I remembered I that things to do.

One of those things was the marketing.  My niece, Victoria, was coming over for dinner and I was going to make drunk chicken.  Having made it last month for Elaine's non-visit, I was reminded how much fun it was to make and how good it is.  Victoria BARTed over since it is easier and the bay bridge is still broken.  We had a delightful visit.  Victoria was quite taken with the puzzle and helped me with it.
So that's it.  We had a treat at church today with a visit from former members who moved to Texas some 20 years ago.
I think I will go to radiation tomorrow.  10 down, 15 to go.
xxooxx