Back to February

As the saying goes: If you don’t like the weather in South Dakota just wait a few minutes and it will change. ¶ We’ve had minimal snowfall amounts this winter, and this week we had two snows which makes it an unusual week. Neither was as bad as forecast but it was more than enough to shovel. I don’t do that shoveling any more. I have people for that and they do a prompt and good job. Bless them. ¶ And it was cold. Each evening presented us with below zero temperatures. It was not as windy as the week previous, so the cold was not too bad. The forecast for this week has us back in the 40s. ¶ Next week March begins and we are that much closer to spring, and only two weeks until daylight savings time starts. It is nice to have the light in the evening. It’s not so nice to return to the dark mornings. This too will pass and the long period of daylight will be upon us. My “happy light” has really helped through the dark days of winter.

¶ I was about 6 months old when World War II began. Obviously I don’t remember much. My parents were air raid wardens. Rapid City being right next to the air base put us in a precarious position. It would have taken a minor miracle for us to be attacked in the middle of the country before jet travel was even a figment of someone’s imagination. ¶ Thinking back, in my lifetime WW II began and ended. The Korean Conflict began and ended. Likewise with the Viet Nam War, the war in Iraq, the war in Afghanistan all have come and gone along with numerous other regional conflicts with which our country may or may not have been involved. Those regional conflicts did not affect us to a great extent, although we may have assisted in some ways. ¶ Now we have the invasion of the Ukraine. War is once again occurring in Europe. The cause seems to be, at its root, the vanity of the Russian president who is attempting to regain the glory of the Soviet Union. To satisfy his need many will be killed. Others will be subjected to the horrors of war. Children will be frightened because of the sound of bombs and artillery. His decision will cause hardship in his own country because of the sanctions imposed upon him and some of his citizens and some of his industries. What will satisfy him? If he wins this war, what will keep him from reclaiming other former Soviet countries who are now enjoying independence and a degree of freedom. ¶ Putin is evil. Others will suffer because of his evil. What can be done? It seems impossible that humanity has not learned from the past. The whole situation is tragic.

¶ The week has been good for me health-wise. I’ve accomplished some projects that have needed attention. I’ve gotten a little exercise (except for today). ¶ Sophia continues her supervision of the livestock on the deck. Two days ago she seemed more animated than usual. When I looked out there was a huge rabbit enjoying peanuts, corn and other treats. He was similar in size to herself. It would have been interesting to see who would win in a confrontation. The rabbit would have run off, I’m sure. What Sophia would do, I have no clue. ¶ Next week is chemo week. I begin with blood work early on Monday, an appointment with the doctor and then to the infusion center. I look forward to seeing the staff. ¶ Thank you for all you do for me and for others. Thank you for reading. You are a blessing.

Perhaps Its March

Last week I seemed to have gone on about my exercise regime or the lack thereof. Today I bravely went forth for what I planned would be the first of my two walks. After one, I have resigned to being a houseplant. The high temperature for today being 37º that doesn’t sound too grim, but with the wind gusting to 40 mph it is a whole lot less than pleasant. I always thought March was supposed to be the month of wind. ¶ The public used to complain about nothing ever going on in Sioux Falls. I think that’s changed. Last weekend was the symphony concert. Last night there was a chamber music group, tonight there is an organ recital at Dordt University in Sioux Center, Iowa, and tomorrow another organ recital at Augustana University. ¶ I’ll be honest and admit I spaced out the chamber music thing. I will not go tonight because of an hour’s long drive in the dark on country roads. Tomorrow I plan to attend the event. It is in the city and in the afternoon so there really isn’t any excuse not to go.

¶ John Nordlie designed and built the organ in the Augustana Chapel. It seems like only yesterday but it is now fairly ancient. I tend to think this way. Anything that happened on campus after I graduated is really recent in my mind. I fail to remember how long ago it was when I was an undergrad there. Anyway, in my mind the organ is practically new. It did need to be rehabbed, evidently, and that task has been completed. So, it will be interesting to hear it. ¶ This week, on Tuesday, was my appointed time to meet with the radiation oncologist. I fondly refer to him as “Erik the Red.” I don’t do this to his face lest he be offended and accidentally mis-aim his Gamma Knife. That could be less than optimal. I didn’t expect to learn much because I haven’t had a high-def MRI since the Gamma Knife thing. ¶ He is always very prompt. He never brings my chart with him but recites the whole thing from memory. This would be remarkable if I were his only patient, but I am not. All the while he visits with me I keep wondering exactly how his mind works. ¶ My appointment was for 11:30 and I was finished by 11:40. I learned that there would be no results presented until the MRI at the end of March or in April. (No appointment yet so I don’t know for sure.) He is confident that the Knife did its thing. They saved my phantom-of-the-opera mask so it can be used again when and if other spots show up. And that’s it. ¶ I’ve had three Zoom events this week ending with a four hour committee/interview session this morning. Zoom is a great thing but it is tiring. It surely beats driving halfway across the state to accomplish the same thing. In the case of my Thursday meeting it would have involved a plane trip to Victoria BC. It is truly wonderful to be able to participate in things far and near.

¶ Sophia’s friend brought a new pot of grass today. Mind you, this is wheat grass and not the “grass” that our governor is dead set against having in the state. I’m highly amused at a local electronic billboard that proudly announces a fact that more people voted in favor of recreational marijuana than voted in favor of the governor. ¶ On a windy but sunny day, after paying close attention to Sophia’s squirrels, birds, and anything else that might attract her attention, the frosting on the cake is a really good nap. I agree. ¶ I did learn that my best friend from my high school days and my traveling companion Craig, died last week. He had been in hospice, released therefrom, and then returned to hospice. We had so many good times together. I have hundreds of pictures from trips we took. That included at least five cruises, as well as trips to China, Egypt, Costa Rica, and Mexico. May he rest in peace and rise in glory. ¶ Thank you for all you do for me and others. Thanks for your prayers. Thanks for reading.

What a Difference a Day Makes

I’ve just come in from a daily walk. Having had several days in the past week in the mid 50º range, today’s high of 18 feels a tad differently when one is out in it. ¶ I’ve been in the house the whole day (it’s now 5:00) and thought I’d better do something beside sit. With a Zoom meeting this morning, a small nap this afternoon and some seam ripping I’ve not had much exercise. ¶ While walking it occurred to me that I’ve really slacked off fitness-wise. When I belonged to the fitness center I was pretty religious about going every weekday. I made a commitment to go to a class every day. I worked with a personal trainer once or twice a week. I felt very good. I remember my oncologist saying to me, when he was remarking on how well I was tolerating the chemo, that I came into treatment healthy, and that made a big difference.j

¶ Then came the pandemic and I was paranoid about being in a place with relatively close quarters and heavy breathing all around. We were allowed a few months grace period and then had to make a decision. To drop or not to drop was the question. At that point the virus was still pretty much an unknown quantity, no vaccine was available and I was immune compromised from the chemo. My better sense told me I should stay away. I hated to do it but did. ¶ I know my strength has gone down hill since then. When it’s possible walking outside is pleasant. When it’s icy, windy and/or bitter cold it is not something I can convince myself to do. One of my former parishioners makes it a practice to walk each day around one of the big box stores. Others known to me “mall walk.” The indoor malls are too far away to be appealing. I’ve done the strip mall thing on my side of the city. The distance between stores is not too great and one can still be inside most of the time. The problem is that I am a shopper and I can always spot something to purchase. That something could be in the category of “I always wanted one of those,” or it could be “I need that for …,” or even “some day that may come in handy.” Of course, by that time I will have forgotten where I stored said item. ¶ Anyway, I made myself walk outside today even though it was 18º, but virtually calm, so it was pleasant. ¶ For reasons similar to my absence from the fitness center, I’ll attend tonight’s symphony concert remotely. The Omicron variant is on the wane here but still prevalent enough for me to avoid crowds of people. ¶ The chemo week went very well. No side effects this time around, which is usual. One day I was actually finished in 45 minutes. That’s a new record! My blood work was all good. I am continually grateful that I tolerate the medication as well as I do. I know it is keeping the cancer from spreading everywhere except my head.

¶ I’ll see the radiation oncologist this week. It will just be a “hi, how are you” meeting. I won’t have an MRI for a month or two. Then it will be revealed what the Gamma Knife has accomplished. ¶ Sophia has decided she just can’t give up all her nap time to keep track of the livestock on the deck. There’s just too much activity, which is very tiring. There were 13 birds at one time on the deck today. It’s nearly a full time job keeping the feeder supplied. There are, at times, up to five squirrels chomping down the peanuts and the corn. It’s just too much, and they don’t pay attention to her anyway. It will be interesting to see what happens when it’s warm enough to have the door open. The screen will prevent her from attacking. She will, perhaps, be even more frustrated. ¶ Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. Thank you for all you do for me and for others. Thanks for reading.

The Desk Really Has a Top!

Today was a fairly busy day. I was consumed enough by what needed to be done that I nearly forgot to write the blog. ¶ After several days of wind chills in the negative category today was a lovely 52º. With virtually no wind (in South Dakota that means less than 10 MPH) it seemed nearly like spring. That season will not be a reality until the end of April or the beginning of May. I recall being stranded by a blizzard in the western part of the state during the first week of May. ¶ It has been warm enough that I’ve begun walking outside again. There are still a few patches of ice so I am very careful. With everything going well health-wise it would not be good to fall and break one or many bones. ¶ Looking back on the week it seems very uneventful. The biggest victory was the cleaning up of the desk. I spent most of Tuesday morning going through piles of stuff, discarding much and filing that which needed to be filed. It is rather nice to see the top of the thing again. I do not have high hopes for it to remain in pristine condition. I know me very well and any horizontal surface is designed for stacking stuff.

¶ Uncovered in the aforementioned event were six books on the “must read” list. They remain on the desk as a reminder that there are things left undone. The fifteen magazines are still in another unread pile. I do try to read the “news” magazines shortly after their arrival. Others need to wait their turn. ¶ Then there is the ottoman in front of the couch in the office. That has some really deep stacks on it. Were I to consider the exploration thereof as some kind of treasure hunt, I might actually make some progress. I may be proved wrong which is why, I’m sure, I do not delve into the piles. ¶ The governor of South Dakota and the Legislature are at their bickering best. One would think that 98% of them being of the same political persuasion they could possibly get along. That is certainly not the case here. There are a couple of legislators that really need to retire. Tomorrow would not be soon enough. ¶ After many years of trying, transgendered athletes will now be officially personae non grata. Those in Pierre try mighty hard to find groups of people against whom the state might discriminate. They haven’t started on the book burning tack yet, but I expect it will happen next year for sure. ¶ Sophia discovered something interesting in or on the fridge the other day. She may have discovered her reflection. She may have thought said reflection was another cat. She may have just been interested in discovering the contents thereof. Whatever she was doing she at least allowed a picture to be taken.

¶ She gets in some unusual positions from time to time. If you did not know who or what the object in the photo is, figuring it out from a leg and a tail might be a challenge. ¶ I’ve been feeling really well this week. It’s been rather relaxing, actually. I’m all set for another week of chemo next week. There are no doctor’s appointments. ¶ In the process of the desk cleaning the report of the CT scan most recently done surfaced. In the “Impression” part at the end of the report it is written: “In this patient with a history of lung cancer, no evidence of recurrent or metastatic disease.” What a nice statement to read! That, however, does not include the brain. I won’t find out about that until the next MRI in a couple of months. ¶ Thanks for all your prayers and thoughts. I’m grateful for what you do for me and for others. Have a wonderful week.

Kudos to the Feds

One does not often compliment the federal or state governments on their efficiency. Perhaps this will be one of the very few times that it happens. ¶ I’ve held a Global Entry card for the last five years. Global Entry allows one to bypass the immigration agents when reentering the country. It also provides access to the priority lanes when going through security. TSA lines are often long and clogged with persons trying to remove their shoes, looking for stuff that needs to be hand examined, etc. The priority lanes do not require removing anything, shoes, clothing or items in the bag. Hence, less of a headache when flying. ¶ When entering my number while purchasing a ticket a week or so ago, I noticed that my card expires in a couple of months. I checked the website and found that the necessary paper work for renewal is taking months to be processed. The wait is so long that persons are given a lengthy grace period past the expiration date.

¶ I shuddered with fear knowing that I would have to go to a larger airport for the interview. Last time I had to go to Chicago. As the government usually does, it makes no allowance for your schedule. You need to accommodate theirs. ¶ I struggled my way through the online application, which in typical government fashion was less than clear in many places. With a sigh of relief I hit the “send” button and settled down for a long winter’s nap. ¶ Again, in typical government fashion, the notice appeared that one would not be notified of anything. One must continually check in on the site and discover if any progress had been made on the application. ¶ Imagine my surprise when, not even 48 hours later, I received a message to check in on the site. When I did the good news was that my application had been approved and I would not have to appear for another interview. If that was not a large enough shock, one week later my new card appeared in the mail. So, congratulations to the U.S. Government for your efficiency! ¶ What a lovely peaceful week this has been. The only preparation I had was for the Tuesday evening service. There were no other necessary things on the agenda. And yet, and yet the desk is still not clean. I have hopes. Someday I will again see the surface thereof.

¶ Sophia has been occupied each day with her bevy of livestock. At one point 5 squirrels were cavorting on “her” deck, along with 10 or 12 birds. She was so thoroughly exhausted yesterday that she finally had to take to her couch about 4 PM and did not arise until 11 PM. ¶ I’ve just returned from the Live in HD broadcast of the Metropolitan Opera. This week was beautiful production of Rigoletto. The performances are always magnificent, first rate, top notch. The crowd in the Met itself was a little sparse do to the snow storm currently afflicting the northwest portion of the USA. There was a shot of the plaza in front of Lincoln Center. It looked pretty grim. Actually not unlike South Dakota in January. Conversely, it was 46º in sunny Sioux Falls today. The sunny and warm day made the decision to go to the darkened theater a tough one. Culture prevailed. ¶ Everything health wise has gone well this week. I’ve experienced no changes and have felt fine. ¶ Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers. I’m grateful for everything done for me and for others.

Good News!

Sunday was as most Sundays are in the midst of the pandemic, a quiet day. The morning was spent in church and the afternoon attending other services via YouTube. Most days it does not seem that there is a good side to the pandemic. As a church music “junkie” and a liturgical “snob,” the ability to “attend” services in other places is truly a blessing. I can even go to church in England on Sunday afternoon and skip boarding a plane and the hours in flight! ¶ Monday seemed a long, long day. At least it felt that way when most of it was spent waiting for something to happen. The appointed CT scan was scheduled for arrival at 7:30. That is 7:30 in the AM! This is always preceded with two bottles of water, laced with something mild tasting. My port had to be accessed. Before that there is always the search for povidone-iodine which is used to cleanse the port site because I am allergic to the standard chloroprep. At the Imaging Center this seems to be a major issue. There is never any of the aforementioned in the cubicle in which the nurse operates. So she/he must institute a search for said substance.

¶ Finally, one is ushered into the CT scan room. It only takes a few minutes and freedom is regained. Then I had a few hours off until the appointment with the doctor. The scan revealed that there are no new lesions in my lungs, liver or any other portion of my anatomy. The lesions that were present seem to have died. This means the cancer is mainly active in my brain right now. I will need to continue the chemotherapy because I am treatable but not curable. The oncologist was amazed that I’ve been on the same chemo for two years and it is, obviously, still working. He said that is not usually the case. ¶ However, my platelets were low in my last labs which were drawn before the MRI last week. Unfortunately too low for chemo to begin. So it was down to the lab for another blood draw and then the wait for the processing. The platelet count was back up so chemo could proceed. Of course, the pharmacy had to be notified and then the wait for the medicine began. I finally got out of the cancer center a bit after 5 PM. I’m grateful for the news, tired because of the wait. ¶ The other four days went like a flash. Medicine was johnny-on-the-spot, the staff was efficient and I was pleased. ¶ One of the members of my Benedictine Community professed his first vows Tuesday evening. We hosted a few guests, including our Bishop. It was very nice that he could be present. I don’t think that I’ve preached before him previously. ¶ The weather has been weird, even for South Dakota. It was 55º in the middle of the week, then in the negative range for a couple of days. This is the reason we who live here must have a vast variety of outerwear to accommodate temperature swings. It is sometimes necessary to alter one’s clothing a couple of times per day.

¶ Sophia continues her heightened degree of interest in the livestock on the deck. A beautiful cardinal joins us for a snack at least once each day. Multiple squirrels eat peanuts by the pound and some corn. I think the corn is more work than the peanuts so the easy way is sought. All of this observation of the local wildlife is tiring beyond words. Inevitably a nap must be taken. ¶ Herself was exceedingly happy that the Amazon delivery came. It’s always good to know that there are foodstuffs in the larder. ¶ Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. I’m grateful for what you do for me and for others.

It Didn’t Amount to Much

There were winter storm watches and warnings for a few days this week, leading up to Friday when things were supposed to get really bad. Well, they didn’t get really bad around here. I’ve not heard how much snow fell. There was some wind so it’s really hard to tell how deep the pile is. The snow shovelers came so we must have had more than two inches. If it’s less they don’t show. ¶ The precipitation started with freezing rain which always makes a nice underlayment for the snow. It picked up in the afternoon and was basically finished by evening. The city didn’t declare a “snow emergency” so the side streets will not be plowed. ¶ I was out and about this afternoon and encountered no problems although the side streets are a bit slick in places.

¶ Tuesday was the appointed day for the MRI preceding the Gamma Knife procedure. The doctor did order another to make sure he was not missing anything. It did turn out that there was another very small spot. The initial spot had not grown in the last two weeks. ¶ Thursday morning was the appointment with Erik the Red, the radiation oncologist. He explained in great detail what would happen. Then he sent me off to the physicists who would form the mask. ¶ I was asked to place my body on the bed of the machine which looks much like the CT scanner. It actually does have a CT scanner attached to it. They had a small pillow heating in the oven which they placed under my head to mold it to fit the contour of the back of my head exactly. ¶ Then the mask was brought forth from the oven and placed over my face and bolted to the machine. They massaged it to fit my face exactly and tightly with a hole for my nose. Following that I was set free for a few hours.

¶ I returned mid-afternoon, placed my body on the machine and the mask was placed over my face. It was really tight but that’s the purpose of it. My head could not move at all, neither could I speak. A sticker was placed on my nose. A camera, attached to the machine would focus on that and it would detect if I moved at all, thereby cancelling the procedure. ¶ A CT scan was taken and then the machine swallowed me for about 30 minutes. Another CT scan was taken as I exited the machine, they released my bonds and I was free to leave. Considering all things it was not a bad procedure. I can see that it would be awful for someone who is claustrophobic. In retrospect the mask is better that the frame bolted to the head. No drugs are involved in the procedure with the mask. Pictures include the Gamma Knife machine itself, and a picture of a patient with the mask on. It is not I. No one volunteered to take my picture.

¶ Next week begins with a CT scan to find out how the rest of me is doing and then a visit with the oncologist and chemo for a week. ¶ Sophia has continued her concern with the livestock on the deck. She was so busy yesterday she missed out on her long afternoon nap so she is close to exhausted today. At one point in the afternoon there were five squirrels entertaining her. In the meantime her devoted servant is going to go broke buying peanuts, corn and birdseed. ¶ Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers this week. They are much appreciated. I’m grateful for what you do for others.