More Smiles and Frowns in New Immigrant

Smile: Tom is here with me.

Smile: Tom's friend, Ron, is greatly improved. He and Tom went out to lunch twice. A nurse is visiting him every day and if he has a concern, a nurse heads right over again. He is making plans for people to live upstairs and help care for him. The bad part of this is that one of the people is his severely alcoholic stepson.

Smile: Thanks to a couple days in the forties, the driveway is clear of ice and snow.

Wide-eyed Frown: Despite that when backing the truck into the snow, I got too close to the slope and it slid down about three feet coming to rest on a tree and a fence post which damaged a back door. We'll need a tow truck to pull it out. Yes, I hit my psychological bottom. Then I thought, better a damaged vehicle than a damaged Tom and when he arrived safely he shook his head in disbelief at the truck and, as usual, stifled any comment. What a gem!

Smile: The oncologist didn't find any lumps or anything ominous at my exam yesterday. My mastectomies were one year ago March 14.

Long, sad face: Several very ill looking cancer patients were in the waiting room, including people much younger than I am. Again, what does a damaged truck matter in the scheme of things.

Smile: The oncologists lectured me about increasing my exercise. I asked them very seriously if they knew how to get me to do it, because I don't.

Frown: Hard being nuts.

Smile: A bulletin posted in oncology told of a group that will pay for adopting a pet for a child with a serious diagnosis and even pay for its food for the first year.

Smile: All four blossoms are wide open on my velvety amarylis.

Smile: Monday was so warm that I sat outside in the hot sun. It felt life-giving. The ice on the river is turning blue on the main channel, there are areas of open water. Some risk-takers continue to ice fish in the backwaters though, as usual.

Smile: We can have the door open for awhile most days. Kitties have screen marks on their noses! We not only see birds, we hear them. Very soon Love will be in the air. Birders report seeing geese, pelicans, ducks and Great Blue Herons swarming by the thousands a few counties south. I'm very eager to witness those swarms here!

I'm grateful for: Tom's presence and kind heart. My good oncology report. Spring's arrival

Don't drive like I do!!

Later: I got on the treadmill - and walked - for thirty minutes. Mark your calendars!