As many of you know, I started 2010 with a diagnosis of breast cancer. Not my first experience with cancer in general or even with breast cancer, but certainly the one that has taken the biggest chunk out of my time – and my body. I’ll write about the overall experience in a different venue, but for now I want to acknowledge one of my Faves: David Bowers, MD. My plastic surgeon.

There are have been several doctors involved in my diagnosis and treatment and I’ve been fortunate that all have been great. I’m a lucky person. But the very intimate nature of having ones breast removed – which was done by my general surgeon – and a manmade replacement installed is so specialized and personal that I feel fortunate to have been in the care of Dr. Bowers, of North Carolina Plastic Surgery Center, for that part of the experience.

I’ve been asked by many people who know that I’ve had a mastectomy and reconstruction (a lattisimus dorsi flap, to be precise) who my doctor is. I like to think it’s because my new rack looks so super awesome. And that may be. It may be because I’ve emerged in one piece, if not exactly intact. And it’s normal to wonder who piloted the experience. I’m always happy to give David Bowers’ name.

Why?

Many reasons.

Foremost, of course, is because I am healthy and had no complications from the very major surgeries that were performed. But also because David has a rather droll sense of humor. Or at least he pretended to find my jokes funny. And he’s calm. Not “matter of fact” calm in a way that left me thinking I was going through something unimportant or routine – although he’s certainly experienced enough that it was surely routine for him – but “matter of fact” calm in a way that made me feel that everything was going to be fine. And not only fine, but good.

He was truthful and frank about what I should expect in the result. He didn’t pretend that a reconstructed breast looks like a natural one. But he’s gotten me pretty close.

And when he walked into the hospital room or examining rooms at his office he always, without fail, made me feel I was the only patient he was seeing that day. Of course he sees scores. But he enters the room, grinning, saying “Hey, Casey! How’s it going?” like I’m his favorite.

I also need to give props to DB’s staff. From Melanie in reception who remembered my name and situation from the first visit and patiently answered calls from me during recovery to nurses Donna and Brenda who have always been professional and sensitive and gentle, I never dreaded going to the doctor. Even the fact that I rarely spent more than 5 minutes waiting in the lobby all made a semi-miserable situation tolerable.

I have another tiny step or two before I’m done. It’s been a little over eight months since the first surgery and may be next Spring before I’m done for real. But I can’t imagine having spent those months with any other surgeon. And I hope never to have to see him again.

Although a tummy tuck would be pretty awesome. Hmmm……

Melanie always remembers my name

Brenda. Very nurturing.

The lobby, where I spent very little time

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The opinions expressed are mine. Only mine. My husband, friends and certainly my children don’t want to be painted with my proverbial brush. Even the places I recommend as one of “My Faves” have nothing to do with these posts. And they don’t pay me for them or give me freebies.

I like them. They don’t necessarily like me back.  So take this all for what it’s worth – the opinion of a blogger.

There are times in life when you need cake. Or a giant cookie. Or both. And almost always I need coffee. The only thing that can enhance those two things is time spent with a good friend, sitting in a comfy chair, talking about this, that and the other.

Maxie B’s, a bakery on Battleground Avenue, is my preferred place for all these things. Walking into the shop, you’d never know you’re yards away from non-stop traffic on one of Greensboro’s busiest roads. The decor is Frenchy Shabby Chic (my description) and the aroma is crisp sugar. Everything sparkles and gleams. Cakes under glass domes. Cookies stacked high. Coffee at the ready and even candles burning – all at 9:00 this past Friday morning. Actually, my friend and I arrived a bit before 9, as Elise was still washing the front glass door. She kindly obliged us by letting us in.

There are several sitting areas, each with their own ambiance. My friend and I parked ourselves in a couple of chairs next to the “fireplace”, ate our pumpkin spice cake and proceeded to solve each others problems. Next week we will tackle those of the rest of the world.

From personal experience I can attest that Maxie B’s does a wonderful job on wedding cakes. When our daughter married, Maxie B’s provided the cake. And not for nothing, Shannon treated her like she was the only customer in the world when we arrived for the tasting. (The same cannot be said for the snooty attitude we encountered from another local bakery. Just sayin’.)

So, if you’re having a wedding, birthday party or just a pity party and need a lift, go to Maxie B’s. And if there’s a conversation going on in the comfy chair area about the world’s problems, join in. The world needs all the help it can get!

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The opinions expressed are mine. Only mine. My husband, friends and certainly my children don’t want to be painted with my proverbial brush. Even the places I recommend as one of “My Faves” have nothing to do with these posts. And they don’t pay me for them or give me freebies.

I like them. They don’t necessarily like me back.  So take this all for what it’s worth – the opinion of a blogger.

Once a week I meet a friend early in the morning. We park our cars next to the J. Spencer Love Tennis Courts next to Lewis Recreation Center, comment on how tired the other looks, wonder who’s idea it was to meet at such an inhuman hour, and commence walking. We walk around Country Park, following the road that loops around a couple of lakes, past covered shelters, playground equipment and feisty geese. It’s a delight.

[You can watch the slide show below and see what we see every week.]

Country Park has been around for as long as I can remember. When I was little there were class outings to the park and the Natural Science Center, which adjoins the park. In those days, the science center was little more than a collection of aquariums with lizards and snakes, a petting zoo with a a couple of goats and docents who were probably 40 years old but seemed ancient to us kids. Now the Science Center is a prize for the city and I’ll write about it in an upcoming post.

For now, the plain, serene, no frills Country Park has the stage.

There’s much to be said for a place one can go and do nothing. Or very little. The planners of New York City and Boston were wise to realize this when they made Central Park and Boston Common sacrosanct, protected slices of land and trees, water and birds, flowers and soil. Greensboro has several parks. Country Park happens to be the one I’ve known all my life and frequent the most. As a teenager I picnicked there with boyfriends. Later I watched my children learn to ride their bikes – their father tirelessly running along side them, silently releasing his hold on the backs of the seats so they were riding on their own without realizing it. We walked our dogs there, attended cookouts and fed the ducks.

Now our children are grown and walk their dogs through the park to the Bark Park, our youngest son will ride in this weekend’s Carolina Cup Bike Races, and I regularly stroll the park with one of my friends. Marriage, politics, gossip, cancer – no topic is safe whilst we walk along, pulling the sun up as we go.

A little green jewel, tucked between Pisgah Church and Lawndale. It’s  nice to have something upon which you can count through the years and Country Park is that for me. The seasons are always reflected in the lake, the paddle boats are always lined up at the little dock. And the geese are always pretty obnoxious.

Ahh.

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The thoughts & opinions are mine. The quips that fall flat are someone else’s. Please feel free to shoot me an email with a question or a good joke.

And remember, real estate agents aren’t bad. We’re just drawn that way.

Well, it’s actually Winston-Salem. But as it’s just down I-40 a ways, jobs in Winston impact Greensboro.

The News & Record and other outlets are reporting that Caterpillar will be opening a plant in Winston, bringing hundreds of jobs. This is another “get” for the area, along with HondaJet and an American Express data center is good news.

One step at a time, right?

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The thoughts & opinions are mine. The quips that fall flat are someone else’s. Please feel free to shoot me an email with a question or a good joke.

And remember, real estate agents aren’t bad. We’re just drawn that way.

If they only knew! June was the hottest month we’ve had around here.

Of course, Money Magazine is referring to things economical, not climatological. In this case, it seems our city has a hot housing market, and they provide a map of the country with comparisons:

Click to view larger image (PDF)

This may come as something of a shock to the owners of the 3200+ properties currently on the market in Greensboro, but it indicates that, as rough as things may feel now, we’re better off than many other places in the country.

And we take good news however we can get it.

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The thoughts & opinions are mine. The quips that fall flat are someone else’s. Please feel free to shoot me an email with a question or a good joke.

And remember, real estate agents aren’t bad. We’re just drawn that way.

One of the nifty feature of our local newspaper, The News & Record, is an online map of yard sales. (There’s also an online map of break-ins, but let’s keep happy thoughts for a minute).

Here is a view of it, with thanks to Mike Fuchs at The Bargain Blog. (Click on it to go to an interactive version on the News & Record site.)

Map of Greensboro Yard Sales for July 17, 2010

Happy bargain hunting!

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The thoughts & opinions are mine. The quips that fall flat are someone else’s. Please feel free to shoot me an email with a question or a good joke.

And remember, real estate agents aren’t bad. We’re just drawn that way.

The new tax rates have been set for Guilford County. You can see them here (PDF).

To figure what your tax bill is going to be when it is mailed out later this month, find your municipality – for example, Greensboro – and multiply that total rate (1.3699) by the tax value of your property, in hundreds. That is, a tax value of $100,000 would mean you multiply the tax rate by 1000. (If you don’t know the tax value of your property, go to the Guilford County Tax website and pull up your address)

This rate is slightly lower than the 2009 rate of 1.3274

The upshot is, if your house has a property tax value of $100,000, your tax bill this years will be $1,369.90. Last year it was $1,327.40.

It’s rare but not unheard of that property tax rates decline one year to the next. In Guilford County, tax movement in the rate is usually fairly small, whatever direction it goes.

It’s when property values are reassessed that things get really exciting. That is done only once every eight years in Guilford County, so there is the chance for wide differences from one valuation to the next. The next revaluation will occur in 2012.

Hmmm. The same year the Mayan calendar says it’s all going to end.

We should be so lucky, right?

[UPDATE: My friend, the very smart Realtor Candice Joyce, commented on this post with the following:

That’s the rate per $100 of assessed tax value so don’t forget to place a decimal point before last two digits…..or divide value by 100 then multiply by tax rate=same result.

Thanks, Candice. (Math. Ick.)

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The thoughts & opinions are mine. The quips that fall flat are someone else’s. Please feel free to shoot me an email with a question or a good joke.

And remember, real estate agents aren’t bad. We’re just drawn that way.

Greensboro is becoming a center for words that didn’t exist recently. FIrst it was “aerotropolis“, with HondaJet, TIMCO, FedEx and the like finding homes here. And now it’s “nanoscience”.

No, it’s not the study of grandmothers.

It’s the study of other tiny things.

Greensboro is where two universities – NC A&T and UNC Greensboro – are joining to create a school offering degrees in nanoscience and nanoengineering. This article in the News & Record explains it all very well.

I’ll just say that this is another milestone in Greensboro’s transition from mills and tobacco fields to industries that are just starting out. We like that.

Maybe the next thing will indeed be a center for the study of grandmothers. They sure can be odd little creatures.

As I’ve written before, the Piedmont Triad area of North Carolina (which includes Guilford, Alamance, Caswell, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth,, Montgomery, Randolph, Rockingham, Stokes, Surry and Yadkin counties) is shaping up to be something of a data center..uh…center. And now The News & Record reports that Microsoft is considering us as well.

This is all quite preliminary and it may not come to be. But the fact that such a power house is thinking of a $120M investment is further proof that Greensboro and the surrounding communities can look forward hopefully.

That’s my pleasant Friday morning thought. Now, back to work.

I’m not exactly sure why, and it’s surely an indication of my transition into aged irrelevance, but the above headline is a big deal.

I will say that I’ve heard of Justin Bieber. But that’s because I heard a story on BBC World Service on (via WUNC, the NPR station to which I listen) that an American has developed a program that will erase or block all references to the young Mr. Bieber from a computer. He must be a big deal if the BBC is talking about him and if there are people actively trying to escape him.

At any rate, the fact that the Greensboro Coliseum has snagged the pop star is great.

And I’m thankful I don’t have a 12 year old daughter right now because it’s going to be a long wait until December.

(BTW, according the The News & Record, he performs December 15th and tickets go on sale June 12th.)