It’s March in South Dakota

Those looking for variety in weather or for weather as a topic of conversation can do no better than examine the weather in this state. It is late March and the high today is supposed to be 39º. Last Sunday we reached the high 60s. The March “breeze” is also blowing. The fire danger index is up because it is so dry. Green things are trying to poke out of the ground but seem to be afraid once they discover how not nice it is. I would stay out of sight in some warm place, if possible. ¶ Another group of little green things is brave enough to poke their heads out of the ground. There is hope. And there is sunshine today. Even the plants on the north side, in heavy shade are making an attempt. Nature is determined to do its thing. ¶ This past week was chemo week. All went very expeditiously. The pharmacy was spot on with deliveries on some days before I even arrived. There is one infusion room called the “Living Room” which is larger than the others, about twice as large. It is furnished with comfy chairs, has a desk and looks quite posh. That was my room on Thursday. I have no idea how the rooms are assigned. However it happens one of the nurses takes one to the appointed room and that’s your assignment. I suppose the assignment occurs because the pharmacy has to send the chemo to the correct room.

¶ It was lovely being in the Living Room. Medicine was speedily delivered and the infusion begun. The alarm on the IV went off sooner than usual. There was an equipment malfunction that sent all the chemo into the bag of fluids to which one is also attached during the process. The bag of fluids is never exhausted before the medicine has completed its drip. Because the medicine was now in the other bag one needed to wait until the whole bag was finished which took considerably longer. It was evidently a little plastic part that caused the whole thing to back-flush and thus delayed my departure. The nurse very apologetic but it certainly wasn’t her fault. I guess it had happened to another patient that same week. They became concerned that many of the same parts my be defective. No harm done. I just received some extra fluids. ¶ The blood work on Monday showed my sodium to be in the low range. That’s the first time that has happened in a long, long time. It bounced back and forth when my prescription was being tweaked but has been steady as a rock for months. I didn’t see the doctor but he sent a message saying to restrict fluids (see the previous paragraph!). I’ve been taking the same amount of sodium for the past year or more. I have not been consuming excess fluids. The thing in the back of my mind is this indicates that the cancer is active again. Way back when, over 2 ½ years ago, the critically low sodium was the clue to investigate for cancer. It is necessary for your system to function, in particular the brain. Thus, everytime I forget something or become confused, I am certain that the cancer is running rampant.

¶ This is just my imagination, of course, and probably has nothing to do with reality. The reality will be revealed when I have both CT scans and and MRI two weeks from Monday. Until then I will probably be a little bit on edge. ¶ I’ve made minimal progress on the sewing project mentioned last week because of the chemo interruptions. Sophia has helped with the project considerably. There is, of course, no other location to use for sleeping and posing in this 1800 square foot home. ¶ All else is just fine. The weather will improve daily. In the back of my mind there is the massive ice storm that took down my birch tree in April several years ago. That won’t happen again. Or? ¶ Have a wonderful week. Thank you for being you, for all you do, for your thoughts and prayers. I am grateful.

In a Couple of Days

Just a few days now and it will officially be spring. While out in the front garden the last few days I noticed something coming out of the ground. It is, indeed, one of last autumn’s newly planted bulbs that is beginning to come forth. Mind you, I was not working in the garden, simply looking at it for signs of life. It will be exciting to see all the new things that were planted in the addition to the front garden.

¶ The spring equinox is always a blessing to me. It means that each day will get progressively longer and I can enjoy more daylight. For those of us afflicted with SAD this is such a gift. My “happy light” has helped get me through the dark days of winter. There is still nothing like the real thing especially when the sun shine brightly. ¶ There is not much to report this week. I attended all the usual things, and did all the needed chores. The sewing project I declared was a Lenten discipline has been successfully put off until today. At least part of it has been cut out. These church projects always seem to be the size of circus tents. There is never a table big enough to deal with the whole thing. I could put some leaves in the dining room table, but I’d rather complain, I guess. ¶ This coming week is not only chemo week but income tax week. The tax person will be awaiting me on Thursday, bright and early. The most surprising thing of all is that I am ready. I won’t have to be up until the wee hours of Thursday morning madly looking for things. It’s all wrapped up in one tidy package. This has got to be a record for me. It must portend something. Perhaps the reward will be a huge refund!

¶ There used to be a complaint that nothing was ever going on in Sioux Falls. It was thought to be a cultural wasteland. Well, tonight there is a South Dakota Symphony Concert, the University of Sioux Falls concert choir concert, and the Bach Birthday Bash sponsored by the American Guild of Organists. I’m electing to go to hear Bach. Members of the AGO volunteer to perform selections from the master composer. One of the Augustana University choirs usually performs along with chamber groups and soloists. It is usually quite wonderful. ¶ The housekeeper picks up all of Sophia’s toys and puts them in her toy box. She then has to retrieve them and leave them out for easy access until clean up day comes again. One of favorites is a red and white octopus which has lots of dangly legs. She enjoys tossing it in the air and then attacking it. ¶ It’s been a good week. Some more sleep would be nice, but it doesn’t seem to happen. Labs on Monday afternoon and then to the infusion center once again. ¶ Hope you have a pleasant week. Thanks for reading, for thoughts, for prayers, and for being kind to others.

And It Was Interesting

I commented on the weather last week which began with rain on Saturday, followed by sleet, and then by snow. The comment was that travel on Sunday would be interesting. ¶ And it was. When it was time for me to leave for choir rehearsal the snow people arrived and blocked the driveway until they had finished their task. The city did not plow nor did they use any grit on the icy streets. My personal feeling is that they do something after the accident reports reach a certain number, a number known only to the Street Department. ¶ To continue, I made it up the incline to 28th Street and turned west. The street makes a curve about three blocks on and becomes Bragstad Drive. As one comes out of the curve one heads downhill. There are usually vehicles parked on both sides of the street so there is barely enough room to pass an oncoming car. As I rounded the bend there was indeed another car heading right into me and I began skidding on the icy street. I spun around just in time to avoid him and ended up with my trunk up against a parked truck and facing the wrong direction. Now I need to pull away from the truck and head the other direction. After several tries moving inches at a time I jostled around to just make it down the hill. How exciting can a Sunday morning be? There was no accident, thankfully. ¶ Our local paper, the Argus Leader, is not known as one of the masterpieces of journalistic endeavor. The latest move was to close the printing plant here. This is how far daily papers have gone down hill. 20 years ago one could not imagine a city of over 200,000 not having a locally printed newspaper. Ours is now printed in Des Moines, Iowa. ¶ I subscribe only to the on-line edition and peruse the articles of interest. Two times in the last two weeks there were paragraphs in a story that made absolutely no sense. I read them and re-read them and was as confused at the end as at the beginning. It was not just a typo situation. The syntax was so screwed up that it was like reading bits of disparate sentences put together with no end in sight. ¶ Each time I wanted to pass on these gems and did not do it at the time. In going back to send them later they have disappeared. It could only mean that the paper is proofread after publishing. Someone finally noticed that there was a major error and corrected it. It’s any easy thing to do electronically but interesting in that it actually occurs. It’s also disturbing to realize how easily news articles can be manipulated. ¶ Since last weekend’s interesting weather things have been cold, just plain cold. The forecast for next week appears to bring back early spring temperatures. Wait and see is the watchword. ¶ Sophia and I continue to enjoy the antics of the squirrels and the appearance of the birds. She does not seem to find one more interesting than the other. She obvioulsy was offended by the enbroidery on my fleece one afernoon and was determined to obliterate it.

¶ I’ve felt well this week and accomplished a few things that need doing. One of those was a visit to the optometrist. I last saw one following cataract surgery which was two years ago. I’ve had a bit of trouble at times in the last months. After a thorough eye exam I was told that my prescription was too strong. So off I went on a purchasing excursion for eyeglasses. ¶ For years I went to a very good optometrist who was part of a practice. They had their own facility for purchasing frames and lenses as part of their office. I really loved my doctor but he was rude enough to retire. As I recall I rarely paid less than $300 for frames with the lenses another charge above that. This doctor gave me my prescription and I went shopping. My surprise was that I have purchased two pairs of lenses and frames for $340! I guess I was paying for the convenience. ¶ Thanks for reading, for sharing, for thoughts and prayers, and for helping others.

I’ll Say It Again…

…and I will. Last week I wrote: As the saying goes: If you don’t like the weather in South Dakota just wait a few minutes and it will change. ¶ This past week we had temperatures close to 60º on a couple of days. Then it cooled off again. Today was close to bizarre. This afternoon my car registered 33º and it was raining! A short time later I heard rattling at the windows and we were having a sleet storm. Now the ground is covered with little ice BBs. That should provide for some interesting travel.

¶ The city provides retention ponds at various locations. This is part of the storm sewer system. The ponds keep the system from being overwhelmed in heavy rains. The pond at the Cancer Center has been landscaped quite beautifully. The hospital has provided pumps that recirculate the water using a waterfall. Rather than just sitting there and holding water the landscaping and waterfall make it a beautiful sight. ¶ Needless to say, the cold weather causes the waterfall to freeze over. There has been enough warm weather now that the water is flowing. The ice is so heavy over the waterfall that it hasn’t melted yet and won’t for quite some time but the water is determined and flows under the ice cap. The view is of a large quantity of water tumbling down and emerging at the base with a beautiful cap of ice hiding the whole process. ¶ One day it was actually nice enough to have the door open and enjoy some fresh air. The great hunter Sophia thought it would be a good idea to be a little wary. She was sorely tempted to get closer to her friendly squirrels, but ultimately thought better of the idea and decided to remain out of sight. You never know if those beasts will attack!

¶ Today I led a Quiet Day at the Cathedral for those so inclined to begin Lent in such fashion. The time goes by very quickly, I find, but the preparation for that is certainly time-consuming. I’m not complaining, but I find myself pretty tired by the time the day is over. It went well, from the comments. That is gratifying. I’m grateful that I am still able to serve in various ways.

¶ This was chemo week. Blood work on Monday revealed that all was well, or as well as it can be, even perhaps better. The nurses have a thing going now. It is a little competition as to who can get me in and out the most rapidly. There was not much waiting around any day that I was present. I have a standard that was set by a nurse no longer at the Center. Everyone remembers her and they are now trying to surpass her record. It is fun and it saves me a lot of time when I can be in and out in just over 1 hour. TUG, the medication robot, is still sporting her Valentine’s hearts. I suspect that she will soon be adorned with shamrocks. It is just one more thing that shows how the staff will do most anything to make the chemo experience the best is can be. ¶ OLLI classes have started up again. I took three this past week. Two of those classes will have continuing sessions in the following weeks. There are so many interesting things to learn and having the classes on Zoom means no driving. Most of the classes are 30 minutes away from my house. That means that classes on Zoom save me 1 hour of time just driving, plus the fuel, etc. ¶ Weather update: It is now snowing on top of the sleet which will make the streets even more interesting. ¶ Thanks for reading, for supporting, for all you do for others. Have a good week.

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.