OH, MY ACHING KNEE HODGEPODGE!

Can you believe that Spring is just over a week away?  I can't wait for the flowers to bloom.

1. What's the first image that comes to mind when you hear the word 'spring'? Which phrase best describes the season of spring where you live right now (today)-sprung! almost there, or still waiting?

The first image that comes to mind are all the clean cars people are driving around. The automatic car washes are full with car after car going through getting all the sand and salt off the cars.
The phrase that best describes the season around here is "Almost Here."  We still have lots of snow on the ground but the air is warmer and there are even spots of brown here and there.  The septic tank is still covered in snow however.
  

2. Bed, couch, stapler, garage door, computer mouse, recliner, flashlight, door knob...which household item containing springs most needs replacing in your home? Speaking of springs...did you ever own a Slinky?

I did own a slinky and loved it.  As for something with springs that needs replacing....I would have to say that there is nothing that is in need of replacing.

3. March is Women's History Month. Share a favorite quote by a woman.

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” - Maya Angelou

4. What's a question that looms large in your mind right now?

When will my knee be fixed?

5. Are you a sugar freak? By that I mean how much do you love sugar? With all the bad press sugar gets these days, have you made any efforts to reduce the amount of sugar you consume?

I'm not a huge fan of sugar. I drink my tea and coffee without it, but I do like the occasional cream horn or dish of ice cream.  So I do try to limit my sugar but I will give in once in a while.

6. Would you rather have less work to do or more work you enjoy doing?

I would rather have more work that I enjoy doing.  I don't mind working and having something to do that I enjoy doing makes the day go by faster and I feel like I'm helping someone. Plus, it's not work, if I love doing it.

7. Ever been to Texas? Of the top ten Texas tourist attractions which would you most like to see-The Alamo, The San Antonio River Walk, The State Capital, Dallas World Aquarium, Padre Island National Seashore, Houston Space Center, Schlitterbahn Waterpark in New Braunfels, Six Flags Fiesta Texas,  Moody Gardens, or Galveston Island?

I have only driven through Texas but if I were to visit, I would love to see the Houston Space Center.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

I mentioned in # 4 wondering when my knee would be fixed.  It turns out that I have a tore Meniscus in my left knee and today I saw the orthopaedic doctor.  He agrees that my knee needs to be fixed and has agreed to do the surgery but first he wants to consult with both of my oncologists.  The one here locally and the one up in Lebanon.  The orthopaedic doctor has some questions about my cancer and my meds so it may be a few months before I have the surgery but finally, a doctor who agrees that I need this thing fixed.  

DIE! WINTER DIE! HODGEPODGE!!!

Winter will be over in 15 days (at least in theory) but the hodgepodge will go on and on and I am thankful for that.  Come play with us!

1. 'In like a lion, out like a lamb'...does the first part of this saying describing March weather ring true  where you live? 

Snow, snow an more snow hopefully means, that the end of the month will be sun, sun and more sun.  So the lion is sure up here in NH.

2. March 4th is National Grammar Day. What common grammatical error bothers you the most? 

Oh my!! Where do I begin with this crazy language called English!!  Words that are spelled differently than they are pronounced.  Letters in words that we don't sound out.  Different spellings for words that sound alike.  All of these bug me along with the Their, there, they're!!

3. William Arthur Ward says- 'The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.' Which one are you?

I had to ask Hubby but I really knew the answer, I'm the pessimist.  I plan for the worst case and pray it doesn't come true.  My mind goes dark fast.

4. What's something you need to 'march forth and conquer' this month?

My ongoing battle living with cancer and adjusting my lifestyle.

5. An ongoing debate around here...do you dust first, then vacuum or vacuum first, then dust? Of the two routine household chores, which do you dislike the least? How's that for wording? 

Dust first, because  you know that some of the dust will fall to the floor and then you can vacuum it up.  I dislike dusting the least.

6. According to thrilllist.com, the ten most photographed sites in the U.S.A. are- Cinderella's Castle in Orlando, Southernmost House in Key West Florida, The Space Needle in Seattle, The Site of the Boston Massacre in Boston, The Bellagio Lake/fountains in Las Vegas, The Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC, Coit Tower in San Fransisco, The Art Institute of Chicago, Niagara Falls, and snagging the number one spot-The Guggenheim Museum in New York City. 

How many on this list have you photographed? Which on the list would you most like to visit and photograph?

I've photographed the Niagara Falls.  I would love to visit them all!! Why not?

7. Fifty years ago Monday (March 2, 1965) The Sound of Music premiered at the Rivoli Theatre in NYC. Have you seen the film? Do you own a copy? On a scale of 1-10 how much do you love it (or not)? Ten=best movie ever. If you're a fan, what's your favorite scene or song from the movie? 

I have seen the film and loved it . I give it a 10!  We do not own a copy but watch it when it comes on tv.  My favorite scene are with the children on the boat wearing the clothes made from curtains.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

My flip flops are ready, they have been in the back of my closet and have been looking very sad back there.  I've told them that we move the clocks forward this weekend so spring surely is on the way.  They are hoping to be worn soon!!  I feel their pain. 

Spring, Oh Glorious Spring!

It has been quite of week up here in ther right hand corner of the USA.
More snow (it's snowing while I type this) and more cold weather means out pellet stove is working 24/7 to keep me warm and I am very tired of wearing layers of clothing.  So Spring had better be getting here soon and it will be Glorious!!

I know that you are waiting for the report from the transplant doctor.  We had a beautiful day to drive up north to the Hospital.  The 1 1/2 hour drive was just lovely.  A nurse took several tubes of blood and then we hung around to see the doctor.

He told us that my proteins were climbing and that was not good.  It looked like the ratio of cancer drugs to normal cells was 340/1.  My heart sunk.  He was going to do a test where each protein was counted by hand  to see which protein was off.  If it was only 1 protein, then we perhaps could change drugs and hit that one protein with a different chemo protocol and force it back to where it belongs.

If several proteins were out of wack, then he would want a bone marrow biopsy to see how much of my blood was cancerous.  If that was between 40-50% then I get moved up the transplant list and start preparinging for that procedure.  All I could think of was that my calendar was too full and that I didn't have time for this.  The transplant requires me to stay up in the hospital for several weeks in isolation while my body heals.  I don't want to do that!!

We agreed that we surely needed more tests to see what was going on.  We left the hosptial discouraged and depressed. One thing we both agreed on was to let our prayer warriors know what was going on and to ask them to pray.  So once we got home and told our daughter the news, we got our prayers warriors praying.

One told me that I was a miracle waiting to happen.  Another told us that the test done down here would be wrong.  As it turned out, they were both right.

Six days went by before we got the results of the latest test.  Sure enough, he felt that since the test down here was calulated by a machine, the machine was wrong and the ratio is NOT 340/1 by in fact is 27/1.  The bone marrow biopsy is off, and the stem cell transplant is off, well for at least 2 months.  We head up there again at the end of April and retest.

So for now, we change nothing, we continue with our lives and love each other and those around us.  We laugh and smile and work and live.  We are grateful to all who have prayed for us, and held us up before God.  We are even more greatful that God granted the desire of my heart to stay outside of the hospital for a bit longer.

So after a few short wild weeks, we are relaxing while it snows outside again.

Another trip up North to Check in

Tomorrow, Wednesday the 18th we travel up north to Darthmouth Hitchcock Hospital to check in with the Transplant doctor.

One of the issues with living with cancer, is the fact that I have to check in with doctors every so often to find out how I'm doing.  I see a lot of doctors and they all want blood, I just show up and roll up my sleeve and give them blood.   Wednesday, we have to be there for 9 am.  In good weather, it's an hour and a half drive.  In bad, a good 2 1/2 hours. So we leave early, get there for a bunch of blood work then wait a while to get the results, then talk and talk to the doctor's and parts of his team to see where I am and how I'm doing.

At the moment, we go up 4 times a year, I'm hopping I'm doing so well that he tells us we can drop that to 3 times a year.  That would be nice.  

In the meantime, we reflect on what the past year has given us.  A lot of laughter, a lot of love, a lot of dotors, good friends, good food, good prayers and a lot of leaning on God to keep us going.

If you would, please, pray for us to have a good drive up, good results and a good drive back home after a long, emotional day up north.

Thank you

 

Old Man Winter Wroke Up!

Our front yard in there someplace.

In November, we had snow for Thanksgiving. only enough to kill our power and make the weekend long and interesting.  In December, nothing!  We had a green Christmas and a green New Years.  I was OK with both of those.

And then came January.

Old man winter woke up and must have said "OOPS, I forgot the snow" so he opened the door to the snow storage unit and let it fall.

A lot.

And often.

In the past month we have had snow falling every few days for 3-5 inches, or a dusting to 3 inches, or  6-10 inches.  Until we have 5 feet of the stuff!  Snow banks are well over 8 feet high and trucks are on the corners knocking down the snow and trucking it away.  Where do they take the snow when they truck it out of the city?

We have icicles, or had icicles I should say.  Hubby hired someone to shovel our roof.  The man did a very nice job.  He came when he said he would, the price was fair, he got the roof clean off.

He even left a reminder for us that he was there.  Can you see it?  Look close.  There is a Dunkin Donuts Ice Coffee on top of the chimney.
Yes, we drink Ice Coffee up here in negative degree weather.  It made me laugh very hard.  I think it's still frozen up there.

So we continue to dig out.  Continue to drive slow and continue to be thankful for all we have because as Hubby put it, there are children in China without any snow at all.

Stay warm everyone,  more snow on the way.