Katy Dickinson

John versus the termites

On 5 August 2008, I wrote about the termites we found in our 1930 home in San Jose, CA. We had the termites killed last summer but the insects had done major damage to one end of our garage. (Well, it used to be a garage but has long been home to John's HO-scale model train layout and workshop.) Termites prefer to infest where the morning sun first shines: the worst damage was on the eastern face of the garage, next to the river wall.

In between looking for work, my husband, John Plocher, has been ripping out the damaged areas and rebuilding the two walls and roof. In addition to being a experienced Software Architect and Engineer, John is a capable electrician and carpenter (as well as being an apprentice welder).

Most of the demolition happened last autumn but work stopped when it started to rain. The construction area was covered by a huge blue tarp all winter. Now that the year's rain is mostly done, repair construction is progressing well. We are taking design inspiration from many sources (including the old Stanford barn in creating a roof cupola for air and light, instead of a simple skylight).

Here are some photos of the project so far:

termites hollowed out a wood beam

ripping out damage

Paul & John save eagle doorknocker

more termite damage

new wall under blue tarp

new roof frame

Stanford barn cupolas

John's cupola plans

looking through cupola-to-be

Images Copyright 2008-2009 Katy Dickinson

Posted at 05:30PM May 06, 2009 by katysblog in Home & Family  | 

Spring Garden

My garden in full bloom is a place of joy and beauty. Trying to photograph glimpses of the Spring loveliness is a pleasurable challenge.

red rose

wet leaves

nasturtiums with geraniums

wild lily

tiny succulent blooms

succulent

purple sage

pink heuchra

rosy rat tail cactus

Images Copyright 2009 Katy Dickinson

Posted at 11:16PM Apr 29, 2009 by katysblog in Home & Family  | 

Refugee Flowers in Bloom

Last winter, my kids saved a large number of German Iris rhizomes, plus three roses. The plants were in the garden of a house which was being leveled. Jessica and Paul did not want the flowers destroyed along with the house. Amid much mud, we dug up as many as we could, brought them home, and planted them in our San Jose back yard. The refugees not only survived their journey but all are now in bloom. One rose had a tag (Sonia) and one looks and smells just like a rose I already have (Chrysler Imperial) but the smaller red rose is a mystery.

White German Iris

Chrysler Imperial (probably) Hybrid Tea Rose

Sonia Hybrid Tea Rose

unknown name red rose

Images Copyright 2009 Katy Dickinson

Posted at 04:52PM Apr 22, 2009 by katysblog in Home & Family  | 

John in the Paper

My husband John Plocher was quoted in the newspaper today!

The Mercury News published the article:

Silicon Valley unemployment rate jumps to record 11%
By Pete Carey
Posted: 04/17/2009 10:32:21 AM PDT
"Silicon Valley's unemployment rate jumped to a record 11 percent last month, and more than 100,000 people are now unemployed and looking for work in the area, the state reported Friday. The question now is how many more will join them before the recession ends....
It can't happen soon enough for John Plocher, a 47-year-old software engineer who was laid off from struggling Sun Microsystems in November after about 20 years with the company. 'It's just staggering how many people are out there looking,' he said Friday.
Job-loss shock
'All the big companies seem to be shedding,' Plocher said. At regular lunch meetings of his networking group, 'I just look at their name tags: 'I used to work at...' and it's all the big names in the valley.'
Plocher, who has a son in high school and daughter in college, said socializing and networking are important, especially to get over the first shock of losing a job. 'The first month was really, really hard.'"

Some of the resources which have been of most help to John in his job hunt:

• There is a networking and lunch group in Cupertino, California, called CSix where job hunters share ideas and leads.
• The book What Color Is Your Parachute? by Richard Nelson Bolles is excellent. This book is available in many languages (French, Korean, Russian, Turkish...). Also check out the resources on Dick Bolles' web site: JobHuntersBible.Com
• LinkedIn - a social networking web site for professionals who want to extend their contacts.
• For more, see my January 15, 2009 blog post.

Posted at 10:22PM Apr 18, 2009 by katysblog in Home & Family  | 

New Walks of Old Brick

The prior owner of our 1930 home in Willow Glen (San Jose, CA) passed on to us a large number of bricks and garden stones which I have been using for the last ten years in my landscaping. Most of the bricks are very old and worn, some are half-melted clinkers, others are still new-looking with crisp corners.

Several years ago, when we replaced the old leaky swimming pool with WP668, our 1916 backyard caboose, we had to take up several long brick walkways. Since then, we have been re-using the bricks in new walks. Some of the original walkways are in the Jack-on-Jack (or Stacked Bond) pattern, others are in a Basket Weave classic brick pattern.

To get ready for our annual Easter egg hunt and garden party, we installed several new walkways using old bricks. The new walks went in places where the walking surface was uneven or hard to roll a cart or wheelbarrow over. In the new walks, we used both Jack-on-Jack and Basket Weave patterns to match what was already there. Most are set in sand on top of weed cloth with wood borders. On one high-traffic section, we used concrete borders and mortar. Even though it took a week of work and what we have now is very different from what was there before, none of our thirty party guests noticed the change. The advantage of using old bricks in new walks is that if you are careful, they look like they have always been there.

2006 - Removing Pool & Bricks

4/2009 - installation

4/2009 - new walk finished

another new walk

Daniel at work

Daniel and WP668

WP668 Caboose, April 2009

Images Copyright 2009 by John Plocher and Katy Dickinson

Posted at 10:00PM Apr 18, 2009 by katysblog in Home & Family  | 

$163,613

If you have read my blog since January, you may know that my 16-year-old son Paul has recently developed chronic and debilitating headaches and dizziness. Despite the capable and dedicated care of Pediatricians, Neurologists, Neurosurgeons, Pain Specialists, Psychologists and Psychiatrists, Occupational and Physical Therapists, and Nurse practitioners, Paul's situation is stable but not improving. We continue to work with the Pain Management Clinic at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital (LPCH). Paul is still attending the Hospital School at LPCH, so he will not have to repeat his Junior Year in High School. Thanks for your prayers and good wishes - they have been been a great support and blessing to our family.

This blog entry is about the financial side of this experience. I am not pointing my Finger of Blame at one organization or another as being Bad. I think that in general America's medical care is excellent. But I am presenting a specific example of how very broken the financial side of America's health system is.

When Paul first went into the hospital, we did not consider the financial side. We approved the recommended treatments and stayed focused on supporting Paul and each other. Over the months, this situation has evolved from a crisis into a new schedule: six sets of pills a day, drop off and pick up at doctors' offices - hospital - school, walks and stretches and massage, time in the sun, and of course regular homework and chores. Almost every day, we receive medical bills or insurance Explanations of Benefits.

Explanations of Benefits are cryptic and offer a very narrow view of a small set of medical charges. The first bill which gave us any overview of what our medical adventure cost was the hospital bill for Paul's brain surgery, for $163,613.70.

When I reviewed the statement, I was equally amazed at the total price and the 83% insurance adjustment. I know if I did not have a good job which includes health insurance, I would not be eligible for either the $25,921.32 insurance payment or the $136,324.50 discount. I would have to pay $163,613.70. Please understand, with my husband still looking for work, I am quite happy to pay only $1,367.88 for Paul's brain surgery. However, I know there are growing numbers of people who have no job and little or no health insurance such as mine. It feels very wrong that the privileged pay the least.

Paul-Hospital School

Topiary Elephant

LPCH Giraffe

LPCH Daffodils and Pansies

Images Copyright 2009 by Katy Dickinson

Posted at 06:30PM Apr 17, 2009 by katysblog in Home & Family  |  Comments[1]

Holy Week, Passover, Egg Hunt

Last week was Holy Week for the Episcopal Church, ending the Christian season Lent with the celebration of Jesus' resurrection on Easter Sunday. 2009 was one of those rare calendar years when the Jewish Passover celebration coincided with Holy Week. So, St. Andrew's celebration of the Last Supper or seder on Maundy Thursday actually took place on Passover.

Our family was in church on Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and on Saturday night for the Easter Vigil. John and I both read Genesis passages during the mostly-candlelit Easter Vigil. He read the story of Noah's ark and I read about the Sacrifice of Isaac. There were five baptisms, wonderful music, and lovely flowers.

However, Easter morning itself was dedicated to a private celebration of Spring's renewal of life: our family Easter Egg Hunt. We worked on the garden for weeks in preparation. We hosted ten happy children, plus twenty adults for our annual egg hunt and garden party.

The Easter Bunny hid over 150 eggs, including the gold and silver eggs for adults. The Bunny leaves two poems as the only clues:

The silver egg was under WP668, our backyard caboose (in the ballast). It was found quickly. However, the gold egg took hours to locate: it was under a flowerpot sitting on the retaining wall. I traded big chocolate bunnies for the gold and silver eggs to the two children who found them. They were delighted with the prizes (and to have found the eggs intended for the grownups!).

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday Procession

Palm Sunday Altar

Joyous Haggadah

Parts of our seder

Maundy Thursday

Easter Vigil Baptisms

Cross over altar

Easter flowers

Floral Golgotha

Gold and Siver Easter Eggs

Easter Bunny with Eggs in a Basket

Flowering Jasmine

WP668 Caboose

California Poppy

Images Copyright 2009 by John Plocher and Katy Dickinson

Posted at 05:14PM Apr 14, 2009 by katysblog in Home & Family  | 

Flying Pigs

You may have read my Finch Fest blog entry on 7 September 2008 about our new bird feeder. It has been such a popular item that our San Jose yard is even more full of birds than usual. We now call our tiny visitors "flying pigs" since they can go through an entire tube of black thistle seed in three days. In the Winter, their colors are mostly brown to green. John took some photos today of our piggies in their brighter Spring colors. Most today seem to be American Goldfinches but we get other finch varieties as well.

In addition to the finches, we have many much larger birds: two noisy pairs of Canada Geese, two pairs of Mallard ducks, two pairs of Mourning doves, and others enjoying our location on the Guadalupe River.

Images Copyright 2009 by John Plocher

Posted at 04:00PM Apr 10, 2009 by katysblog in Home & Family  |  Comments[1]

Birthday Flowers

My husband John Plocher hates to shop but he does have three favorite stores:

• Micro Center computer and electronics store chain
• The Train Shop (1829 Pruneridge Avenue, Santa Clara, CA 95050, (408) 296-1050) model train shop
• Williams-Sonoma cooking store chain

For his recent birthday, I took John to Williams-Sonoma at the Stanford Shopping Center to pick out his present. The Stanford outdoor mall has a lovely and innovative flower display year-round but the Spring flowers are particularly gorgeous. Some of the colors glow so brilliantly, they do not look real.

John held still for pictures because he was on the phone with our daughter Jessica, sorting out Poetry and Prose Performances Project ("P4") computer questions. Jessica is recording literary classics for P4 on YouTube.

John and Paul

Flowers at Stanford

Flowers at Stanford

John and Katy

Images Copyright 2009 by Katy Dickinson and Paul Dickinson Goodman

Posted at 12:48PM Apr 09, 2009 by katysblog in Home & Family  |  Comments[2]

Headache Update

Two weeks ago, my 16-year-old son Paul started attending regular school at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. That is, he was in class for a week then last week was Spring Break. He starts up again tomorrow. The Hospital School offers two two-hour sessions a day, morning and afternoon. They have one room for grade school and another for Junior High and High School. Kids who are not able to go to the classrooms get hospital room visits by the teachers. Tuesday afternoons, Paul goes to OT (Occupational Therapy) and PT (Physical Therapy). Paul likes the Hospital School but misses his friends and regular High School classes.

Paul still has bad headaches and falls down from dizziness several times a day. He feels dizzy if he walks very far. The pain is also effecting his memory. Pain is very subjective but I can tell Paul is in pain when he stops interacting and starts to hunch over. About an hour after he takes Tylenol (acetaminophen), he opens up, moves more freely - laughs and talks comfortably. Friday, we start work with the Pain Management Clinic at LCPH. I hope they will be able to offer some help or at least a new perspective on the problem. I hope that this is not one of those problems that Paul just has to grow out of.

The quote on the Hospital School hallway sign offers an image of hope for the future: "A gymnast in the air, the graceful gull swoops and glides along the coastal waters."

LPCH school sign

LPCH hallway art

LPCH garden

LPCH garden iris

Images Copyright 2009 by Katy Dickinson

Posted at 11:31PM Mar 29, 2009 by katysblog in Home & Family  | 

Headache Update

My 16-year-old son Paul still has constant bad headaches and dizziness. We are using relaxation techniques and Tylenol (acetaminophen) to control the pain somewhat. We started Paul this week on Pediatric Occupational Therapy and we have an appointment next month to start work with the Pain Management Clinic at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. Paul will attend the Packard Hospital School starting next week - approval just came through for that. So, he does not have to miss out on the second half of his Junior Year in High School entirely. Your prayers are always welcome.

Posted at 10:23PM Mar 12, 2009 by katysblog in Home & Family  |  Comments[2]

Daughter in Qatar

My daughter Jessica (a Sophomore studying Political Science, Computer Science, and Music at CMU - Carnegie Mellon University - in Pittsburgh, PA) is spending her Spring Break this week at the CMU campus in Doha, Qatar. Jessica calls the campus CMU-Q. For those who are geographically challenged, like me, Qatar is east of Saudi Arabia and south of Iran. You can follow her interesting cultural adventures on her blog http://feelingelephants.wordpress.com/

Posted at 03:56PM Mar 08, 2009 by katysblog in Home & Family  | 

Another Headache Update

We have been doing the rounds of doctors (neurosurgeon, neurologist, pediatrician) recently to see what may help my 16-year-old son Paul's headaches and dizziness. The neurosurgeon seems clear that the mass in Paul's brain is not causing the problem. He has given us several official names for that kind of mass. The summary is that it is an area of differently configured cells which are not cancerous or infected. That is, the headaches are not caused by cancer, infection, or an autoimmune process (thank God!).

We have tried many different medications - some by prescription and some over the counter. Some drugs worked better than others but none got rid of the problem. Our next step is to try biofeedback and related techniques to see how much of the problem is stress-based. We have an appointment next month with the Pain Management Clinic at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. We are also working with Paul's school to see how Paul can continue his Junior year in High School despite falling down regularly and having bad headaches.

Posted at 12:58PM Mar 04, 2009 by katysblog in Home & Family  | 

Headache Update

Thanks to everyone who has been kind enough to ask after the health of my 16-year-old son Paul. There is good news, and bad news. The good news is that the pathology (study and diagnosis of the blood and tissue samples taken from Paul) is complete: Paul's brain lesions are not cancerous, or caused by an infectious or autoimmune process. We were very happy to hear that! In fact, the Neurosurgeon does not think that the brain masses are related to Paul's severe headaches. Which brings us to the bad news. Since last week, we have been working with a Neurologist who is still trying to figure out what to do about the headaches that started our whole medical adventure.

We have tried seven drugs in the last two months, some of them twice. I now have a chart with the name of each drug down the Y-axis and the following column headers across the X-axis: Pain, Nausea/Queasiness, Dizzyness, Memory Loss & Fuzzy Thinking, Tippyness/Falling, Sensitivity to Sound-Movement-Heat/Cold, and Sleep. We are keeping track of Paul's response to each drug but have yet to find one that kills the pain without making him nonfunctional. I begin to suspect that this will take a long time to work through.

I think we are getting very good medical care. However, I also think we are creeping toward the edge of medical knowledge. For example, the MRI (scan of Paul's brain) done at our regular medical clinic had much less detail and resolution than the extensive set of scans done a few days later by Lucille Packard Children's Hospital (LPCH). Even I could tell the difference looking at the images with Paul's Neurosurgeon before the surgery. The first MRI images showed one fuzzy brain lesion, the second from LPCH showed two lesions very clearly. Talking with the LPCH technician who was getting Paul ready to scan again after the biopsy surgery, I learned that an even more advanced MRI machine will come on line there soon. It seems to me that as medical technology advances, body tissue scans are showing more and more detail and there is very little "normal" baseline to compare them to. Even if there was a "normal" baseline, it would probably be for adults, not children, because of laws and regulations quite rightly protecting children from medical testing.

The surgery scar on Paul's neck is healing well. He is back in school but excused from Physical Education (PE) for the rest of this semester. Your prayers for strength of body, mind, and spirit for Paul and our family are very welcome indeed. Thank you.

Paul just told me that light exercise and frozen grape popsicles made his headache better. Have to add those to my chart...

Posted at 06:23PM Feb 23, 2009 by katysblog in Home & Family  |  Comments[2]

Picnic at Johnson Park

My son Paul is still recovering from his brain surgery last Friday. Today we passed two milestones: he took a shower, and he got out of the house. Paul had permission as of today to get the incision site wet, so this was his first hair wash in a week. (This is a 6 foot tall 16-year-old boy we are talking about!) He looks and smells much better.

John and I took Paul out for a picnic lunch to Palo Alto's Johnson Park. He asked for his favorite food from Darbar Indian Cuisine. We sat on towels at a damp wooden picnic table under the trees and ate butter chicken (like Chicken Tikka), Bengan Bhurtha, rice, naan, dal and raita. I held Paul's arm to keep him from tipping or slipping as we walked on the wet pavement. He is moving slow but making good progress in his recovery.

Posted at 03:50PM Feb 11, 2009 by katysblog in Home & Family  |