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.

’Tis Autumn

All of a sudden the temperature has dropped. Today’s high temperature predicted to be 72º. Last week we had 90s. The feel in the air is definitely autumnal. The trees are, for the most part, bright green. There are a very few who are just beginning to show a bit of color. You’ll have to look hard to see that.

¶ Last weekend was not pleasant as I explained previously. I wanted to watch Queen Elizabeth’s funeral and the attendant pomp and circumstance. So I arose at 4:30 on Monday morning. It thoroughly amazes me that she was queen longer than any one in history. She was laid to rest with great dignity with crowds of people respectfully paying their respects to someone they obviously loved. Then they promptly sang “God Save our Gracious King.” There was no massive attack on the Halls of Westminster. There were no mindless mobs proclaiming that the whole thing was fake. There was simply respect for a gracious queen and the new king. ¶ The whole thing brought back memories from long, long ago. I remember from my late grade school days that I was obsessed with the Coronation happening in far off England. This was long before the days of television transmission from other countries. In Rapid City we were lucky to have transmission at all. Remember the days of the nightly sign-off with the National Anthem, etc.? My vigil was not concluded until the film of the Coronation had been flown across the pond and was able to be broadcast in Western South Dakota. It sounds like another era, and it was. ¶ Following my extended coverage of Monday’s events my mild problems continued. I was sure that the stomach problems were being caused by an antibiotic the doctor had prescribed to boost my sodium. Thursday, I had labs and a doctor’s appointment. The oncologist proclaimed that my sodium was way high off the chart. He reduced some medications, took me off the suspected cause of distress, provided a stomach acid reducer and things have been fine since. For the first time in weeks I’ve been able to actually cook and then eat a meal. What a treat! Consequently my mood is considerably better and I’m getting some exercise. ¶ The exercise thing is important. I find that if I don’t get out and walk I lose ground very rapidly. Simply walking my route twice a day improves my mood ever so much, as well as increasing my strength which is necessary if I’m going to fight the cells anxious to take over my being. ¶ While walking today a very sweet thing happened. There is a Ukrainian family down the street and I pass their home everyday on my walk. Today, as my father would say, the Mrs. crossed the street to bring me a bag of apples. She’d been to the orchard and wanted to share.

¶ Herself, Miss Sophia, gets a little put out when I don’t spend the requisite hours at home at her beck and call. Her attitude is obvious when she is not particularly pleased with me. This was “the look” I was granted last night. ¶ Thank you for your prayers, thoughts and support. Everything you do is appreciated.

Another Outstanding Day

Last Saturday was beautiful as is today. The temperature crested at 82º which is not bad, and there was a plenitude of sunshine. ¶ Part of the time today was spent on the deck, leisurely reading a bushel basket of mail from all sorts and conditions of people, those seeking help, and those rejoicing in help received, and some rejoicing because they simply are, which are the nicest ones to read.

¶ This week concluded my marathon of treatments. There were two more Gamma Knife sessions on Monday and Wednesday. On Tuesday I was present in a place offering flu shots so I got mine and on Wednesday I wished I had not. I had a reaction which was unpleasant. ¶ Thursday I started with labs at 7:45 and finally finished the day with the medicos at 2:30. The oncologist who has been telling me to limit my liquid intake announced that I was dehydrated. My sodium was way high and I needed something done. It turned out that I had a whole bag of steroids, another of saline, plus the infusion and was then shipped off for an ultrasound on my legs. Steroids are not known for promoting sleep so I nodded off for about three hours the night following the marathon day. ¶ Now, today, I’m suffering from nausea that is not being well managed by the pills in which I’ve put such trust. I did make it through choir rehearsal this morning but just barely. I’ve no idea what tomorrow will bring. ¶Last Sunday I did attend a marathon music performance at First Lutheran Church in honor of their 100th anniversary. It was literally a cast of thousands. Those “where’s Waldo?” concerts, as one friend described them, can be daunting occasions. This was well done but could have used a room twice the size so the performers wouldn’t have to appear as sardines in a can, nestled so closely to one another.

¶ Tomorrow is the 150th anniversary of the congregation that forms my parish. There will be a lot of brass and other festive music. I hope I’m up to singing and enjoying it. In addition there is an organ recital in the afternoon at the Augustana Chapel and another tomorrow evening at Our Savior’s Lutheran. Both of these will be great to hear if I feel a whole lot better than I do today. ¶ I will have to admit that some of what is going on is my own doing. The medicos encouraged me to put off chemo for a week but I wanted two weeks of recovery before the next big thing which is my 40th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood. It will be a great celebration. I hope I feel well enough to enjoy it.

¶ The garden is beginning to fade a bit. The trees have no yet begun to dress in their autumnal splendor. It’s very much “mid-season.” With two more inches of rain on Thursday evening, the greenery is rejoicing greatly. For most of the farm crops the rain is too late, but for the home gardener it is a blessing. ¶ Sophia is concerned with the hungry friends on “her” deck who are fattening up for winter. The birds are emptying one feeder twice each day. They certainly sense that it is time to bulk up for whatever pilgrimage they are about to take. The cat is quite content, as I am, to stay home. ¶ Thanks for reading, for thoughts and prayers, and for all you do for others. Pray that my current ennui passes quickly.

What a Beautiful Day!

I’m sitting on the deck in the late afternoon enjoying a most pleasant, windless day with a high temperature of 73º. The garden soaked up 1.5 inches of rain yesterday on a day which seemed to be perpetual night. Today there a few wisps of cloud in a still, still sky. ¶ What is even more unusual is the fact that this is Sidewalk Arts Festival Day. This is a major thing for the Visual Arts Center where I work at the Pavilion. Artists of all kinds rent booths in the area surrounding the Pavilion and “sh

oppers” and viewers from near and far descend on the city center. Usually crowds of >10,000 appear. The weather could not have been better. The usual weather for the event is either a major rain storm or a heat wave exceeding imagination. ¶ Hopefully, all went well. The Cathedral youth rent out parking spaces in the Cathedral parking lot as a fund raiser. The law firm across the street allows the kiddos to sell additional parking there. I was lucky enough to get in the Cathedral lot for choir rehearsal this morning. ¶ Friday afternoon I completed my third Gamma Knife treatment. I will have two more next week followed by chemo on Thursday. Seven new “spots” showed up on the last MRI plus one more elusive one that appears and disappears on alternate films. We’ve finally arrived at tolerable form of music to help pass the time. The first attempt was “contemporary religious” which turned out to be revivalist country and western. That made the experience far less than pleasant. Once in while one has to pay the dues for being a musical snob.

¶ My appetite has not improved much. I attribute that to the antibiotic I take for sodium retention. It must be taken an hour before eating. After waiting an hour my usual attitude is “why bother.” It does help with the grocery bill. ¶ The Chihuly pieces are complete in the Visual Arts Center and are beautiful. How fortunate I am to be able to enjoy them whilst volunteering.

¶ I would like to come up with some method of identifying the beast in the garden. What ever it is comes along and cleanly nips off leaves or blossoms leaving a totally unharmed stem. It also leaves no garbage behind. This week it completely denuded a holly hock, leaving the flowers and buds but absconding with the leaves. What it consumes is usually too tall for a rabbit or a squirrel and no stems are broken down in the process. Any ideas are welcome. ¶ Sophia is on the prowl for bugs when she is not resting. Prowling and resting consume her days. It’s a busy life, she says.

¶ Thanks for your thoughts and prayers and for reading my ramblings. I hope your week goes well.

Warm Days, Cool Nights

We’ve moved into the season where the days can be uncomfortably warm and the evenings “sweater cool.” Fall approaches rapidly. As always, it seems the summer was far too short. This summer, with its over-abundance of days unspeakably hot, will be remembered by unnatural phenomena, tragedies, water shortages, floods, and a plethora of other “stuff.” We are paying the price for what we have done.

¶ I’ve long admired the work of Dale Chihuly. I’ve encountered his marvelous glass creations in museums and other places. The one which fascinated me most was the glass ceiling in the Naples, Florida, art museum which holds several of his flat creations. It’s in a hallway, so one can walk along admire the beauty and hopefully not run into another person along the way while looking up. ¶ When I arrived at my post at the Pavilion of Arts and Science on Friday morning, electricians were hard at work installing two strange looking wire cages. Before the morning ended, many boxes were opened in the lobby and the curator and his assistant began installing glass pieces on the aforementioned cages. It was fascinating to see two Dale Chihuly creations being assembled right before my eyes. Now Sioux Falls will have its own Chihuly glass sculptures and they will be in my “office” where I spend my time at the Pavilion. What a blessing! ¶ It’s time for some of the new irises to break forth into bloom. They are large and magnificent. There would have been a new beautiful day lily to show you today but the rabbits beat me to it. I hope they enjoyed their salad.

¶ The sodium situation continued to improve this week. By Wednesday I was back to the normal range thanks to the expensive antibiotic. The drug, by the way, having gone through the gymnastics to get it and pay for it, will now be paid for by my insurance! Life is full of little surprises. ¶ I had my MRI on Wednesday and it revealed some new “spots” on the brain. I’ll be having three Gamma Knife treatments this week, plus another next week, plus chemo next week. That means I’ll be fit as a fiddle or truly wasted by the end of the treatments. But, it will be over.

¶ It’s taken a bit of time to get over last week’s chemo. Nausea strikes at odd times. Fatigue has not been bad. Appetite has not been good. All these are typical side effects which can come and go. About all one can do is complain and wait for the effects to fade away. ¶ Thanks for your prayers and thoughts, your cards and messages. Thanks for all the kind things you do for others. I helped serve at St. Francis House today for lunch. That was a blessing. I also made a trip to the gardens. That was a blessing as well. I have lots of good things to eat. Hopefully, I will be hungry!