Spring Into Hodgepodge

I feel good about a Spring Hodgepodge, why you ask? Because it's Spring, that's why.  Even though it doesn't feel like Spring up here, I know it is someplace so let's begin shall we.

1. March is known as the windy month. Which of the following phrases best fits your March so far...'throw caution to the wind', 'three sheets to the wind', 'run like the wind', or 'see which way the wind blows'?

Lately our life has been a lot like 'see which way the wind blows'. We are never sure what is about to happen to us so I can relate.

2. Your favorite green food? Your favorite dish made with your favorite green food?

Green Veggies like zucchini, lettuce hearts, peppers, all grilled.

3. Ever been locked out of your home-car-office-anywhere? Do tell!

I can honestly say that I've never been locked out of the home-office-car-anywhere.

4. Yoda, Kermit, Shrek, The Wicked Witch of the West, Oscar the Grouch, The Grinch, or Mike Wasowski (Monsters Inc.)...of the green characters listed, which one's your favorite and why?

I'm going with Yoda.  A teacher who really wants to teach all good things to his student.  A teacher who understands the importance of learning and reasoning.

5. "The first task of a leader is to keep hope alive."~Joe Batten Do you agree? Why or why not? 

Agree, leaders have to keep hope alive or there is no one to lead. Without hope, people become unable to follow a leader. We have such a leader now in our country.

6. Share a favorite song with an emotion in it's title.

On this one, I will have to look at others answers.  I even googled this and found no songs that I would consider my favorite.  Sorry.

7. What's a road trip you'd like to take?

I would like to hit the National Parks all over the USA.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
The Calendar may say Spring, but it sure doesn't feel like it up here.  We have had temps in the 20's with wind chills making it 0.  We have had snow flurries, and sleet.  Will this winter ever die?  There is more snow in the forcast for Wednesday morning (as I'm typing this Tuesday night) but with any luck it will hit south of us - Sorry Joyce.  

Playing Catch Up

I could use an entire week to play catch up but I'll just give you the highlights of what has been happening around here. Needless to say, I feel like the photo above.

- Last Wednesday I saw the surgeon who put my nose back together.  He was well pleased with his work and told me that it was still swollen - which I knew as my glasses are still tight and feel heavy by the end of the day.  Another 4 weeks before all that swelling goes down but it works very well and I am very pleased at the look.  It's my nose, no new nose here so I look the same. My black raccoon eyes are gone now as well.

- I'm back to work full time.  However, I tend to crash once I'm home.  I either fall asleep before dinner, or right after dinner so I wake up, change, and go to bed.  I joined a Multiple Myeloma online group and with the small population on it, they are surprised that I am back full time already as many of them still hadn't returned part time 8 weeks after harvesting.  I went back 6 weeks after harvesting- very part time and each week added a few more hours. A few were working part time at 8 week but only a very small group were back full time.  I wanted to get back to "normal" as soon as possible so I pushed to get there.  Now to get back to normal here at home.

- Our oldest granddaughter is now 5 years old and we had a blast at the house party.  Our daughter and son-in-law did a great job at the party. He grilled out in 20 degree temps. The house lost power for about an hour so the lanterns came out and the party continued.  Earlier in the day, there was a play party at a local indoor playground for kids for school mates and cousins.  What a long day for all of them.  We are so proud of our kids and the parents they are.

- I spent one Saturday teaching Pet CPR/1st aid to a group of grooming students.  They had lots of question and we took a bit of time practicing CPR over and over again until they felt ready to do it for real.  It was a long day, but well worth it.

-So life is returning to "normal" what ever "normal" means these days.  I have blood work today and see my Oncologist this Thursday.  For those of you who pray, please pray for good results and that I am still in remission.  Most days I start out strong but by the afternoon I am weak and by evening, I'm just limp and crawl into bed praying for energy.  My emotions are still like a roller coaster which makes living with me hard on Hubby.  He is a saint for putting up with my ever changing moods.

So finding time to type up a blog post falls to the weekend when I have a bit of time left over before I sleep.    Thank you for checking in with me.  I so appreciate that gesture. We are moving towards "normal".

WINTER'S LAST HODGEPODGE !

Thank you Joyce for the last hodgepodge of the winter.  

1.  Thursday marks the first day of spring...to celebrate would you rather plant a garden or go for a walk in the woods? Would either of those activities be possible on Thursday where you live?

Plant a garden!  However we have 2 feet of snow on top of frozen ground so it will have to wait.  I hope that Thursday it's nice enough to go for a walk.

2. When did someone last spring something on you? (or when did you last spring something on someone?)

I have a coworker who surprised me a prayer blanket.  It was a nice thing to do for me and I use it when I'm cold (which is often). It was a nice surprise.

3.  We often think of spring as a time for new beginnings. What's something you'd like to start doing this spring?

I really want to walk every day. I would like to travel more as well.

4. Where do you like to sit in a movie theatre? When did you last sit there, and what were you watching?

I am married to a man who is 6' 3" tall so we always move to the last row right over the steps so that Hubby has leg room. We don't to movies often (too loud!) so the last movie we went to was Iron Man 3.

5. When you meet someone for the very first time, what do you want them to think about you?

I hope they know that I really do want to know about them and I am interested in them.

6. March is frozen food month (yes, really!). Besides ice cream (gotta make you think a little) what's your most often purchased frozen food item?

Frozen veggies.  I like frozen veggies.

7. What's something you avoid?

Getting sick again.  I avoid people who are really sick. I don't want to get an infection of any kind. Cancer will do that to a person. My immune system is compromised, it will be for the rest of my life.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Today is the last day of winter.  BYE  WINTER

Now it's your turn. Come play.

What NOT to say to someone with Cancer

I lost a friend this past weekend to cancer.  He had Leukemia.  He found out after I found out about my cancer and went into remission before I did. But he was not a candidate for Stem Cell Harvesting or a candidate for a Bone Marrow Transplant from a donor.  He was told in December that he was out of options and he was out of remission.  We would sit together on Sunday and share a blanket to stay warm.  We called each other from time to time to check in and we went to the same Norris Cotton building for treatments so we saw each other there as well, each of us having chemo. He wished me well as I was getting ready for my Harvesting. Cancer patients share a special bond. I know we did!

I remember talking to him about what others say to us without a clue as to how it sounds.  Some were funny while others sounded not so much.

Here is a partial list of what we have been told or asked: Please don't say these things to other cancer patients...

1. "WOW you don't look sick!"  I'm glad that I don't look sick so thank you but one day someone is going to tell me this and I will just loose it and say: "Thank you, we do make the best looking corpse you know."

2. "I've never heard of that cancer, is it one of the bad ones?"  Is there a good one?  For the person who was just told they have cancer, it's bad!  It's the worst kind of bad!  Yes, all cancer is bad!

3. "My (Grandfather, Aunt, Sister,___(fill in the blank) died from that."  Unless the story has a happy ending, don't start with this.  I've been thinking a lot about death. I really don't want to hear your death story thank you.

4. "How long do you have?" I've actually turned over my foot and looked at the bottom of it and said "No expiration date there, don't know."

5. "You're lucky, your cancer will not leave a scar" Well not one that you will see on the outside, but there are plenty on the inside.

6. "I thought Chemo was suppose to help you lose weight."  I did answer this one with "Thanks for letting me know that, I'll be sure to tell my doctor that his chemo isn't helping me lose weight."

7. "Better you than me, I couldn't handle this. You are such an inspiration" I said "Thanks, glad I could help."  I've never so admired anyone that I was glad for their misfortune because it made me feel better.

So I celebrate my friends finishing the race, his graduation to Heaven where he has a new body, a new life, a new health. He also has no more silly statements or questions to deal with. I know he is laughing over the things we talked about. I also know that I will miss him!

Spring is in the Air!

We may have over 2 feet of snow on the ground but Spring is definitely in the air.  How do I know?  Good question.

First, my spring allergies are in full bloom.  Allergies trigger my asthma so I'm using a lot of allergy meds to stop my sneezing, clear up my watery burning eyes and headache.  I love spring, even with the allergies.

Second, coyotes are out and around our home.  Just the other morning, I let the dogs out while it was still dark.  August started to run down the stairs to the back yard and then stopped and looked back at Becke.  Becke was on the deck, making herself as tall and wide as she could, staring into the back yard and not moving at all.  August turned around, came onto the deck, walked up to the grill and piddled on the grill cover.  August then came into the house, Becke then turned around and came in after him.  As I was closing the door, I heard the coyotes talking to each other.  They were very close, just behind our fence.  It's a scary sound and I'm so glad that neither dog made a sound and stayed close to the house.  YUP, Spring in the NH countryside.

Third, the skunks are out.  When we drive down the highway, we can smell them.  We can smell them on the roads. So far, the dogs have not been involved in anything that makes them smell.  I am thankful for that.  Spring.

So the day light gets longer and longer, the sun coming in the Windows feels good and warm. The air is still cold, the temps are in the 20's, and there is always the threat of more snow, but Spring is definitely in the air!
Achoo!!

Spring is 7 days away so WHY IS THERE SNOW IN THE AIR!

Thank you Joyce for this weeks questions, I have the answers and so do all of you readers, so play along.

1. Do you have an interest in learning about your family's heritage? Why or why not? If you know a little bit about your roots, share an interesting piece of trivia or a fun fact about someone who goes way back on your family tree.

I would like to know if the stories that I heard about in my childhood, were true or just really good bedtime stories.  One story that I know is that my Grannie was born in Scotland and was born with the name Angelique but soon after loosing her husband and having a small child to raise she could not find work suitable for a woman so she changed her name and got a job working for a seed catalog company as a man.  Since she worked away from the office, the company never knew they were paying a woman.  Smart woman.

2. Branch Rickey, the baseball exec credited with signing Jackie Robinson, is quoted as saying-

"Luck is the residue of design."

Agree or disagree? Why?

Agree.  Sometimes you make your own luck.  Work hard and prepare yourself for good things to happen.  Then when others call it luck, you can smile and and know the truth.

3. In the town where you currently reside, what's your favorite green space?

Any of the green walking trails or the many small ponds.  We have a lot of country up here in the northeast.

4. Who is your favorite comedian?

Bill Cosby, he's clean and I'm not embarrassed to watch him with others in the room.

5. March is National Nutrition Month, and almost everyone needs to improve their diet in some way.  What about you? How can you improve your nutrition on a daily basis? Will you try?

After gaining a bit over 20 pounds with cancer treatments I am trying to lose it.  However, I am having trouble with my knees so tomorrow I'm going back to the doctor to see what is happening.  I hope to be up and moving soon. If only the weather would help with that a bit now. In the mean time more salads and fruits and fewer desserts.

6. Which of these green expressions have you 'experienced' in recent weeks -green with envy, green thumb, green around the gills, or give the green light? Explain.

We have more snow on the way, in all we have had over 6 1/2 feet of snow and a good amount of it is still on the ground!  I see others on FaceBook talking about taking out their flip flops so I'm Green with envy at the moment.

7. Where is one place you don't mind waiting?
Doctor's office.  For almost 2 years now when I go to the doctor's, I get taken right in and put in a room to wait for the doctor there. Always away from the general population because I'm too sick to be around sick people.   I would love to wait in the waiting room allowing someone else to get in front of me. I would not mind at all waiting so that someone else can get the gentle loving care that I have received for almost 2 years now.  

  

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
Yes, it's another snowy day.  I so need spring and not winter at our home.  Yet, we are getting more snow.  Another day stuck inside looking out at all the white stuff.