May you all have a blessed Christmas! I appreciate you all and thank you for your friendship despite my lack of posting. I hope to make a post soon.
Tom and I will be going to my son, Chris' home for the day and enjoy our family. I hope you each have a peaceful and happy day!
I’m still here and sorry for being away for so long. I’ve never been much of a blogger although I wish I was better at posting. The surgery I had in September was a bit tougher than I had anticipated. I also had some problems with a blockage while in the hospital and that left me pretty sick plus extended the length of my stay. By the time I came home I realized the warnings of that being a difficult surgery were absolutely true! I don’t think I’ve had anything hit me as hard as that did and it has kept me mostly out of commission, although I am already back on chemo.
So, how did the surgery go? I had been told that they hoped to remove almost all of the visible cancer. They knew there would be cancer left but they hoped nothing major. As it turns out they were not able to remove as much as they had hoped. For a time, I lied to myself that I was headed for a remission and even hoped that I would have a chance to ring the bell. I can still hope that those things could be in my future, but not anytime soon.
I am having the heavy-duty, all-day chemo every three weeks. I had my first one three weeks ago and I have another one this Thursday. I had to tell my daughter-in-law, Kristi, that for the first time ever I would not be able to help with the preparations for our family Thanksgiving meal. Of course, she understands and has been so sweet. The doctors already have plans for me to start on infusions of Avastin (Bevacizumab) every three weeks beginning in January and continuing as long as possible. I will also have a pill form of chemo along with it. The infusions will be given at the Cancer Center so I will still get to see all the friends I’ve made there. I’ve been going to the Sarah Cannon Cancer Center for almost a year now and those girls are absolute angels! I love them all.
Tom and I have a week of medical appointments. Tom has a doctor's appointment tomorrow, I have one Wednesday, I have chemo Thursday, and Friday I go back in for an after chemo injection. It keeps us busy.
So, what else has been going on? Well, my dear great-granddaughter Juniper has just been the joy of my life! My granddaughter, Annika, her hubby Nick, and Juniper come to visit us around once a month and also bring dinner when they come. It is wonderful to see them all! When I can’t see them Annika posts pictures and videos of Juniper for me to see. She is not quite 18 months yet and she has grown so fast. She’s walking everywhere, has a great vocabulary already, and loves all of her books! I am so grateful that I am able to know and enjoy her!
My grandson, Gavin, stays busy with his job as a firefighter. We are all so proud of him although sometimes his job can be a little frightening, at least to his grandma! He is such a special and caring person and makes me feel so blessed, just like the rest of my family.
We are all looking forward to a family Thanksgiving dinner at my son’s house. There is nothing I love better than those occasions when our whole family gets together!
I hope you are all well and happy. It’s hard to believe this is November already! Thank you if you are still reading despite the fact that I am so slow about posting. I appreciate you all!
The last time we spoke my cytoreductive cancer surgery had
been postponed to September but I still didn’t have a date. Well, I finally do
have a date – this Friday, 9-12! I did have more notice than this, in fact I learned
a few weeks ago but my life has been such a whirlwind since then that I have
not gotten around to writing a post until now. I’m sorry for being so slow
about posting!
Before I had the date confirmed I had to have another chemo
and this one was rough. It was one of those six hours in the chemo chair at the
cancer center. I was sick for nearly two weeks after it. Then I had a multitude
of various medical appointments in preparation for surgery. My primary doctor
left the practice with no notice to his patients so I went with another doctor
in the same practice but I had to see her before surgery so I would “officially”
have a primary care physician. There was an assortment of other appointments
including a pre-op appointment at the hospital last week. They did bloodwork,
ekg, and a variety of other things.
This surgery is not in the hospital I normally use that is
closer to our home. This hospital is in Kansas City and handles many of the types
of advanced surgery I will be having done. I have to admit it is a little
frightening to me because so much is involved. My oncologist will be removing
my ovaries and tubes plus doing an omentectomy. An omentectomy is done to remove
cancer cells that have spread to the omentum from other organs, such as the
ovaries. The other surgeon will be removing as much as possible of the cancer
from my colon and that is expected to be a much longer part of the overall
operation. I have to be at the hospital at 7:00 a.m. Friday and the surgery
starts at 9:00 a.m. They say I should only be in the hospital about five days
so I guess we’ll see!
Oh, and I mentioned a lot of appointments, well I received a
call this afternoon telling me to come in tomorrow to see the surgeon that will
be working on my colon. It’s not like I haven’t seen him, but I guess he wanted
just one more appointment before Friday. I really like and trust both of my
doctors so I’ll be there tomorrow.
In the mean time I’ve been running in circles trying to get
things done around the house, and laundry and such before I’m out of commission.
I won’t be able to get much done after tomorrow because Thursday I have an all-day
prep similar to what you have when you have a colonoscopy only I’m having it
because of the colon surgery. And tomorrow is my last day to get to eat
anything!
Thank you all for hanging in here with me and I apologize
for being such a bad blogger. I could sure use any prayers and positive
thoughts you could send my way to help me get through Friday!
Love to all!
Bonnie
I’m sorry I didn’t post sooner, but I discovered that once a
week chemo was a bit difficult. I’ve got a few things to bring you up to date
on however first I would like to thank those of you that are still here despite
my absence. Also thank you to the ones that have sent me cards in the mail.
They have meant so much more to me than you might realize!
At the risk of boring you with yet more medical news, I’ll
try to bring you up to date. Since we last spoke, I have had 12 chemo sessions.
Certainly more than I had expected. My most recent CT scan did show some small
improvement in my cancer. It is still there, but some of it has shrunk just
enough to consider surgery! This is what I have been hoping for! I saw my
oncologist July 15 and he said he would like to look at surgery around the end
of July or the first part of August. I’ve been waiting for a date all this time
but we all know how medical dates go, or it’s more like how they don’t go. I
received a call this morning that the surgery won’t be until sometime in
September or possibly even the first part of October. There is a good reason
for the delay though. It seems this is a much more serious surgery than I
realized. It is a Cytoreductive surgery or some even call it the “Mother of all Surgeries”. That’s not saying it’s the worst possible surgery, but as cancer
surgeries go it is serious. Part of that reason is because I have cancer in
several different areas of my body. It started as ovarian cancer and spread
through my omentum. (I didn’t know what that was either!) It then went into my
colon and caused all kinds of trouble. I even have a bit next to my lungs. (not
in them) So they will be going after the cancer in all these areas in this one
surgery. There’s another reason to make it difficult to set a date, I will have
two surgeons and finding a date that works for both of them is not easy! Even
after I have surgery I will be going back for yet more chemo because they know
they will not get all of the cancer.
I am hoping to get a surgery date next week but I’m sure not
holding my breath. There is another possible problem. Since I have to wait
longer than expected, there is a concern my cancer might grow again. Because of
that I may have to have more chemo while waiting. That’s up to my oncologist
and I know he doesn’t want me having chemo too close to the surgery date. If I
need to have more chemo I’m ok with it. As I’ve said, I’m in for the fight.
In the meantime, we have had a variety of things going on in
our family, but all good. My sweet great-grand daughter, Juniper celebrated her
first birthday July 12th! That girl just brightens my heart in so
many wonderful ways! Our family has had a variety of get togethers as we have
celebrated many birthdays. There is nothing I love better than family get
togethers!
Like so many of you we have gone through quite a few heat
waves and we are in another one now. It’s been hard on the people as well as
the animals like this squirrel here!
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| I promise he's ok, just wiped out from the heat! |
We went out to eat at a favorite bar-b-q restaurant with my son Chris and his wife Kristi when I had a short chemo break. I don’t know when I’ll get any hair back but I have a variety of these chemo hats that work in the meantime!
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| Myself & Tom at Jack Stack |
Today we will have the family together once again at Chris’ home. We will be celebrating my 73rd birthday! Man I’m getting old!
I promised an update on what is next with my fight against this cancer. I do feel like I’m in a war against the cancer that is attacking my body and my plan is to put up quite the fight against it! After going through the first series of chemo treatments without much success, in fact the cancer actually grew a bit, I am now about to head into Round Two. I had an appointment with my oncologist last week and he has a new plan of attack. The first round I had chemo every third week. This one we are hitting it a bit harder with chemo once a week. The treatments will be a slightly lower dose each week but the overall amount of medication will be increased compared to the first series of treatments. He is also adding a new medication this time. So now my medications will be Carboplatin, Paclitaxel, and Avastin. Avastin is the new one and it is supposed to do a good job at attacking cancer. They did not give it before because it can have more potential side effects. I am armed with several medications to help with the side effects including pain pills and a steroid to fight inflammation. Previously I took the steroid the first three days after chemo, this time I will take it the first seven days after the first chemo treatment using all three medications. Some of my treatments will just be the Paclitaxel, alternating with all three medications in one treatment. My first, which should be this coming week, will be all three medications and is expected to take all day.
So, knowing I am about to start a new and possibly tougher
round, I have been trying to get things done around here so I can take it easy
when the chemo starts. I’ve not really felt like doing a lot around the house
but I’ve done what I can. I even gave Tom a haircut today!
There has not exactly been a lot of activity going on here
but we have continued to have special family visits which we love! I think I
mentioned in my last post that we were planning to go out to eat with my son
Chris and his wife Kristi. We did that last weekend after first visiting them
at their house. We had a wonderful time with them and great food at one of the
many special Kansas City bar-b-que restaurants! Last Wednesday my other son,
Sean who lives out of town, came and spent the day with us. It was so nice to
catch up with him. Then on Friday my grandson Gavin came out to visit us, and
even brought us some delicious homemade Snickerdoodle muffins that his
girlfriend Amalia made! We had such a
nice visit with Gavin. He is really a kind and caring person and a very special
grandson! Plus, I always enjoy him telling us about the various experiences
he’s had as a firefighter in Independence.
After loading up on lots of family visits and love, I am ready to start Round Two with my fight against this cancer. It may be challenging but I have no intention of backing down to it! I want to thank every one of my blog friends here. There is something very special about bloggers. Even though I did not post for a year due to a variety of reasons, you are all still here and supporting me. That means so much to me. I may not post for a while depending on how things go, but I will post again as soon as I am able. Thank you all for being here! I am blessed in so many ways!
My fight with this cancer continues and while it is a bumpy
road, I'm determined to keep fighting. My third chemo was three weeks ago and
six days after it I was once again back in the hospital. I'm beginning to feel
like the hospital is my second home. It was for the same reason as before,
colitis that caused more pain than I could handle. This time I had some pain
pills at home but they didn't touch this pain. I know I must sound like a wimp
for pain but really, I'm not. I usually handle pain fairly well. Something
about this chemo seems to cause me to get a bad colitis infection several days
later. They do like me to be on IV antibiotics for that infection, so at least
hospitalization allows for that.
The original plan was for me to have three rounds of chemo and then another CT
scan. The hope was that the cancer would have shrunk some making surgery
easier. Then after surgery I would have more chemo. When I was recently
admitted to the hospital a CT scan was done and it showed that the cancers had
actually grown. That was not what I wanted to hear. I had another CT scan this
week of my lungs and I’ll get those results next week. I see my oncologist
April 22nd so I should find out then what happens next. I’m a little
discouraged to hear the cancers have grown despite the three recent
chemotherapy sessions. However, I’m certainly not giving up and I’m willing to
have more chemo if necessary.
I’ve been having three weeks off between chemo treatments
but this time I have an extra week off. That helps me to have a longer break
and start to feel a bit better. I still don’t have a lot of energy but I am
feeling like doing a bit more for a change and that is nice!
I had a special Sunday after I came home from the hospital. My
granddaughter Annika, her husband Nick, and my adorable great-granddaughter
Juniper came over for a visit and they even brought lunch! It was such a
blessing to be able to spend some time with them. Juniper is nine months old
now and crawling. She has always been the happiest child I have ever seen and
she spreads joy everywhere she goes! Family always lifts my spirits and reminds
me how very lucky I am!
This coming Saturday we will be able to visit with my oldest
son Chris, and his wife Kristi. We will also be going out to eat with them which is
something I have not done in quite a while, so it will be a special day for me.
Then the next day my other son Sean, who lives out of town, will be coming to
visit us. Family is everything and Tom and I are certainly blessed by ours!
I said I would post again to bring you all up to date with what is going on here. While chemo is not the most pleasant thing to write about, it has been my life the past couple of months so I’ll fill you in on that. In order to get it all started I first had a minor outpatient surgery to get a port in my chest. My treatments all go through the port rather than a vein in my arm. They feel this is safer due to the strength of my chemo. Since my cancer is stage four and has spread from the ovaries to the colon, they are hitting it up fairly hard. I am currently having chemo treatments every three weeks and each treatment lasts almost a full day. I receive two different medications administered separately. The first one takes a little over three hours and the second one is a bit faster. I always have blood work first and then see the doctor. After that the chemotherapy gets started. I don’t need to tell you how scared I was, especially for the first treatment. I had seen family members go through this but it is a bit different when it is yourself.
The truly
difficult part of chemo for me starts the second night after the treatments. In
my case I have terrible aches and pains along with a weakness I have never felt
before. I have plenty of medication at home for nausea and it helps most of the
time. However, I ended up in the hospital for a week a few days after my first chemo
treatment. I was in so much pain plus I had a severe colitis infection.
I managed to
stay out of the hospital after the second treatment but all of the discomfort I
felt the first time just seemed worse. I also started feeling numb in my
fingertips and toes which is related to chemo induced neuropathy. I have
learned to not plan anything for at least a week after each chemo treatment because
I am just barely able to function during that time.
My hair
started coming out a week after the first treatment and by now I just have a
little fuzz on my head. It is hard to see and experience that. I ordered some
chemo hats to wear although I rarely leave the house these days. We are having
groceries and most other items delivered which helps.
So yes,
chemo is rough, very rough, but as long as I can manage I am going to fight
this with all I have. There has been a time or two that I was so low I wondered
if I could continue but I know I have to, so I will.
I’m sorry
this is such a downer of a post but as I said, this is my life right now. Maybe
if someone else going through this reads my post it will help them to not feel
so alone. Or if someone has a friend or family member going through this it
will help them to understand what their loved one is dealing with. At any rate,
I appreciate you all being here.
It’s been a little over a year since I’ve written a post, but I promise I have not forgotten any of my blog friends. However, I don’t blame you if you have forgotten me and I understand since I haven’t been around. I don’t want to be one of those bloggers that just disappears so I thought I would post an update on the past year.
It’s been a very busy year with the highlight being that I became a great-grandmother last summer! My granddaughter Annika and her husband Nick had a beautiful, 9-pound 10-ounce girl in July. Her name is Juniper Lark and she is such a happy baby, always a joy to be around. I would post a picture but her parents do not want any pictures of her on the internet and I totally understand that. I love having a little one in the family again!
Another
highlight of the year was that my grandson, Gavin, graduated from the Fire
Academy which is part of a two-year program in an area community college. He
first earned his emergency medical technician (EMT) certification and then went
into the Fire Academy program. He is now working as a fire fighter for the City
of Independence. Of course, we are all very proud of him!
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| Tom, Gavin, and myself at his graduation. |
Tom has been doing okay although he still has health and mobility problems. He is still using his walker and I’m happy to say he has not had a single fall since he started using it! Our sweet cats, Sophie and Zeus, turned nine this year and they are still bringing us much love and happiness!
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| Sophie & Zeus |
Most of 2024 has been a very good year for us until December when I got hit with some health problems. I have been diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer that has spread to the colon. On December 16th I had some severe stomach pain to the point that Tom called an ambulance to get me to the hospital. After a CT scan they discovered I had an almost complete blockage due to colon cancer. I had surgery and ended up getting a colostomy (which I hate!). They did not remove the cancer yet because they want me to have chemo first. After many more tests in the hospital it turned out that the cancer had started in my ovaries and from there spread to the colon. I spent over a week in the hospital and came home on Christmas Eve. I think I was in shock most of December after receiving such an unexpected diagnosis. Just to make things fun, I came down with covid a couple of days after I came home from the hospital.
Since then, life has been a blur of medical appointments and a second hospitalization last week after my first chemo treatment. I came home last Sunday after a week in the hospital with colitis. I still have pain from the colitis but I’m trying to get to feeling better as my next chemo is Thursday, March 6th. I had two medical appointments yesterday and hopefully no more until my all-day chemo appointment next week.
I know, I’m
72 and these cancers are stage four, but I am not giving up! I’m trying to stay
positive and keep fighting! Despite that, I sure could use any prayers and
healing thoughts! No matter what happens, I feel incredibly blessed in my life
especially by my wonderful family!
I’ll try to post again when I can and fill you in on everything a little better. I send you all my best, I've missed you!
Back in November Chris and Kristi (my son & daughter-in-law) gave me a lovely gift of an Amaryllis. Believe it or not, I had never had one before. What a fun gift this was since I was able to watch it grow from a bulb to beautiful flowers!
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| 11-26-23 This tiny growth popped up. |
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| 12-1-23 Five days later it has more than doubled its size. |
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| 1-6-24 The first bulb opens! |
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| 1-11-24 |
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| 1-14-24 |
I hope this new year has started out well for everyone. I always become a bit introspective on New Year’s Day but I think that is a good thing. I like to reflect on both the past year and the new one. I see the new year as a book of blank pages waiting for me to fill. I always hope each year that I can improve on how I fill those pages!
2023 has not been the best year for us in many ways but I am thankful that we have had some very happy days sprinkled around to help keep us going! My granddaughter, Annika’s wedding provided a great joy for us all. Each family birthday gave us a chance to come together and enjoy each other’s company. There is nothing I love more than spending time with my family. And of course, our two cats Sophie and Zeus always bring us love and happiness.
I look forward to the ways I find to fill these new blank pages of 2024. I have much I want to accomplish and blogging more often is high on my list! Thank you to those who have stayed with me through my blogging absence. I appreciate you! I hope you all find the happiest of ways to fill the blank pages in the book of your new year!
Hello! Back in June of 2022 I took a blog break (here) due
to many changes in my life. I discovered that at my age I don’t adjust to
changes as well as I did in my younger years. I tried to return to blogging
this last March but only managed two posts. Well, I’m back once more with no
promises on how often I’ll be able to post, but I’m going to try. I’ve missed
all my blog friends!
The past year and a half has been quite a ride. Yes, there’s
been good, bad, and thankfully also some happiness. I’ve been incredibly busy
learning to handle all kinds of new challenges while at the same time, I’ve
swept some of my own problems along with some depression under the rug. It’s
hard to take time for yourself when you have other things and people to care
for. But I’m getting there, one day at a time and we are both still blessed with love and support from these two sweet cats!
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| Zeus, always in charge! |
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| Sophie with her Christmas bear. |
Here’s a quick rundown of what’s been going on since I last posted:
The Good – Tom and I are both doing better at dealing with Tom’s health problems and the many ways they affect our lives. I am adjusting to being the only one taking care of everything as well as being the only one driving. I’m even learning to get used to driving in places that I used to always avoid, like downtown Kansas City! I guess I had gotten spoiled with Tom doing so much of the driving and helping with other things.
Tom is more comfortable using his walker now and we are both doing better at dealing with it in many different situations. It does come with a bit of a learning curve. In fact, I’ve even bought a second walker to leave in the car for when we go out.
When I first took the blog break, I had a list of things I wanted to accomplish but when Tom’s health became worse all those things went to the back burner again. Finally, I have been slowly accomplishing many of the items on my list. Also, I am doing better at getting Tom out of the house a little more. He has spent far too much time confined to the house in the past couple of years. I’m also doing a little better at trying to remember to take care of me too.
The Bad – Last April Tom had a mini-stroke (or TIA) that sent
him back to the hospital for a few days. Then I had a cancer scare last August
and had to have a breast biopsy. Thankfully it was negative, but I still have
to be tested every six months due to ongoing concerns. Both of these situations
were frightening and set us each back a bit but we are grateful that they were
not as bad as they could have been.
The Happy – Our granddaughter Annika got married on September
23! She and Nick have been dating for several years and got engaged about a
year ago. We love Nick and already felt like he was part of the family even
before the wedding. It was a beautiful, large wedding and a very happy day for
all of us!
I may write some posts about a couple of these things I’ve
mentioned but for now, I have rattled on far too much! I hope you are all well
and happy! I’ve missed you!
We are still working on adjusting to the many changes we’ve had in our lives recently. Everyone goes through the usual ups and downs in life and we learned long ago that you have to deal with what life gives you.
It’s been a bit more difficult to get used to the physical changes Tom has faced because they seem more permanent. A year ago, neither one of us would have believed he would be using a walker now. He’s getting used to it and even admits it does help him. Besides, if life gives you lemons you make lemonade, right? Or maybe in our case, if life gives you a walker you turn it into a “cat transport vehicle”!
Hello! Most of you will remember that I took time
off from blogging to better adjust to some life changes. Tom had been having many health problems and we
were not doing well with the necessary adjustments in our life. I had hoped I would be able to get more
accomplished in regard to these changes if I took a couple of months off from
blogging. Unfortunately, things don’t
always work out like you plan.
A lot has
been happening in these last few months.
Tom’s balance problems continued and he started to have falls on a regular
basis. Last month he had a bad fall
hitting his head. He was really banged
up and of course head wounds tend to bleed a lot. My son and I took him to the emergency room
and he was admitted to the hospital.
He had a CT scan, MRI, and x-rays.
Thankfully the tests were all clear.
Still, he was kept in the hospital for four days at the end of which they
admitted him to a rehab facility for ten days of occupational and physical
therapy. He came home a couple of weeks
ago and now has weekly visits from a home health nurse, occupational therapist, and physical therapist. His balance is
still bad so at the doctor’s suggestion we purchased a walker for him. Not something he wanted but those falls are
just too dangerous. So now we are
essentially starting over with his physical condition but we are staying
positive about it all.
I celebrated
my 70th birthday in August and since then my health has continued to
throw me hoops to jump through. I had my
annual mammogram and a nodule was found that was concerning. They now have me coming in every six months for a
scan in order to check for changes. Then I had a fall that sent me to the
emergency room with possible broken ribs. I lucked out and they were just
bruised. (I’m clumsy at times!) Before that was completely healed, I began
having gallbladder problems eventually leading to surgery. I discovered having your gallbladder removed
can bring challenges in your diet but I’m working on adjusting. I was just healing up from that when I got
hit with a bad case of RSV (Respiratory syncytial virus). It has been going around here quite badly
with the hospitals full. My body still
was not ready to give me a break because I then had to have a questionable
growth removed from my face and sent in for a biopsy. I was fortunate and it was benign! I’m really not telling you all this to
complain but more to fill you in on what has been going on in the last few
months. I so wanted to get back to
blogging much sooner but things have just been crazy around here!
The past few
months have taught me a lot about myself and how I handle challenges. I’ve always been good at managing whatever
life throws at me but I’ve discovered the older you get the more difficult some
situations can become. I’ve also learned
that sometimes (actually much of the time) I just can’t get everything
accomplished that I would like and that’s okay.
More importantly, I am learning to bend with the wind and try not to let
it break me.
Thank you if
you’ve stayed with me this long. I sure
have missed everyone and look forward to catching up with you all.
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| Sophie |
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| Zeus |
These two sweet cats have definitely brought a lot of joy and love to us over the past months!
Have you ever felt like you needed a total reboot? I have come to realize that I am at that place at the moment. Somehow over the past few years I’ve gotten out of sync with myself. Tom and I have had some uninvited changes in our lives over this time period and I need to do a better job of taking care of things.
A lot of this has to do with Tom’s health. You may remember a couple of years ago he had a bad case of the flu. I wrote about it here. He has physically been a different person since then and seems to continue to get worse or at best no better. This had been over two years. Even though he tested positive for the flu at the time, the doctors now think he may have had one of the early cases of Covid. At that time, they did not even have Covid tests much less know much about treating it. He had recently been to a woodworking convention where he had contact with people from all over the U.S. increasing his chances of catching what we didn’t even know was going around at the time. They now think much of his current condition could be related to him being sick then and his previously existing health conditions have been made much worse because of it. Among other things, the neuropathy in his feet has advanced to the point that it is difficult for him to walk even with a cane. He also has neuropathy in his hands now which reduces his fine motor skills. Over this time I’ve worked hard at helping him to accept and deal with his physical changes but I only recently realized that I had not fully accepted all the changes and the many ways they have changed our lives. Of course, I have taken care of him and helped him in every possible way as well as taking care of everything around the house, yard, and such. But I have also fallen behind on many things that need to be done.
I don’t mean to sound
like I’m whining or complaining. I’m
just honestly sharing some situations that I’ve come to realize I need to get a
better handle on. Because of all this, I’ve decided I need to take a blog break for a while. I have not been doing the greatest job of
blogging anyway. I am hoping if I take
some time to deal with things around here, I will then be able to come back and
put more energy into blogging. I’m
definitely not leaving all my friends!
I’ll still be reading your blogs but I may not be commenting as often
for now. If any of you want to get hold
of me you are welcome to email to the address on my profile.
Thank you all for your wonderful friendships. You definitely improve my life by being in
it! 💗
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| We will be back! |
In the U.S. 27 school shootings have taken place so far this
year and over 200 total mass shootings have happened. This year is not even half over yet.
Below is a portion of an article published today by the NPR News Service. The entire article can be read here:
https://www.npr.org/2022/05/24/1101050970/2022-school-shootings-so-far
“A shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, that has killed 19 children and two adults marks the 27th school shooting this year. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the shooter behind Tuesday's incident was killed.
This comes just 10 days after a shooting at a Tops supermarket in Buffalo, N.Y., that took the lives
of 10 people.
The U.S. has surpassed 200 mass shootings this year
The Gun Violence Archive, an independent data collection organization, has counted 212 mass shootings that have occurred so far this year, as of Tuesday. It defines a mass shooting as an incident in which four or more people were shot or killed, excluding the shooter.
The U.S. ended 2021 with 693 mass shootings, per the Gun Violence Archive. The year before saw 611. And 2019 had 417.
As for school shootings, according to Education Week, 2021 had 34 such incidents at educational institutions (the highest since the organization started its database). In 2020, there were 10 shootings. Both 2019 and 2018 recorded 24 shootings.”
I have very strong opinions about this and not everyone necessarily agrees with me. As far as I am concerned there is no price too high to protect our children. Many changes need to take place including an improvement in the treatment available for mental illness. On May 17th this gunman bought two AR-style rifles legally just after his 18th birthday. The next day he bought 375 rounds of 5.56-caliber ammunition. I know our constitution gives us the freedom to bear arms. But should that include the right to buy weapons of mass destruction and large-capacity ammunition magazines? Those are weapons of war not needed for hunting or target practice. Too many politicians are bought by big businesses and groups like the NRA (National Rifle Association) and continue to vote against making these types of rapid-fire weapons illegal. As I said, no price should be too high to protect our children.
I was blessed to have a very special Mother’s Day. It actually started early when I received a flower delivery from my oldest son Chris and my daughter-in-law Kristi on Friday. Chris and I have a tradition of just the two of us spending Mother's Day together usually in Kansas City and often at the Plaza. The Plaza is a popular shopping and dining area designed in the style of Seville, Spain. Because of his busy work schedule, I don’t get to spend a lot of time with Chris so having this one-on-one time on Mother’s Day really means a lot.
Mill Creek Fountain on the Plaza
We went to Cooper’s Hawk, which is a three-level winery and restaurant for our lunch. In fact, we went there last Mother’s Day too and enjoyed it so much we decided to go back this year. They served a complimentary glass of champagne to all the mothers dining there which was an unexpected treat.
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| Cooper's Hawk |
After lunch, we enjoyed walking around the Plaza checking out the shops and just enjoying
the day. Although it was overcast, it
was one of the first days that were warm enough to not need a coat.
My Mother’s Day did not end Sunday because on Monday my other son, Sean came over to spend some time with us and then took both Tom and I out to dinner. After dinner, he also treated us to frozen custard at a local custard shop. I feel so fortunate to have two such wonderful sons!
Well, that’s what I feel like I am lately. I love following blogs and my intentions are good when it comes to blogging. I guess I just get sidetracked with other things too much. Not that there is much going on in my life these days but I do stay busy with many little, mainly unimportant details of life.
I apologize that I have not come back with the results of my
recent Summons for Jury Duty. I would
have posted sooner if it was anything of interest. I had been told to call the night before I
was assigned Jury Duty to get a possible recorded message if they no longer
needed me. When I made the call there
was only a message telling me to call one hour before the time I was to be
there the next morning. The next morning
I called as instructed and was told I did have to be there. We live in a small town outside the city and
I needed to leave an hour before the required arrival time in order to allow
for parking and such. I was headed out
the front door when my watch buzzed that I had a text. I checked and sure enough, it was Jackson
County Courts telling me my jury service had been canceled. Talk about waiting until the last minute, I
was halfway out the front door! Happily,
my week had been given back to me plus I can not be called for three more
years. Since they can call you until you
are 75 in Missouri and I’ll be 70 this summer, that means I can only be called
one more time. I don’t mean to sound
like I don’t want to do my civic duty but I have served jury duty many times
since I was in my 20s and I feel like I have done my part!
Overall, April has been fairly uneventful for us. I’ve been doing a little family history
research on Ancestry. Anytime I do that
an hour can quickly turn into a large part of a day as I usually fall into
the family research internet rabbit hole!
I enjoy it and occasionally I find something of particular interest.
I hope everyone has been doing well and enjoying spring. I know many of us have only had a small taste
of spring so far but hopefully that will soon change!
Take care my friends!
About a month ago I went to the mailbox and found a jury
summons. Now don’t get me wrong, I like
and want to do my civic duty but I get summoned every three years or so. I have served on both criminal and civil
cases and missed up to a week of work on several occasions. I’ve gone
many times to the Kansas City Courthouse and the Independence Courthouse for
jury duty. Slightly frustrated, I put
the summons on the table with the other mail and went about some other things I
had been doing.
The next day I remembered I left the summons on the table and went to get it. It wasn’t there! I tore the house up (twice) looking for it and never found it. You have to have your summons because it has your juror number and jury card. You must show up on the assigned date or be fined and /or jailed! I was freaking out as I have never lost anything like that. I tried calling the jury office and of course could not get a real person. The recording gave me an email address to write and it also let me leave a message. Over the following four weeks, I left a message and emailed every week with no response. Luckily, I remembered the date and location of service but I was sure nervous about arriving without my juror number and card.
This past Monday morning I received a phone call from the jury office! I was never so happy to hear from someone. She apologized for the delay. Jury duty was canceled for a year during the pandemic and apparently they are still catching up. I was not able to get a copy of my jury card but she did give me my juror number and confirmed the date and location. So next Tuesday I will go to the courthouse with that information and see how it goes. There is a chance I won’t have to serve because that is the second day that week for jury selection. There is a possibility they will have the number of people they need by then. If they don’t, I will happily do my duty.
Sophie & Zeus say Hi!
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| Sophie |
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| Zeus |
Today would be my Mother’s 100th birthday. She used to laugh and joke about how she was
going to live to be 100. Even though she
died at 66 from a second round of cancer, I believe a part of her is still
alive in my heart if nothing else.
Mother in 1939, age 17
My Mother was born on March 1st 1922. She was the youngest of three children and
the only girl. When she was four years
old her father died from appendicitis.
That was much more difficult to treat in those days, especially without
the help of antibiotics. After his death, her mother and the three children moved closer to family. The love and support of family made all the
difference for them.
Daddy, Mother, and
my oldest brother, Charlie, 1940's
Even though my Mother’s adult life was often challenging, she always loved her children and grandchildren more than anything. She would sing fun songs that the children loved like “Mairzy Doats” and “The Purple People Eater”. When I was a teenager she was always understanding and supportive of my interests. By then she was sick much of the time and I often took care of her as much as I was able when I wasn’t in school.
Mother's Day, 1965
I have so many memories of the little things about my Mother, such as some of the items she carried in her purse. There was always Dentyne gum, a small tube of Blistix, a handkerchief, a compact, and lipstick. She used Coty cologne and makeup and I still remember the scent of both. She took great joy in simple things and loved gardening. One of her favorite activities was getting together with as much family as possible and having a picnic at a creek or lake nearby. You know, it’s the many little things we remember about our loved ones that we later realize were actually the big things.
I’m back! Well, I haven’t been away but I’ve not been posting much recently. I’ve felt bad about having this blog and then not writing much this winter. I’ve even considered stopping blogging but I don’t really want to do that. This has been a winter of many distractions that have kept me away from the computer. I’m hoping to change that.
So, what’s been going on this month? Both of my grandchildren have had birthdays. Annika turned 26 on the 3rd and Gavin turned 20 on the 15th! I cannot believe how quickly they have grown to be wonderful, caring, young adults!
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| The bird feeder stays busy these days! |
February has been the month for extreme winter weather for us. We have had big snows each week. Our temperatures have stayed below freezing almost constantly which keeps us inside most of the time. I usually buy groceries each Thursday but all month it seems we have the most snow and ice on Thursdays! I don’t mind changing my shopping day though as I keep enough food in the house for storms. We’ve had to change a few medical appointments due to snow and ice but that is not unusual around here.
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| Our deck has remained snow-covered except for what the wind blows away. |
I love to feed the birds, especially in this weather. They offer much entertainment for us and our two cats Sophie and Zeus.
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| Sometimes the squirrels help themselves to the bird food. |
Have many of you gotten started on the Wordle games? I enjoy doing them especially since it is just one game and done each day. I have a tendency to start on games and not know when to stop sometimes and Wordle keeps me from going down the “game rabbit hole”!
There is not much exciting to write about at the moment here
but maybe that is a good thing! We are
having more snow today so I’ll probably go out tomorrow if the roads are
clear. I’m sure we are all looking
forward to Spring but I don’t really mind Winter because there is so much
beauty in all four seasons. Take care
everyone and I will try and be back much sooner!
I am also sending apologies to you all for not being around and commenting on your blogs this past month. For that matter, this is my first blog post since the end of August. I know, that's bad!
This has not been a usual December for me as it has been one of those months where everything seems to go wrong. Tom has had continued health problems, my grandson was in a car accident in which he totaled his car and even one of my sweet cats has been ill. While all this has been going on there's also been more than the usual number of little aggravating things like having fraud charges made on our bank card. Of course, it has also been Christmas time with shopping, wrapping, and other things going on.
Please know I'm really not writing to complain but to let you know why I have not been around. There's simply not been any time and my stress levels have been pretty high. Actually, I feel very grateful because with all that has happened the outcomes could have been much worse than they have been. Tom is doing better, my grandson was not hurt in the accident and even my cat, Zeus, is doing better. I may not have gotten as much done in preparation for Christmas this year, but hey, we've made it to Christmas Eve!
I've missed all my blog friends more than I can say! I hope you are all well and enjoying the season. I am hoping life will calm down a little in January and I can get back to reading and commenting on your blogs. Please know I have not forgotten any of you and I am sorry I have not been around.
May you each have a peaceful and merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
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Where has
this summer gone? The days have raced by
faster and faster and we are already looking at September tomorrow. Schools have all started here but it will still
feel like summer for at least another month.
So, what’s been going on here? Earlier this month my granddaughter, Annika, spent the night with me just so we could spend some time together catching up. Even though she is 25, we have always been close and can easily talk all night (which we did!). Annika enjoys old movies so I introduced her to a really old one, but a classic: Arsenic and Old Lace. This was released in 1944, stars Cary Grant and was directed by the famous Frank Capra. It is a classic black and white comedy and one of my favorite old movies. Many of you have probably seen this movie but if not and you like classic comedies from the 1940s, it is worth seeing!
We all had a
bit of a scare several weeks ago when my 19-year-old grandson, Gavin, got sick
with Covid. This new Delta variant is
all over the place here and spreading like crazy. It’s almost worse here now than it was last
year since this one is so much more contagious.
We are very grateful that although Gavin was pretty sick for a couple of
weeks, he did not have to go to the hospital.
He is doing better now and has been back at work for almost two
weeks. He still doesn’t have his taste back
and is not feeling his best just yet, but he’s getting there. I am so thankful he is doing better!
I had my 69th birthday on August 9th. (It seems impossible that I am nearly 70!) Since Gavin had been sick and quarantined, I celebrated it late with my son Chris’ family this past Saturday. I keep telling my kids that my favorite gift is simply to be able to spend a little time with them! We had a wonderful dinner out and then went to Chris and Kristi’s house for cake and gifts. I thoroughly enjoyed the time spent with Chris, Kristi, Gavin, Annika and Nick (Annika’s boyfriend).
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| Left to Right: Gavin, Annika, Nick, Tom, Me, Kristi |
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| Kristi, Chris and me |
Well, this has been my August other than some usual medical appointments and such for Tom and myself. Except for Gavin getting sick, it has been a good month overall. I hope all of you are well and enjoying the final days of summer. Take good care and thank you for your friendship even though I am not the most frequent blogger!
