My Daily Travels

It has been a long week filled with tears, memories, family gatherings, obligations, and blessings. After a beautiful service, the matriarch of our family is properly resting in peace. Our oldest daughter and her wife are handling the Thanksgiving dinner this year, and for that, I am feeling truly... Sign in to see full entry.

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After driving around in the rain for a bit yesterday, we located this piece of serenity in one of Pittsburgh's beautiful Gardens. The rain stopped, allowing us to breathe in the fresh fall scents and experience a moment of clarity and peace of mind. Sign in to see full entry.

At 1:30 am this morning, John's mom passed away quietly in her sleep. We will all miss her silliness, smile, and kind heart. In loving memory of Ruth Ann Austin Granato. No more suffering for my sweet mother-in-law. You may now rest in peace in the calm serenity of Heaven. Sign in to see full entry.

John is working a double shift today to make up for the day he took off while waiting for news on his mother's deteriorating condition. It is wet and chilly outside, so I have the heater cranked up, a fire roaring in the fireplace, and the Holiday Baking Championship on pause. Once I'm done watching... Sign in to see full entry.

I am an avid bird watcher. I try to learn as much as possible about each species that visit my yard. This guy with the ultra-wide wingspan was watching for easy prey from the roof of a neighboring house. Turkey vultures are not the prettiest birds, they stink, possibly because they urinate on their... Sign in to see full entry.

John's mom remains in a state of unconsciousness. We were told that even if she woke up she would be in a vegetative state. After her MRI yesterday showed no chance of an operation being helpful, the doctor ordered her food source removed after John's three older siblings approved it. Now all we can... Sign in to see full entry.

John's eighty-two-year-old mother suffered a massive stroke yesterday morning that has left her in a coma. We spent the majority of the day at the hospital waiting for news on her condition to which the doctor informed us that if she remains in the same condition today, he and his five siblings will... Sign in to see full entry.

Tonight is the Christmas tree light-up night in my borough, and fittingly for the winter occasion, the temperature has dropped to the 50s, making the air feel a bit wintry, which is officially still more than a month away. It will definitely be a heavy sweater and bundle-up kind of evening. The... Sign in to see full entry.

In my opinion, there are plenty of ways to express yourself without leaving a permanent mark, and getting inked is pretty permanent even though tattoos are a wearable form of art that tells a story. John and I are tattoo-free, and until a few days ago, our three daughters were tattoo-free. Our... Sign in to see full entry.