Tuesday, February 28, 2006

The Reader's Digest Version, Part II

So last we left our trepid caretaking daughter, she and Sunny had successfully come home with a huge bags of hoovy groovy pills.

Wednesday was another day of phone calls, computerized research for shops that sell fake boobs, more calls to the insurance company to find out about coverage for said boobs (each call elicted yet another answer!), and further searching for some kind of therapist for Sunny. On this day I got to meet yet another of Sunny's witch doctors that she has been seeing forever, Dr Nykwest, the comedian chiropractor. A very tall man with a non-stop banter, he has somehow managed to keep my mother laughing for about 16 years. We engaged in a conversation about many things, most prominently Cheney's hunting incident since Glen is a hunter and Lindsay (Sunny's husband) has been obsessed about the details around the shooting. I learned that more hunting accidents happen while quail hunting because of the way the birds take flight. Would have never known that had I not taken Sunny for her appointment. Glen was kind enough to give me a short adjustment as well, which was quite nice as I haven't had one for months.

Returning home we made plans to meet up with her neighbor, Barbara and her family, at Wobbles. Once more with feeling! Nope, closed again. Luckily Barbara had already bagged so we didn't drag them out to the Brigadoon of restaurants. So back to Justin Thyme, luckily their menu is on the large side and the food is really good.

Thursday morning we headed out to a shop that promised a reasonable selection of protheses in the fairly ritzy town of Mount Kisco. We had discussed the option of her driving on the out bound trip since she hadn't driven since the mastectomy in November and she thought it would be easier if she drove for the first with me rather than Lindsay. Luckily she was up for in the morning because I was going to make her do it because I was only there a few more days.

(Oh by the way, yes this was the day I was supposed to see Greg but we changed plans to Friday.)

This store was very upscale, the prices insane, the saleswomen had classic New York accents - just perfect. However the prothesis and bras were not. We left without one (though we did not leave the shop empty handed), but simply traversed up Main Street (literally) a bit and visited Entre Nous. Fittings of fake boobs are all they do. First one out of the box and the first bra - success! I mean it totally rocked. Sunny was wearing a tight t-shirt (and dammit all to hell, she still has the figure to pull this look off!) and it was nigh onto impossible to tell which one silicone and which was flesh. She pronounced, "Now that looks like me!". This purchase was one of the best things the entire trip. I do believe it made a huge difference for her.

From there the plan was to find some food and go to Lee's Yarns, whose website I had been drooling over as a form of escapism on the carpet of the office space that for anyone else living in this house would be the living room. We found a totally new place with fabulous food. It was even easy for her to find gluten-free food, amazing. If you are ever in the area, visit Myongs in Bedford Hills. I had my first caffeine since getting on the plane, a soymilk latte and it was good. It was a quick few blocks drive to Lee's, I was seriously drooling. But wait, could it be, it was... gone. Closed up, bear and bereft. Too late to go elsewhere, and apparently we had plans to meet up with Barbara, so home we went.

Lindsay and I had had a chance to touch on the "episode" that prompted Sunny's request for my presence. She had told me very little before my arrival and we hadn't really talked about it since. While visiting with Barbara I heard Sunny's account. I would classify it as some bizarre melding of a manic episode and a panic attack. Either way not pleasant. Sunny's mania is usually rather benign - insomnia, complusive shopping, actually cleaning. But every so often she has another kind and it's not fun for anyone including her - she gets very angry, bordering on full rages. This event was this way, and included vague suicidal gestures in that she was walking in the hospital parking lot "daring cars to hit me". What I also found out is that she told no one I was coming, not Lindsay, not Barbara. She is exceptionally close to Barbara, and well she is married to Lindsay. She told Lindsay to "keep Sunday open" and I don't believe she told him until that morning that he needed to drive to Kennedy Airport to pick me up. Very odd behavior in my opinion, seems kind of related to "magical thinking".

Friday I was practically jumping out of my seat in the car as they dropped me off at the Metro North station. Out of the house! Not attached at the hip to Sunny! I get to see Greg! We had a lovely visit never leaving Grand Central Station. A lingering lunch at the Oyster Bar - great food, a lovely glass of wine, and some of the best coffee ever. We examined the food mart, which displayed all sorts of lovely edible - breads, fish, sausage, petit fours, crab legs, wedges of cheese, glistening peppers and delectable pineapple. Us being us we of course couldn't not browse at Posman Books. We each made purchases, mine of course was a knitting book as I haven't read any fiction but one books since starting graduate school.

(This is getting frightfully long and so I'm going to wrap things up!)

We did at last eat at Wobble Cafe, not once but twice, and it was as fabulous as they said. Again, if you find yourself in Ossining go hungry! I did also manage to buy yarn by going to Goldman's, which is going out of business. I found the perfect colour of ribbon yarn for my niece's sweater. OMG it's name is Dharma - it's fate! Or rather karma. Found a lot of wonderful deals, but really tried to be frugal since I have no yarn budget. It was a very bittersweet experience shopping there as it was close to the end of a legacy and shoppers where telling stories all around me.

My flight home went smoothly except for knitting. Thrilled that I finally had the yarn I needed, I began the sweater. I had knit, oh about 5 inches of the back, when I finally decided to check my gauge as I was increasing sure it was too small. I was right. I frogged the whole thing and recast. I need to listen to my gut earlier and I need to check gauge. {sigh}

Can I even begin to tell y'all how happy I am to be home!


3 comments:

Ancrene Wiseass said...

Sounds like it was a pretty successful trip, all told?

I'm sorry to hear about Sunny's "episode:" sounds scary! But I'm very glad that she has the prosthesis that makes her feel better.

Jennie said...

That ribbon yarn is freakin gorgeous. Thanks for filling us in. Great to have you back in the vicinity. Would love to see your actual bod sometime soon.

Anonymous said...

My name is Rich, Beylka and I Wobble Cafe. Glad you got to make it in...twice! Thank you very much! Please say hi if you make it back east any time soon.
Wobble Crew!