Autumn

It is late October. It is hard to believe that time passes so quickly. A friend once pointed out that as we age each day, each hour, each minute is a smaller percentage of our total time so time seems to pass more quickly.  He told me this when I was in my 30s.  Now that I am considerably older I believe he was right. 

The shorter days bother me because I have what is called SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder).  Those who share this affliction know that absence of sunlight has an effect on us. Last Sunday was a dreary day.  The sun was not seen all day. After singing at the public worship of the Lord I came home and spent the afternoon reading the Sunday New York Times.  I didn’t budge from the chair.

Sophia the cat spent a similar amount of time lazing about.  She’s used to it, however.  I am not.  On Monday when the sun returned I paid the price for my lazy Sunday afternoon.  Time passes more quickly when one is older.  One day of laziness takes its toll physically when one is older.  It was much harder to get back to minimal exercising. Did I learn something? Yes. Don’t sit around all day and do nothing because you will pay the next day!

Even though it’s been a struggle I have maintained my exercise goal, and have returned to the fitness center to attend my classes.  It has been good to get back to a regular schedule.  I also was able to attend an OLLI class on jazz pianists. The church treasurer and I visited the bank and straightened out the Bookstore account switching it from one bank to the one used by the church for its other accounts. I dropped off the draft copies of my new will and powers of attorney and made the appointment for the signing of the new documents which also took place this week. That seemingly monumental task is over and done with. 

Two dear friends spent part of today dealing with the leaves in the driveway which have dropped since last Saturday.  It was the last day for the Farmers’ Market so I had to make a trip there to purchase the last of the vegetables for the season.  I know that everything is available all year in the supermarket, but the seasonal produce somehow tastes much better.

This last visit was somewhat bittersweet.  For many years I’ve participated in what is called a CSA (Consumer Supported Agriculture).  It works this way:  Early in the year we pay an amount of money to the provider who uses our cash to purchase seeds and equipment needed for the coming season, and in return we get a more than equal amount of produce when the crops are harvested. I’ve supported one supplier without fail.  They have been using part of neighbor’s property to grow their vegetables.  Whatever happened, they are no longer able to use that land so they will not be offering their impeccably clean, organically grown vegetables any longer. I will miss them and their produce. I’ve stocked up on some squash, potatoes, onions, shallots and a few other things that will keep for a time. 

After the Market I stopped by a wonderful local bakery run by a former student and his wife. They lived in Paris for a time and brought back what they’ve learned to this fair city.  What they produce is simply fantastic. When I last visited there the former student asked me, as he always does, about how things are going.  I told him about the cancer thing. Today he cancelled my bill exclaiming that my money was no good. What a kind and generous thing to do for this old man.  It touched me deeply. I’ve always been proud of what he and his wife have done. Their younger son has suffered through a life-threatening illness and is now doing well. 

One of the friends who made the pilgrimage last week asked about pictures of the fall colors which she neglected to take on our journey.  It was peak season for colors in Wisconsin but they don’t shine as brightly through the rain drops. I’ll just include some Sioux Falls color in this blog posting. The city is really quite pretty at this time of year. Yesterday and today were good days with brilliant sunshine. 

This is the first of my two week “vacation” from infusions.  I have next week off as well and then will begin immunotherapy for the foreseeable future. I liked very much what a retired nurse told me this week. When I said my cancer was treatable not curable she told me that I will die with it not because of it. Somehow that made me feel much more positive.

Feeling well, friends collecting and bagging leaves, being treated by a former student, visiting with friends are things that have been treasures this week. I hold them in my heart and says thanks to God for all he has done for me.

The Pilgrimage continues

St. Agnes by the Lake

Last Sunday the intrepid pilgrims continued their journey.  One of our traditions is to drive north to Door County to a little town named Algoma for Sunday Mass.  The church is a beautiful little building and is right next to the lake, hence the name St. Agnes by the Lake.  If the water level in the lake does not stop rising it might be renamed St. Agnes in the Lake! The group there has a pot-luck luncheon each Sunday so it’s fun to stay for that and enjoy visiting with friends we see but once each year.  

Then it is back in the car for the short journey to the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help near the even smaller village of Champion. It is the site of the only officially approved apparition of Our Lady in the USA. Between last year and this they have built a new building which will seat  a large number of people. This will replace the tent they used to set up for large groups. The weather was less than pleasant so we visited the shrine, checked out the gift shop and the new structure and went on our way. 

Our way led to Eau Claire which we reached by 6:00 and was our destination for the evening. The weather alternated between rainstorms, drizzle and a little sunshine. After checking into the hotel we headed out for dinner to a recommended restaurant and enjoyed our meal. Then back to the hotel for needed rest after a busy day.

On Monday we skirted the Twin Cities and arrived in the St. Cloud area in time for lunch at another local color cafe. After sustenance we went on to Collegeville, the home of St. John’s Abbey and University, and Prep School and Seminary.  Needless to say it is quite a place. At one time, and probably still is, it was the largest Abbey in the world. It is noted for its mid-century (20th century of which I speak) modernist architecture.  Marcel Breuer designed the Abbey, the Church, the library and science buildings and some of the dorms. 

One of our goals was to visit the newly expanded exhibit of the St. John’s Bible in a special section of the library. It is beautifully done and very interesting. https://www.saintjohnsbible.org

The St. John’s Bible is the first hand-written Bible since the invention of the printing press. It was commissioned by the Abbey in celebration of their 150th anniversary. A special script was created for the text and the illuminations are done in a variety of styles using gold, silver, platinum, and a bevy of colors.  Some are quite modern and some very traditional.  It has become a famous work, pages of the Bible being featured on tour in art museums. 

The day was bright and sunny, perfect for enjoying a stroll through the beautiful campus all dressed in its autumn foliage. We shopped in the bookstore, the Liturgical Press and went to the beautiful lake on the property. It was a perfectly enjoyable afternoon. Dinner in an Irish pub following our check-in in St. Cloud.

Tuesday brought us back full circle to Sioux Falls in plenty of time for the weekly Benedictine Mass and Office in the evening and then out for dinner again at one of Sioux Falls finest. The travel, the eating, the sights, the prayers are all part of the pilgrimage. If you don’t believe me just read or re-read Canterbury Tales!

Wednesday after breakfast at the Queen City Bakery I bid the other pilgrims adieu and then I was off to the Prairie Center for the beginning of my last round of chemotherapy.  The first day is always the longest because of blood work, waiting for medicine and longer infusions so I was incarcerated for more than four hours. All went well.  The blood work looked good. The pharmacy is being remodeled so the robots are not delivering medicine. That means that human error enters into the equation so the medicine went to the wrong desk and had to be searched out. The nurse described the situation as “red neck medicine from a trailer park” since the pharmacy has been relocated to a modular unit parked somewhere outside the building. 

The other pilgrims reported in as they arrived safe and sound at their destinations. It was so good to see these close friends again and spend some time with them.  We’ve done this pilgrimage several years now and already have our reservations for next year!

Thursday and Friday were shorter chemo days and beautiful days outside so I took a walk each afternoon and got my steps in.  I also got my flu shot at the insistence of Friday’s nurse.

Today, Saturday, was perfectly lovely, sunny, warm, no wind!  Two good and kindly friends came to help with yard work. They cleaned up the leaves in the driveway, mowed, and moved ceramic flower pots to the safety of the garage so they won’t freeze and crack. I’m so grateful for all the help I’ve received.

It was a wonderful week full of joy. I know we can’t expect joy all the time. This quote from Henri Nouwen was in my e-mail this week. It is a good one to keep in mind when things go well or not so well as we all know will happen.

“The great secret of the spiritual life, the life of the Beloved Sons and Daughters of God, is that everything we live, be it gladness or sadness, joy or pain, health or illness, can all be part of the journey toward the full realization of our humanity. It is not hard to say to one another: “All that is good and beautiful leads us to the glory of the children of God.” But it is very hard to say: “But didn’t you know that we all have to suffer and thus enter into our glory?” Nonetheless, real care means the willingness to help each other in making our brokenness into a gateway to joy.”

I am grateful for all the real care I’ve received.

The beginning of October or thereabouts.

Sunday was a lovely day, but windy.  What can I say? South Dakota is well known for its abundance of air movement. In the midst of the afternoon I roused myself from napping/newspaper reading to go out. There were some perceived needs that I thought I should deal with, one of which was rinse agent for the dishwasher. So forth I went. This morphed into shopping for a table lamp for my office, another need I perceived while walking across the parking lot of the mega-home improvement store. Two hours and four stores later I had the lamp and the rinse agent! 

Monday was spent at the fitness center in the morning and taking care of some errands in the afternoon.  I discovered my eyesight was improving each day and is clear for the most part now.

Tuesday was the day of the CT scan. One can assume that chemotherapy is working by what it does to the body and from the blood work done before each round of the stuff. My own body has tolerated the chemo so well one could doubt that it is having any effect on the cancer. I was looking forward to this day with a mixture of emotions.  Today, the “machine” would actually look at the tumors and see if there are any changes for good or bad. After my port had been accessed in the lab, I ascended to the third floor where some kindly person steered me in the direction I should go. A tech brought me two pint bottles of water laced with iodine with instructions to drink both in the next 40 minutes. I followed the instructions!

I was called forth from the waiting area with the announcement “we are ready for you.”  The tech brought me to the room where the giant doughnut resided. I think this is an appropriate name for the CT scanner. I just had to pull my trousers down below my knees and recline upon the moveable bed covered with a sheet. The machine did its thing moving me back and forth with seemingly no human direction, and issuing orders like “breathe in, hold your breath, breathe.” After a warning that I would feel warm as dye was injected into my IV, I did! In a few minutes it was over and I was free to go until the doctor’s appointment in the afternoon. 

The oncologist met with me in the afternoon with the results of the CT scan. I was happy to hear that the results were very good! The largest of the tumors in the liver was previously 6.9 cm. It was now 3.4 cm. Another of the liver tumors was 4.0 cm and is now 1.6 cm.  “Additional hypodense lesions are either no longer seen or decreased in size from the previous examination.”  The main tumor in the lung has undergone a “considerable decrease in size.” In looking at the pictures, the doctor pointed out the previous scan which showed a large mass, which is now just a whisp of a mark on the lung.

I’ll have another round of chemo next week and then go on immune therapy every three weeks, one session, for the foreseeable future.

Wednesday is the arrival day for the pilgrims from Denver and Charlotte. After collecting all from the airport at various times and taking care of checking into the hotel, etc. We will have a celebration of my friend’s birthday at dinner. Most of the prep work has been taken care of, so the preparation of same should be fairly easy.

Everyone arrived in Sioux Falls safely on Wednesday.  Everyone also arrived early! After the Denver contingent landed we did a little shopping, had some time to stop by the Prairie Center before they could all check in to their hotel. Then it was off to my house to prepare for dinner. The birthday celebration was pleasant and dinner was good according to the reports of the diners. 

The pilgrims at Kenny's.

Thursday we are off to Sheboygan, Wisconsin for the annual pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham at Grace Church. This is an annual event and I believe I’ve only missed a couple of times since I began attending in 1991.  The day of travel was also a rain day.  It’s a little hard to see what’s going on when two semis are side by side spraying water! I drove as far as LaCrosse, WI and then asked my friend to drive. My vision was OK but I was beginning to get tired so it was good to have relief.  We stopped in Austin, MN (Spam capital of the world—the meat not the computer stuff!) and had lunch at a place we found last year, Kenny’s Oak Grill. It’s a real local color place with mountains of food on the plate. Maybe that’s why I got tired.  Too much lunch. We arrived in Sheboygan shortly after six and stayed in the rest of the night dining on cheese and crackers and pretzels and pie.   

Friday was a dreary day so we cancelled the idea of going to Holy Hill which is a usual stop on this trip. Instead we lazed around the hotel in the morning and attended the meditations for the quiet day in the afternoon. The rest of the pilgrims from Sioux Falls arrived in time for the Rosary at 5. After evensong, which was lovely, we all ended up at the The Duke of Devon, a local restaurant/pub which has excellent food. Fish and chips were on my plate followed by a portion of sticky toffee pudding. A very nice way to end the day. 

Saturday dawned bright and clear. A trip to the farmer’s market in the town square was in order.  We needed some things to take to Sunday’s potluck. The sun was shining but it was brisk with a healthy “breeze” which seemed to come from all directions. Two pies and a gallon of apple cider later we hustled back to the hotel to prepare for the big service at 10:30.  

This service is always celebrated by the Bishop of Fond du Lac and begins with a procession around the block with the statue of Our Lady of Walsingham. The extra long pilgrimage hymn was accompanied by a brass group from the Chicago area which also played during the Mass. The music is lovely and there is a lot of it. The “Harvest Lunch” follows which is always delicious. There is an healing service in the afternoon with more music from a string quartet and the organ. A beautiful conclusion to a wonderful day. 

Br. Mark-Romauld, Fr. Warren,
 Oblate William, Sister Scholastica

Most of my Benedictine community was present and we had our annual portrait taken. The promise of many prayers sent me on my way with happiness that I have been here one more time and found it a place I hope to return to many times more. Even if I cannot, I know that my name will be remembered each night when the Shrine Prayers are said.

There are places and then there are places. Rupp’s in Sheboygan is one of THOSE places. It is a typical, old fashioned Wisconsin restaurant with enormous quantities of food and waitresses that speak “Minnesotan” better than the natives. Our reservation was for 6:30 and we were seated at 6:31.5.  The place was packed. Then it pretty much cleared out and was almost empty until the next wave of diners hit shortly after 7. This crowd was, on the whole, a lot younger than the early crowd. The Saturday night special is prime rib. The smallest cut weighs in at 16 ounces (that is a whole pound of beef for those who have forgotten their English measurements). The food is really good and it must be one of the last places on earth where you can get a Golden Cadillac, a Pink Squirrel, or a Charlie Brown which topped off my meal.  I opted for the 6 ounce tenderloin.  I attempted the prime rib last year and gave up half way through. Rupp’s is an experience and it’s only one block from the hotel. 

Now it’s time to say good night. It’s been a wonderful week celebrated with good friends, safe travel, and good news. No one could ask for more. I am blessed.

What season is this?

The question in the title could be asked about any season in South Dakota. We seldom follow the “norms” for the season. My mother would tell tales about snow in Black Hills in June. I visited with someone who had recently returned from the Black Hills and told of not taking enough warm clothing along. 

In the meantime it was 80º+ and humid on Monday. The following days had trouble reaching 50º. It did get that warm during last night. We’ve had rain—over 4 inches this week so things are still quite green. Anyway, I’m tired of chilly, wet and gray days.  So I’ve been exercising, going to classes at the fitness center and getting my “steps” in each day.

Monday was the appointed time to see the eye doctor.  One of the side-effects of chemotherapy for some people is a change in vision. The chemo nurses warned me not to go out and get a new pair of glasses because things would change eventually.  I’m tired of looking at most things like I’m seeing them through a rainstorm. That applies even when the sun is shining although given our week’s weather it would be hard to see anything if one were not looking through a rainstorm!

The optometrist’s conclusion was that the chemo had caused my cataracts to shift into high gear so they needed to be removed before any new prescription could be issued. I have a consultation about that in the middle of November. To think I used to have a few derogatory things to say about elderly people who spent inordinate amounts of time in the doctors’ offices. Now I’m one of them. I guess turn about is fair play. I’ve learned that one must walk a mile in another’s moccasins before criticizing. So, no improvement in vision except that my vision has improved a bit since Monday. One can only hope it continues. 

The rest of the week has been pretty normal.  The exercise helps me a lot and generally improves my attitude. Friends who know me well say that my attitude is good. Perhaps they don’t interact with me when I perceive it not to be so wonderful. Cloudy afternoons lend themselves to naps. I can’t think of any monumental projects that have taken up my time this week. Evidently the naps have been my main occupation.  It is the first week of my two weeks off so I’ll rack it up to recovery and accomplish great things next week.

It was good to get back to choir rehearsal on Wednesday evening. I’ll be singing this Sunday but will then be away the following week. One of the frustrations of directors of volunteer choirs is spotty attendance. Trust me, I’ve been there and done that. Now I’m one of the spotty attenders. 

Tonight, the South Dakota Symphony will present its inaugural concert of the season. I’m looking forward to hearing some beautiful music. “Ravishing Rachmaninoff” is the title given the concert. Our symphony plays so beautifully. The superb Mary Sommervold Hall in the Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science is the place to hear them. I remember Mary asking me to be part of the group that assisted in the Hall’s final tuning twenty years ago. It was an amazing experience to try out different seats and report about how one experienced the sound in various levels of the Hall. Thanks to her family and friends that place now bears her name. She was a prime mover for an acoustical excellent performing space so it is just and fitting that it should be named in her honor.  May she rest in peace and rise in glory.

I just returned from the symphony concert.  The orchestra played magnificently.  The second half was John Corigliano’s Symphony No. 1.  The composer was present to introduce and explain his symphony. It is basically a memorial to friends of his who died from AIDS in the 1980s and 90s.  He pointed out that more persons died from AIDS than in the Viet Nam War but it wasn’t spoken about. It was not the easiest piece to which to listen, but it was very powerful and moving. It involved a huge orchestra and must have been difficult to play and direct.  Bravo South Dakota Symphony and Delta David Gier for a superb concert.

I am thankful for a good week, for friends, for prayers, for rest, for music and all that I’ve experienced.   Thanks to you for sharing my journey.

I knew I’d forgotten something.

Sorry, faithful readers, but I totally forgot about posting yesterday. It was not that the week had been particularly trying or that I was that busy. I just plain forgot.  One might blame old age or “chemo” brain or any number of things.  I just forgot.

The week just past was devoted to the third round of chemotherapy.  Not Sunday, however.  Singing in the choir on Sunday morning is something I’ve come to enjoy. Sunday afternoon I picked up a friend and enjoyed the Rawlins Piano Trio, a University of South Dakota based group. They play superbly. The first half was really “trio” with two contemporary numbers one of which was quite jazzy and fun. They were joined in the second half by a visiting Romanian violinist for a Brahm’s Piano Quartet quite superbly performed.

It’s sometimes surprisingly hard to get me to budge out of the house on Sunday afternoon. There are times when I finally get going that I really enjoy hearing some of the wonderful performing groups we have available to us here.

Monday there was a surprise visit from my friend Moses who had flown into town for a short time.  It’s always good to see him. I’m so happy he and his mentor Rhonda stopped by to visit.

Tuesday was the first day of chemo preceded by accessing the “port” and blood work.  A short appointment with the oncologist gave me the good news that my sodium has returned to a normal level. No more fluid restrictions as long as I don’t go overboard!  One becomes quite thrilled with the little things in life, like not having to measure the amount of liquid one consumes. According to the doctor the sodium level is an indication that the chemo is doing its job.

Then off to the infusion room for the days liquid intake by IV. This weeks course of treatment was considerably shorter each day. On Tuesday I had one hour long bag of chemicals and two half hour bags. (This is the way I measure the medicine, by the length of time the “drip” takes.) On Wednesday and Thursday  I had an hour bag each day.  The previous infusions were twice as long. Two of the days I had company which also makes the time fly by.

October 8, I will have a CT scan to check on how things are going. The prediction right now is that I will have one more round of chemo during the week of October 14th through 18th.  Then we’ll find out what is next.

Yet again I’ve had no ill effects from the chemo other than my bald head. For this I am very grateful.

I did get a little exercise in on Friday and Saturday, but not much.  I find that lack of exercise wears me down more than the chemo does.

Saturday night I enjoyed a wonderful dinner at a friend’s home with a most decadent desert!  Superb!

It was a good week. Thanks be to God.

I blogged about the realization I had that it was OK to ask for help when people offered to do things for me.  I receive a quotation from Henri Nouwen in an email each day (he’s long dead but his writing lives on). I thought this one was particularly well stated given my realization of “community through helpfulness.”

“Our weakness and old age call people to surround us and support us. By not resisting weakness and by gratefully receiving another’s care we call forth community and provide our caregivers an opportunity to give their own gifts of compassion, care, love, and service. As we are given into their hands, others are blessed and enriched by caring for us. Our weakness bears fruit in their lives.”  Henri Nouwen

Amen.

It’s time for me to get ready to go to Calvary Cathedral. Today is the anniversary of my ordinations — 38 years as a deacon, and 37 years as a priest. I can’t believe it’s been that long.  The Dean of the Cathedral is allowing me to celebrate the 10 AM Eucharist so I can be at the altar on this occasion.  I’m so grateful for this parish community who is supporting me with their prayers.

Thanks so much for your continued prayers and good wishes. They mean the world to me!

The Way to End a Week

I’ve just returned from a magnificent concert. The musical group is called Transept. It is a professional group of musicians directed by Timothy Campbell from the University of South Dakota.  The singers are largely from South Dakota with a few coming in from other states for the performances.  

The concert was titled, Echoes of Plainchant, Ancient Melodies, Heavenly Harmonies.  As you can tell the basis of the program was plainchant melodies. Composers were included from the 11th through the 21st centuries. They sang in the Cathedral of St. Joseph which has tremendous acoustics. a perfect venue for this group. 

The concert closed with Biebl’s “Ave Maria.” The two groups I directed for the Singing Boys of Sioux Falls performed this number years ago.  Transept sang the more difficult two choir arrangement. Hearing it and the other melodies reminded me of the musical experiences we provided for the boys with whom we worked for so many years. As it sometimes happens, we find gratitude after the fact. We also experience a degree of satisfaction after the fact. We are too often tied up in the present moment, worrying about a million details and we fail to see the larger picture because we are focused on the minutiae. The concert, along with providing a marvelous listening experience, gave me a chance to reminisce a bit and grasp a vision of something larger than I realized “in the moment.”

It was a perfect way to end the week. There were a lot of mundane happenings this past week. Something spectacular like tonight concert provided a climax which would not have “made” the week otherwise.

I set myself a goal this week to increase my steps by 1,000 per day over last week.  Last week’s goal was 5,000 per day. This week’s goal was 6,000 steps each day. I made it! It’s a good thing I had credit from other days because today was a little short.  I also set a goal to return to all my exercise classes.  I achieved that as well. I was at the Fitness Center five days this week. I felt much better being active and participating in Just Stretch, Strength and Balance, Aqua Chi, and Tai Chi, as well as working with my trainer on the “rack,” the fearsome pilates reformer. 

I had not been to Tai Chi for a quite a while.  I was amazed at the number of things I remembered.  We work on “The Form,” a set series of steps and movements which are derived from martial arts but done in a much slower version. It looks rather a beautiful when well done.  I can’t say that our group looks beautiful but we are working toward beautiful. It’s always good to have a goal!

I also went to an OLLI class on Monday afternoon on centers of conflict in the world.  OLLI is a fantastic program for adult learners. They provide a variety of classes (there were close to 100 offered this semester in Sioux Falls), on a wide range of topics.  Most of the classes meet one or two times. They are taught by college professors and community members who have a particular passion for a topic. For a set fee for the semester you can take as many classes as you wish. It’s a bargain.  There are no tests, few assignments, and attendance is pretty much voluntary, although there are some class limits so it is a polite thing to do to cancel if you can’t make the class so someone else can go.

The rest of the week involved normally scheduled things. Our Benedictine Community meets on Tuesday evening. I work at the Pavilion of Arts and Science on Wednesday afternoon. I usually am at the Eucharist at the Cathedral on Wednesday and Good Shepherd on Thursday. Saturday morning is the Farmers’ Market. 

I forced myself into a project at home that needed to be done but could easily be ignored.  Several chairs and the piano bench have labored under the load of organ and piano music that needed to be sorted into categories. Why? So I could find that for which I was searching without going through all the piles every time. I’ve also found that my increasing age has necessitated enlarging items from the Hymnal so I could read them.  This resulted in a pile of paper which I sorted by hymn numbers and placed in a binder. No longer will I have to enlarge a copy of Hymn 645 if I’ve already done that. It was amazing to find that I had 4 and 5 copies of some hymns. I only have the service music left to sort. Maybe tomorrow or Monday. 

Our church foyer group met on Thursday evening for dinner. The foyer groups are small groups of parishioners who meet together for dinner once each month. The usual pattern is for the group to go to an host’s house for dinner. The host furnishes the main dish and the other members bring dishes to share. Our group is the “going out to dinner group.” Most of the groups change composition each year. We’ve stayed together through several years. Our group is very adventuresome. We enjoy trying out the new restaurants including the ethnic eateries. This week we went to a place that specialized in barbecue. I had some delicious brisket. The group seemed pretty evenly divided between the brisket and the ribs. 

The city continues to clean up after the tornadoes of last week, and the floods which followed. The river is still quite high but I think has receded from most of the parks.  Sioux Falls has been wise in establishing most of the river banks as park areas which means that houses will not be as affected by flood waters. Yet there are certain areas of the city that are flood prone.

Next week is round three of chemotherapy.  This week I’ve suffered no ill effects other than the wonky eyesight which I’ve been promised will improve. I was warned not to rush out and get new glasses, but I’m tired of blurry vision and have made an appointment with the optometrist. I would rather be able to see clearly for the next two months. I trust the medical profession, but sometimes you have to take things into your own hands.

Thanks for reading. Thanks for all the prayers. Thanks for the visits.  Thanks for the phone calls. All of these keep me going. You have no idea how important they are to me. I am so grateful.

How do you like the new hat?

The Good and the Bad

This past week has really been something. I had the week off from chemotherapy so there were no infusions intruding upon my “busy” schedule. 

Sunday was our first choir Sunday, if you will, and we sang a couple of special numbers, had some brass accompaniments and generally “whooped it up” a bit.  It was fun and challenging. I had a lone rehearsal throughout the week since I missed our Wednesday night gathering. 

Wells Cathedral Chapter House

Following the late service, we had our monthly Chapter Meeting. For those not familiar with Benedictine practices, the Chapter Meeting is usually a daily meeting to attend to any business on which the Chapter must make decisions. It is held in a special room. Some of the Chapter Rooms remaining attached to the English Cathedrals are stunning examples of architecture.  Whatever business is discussed is kept strictly secret. The Chapter advises the Abbot or Prior in making the decisions necessary for the good of the community. There is also a reading of the Rule of Saint Benedict, and a reading from the Benedictine Martyrology, a book which lists all the Benedictine saints who died on a particular day. Sometimes there is a Chapter of Faults in which each member confesses that he or she has not kept a part of the Rule and asks for the community’s forgiveness.

Then it was home for another quiet Sunday afternoon with the paper and a few naps thrown in for good measure. Nice! It was a good nap day, weather-wise.

Monday, as I recall, was another rather gloomy day. One of the side effects of the chemo is a malady of vision. Things close or far are blurry and this changes throughout the day. I had made an appointment with the eye doctor because it was bothering me. The chemo nurse said not to rush out and buy a new pair of glasses because one’s normal vision would ultimately be restored. So I cancelled that appointment.  I opted instead to walk at the Fitness Center and to go to aqua chi.  It was good to be back with most of the regular crowd.  The classes at the Fitness Center become mini-communities. You see and converse with the same people on the same day of the week and become concerned about them when they are missing from the class.  Get-well, sympathy cards, and reports about health concerns are shared with the group. It is just a nice place to be. 

After lunch I headed for the AFLAC office with a pile of papers so they could choose those they wanted for processing my claim.  I have been paying on a cancer insurance policy for practically ever. Now it’s time to collect!

Tuesday I went to the Fitness Center again to do some walking and go to Just Stretch, a wonderful class taught by my friend Joni.  Great people again and sincerely concerned about you.

Tuesday evening is our regular Benedictine time. We celebrate the Eucharist, pray Evening Prayer and have a little time to visit which the Benedictines refer to as “recreation.” It doesn’t involve ping-pong, volleyball or other physical activity. We just talk and catch up on how things are going in our lives.

Returning home for some dinner, my phone notified me of a flash flood watch for this area. I could understand that since we had over five inches of rain Sunday and Monday nights. The rain began later in the evening and around eleven o’clock the wind noise became pretty awful. I checked my phone again and there was a tornado warning. It’s been thirty years since a tornado touched down in this city. Sophia and I headed for the basement.  I heard that a tornado was headed down 57th Street toward the east and that was a little too close for comfort. 

It turned out that three tornadoes touched down in the city causing a lot of damage to certain areas. This was at midnight. Check out the link for some pictures.

https://secure.brightcove.com/services/mobile/streaming/index/master.m3u8?videoId=6085352343001&pubId=28911775001&secure=true

A good number of warning sirens did not sound because of human error. One of the tornadoes hit the Heart Hospital on 68th Street and caused some damage, but next door is the Behavioral Health Center which was nearly destroyed. It was full of patients, many of them in fragile condition.  A decision had to be made about those patients. They could not stay in the building. Now it is estimated that the repairs needed will take 6 to 9 to 12 months before the building can be used again. My Benedictine brother Mark works there. He will be traveling to Yankton to serve the patients that have been transferred to the Human Services Center there. There have been numerous news articles about the staffing at that place. Thank goodness they have room, and the Avera system will be providing the staffing necessary. There was one broken leg and some other minor injuries. There could have been many deaths.

My neighbor's tree

That is truly a miracle that no one was killed in this fierce storm.  Parts of the city look like war zones with roofs missing, houses shattered, and trees uprooted. One tornado did hit a business district along 41st Street. Most of the signs are empty shells. Several of the businesses have no idea when they might open again.

My property was fine.  My neighbor on the east lost a large tree which mostly blocked the avenue. There were a lot of twigs, branches and leaves, but one can cope with that kind of damage. I’m just thankful that so many neighborhoods were spared any damage at all. 

I made it to the noonday Eucharist at the Cathedral on Wednesday and to my usual post at the greeters’ desk at the Washington Pavilion. It was a rather quiet afternoon. I picked up my “Father Friend” and we went out for coffee. I also went to choir rehearsal and lasted through the whole thing!

The work crew dealing with the tree. 

Thursday was the usual round of working with my trainer Glenda, going to aqua chi grabbing some lunch and going to the Eucharist at Good Shepherd. That church is in one of the neighborhoods that was hit  harder by the storm.  It was an adventure getting there because of downed trees blocking the streets and/or equipment dealing with the effects of the storm. The church lost some trees on the property but the building was not harmed. 

My usual stop following that service is at Costco for fuel for the car and whatever else I think I need. This month’s special is cat litter which I can always use so I picked up my limit of three bags (42 lbs each) and a few other things. There was quite a line-up at the fuel pumps. Many business in that area were hit by one of the tornadoes.  Costco lost some trees and there was a roll-off dumpster full of twisted sheets of metal that I assumed originated from other locations and had been deposited by the winds.

Friday was a quiet day at home.  My lawn-mowing friend came over to do his task and I went to visit with the daughter of the friend that I will bury on Saturday.  The American Guild of Organists held its first meeting of the season with a banquet and installation of officers. There was some very fine music by the choir (augmented with a few AGO members), and an excellent trumpet player and organists. Get a few musicians together and we can make quite a production out of most anything!

This morning I rose early to make it to the Farmers’ Market when it opened. I rushed back to change clothes and get to the Cathedral for the 10 AM funeral. The friend who had died the previous week was the great promotor of the arts in this city and in the state. She had served as the executive director of the symphony and then as the head of the state arts council. Her daughter had asked the string quartet from the symphony to play the prelude and postlude, and the principal flutist from the symphony to play as well.  The music was exquisite. It was a fine tribute to a great lady who really brought the arts to life in this city and state. Her daughter had expected a small crowd since her mother was 97 years old. The church was full!

As we drove through the cemetery we could see the damage the winds caused there. There are a lot of old trees and now a lot of limbs, split trees, and other detritus that still need to be cleaned up. 

There was a very nice reception at my friend’s home following the internment. Then it was off to the Cathedral again for another reception for another old, old friend’s ninetieth birthday party.  It was a great time with a number of parent’s of former students and other friends to see and with whom to visit.  I came home and took a nap!

That’s it for this week in which I expected virtually nothing to happen! How wrong I was.  

P.S. Sophia evidently invited all her friends to lunch.

Sophia's luncheon party.