" A gals gotta do what a gals gotta do." Velma Rice

" A gals gotta do what a gals gotta do."  Velma Rice - fashion merchandiser, excellent homemaker, wise woman of faith and life experience and my mother ;~)

There was a beautiful Red Maple tree growing in our yard when we made this house our new home in November 1998.  One year under the cover of heavy winter snow the mole family was so hungry they ate the bark around this tree so much so that I thought it would surely die.  As is my practice in my garden and my life I never cut out broken, injured, damaged plants or people.  Instead I give the proper fertilizer, light, water and time to see how things develop.  The Red Maple survived and to my amazement has flourished in the past eight years since its trunk was damaged. http://www.mdvaden.com/sunscald.shtml

A few weeks ago while the plumbers were here to upgrade my kitchen work space  we had them explore why water was back washing into the garage during rain storm and deep snow pack meltdowns.  Sure enough the Red Maple had found a well spring by breaking the pipeline of our storm drains.  Sadly the day had arrived when I had to admit the tree was more of an nuisance than an object of beauty in my garden.   Before new pipe could be laid and a new island garden could be planted someone had to cut down that tree.    What to do ??? What to do ???

Being only a 10.5 inch caliper tree trunk their was no need for a big tree service company to get this job done.  Confident I could slay this giant myself I asked many of the men in my life to be with me just for good measure.  All of the men I asked for help were busy slaying their own dragons. Each one had his own special reason why I should wait. Each promised to help me when they had more time.

On the morning of October 4, 2010 Western New York was blessed with a bright, sunny morning following what seemed like a week of rain.  I had sent Jim into Pittsburgh for the weekend to be with his mother so this seemed like the perfect time to get the job done !!!





First I removed as many of the lower branches I could reach without a ladder.  This would lighten the load of the trunk working smarter not harder ;~)



my trusty electric saw used to slay the beast  ;~)



About this time my neighbors Barbara and Gaylen heard all the noise in the early morning. OOPS   I was caught before the deed was complete.   My lovely next door neighbors soon joined me in the project. 



Gaylen does the honors to carve the bird





Barbara walking home to the right in this image of the clean cut down tree ready for reconstructive work to be done in the island.

Kara arrived on the scene in time to help clear away the leaves and branches cut into pieces perfect to enjoy with a glass of wine around my fire pit.


It was during the clearing of the leaves and branches that I shared with my neighbors that I had surgery on my breast four days prior in search of breast cancer.  They were both so kind and concerned that I take care of myself and be sure to contact the doctor for results of my biopsy.



  here I am minutes after we cut down the tree sporting the new rice rafferty breast cancer awareness statement necklace

Little did I know then that I would be the new face of breast cancer.

there is no lump,

no discharge,

 no pain,

no change of my skin

I feel very strong and healthy

my cancer cells were found from my diligent surveillance of my general health through routine examines.

Today I am feeling truly BLESSED that my cancer cells were found in the early Stage 0, DCIS

http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/types/dcis/

Now, for all of the people in my life who feel knowing I have a few cancer cells in my body scares you to death. 

 Relax !!!

You can not get cancer from me ;~)  Cancer is not a contagious disease. 

 I will have genetic testing to see if I am a carrier of the gene from my mother to my children.

Some people who hear I have cancer cells in my breast mumble something about breast cancer not being in their family as a thy walk away from me.  Sorry they are not aware that 90% of all breast cancers are not related to a family history.  For those women like me who have a family history perhaps we are very fortunate to be vigilant in a breast health care ;~)

Honestly, no one is sure they are immune to breast cancer.

http://www.facingourrisk.org/info_research/hereditary-cancer/hereditary-genetics/index.php

Go get yourself tested...

You can relax also that I am not going to die from breast cancer right here in front of you. 

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/cancer/articles/2009/10/22/the-confusion-over-dcis-what-to-do-about-stage-zero-breast-cancer.html?PageNr=1

In fact, my mother, Velma Rice found her breast cancer mass in 1958 when she was just 35 years old. She had a mastectomy of her left breast followed by radiation treatments for 30 days.  My mother then went on to live another 35 years and she never was bothered by cancer again.  In fact, she died of a stroke.  Perhaps her blockages were aggravated by the radiation treatments given to cancer patients back then.

 I may in fact never die of cancer either.

 " There is nothing to fear but fear itself. " Franklin D. Roosevelt

Hope you find it in your heart to share a cup of tea with me ;~)

in the meantime,

 A gals gotta do what a gals gotta do and I have more dragons to slay ...

 Are you with me ???  Do you have my back ???

"What is needed, rather than running away or controlling or suppressing or any other resistance, is understanding fear; that means, watch it, learn about it, come directly into contact with it. We are to learn about fear, not how to escape from it."

"What is needed, rather than running away or controlling or suppressing or any other resistance, is understanding fear; that means, watch it, learn about it, come directly into contact with it. We are to learn about fear, not how to escape from it."   J. Krishnamurti

I am learning an old lesson in a new way.  If you have been following my blog for the past two months you know I have been on a journey with breast cancer.  After the bilateral lumpectomies on September 28th I felt wonderful within a few days.  So good in fact I cut down a tree in my garden along with the assistance of my senor citizen neighbors Gaylen and Barbara and my daughter Kara using an electric power saw.   With my usual Ultra Feminine Warrior strength I bounced back to focus on life leaving the past two month is the rear view mirror.  As a reward for myself during all of the mammograms and ride in the MRI machine I promised myself that my birthday would be celebrated with both of my children.  We all enjoyed a lovely weekend in West Chester, New York.




Here I am wearing the new Breast Cancer Awareness Statement Necklace I designed for rice rafferty celebrating birthdays with Kara, Barry and Meghan outside of the church where Meghan and Barry are making plans to marry each other ;~)

 

After birthday celebration mass with my family, Meghan and I are bookend birthday Libras, Oct. 9th and 17th ;~)

On the drive back from Barry and Meghan's the doctors office called to ask why I missed my appointment that day.  Kara thinks it was accidentally on purpose as I was so excited to put all of the medical procedure's in my rear view mirror.  I am usually organized to a fault for appointments and responsibilities. Today I will attend a new appointment with destiny.  After speaking with my surgeon over the phone at my insistence she had the unenviable task to break the news cancer cells were found in the biopsy of my right breast.


Doctor said it is not her practice to give patients news like this over the phone but after getting to know me she thought it best to tell me sooner rather than let me wait until today in her office.

So far I learned I have stage 0 Breast Cancer known as DCIS or Ductal Carcinoma In Situ http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/types/dcis/

I designed the  rice rafferty Breast Cancer Awareness Statement Necklaces for women Inspired by the Look Good Feel Better  http://lookgoodfeelbetter.org/   I took the training certification classes for Look Good Feel Better  as part of my continuing education while we still lived in Pittsburgh.  The first two statement necklaces I designed I offered to a charity fundraiser in Buffalo, NY and Pittsburgh, Pa.   The people from Viva for Life http://www.roswellpark.org/calendar/2010-09-24/viva-life sent a nice young man out to my home to pick up one necklace.    I did not hear from the Pittsburgh coordinator until she wished me Happy Birthday after their event was over.   Little did I know when I thanked the Creator for health and healing during morning mass for my birthday as I wore this statement necklace, it was not accepted because I would need this one for myself.

I believe in a divine Higher Power who loves all of us and is greater than all of us.  The older I get I am learning everything happens for a reason.   Most importantly I believe in the words of Julian of Norwich   "ALL SHALL BE WELL"  http://www.umilta.net/julian.html

This statement necklace will be with me on my journey inspiring me to look good and feel better.

Forgive me as I have to jump on my stationary bike for 9 kilometers, read from my meditation literature and get ready for my visit with my surgeon at 1:00 today.

As I prepare myself for this journey I remember the words spoken to me often by my mother during the three years I took care of her and daddy before they died seven months apart.
" A gals got to do what a gals got to do."    Velma Rice

Right now I have to go and take care of myself. Thanks for reading my blogs ;~)  Please come back to spend a little time with me as I share my experience of my journey.

Now go make yourself a VERY CREATIVE DAY ;~)   Carol Ann Rice Rafferty

" You Can't Go Home Again" novel by Thomas Wolfe.

 "You can't go back home to your family, back home to your childhood ... back home to a young man's dreams of glory and of fame ... back home to places in the country, back home to the old forms and systems of things which once seemed everlasting but which are changing all the time — back home to the escapes of Time and Memory."  from novel by Thomas Wolfe.

My family home was sold in 1993, my parents are deceased 15 years and my brothers are not living in Pittsburgh anymore.  It really is impossible for me to go to a physical home in Pittsburgh. Thomas Wolfe was speaking about how we are different as we mature. Growing up in Greentree living in the South Hills of Pittsburgh for 42 years makes going back to Pittsburgh a homecoming for me every time I visit.

This visit was unique as I had an opportunity to see many of the people I attended Sts. Simon & Jude Grade School and Canevin High School for the first time in 36 years. Since I was 17 when I graduated from high school and this is our 36th year Reunion we have been apart more than twice the years that I was in age when we went out into the world to make our separate ways.

That's me in the second row standing to the left of Sr. Isabel with the other tall girls.

If you don't see these old classmates all the time may be best to begin with a warm up Pre Reunion dry run the evening before or a brunch the day of the Reunion. 

See my blog  http://cariceraff.blogspot.com/2010/08/getting-to-know-you-getting-to-know-all.html

Here I am standing in the second row left of Fr. Carey again with the tall girls

Sts. Simon & Jude the way we are now ;~)

Name tags with images from the yearbook are a nice touch.  Even with the name tags there were still plenty of names and people who I never met while we were at Canevin for four years. I made a point to walk around the ball room a few times throughout the evening reading names to see if I missed anyone. 

Dan Blankowski , Me and Ken Frazier

Karen Keane Janes and me, now facebook friends, share a quick picture.

Pat Topal Shank and I take a break from all the mingling. Pat a fellow Artist now a facebook friend said it was good to finally see me in 3-D ;~)

The 36 year Class Reunion felt like a cross between our Freshman Mixer Dance and a Masquerade Ball.  The Freshman Mixer was held at Canevin on a Friday night a few weeks after we began classes in 1970.  During the Reunion I realized what an intuitive 13 year old girl I was.  I was using the same skill, looking into each persons eyes to find nice people to speak with that night.  It is said, "Eyes are the windows of the soul."   Even if the person did not look the same at first as we spoke I could see in their eyes why some of those classmate I had chosen as friends in high school.

I'm in the middle again, second row, right of center, tall ladies are asked to sit.

I am seeing a pattern of me liking being in the middle of the group ;~)

Here is a nice touch video for our class picture so we can remember who was there and where we live now made by our classmate and Master of Ceremonies Dan Blankowski  and his wife Conni http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=629182980#!/video/video.php?v=1416929906723&ref=mf

Since you can't go home again as the same person you were when you left it is best to assume you need to get to know your past classmates as the beautiful and new people they have grown to be also. 

Here is a James Taylor version of the song Getting to Know You

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7E8dC2g_XA&feature=related

Tips to make your Reunion or any social gathering more comfortable;

Wear something comfortable that expresses who you are.  I chose plain black legging, a black tank top under my black bathing suit cover up.  To dress up a very neutral canvas I accessorized  my look with sparkley beaded slip on sandles, a vintage glass beaded glass shoulder bag and of course my own work by ricerafferty.  Nouveaux Antique Gorget Style Silk Charmeuse Adornment Bib Statement Necklace is super light, comfortable and will make you memorable  in any gathering.

see   http://www.etsy.com/shop/ricerafferty              or               http://ricerafferty.com/

Don't ask a lot of personal questions when you see someone after years of being apart. 

Instead allow the person to open up like a flower blossom revealing what is comfortable for them to share about themselves.

Don't assume anyone has missed the opportunity to grow in 36 years. 

Look into their eyes and allow them to share what is on their mind with you.

My husband was previously engaged for the day so I attended my Reunion solo.  It is not a bad way to fly as you don't have to fill a date in on a lot of events they have no clue what you are talking about.

 It is your Reunion don't be afraid to attend alone.

Relax, enjoy yourself and get to know old classmates in a new way. 

Honestly, even if reunions are not your thing, all too soon the weekend will be over and it will be time to go back to the life you created for yourself. 

Right now I am enjoying these images and the memories.

I look forward to helping Dan make our 40th a warm and welcoming event on July 19th, 2014 ;~)

I won a PRIZE from Frank Daily gift certificate from his business http://www.bpwp.net/burghs/htdocs/index.php

Pat, Me and Tim Killmeyer

Linda and Wayne Caruthers, Pat, Me, Steve Grohowalski and Al Opzynski

Fashion is a tyrant from which there is no deliverance; all must conform to its whimsical " ~ French Proverb

The itinerary for our Quebec City/ Montreal tours were as follows;

Quebec City Tour – Old and Modern Cities

· Tour of Chateau Frontenac
· Montmorency Falls
· Sainte Anne de Beaupre Basilica
· Musee De L’Abeille (Bee Museum)
· Isle D’Orleans
· Place Jacques Cartier
· Montreal City Tour
· Notre Dame Basilica
· Montreal Botanical Gardens

 I  promise to share images and our experience of the tour in  a later blog.  

First busniess at hand Trend Spotting...

 Out on the town after dark we are hot on the trail of what is new in fashion trends with women or men in Quebec...

   Nothing really exciting for Fashion Trend Spotting on the people in the streets so I focused on the windows of fashion boutiques in the Old City of Quebec.

  These fashions are for the young or aleast the very young at heart ;~)

I was RIGHT ON following trend research fashion hue for Spring/ Summer 2010

Turquiose is IT !!!

Turquoise added to grace almost every fashion vignette.

LOVE the Turquoise and soft tints of yellow in this window ;~)

        

                         Now here is a top & jacket I would totally enjoy wearing.
                                 Love the vines and plants in this window display.

 Another splash of Turquiose in case you did not get the hint.  
     I'm just saying, add a dab of Turquoise to your wardrobe this year.
 All the vines & illumination of this store window are as exciting to me as the fashions.

Large chucky jewelry makes a statement when worn over the most neutral garments.

Have you visited our Etsy Shoppe on line lately ???

 http://www.etsy.com/shop/ricerafferty

We added a new Statement Necklace.