Good afternoon!
I am not moving quickly today, but it was such a good week. Glorious fall days--sunny and cooler--ahhh! Today rain is supposed to be arriving soon and that will also be welcomed.
I researched what people bring in their chemo bags so that I have a checklist now. Ordered a chemo bag (just a large mesh beach bag) and a laptop sleeve and some zippered bags I can put a variety of supplies inside. I don't plan to bring my actual purse with me to chemo.
On Wednesday Leah dropped off some Cashwise from a grocery pickup. I got a little visit from the boys, too. They also like Zevia. It comes in smaller cans and I have a small supply of those here, too, in my frig door.
My visit on Sunday was top priority for me so I opted to have the sauna brought over and put together the following weekend.
While the boys were here we went to turn on the old slow-to-start fan and--well--completely refused to start that time. Seems like that is how my fans always die. Once they get to taking forever to get moving their days are numbered.
On Thursday I did laundry and Leah came over that night--with a new fan!
I've never had one of these tall skinny fans. It takes up so much less room, works great, and even has a remote. Nice! I love it! Another little silver lining. :)
I can't resist tossing seed out in the middle once in a while to I can see the many birds that come to dine just a little better.
The new planters may make it a little harder to see all the visitors but I wouldn't trade them for anything! Going to be interesting this winter to see how the drifting is...if we get much snow, that is. Hasn't always been the case lately.
Anyways, the only extra project I (barely) started this last week was trying to reconstitute the Silks paints. So dried that I ended up literally pouring hot distilled water into each jar and leaving them to soak.
They're still soaking--LOL!
This was a special little treat for me this month. It is actually acrylic drawers made for eyeglasses. (Who has that many glasses and sunglasses?)
Washi tapes fit perfectly in there!
I have all these washi tapes and I do like to add them on to letter paper...when I would remember and go get some out of the satchels in the hallway bookcase. I'd often have little piles of washi tapes sitting around on my endtables because then I wouldn't want to put them away...in case I wanted to use them again. So--now I have a whole bunch by my chair (where I do most of my writing of letters)--at my fingertips! And I can switch them out for seasons or holidays. Little things like that make life more fun. :)
Friday was my labwork day. So funny--Leah picked me up, I climbed up into the passenger seat, and in a couple of minutes Liam told that Daddy was with! They wanted to see if I would notice--LOL! I didn't. He was way back behind the boys' car seats! I didn't even know there were more seats back there--LOL! Leah was dropping Dagan and Ian off to go golfing after they dropped me off at the hospital.
Yes, I ended up having to go to the hospital lab after all. Got a call on Wednesday that in order to have the courier pick up the kit in time to deliver it to a lab in town I needed to go in earlier and at the hospital lab. Well, I tried. Luckily it wasn't as packed in that waiting room as it had been the last two times.
They were waiting for me, the lab guy said. Called my name early, even. Some box kit with a lot of paperwork and they had called ahead to make sure they had everything ready. He had to call someplace to get the proper code number to get into the computer information.
I asked him if he knew what this test kit was actually for and he really didn't. Thought it had something to do with DNA. ? I told him I thought it must be some kind of pre-chemo testing. Told him about the cancer as he drew two big vials of blood. He said the nurses there for chemo are super nice. I told him what kind of gramma I am...showing the two little grandsons how I peed like a boy (emptying the catheter bag)...and left him laughing! :)
While Liam slept in his carseat, Leah drove me over to the Natural Pet Shop so I could pick out some cans of no-grain cat foods for Annie to try. Mostly pate--at 15 she's not so much into chewing anymore. I know how she feels--LOL! Then I was back home again...and the new larger cans also fit in the new acrylic holders I ordered.
Love these! They're easy for me to get to and organize. The pumpkin cans are Annie's, too.
On Saturday morning Annie got her first random new can of food. She kept coming out to wash up and then changing her mind and going back for a little more--over and over--until she ate the whole can. [BTW--still no pooping outside the box since she got her big tub back--LOL! *knock on wood*]
That afternoon I lurked in another Zoom bookbinding workshop that went from 3:30 till 7:15pm!! They made a french door book. I really like Kiala Givehand. I stumbled across her years ago when she did a book a week videos on youtube. I think they are still up there.
I finished the newest Handmaid's Tale (Hulu--had to work up to the new season--rather dark, shall we say) and Better Call Saul (Netflix DVD)...and other assorted shows and YT videos.
Then yesterday--Sunday--Annie gobbled down half the can of another brand of new food...and promptly barfed it all back up in three places...on the rug, of course. Not sure if it didn't agree with her or she ate it too fast. (Didn't give her a new one today--LOL!)
Anyways, Sunday was my day for a good long visit over at McFamily's!! Liam opened his presents from Gramma.
I could not for the life of me figure out anymore how to get an actual video on my blog so this is a link if you want to peek.
Blink did a kitty photo bomb during Leah's video and Dagan caught it--LOL!
The boys love having bath bombs on bathnights. 
Anyways, after dinner they had cake and frozen blueberries and strawberries.
I told Ian he has electric hair like Gramma's. Ian told me--you should see it after I've gone down the slide a few times--ROFL!
We had such a good time playing card games! It is fun that they are getting old enough so we can all play together. We played a game with the new polka dot numbers deck Liam got (several games you can play).
We played a game called Sleeping Queens. That was fun!
They did have a bath that night--and brought down a whole collection of the toys from inside the bathbombs to show me afterwards--strange sticky gummy things--LOL!
Took over three years before I got hugs from Liam, but he makes up for them now--lol!
Later, after Laim went to bed we played My First Castle Panic with Ian. There's also an adult version, Leah said. Ian was up till 10:00! I got a great long hug from Ian, too.
Note: Leah said that Ian really wanted to have Liam learn how to play Castle Panic, too--and so they taught him today. Really good game to teach about teamwork and helping each other because you have to all work together to save the castle from the monsters.
After both the boys were in bed Dagan pulled out their recliner into the middle of the livingroom, we put on my Music To Disappear In CD, and Dagan and Leah did some Healing Touch on me. Quite unexpectedly--after they had worked on me for a while--the "soulcomfort" energy just kind of kicked in! That's the vibrating energy when I am working on other people that comes down into the top of my head and goes down through my body and comes out my hands and feet. That's only happened to me while someone else was working on me one other time back in the late 90s. It was absolutely awesome! Might not happen again but I felt totally blessed. GA must have thought I needed it--yes! It is difficult to describe...but I have missed it. Felt like coming home...like a piece of me clicked into place. Oh, I cannot begin to describe it...but I feel so connected still today. Wow! Never expected that. A gift! A gift for my soul.
Anyways, when I got home (still smiling and floating on air) two packages were outside my door. One was my new chemo bag,
It also has a shoulder strap to clip on the sides--which I will use. Big enough my prayer blanket should fit in there.
And the laptop sleeve came, too. It has three zippered pouches--the big one for the laptop, one for a tablet, and one for a phone. Pretty cool.
I had already received the set of zippered canvas pouches. I'm pretty well set to fill my new chemo bag when the time comes.
None of these were fancy, but cheaper and practical. The kind that are easily replaceable if they wear out or a zipper breaks, you know?
Let's see...what else?
Oh, Leah hasn't gotten the school area together yet upstairs. Still needs some items from IKEA. Yes, she still has a pretty big IKEA trip coming in the future...250+ miles one way to Minneapolis--whew! Right now they are doing school at the diningroom table.
Well, that's about it from here for this week. On Thursday I see Dr. Kobrossy and I expect will then find out my chemo schedule--and want to find out if he is still as optimistic. Should be. :) Until then--I have a couple more days off and Leah plans to come over for our Thursday night early--right after "our" appointment with Kobrossy--so she can maybe get home before dark. :) We had some sprinkles and the radar shows some actual rain might be headed our way--nice!
Enjoy your week!!
You're the best!!
****
Life is not about "or"--it is about "and". It is magical and messy. It is heartwarming and heartbreaking. It is delight and disappointment. Grace and grief. Exquisite and excruciating, often at the exact same time.
Kristi Nelson
19 comments:
I did battle with Blogger to get photos centered and the font all the same size. I think I won this time...I'll have to go check. ;)
Hi Rita. Such cute pictures of you and those cute grandsons. You are so blessed with a good, kind family. I love the chemo bag. You have thought everything through and it sounds like you are all set. So glad you had the "soul comfort energy" experience. Such a gift. Continued love and prayers coming to you from Utah. :-)
I love that soul healing massage.... I only was ever able to get that from one reiki massage but man it was awesome.
Our weather has turned here as well. So amazing. Fall is my favorite.
As always, Rita, you have done good planning for your upcoming chemo sessions and let us know later how all those items worked for you. Good and bad news about Annie with the old litter box but not so with barfing on the rug, hopefully not a recurring thing. Nice to see all the family time with Ian and Liam. Hope the healing touch session brings much comfort and good results.
You had a busy week! Love those boys giving you hugs! Hope you have a good visit with your Dr on Thursday and he gives you the info you need and it is all good news before you start on chemo.
We got rain this afternoon and it is still raining! Smells so good!
Be kind to yourself!
It sounds like you've had a good week, especially being able to spend time with the boys! I like your new fan. I have a skinny one like that and I love it! It is so much easier to find a good place for it in any room and the remote is handy too. I hope you can find some canned foods for Annie that she likes and that don't make her sick. One of our cats is very picky and also gets sick easily. We will find a food she likes and I will then order a case of it (less expensive that way) and then she won't eat it. It gets frustrating sometimes doesn't it! I like your chemo bag and all the pouches. You will be the most organized patient there and it will help you to find what you need. I'll be thinking of you Thursday when you have your doctor's appointment. Take care Rita!
You seem to have had a good week despite all that you are going through. The children are no doubt a constant source of joy. Good luck with everything. The way that you are chronicling your illness and the other aspects of your life are fertile ground for a skilled author.
Great photos of you and the boys. A kind of healing energy all its own. And then the very special healing touch from Dagan and Leah. All good.
Looks like you have your chemo arrangements all set with the bags to carry your things. Hope the visit with the doctor goes well. Thinking of you.
I looked for your post all day yesterday and am so glad to hear you had such a good week. You are all ready for what's to come, it seems, and I love your positivity. I can feel it all the way over here! :-)
My wife is a fanatic fan addict ;) so we have two of the skinny fans to complement the several ceiling fans. This is in addition to the AC. They all run pretty ell nonstop throughout the summer, and are still going now for the most part.
You've had quite a busy week. Your chemo bag is quite a good idea. I used to be very organized, but not so much anymore. It's good to toss the bird seed out where you can see the birds up close. Enjoy it! Hugs, Edna B.
Oh Rita, this is the first I’ve learned of your cancer diagnosis. Where have I been?!I feel awful that I haven’t been in touch! I’m so glad you are staying positive and using healing energy. SO much has happened since we last talked! It feels like forever! Sending you positive energy, prayers and healing light🙏🏻♥️ Taryne
I didn't realize that Annie was already 15 years old! How long has she been with you? It seems like a long time now. It sounds like she's having a similar problem that our older cats had too. When we switched Meenie to soft cat food, we would only give her a couple of tablespoons at a time. Let it settle, and then give her a couple more tablespoons later. Pacing it seemed to help and prevent the tendency to throw up if she ate too quickly.
The Zoom bookbinding workshop sounds interesting. Never have heard of a French door book.
The pictures of you hugging Ian and Liam are precious! Such nice memories for you all to see in photos.
Looks like you are getting the supplies you need for your chemo bag. Looks quite roomy and that they will hold a lot.
Wonderul photos all of them. I have ceiling fans which I love best thing we did getting them installed.
I love the hug photos and it's good to know that your week went well. I also like the shot of the boys sitting together in your chair while they have their drinks. Almost sauna time!!!
Love,
Janie
Sounds/Looks like a good week :) The chemo bag sounds like a helpful idea. Your planters are nice. Is there anything that could live in them in the winter where you are? Will birds ever come up on your patio if you sprinkle food there?
You've had such a productive week. Well done! I'll be curious to hear what you decide to pack in your chemo bag! Those little guys are awfully cute, too. I have a holistic vet and I swear, the food is worth it. Of course, Lizzie isn't that old but (knock on wood) she's never been sick (apart from the occasional hairball!)
Great to hear you had a good week.
We have ceiling fans here and, before we had air-con, we would also bring out an industrial floor fan to use in our hotter months. My sister has used one like your new one before. They are very nice and do a good job.
Nice to see your feathered friends are still visiting.
The clear acrylic drawers are so handy. I use a set for my fountain pens. Those ones are a perfect fit for your Washi tapes.
Great that Annie's potty habits are back to normal. Not good about the barfing though. Kya vomited up a hairball the other night which usually indicates it's time for her to get trimmed back at the vet.
The boys are growing up so fast!
Wonderful that the Healing Touch worked so well.
All your packaged goodies will come in very handy. I like the set of canvas pouches. They would be handy for separating/organising sketch supplies.
Good luck with your Chemo. I hope it helps.
Love and big hugs,
Serena xx
Mind blowing post
Post a Comment