Celebrating a Huge Milestone!

Just finished watching the Democratic debate between Clinton and Obama, and I have to agree with those who have said the two of them would make a great Democratic ticket. I think it would be a sure winner, no matter which one heads the ticket. A much better debate to watch, without the acrimony we've seen in so many of the other debates.

This was such a terrific day. Jim and I started off by going to my two appointments at St. Joe's this morning. I had my last appointment with Dr. Schultz for the next six months. I'm "all better" from my mastectomy surgery, my drain infection, and there has been no more fluid build-up after the last drain was removed on Monday. The most important outcome from the past 9 months is that there is NED - No Evidence of Disease!! The chemotherapy I had pre-surgery totally eliminated all traces of the breast cancer that was discovered in April. My next appointment is for a mammogram on July 31st and a follow up with Dr. Schultz, exactly 6 months from today.

From there we went to Dr. Silva's office, my oncologist, where I had some blood work done, then saw Dr. Silva to discuss what my next treatment will be. Since my MUGA scan came back with an improvement in the ejection fraction (EF) of the heart function, I will go back on Herceptin again. (Herceptin is a monoclonal antibody, a biological therapy, not chemotherapy. If there were any cancer cells in my system, the Herceptin would bind to the cells and destroy them. The side effect risk that I have experienced is that it can cause damage to the valves of the heart, rendering them less efficient in pumping blood out of the ventricle. In my case, the damage was reversed, but it may happen again.) It will be for 6 months - 9 treatments given every 3 weeks, starting this coming Tuesday. After the second treatment, I will have another MUGA scan. Dr. Silva said if the EF goes down again, then that will be it. No more Herceptin. We listened carefully to his explanation and the science behind it, and we are both in agreement with his treatment plan. He's a very good doctor, and both of us really like him. We got out of the appointments early, and headed on home. I was watching the clock like a hawk, because I had a date with my girlfriends to go out to lunch at Liberatore's in Eldersburg.

The lunch was planned a week ago. My friends said they wanted to take me to lunch in celebration of the end of my treatment and the fact that things have gone so well for me. I was very touched by their offer and delighted to go. There were 9 of us all seated at one table. We had a delicious lunch, and lots of talk and laughter. Dessert was 2 plates of a heavenly chocolate creation that were passed around the table as many times as it took to finish them off.

Besides treating me to lunch, they surprised me with a beautiful card everyone had signed, and included inside was a gift card to The Outback Restaurant for dinner for my husband and me! I was just blown away by that. What a sweet thing to do! I have made such wonderful friends here in Maryland!!

PHOTOS: Some of the photos from lunch today. Another camera had pictures of the rest of the group, including me, so I don't have everyone. You can see what a congenial group it was. #1 - Joy, Pat, and Geneva. #2 - Pat, Cathy, Geneva, and Sharon. #3 - Jenny and Mary. Betty and I are missing from the pictures.

So Where Should We Go this Year?

I finally got an appointment on February 11th with my radiology doctor, Dr. Sallinger. I haven't met him yet, but I've heard he is a very good doctor. I want to get on with this treatment because I won't be able to have the reconstruction and reduction surgery until 6 months after my radiation is finished. If I calculate correctly, the plastic surgery would be early in October. Although Jim and I haven't talked specifically about going on vacation this year, we would both like to do that, and I'm not sure how a vacation will fit in. I think we will probably go before October. Where? I don't know, but after all the stuff we've both been dealing with, I think we deserve to go somewhere really great! Like somewhere in Europe. If that's the case, we need to get busy and make some plans. Now that's something fun to look forward to.

I went to Michael's today and got the supplies I need for my watercolor class. I'm pretty well set, at least to start. I bought a supplies carrier, and I love it. Many compartments, not too large, 2 handles. I already have some of the basics - paints, brushes, paper, sketch book, some small things - so I didn't need to buy those. In San Diego I did some watercolor painting on my own, and bought several books to learn about the techniques. Tonight I pulled them off the bookshelf to look through for inspiration. I also found a few of the paintings I did, and actually, they aren't too bad! At least they're recognizable, although amateurish.

One not-so-fun thing I want to get going on, hopefully this week, is our taxes. I use TurboTax, so it's not too confusing, but it's still pretty involved. It always takes me a number of days of work to organize and enter all the information. In our early years together, Jim was the one who did the bills and took care of the taxes, but I've been the financial guru in our household for most of our years together now. We're both happy with the arrangement. This past year we had so many medical payments that I will have a lot to work on. Until it's in the mail, it's like a dark cloud hanging over my head, so I hope I can get it done soon.

I bought 2 small skeins of furry yarn to make a scarf, and Ming Poo found them. She's been jumping around and doing somersaults playing with them. I feel like a real meany taking them away from her, but after all! She absolutely loves yarn, and many times has stolen a skein and run off with it. One time she had made a spider web of a skein all the way from the upstairs craft room, down the stairs, all through the family room, and around all the furniture. It was so funny, until I had to crawl on my hands and knees around and under all the furniture to rewind it. In all fairness, she does have her own yarn. I've given her several small skeins of her own to play with, but who can resist a nice, new fuzzy one?

PHOTO: A Hat Vendor in the street of Lugano, Switzerland.

Jim's Turn

Today it was Jim's turn to go to the endoscopy doctor's office. He had a follow-up endoscopy to see if his ulcerated esophagus and stomach had healed over the past 3 months, which they had. He has mild gastritis and a hiatal hernia. He came out with a recommendation to raise up the head of our bed, another prescription, and an anti-reflux diet list. Quite a list of things he shouldn't eat or drink, including coffee, alcohol, orange juice, tomato juice, chocolate, and fatty foods. Every day he drinks a cup of coffee, has orange juice, V-8 juice, and has the occasional beer or glass of wine. (Doesn't really eat fatty foods and rarely eats chocolate.) After reading over the list, he told the nurse "I think it's time for me to die." The nurse said, "Well, not here and not today. We already had to call the paramedics for somebody else."

I asked the nurse how long this diet was supposed to go on, and she said for the rest of his life. Well, that's not going to work! After talking it over with the nurse, he decided to go ahead and eat and drink whatever he wants in moderation until something triggers a reaction, and then he'll know to avoid it. The thing is, he hasn't had any acid reflux for several months now and has been eating and drinking normally, all those things that are supposed to be off limits. Well, he might as well enjoy himself if it's not hurting him. The medications he takes seem to have taken care of the problem. And life should be enjoyed!

Afterwards we had a late lunch at a really good restaurant called Glory Days Grill in Towson. Jim had Grilled Salmon and a Salad - good choices. I had a half order of Macho Nachos - not so good a choice, but very good tasting. And it was just a half order of an appetizer, even though it was still huge. We just happened on the restaurant, and I'm sure we'll be back. Yummy!

PHOTO: On the grounds of Blarney Castle, in Ireland.

Budding Artists

We started off the day with an appointment at Dr. Schultz's office, where I had the pleasure of having my final drain removed - hooray! Once again, I didn't even feel it when he removed the drain. All is well - the culture that was taken last Monday came back clear. No more Pasteurella infection. I have been set up with another appointment on Thursday to make sure there is no more fluid buildup, but I'm sure it will be fine. For about 4 days now there has been hardly any fluid in the drain.

While we were there, I ran into my friend Janet, a breast cancer patient I met during my chemo treatments. Both of us have the same doctors for chemo, surgery, and radiation therapy. She has had a similar breast cancer path as mine. Janet and I have been keeping in touch via emails. We live near each other, and will perhaps have our paths cross at the radiologist's office. Janet initially had a lumpectomy, but when her pathology report came back, they learned that she still had some cancer cells present, and as a result she subsequently had a mastectomy. Her experience with chemo was much more severe than mine, but she is now doing much better. I'm looking forward to a continued friendship with her, one of the really nice things that has come about as a result of my cancer experience.

Tonight I started a class in Watercolor Painting at the local community college. The class meets on Monday evenings at 6:30 for 2 hours. The instructor is my friend Carolyn, who is an artist and an art teacher for many years. There are 7 enrolled students. Tonight's class gave us all the information we need about what supplies we can or should use - paints, paper, brushes - and other technique supplies such as kosher salt, special erasers, soda straws, a hair dryer, old toothbrushes, paper doilies, masking fluid, soft paper towels, an old credit card, saran wrap, natural sponges, blue painter's tape, and lots more. I took pages of notes. I thought I had pretty much everything I would need for the class, but I can see I have a long list of supplies I will be picking up in the next couple of weeks. A reason to shop. Hooray!

In the last hour of the class we saw many examples of paintings using various techniques that we will be learning in this class. It was very inspiring to see all the beautiful paintings, and exciting to think that we may be creating some creative paintings of our own. This is a class I've wanted to take for many years. I signed up twice before at the community college, and it was cancelled both times due to a lack of student enrollments. It's so exciting to actually begin.

PHOTO: Red berries in Autumn.

Looking Toward a New Week

Kind of a lazy Sunday here. Jim had some arrythmia during the night that woke him up, and it continued through the morning. He decided to take it easy today, and I followed suit. We did some reading, watched TV and relaxed. I did a few chores, the major one being the laundry, which I just finished a little while ago.

We decided to go out for dinner tonight, and went to Baugher's, a family run restaurant in Westminster. It's been there for decades, and seems to be a locals place, where they serve good food and you can count on plain, down home cooking. Some of the tables put me in mind of the 50's or 60's, and that's probably how long they've been there. Jim says he doesn't think they make those kind of tables any more!

We talked to Roxanne today, Jim's (our) daughter who lives near Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas, and is presently in the hospital. On Friday she had knee replacement surgery, and tomorrow she will have the other one replaced! She sounded really good, although you could tell she's on pain killers. She's been up since yesterday using a walker, and is making very good progress. She has high praise for her doctor and the hospital she's in, which is so important for your mental attitude. She'll be there for a couple of days following the second surgery, meaning she'll return home on Wednesday or Thursday. Already she is talking about getting back into riding her bike. I'm very proud of her "can do" attitude and her determination to recover quickly. I know several women who have undergone knee replacements, and for all of them, it was a very successful procedure. Having both knees done at the same time is a rarity, I believe. You go, Rocky!

I'm trying to type this with a 14-pound cat sitting on my wrists, purring up a storm. It's Pong, the gray one, our big old marshmallow kitty. He's such a sweetheart. So gentle and soft, like a mink coat. Ming Poo is lying across my legs, and the laptop is on my knees. I can barely see over Pong's head to the keyboard. Not an easy way to blog!

PHOTO: Another photo from the Library of Congress/Flickr project that I wrote about yesterday. This might easily have come straight out of a scene from the movie of Huckleberry Finn. I just love it.

Immersed in History

This was a fun day for Jim. He and David went to a wood turning class that lasted the entire day. There were four men in the class and each one had his own lathe to use. Jim started with a piece of a tree, a big hunk of cherry wood, turned it on a lathe and made a beautiful, round bowl out of it. He turned it to 1/8th of an inch thick. It has a sealer finish on it that will be sanded smooth and then it will be given a final glossy finish. The bowl has a really pretty knot pattern. I think both David and Jim enjoyed the class immensely.

I spent time today on the computer looking through a group of more than 3,000 Library of Congress (LOC) photos that have been uploaded to Flickr, the photo sharing website. These are black and white photos from the 1910's and color photos from the '40's and 50's. They are photos of people, buildings, disasters, sporting events, parades - a chronicle of American life in a time past. The purpose in the LOC partnering with Flickr was to tap into the millions of people in the Flickr community to shed light on these photos with tags and comments. In so doing, it will help the archivists in researching and cataloging the photos. I was fascinated and looked at probably a hundred images myself - everything from cotton picking in Mississippi to the lifeboat survivors of the Titanic. Already many people have entered notes, comments and corrections to the photos, and have given valuable insight that the LOC has gladly accepted. The website that explains the project is: http://www.newsweek.com/id/103198. If you have an interest in history or photography, I encourage you to check it out.

PHOTO: This is one of the photos from the LOC/Flickr project. It's labeled the Raja Yoga Academy, Pt. Loma California. I love the dresses of the girls, the floral headpieces, and the sense of innocence the picture portrays. For a larger and clearer image, go to the Flickr website: http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/2163054571/

Sometimes I Miss San Diego ...

It was a cold day here in Maryland, but bright, blue skies above. Sharon and I had lunch with a couple of other girlfriends we hadn't seen too much of recently, and it was nice to spend time together. I chose something from the menu that I thought would be pretty good - a gyro with seasoned fries. Hadn't had a gyro since living in California, and they were delicious there, in any restaurant. We pronounced them "year-o" but here some pronounce them "ji-ro," as in gyroscope. I used to crave them in San Diego. Today, a couple at another table each had a gyro, and they seemed to be enjoying them and were making them look pretty good. Well, to me it was pretty awful, and I just basically picked through it and ate some of the fries. I left most of it, and when the waitress was picking up the plates, she said I should have said something, but I just thought it must have been me. I mean, that other couple was gobbling theirs down. It was the seasoning and the herbs used, way too much strong onion, and the Tzatziki sauce wasn't very good. But I told her it wasn't a problem, I didn't mind, which was true. Regardless, she took my lunch off the bill, which I thought was a very nice thing to do. I did enjoy the iced tea!

Jim is leaving early tomorrow morning to go with David to a Wood Turning class. I think they'll be learning to use a wood lathe. It should be a lot of fun for them, and a nice father/son experience. It's a one class event, and was a gift from David. I'm looking forward to hearing all about it when he returns.

By the way, my drain is doing very well. I haven't had much fluid at all the past few days, so I'm pretty sure Dr. Schultz will take it out on Monday. I'm still waiting to hear from the Oncology office about my MUGA scan. It was done on Wednesday, and it's Friday and no phone call. They had told me they would be contacting me once I had the MUGA to let me know the next step. If I don't hear by early next week, I will call them. I don't want the ball to be dropped on that treatment.

PHOTO: In case you missed it, there are 4 here in front of the fireplace tonight. Ming Poo is cooking on the hearth. On the right is a catnip mouse I knitted for them.

Trying to Keep and Open Mind

Today Sharon and I went to Cathy's house to chat and work on some projects together. We actually got a lot done - or more than we generally do when we get together - and had a great time doing it. While we were working, we spent time chatting and catching up on what's going on in our lives, while enjoying yummy desserts and pots of tea. It's been a while since we've had one of our crafting days like this, and it was a welcome return.

Tonight Jim and I sat through the Republican debate and listened to the candidates. It was interesting, scary, enlightening, and civil. We both found Ron Paul to be a voice of reason, most of the others seemed Bush clones. Some good points made about the economy and domestic issues. Last week I heard someone refer to John McCain as "Bush on steroids," and I know what he meant by that. He usually looks to me as though he's gritting his teeth and trying to keep himself from exploding. If he were in charge, not only would the war in Iraq continue, but he'd be at war with Iran as well. Well, no one can say this election will be the same old-same old. For sure it won't be deciding between Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. And no one knows at this point who the nominee will be from either party. So in that sense, I'm finding politics fascinating right now.

I spent some time today doing some rearranging of things in our family room, and I really like the changes, even though they were small ones. It freshened the look and gives new interest, I think. I like to putter around and rotate my decor every now and then to keep the look from getting stale. It's fun.

PHOTO: An ancient castle, photographed through the window of the bus, on our trip to Ireland in 2004.

Good MUGA News

Today I had another MUGA scan, and this time my cardiac Ejection Fraction was 54%. Hooray! It has come up from 46% in December, so that's a good thing. Dr. Silva won't give me Herceptin treatments if the EF is below 50%. I expect I'll get a phone call from the Oncology office tomorrow or Friday to schedule a time to come in. That will be nice, since I haven't seen everyone in a while, and I miss them. The actual treatments of Herceptin alone should only take about a hour, vs. 2 1/2 hours when I was also getting Taxol and Herceptin.

After we got home from the MUGA scan, I didn't do much of anything. Still have the head cold, so I was a sniffling, sneezing slug all day, then laid down for a nap. I have so much I should/could be doing, but I've been really lazy. Once I get back to the pool in a couple of weeks for water aerobics, I'll probably drown myself. I haven't been doing any exercising, other than what I get doing housework, and that's why I'm feeling lazy. I should be using my treadmill, which would be the easiest thing to get into, since it's right here, but I haven't. I also have my hand weights by the treadmill - 3, 5, and 8 pound sets - and they're all collecting dust. I think I'm avoiding getting started because I know how much out of shape I've become, and it's going to be an uphill battle to regain strength and energy. I haven't been going to Curves either. Sigh ... My one saving grace is that I've kept my weight down. I haven't been eating very much, don't have as much of an appetite as I used to, so I've actually lost some weight.

Well, tomorrow is another day. I'll see if I can guilt myself into some morning exercise on the treadmill. It's still January, and those resolutions are ready and waiting!

PHOTO: A deer in our back yard in early autumn, munching on the leaves of the trees.

A Winter Day 'Chez Moi'

Cough, cough ...hack, hack, hack. Ah, winter colds. Aren't they fun? Along with dry, chapped hands, we can have dry, chapped lips and red noses. And they go so well with my new drain!

Speaking of the drain, it will be in at least until I go to my appointment on Monday, but this time I think it's working and I'll be rid of it. That's because after all the draining that was done yesterday at the doctor's office and last night at home, today there doesn't seem to be much of anything left. That's a good thing! It is uncomfortable. Itchy, for one thing. But it's really not too bad. This drain tube is smaller in diameter than the other ones I had for a month.

Another MUGA scan* is scheduled for tomorrow morning. Sometimes it seems that my job nowadays is going to appointments! This scan should determine whether I will be able to get back on Herceptin infusion treatments, or go to "Plan B." I've been told by my oncologist's office that there is another treatment that can be given in place of Herceptin. That treatment (Plan B, I don't know the name of the drug) is taken in pill form. Whatever path is next in my journey, (I really hate that term) I really would like to get on with it. I say I hate that term because I rather like the word journey when it means an enjoyable trip - something to look forward to. But using it to describe the path of an illness of this magnitude spoils, for me, journey as a pleasant, pleasurable experience. You know, kind of like the word gay is no longer a word used to describe being lighthearted and carefree.

* A nuclear medicine test that determines cardiac function; a measurement of the pumping efficiency of the heart. Side effects of Herceptin can cause a decrease in the ejection fraction (EF) of the heart and sometimes can result in congestive heart failure. My EF has decreased to the point where I had to stop treatments, and I have been off Herceptin for two months now to give the heart valves time to recover.

PHOTO: We Are Family! Photos from our get together with everyone on Sunday. I love how they turned out. Click on photo to enlarge.

Taking a Step Backward

I had an appointment this morning with Dr. Schultz. He wanted to see how things were going after having removed my drains on Thursday. Well, he immediately determined that there was a lot of fluid that had built up inside, and said it would have to come out. Oh joy. I thought they would aspirate it with a needle, but instead I had to have a new drain put in. Yes, can you believe it? It's kind of a bad news/good news thing. The bad news is that I needed to have a new drain surgically inserted, but the good news is that they were able to do it in his office instead of in the operating room. Dr. Schultz now uses a new type of Jackson-Pratt or JP drain that can be put in under a local anesthetic in his exam room, but the older one would have to have been done in the OR. It looks like a grenade-shaped bulb with a long, thin tube attached. The bulb is squeezed to expel air, and over time suction pulls out fluid as the bulb returns to its normal shape. There is a clip attached to the bulb so that it can be attached to clothing.

They numbed my side first and then inserted the tubing, which didn't really hurt - I just felt pressure. There were a couple of little pinches, but basically nothing much. Once they had the tubing in place, it immediately started to drain the pocket of fluid that had built up. All told, about 175 cc's of fluid came out. That's a lot. Over the weekend I had noticed the pressure of fluid building up, and it bothered me a little, but I really didn't think I'd need a new drain.

Now I have another appointment in a week to have him check things out. I'm back to recording the output twice a day. No showers. I've been told to be careful not to let it pull out, because there are only 2 sutures holding the tubing in place. I'm all bandaged. There is definitely a difference in the tightness I felt beneath my collar bone and upper chest area. Now that pain and tightness is mostly gone. Another 50 cc's collected over the course of the day.

Sigh ... this new drain will delay the start of my radiation treatments, because the mastectomy surgery has to be totally cleared up and healed over before radiation can begin, and this is still part of that healing process. If things go well, it will just be a week's delay, otherwise perhaps longer.

PHOTO: The Temple of Venus in Rome, Italy, near the Colosseum.

Football Mania

Another day of family and football. We spent the majority of the day at Karen and David's house visiting with the Massachusetts out-of-towners, having appetizers and drinks, eating another of Karen's gourmet meals, and watching two football games. Being born and bred New Englanders, Jim and everyone else was rooting for the Patriot's to win and go on to the Super Bowl, which they did, then it was on to the next game to see who their Super Bowl opponents would be. Jim hoped it would be the Green Bay Packers, since he felt it would be a more challenging game. The others hoped it would be the NY Giants, the team that won - in sudden death overtime. We didn't get home until 11:00 after that marathon TV watching. It was a great day. David and Karen have a large HDTV, so Jim especially enjoyed the games.

I've been coughing and feeling like I'm fighting a cold, so I'm going to take some Airborne and go on to bed. I have an appointment with Dr. Schultz tomorrow morning at 9:00 am, then on to my book club. Yikes!

PHOTO: A sad beggar woman on the streets of Pisa, Italy.

The Serenity Tearoom

What a great day it was today. Daughter Cindy, granddaughters Hannah and Maddy, daughter-in-law Karen, Sharon and I all went to the Serenity Tearoom in Frederick, MD for afternoon tea. I invited Sharon to join us since today was her birthday, and everyone in the family likes her very much. Cindy and Bob, Maddy and Hannah are here visiting for the long weekend from Massachusetts. Hannah is on winter break from U Mass, and Maddy is in her sophomore year in high school. They're all staying with Karen and David this time and will fly back on Monday afternoon.

The Serenity Tearoom is a really wonderful tearoom, rated #1 of 49 in Maryland on teamap.com. The decor is Victorian and very elegant, with lovely furniture, china, flowers, and ambiance. We were especially grateful to the owner, Blanche Henry, for accommodating us by reconfiguring the seating in the room so that all six of us were able to sit together. When I made the reservations on the phone, she said that she already had a large party booked and our group would have to be split up into a table of 2 and one of 4. I said that would be ok, but it was a very special event for us and whatever she might be able to do, I would dearly appreciate it. When we arrived, we found that the tables had been moved especially for us. She had made us a table of 6 and rearranged the whole room so that it could happen. What a nice woman. The food and service is superior to any other tea room I've ever been to - and I've been to many over the years since 1989. Going to tea together with the womenfolk has become somewhat of a tradition ever since Jim and I moved to Maryland. This is the third time we've been able to get together for tea, and I hope we will continue every year. We all love it. We each had our own individual tea pots, and all of us selected a different type of tea. The food was delicious and plentiful - nearly everything made on the premises by the owner. We all left totally stuffed. Afterwards we walked through several nearby shops and poked around a bit. It would be nice to come back another time and spend some time window shopping. There are some very interesting looking shops I would love to look through.

When we arrived back home, all the menfolk had gone to Home Depot to pick up some manly materials. They had lunch while they were out too - McDonald's - but that was mostly a treat for the boys. When they came back, we had a couple of hours to chat together before Jim and I left. On the way home we stopped at a nice restaurant and had dinner. It's an unusual restaurant in that it's a renovated train station. The trains still go right by the window - it happened tonight while we were there - and the whole place vibrates. Our meals were delicious. I wasn't terribly hungry after our tea, so I had a creamy butternut squash and baked apple soup with a spinach salad. With the warm homemade herb bread, it was perfect. Jim's rockfish was also very good.

Tomorrow we'll be going back to spend more time with everyone. Can't wait!

PHOTO: A photo from Serenity Tearoom's web page. Our plates were more full than this!

Primping

I've had a hard time keeping track of what day it is today. For some reason, I got it into my head that it's Saturday, and it's been confusing me all day. That happens sometimes, and it throws everything off. It's usually when there's a holiday involved.

Whatever. I've been upstairs trying on outfits. I'm going to a tea tomorrow and I wanted to find something appropriate. What I chose looks nice, I suppose, but I feel like I should be holding a crystal ball and telling fortunes. Long black velvet skirt, black top, with flowing, dark floral print overblouse thing, and a red, fringed shawl. The "overblouse," I call it that because it's sheer and filmy and you have to wear something under it, has sequins and some beading and embroidery. I bought it a year or so ago at Chico's, and I really like it. Only wore it once, I think. I love Chico's because there are only 3 sizes in the store - size 1, 2, or 3. That's it. The whole female population of the planet is divided into size 1, 2, or 3. Simplicity. And beautiful clothes.

I've been changing my jewelry over to compliment my gray hair. Before my hair fell out, it was mostly blond, some highlights. I had just had it colored about 2 weeks before it fell out. I confess that I saved a lock, to remember it by. Anyway, between gold and silver, almost all my jewelry is gold. Now, with the gray hair, I'm trying to wear more silver. My glasses have a silvery, taupe look, as well. This look is fine for now, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to be totally gray for the rest of my life. It's just so different than I used to look, and I'm unsure who this person in the mirror is.

PHOTO: An ancient graveyard in Ireland.

Lots of News to Report

Well, where to begin? Lots to say today. First of all - I HAVE NO DRAINS! My doctor removed them today, just a day short of 4 weeks since surgery. When I was in for a drain check on Monday, he said he would probably remove them today, even though I still had over 100 cc's of fluid daily - more like 115 - but he was concerned about them being in any longer. After a while, they become a hinderance rather than a help. They did a culture Monday. Expecting that he would be taking the drains out, I took 2 Advil before we left the house in case it was very painful. Guess what? I had to ask if they were already out, because I didn't feel it! After all the stories I've heard, some in person, about how much it hurts to have them removed and how some people are screaming out, I can't believe it. I just felt a little tickle inside, and I wasn't sure that I had even felt that, which is why I asked if they were out. Hooray! Jim had also heard from his friend about how terrible the pain was that his wife had, and someone else who had drains in after heart surgery said it was awful. Jim didn't tell me what he had heard, since he didn't want to alarm me, but I had already heard on my own about others' experiences.

While Dr. Schultz was checking things out, he told me they had been discussing my case at their conference, and everyone was very pleased with the success of my neo-adjuvant chemotherapy (meaning chemo prior to surgery). All traces of the cancer were eliminated in the course of the 24 weeks of chemo I underwent. That's remarkable, considering my cancer was multi-focal (meaning it was throughout the breast) and large (over 3 cm) and aggressive (grade 3) and had traveled into the axillary nodes. Dr. Schultz said I should be the Poster Child for neo-adjuvant therapy. He also said he'd like me to talk to other patients of his who are concerned or afraid to start chemo first, since mine was so successful. Of course, I told him I'd absolutely do that, and would love to help. That really makes me feel good that I can help others. That was one of my reasons for starting this daily blog - I thought keeping a diary of my experiences might resonate with other women who are facing breast cancer, and they might get something out of it.

When we got home, the first thing I did was to take a nice, warm shower. That's part of my treatment, putting warm compresses on the holes to help with the fluid drainage. I'm supposed to take 2 showers a day. After all this time doing sponge baths, that's a wonderful prescription!

All looks great with the incision, the drain holes, etc. One small problem - I do have an infection. They were on the phone with the lab that grew up the culture, and the nurse passed the phone on to Dr. Schultz, since what they were saying was so unusual. He said "Diane, do you have a pet?" I said, yes, I have 4 cats, why? He said you have Pasteurella, a bacteria that is passed from cats. Apparently, it's in their saliva, and if you get a cat bite, which I didn't, or if they lick you or themselves or whatever, they can pass it on. I must have been petting the cat, got it on my hand, and somehow contaminated my drain. At least that's what I think may have happened. The fact remains that I have this infection, which is why there was so much fluid coming out. I've been on an antibiotic since the operation, but this one needs a stronger antibiotic, so he put me on some big horse pills that I will take twice a day for 10 days. That should do the trick. Those rotten pussy foots! It's all their fault!

PHOTO: We're having a snow storm, but the snow probably won't last, so I thought this would be a good photo choice.

Back to Hair Brushing!

I think I must have reached a milestone of a sort. Jim's back to brushing my hair. It feels good. He also kind of massages my head. This came up tonight because I had the beginning of a headache coming on, and he offered to brush my hair to alleviate it, then started the massage. It does feel good! Ball had to get in on the act, so he jumped up onto Jim's lap behind my head so that he could get his fair share of strokes.

Today was another Red Hat luncheon. We went to the Crab Shanty in Ellicott City. It was a good lunch. I brought half of my crab cake home for Jim, along with a helping of the seasoned fries, so he had that with dinner. I have to say, it was a very good crab cake. Mostly crab with a minimum of any filling, nicely seasoned. It was so good to see everyone again. It's a very nice group of women - 20 total. Our group started in August of 2003, and meets monthly. Most of us didn't know one another at the time, but by now we've really become friends. The hostess announced that she had chosen to make a donation for Breast Cancer Research in my name in lieu of party favors. I thought that was a very, very nice gesture. That is the 3rd time someone has done that, and it's such an honor.

Yikes! Ming Poo just walked across the keyboard and the screen disappeared. Turns out I was able to recover the entry - not a big deal, really, if I couldn't - but it surprised me. She's my puppy cat. Follows me around just like a puppy. Has to be right where I am, involved in whatever I'm doing all the time, the closer the better. And often into mischief.

Let's see, where was I? Oh, I was about to say I'm listening to a book on CD by Amy Tan, the author who wrote "The Joy Luck Club" and other novels about Chinese/American family life. The one I'm listening to now is called "Saving Fish from Drowning." I thought the title was intriguing. This novel is read by the author, which I really like. I think the inflections and voices authors use when reading their novels give a better sense of what they were thinking or trying to convey when writing. Another author who I thought had a great speaking voice was Elizabeth Berg. She read her novel, "We Are All Welcome Here," and she really made the story come alive for me. A really good book that was my choice for Book Club.

PHOTO: I love this. Outside a pub on the main street in Chatham on Cape Cod is this refreshment stand for the Fido crowd. How cute is that?

Watching the Democratic Debate

It was cold today, and a few flurries flew. Hmmm ... that sounds poetic. We're really lucky here in Maryland that we don't seem to end up with the drastic weather situations others have in different parts of the country. When it snows here it's usually just a few inches. Anyway, it was chilly, but that's it.

Jim's been hollering at the TV set, watching the Democratic debate in Nevada between Obama, Clinton, and Edwards. He's basically upset that the moderators are perpetuating the race issue dust up that Clinton and Obama and their surrogates were involved in for a couple of days. Jim's view is that the media is stirring the pot to keep the race issue going. I feel as though the news people are treating the snit as news, since it's been making headlines, and I agree with them. That's their job - to report news, and people want to know what they really think. I feel it was a good opportunity for everyone to clear the air before putting the topic to bed, and I was glad to hear their explanations and their views. Our politics, Jim's and mine, aren't the same - never have been. I'm a Democrat, and he's an Independent and uses his vote as a protest vote. He was a Ross Perot voter, as well as a Ralph Nader voter - twice - and he'll probably vote for Nader again. Even if he has to write it in.

(Later) Took a break from the blog ... the debate is now over, and I thought it was really good. Lots of substance, and I'm impressed with all three of them. I'm trying to remain open minded about who I want for the party's nomination until I hear more. I thought I knew who I wanted, but now I'm up in the air about it. I just want so much for a Democratic president to be elected. After the fiasco that Bush (the Shrub) has made of the past 7 years, all the damage he and his neo-con cronies have caused to this country, the trampling of our Constitution, this terrible war he's waging in Iraq, and his shameful arrogance, I can't wait for him to get the hell out of Dodge. I hope he trips head first onto a fire ant hill on his ranch. Serve him right.

PHOTO: From our trip to Italy in 2006. Graffiti sprayed on a building wall in Pisa. I couldn't agree more.

My Cooking Efforts Flop

Went in to Dr. Schultz's office again this morning and left with the drains still in - not surprising to me. He did indicate that he wants me back on Thursday, and he will probably pull them, regardless. I've been told everything looks terrific, just as it should, and they are pleased with the way it's healing. On Thursday it will be a day short of 4 weeks since they've been in. Today they did a culture of the fluid to make sure there is no infection, which isn't likely, but if they do get any positive growth from the culture, I will get a different antibiotic. Jim was talking to his friend from the gym, whose wife had breast cancer some years ago. Presently her doctors are trying to figure out what is wrong with her - perhaps another cancer, they haven't determined yet. Anyway, when she had drains from her mastectomy, they were in for 6 weeks! Holy mackerel!

Well, tonight I made the casserole I've been planning on for a few days. It had rave reviews on recipezaar.com, so I thought it would be a good bet. Followed it exactly as written, except that I didn't peel the potatoes, just sliced them, and added a few ounces of frozen corn, peas and carrots. Used fewer potatoes. I thought it was pretty yummy. Not so for Jim. He said "the flavors didn't go well together." On a scale of 5, he rated it a 2. A 2! Let's see - lean ground beef, onions, garlic, green pepper, russet potatoes, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, milk, parmesan cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, seasonings - chili pepper flakes, seasoned salt, garlic powder, and pepper. How can those flavors not go together? If you want to check it out yourself it's: Delicious Ground Beef and Scalloped Potato Casserole, http://www.recipezaar.com/215414. He did eat two helpings, but probably because other than a small salad, that's all he got for dinner, and he was hungry. Sigh ...

Tomorrow Sharon and I are going in to a new consignment store in Timmonium to peddle our wares. This is a really large, established business. They make you call ahead to make an appointment - for the following month! We'll see if our things pass muster. I hope so, because the basement is too full. The other place where we had been taking things was becoming less attractive an outlet - the owner was being picky, wouldn't accept things she had previously, and not pricing things reasonably. Depending on if we get shot down tomorrow, we may go back to the old place! Well, at any rate it will be a fun outing.

PHOTO: This is a photo of the ancient Roman road in Verona, Italy. The current road level is railed off, and below you can see the actual Roman road - thousands of years old. You can see multiple levels of the old Roman road on top of one another. I found this totally fascinating.

Another Sunday in Finksburg

Boy, were we bad today. After a good late breakfast - corned beef hash and onions, fried eggs, toast, orange juice, coffee - our late lunch turned out to be a huge bowl of buttered popcorn. And a beer. Then we weren't hungry enough for me to make the Ground Beef and Scalloped Potato Casserole I had planned to make for dinner, so dinner ended up being apple pie. Sundays often turn out that way around here. I've been known to make breakfast for dinner, such as French toast, or a cup of tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. We tend to be rather informal. I'm determined to make more new recipes this year - I have tons squirreled away - and I'm using food from our freezer first. Cooking for two is a challenge, making meals that don't end up with a lot of leftovers. Reminds me of something my sister Debbie once said in a letter. Debbie was a single person and cooking for herself was always a challenge to her. She said it's either make a full recipe and be stuck with a week of tuna and noodles, or if you make a half recipe, what do you do with the leftover 1/2 can of mushroom soup? She said that for a single person, standing in the produce aisle of the grocery store, looking at a package of celery, is the equivalent of looking at eternity. I sure do miss her sense of humor. For those of you who don't know, Debbie died 4 1/2 years ago from metastatic breast cancer.

I was all ambitious early in the day and got a lot done, then got tired and turned into a slug. Both Jim and I are yawning. His hike yesterday made some of his muscles sore today, but not too bad. I do think it took some of the starch out of him. He's been watching football all day. Now it's golf - and he's snoozing.

PHOTO: A moss-covered log in the woods at Youghiogheny Grove, MD.

Presenting the New Me

Jim went on his Sierra Club hike in Catoctin Park today. It turned out to be more of a challenge than he had thought it would be because there was so much uphill walking, rocks, and uprooted trees to climb over on the trail. There were 11 people on the hike, mostly young people in their 20's and 30's. There was another older man who was 68 years old, but Jim was the oldest at 78. The others had all been involved in hiking together before, and were in good shape. Jim's in good shape too, but hiking uphill over uneven terrain isn't something he's used to, and he was wheezing, his breathing was labored, and he was dripping with sweat. There will be another hike next month that will be less difficult, and he's going to try to do that one as well. He enjoyed himself, but tonight he's pretty tired and has gone off to bed.

I met my friends Sharon and Cathy today for lunch at our favorite restaurant for big salads. It's been quite a while since we've done that, and it was really good to catch up with each other's lives. Afterwards we did a little shopping, but I was fading fast and went on home. As I was driving along the road, the truck in front of me was the same as Jim's, and it turns out it was him! What timing. He was just coming home. He pulled over to let me go ahead, and as I passed he held up a bouquet of beautiful yellow roses he had picked up for me. Isn't that romantic?

PHOTOS: Thought you would like to see what my hair looks like now. Today a woman told me she thought I looked like Judy Dench. I thought that was a nice compliment. I'm wearing a crocheted necklace and earring set I created. The circular lump on the right side of my chest is my access port, where my chemotherapy was plugged in. If I go back to Herceptin infusions, I will continue to need the port. Eventually the port will be removed and you will not be able to see any sign of it. Perhaps a small horizontal scar will remain.

Want Some Cheese with That Whine?

Ow, ow, ow ... I'm hurting again. At the site where the drains go into my side. I don't know why some days are worse than others, but that's how it is. I've taken Advil, but so far it hasn't helped. Thank you for listening.

I made Jim's apple pie today. The apple peeler was fun to use, and it works really well. I didn't understand how to make it slice and core at the same time, so I just sliced and cored myself. The pie turned out pretty well, I think. Jim enjoyed it. To make sure he wasn't too full to have dessert, I planned a light meal. Sort of. We had French Onion Soup, salad, and French bread. That was it. So both of us had pie for dessert. The soup was really good, and the rustic loaf of bread was perfect with it. There was enough left over to have it again in a couple of days.

Ming Poo has been creating havoc here all evening. She's been attacking all of the other kitties and scattering them. She's only trying to play, but they aren't interested. They just want to nap on Jim's lap, but as soon as she jumps up to join them, somebody gets ruffled feathers, hisses and hollers, and everybody jumps down. She can clear the table faster than any pool hustler.

Jim is getting ready to go on a hike tomorrow in Catoctin Park and Cunningham Falls in Thurmont with people from the Sierra Club. Thurmont is where Camp David is located. It's going to be an 8-mile hike - 4 miles in, 4 miles back. He's gathering his gear and backpack together as we speak. It should be a really fun day for him, and I'm sure he'll enjoy it immensely. He's been interested in doing some hiking ever since reading Bill Bryson's book "A Walk in the Woods," about Bryson's experiences walking along the Appalachian Trail.

PHOTO: One of our squirrel friends having lunch on our patio.

Rub-A-Dub Dub!

Things are pretty uneventful here at home. One thing I did today was to get into the bathtub. I've been told I can't take a shower as long as the drains are in place, so I've had to keep myself clean with sponge baths. Boy, that gets pretty old after 20 days! I really wanted to get into the tub, and decided if I just kept the water level low enough and made sure the bandaging didn't get wet, there wasn't any reason why I couldn't have a nice soak. I also couldn't just sink back, but it was still really nice and relaxing. Very enjoyable. I was a little extra cautious exiting the tub. I was afraid that I might slip or get the bandages wet after all, but nothing bad happened, and I was renewed.

Speaking of my drains, in the 24-hour period ending at 9 this morning, 150 cc's of fluid collected. I imagine that's what it will be around 9 tomorrow morning. It's supposed to be less than 20 cc's within a 24-hour period for 2 consecutive days. I'm getting nervous about just how long this can continue to go on. I don't know how I can have the drains come out any time soon - like within a week. By Friday of next week, my surgery will have been 4 weeks ago! I never dreamed the drains would be in so long. It's discouraging.

I had plans to bake Jim an apple pie today, but ended up taking a long nap, and that idea flopped. I had a really sleepless night last night and made up for it by napping this afternoon. I'm going to make sure I get the pie made tomorrow. I already have the apples and they're haunting me. It really won't take that long. We have a nifty apple peeler, slicer, corer just begging to be used!

PHOTO: Little Ming Poo when she was 5 months old, the day we brought her home. Is she cute or what?

Taking Care of Business

Definitely felt better today. I must have had some sort of 24 hour bug, because I'm just fine now. My drains are still putting out a lot of fluid, but the nurse at Dr. Schultz's office said that's normal. It could be after they cleared the drain on Monday a blockage was released. Or something like that.

This was a productive day, though tiring. I've spent the majority of it immersed in paperwork, and I really accomplished a lot, thank goodness. Balanced the checkbook. Since August I've been taking the bank's word for what we have, but tonight I'm balanced to the penny. Yay! All the bills are paid. All the receipts have been checked off. The filing is sorted, if not finished. We're good to go. Happy dance time!

The other thing I did today was to - finally - take a physical inventory of the kitchen freezer. That was one of the things on my "to do" list. I made a list of what's on each shelf. It's pretty full. I found things I had forgotten about, of course. Forgot I had frozen fresh strawberries and raspberries this summer, for instance. But we're in really good shape with what's available. Now that I know exactly what I have available, my next step is menu planning. This organization thing is very exciting.

PHOTO: Sun setting over Perugia, Italy.

Not My Best Day

"... assuming all goes well, we should make both appointments without a problem." I should have known better. As it turned out, neither one of us made either of our appointments today. My fault.

I went to bed last night feeling rotten. All my muscles were sore. Head ached. I was cold, so I wore a socks and heavy bathrobe to bed, underneath all the blankets, and shivered. It wasn't cold outside, so Jim had the windows cracked, but that wasn't why I felt cold. I was fighting something. My head was splitting. I finally warmed up and took off the bathrobe, but I was up most of the night feeling miserable. At one point I was nauseous and unsteady on my feet. My head felt like it would explode. So when Jim woke up, I told him I was toast, and he called both places and cancelled both of our appointments. I was supposed to be Jim's ride home from his endoscopy procedure.

I spent the entire day in bed - didn't get up until 6:00 tonight. It's now going on 10, and I'm feeling pretty good. Had something to eat, some ginger ale, and I'm good to go. Last night I thought I might have the flu, but now I'm thinking it could have been a migraine. Never had one before, but maybe that was it. At any rate, I seem to be over most of it.

My drains are working overtime. As Jim said - it's going in the wrong direction. Instead of slowing down, when I checked the fluid level a little while ago, it was 70 cc's in 9 hours. Considering they are looking for it to be a total output of 20 cc's over the course of 24 hours for 2 consecutive days, I can see it's going to be a while before that happens. Sigh ...

Marley's Ghost and Me

I brought up Marley's ghost one other time - you know, the poor schmuck hauling around his accounting ledgers throughout eternity in Dickens' "Christmas Carol?" Well, I'm really starting to "feel his pain." Poor bugger. Yes indeed, I left the doctor's office today with my drains still plugged in and my Hemo-Vac banging against me. I was afraid that this might happen, since the fluid output hasn't gone down enough for them to pull the drains - it needs to be 20cc's or below for 2 consecutive 24-hour periods. This time they didn't even give me another appointment - I'm just supposed to call them on Wednesday, give them my numbers, and we'll go from there as far as making another appointment to see if the drains are ready to come out. Jim's friend says that his wife had her drains in for a month. Oh woe!!! Mine have been in for 17 days now.

The thing is, I'm hurting tonight. I just can't get comfortable, and I'm starting to think I may be coming down with something. I have a headache, I feel chilled, and I'm achy. Bleah! I took some Advil for the drain-tubing pain, and it should kick in soon. I'll grab some Airborne and drink that to see if I can kick whatever is trying to take hold.

Tomorrow Jim and I both have medical appointments, and we have to choreograph ourselves to make sure we get to each on time. Mine's at 10:00 and his is at 12:30. I have another MUGA scan tomorrow - measurement of cardiac activity, and the test takes about an hour and a half. Jim has to go back for a followup endoscopy to see if his esophagus has healed. When he was in the hospital to have stents put into his cardiac arteries, he developed such a terrible case of acid reflux that he threw up blood. (Sorry for the graphic description.) While he was there, they wheeled him down to have an endoscopy, and found the problem. Since then he's been on several medications and he seems as right as rain now. It seems funny, almost, that whenever one of us has an appointment for some medical procedure, the other one does as well. Ah, togetherness. While he was in surgery for the cardiac stents, I was on another floor getting a chemotherapy treatment. At least that time we were at the same location, St. Joe's. Tomorrow we won't be, and assuming all goes well, we should make both appointments without a problem.

Uh-oh, I shouldn't have said that, should I?

PHOTO: Sheep on a farm in Ireland.

First Sunday in 2008

Spent some time in the kitchen today, fussing about and tidying up when - WHAM - I got the drain hooked on a drawer knob and it nearly yanked out of my body. OW...OW...OW!!! Yikes, that smarts. I hurt for the better part of an hour afterwards. I'm really hoping these drains are taken out tomorrow morning. I'm becoming a danger to myself with this plasticware hanging about.

We had a Cornish Game Hen for dinner tonight. One, between us. Plus a couple of sides. You can tell neither of us were very hungry since one little hen was enough for two people. Plus a few nibbles for the kitties. I told Jim we have to get more disciplined about our eating times here. More regular meal times. Jim had a big breakfast at 10, then lunch about 4:00, so wasn't interested in dinner at a normal time. I haven't been very hungry lately since I haven't been too active, so I'm also guilty. But since it's a new year, we need to establish some better eating habits. Plus, I'm getting psyched to try some new recipes and stretch my culinary talents, but it's no fun if no one's hungry!

I'm sleepy tonight. Must be the Southern Comfort I indulged in earlier tonight. I have a glass of wine some evenings, but we're low on wine and I decided it was time to use up some of the harder stuff that's been here for who knows how many years. There are a number of bottles of good name-brand alcohols in the liquor cabinet, and it seems wasteful to buy other alcohol drinks when I could give some of these a try. One in our stash that had been with us a long time was a large, unopened bottle of Bailey's Irish Creme. I think it was a gift. I thought I'd have some of it the other day. Well, imagine my surprise when I opened it, tipped the bottle, and it was solid inside. What's that all about? Not a single drop. You can see what heavy drinkers we are here.

PHOTO: A summer fawn in our back yard.

Party Night

Tonight we went to our friends' "New Year's" party. It's become a tradition with them to have a large party the week following New Year's Eve, and we look forward to it every year. It's a wonderful catered event, with delicious finger foods and desserts, and a bartender and bar with whatever anyone would like to drink. This is a very large home, since they have 5 children ranging in age from 12 to 20's. The party is held in the finished basement, and this year they have a separate new TV room with an enormous HDTV along one wall. It's a 72" television centered in a beautiful built-in wall unit, and as you can imagine, that's where most of the men congregated to watch a football game. With comfortable chairs and couches, Jim was in heaven. I spent most of the evening chatting with 4 other girlfriends I haven't seen recently, and we had a great time catching up.

With all the colds circulating, both Jim and I took a dose of Airborne when we got home to boost our immune systems and ward off the germs. I've been pretty lucky so far to avoid getting sick, but so much illness is going around.

I did end up going to Jim's hair stylist this afternoon for a haircut. She seemed like a nice woman. She evened it up and made it neater, trimming around the ears and neck and back. It does look better and I'm glad I had it done. I actually received a compliment at the party from a woman I didn't know. She came up to me and told me how much she liked my hairstyle and the color of my hair. Wow! I should have told her what it says on the button my chemo nurse gave me - "I paid my oncologist big bucks for this hairstyle." Tee hee!

PHOTO: Goods for sale at a festival in Stresa, Italy.

Hair Business

I've been sitting here fretting over my hair. Not fretting that I don't have any, as I have been over the last six months or more, but fretting that I actually find myself in need of a haircut. Or I should say a trim. Or a shaping. Or whatever. I want it to be neat and trim, but I don't really want any off. After all, it's taken so long to get it to this point, and I don't want to end up shorn again.

The thing is, now that it's coming in wavy, it's going to be a challenge to cut it so that it will lay flat and not stick up straight. Jim suggested I go to his hairdresser, who does both men's and women's hair. I don't know her, but I may go ahead and give her a try tomorrow, if she can squeeze me in. I have a hairdresser that I went to once before my hair came out, and she was pretty good, so I suppose I could try there. The guy I had been going to for a year or so was very obnoxious and insulting, so I finally had enough and quit that salon. He was very good, but there's a limit to what I will put up with, especially when afterwards I'm then expected to leave a tip. The hairdresser I started with when we moved here from San Diego moved to Georgia, hence ending up with Mr. Chauvinist Pig.

I hate hairdresser shopping. It's that whole relationship, chemistry, skill, understanding thing that you have to begin all over again with a new person. I like to go to a salon and enjoy the experience without necessarily keeping a running conversation going. A little small talk is fine, but mostly I'd like to be quiet. Maybe I should just let Jim trim it. After all, he's the one who shaved my head when I began losing my hair, so he has some credentials.

PHOTO: Click on the photo to enlarge it. A clever wee leprechaun house is hidden at the bottom of a stump in a vignette at the Philadelphia Flower Show. If you look carefully, there is a little red door at the base, with a rack of milk bottles and a pump. The daffodils give you an idea of the scale. At the upper right side is a tiny table and chairs. I took the photo without even seeing any of that, and only noticed it once I was looking at the photo on my computer. The theme of the flower show was Ireland.

Iowa Caucus Night

I went to St. Joe's this morning, got my remaining staples out, but the drains are still in. Sigh ... Well, I was assured that they would be coming out on Monday. Apparently the fluid level needs to be below 20 cc's output over the course of a 24-hour period for 2 days before they will pull the drains. I've been keeping a chart so that I know what the output is, and it's probably about 2 times that right now. They said if they did pull the drain and I ended up with a fluid buildup over the weekend, I'd be back and they'd have to put a new drain in. No thanks! The last time they did that I was under anesthetic, and I don't think I'd be that lucky again. So, 4 more days. They're bothering me right now, and I will take an Advil in a few minutes.

The nurses told me everything really looks good. I have nothing to compare it to, but they assured me that that is the case. Apparently I heal very well, according to them. That's good!

We've been watching the Iowa caucus voting, the results, and the analysis that's been going on all evening. Neither Jim nor I understood until a couple of days ago what a caucus amounted to, but now we know, and it is really fascinating. Especially the way the Democrats caucus at the libraries and schools and other meeting places. It actually amounts to a show of hands of people on one side of the room and the other, out in the open, no secret ballot, being counted for their candidate. No technology, no voting booths, just counting the people standing up for their candidate. It looks fun. I'm happy with the winning Democratic candidate - Obama. I find him a refreshing candidate, and I wish him continued success. It feels historic - his Iowa win. What an election this will be. I enjoy listening to political analysis and I'm sure I'll be getting plenty of it from now on.

PHOTO: A photo of the top of the arch at the entry to the Philadelphia Flower Show. It was a beautiful show. The theme was Ireland, and it was totally amazing. This photo is my laptop background photo.

Getting Back to Normal

Well, I was a busy bee today. I really got a lot accomplished, and I feel pretty good about it. Took down all the Christmas decorations, such as they were - no tree, but miscellaneous other things. I got the house back to its normal self and cleaned the whole first floor. I was polishing the dining room table - with my left hand - when I realized I have full extension of my left arm, without any pain or problem. My doctor had told me the day following my surgery that he wanted me to go ahead and do all my normal activities, with no restrictions. He said that getting my life back is what this is all about. I think he wanted to make sure I didn't baby myself. He's right, of course.

My hair continues to grow, along with my eyebrows and eyelashes. Whew! I'm feeling more like my old self again, and getting my confidence back. The back of my head is now getting quite wavy. Jim tells me he likes it. Having had straight hair all my life, this new kind of hair is very foreign to me.

Tomorrow morning we go back to St. Joe's to see how I'm doing. I will get the remainder of the staples out and - I hope - will get the drain out. I'm not very confident that it will happen because I'm still having about the same amount of fluid coming out. Well, I can always hope. Their isn't as much pain today from the drain. I'm not really sure what's up with that, but I'm glad.

PHOTO: Companion boats somewhere on our trip to Ireland. I love the coloring.

New Year's Day

What a great day to start off the year. January 1st is not only New Year's Day, it's our grandson Alex's birthday, who turned 12 today. He's Karen and David's older boy, brother to Christopher, who is 6. Jim and I were invited to join them and Karen's parents for dinner at a Sakura Japanese Steakhouse in Ellicott City. It was Alex's choice, his favorite restaurant. Karen and David had taken the boys there one other time, and both the kids loved all the knife action, the flaming entrees, and the food itself.

We went for an early dinner, arriving as they opened their doors at 4:30 pm, and were immediately seated at our own grill table for 8. Our chef was an expert, who fascinated the boys with his knife skills and panache. Lots of 3-foot flames off the grill. We took photos and had a great time. Because it was Alex's birthday, he received a free dessert - cheesecake - and a Polaroid photo of the family as a souvenir. We left and drove to K & D's for cake, ice cream, and presents. It was a great little party, and Alex received many nice presents and cards from the family. He seemed very happy and delighted with everything.

You know the popular Nintendo game Wii? The one no one is able to find these days? David managed to get one a couple of months ago at a Walmart, and it became a family Christmas gift. The boys have become amazingly good at all the sports games it came with. Tonight we saw them playing golf, boxing, and bowling. There are other sports as well - baseball and tennis. It was a riot to watch them. We came in when they were boxing, and it was so funny. David got out the video recorder to catch all the foot action that was going on. Little Chris was going a mile a minute with his feet and arms flying, but was still being knocked down by Alex. Then Alex took his lumps from Chris. I loved it. Earlier David had created a cartoon character of each of the family members, called Mii's, all looking remarkably like each of them. It was so funny to see the little characters moving in response to the hand remotes.

I can't get over how good these kids are at the games already. Must be all the Game Boy and Play Station action they've played for years. Their reflexes are so good, and they seem to have a natural talent with each of the sports - even outdoing their Dad in some areas. What I like especially about the Wii game is that they are getting actual exercise when playing, and it's something that they can play with together. I know the whole family will get hours of entertainment and fun out of it.

A great day all around! And Happy New Year!

PHOTO: A cartoon about the problems finding a store selling Wii's these days.