New Next Steps

We spent a long, enjoyable weekend running around doing things without specific deadlines and without specific agendas; more than anything else, we were reliving some of the the "good old days" when we found time to run away more than a couple of times a year. Right now, I feel well enough that I hope we can continue to do this more often; we had a blast. First, on Saturday, we visited the Wyandot County Humane Society in Upper Sandusky, OH, a no-kill shelter that generally has as many as 30 equine rescue animals available for adoption. We've decided that Jeb's companion will need to come from there; it's a private shelter operating on grants and donations, and we admire their perseverance in hard times and good times.

Saturday afternoon we visited my friend S in Findlay and puttered around her yarn shop until she closed, when we all headed off to a local apple orchard to see what was available. We were able to get fresh-picked Cortlands and Galas; fall orchard tours and visits are a delight always, and we love to find new ones to explore. We've decided that after retirement we'll just throw the occasional picnic into the car and take off for a quick daytrip whenever we wish - nobody to answer to regarding time; no questions asked, just go.

Sunday we picked up some small pieces of furniture from my friend/sister C2; she's moving and we decided to buy some pieces so she wouldn't have to work around them. We raced home, picked up the car, and headed to Delaware, OH for the All-Horse Parade, part of the Delaware County Fair activities, courtesy our friends J and E who provided brats and trimmings and seats along the parade route for some 30 or so people. It was a blast, even if we didn't get home until 7:00 p.m. I felt tired but at least survived the whole weekend without major relapse.

I'm off the steroids now and the throat swelling and other problems have been alleviated, and I restarted Afinitor tonight. My doctors are watching enzyme levels and other cues like hawks; I'll be starting monthly Zometa injections again soon as the blood calcium level is one of the most critical indicators of overall stamina and health at this point.

Oh well, best just to wait and see what happens. I am grateful for the lovely weekend we spent together, and we are anxiously counting down the days until retirement on October 29. I am ready to have Saint H home, rested and working on projects that he wants to pursue. I'm sure a lovely time will be had by all.

Time Off For Bad Behavior

I went off on the quasi-annual girls' pilgrimmage to the Michigan Fiber Festival in Allegan MI over the weekend. After complaining about finances in my last post, I suppose I should be ashamed that I went in the first place, and that I spent any money at all beyond room and board. But I'm not ashamed enough to stop going, or to stop buying fiber for that matter.

I buy from small businesses and individual vendors, and most of what I purchase gets made into gifts for other people - so is that justification enough? Maybe, maybe not. But at least I'm not drinking, or using drugs (beyond prescribed medications, that is!) Maybe fiber is a drug, though; I certainly think I'm addicted beyond redemption.

Whatever - it's good to be home!

Little or Nothing

Not much has been written, as not much has happened recently. We travelled to Lake Erie for a few days. No fishing, but a tour of North Bass Island in the Lake Erie Islands and a Toledo Mud Hens game passed the time nicely. And last weekend I indulged in the repeating-but-not-annual trip to the Michigan Fiber Festival, reveling once again in the company of knitters.

We've gone back to the tropics, so to speak - today's weather hot and humid, putting me in mind of rain forests in "B" movies from the 50s. We have fewer trees but the overall effect is probably what the producers wanted to instill. We escaped the flooding rains that neighboring counties have endured this week; not sure how that worked out, but I'm grateful we received "only" 3.75" of rain as opposed to 9.35" on Tuesday. Our land is glacial tilth plain, with a 5' slope from one end of the property to the other. In the midst of this relatively flat land, any rise is noticeable, and we are definitely on higher ground than our neighbors. I'm still going to call about flood insurance.

I've been on the 3/8 dose of Nexavar for about a week, and note increased fatigue and some tendency to irritation on my feet. So far no full-fledged blistering, but there seems to be a level of tenderness that wasn't there at the lower dose. I'll be keeping watch on this.

An Ode to My Left Big Toe

Well, not really. Perhaps you remember I was complaining about a sore spot on my left foot at the end of September. I've been to the podiatrist twice, to find out what it was and for additional care.

What it was, was a giant blister. About 3 weeks later, the top skin had finally abraded, and then it started to hurt again. Back to the podiatrist - he removed some dead skin and sent me on my way, with instructions to keep it clean, dry and warm, and to keep an eye on it.

Clean and dry I can do, keeping an eye on it, I can do - but warm? Me, the ice-cold bloodless wonder?? I puzzled about that for a while, then came up with what has been a good solution so far. I am an occasional spinner (fiber, not bicycle); as a fiberholic I have collected more roving than I can hope to spin, were I to spin 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for a month. Roving is a great insulator. So, every morning I take a 6-inch strip of roving, open it out and fluff the fibers, and wrap it loosely around my toe. It's warm, it's great padding, and I suppose it could even be considered stylish! Today's fashion take: 50% mohair/50% wool hand-dyed in shades of moss and olive green and golden yellows, called "Olive Garden," provided by White Creek Wools, Deford, MI.

Why worry so much about a stupid blister, you may ask? A knitting friend with diabetes ignored a blister on her big toe until it turned gangrenous. She lost her toe, and has had multiple surgeries on her foot since then. Anti-angiogenic therapy drugs have a reputation for causing problems with patients' extremities. I don't want to find out the hard way that the same rules apply to me, thanks. I've never learned to dance but I'd like to have fewer strikes against me beyond normal klutziness and lack of rhythmic sense.

I don't know how long I'll have to keep this up. But I can always use an excuse to buy more roving!

On the Road Again ...

(apologies to Willie Nelson; but you wouldn't want to hear me sing it)
I am, in fact, on the road, for the first time in months without Saint H, and with nary a doctor in sight. In company with knitting buddies MMH and M, I'm on the way to the Michigan Fiber Festival in Allegan. It's a great small festival, in a lovely little town, with just the right number of vendors to prevent exhaustion. I'll get to browse new patterns, pet fiber, and drool over spectacular tools and goodies. (And the Boy Scouts make great lemon shake-ups!)

We left yesterday afternoon, though not without a couple of hitches. Not least, unfortunately, my blood pressure was yo-yoing and I ended up consulting with both my family doctor, Dr MC, and Dr G in Cleveland. My diastolic pressure has been bouncing around; that's the key to tracking internal bleeding for me and that's certainly not something I want to repeat. With my medical history, there is something daunting about getting into a vehicle and travelling 5 hours away from home (creature comforts aside, all my medical support!) - I was a wreck. But, I have extra Hydralazine, my trusty pill splitter, and my blood pressure cuff, with instructions from both doctors to add dosages if I need them. As Dr MC said, "You can't stay home forever."

So, with my emergency contact sheet and insurance card in hand, I'm off to frivolity - I am looking forward to a great time.