Windy and Warm

For most of this week we’ve had perfect autumnal days, fairly warm and breezy. I’m not sure that anyone has formally decided what a perfect fall day is supposed to be. I can be sure that this day and several others this week fall into my category of perfect fall days. The sun must shine. There is enough warmth in the air to remind one of lingering summer days. There must be a breeze to rustle the fallen leaves. This was today.

¶ It is always a delight to walk through the fallen leaves and to marvel at the change of seasons. There must be just enough of all of the fore-mentioned to qualify as a perfect fall day. ¶ Although my neighbor’s tree was a disappointment this year, there was another along my walking path that exceeded expectations. ¶ This was the week that began the new chemotherapy regime. I’ve suffered no repercussion therefrom. My only complaint can be the length of time. I checked in for labs at 8:45. After the doctor’s appointment I went to the infusion center. My nurse informed me that the infusion could not begin until I had my premeds for nausea and then a half hour wait. At any rate I was finally finished at 1:30 PM. The premeds did their job and I suffered no repercussions. The only irritating thing was the wait. Hopefully next week’s session will be just as tolerable. ¶ I’ve given up the search begun last week and have decided to start over. I’ve looked in every possible place where I could have stored the article. The whole thing has been an exercise in patience. I just don’t have much patience left to exercise. ¶ To add to any confusion that I might be experiencing I’ve discovered I’ve paid one credit cart bill three times and neglected to pay another bill. Property tax second payments are also due this month and I was determined not to be late with that. I sat down to take care of that task about midnight on Thursday. ¶ Sophia was determined to show me how well behaved she is (read: can be). She still has not recovered completely from my absence.

¶ There are several issues on the ballot for the election on the 8th of November. Some are pretty well clear-cut in my mind. Others will require a little more thought. It’s gotten to the point where many of us will be glad the whole thing is over. Something has happened to the call screening service on my land line. One is supposed to press a button if one is not a solicitor. Dozens of phone calls have gotten through. I think the solicitors have discovered some way of defeating call screening. For this I am not particularly grateful. ¶ Thank you for reading. Thanks for thoughts and prayers. Thank you for what you do for others and for me.

What Season Is This?

One might well ask this question. It is supposed to be 80º today. We’ve had some freezes so the flowers are mostly history. There’s still some color in some trees. The neighbor’s tree, pictures of which I’ve been posting, just turned brown. Its usual glorious color did not come through this year. ¶ Our pilgrimage to Wisconsin closed with snow! After the airport drop off in Milwaukee we checked into our hotel. The weather was coolish but we braved the walk to a recommended restaurant. The place was packed with a very eclectic crowd. ¶ The next day we’d planned to visit the art museum and then go to Madison and see the botanical gardens. The art museum is closed on Mondays, so that was out. It was snowing in Milwaukee and Madison which cancelled to proposed visit to the gardens. We headed for Sioux Falls and arrived in the evening. This gave my friends a day off before their return trip to the Denver area. ¶ We enjoyed a visit to the Pavilion of Arts and Science to see the Guild Hall exhibit. This exhibit is on loan from a museum on Long Island and features some fantastic works by world famous artists. The visit was more interesting because we got in on a tour given by the curator. ¶ The rest of the week I’ve been mostly looking for something I know I’ve worked on but what I did with it I have no idea. This seems to be a constant occupation—looking for something. I have a very clear memory of working on this piece. I don’t have a clear memory of what I did with it. It’s very maddening. ¶ There have been no health problems this week or last. I start with a new chemo drug on Thursday of this coming week. It’s always a mystery of how one reacts to the new drug. This chemo will involve an infusion every week so I’ll spend more time at the Cancer Center.

¶ Sophia seems to have missed my presence. She likes to be in the same room as I to make sure I’m still around. That’s the only clue I have. We’ve had several cuddle sessions whereupon she sleeps and purrs on my chest. She is definitely not a lap cat. She’s a chest cat. Thank you for all you do for me and for others. Your thoughts and prayers and kindnesses are much appreciated.

On the Road Again

I know that’s a song. It fits the current situation. The intrepid pilgrims are in Sheboygan, Wisconsin (Bratwurst Capitol of the World) for the annual pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. ¶ We’ve been in church most of yesterday and today. It would be nice if it were just around the corner, but it’s not, so the getting here to go to church is a process.

¶ My friends from Littleton, CO, who are regular attendees began by driving from Denver to Sioux Falls on Wednesday. Thursday morning we left Sioux Falls to drive all day to the east coast of Wisconsin. We stopped in Milwaukee to collect another pilgrim at the airport and then finished the day by the drive to Sheboygan. We are grateful that the intrepid football fans were not on their way to Green Bay. That would have lengthened the trip considerably due to the traffic. After weaving our way through construction we finally arrived on the cloudy shores of Sheboygan. ¶ The sun has come out periodically today but it is certainly no heat wave. We did make the procession around the block in the semi-nippy weather. The church itself, Grace Church, just returned from a pilgrimage to Walsingham, UK, last Sunday. Some of those pilgrims continued on to the Holy Land. So, one would have to say the numbers were diminished this year but it was still a wonderful two days. ¶ Grace Church’s rector, Fr. Bolson, led the meditations yesterday and they were wonderful. He centered them on forgiveness and healing. The Shrines of Our Lady are noted for the healings that take place there. Father made the strong point that we must be forgiven if we are to receive healing. ¶ The music, both organ, organ with flute, and choir, was beautiful as it always is. It’s always a pleasure to visit with the organist and enjoy his very dry wit. He is a Gardner so some of his ramblings have to do with that. Example: If a rose bush dies dig it out and leave it in front of the others with the shovel so they can see what will happen to them, if they choose to go the same route.

¶ Tomorrow we will depart again traveling north first, then south to Milwaukee to deliver our pilgrim to the airport. We will spend the night there and then on to Madison the next day. ¶ I’ve felt well the past week, the nausea has been minimal and mostly psychosomatic, I believe. I did part of the driving in Wisconsin and was quite alert. This could be accounted for by the fact I was driving my friend’s car and wanted to be extra careful. HIs is one of those vehicles that practically drives itself. Once one adapts oneself to its behavior one can relax and enjoy it. ¶ Sophia was delighted that the ironing board came out of hiding. Of all places available, and they are legion, the ironing board is her favorite thing to be on. She feels the freedom to shed excessive amount when thereon. The master of the house, and I use the term loosely, is not so pleased. It is a high motivation for getting the thing put away in short order—.not quickly enough, this time, however. ¶ Thanks for reading, for your kindnesses to all who are in need, for your thoughts and prayers. Next week I’ll be back in South Dakota.

Not Much Change, but Change

There’s not much change in the neighbor’s tree, color-wise. Some of the ‘weather experts’ claim that there will not be much color this autumn because of the excessive dryness. ¶ We will be checking out the color in Wisconsin this coming week. The hardy pilgrims will be making their way to Sheboygan to participate in the annual pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. It is always a wonderful occasion along with side trips to some of our favorite places. ¶ Once we get through the boring part of Minnesota and descend into the Mississippi Valley the foliage becomes more spectacular. I-90 goes through the very south edge of Minnesota which is the least interesting part of the state. The rest of the state is quite beautiful, the south not so much. Wisconsin with its plethora of forests usually presents a view not to be missed. ¶ Now, another change is in the health scene. I had a CT scan on Tuesday which revealed five new lesions in the liver. That means that this current chemotherapy is not working for me. I saw the doctor on Thursday before my infusion. He thought it to be a good idea to change the drug. I had my old drug on Thursday and the new will start in three weeks. I will have to have weekly infusions of the new drug which is not kind to my schedule, but is something that needs to happen. ¶ Side effects of the new drug may be fatigue, nausea, hair loss, nerve tingling, muscle aches, etc. So, it may be that my trips to the barber will have to cease again. I’ve not had many of the usual effects of the other drugs so I will, perhaps, evade them once again. ¶ Tonight is the first performance of the South Dakota Symphony for this season. The star performance will be Conrad Tao playing Tchaikovsky, Piano Concerto No. 1. He will also play his jazz inspired “Spoonfuls.” The orchestra will also offer Brahms, Symphony No. 1, and Prayer for Ukraine by Pascuzzi. It should be an interesting program. ¶ The Symphony plays so well under its current conductor and has received good press, in particular, a feature article in The New Yorker magazine.

¶ Other than the medical hiccough, things have gone well this week. I’ve felt well and have gotten my exercise. Sophia has gotten her sleep and has been quite playful during her waking hours when she’s not concerned about the squirrels and birds on the deck or the rabbits in the front garden. She does not seem concerned about the rabbits in the back garden, they are too far away. ¶ Thanks for all you do, for reading, for thoughts and prayers, and all you do for others. I hope your week goes well.

Another Change in the Weather

The past few days we’ve seen temperatures back in the low 80s. Summer is not over yet. There is a little more color in some of the trees. If you look closely you may see that in my neighbor’s tree. I don’t know the variety but it is one of those whose fall color is spectacularly bright. ¶ The squirrels and the birds are continuing to stock up for the cold season. The birds in this part are going to be way too heavy to fly if they keep up their food intake to equal the past three weeks. ¶ Speaking of food intake, personally, the stomach acid pill the doctor prescribed for me, the praises of which I sang last week, continues to do its magic. I’m so grateful to be able to lead a semi-normal life again, food-wise. ¶ The first few days of the week were spent on the final preparations for the big event on Thursday. The fortieth anniversary of ordination is one of the milestones popularly seen as worthy of celebration. There were lots of friends present Thursday night for the Eucharist and many stayed to enjoy dinner. It was great to have time to visit a bit with some former parishioners and friends not seen often enough. It brought back many memories of good times past. Friends helped with the decorating and putting out memorabilia. Altar flowers, given by former parishioners from afar were spectacular. It was a lovely evening, made so by the presence and prayers of many people. Thanks so much.

¶ Not much excitement in the health world this week. I’ve felt very well, have gotten my exercise and made only one trip to the cancer center for labs on Thursday. The results of the labs were good, so no problems right now. ¶ This coming week I have a CT scan to reveal what is going on in my body. The last one produced a good report. Let’s hope and pray that this one will do the same. ¶ I’m divided in two parts medically. The CT scans check on the lesions below my neck. The MRIs do the same for the cranial part of my corpus. I’ll not have an MRI for a while, then we’ll find out what has gone on in my brain after the recent bout of Gamma Knife procedures.

¶ The devastation of the recent storms is beyond belief. First the storm that struck Nova Scotia and other parts of Canada. Next occurrence was the devastation in Florida. I pray that there may be recovery. The effort that must be expended to achieve normality will need to be heroic. ¶ Miss Sophia has been practicing several poses on her tree. It is very important that the tail be draped just so. I believe it has a lot to do with attitude. ¶ Thanks for reading, for all you do for me and for others. I’m grateful for you, your thoughts and prayers and your support.