Not Easy but Good in Everyday Ramblings

The roses are really coming on out there. Gorgeous glorious roses everywhere.

Spring just barrels through, doesn’t it? I feel this imperative to be outside as much as I can. I know many of you are in the southern hemisphere and I love that because between us it is close to or being spring all the time. One place or the other.

My sister made it through surgery without complications. She is relatively coherent, recognizes both of her children well enough to grumble at them and tell them to go away. What we know now is that the doctor says she can go home either Sunday or Tuesday depending on how the colostomy bag getting used to unfolds. Kes is going up Saturday. And hopes to talk to the doctor.

We don’t know if they were able to get all of the cancer or if she will need more radiation or chemo and when she can come off the TPN (IV total nutrition). I tell you we are going to have one heck of a happy dance when the port in her chest comes out.

Speaking of being free of cancer, I just got back from seeing my dermatologist and I am all clear! Yippee. They had me sign up for a new registry here in Oregon to track malignant melanoma and I am happy to participate. Kes is too as family members are two to three times more likely to see melanoma themselves. The study is to see why women in Oregon with our persistent cloud cover are more likely to develop terminal melanoma than practically anywhere else in the country.

I am so moved when I am up on the pediatric cancer unit as I am every week now how remarkably normal the kids are. They tear around and play and laugh and eat and get into mischief just like every other kid. I had four caregivers this week in my class. There were four incredible stories of courage and perseverance in that room.

The Department of Motor Vehicles doesn’t open until 9 on Thursdays so I took the morning off to go to the doctor and get over there and renew my license as I am turning 60 in just a few weeks now. My dermatologist is about 78 and I was talking to him about a couple of small age spots on my face. He said he thought they were lovely and unique and I believe he meant it. Considering the alternative I suppose that is true. But man… This aging stuff is all about change and acceptance, the theme of this year for me.

Sammy is taking this opportunity to sit on me, purr and shed. What you want to bet a stray orange hair or five shows up in my license photo?

Good news all round then. Nobody said this was going to be easy.