THEY LIKE ME...THEY REALLY LIKE ME

ah shucks you guys are making me blush.....or is that still the after effects of the chemo.......i really don't think i could ever stop completly.......it is such apart of my being these days.....my trip through the corn fields of iowa has reinforced to me how beautiful this country is.......seeing those cows munching on the grass was so peaceful to me.......( the fact that i wanted a omaha steak after passing my 2,000 one had nothing to do with how i felt)......seems to me that everybody should take a ride through iowa someday..........it smells so clean (except around the cows).........oh yeah speaking of cows...sold a heck of alot of shoes while i was there ...well brad did most of the work(get it our footwear is made from cows) .....great job brad....a pleasure to hang with you.........gotta go ..steaks just about done .......p.s has anybody not seen what an amazing team the mets are this year..............

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CLOSER TO MYSELF

i am still feeling real good from last week and i left that photo up to keep me smiling.....went to the met game tues night and they won with a walk off homer.....chris and my bros were by my side and i thought my son was gonna crush me after the hommer to win.......i realize in those moments i am still not 100% and have to turn it down a little......i dragged all day wed and was in bed early wed night........don't know why i am telling you all this but i guess it stll hits me sometimes as to what i went through...and where i am going......when i think about it only being about 4 months ago that i had the surgery it boggles my mind...it also boggles my mind that i used the word boggle......oh well off to trade show on sunday...beautiful downtown shendoah iowa...corporate home of brown shoe fit,,,,,if you sneeze you drive right past it........(if your lucky)......anywho still need to post the rap song and poem that was written in my honor....but that is for another time.....coming up on 1 year anniversary on being diagonsed....oct 13th........i was thinking i will end my "walk in the park" blog then ............but who knows what i will begin that day.......stay tuned my beautiful friends and family

TYE DYED SUPRISE

..................let me start by saying that i have the most amazing family a man could ever ask for....kindness was bottled by these relatives and always ready to be served...chilled or warm it is all i would ever need to drink.......what started out months ago with trying to figure out a date that all the "cousins" could get together to the actual drive to new jersey (getting lost again even with a gps sytem and two extra humans to guide the way)......to driving up the driveway of my beautiful cousins loraine and donny..(ok donnie is handsome) home.......thinking it was our typical family get together....i knew this would be special because most of them read my blog every day and lived the journey with me and it was going to be "good for the soul" to see and feel their hugs.....as we turned the corner of their driveway i heard my favorite grateful dead song playing (ripple) i knew we were going to have a real good time....but never did i expect to see the sight i saw that day........it was a sea of pink tye dyed shirts...cousins wearing afro wigs...all in my honor.......all out of love......all for one...truly one for all.......( turns ou all the hand made ..hand dyed shirts did not start out pink but when they washed them to stop them from bleeding thay kinda ran together) it was like a flaming breast cancer awareness moment only it was for me......the photo above only tells half the story ..the day was filled with music i love.....( not a single complaint from the sinatra crowd)....food i really love knishes..chicken....bean salad.....home made italian ices....cookies...cake......beer.....pulled pork..beer......brownies........ice cream...beer.................i know i forgot something oh yeah everthing except the beer was made by one of my relatives......the highlight of the day is when you have a pome written about you from my uncle vinny..... i am honored to have one written for me ( i will post it this week)...man oh man did he nail it on the head....my writing pales in comparison to his and was honored to have him think of me so fondly,,,,,,,,ok just when i think i cannot be suprised anymore my nephews luke and gabe (who are next to me in the photo) wrote and sang (and played drums) a rap song to me........it is the highlight of the day...........thank you family......aunts and uncles thanks for being great role models growing up .........i only hope i have been able to be the same for all your grandchildren whom i love and hold so dearly............barbara......loraine...diane......steph.......jan...christopher.....anthony........you have the most beautiful familes and "continue to bless me with your undying love and support throughout my journey.......you have made my "walk in the park"...........remarkable......you all are park of my "post-op" recovery......saturday i was the "luckiest man on the face of the earth".......tom

TODAYS MAIL

just received a letter from my hospital asking me if i wanted to attend classes on post cancer seminars........i thought about it for a minute and was thinking about how everyone i know has been there for my post cancer treatment and i have the greatest support team anybody could ever have..so i passed....i will try to offer my support to anyone who needs it.......on sept 28 our family will be walking in the "light the night walk" at hofstra university that supports the research to help find a cure for leukemia if anyboby wants to join our team in this walk i will post the sign up sheet soon......we march as surviors and friends........we are so close to getting rid of certain types of leukemia that i could taste it...imagine that ....in my lifetime my beautiful daughter Casey with be free of this burden...........i will live to see that day.........we will live to enjoy that moment.................drinks are on me when that happens........peace for now.........can't wait to see my cousins this weekend......................enjoy the concerts casey and chris.........out for now

HOME ON THE RANGE

i like to consider my home like a ranch only without the cattle,rolling hills,big fences,a place to tie up my horse, a well on the property (you get the picture)....but a place to ride up upon after a long road trip and a place to settle in after landing in the sunrise.....getting onto my horse...errr car and riding through the rolling road called the southern state parkway.......pullin up when i turned onto my block it was almost like i rode under the big wooden sign posts that used to identify the big ranches of the old west.......i felt like i was bringing the cattle home (billy crystal quoted curly in city slickers "there's nothing like bringing the cattle home") only that cattle was only me getting back to the ol homestead and into my bunk to settle down and shake off the jet lag that our cowboy of old never really felt.....i am sure as i sit here and type to hundreds of people at once that some of those old cowboys are sitting up there watching us run around this planet, getting from salt lake to nyc in just under four hours and are wondering how i could possibly not stop and sleep under the stars tonight and watch the most natural light show in the world...that sun that has now set and melted in the sky.....and will rise over us to offer us the light of a new day...........a new day for peace on this planet..........lets keep the rockets asleep for a little while .............to all i know thank you for all the love and affection as i slowly get back to where i once was and thanks for the prayers to my family in one of the most difficult times we have had..................tell someone you love them today.......it's good for the soul..... tom.."the last of the brooklyn cowboys"

trade show heaven

we are having a great trade show....this is an amazing market......everyone is into a healthy lifestyle......but everyone has a beer in their hand around 4 pm......show party had the band flock of seagulls..(80's) party band and they were a blast..........michele decided not to eat and had a liquid dinner last night and got vip passes to g-love.......kent and i ended up playing guitars in his room and had a magic night......we ended the set with a song called satisfied mind.........fitting ending to a great day......errr night.................peace tom....oh yeah craig still has not shut up............love ya

greetings from salt lake city

well i am back out on the road.....thanks for all the well wishing and prayers....i felt them through the screen........we will carry mathew with us always...........went to park city tonite for a good meal with good friends and great wine,,,,,,,i expect a very busy show and love the action..............michele and her crew worked hard getting the booth set up and i am forever grateful for that...............i will keep in touch......the show must go on.................tom

greetings from salt lake city

well i am back out on the road.....thanks for all the well wishing and prayers....i felt them through the screen........we will carry mathew with us always...........went to park city tonite for a good meal with good friends and great wine,,,,,,,i expect a very busy show and love the action..............michele and her crew worked hard getting the booth set up and i am forever grateful for that...............i will keep in touch......the show must go on.................tom

SAD NEWS

the trade show was a huge success and i was on top of the world.....friends and co-workers were happy to see that i was back to my old self again (almost)...customers were smiling as was the competition...you see it is not only about the shoes in our industry and everyone proved me right...........right down to the multi-brand-jam-band that performed in the hotel suite...it was my return to glory so to speak........however that world came crashing down with one phone call from family......my nephew and godson Matthew Cheffo Nowicki was killed in a tragic accident at the young age of 22 ........matthew was the son of john (Nor) and rosemarie whose photo graced my blog only two entries ago.......although rosemarie is my first cousin i have always considered her like a sister because when my parents passed on it was with rosey and her family that took us in and we lived like brother and sister...Nor is and will always be one of my best friends...and brother -in law......the pain that our family is feeling now can only be explained as devastating......my sister lost her son ..my best friend lost his son and i lost my god-son.......I was chosen to read the eulogy at the service and i will always honor and cherish that moment as long as i live....Matthew blazed a trail through life and he will be missed...he will be missed by all .........he also leaves behind two beautiful sisters who loved and adored his way of life......I love you Matthew....you will live in my heart........forever.....uncle tom.......