Only two more months and 3 days left in 2012...

Yep - here we are at the end of the 10th month of 2012.  I'm not going to  spend too much time lamenting about how fast time goes by since I've gotten older. You would think it has inched by since I've been sitting in this chair for a little over a year now. So hard to believe it has been a little over a year since I was diagnosed, the surgery, the radiation and all the little things that keep cropping up.  At times it has felt like one step forward and two steps back.  That isn't true any longer but I am starting to feel that every time I think I'm really on the mend, something new crops up.  Hopefully the test for my ability to swallow will tell us something that will make it better.  I only have one medical appointment next week - acupuncture - and I'm happy about that.  We are both pretty tired of trips every week for medical appointments.  I threw up again tonight for no good reason.  That is the second time in less than a week.  Oh well - again - one day at a time...right? Good night (morning) everyone.....

Some memories are good and some are hard......

I am all about having good memories and can honestly say, my good ones far outweigh the bad ones for the most part.

This picture is one of those that bring up good feelings. Dwight loved my Mama and she definitely loved him. She also loved to make his face and ears turn red with her "salty" jokes from time to time.

This one also brings good memories because it was taken when I got married. She worked nights but went in late this particular Friday night so she could be at our little wedding. I think she was very happy when I married Dwight.  I remember this dress - it was brown wool and looked so good on her.

This one was taken around the same time as the one above but was taken on a Saturday - not a Friday. See the difference in her hair? Back then, women got their hair done on Saturdays and it had to last until the following Saturday. I enjoyed wearing this suit also - loved the color on her.

This one was taken with her youngest brother whom she loved dearly. He was ten years younger than she was but his health was never very good (he was born premature) so she was always protective of him. He called her his Doodley. The nickname stuck between them until she died. I have the cigarette lighter he gave her one Christmas with her name "Doodley" engraved on it. She loved it.  She also let him name me Patricia - he always called me his "Patericka".  I remember not liking my name and asking Daddy why in the world he let him name me that. Daddy said, "I know - I never really liked that name very much either so that is why I gave you the middle name of Jane."  I remember thinking to myself - "yeah - great - I'm Patericka plain Jane". I actually don't mind my name anymore. It must have been a popular name during those years because I know quite a few people who are around my age with the name Patricia but haven't really heard it in the many years since then. Mama always called me Tricia or Triciajane unless she had called me to come several times and then it would be Patricia Jane which meant don't make me call you again. :)  Today brings our one sad memory regarding her because she died 18 years ago today.  It had been a gorgeous Autumn and her view outside her bedroom window was of a big tree full of bright yellow leaves. Most of us were with her when she died in her and Daddy's bed with us all telling her how much we loved her.  Even with the hope of the resurrection, the death of a dearly loved one is still very hard because we miss them so much.  Jessie has always been sad that she never got to meet  her because Douglas has always talked about her a lot.  I guess that tells you a little bit about her - we still talk about her and miss her.  Miss you Mama.......

Nothing like a busy week......

This has been one busy week for me and Dwight but before I get started on that I have to mention a surprise we had on Saturday.  A large vehicle pulled into the driveway and I assumed they were turning around.  When it was obvious they were staying, I looked out and saw dear Roxsanna.   

As always, she came bearing gifts.  She brought us this gift basket stocked full of wonderful goodies and the plant above in honor of the colors of Autumn.  She also brought a nice gift, a homemade card and a school picture of her darling son for Kelly.  What a very special young woman she is.  It was so good being with her for a nice long visit.  She is a wonderful Mom and her son loves Kelly as if she were his real auntie.  Now back to the busy week - we had an appointment on Monday for acupuncture but when we got there, they said the appointment was for Thursday. Wow - how did that mix-up happen? I had to cancel the appointment they had for Thursday because I already have an appointment that day and I am NOT wasting a moment of the precious time we will have with Kelly for another appointment.

We arrived on time for my PET and CT Scans on Tuesday morning. It was a very long morning and for the most part - pretty uncomfortable. Between not being able to get warm and having to hold my arms above my head for so long (the left one still hurts pretty bad as a result of the surgery) it was a long day. The attendants and nurses are always helpful and kind. This one kept bringing more heated blankets because they were having a hard time getting me warmed up. It turns out, being cold affects the image they get.

I am convinced Miya knows when I need a little "extra loving" from her. She was all over me the rest of the day. On Wednesday, our wonderful bookkeeper came over to reconcile Dwight's checking account and to get his books all caught up. She is coming every three months now so it will be much easier to do our taxes at the end of the year. She will never know how much we appreciate her.

I had a surprise visitor Wednesday afternoon. Danny had come by Ruby's and when he found out she was coming over to clean with Debbie, he followed her over. It has been years since I've seen him and I wish we had more time to get caught up. He looks great! Of course Kelly came in Wednesday night. They went by her favorite Chinese place and picked up dinner on their way home from the airport. Everything they got was pretty spicy so I stuck with my good ole Ensure. I got a text message from Page telling me her Mom was late getting home and hadn't called. So I called Doug and he said she was running late. I told him Page was worried so he said he would call her. Not a minute or so later, I got another message from Page telling me her Mom was there and that her Dad had had a wreck but wasn't hurt. Long story short - a tractor trailer hit him on the highway. Yeah - he was a little shook up - but he is okay - sore and has to do the drug test, get a doctor's note to let him go back to work and all the stuff that goes with having an accident with the company vehicle. Kind of intense for awhile there. We had a pretty long wait Thursday to get the report from the scans.  It turns out the lymphoma hasn't stayed the same this time. All of this time they have remained the same and NOW they decide to change. They have grown in size and are "brighter". The being brighter bothers Kelly a little. She also wants to know they are definitely the lymphoma. I asked Jennifer to refer me to their Lymphoma Oncologist. If I really like him/her, I may consider changing to have both of my oncologists in the same location. I haven't decided that yet though. I plan to discuss it with my surgeon and radiation oncologist first. I have already discussed it with my Primary Care physician and he said he is all about second opinions. I'm sorry - I guess I am a little bummed with the report after all. I was really, really hoping it would not only be clear of the really bad boy (which it was), but that the other would have stayed the same. Oh well...On another note, Marlan came by Thursday afternoon. She had left her pillow and diamond ring here from her overnight stay with me earlier. Kelly was happy she got to see her and to see for herself that she is doing okay.

After writing this, I realized I need to "make time" to read this book Ruby gave me. She said she read it and it was very good. From the little bit I've read, it is a positive book written by four women who became friends as they were all fighting different kinds of cancers.

The moon was gorgeous last night. This picture doesn't do it justice but you should get a good idea of how bright it was since I took this from my chair across the room.

Even though it is a fuzzy picture, when you compare it to this one, you can see the difference in the plant Debbie and Yonn cut back for me. It looks like it is going to do well. It looks much better since the large bushy limbs are gone.

To close this post on a happy note, I love this picture Jessie shared with me. The note on it basically said - "Page rode in Papa's convertible and I'm not sure how to get all the knots out of her hair without cutting"........she really is a cutie.

Sisters, bright sun, cool air, mushrooms......

My sister Faye called to ask if I had received a "special" card she had sent to me. Normally the answer would be either yes or no - you know - a simple question and answer. Alas, things are not that simple for me any longer. Because of my memory "lapses", I have to think, re-think and then ask for help for so many things now that I have always taken for granted.

I "vaguely" remembered getting several special cards this week including one Marlan brought over Friday night when she came to stay with me.  I really enjoyed having her with me.  I appreciated her taking her personal time to "baby-sit" me.  I gave her a "gift" for their 37th wedding anniversary.  They got married a little over 10 years after we did.

I looked around the room and noticed I had put a card on the bookcase and realized it was the one Faye had sent to me. It is a unique card with a special note inside. Isn't the card AND the note beautiful? I have two other surprises but want to wait until Kelly gets here to mention them in my blog.

I went for a short walk this afternoon and took a few pictures with my new iPhone. There are tons of mushrooms in my yard this year - various sizes, colors and types.  The yard is also full of dead or dying leaves.

Leaves are really starting to change now including this relatively new tree growing in the new natural area in the back yard. Haven't been feeling well at all the past few days and sadly, I have to admit I'm not as OK about the palate being fused as I had told myself I was. Doesn't really matter since there is nothing we can do about it.

With all the dead leaves and various colors of mushrooms, I was still able to find the vibrant green of the various patches of moss.

I also loved this picture of an old root that belonged to a very old tree that used to be in the back yard. This is the only remnant of that lovely old tree.

I got pretty winded way too fast and decided to come back in as these two guys rode past on their motorcycles. It was a gorgeous day for riding.

Flu shots, dentist and friends...

BigD and I got our flu shots this morning. Pam suggested I wait a day before getting the shingle shot she gave me a prescription for. Since we still had over thirty minutes before my dentist appointment, we dropped in to see how Judy is doing.

She is making some progress to the point they are taking the picc line out. Her knee still feels warm but doesn't seem too red now.  I was so glad we went because she got real excited when I told her I'm eating a little bit every day now.

Her dear hubby plans to make me some juices with his Vita-Mix. I promised I would try them if he makes them. The dentist and hygienist are concerned about my teeth. It was very hard to clean my teeth because my mouth is so dry. It was a little painful but she was very careful and did a good job. They put some fluoride around three of my teeth and the dentist gave me a prescription for a special toothpaste I am supposed to use at night without rinsing (just spit out as much as I can) and a mouth wash he hopes will help with the thrush that is still there. He wants me to come back every 4 months instead of every 6 months from now on. After we got home, Gail and Yonn came by to trim back Page's big plant that was growing crazy out of control and taking over the corner we had it in. Hopefully it will fill out now and look better. I showed Gail how to give Miya her medication and refill it for the next day.  She said she feels like she can do it so BigD and I are both very happy. Miya will be able to stay in her own home with a "friend" who will visit her every day to make sure she has food, water and her medication.

Industrious...

BigD has been quite industrious these past few days. He bought an extension to help him wash the outside of the house. After he blew the leaves off the roof the other day, he washed his truck. Today he moved all the chairs and other "stuff" out of the living room so the guy could clean the carpet this morning. 

After the guy who cleaned the carpet left, BigD washed the two big windows in the living room from the outside with his new extension and brush. You can see the water running down the windows if you look closely. Where was I sitting when I took these pictures? In my chair in the kitchen right in front of the refrigerator.  Where did we put all the "stuff" we took out of there?

I took these pictures with my iPhone - some of them I took beside me and over my head. Doesn't Miya look confused? The rest of the stuff including Page's big plant that has taken on a life of it's own are not only in the kitchen but are also in the hallway, my bedroom and the office. So much "stuff" in this tiny little "cottage".  BigD has gone to Costco to see if he can can a few smaller rugs to go over the high traffic areas that still look sad even after it has been cleaned. In front of my chair under the stool we had there are two very dark spots that also didn't come out completely. It turns out the spots are from the soles of my bedroom shoes that just sat under the stool - they are black on the bottom. He said the reason all the stains are so bad is this carpet is mostly polyester - not all nylon like the old one. I see a new carpet in my future over the the next few years (maybe not that long hopefully). We have the ceiling fan going but the carpet is still quite wet. 

Pop, Simple, Coffee and Carpet

I forgot to mention that my father-in-law was born yesterday in 1909 which would have made him 103 years old.

I really like this picture of him.  Kelly has enjoyed seeing the older pictures of him and Malvine. Deb told me yesterday she has been cleaning stuff out of GG's house and found some more pictures she will bring over later. More scanning coming up. My mother-in-law called him by his second name, Lennox but I called him Pop from the first time I met him and he liked that. One day when we were dating, Dwight and I were in their backyard and Dwight was under his 1955 Chevrolet (with 3 in the floor) working on it so I scooted under the car with him to see what he was doing.  Pop came outside to see what we were doing and after that, he always called me "dusty-butt" because I had dirt all over my pants when we came out from under the car.  Both of Dwight's parents were very good to me - especially when Dwight was away in the Navy. I would live with my sister Faye during the week (or my Mom) and stay with them over the weekend. Dwight was close to both of his parents, even working with his Dad for several years before and after we married. Like his Dad, he loves fishing, can fix anything mechanical or electrical, enjoys a stiff drink of bourbon every so often and is a man's man. Miss you Pop....

I was also excited to receive a special edition of one of the only two magazines I subscribe to -

Real Simple. What isn't to love about this magazine? Articles are short and great information about anything you could ever be interested in. In other words - "simple". I told Dwight yesterday to make enough coffee for me to try this morning.

I was just going to take a few sips to see how it went. I waited until it cooled down a bit and guess what? I drank the entire cup of coffee. YUM. We decided to stick with one cup though but at least we will be able to share our coffee in the mornings again. Do I sense normal in the hopefully not to far future coming my way? Definitely will walk today once it warms up a little. Hope the yard is dry enough to walk through some - so boring just doing the driveway. Looks like a gorgeous autumn day outside so I hope you all have a good one. Dwight just reminded me the people are coming to clean the carpet in the one room we have that has carpet in it.  Better get up and get busy.