Saturday's Scribbles

 

It is labor day weekend, the last  weekend of august here in iowa.  My Saturday Scribbles is going to be a bit different today. And even has a title..... "Hidden in Plain Sight".

As some of you know, there was a spot or hazy area found on my lung, whe I had an x-ray for my ribs.  This past Wednesday's, I had a CT scan with contrast and the results were quite surprising.  My PA Oncologist called and told me that there is a large mass, deep in the soft tissue of my chest wall, and there is also fluid between my chest wall and my lung on the right side.  It appears the cancer has returned.  I was told there's no surgery or chemo or radiation for this, it will just be a matter of infusions or medication to hold the cancer back as long as we can.  A biopsy and the drainage of the fluid will happen the end of next week to tell us more.  . And then there will be a PET scan and the usual steps and getting to a final diagnosis.  This cancer was hidden in plain sight.... My blood work was good, my exams were good. There were hints because of my lack of energy. And weakness, but mostly every report i've received this year, has been good.  This cancer likes to hide, it's like a spider web, like cancer. It cannot be felt.  So we wait to confirm what the doctor believes.  We still hope for a miracle.   

Something else entirely was hidden in plain sight during the last three days... Blessings!  The young lady who did my CT ask me what the key was to a long marriage and I was able to share with her that God is the center of our marriage. That we were even prayed together as a couple fifty seven years ago.  A hidden blessing.  When my on oncologist called with the bad news at the end of our conversation she asked,  can I say a prayer for you? And she did.  That was a hidden blessing because even though we have mentioned God over there 6 years, I've been with her she has not.  On thursday, Joels colleague group laid hands on him and prayed for us and this morning, they all prayed at gabby, grandpas. Today we took a short trip to our beautiful East Park.  Even the movie we watched last night to distract us was a hidden blessing.

   I expect there will be a lot of hidden blessings along  this journey. And we have the hidden blessings of all the thoughts and prayers from friends and family.   I'm not going to pretend this is easy. It is extremely hard for both Joel and myself. We cling to hope with the biopsy for the pet scan, for the second opinion, with mayo clinic that we hope to get and we cling to hope most importantly because God is the God of Hope.  

Today, I am grateful for the hopeful,  God guided  hidden blessings in plain sight..  

Saturday's Scribbles

 

Good saturday to you from Iowa, where fall weather is teasing us.   The high today will be around 68 and I am so excited about that.  I know that summer will return....I wish Fall lasted twice as long as Winter!  Still, there is today to enjoy.  

The early part of the week, the weather just did not comply with heat and humidity and heat index was over a hundred one day again.  Joel did not get to ride his bike much but did get some office work done and little projects around the house, because this guy cannot sit still!  He does take a nap every afternoon, though.  Staying active!  Use it or lose it, right?  

Speaking of using it or losing it, we went to a medical equipment store this week. And picked up a very nice sturdy walker that medicare had approved for me.  The physical therapist I see at mayo clinic, wanted me to use a walker when i'm exercising, so that I can move faster and get my heart pumping more.  She thinks that will help with the low energy.  The day we picked it up, we took it right down to the river road path, and it worked well to help me keep my balance. So I continue to walk inside or out, and I did get cookies made for joel this week. Cleaned some.  There is still a little adjustment to the new eye drop, but it's going well.  Next week, I have a c t scan on the lung, and we'll see from there what the plan is, if any.  I've been off the anti cancer drug, 8 days, and what I notice is my mind is more clear.  It will take a while with the energy.If that's the cause.    

Moving on.... Yesterday, we had company in the morning for a couple hours and different  company in the afternoon for a couple hours..  A trip to the grocery store was followed by movie.  

Last night we watched an old movie. Called "6 days and 7 nights" with Harrison Ford and and Anne Heche.  It was funny in spite of sexual references..... We have been enjoying the show Happy's Place starring Reba M8cintyre.. I understand that it's been picked up for a second season.  We have enjoyed some porch sitting, but the mosquitoes have been horrendous this week.  

 We are finally getting to the end of our blueberries after six weeks and surprisingly they have done very well.  Today we'll be our last blueberry coffee cake.   They last a lot longer then the ones you buy.   Most of the time, fresh fruit in America has a different meaning than fresh fruit. Or fresh bread in europe?Where you buy one day's supply and a time.  I do still remember when we went to Washington, stayed in the early 80s, there was nothing that tasted as good as a fresh peach or apple flavored reshly picked. And fresh pineapple in the Philippines? Yum

It's time to put aside this "yawn' today....Grateful for0 getting the new walker to help me with my exercising.  Grateful for t v shows that distract us.  Grateful for walking outside and inside,  for fresh chocolate chip cookies, for joel for his biking, when he can.  Grateful for a friend that stopped by and shared her wisdom. Grateful for company from Minnesota, that stopped in. Grateful for blueberries and memories of fresh peaches, apples and pineapples.    Grateful for a movie that makes us laugh.  Grateful for phone calls from family.  Grateful for texts emails, and so much more.

Enjoy your weekend!

(Please ignore any errors. )

Saturday's Scribbles

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Good Saturday to you from northern Iowa,where the heat and humidity and storms have returned carrying more gifts of rain, and wind.  The river down below our cul de sac is quite full with a strong current as it travels by.  We walked along the river a couple times last week before the humidity returned.  It is a lovely place to enjoy nature since the city made the "river script road" into  nice biking and walking path.  Joel takes this route when he does his 10 nile bike rides east.  \

Speaking of humidity, we certainly do not miss this similar climate experienced in the Philippines.  We would wake up to eighty five degrees with high humidity every day.  Our first house we rented, did not have air conditioning.  You might wonder what we were thinking. Yes, it was was really dumb on our part, but air conditioning was kind of a novelty back in the early seventies.  We kept a lot of fans going and had a window air conditioner for the master bedroom.Because joel often worked nights as a Air Force weather forecaster and slept during the day.  We never did live in a parsonage that had central air either.. When we bought a home here in iowa twenty nine years ago, it was a priority for us.  Central air.  What a great gift!

We went to church on Sunday morning and on the way home we stopped and walked along the river.  On Monday and Tuesday, Joel worked with Habitat for Humanity wielding  a paintbrush or roller.  He did get some work done outside. On thursday, he headed to the pastors conference in a town half an hour.North of us.   Today he is off to gabby grandpa's.

Like I said, we went to church on sunday.. on Tuesday.I saw the retina doctor.  My wonderful retina doctor retired and I certainly will miss him, but the new guy is good too, and we were pleased with our visit with him.  Great hearing that everything is stable with  the macular.  Wednesday I had a bone density test and that turned out to be good news too.  Friday I saw the oncologist and my blood work was pretty good and the exam was good, and now we wait for the rest of the results. There's always the waiting and the watching, and the never ending searching for cancer to return.  I have learned too appreciate the oncologist. I have who is like a tiny pit bull in searching out where cancer could be hiding. Today we wait for results while being intentionally grateful to still be here.  And tolerating the new eye drop too!  

We are still enjoying the ten pounds of blueberries that we ordered from the mennonites.  I made blueberry coffee cake this week and Joel made us blueberry smoothies, besides adding blueberries to our yogurt and our cereal.  We have a thing for blueberries!

It is getting time for some of our grandchildren to go back to college or high school. A few are out in the working world.  It is hard to believe they are so old.  With the way the world is right now, a person could spend all their time on their knees, praying for the protection and guidance needed for those we love and care about.  And God hears every prayer.

So today, I am grateful that all those prayers that we bring before God are being heard by him.  Grateful for the power of prayer. Grateful God does guide and protect those we love and care about.  Grateful for a cool dry house thanks to air conditioning.  Grateful for a pit bull who seeks and searches to keep me healthy. Grateful for a new retina doctor.  Grateful  Joel was able to go and help with habitat for humanity.  Grateful for memories of the Philippines. Grateful for our short river walks.  Grateful that my daily walking is paying off regarding my bone density.  Grateful for blueberries..  Grateful for the phone calls this week, the texts and the emails.  Grateful for all this and so much more.

Enjoy your weekend!

Saturday's Scribbles

 

Good Saturday to you from this rainy morning in northern iowa.   It is tropical and we appreciate more than ever, our air conditioning.  We had a few days where the temperatures and  humidity were lower and the doors and windows could even be open. But right now it feels like a tropical paradise and  I use the word paradise loosely.... I am not a fan of the heat and humidity anytime or anywhere

Joel has been getting up and riding bike early, which has been nice. He's been able to get a little bit of yard work done, but mostly office work, a few indoor projects, and shopping.  And with gratitud he's helped me through a challenging time again with reactions to the glaucoma drop.

  Speaking of that, I attempted to take it a second time but had extreme anxiety and irritability again. So I am back on my old one until I hear from Mayo clinic.  I'm still walking 20 minutes a day. Indoors mostly. My friend Lana and I are doing a Bible study on Daniel and Esther together over the phone.  It feels good to be studying the word and she is involved in so much study of the word that it's beneficial to me too.  

This week we had new Wi Fi installed, which took several hours because in this house, nothing is simple.  We also cancelled the cable we've been getting for 29 years, and we are doing Hulu + live.  It is an adjustment for sure, but we're saving two hundred dollars a month, which is wonderful.  These oldsters can and will adjust to it.  We got this!?!

Do you recall that our oldest daughter and her family gave us a monthly scavenger hunt as one of our christmas gifts this year. Once a month, there is something new for us to do. And this month, we would go to the bulba tea shop here in town and give it a whirl.  The way our schedule was joel decided to just spring at home, and we would test it out here.  He purchased the mango boba tea with tapioca, black pearls in it.  Interesting.  Not really a fan.  Joel  remembers that when we lived in the Philippines fifty years ago, we tried it there, but I don't recall it all.  He was telling the clerk that waited on him that he had first had it 50 years ago in the Philippines, and the guy said,  during the Vietnam war?  Joel said yes....And he replied   i'm Vietnamese and born there.  I don't think we'll be heading back to that shop for tea, but it was fun to try something new and bring up old memories.  

Our oldest son, had an emergency surgery this week on his throat when something got lodged in his esophagus.  He is doing very well thankfully.  You just never know..... It is the suddenlys that send us running to God.    

A couple weeks ago, we ordered ten pounds of blueberries from the mennonites, so we've been eating a lot of blueberry muffins, coffee cake, smoothies, on our cereal or in our yogurt.    There are only a few days in the year that I do not have a handful of blueberries.  It is one of my indulgences. 

As I listen to the rain, I am grateful for it..  it ,  grateful for the rolling thunder. I'm grateful for the crops that grow when they are fed from above.  Grateful for boba tea and the fun times we've had with the scavenger hunts that our daughter and family gave us.  Grateful for the memories of the Philippines that have come up surrounding this drink of creamy milk and tea with tapioca, pearls, to add to it.  Grateful that I have the old eye drop to take while we try and figure out the plan for moving forward .  Grateful for being able to walk and ride and exercise.  Grateful for everything blueberry this week and last week.  Grateful for phone calls, emails and texts from the ones we care about.  Grateful for all this and so much more.

Enjoy your weekend !

Saturday's Scribbles

 

Good Saturday to you on this first weekend of August in northern Iowa. We have had more than our share of rain this past week, ending up with flash flood warnings and before that, spending a few hours in the basement, waiting for 80 mile an hour winds that never came here but surrounded us?  The weather has been crazy. Right now, we are enjoying some cooler temperatures, sunshine, lower dew points~~porch sitting weather, if you can tolerate the bugs.  

Joel is off to Gabby Grandpas  this morning.  He has been catching up on yard work, but the air quality is bad from the Canada fires so he doesn't spend much time out there. It's a good time to catch up on office work.  Biking is out due to air quality alert.

I have been dealing most of the week with unusally high anxiety, which we still have not pinpointed the cause . hmm, I started the new eye medication, but went off of it after several days and then back on the old eye drops.  Since the anxiety has not subsided I will try the new drug again to see what happens.  Ugh.  Like I said before......I would rather deal with pain, nausea, fatigue, etc. than anxiety.  I did make cookies for myself and blueberry muffins for us along with homemade whole wheat bread this week. Walking most days.  

On Thursday we drove to my hometown an hour away and met with my good friend Lana that I talk to nearly every day. She was there for a reunion, and we met at Culvers for lunch.  So good to hug each other in person. On Friday, old friends stopped by on their way south. He's a retired pastor and a missionary kid who grew up in Brazil.  We have a long history. I used to pray for him as a kid because our church sponsored their family.  I was always interested in missionaries....Dave, one of five boys, was a pastor in Minnesota in the same synod as Joel....we met and realized who he was and he and his wife became our friends.  SO good to catch up.  He even gave the sermon at our son Kevin's funeral.  We'll never forget it.  

So this day I am grateful to have seen Lana and also friends Dave and Deb.  Grateful there are times when anxiety subsides some.  Grateful for the smell of homemade bread,.....and taste.  Grateful for cooler temps and lower dew points.  Grateful for God walking with us through the anxiety drama,  Grateful for walking, fresh mennonite blueberries, blueberry muffins, being able to travel to my hometown.  Grateful for phone calls, texts, and emails.  Grateful for all this and so much more.

Enjoy your weekend~

Saturday's Scribbles

 

Good Saturday to you on this hot and humid July weekend in our corner of the world.  We have had plenty of rain, heat and humidity the last couple weeks, and are in a flash flood warning until Sunday.  The corn loves it, the people not so much. 

It has been a while since I posted here and a lot has gone on in our world. Joel has been busy finishing up the project that kept hiim on scaffolding.  It's finally done!  Thank Heavens!  He preached on the 14th, drove us to Mayo Clinic on the 15th for my appointments.   Tuesday there were men here installing two new extra large windows.   Friday we drove back to Mayo for two more appointments.  Saturday Joel drove to a funeral in  North central Minnesota and later spent time with his brother and cousin and worshiped in his home church.   He even got in a 20 mile bike ride on his favorite trail.  He drove back home on Monday having had lunch with our son Mark on the way.  Two of my siblings came down to stay with me and help out while Joel was gone. It turned out to be a mini reunion, 2 more and spouses came over on Sunday for Pizza and a visit.The rest of the week has been catch up and rest up.  

My appointments were a mixed bag.  The appointment with the prosthetic eye people turned out okay. Things looked fine, except the tissue is shrinking  so in August, we'll go back, and they'll build up the artificial eye.  I saw the glaucoma specialist on Friday morning early and the surgery only helped a little bit with the pressure. So now I am attempting to adjust to a new medication that combines two eye drops into one drip.  My vision has gotten a little bit worse probably due to the surgery.   Disappointing.   I also went to the lymphedema clinic, and I saw my physical therapist who had good news regarding  my arm and hand.  It is doing great and we are weaning me off of the list of things to do each day.  She also had information for me regarding my lack of energy and weakness, explaining to me how much my body has gone through and how depleted it has become from surgeries. (18 of them) and cancer treatments and the medicines. I'm on and then getting Covid  and 4 months later getting that nasty influenza B.  And then the last ...laser surgery. She would like me to start walking more, to build up my heart and lungs,  muscles and bones. And use a solid walker to do so because of the balance issues.  Yikes! So that is next on the agenda.  Plus seeing my oncologist soon.   All this has, to be honest, given Joel and I pause.  

 But we pray and move forward..Joel is off helping with Habitat for Humanity this morning and I'm writing a Saturday's Scribbles.....

Grateful today for spending time with Dan and Kay, Dickey, Janelle,, Todd and Jeannie and for having Janelle and Dickey come stay while Joel was gone.  Grateful for good news regarding the lymphedema and a plan to strengthen my body. Grateful Joel could go to the funeral and see some family, ride his favorite trail.  Grateful for a new eye drop to try.  Grateful for phone calls,  texts,  emails and so much more.  

Enjoy your weekend!