BREAKING NEWS

I am going on the road again....i decided to tag along with jeff and michele and head up to manchester new hampshire for the bsta shoe show sun,mon.tues.....huge for me to get out and do what i do......smooz and sell ......in that order...drive up saturday morning.......set up and shake hands and kiss the babies......cannot wait to see everyone .........i am feeling stronger every day and what the hey..i could always sit on my ass there as well as home........it really picked me up when i decided to go......it is full circle you see it was the manchester show in late september that i really was not feeling that well and the rest is history now.......so it is only fitting that manchester is the one show i get to do before "mac the knife" does his job on me....had almost 7 hours of energy today ......chemo is slowy leaving my body and i can feel it waving bye-bye......still waiting for my diploma for graduating from the top of my class in chemo-therapy.........not a bad place to be........chemo free.......p.s thanks for the southern invites my buddies.............i will take you up on that soon.................have a great one today.....wish our good buddies loose lucy luck in the key west fishing tournament......hook em dan-o.....................tc

bABY,iT'S COLD OUTSIDE

ok where did this ice age come from...global warming..i think not...i mean it was a fairly mild winter until the last few weeks and all during my treatment it was pretty amazing how warm it was....if i had to be in the middle of treatment and deal with this cold i would have moved to the southern states real quick ......even there i got lucky.........you see as i have been saying all along....I am " the luckiest man alive "..................frozen body and all ........tip of the day for all northeasteners...........layers......dress in layers and cover the dome.......that's what my momma used to say....if that don't work....your shit out of luck....heeeee.......feeling better everyday.............smile at the sun..it is what keeps us....burning..........tom-tom

THE AWAKENING

it is official..i am feeling more like myself than not..(don't know if that's good or bad)......energy levels are up .....food tastes great again...had this Chilean sea bass tonight at a local restaurant that was as good as food gets ...imagine that taking even the taste of food for granted before all this went down.......so let's see what i have learned from all this so far..... in a segment i like to call "things i will never take for granted again"
1. waking up
2. sleeping
3. life
4. going to the bathroom normally
5. friends
6. friendship
7. other peoples feelings
8. you
9. me
10. food
11. water..turns out i really never drank enough before .......and last but not least
12. assholes ( well maybe i will take them for granted) because they is what they is

now that i got that off my chest....wishing you a really happy sunday/monday morning..round two starts this thursday morning with the first of many pre-surgery tests..will keep you posted.....out from blog land..tea sea....p.s congrats Apollo .....you skated awesome in the olympics.......to willie nelson impersonators everywhere......"i can't wait to get on the road again".........

STRANGE EFFECT

I guess the chemo had a bigger effect on me than i thought...i woke up this morning and looked like this.......i am hideous i can't even look in the mirror..( i don't know about you guys but i got a good chuckle out of it)...............................................had a cold beer tonight ( yuengling lite) rare in these parts and it actually tasted like a beer and not wire and steel wool going down my throat.......how sweet it is..........still dragging this beat up body to work setting up the final trade show of the season....it will take place in manchester new hampshire......" little know facts about manchester"..... it has the distinction of having the longest main street in the country.......and also has some fine dining establishments i might add .....so if your in the neighborhood please stop by i won't be there but i am sure you will find it to your liking.....this has been my first winter home for almost 13 years and i might also add i am freaking going stir crazy....so watch out world i am ready to break out soon and when i do........well i will fill you all in when that happens.....now if i only could just stay awake ..man i would give my kingdom for 8 straight hours of uninterrupted sleep...
tommy "rip van wrinkled" cheffo

ENERGY LEVELS

before and after chemo ( self portrait)





i
now know what it must be like to be a drug addict and coming off of drugs....my body is tired all the time now....it is waitng for the next treatment and i keep telling it it's over ( even show it the restraining order) but i still think it does not believe it yet.....feeling tired is better than feeling chemofied i tell you....other than the metal taste in my mouth and a little vein pain ( mysterious lumps that come and go) and this bald spot on the top of my head ( oh i had that before chemo) i mean i loved my dad and he gave me speed when i play soft ball....a good batting eye.... an italian view on the world ( whatever that means)......he also gave me his hair genes......no he couldn't just leave me his blue jeans.......oh well like i always say...who need hair when i have just about everything else and man could want..............untill next time..........t c.............p.s happy b -day ron and michele...hope you guys know how special you are to me......

2-22-06

love those trollys (last year in san fran...with casey)
as i am writing this on tuesday evening i am hoping that on wednesday morning when i wake up the chemo- fog will start lifting....man what a ride it has been....the roller coaster in coney island has nothing on these drugs...but as my son said in my birthday card " its a freakin awesome day and soon your going to have all that crap out of your system.....i call it crappy-chemo but even though it poisons it still heals"......well so long crappy chemo it was good while it lasted but i am going to have to say good bye now ....... i tried to let you down easy but sometimes you just gotta pull the band-aid off in one....swift....motion.....even if we have only been together for just three months i feel that i have learned so much from you.......please do not call or write or else i will have to get a restraining order to keep you within 20 feet from my veins......tea....sea.....p.s real good to see ben and ricky today (friends in the shoe world came by work for a visit)....andy great talking to you also....your voice was just what the doctor ordered .........make someone smile today......it really does not take much

GOOD MORNING WORLD

world's tallest tree ...muir woods san francisco .....................................................now i know why i was born with a big head.......it's to house this ego you guys are feeding me.......it was the 52 birthday of my life ( actually it is the 53rd because the 1st if you think about it is the day your born)..i mean if that ain't your "birthday" then i don't now what is........so for all in blog-land....thanks again for your kind wishes.....gifts...cards.....e-mails..comments....songs from the mountain tops....greetings from the trade shows.....kids singing on my cell phone about looking like a monkey "and i smell like one too".....to my family for making this day......remarkable........to my co-workers for remembering and caring.....in loving memory to all those who have touched my soul and are no longer with us........and to my mom and dad.....i mean with out them..i never would have met all of you.... and mom .... although you were only in my life for such a short while...you have left an incredible mark on all you touched and i am so glad that the first person to look into my eyes was you...... for i am the mirror of that moment......................tom john cheffo....p.s for all of those traveling to vegas for the trade show......safe travels.......35 & 6 black...thanks loose lucy's for making me a part of your world.............................michele....keep your cash in your pocket....your gonna need it for your wedding......

52 "nice round number"

that's me on the right......dom on the left...look at the size of that head on me...mellon
Feb 20th 1954...let me take you back in time with a story that was just sent to me by my beautiful cousin/sister barbara ..........Tom, I am talking with my mom right now and she says she will never forget the night you and Dom were born.
They told Uncle Mike(my dad), Aunt Connie and my mom that they were going to perform a cesarean section and they needed blood from the blood bank.
They drove from the hospital all the way to the blood bank and didn't stop at one light. They took your mothers blood to match it. Imagine!!!
They saw a policeman and they showed him the blood and the policeman said to go, go, go and go and they never stopped.
By the time they got back to Adelphi Hospital you and Dom were born. To their surprise your mom had already given birth to twin boys.
And that's the way it was. She said it was a great moment in her life.............52 years ago. That mean my mom was 26 years old, three months pregnant with me.
We love you Tom !!!! Happy Birthday!!!!!
Barbara ...thanks barbara for this great story and always laughing at my jokes..........oh yeah almost forgot.......barbara's twin boys luke and gabriel told me that "bald" in german means "white" so when they say bald headed eagle they mean "white" headed eagle...so no rogaine for them...hehehehe...love ya boys.....still in chemo foggo...sue made a wonderful beef stew tonight and i think my taste buds are returning........right on track to start feeling myself on 2/22.......you see you only have to deal with me during the time i write my blog...i am sure it has not been easy for the family here....i have to say it has had some rough moments and for those i appoligies for ..............tough to be on 24/7 when your seeing double sometimes...does that make it 48/14?.....oh well i'm sinking in the creek mud now....need to crawl into a hole for a while...when i see you all again i will be one year older...and one day closer to begining phase 2...love ya all............. tomaso..oh yeah happy birthday to my twin bro ....two for the price of one.....he's 5 minutes older than me ( does that mean i was concieved first)? or i kicked him out when it was time..........hey luke & gabriel...your not the only twins ya know............

PHASE TWO

manatees..another one of my favorite animals........still feeling the effects of wednesdays treatment ..like i said i will start feeling better around 2-22 ron rockmans birthday...and build on that....cat (ct) scans are scheduled for march 2...meeting with surgeon march 10th....from there who knows ..but i tell you i will make the next 30 days memorable.....enjoy each sunrise and sunset for what it is .......a pure gift.....i have walked this earth for almost 52 years.(monday) well i think i crawled for the first year and a half....but anyway the point is as crappy as i feel these days i have so much to be thankful for..the list is to long and i have gone over my love for family...friends ( to many good one to write down)....life...love......vibe water (plug for satsunder's new venture)....dogs..horses....manatees...eagles..(thanks brad for reminding me)......a cold one....music.....sunrises/sunsets...rainbows..trees....rain.....snow.....winter ..spring ..summer or fall...( sorry james taylor for stealing your lines) ...selling ...customer service....peanut butter....tyed dyed nation..playing music with my neighbor rob ( we have to jam soon)..playing with kent & kev (possum) and kevin..butts..nor..and now offically casey (blackhorse) ......play and singing for all who will dare to listen..........but the feelings and emotions that you all have sent my way has been.............humbling to say the least ( and those of you who know me...know i can never say the least)....i mean i woke up at two this morning and had to tell you all how much i really ...really....really needed you all in phase 1 and ..you truly made it a "walk in the park"..a labor of love......thanks for taking the first part of the journey with me....ON TO PHASE 2................................... tom...p.s whoever just sent me roger mcquinns folk den cd fess up..no card just the music..awesome gift..from unknown person or persons....steph & jason you guys rock for the awesomest grateful dead button down collared shirt.....love it.

THE EAGLE HAS LANDED

had to re-post eagle shots again so rare to see.....it is sad they are called bald eagles i wonder if rogaine would help them...or if they feel inferior to eagles with hair......oh well at they are making a comeback.....i plan on soaring like an eagle the next few months and get myself off the extinct list also....been reading about my neo-bladder.... pretty heavy stuff i will be up against and i will share some of it with you'll complete with diagrams and color glossy photos with arrows (alices resturant movie) quote.......i will get more into that at a later date.......took today off after my booster white count shot..did not quite have my sea legs back after that lone treatment yesterday....just watching the drip drip drip...could make you drippy....glad it's over.....thanks for taking the ride with me...planning on 30 days of fun and music..before i let them cut me open......in the merry old land of oz ( that's what it feels like sometimes)....... Tom "somewhere over the rainbow" Cheffo

BLOG WORLD

(rare eagle shot above)
OFFICIAL START TIME OF DRIP WAS ABOUT 10:04....official stop time 5:35....ladies and gentlemen a new world record and now for a playing of our national anthem and a coment about the blad eagle (from brad) In 1963 there were just 417 known nesting pairs of bald eagles in the lower 48 states. In 1967, under a law that preceded the 1973 Endangered Species Act, the bald eagle is declared an endangered species in the lower 48. Today, at least 7,066 known nesting pairs exist in the continental United States.GOD BLESS AMERICA, GOD BLESS TOM CHEFFO. and now back to our regulary scheduled program ...when i looked across the room and started talking to a fellow club member( some club my insurance payed $27,000 dollars for my membership last month and there is not even a pool)..... turns out my twin brother dom I made him a sheepskin coat (well dom made it ..i sold it) we were like ying and tang...tweddle de dumb and tweddle dee dom......frick and frack....tom and dom..i quess my mom had a sense of humor) dom still has a version of our store going strong..the sheepskin coat is still holding up....thats why i got into the shoe biz....women always need a shoe and they do wear out..... WHEN I FINISHED MY CHEMO I GOT LOTS OF SMILES AND GOOD LUCKS FROM THE NURSES AND STAFF....AND DANCED A JIG WHEN I WAS ABOUT TO GET IN MY SON'S CAR......AS TO HOW I FEEL...HAPPY .....ELATED...JOYFUL..SICK...FABOUSI ( NEW WORD FROM ASHLEY).....stupendous..pissed ( i lost the first version of the blog to a web crash)......relieved.....weak... a slap in in the head wally world kinda happy.........looking forward to getting my body in shape for round two..in which doris gets her oats)...john lennon quote.............looking foward to 2/22 to start feeling better...happy birthday week....me and dom ..monday..michele,ron rockman ,satsunder (i think) ashley...patty hurst ( born on the same day as me)....love ya .............. tommy "no mo chemo" cheffo

AND THEN THERE WAS ONE

CHEMO-SABI
sitting here on the eve of my last treatment to beat up to comprehend the meaning of tomorrow ..........it is like i am so used to this rollercoaster ride that i cannot believe it is almost over......the fat lady is warming up her vocal chords one last time...it ain't over till it's over kinda feeling.. .........bottom of the ninth 2 outs.....( expect for the red sox against the mets in 86) sorry scott,sean andy and paul.........rounding third and heading for home.........ok i will stop while i am ahead.......my mind is starting to clear up some..i know this is gonna sound weird but i really had a strange vibe running through me (other that the chemo) all week it was like my ears were ringing kinda feeling.....i know that my name keep coming up all week in vegas and it was like jim carey in bruce almighty when he heard all the voices in his head at one time ( thanks sk for the jim carey analogy).....and with the full moon whew i was feeling real wacky ... now i know why i was picking up all the friends and associates feelings and comments about my situation...steve and michele said i have no idea how many people stopped by to ask how i was doing ( good publicity for the brand) i guess...but i do have an idea ........you see i heard everyone of them........so now i am thanking you all for the help in this "first part " of this amazing journey......part two will be more entertaining that the godfather 2 and rocky 2 combined........i hope it does not flop like so many sequels have in the past......but i will try to keep you guys and gals up to date........will be in the chemo chair tomorrow as i told the nurse last week when i sat down....just take a little off the top..........( and leave room for milk)..chemo sabi

I'M GOING TO DISNEY LAND

this little pig was never the same after i huffed and puffed and blew his house down..........taken many many moons ago....oh i would say i was 21 years old......living the good life...just hanging with the pigs......i have know idea who that little girl is in the picture but i hope her parents have the same picture of us in their scrap book...could you imagine them getting home and developing this picture..............let's do the math $25.00 all day disney pass......favorite football jersey....$14.95.....hair cut...$00.00....hippie hanging with pig......priceless....this is casey's favorite photo of her pops............. rough week but what the heck.......i have really had a pretty easy time of it compared to my forefathers....body is beat up though and ready to finish this crap and move on.......last treatment is wednesday....can i get a whoop whoop?.........full moon tonight and it makes me wacky i think........what i would give just to feel normal again.........man i am in the mood for a roast pork sandwich..........ouch..bad pig joke..............hope u guys and gals didn't spend all your money in vegas and saved some for a rainy day..........tom "big bad wolf"
cheffo

BLIZZARD OF 2006...special edition blog...will update all day

photo by susan....chris in background

WINTER STORM UPDATE...........

...saturday nite....we are getting walloped here..looks like over a foot of snow.....Visibility is zero.....with winds over 35 miles an hour..airports canceling flights......babys are being born...life will end as we know it......noah is building an ark......the earth will swallow us whole...and the beatles will never get back together...sad but true as long as john and george are no longer with us........ i will keep you'all updated on this special storm track edition...stay tuned through-out the day ...............................sunday morning...lots of white stuff coming down...winds are high ( not as high as robert downey jr used to be)....8-10 on the ground already and it will continue for a while......so hang on to your hot cocoa (whoever she/he is) and watch the olympics if your caught in the storm....more updates later ...... sunday night official tally 26.9 inches fell in nyc.....we got about 16..it was a mellow snow real calm day...good it fell on a sunday ...less traffic...able to plow tall building at a single bound...(there i go quoting superman again) i really need to get a life .......thanks to chris we got all of the show shoveled in record time...just thinking about susans homemade waffles hurried us along....finger lickin good........so from snowbound long island...may the fires in your heart be as warm as the fires in the hearth

tommy"the weatherman" cheffo ...oh yeah almost forgot..safe travels from vegas my buddies.......could use some of that southern sunshine myself real soon

LET THE GAMES BEGIN

i could not wait for the olympics to start this year...i guess it is because i am home this winter for the first time in almost 13 years and before that i was in my own leather store and if you ever worked retail you know that your never home anyway... so this is really quite a shock to my system..... i am being told that there are plenty of well wishes coming by the booth in vegas concerned about my health...even competitors are wearing the "tomstrong" tye dyed bracelets that susan k started and i am forever grateful for that........missy and britt hope you enjoyed that beer you had with me in spirt tonite...to my cousins reading this..i love you all so much...thanks janine & gary for the grateful dead movies...awesome gift...kent and felicia for the "mad dogs and englishmen" dvd...great band.......what i am trying to say is......this having cancer....it's not so bad....you get these freaking unreal gifts every other day......need to move to a bigger house to fit all the swag i have been collecting (swag for those of you who must know is short for really cool free stuff)....i will leave you tonight with what seemed to be the theme of the opening cermony from torino tonite....passion and peace......in the words of john lennon.......imagine all the people ...living life in peace........imagine that.......tom ...p.s....michele 35 & 6 black in roulette

THE DAY AFTER

What an emotional roller coaster ride i have been on...i mean you have to understand that when the chemo enters your body it has a daily effect on you the likes i have never experienced
..it should take about four weeks to be completely out of my body...so like i said last treatment is the 15th..i should start feeling better on 2/22.....and each day thereafter..getting my stamina and strength back....The wheels are in motion for my surgery as i type...should be around mid to late march.. to which means i get to see my beloved allman brothers band at the beacon in nyc march 10th....i hope casey and chris will be at my side.....nothing like a brothers concert......except a black horse or possum..the guys i play music with...we always have the best time and i am missing that part of my travels mucho...that and my incredible team and friends on the road.....i should be in vegas right now.... eating at the grand lux..staying at the venetian..going to the show party tomorrow nite...chicago and earth wind and fire...all you could eat and drink..now we shoe people really know how to throw a party......to all who read my blog...you know i always knew how charmed my life was....even through all the personal tragedies i will never and have never taken anything or anybody for granted....i learned at a very early age that laughter and love will carry me through.....to this i owe all to the way i was raised and how amazing my family was in difficult times...we just embraced each other and gathered strength from the event and moved on....we knew what we had or have and never and i mean never failed to to say "i love you" and really mean it.... so to my blog world of family and friends i leave you tonight with this " i love you" i love you for caring so much about my health and well being...... i have so much to be thankful for..i know joni mitchel once said " you don't know what you got till it's gone"....well i always knew what i had......sorry joni..... does not apply to this brooklyn cowboy
chemo "6 days to go " sabi

ONE IS THE LONELIEST NUMBER

stewie...a new tee shirt for u.....
8-7-6-5-4-3-2- ....ONE FREAKING TREATMENT LEFT....i had a funny feeling today towards the end of my treatment.,... i am really going to miss my chemo nurses..they have been awesome to me and my fellow chemoettes....making sure we were getting the exact amounts we needed ...always smiling......real genuine humans....my hat is raised now to the health care people..those who really make a difference in so many lives each and every day.....i am in awe of your deadication...compassion.... not to mention you keep great cookies around...... and to my dear dr.xaio and nurse kathleeen who will be with me in my after care program ( after my surgery)....every three months for two years....and still more after that...i look foward to seeing you every time i am in your office,,,you are my true saviors.....i am in such good hands........the best of the best.........sorry it is so mushy today.....but it's my blog and i'll cry if i wannna cry if i wanna. ..( grammy nomination) ?.......speaking of which..did you hear mirah sing...not a huge fan but what a set of lungs...i mean that girl can sing......(did i mention her set of lungs)?...................................................................................................to my buds in vegas....long may you run....great job michele,jason,steve,susan k,scott,gary,pat,bruce ed and i think brad......man it took all of you on day one...wish i had the help all these years heehhee......special thanks again to michele for keeping my dream alive and working her butt off...i love ya kiddo...............................tom "one to go" cheffo...p.s it' chad pennington the quarterback of the ny jets you saw at the airport susan......guess i have to teach you about football now.........lol..man i miss you all in vegas..... have a a beer with me tonight.......at the venetian round bar say around 10 o'clock........

no mo chemo

has a nice ring to it....two more to go....yahooooo........gonna miss feeling like crap some daze...not.....i guess all good things must come to an end someday.......first wave of personel left for the shoe show today....i will not miss setting up that massive show...it is in the hands of michele and jason and i know they will get it right ....it will be weird for me i must admit but it is the right choice to stay home and finish my treatments ......i will miss the friendship and passion that could only be found in our world of shoes..it is an amazing industry and one that i am glad i got into full time 13 years ago ...i have met the most wonderful "shoe dogs" one could ever hope to be around....young-old-male-female//all one big club........all have one thing in common,,,,,,we have a foot fetish..no just kidding...we love the excitment of the changing styles....the new seasons ....and we have a foot fetish....ok you got me now..............keep on keepimg on....treatment should be a breeze on wednesday...don't forget to write.......i know where to fine you......

tommy "vegas" cheffo

BLAME IT ON THE STONES

forgot to mention the half time show.......i thought the stones put on a good effort but the sound system stunk up the joint.......man are they some aged looking beef.....but they have been rocking a long time and ya gotta give them credit....i thought micks boob was gonna pop out (gotta give that line to ashley boyfriend chris ) from work........had a ton of energy today....and it will carry over into tommorow,,,,,,back in for a quick fix wed afternoon while my team is heading for vegas.....stinks about sheryl crow and lance breaking up let's give them an ahhhhhh......oh no now i am turning into the hollywood reporter......news at 11.......keep on rockin in the free world....see you on the flip side ....... joke of the day.......what do you call a gay dinosaur........ready for it........a megasoreass.... ok now that just plain silly....sorry.....tom "CAN'T GET NO..SATIFACTION"cheffo

SUPER bOWL

congrats pitts
i tell you seattle had more chances to win than i have ever seen...i guess it was pittsburgh's year.......hats off to them..sorry gary on your teams demise...but hey 2nd out of 32 teams is not to shabby.......oh i got good news my phone (that i washed) started working .....seems like the phone gods really like me...
i am having a small problem holding on to things ( side effect of chemo) is numbness in the fingers and i dropped a plate yesterday.....and been dropping things all day....the sound of the plate hitting the marble floor..man that is loud ( another side effect is sensitive hearing)....two moments for the price of one......
heading into final chemo phase.....i feel like it went by so quick...but that is how life seems to be anyway......part of me wants to slow down ....and part of me wants to fly through the next few weeks ( the part of me that wants to slow down does not want the surgery yet).....man my head is spinning some days...but you know what...it is all good......you see my cell phone is working again...and it's all about the little things that get me through......( i need my cell ..how else would i talk to you) most of my team is heading to vegas this week for the huge shoe show....i am going to be lonely being left behind.........just like the dog in the kennel.......thank goodnees some cool people will still be in the office this week.....i would be lost without them......
Tommy "fido"Cheffo

lazy day in new york

ok my body just shut down today....i guess from the crap that has been building up and the huge shoe show coming up...(preparing for it is as tough as doing it)....i could not drag myself out of bed.....had to e-mail work that i was taking a Tom day off....no treatments...no doctors...no meetings...no x-rays.....No ct scans......no needles.... no waiting rooms.....no 2nd little room you sit in and wait........no one looking up my privates ......just a day for me to rest during the week..it was just what the doctor ordered....other than washing my cell phone i'd have to say it was a good day ( phone seems trashed even though i had this drying device).....ok here is the outline of my day..woke up...( that is always a good thing when that happens)....made fried eggs (sunny side up) with whole wheat toast......napped.....watched tv..Really is crap on ...ate lunch....(chicken cutlet on toasted italian bread..a little salt and mayo).......napped......showered....did a dark laundry ( trying to accomplish something)....left my phone and wallet in pocket of sweats....wallet ok.....napped......watched tv.....( seeing a pattern here)?....had home made soup........you guessed it...napped..no tv read this time......had a salad with sliced chicken cutlets.....cranapple juice......watched a western......ate popcorn.....typed my blog........man i am exhausted from this day...heheehe......glad i do not hit lotto because this is what i would always do.......not a bad way to spend the day....get to do it all over again......saturday.........lets hope we have a good game sunday...will predit the score now...pitts 24- seattle 17.......or maybe i will just take a nap during the game.........see ya.....tommy"the napster" cheffo

ground beef hog

had to post paul cartwrights comments from yesterday......as a matter of fact all the comments have been amazing from the beginning.............................. here is the story of the ground hog GROUND HOGS. INTERESTING LITTLE BUGGERS THEY ARE. TURNS OUT THAT RIGHT NOW, THEY ARE ALL STILL ASLEEP IN HIBERNATION. WHEN HIBERNATING THEIR LITTLE HEARTS BEAT ONCE EVERY FOUR MINUTES, AND IN THE DEAD OF WINTER THEIR BODY TEMP DROPS TO AROUND 37 DEGREES. WHO KNEW? ALSO, IN THE SPRING THE MALES TEND TO "WAKE UP" ABOUT THREE WEEKS EARLY THAN THE FEMALES, THE MALES THEN GO OUT TO FIND THE FEMALES ONLY TO FIND THAT THEY ARE STILL NAPPING AND INSTEAD FIND MORE MALES AND THEN THEY FIGHT OVER THE SLEEPING WOMAN. DUMB ASSES, THEY SHOULD JUST REST A WHILE LONGER AND CHILL OUT. TURNS OUT THE HOLE IS JUST THE BEGINNING - THEIR PAD IS QUITE THE UNDERGROUND MAZE. O.K. ENOUGH ABOUT GROUNDHOGS... .......this blog has been part of my journey to the cure...it has brought so many people together from so many states......with one common ground...live.....love....cherish the world we live in.....i am a better person because of what has happened to me....and a much better person with all of you in my world...rock -on...jazz on...country on.....live on...ride-on........oh yeah ...my body is getting a little whipped out ...but i feel the worst is over and it is just around the bend of the bridge to solid ground....wish i could bottle the feelings i have been going through....and if i ever think in the future that i am not feeling so good all i would have to do is remember these last few months and smile.......will never complain again ........hey possum..get ready here i come..... man oh man i am in the mood for mac & cheese...but alas the cupboard is bare of the packaged kind.....bummer..... thanks for reading ......Top Cat

MY TOP TEN ALBUMS

( i took this photo in nyc..my shutter got stuck.. it is a bronze man on a sewing machine..off 42nd street...my top ten records.....
10. Full moon fever….tom petty
9. Untitled …..byrds
8. Eat a peach..the allman brothers band
7. Workingman’s dead…the grateful dead
6. Saturate before using….jackson browne
5. Alone together…dave mason
4. Sergeant pepper……beatles
3. Blood on the tracks…bob dylan
2. The white album….beatles
1. Live at the filmore…the allman brothers band

honorable mentions…neil young prarrie wind…the band …the last waltz……springsteen …born to run…abbey road ..the beatles….all things must pass..george harrison...american beauty..the grateful dead.......................... as i get closer to the end of chemo...i have this feeling in my gut that cannot be described....i mean there are times that the tunnel seems so long to get through but as we all know there is a light towards the end..at least i hope it is a light and the ground hog can see it's shadow .....or does he not want to see his shadow..could someone clear me up on that..and why it' s a ground hog and not a rabbit or a ferret i wonder?....oh well happy ground hogs day..imagine that we have a ground hogs day and not a day to celebrate horses...i think without horses to build this county where would we be?....ever try to saddle a ground hog...i think not...later my friends....tom'"t the hog"