Friday Night is the Chickenhawk's night off. She works really hard all week taking care of me and the kids. She makes a million decisions and answers to a billion calls of ...mommy! On Friday night she is done, cooked, and ready to just be out of the house and away from her burdens.
Tonight there is a girls night party and neighbor Noey's house. The ladies will be drinking cosmos and margaritas. I imagine the party will migrate to the Coloma Club. Aunt Judy and Uncle Peter are coming in to town today and will hang out with me and the kids tonight.
Friday night trips to the Coloma Club have become ritual with the chickenhawk. She does not drink all week. She hasn't picked up any bad coping habits in dealing with this family crisis so far. She says that she is eating too many cookies but I cant tell. Every week there are some girlfriends that have joined her; Tormaline, Tracy, Jen, Heather and others. It is time for them to drink a little and do some dancing.
The Coloma Club is a pretty classic place. It is a combination bar and cafe. When you walk in the door you turn left to go to the saloon or right to get some biscuits and gravy with rot-gut coffee. The bar is a favorite among Harley riders that cruise the open rolling highways of the foothills but they are typically there only during the day. By night the bar is a collision of the cultures of the Coloma Lotus valley.
There are some distinct populations types in the Coloma Lotus valley and some of those populations run together at the Coloma Club. There are the long-term multi-generational residents of El Dorado County that can remember when living in Coloma, on the river meant that you lived in a bad neighborhood. Then there are the people (like myself) that those folks would probably call "rafters." Rafters is an appropriate name I suppose. Rafting is what brought many of us to the Coloma Lotus Valley. That trend started somewhere in the 1970's and has lasted through to today. Rafters are people that see the valley and even El Dorado County as an excellent place to make a home. We are close to a major metropolitan center. There is tons of open space. The river and the mountains provide excellent recreational opportunities. Living on or near the river is a great lifestyle. Those populations don't come together too often except at the Coloma Club on a Friday night.
Update:
I started this post on Friday bust just got to posting it tonight, Sunday Night. I am doing well. I have been having some great days and am feeling a lot better than I have been. I have the second round of IV Chemo on Thursday, we are switching to a new drug so hopefully I will not get as hammered as I did last time. I start my 12th week of the oral chemo tomorrow night! Hopefully I am feeling better because the cancer's ass is getting kicked. I am pretty sure that is what is happening. I also started on a phosphorus supplement that I think is making me fell good as well.
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The Best of Puddin'
About Me
- Sorelegs
- 42 Year Old father of 2. Endurance athlete, cancer survivor recovering from a stem cell transplant. Living life in the Gold Country of California and working as a mortgage consultant.
5 comments:
...spencer...that is an interesting little corner of the world you have up there...the sense of community amongst you "rafters" & cyclists is quite amazing, to be honest...
...glad to hear the c/hawk is getting out w/ the girls to tip a few & cut a rug...as long as they don't all get totally drunk & run off w/ the local hell's angels...hah !!!...
...really am glad to hear you talking about feeling a little mo' better...let's be honest, you're bound to have more ups & down but now you've got a reminder that you can feel physically 'up' & can strive for more...
...your attitude has always been amazingly up but hey, you are an athlete & i know it's empowering to feel a bit of physical strength coming back...
...keep up that beautiful mental strength...keep kicking ass...
...quick question: is it true that after you take your phosphorus supplements, you sit in the window w/ the lights off, glowing in the dark for the neighborhood kids ???...nice touch & again, there's that sense of community...
...hey, you two both stay good & stay strong...see ya...
Heres to kicking up your heels, and kicking cancers butt!
Sorelegs, if I may supplement......I will have you know (especially you BGW!) that after dancing the C/H's butt off (which is quite the aerobic effort) our escapades degrade to a "meandering" ride through Coloma's finest deserted roadways on Mt. bikes (with proper headlighting of course and an occasional sober SAG wagon escort) It provides a laugh or two and conversation that doesn't center around illness and despair. Rather, it centers on the deer that almost broadsided us in the dark...but that's another story. The Coloma girls club (a.k.a "Gotcha"= girls of the couch having a...[beer, fit, cow, laugh, etc.])So while Spencer fights the good fight, we get together and boost the C/H so she can rally to his side for another week. I know that playing bridge or bunko might seem like a healthier practice with less potential for disaster but for a bunch of Mom's who still can't figure out why the youthful insist on wearing their pants below their underwear, the Coloma club provides great entertainment with little risk. A big thanks to Noey for a wonderful night at her house, complete with local talent (ahem) and a whole lot of local comraderie. Every community needs to laugh at least once a week and it's best if we can laugh together whenever possible. A certain someone's birthday celebration is this weekend...any takers?
...jeezus, tourmaline...that was a frickin' gem of a post...like a fine wine, it had a robust flavor of reality w/ the delicate after taste of complex borosilicates...
...while i stand humbly corrected in my blatantly sexist misinterpretation of the wiles, wills & ways of the loco valley "gotcha" women, i was too busy laughing my ass off to be overly concerned w/ my obvious shortcomings...(((btw, i didn't really think you ladies were gonna run off w/ the local hell's angels, honest)))...
...to be serious for a moment, it's honestly heartwarming see how you all pull together for each other & in particular, for spencer...the beauty & strength of all you folks is something to behold...
...to work hard, share & be a part of the minga w/ everyone truly was a highlight of my life...
Glad the c/h has an outlet. That is good for her to have something for herself once a week.
Spence - SOOOO glad to hear you are feeling better.
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