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.