December 27, 2021 Monday--1:30pm

Good afternoon!

You know how I like to have current pictures--well, got a couple of older ones to show you before we get into this past week.  Whenever Leah and I go to my infusions now I ask if we can get a cubicle with two chairs so Leah has a comfier place to sit.  She got a picture of me under my warm blanket.  This was the first Big I infusion, I believe.

I also asked her for a picture of the boys' new bunk bed set up from Ikea.  Wow!  Pretty cool!  They've had this for a while now.

Okay--caught up.  :)

Monday

We DID get snow! 

I still wasn't feeling well and was still racing to the bathroom. 

Tuesday

Woke up to a sparkly white blanket of snow.

Hopeful for a white Christmas for sure!

Weds-Thurs-Fri

The Critter Cafe was busy all week.

But the thing that made me the most happy was seeing the partridges able to make their snow nests!

I love it when they can dig down a spot to be half buried to protect themselves against the wind.

I was on R&R recovering all week--from the vaccine.  I had such bad reactions to the first two it was no surprise.  Was barely able to even work on Christmas cards so a lot of mine will be really late this year because I have to get back to them soon.  It's the thought that counts, right?  As long as you get them before Valentine's Day--LOL!  :)

Saturday

I did make it over to McFamily's on Christmas Day!  

Had a most wonderful visit.

The boys love maze books!

Blink can sleep through anything--LOL!

I did have to leave earlier than I had expected.  Sitting in different chairs all day set off the neuropathy in my legs.  But the boys got in their pajamas and we took pics in front of the tree before I left.  Ian's got one front tooth coming in now.

I got sweet hugs goodbye.  Was sad I was going to miss watching Rudolph with them...but by the time I left I had to have Leah help me down the front stairs because my legs were so weak and painful.  Dagan gave me a ride home.

Leah sent me pictures since I missed the movie.  :)  

Ian...

...and Liam were enthralled.

Oh, and it snowed all day long on Christmas!!  Snowed last night again, too!  Woke up to a blizzard this morning actually.  It's awful to have to get around in, I know, but--homebound me--I LOVE IT!!  

Hard to even get a picture of the Critter Cafe visitors with all the snow stuck to the patio door.

The partridges know right where to dig for seed in the snow...

...and the sparrows appreciate them unearthing those deeper seeds, that's for sure.

The blizzard white-out winds died down a while ago and I was finally able to get pictures of the snowbanks from the parking lot across the way.  When the big plow was out there this morning all I could see were the blurry headlights and flashing lights through a wall of white swirling snow.  But now you can see how much snow they moved about this morning.

They haven't been back of our building to get to the sidewalks on the walkway.  That's always last on the snow removal list.

The patio has a few drifts now.

As I am typing this the partridges have been out there digging down in the snow.  They're happy.  The sparrows are happy.  Annie and I are happy.

Leah plans on coming over this week.  I need trash brought out and bird seed brought in--am not even walking all that well yet.  Regardless, I promised Dagan and Leah I wouldn't do anything like that or climbing stools until I can feel my legs again.  :)  Anyways, we were thinking tomorrow but they are talking more snow...so maybe Wednesday.

Me--I need to get the 2022 bullet together and work on Christmas cards.  That's about all that is on my to-do list this coming week.  

Oh my!  Three partridges are just parked in a planter box relaxing out there!  I love that!  I'll try to take a picture for you.

They are so seldom relaxed.  I love to see them hanging out near or on my patio in the winter.  That's the only time I can occasionally see them totally calm like that.

Well, it was a wonderful holiday.  I hope you all had your own special memories.  The new year is right around the corner.  I won't see you before then so I wish you all a very happy new year.  We are all hoping for a better, brighter one ahead.  See you in 2022!!  :) :)

December 20. 2021 Monday--12:30pm

 Good afternoon!

I am totally disoriented.  Lost time this weekend.  Let's just say I was able to do a few things last week.  Did some cooking and baking.  Worked on Christmas cards and letters.  A nice quiet week and feeling okay.  Then came Friday.  

I met Bianca Ferrari (doesn't that sound like a made up Hollywood name?) and really liked her.  I do have her again in three weeks but found out she is leaving.  Too hard on her kids, I guess.  I will take whoever is available on the Fridays I have to come in.

I asked about getting the covid booster shot and she said sure I could go and get it after my infusion.  Great!  So, I get the infusion and then go up to the vaccine area.  Well, I was flagged as a vulnerable and immunocompromised person so they wanted me to get another full dose of Moderna and then get a booster shot in six months.  The lady even went and double checked with the boss and that is what was recommended.  So I had my third full dose of Moderna.  I had not heard of getting three full doses and a booster before, have you?

Leah stopped by briefly after we were done.  The weather was blowing about light snow and supposed to snow all night so she really needed to get home, I thought.

I was asleep by 7:45 and woke up at 10:30pm.  Running a low temp, but no teeth chattering this time like I had with the vaccine before.  Let Dagan and Leah know I was doing okay...and was back asleep by about 11pm!  And I slept and slept and slept!  I remember once I woke up at 9:15am but I don't know if that was Saturday or Sunday.  I was finally awake and stayed awake at 12:45pm on Sunday...and then I was hit with diarrhea--LOL!  So, I kind of lost the entire weekend, really.  Wow!

But I am triple vaccinated.  Still feeling a bit off, but doing okay.  I hate to jinx myself but I am thinking the first two vaccines did me in worse...and either the infusion or vaccine or combination of the two may have been a positive thing for my neuropathy.  Seems to have gone down a notch?  (knock on wood!)  

Anyways, I am so glad Leah sent me pictures.  I hadn't taken one single picture all week.  Enjoy!

All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth!  Anyone else remember that song?

I told Ian that my two front teeth came out before Christmas, too, and this song was on the radio.  Every time it came on my dad would tease me and sing along.  You can find it on google or Alexa.  He thought it was a pretty funny song.

We have had some snow but then it warmed up enough to melt most of it away.

Hopefully we will have enough snow to have a white Christmas.  Supposed to have to possibility of snow every day and never get above freezing so whatever we get should stay on the ground.  Just doesn't seem like Christmas without a decent amount of snow on the ground.  Lately we have to be happy with whatever we get.

A Liam jig saw puzzle!  I didn't know you could have these made.

Christmas family photos.

The boys.

McFamily.  

We shouldn't be able to see grass by now--see.

McFamily Christmas tree.

Liam being silly.  :)

Since most of the family gatherings are cancelled this year the boys have had Christmas presents here and there.  

They look pretty excited about these educational games.  Their very favorite thing about homeschooling!

At one point we actually had some snow--so, thanks to snow plows, kids have to take advantage while they can, right?

A small hill is better than no hill at all.

But you need to pay attention to where your rope is--LOL!

Do you see the start of a circle in the back yard?

The boys are making an ice house or an igloo...out of ice blocks!

This will take quite a long time to construct...

...and looks like it could be quite colorful, too.  

So, there you have it.  Caught up with me and McFamily.  :)  I think I should be doing okay again soon.  Do plan to make it over to McFamily's for Christmas Day if all goes well.

  I am even farther behind on Christmas cards than I expected to be.  Nothing I could do about that, for sure.  I'll get back to them in a couple of days, I hope.  Soon as the light fever and diarrhea subsides.

Anyways, Merry Christmas!  I'm praying for snow...and to have Christmas with McFamily.  :)  I can't even remember if I have been over to their house since I was diagnosed in June.  Seems like forever.  Haven't even been up to video calls yet.  Sad, but true.  This is another setback, but hopefully it won't last long.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday and that 2022 is a really great year...or at least a better year than 2021--LOL!  Till next time...

December 13, 2021 Monday--12:45pm

Good afternoon!

Annie is the perfect example of how I felt most of the last week--LOL! 

The messy Critter Cafe has been very busy.

Tuesday Katie came to clean.  Always so nice to see her.  Looks like she'll be coming once a month now that my health-life has calmed down.  Hurray!  

Thursday (our usual Craft Nite) Leah wanted to switch to the weekend.  Was okay by me as I was mostly feeling like Annie above and it was a cold, dark night.

Friday Leah dropped off some groceries from Costco.

Saturday Leah brought some groceries from a Cashwise pickup (quite a few items not in stock) and then she stayed all afternoon.  :)  Leah printed off my entire 2022 Bullet Journal set of pages!  Printed, cut, and punched.  Next I have to get the coming year assembled and ready to go.

I am so grateful for all the work Leah did to set up my own personal, custom bullet journal a few years back.  (Excel is a complete mystery to me.)  Still absolutely love it and works perfectly for me.  Even when it is much blanker when I am non-functional it has kept me up to date on all those many clinic and hospital appointments, if nothing else--LOL!

Leah worked the spot cleaner machine on Annie barfs and helped me with a couple things I can't do yet...but we had time to just chat for once.  Been so hectic for soooo many months.

I actually got started on doing Christmas cards this past weekend!  The pile in the middle front of the table are all letters and cards owed (sadly some from over a month ago) so I started on those first.

I am still moving very slowly--and so is USPS from everything I've heard--so don't be surprised if my cards don't make it before Christmas for many of you.  I have finally begun, though--tada! 

Just being able to be at home to rest and recover the past two weeks...well, it's heavenly.  I'm still totally shot but seeing slow improvements.  I go for the second dose of immunotherapy (the Big I) on Friday this week so then we'll see what it's like afterwards.  Still have the neuropathy from the chemo.  The exhaustion may likely be from hitting a wall and running on fumes for so long.  The bad headache and low grade temp for a few days after the first infusion I attribute to the Big I.  Be interesting to see how it goes this next time.  Hoping for little or no reaction.  ;)  Harder to tell when I wasn't fully recovered from the chemo side effects before I started on Big I.  Comparatively--from what I can tell so far--the Big I should be no big deal.  :)

I hope to be feeling decent enough soon to be able to visit with the boys.  Been ages!  Would like to see them for Christmas so I'm glad to keep seeing small steps of progress.  Soon there will be a new year and I am hoping it will be a better year for us all.  

Was a good week.  I am able to focus enough to watch some new shows most days now.  Christmas cards are in progress.  My coffee tastes more normal.  I'm able to stay awake longer and am sleeping more at night than during the day this past several days.  Am able to stand and walk a bit longer.  Life is good!!

I am grateful for each positive and healing thought for myself and for dear Leah and McFamily.  Thank you all.  You're the best!

Till next week, my friends!  :) :)

December 6, 2021 Monday--11:30am

Good morning!

Been very cold.  In fact it is zero degrees right now and I think we got down to -4 last night.  The Critter Cafe gets very busy over the winter.  My patio door is so dirty from rain splatters!

The partridges often hang about nearby when it gets really cold--like across the way under the fir tree or in the nearby bushes on the sides of my patio.

Tuesday I had a couple of neighbors come by to tell me my garage door was open.  One of them went to shut it for me and came back to tell me the lock was broken but she got the door shut.  I called the office to tell them I had been broken into and by the following day they had removed the old lock and installed a fingerpad opener.  I haven't been out there yet, but Dagan came by Tuesday night (garage door opener still worked the whole time) and checked it out.  He said it didn't look like they took anything.  So, I guess I was lucky they were probably very disappointed car thieves.  I don't own a car anymore--LOL!

Meanwhile, really sad news.  Leah had started bleeding and lost the baby.  Found out for sure on Wednesday.  Still so sad.  But the only reason Leah found out so early was she was having thyroid issues...and because she turned out to be pregnant they couldn't deal with that at all.  So now she can work on getting her thyroid working properly...and hopefully try again.  This little one--dearly loved as it would have been--wasn't meant to be.  :(

Katie had to postpone coming to clean until tomorrow.  Leah didn't come on Thursday night, of course.  She was resting up, adjusting...and grieving.  

Saturday and Sunday we had snow.

The wind picked up so that it turned into a blizzard.

They still hadn't done the sidewalk back here when I took this picture a few minutes ago but I see they are finally clearing it off right now.

Last week I cancelled my appointment for tomorrow with the GI doctor online and never heard anything back.  You have to give a reason and I said I was eating and drinking and no longer throwing up and had gained back several pounds.  (Also, I've had two post-hospital check ups already.)  So, I have Katie coming tomorrow instead this week.

I managed to do laundry over a couple of days but that was it for me this past week.  Nothing put away again.  Just been resting...still spoonless basically...but gradually feeling better in general.  Just a slow process.  At least the immunotherapy hasn't had any really bad side effects.  At least I don't think so.  I have still been dealing with side effects from the chemo so not positive what is from what--LOL!  Just feels like all I need is rest and I'll continue to feel better.  I am able to walk around and stand for longer periods of time than I was a week or so ago.  The really bad headache is gone...am back to my normal fibro headaches.  Been ages since I threw up.  Whatever improvements...I'll take them!  ;)

I still haven't started on letters and Christmas cards.  Haven't even managed to answer all my emails from the past week or two.  Sorry I am so slow, people, but I will get to them eventually.  Christmas cards might be late this year...and not only due to USPS--LOL!  They'll be coming, though.

Please send prayers and good healing energy to Leah.  

Till next week, my friends.