A bird in the hand

Yesterday a little bird flew into the patio door which is not an unusual occurrence, but this one hit really hard. When he hadn't moved for at least 5 minutes, I decided I'd better dispose of the body. When I reached for him, his eye blinked. Thinking that he may be in shock, I cupped him in my hands to keep him warm. I think he really liked that, because after he had apparently recovered, he didn't want to leave.

Saturday

Maybe a little better this morning. It was at least an hour before I ran out of gas.
Some Relief Society ladies are here pulling weeds. All help is greatly appreciated.
The doctor says I can start having company again by the 4th. It'll be great to see the grandkids again even if they wear me out.

Condition

Richard came over Tues and mowed the lawn and pulled weed. The place sure needs a lot more of the same.
I'm really glad the treatments are over. The side effects have been worse with each treatment. Wednesday, by the time I got thru in the bathroom and got dressed, I could bearly make to my chair. All I could do all day was nap. Today's better, but still pretty bad. Hope I start coming out of it pretty soon.

Chain for Becky

Since you asked, here's the cutting of the first link:

And the last:

As most of you know, yesterday was our 44th anniversary. We went out on Wednesday since we knew my taste would be shot by Friday.
Now for the recovery period. As I mentioned on Facebook, I have no idea how long it will take. My only goals are to go back to work part-time by Aug. 1 and to need a haircut by Sept. 1.

Daytime TV

With all the rain, my days are spent reading, napping, and watching TV. Since I can't stand soaps and the contestants on game shows are so totally stupid they turn me off, it's mostly Matlock, Perry Mason, and The Heat of the Night.
I'm impressed with the police on The Heat of the Night. These guys and gals never, never waste their time on burglaries, petty theft, or break-ins let alone traffic control. No way, these folks are always investigating murders.
Now, Sparta is supposed to be a small town in rural Mississippi. I grew up in a small town in rural Oregon and I remember 2, maybe 3 killings from the time we moved there when I was 7 until I left just before I turned 18. Sparta and environs average at least 1.5 dead per week and, of course the police always catch the bad guys, so an average of at least 1.5 people get shipped of to prison per week. That's a loss of 3 citizens per week. Multiplied by 52 weeks per year comes out to 156 people per year. It's a good thing the show was cancelled, a small town can't sustain that kind of population loss long term.

Sunshine

We had sunshine yesterday afternoon. Did you see it?
It made me ambitious. I weeded the garden and replanted the cucumbers (3rd time. I think the slugs are getting them as soon as they come up.) Jan and I mowed the lawn. Actually, Jan mowed the lawn. I was able to make 2 laps around the back, then she finished. Same in the front. Legs were really shaky by then.
Goes to show, sunshine can be hazardous to your health.

Josh's tractor

Yesterday, Josh brought his lawn tractor over and mowed the lawn. It's a pretty good sized tractor and made short work of it, but the trees made the job a little hazardous. He nearly clothes-lined himself on the Spruce out front.
Ashlynn was impressed that the potatoes she planted were growing. She had to make sure daddy saw them before he left.

Naps

In the past I never took naps. In camp, when other people were napping it was my chance to escape and explore on my own. It's amazing how much more you see when you're alone instead of in the company of a gaggle of people stomping along, chattering to one another.
Now days, naps are part of every activity. Make a quick trip to the store, take a nap. Go for a walk, take a nap. Putter in the garden for a few minutes, take a nap. At least it makes the day go faster and making the days go faster until this is over is a good thing.

The garden

A few warm days followed by a little rain has been good for the garden. Lots of stuff sprouting out there. Some of it may even be things we planted.

Mom

Our sweet Marge has volunteered to take Mom to her house for a few weeks while Roger has a chance to get through these last few treatments and recover for awhile.

This morning Mom said to me, "I bet you'll be glad when I go home."
I said, "Why would you say that?"
She said, "To get me out of your hair."
I told her, "No, I will miss you very much."

And I will.
I will miss her crazy wit.
I will miss her songs & poems.
I will miss her stories.
I will miss her giggles.
And in a way, I will miss her "mothering".
Most of all I will miss the opportunities I have had to
give her small acts of service and to hear her heart felt
"thank you"s.

And I will be glad when things are more normal here and she can come home.

Lawn mowing

Richard drove over from Maupin to mow the lawns. Good thing, I don't know how long it would take me. Mow for 15 minutes, rest for 30- 40.

Out of gas

Only worked until 9:30 yesterday and stayed home today. I'm going to get the forms filled out to go on disability. Just out of gas.

Garden time

We planted a little more garden yesterday. As usual, I'm trying a few new varieties. For the past few years, I've planted Precocious for early corn. It is early and we're happy to have it, but its not great corn. This year we planted Quickie. The write-up makes it sound really good. We'll see. Of course, my main season corn is still Bodacious.
For cherry tomatoes, I've been using Sweet Million. It's well named -tons of cherry tomatoes, but splits badly. This year I'm trying Bambino. It's supposed to resist splitting.
I also found a cabbage (Gonzales) that's only softball sized. The regular sized ones are really too much for us.
We took it pretty easy and there's more to plant. I may get some more in today. This time I'll wear my straw hat instead of the baseball cap. The back of my bald head got a little pink yesterday.

Thursday, May 6

4 down, 2 to go.
Richard mowed the lawn yesterday and cleaned his room and made his bed before leaving for Maupin!! The lawn mowing didn't surprise me.
I hope to get some more garden planted this weekend. We'll see how that goes.

Apr 26 thru 29

Not much different this week. As I think I mentioned, the fatigue gets a little worse with each treatment. I'm not sure if I'll be able to work thru the whole process. We'll see.
Every thing I've ordered on-line came in this week. Ammunition, speed loaders, and tomato plants. The plants are in tiny pots, so I'll re-pot them today and put them in the garden when they get a little bigger.
4th treatment Thursday. I can hardly wait. Oh well, it'll be that much closer to being over.

A very nice (busy) weekend

On Saturday I escaped for a little while and went to the book exchange, gas station, and grocery store.
Today, Jenny & Josh came over. Josh tilled the garden while Jenny mowed the lawn. I burned the little pile of stuff that was left over. Grandma and Ashlynn planted potatos.


Not Van Gogh's Potato Eaters, but Roger's Potato Planters.


All done!

Afterwards, I took a nap! Watching all that work can wear a guy out.

Bald guys

NOW do you see the resemblance??

Tues thru Fri

Tues, Wed, and Thurs were uneventful. Just work, eat and sleep. Really tired by the time I got home each day, but that's normal for the week after. Went to work this morning, but didn't feel well, so I came home about 9:00. Feel some better now.
I did have some good news. The ammo I ordered from Cabela's in January finally shipped. It left IL this morning.
I hope to burn a little more tomorrow, then maybe, just maybe, the garden will be ready to til.

Monday

Stayed home today. Just tired. Hope to rest up and get a running start on tomorrow.

Sunday

Richard mowed the lawn and burned the brush pile. (I helped for 5-10 minutes.) He'll be gone 4 or 5 days next weekend rafting the Owyhee. I may need some help getting the garden tilled. If it's dry enough.

Saturday

The doctor said the fatigue would get worse with each treatment. Sadly, he was right. I'm supposed to try to get some light exercise, so I went for a walk. Only got as far as the other side of Hare Field, then had to give it up. Oh well, this too will pass. Just not soon enough to suit me.

Friday

Friday wasn't bad other than the crummy taste is back. Not as bad as the first time, but bad enough.
I got to work about 8:30. I couldn't stand for long periods, but had a lot of programming to do to make a part on the CNC Mill, so I spent quite a bit of time at the computer. Program awhile, try it, back to the computer to fix the problems, then try again.
I did discover another fringe benefit to the chemo. No one can tell if I skip shaving.

Wed - Thurs

Wednesday was uneventful, just worked, ate, and slept.
Thursday was treatment day. It wasn't quite as smooth as the previous two. They were a little understaffed and the nurses were running from station to station most of the day. My first IV location started causing pain as soon as the meds started flowing and its not supposed to, so they had to re-try in the other arm. After that every thing went fine. In at 8:00 am and out at 4:15 pm. I was native american day at the cafeteria so I had Salmon and rice. It was really good. I'm usually surprised at how good the food is at Tuality. Finished one book, napped, and read several magazines. Exciting, huh?
We went for a walk after we got home, but my legs were pretty shakey, so we had to cut that short.
I have to stop at the clinic and get a shot this morning then I'll try working and see how that goes.

Sat thru Mon

I felt pretty good all weekend. We went out to Forest Grove and looked at the house Loranger's have in the Ultimate Open House.
Back to work this morning.
I'm not looking forward to Thursday's treatment, but it will be the 3rd of 6.

Tues thru Fri

It was a pretty good week, my taste and appetite are nearly back to normal and my energy level is improved. I actually got physical yesterday. I got rid of the scrap metal parts that had been accumulating for months. It took at least 6 trips up and down the stairs form the Model Shop to the recycle area with a 5 gal. can full of small chunks of metal. My legs are feeling it this morning, but its a good kind of pain and not much of it.

Sunday & Monday

I've felt pretty good the last couple of days. Still run out of gas and need a nap by around 4:00 but otherwise nearly normal.
Sunday was pretty boring without all the grandkids decorating and hunting eggs. Next year...

Saturday

Not a bad day. Not especially good either, but not bad.
Jan and I just went for a walk down to Cornell and back. Dang, it's cold out there!
I wore a coat, gloves, and hat, but somehow that baseball cap didn't do anything for the back of my head. (Hair would help.) I guess I need a hoodie.
Imagine, me a skinhead with a hoodie. It just ain't right.

Wednesday thru Friday

Worked Wed. & Thurs. but very tired afterward. Came home early today because I was dizzy every time I stood up. That seems to have passed now. I'll probably nap a lot this afternoon.

Mon & Tues

Worked both days, but was really tired afterward. Millie, Theresa & Bud stopped by Mon and took Mom out to dinner. I took a nap while they were gone and Jan and I had Pizza. It's hard to find things to eat that actually taste good. The pizza wasn't great but better than a lot of things.

Sunday

Not as good as yesterday, but not as bad as last time. Energy and appetite are down and in general just feel kinda crappy. The cold, grey, wet weather may be contributing.

Saturday

A surprisingly good day compared to last time. I did the grocery shopping and then picked up a pot for Jan's little palm tree. I want to go spray some Round-up after I finish this.

OK, here are some pictures. The hair mostly fell out, but not completely, so Jan's friend Nelaine came over and gave me a buzz cut.

Before:

During

After

Bald & skinny

Friday

Had to go to the doctor's office at 10:00 for a shot to jump start my immune system. Seems strange after years of methotrexate to tone down my immune system to prevent arthritis and polymyositis.
Went to work afterward and had a good day. A little tired after.

Thursday

2nd treatment done, 4 more to go. The treatment went well, partly because I felt better to begin with and partly because it was shorter. 7 hours instead of 8 1/2.
No adverse effects yet other than a drop in energy level, but they usually don't kick in until the 2nd day after. It can't take much more hair from my head, it's pretty close to gone. Something to look forward to.

Wednesday

See Mon. & Tues.

Mon & Tues

Nothing much to report the last couple of days. Work, eat, sleep, lose more hair.

Sunday

Very quiet day. Too chilly to do anything outside, so I just sat around the house, watched basketball and read. Feeling fine.

Saturday

Saturday was a very good day. My only complaint was the scalp pain and most of the time I can ignore that.
Jan and I decided to try to see a movie. Our thinking was that the movie (Crazy Heart) had been out for a while and most people that wanted to see it already had and little kids wouldn't be interested. Randy Kaines came and took Mom out to lunch while we went to a 2:00 matinee. We guessed right, There were probably 10-12 people total in the theater.
I liked the music and thought Jeff Bridges did a great job, but overall the movie wasn't all that good.
Richard mowed the lawn and I got my roses fertilized. As I said, it was a very good day.

Friday

Oh, the hair is falling out for sure. I expected it but I didn't know it would be painful. My entire scalp is tender to the touch. It even hurts to comb my hair. Maybe the little follicles are protesting. I just wish they wouldn't try to plant their stupid signs.
Otherwise, it was a pretty good day, all things considered.

Thursday

Not so good today. Had a stiff neck and head-ache most of the day, so when I got home I took a Tylenol-3...on an empty stomach. Not smart.
Also, I think the hair is starting to go and I never was a fan of Kojak. Oh well, it'll come back. I hope.

Wednesday

Nothing much to report today. Appetite, taste, and energy are all slowly improving. I may be back to normal by the time I have to do it all over again. fun, fun, fun
It would have been a pretty good day except for Murphy showing up at work. What did I expect on St. Patrick's Day.

Tuesday

Worked again today. My energy level was somewhat better, but when I got home I fell asleep in front of the TV before I could finish a cup of tea.
Jan informs me that I slept thru 3 old women yanging away in the dining room. I guess there are benefits to a low energy level.

Monday

I went to work today. It went really well, but I was pretty much done in at the end of the day. For sure the only way to follow me home was to follow the hiney track. It was draggin' out any footprints. (If you can follow a hiney track, I don't want to know it.)

Richard fertilized the blueberries for me. Hopefully, we'll have a little better crop this year and more each year for a while.

Sunday, Mar 14

Today probably would have been a good day, but I worked on the taxes. "Good day" and "Worked on taxes" are mutually exclusive terms. You can have one only.
Speaking of taxes, when I turned 65 I began collecting my Tektronix pension, last fall I started collecting Social Security. Those things, coupled with the IRS not taking as big a bite to 'stimulate the economy' led to my paying the feds for the first time in years and years. $37.00 - dang!

Saturday

Saturday was definitely a good day. The best since last Monday. Still working on the taste thing, but able to get food down and keep it there. That's an important improvement.
Sam greatly improved my hopes for a complete recovery. She phoned to let me know that she made a Call in Solo. Anything is possible with prayer. lol (Love ya, Sam.)

Update on Dad

Relatively speaking yesterday was a better day.
And this morning he was able to eat most of his breakfast
(first since last Tuesday). He says he has no taste.
But that must be better than a bad taste, right?

And with my cooking - it might be a blessing.

One week down

If Dad wants to post for today later he can. For now I'll just say it was a rough day.

Tues & Wed

Not so tough after all, Sam. I only worked half a day yesterday and didn't go in at all today. Wait and see how tomorrow goes.

Monday

Went to work today. I'm hoping I can get away with working since I'm pretty much by myself back in the Model Shop and can avoid much personal contact with others. That plus a lot of hand-washing and sanitizer might get me through.
I'm a little tired, but glad I was able to get out of the house and actually feel like I was contributing.

Sunday

Sunday was a kinda 'tween day. Not as good as Friday, but not as bad as Saturday. Richard cleaned up the front yard and Rose Garden, so that looks alot better.
My chemo treatments are every 3 weeks thru June 17th and it'll be about 2 months after that before my immune system gets back to normal. Look's like we won't be coming to any reunions this year or going on our usual Memorial Day jaunt. Maybe we can get in a little camping trip sometime in late Aug.

Saturday

Saturday wasn't as good as Friday, but not toooo bad. Had to resort to the Tylenol a couple of times. The worst part is that gawd-awful taste in my mouth. You CANNOT get rid of it and everything tastes the same - really bad!
Jan helped me prune the roses and Amy came over and mowed the lawn. She got a really good work-out. I think she was 3/4 done when I showed her that the mower really is self-propelled.
Thanks, Aim.

Friday was good

Friday way a very good day. I woke to find the tumors greatly reduced and the pain with them.
Swallowing is much easier now. Still not great but better.
For the last 2 or 3 days, I've taken Tylenol-3 every 4 hours. I only took it once on Friday and that was as much preventative as for pain.
The nurses and doctors tell me that the day following the treatment is the good one, then the next two are bad. They were definitely right about day one.

Treatment #1 went very well.

Jan: "It was a long day. We were there at 8am and left at 4:30pm.
Dr Byrd told us some news we had not heard before. The second tumor that was found is actually bigger than the one in his neck. That was a pretty big shocker, but the treatment plan and prognosis are still the same. Seeing the word CURE hand written and signed on his treatment plan made me very happy. Not shrunk, Not remission, CURE."

The 5 different medications are given one at a time. At some point, one of them made me very light headed, so they put in phenergan which pretty much knocked me out. I slept through most of the rest of the treatment.
After we got home we took a walk down to 5th and back. Both of our butts were really tired of being in a chair by then.

Ready or not, We start

So far Roger has had a procedure/test every day this week and chemo starts tomorrow (OH, I guess tomorrow is now today). He is very tired and weak, in a lot of pain and the last couple of nights nauseated. I'm hoping the treatments will help the pain and not make the other problems too much worse.

Thank you all for your continued prayers and cares.

Sweet Lynnette brought Roger a quillow tonight. That is a quilt with a pocket and when it is folded into the pocket it becomes a pillow. It is made out of fleece and very nice.

Lynnette is Rachael Seeley's mom and a R.N. I told Roger, " Lynnette has already walked the walk and is able to talk the talk." She is truly a wonderful and valuable friend.

LAWSON DEAN KOMP

Welcome to the world and to our family.

Born 2/26/2010
8 lbs 8 oz
21 inches long

What a blessing you are.