71.6 on the way to 45

Still holding 45 as a goal, but 71.6 is going in the right direction.  Dan keeps saying the trend in the direction is the important part, not necessarily the number.  I'm still headed for 45.  I really expected him to say 45 and I would have been totally blown away.  Sue thought it would be up because I had a harder time with being tired and lethargic for at least 10 days versus the usual week.  Guess those minions work even in the toughest conditions.  Sticking with the same dose this week and then if it is hard again he may cut the dose next time.  I told him that even as this time was different from others it is all manageable and for that I continue to be very grateful.

So we still did stuff, Sue keeps us rocking out as best she can:  Thursday with chemo in tow we went to see the Janis Joplin musical at the Ordway.  The actress was a cross between my cousin Marjorie and Janis Joplin, kind of a surreal combination.  Great show, music, story and tremendous blues backup singers as part of the story of Janis's inspiration.  Pump out on Friday April fools day and we enjoyed a dinner with Deb and Jim who were in town for the weekend.  Shared my cheesecake with Deb who said it was delicious.  I think my taste buds are goofed up--the cheesecake tasted like it should be delicious but I wasn't really sure and since then sugars have not tasted like anticipated.  I am in a bit of a crisis over this.

We are purging, had fun going through travel folders and throwing away old receipts and and most of the tickets for entry to museums and such while keeping and going through the itineraries and postcards and assorted books.  We will go through them again to enjoy our travels.  That took the whole weekend.  Monday, Sue got a massage and Nancy went to Tiffanys.  The diamond on Nancy's wedding ring fell out again.  They replaced it Jan and said to come back in June to have it serviced and checked/polished.  Didn't make it.  I told them to fill it in since it didn't seem to be working.  Not sure what I will get back.  Lucky for me I did not have to go to the dentist but Sue did that on Tuesday and I got to rest.  I have to wait for 6 weeks after chemo to be able to go to the dentist.  We finally got to see "Hello my name is Doris" with Sally Fields and Tyne Daly.  While the critics panned it, we thought it was quite good.  Sally played an eccentric older woman who falls in love with a 30+ colleague in her office.  It is clever and entertaining.

Loaves and Fishes with Rotary

We finally got to have lunch with our friend Gerrie and then that evening went to volunteer at Loaves and Fishes.  We do this with a local Rotary club to which we do not belong.  We join them for volunteer activities and really appreciate the opportunity to serve others.  Rotary does many good things for many people locally and around the world.  Sue said if she ever got her sleeping hours right  she might join--but breakfast meetings at 7 are not so easy when you stay up until 1 or 2am.  We are glad they include us, in spite of our non-membership.  The people we have met and worked with from there make the experience all the better.

The ACC show was in town.  (American Craft Council).  "Should we skip it this year, we don't need anything--but it is such a nice show"  One wooden sculpture of a bald headed smiling/laughing that reminds us of Nancy.  It even has the same little spot on it's forward.  And a few other small treasures.  So be it for needing nothing and not going.  After that we went across to the Science Museum to see the National Parks Omni Theater movie.  Not as good as it could have been but fun none the less.  No wonder I was tired.....

Another art show Saturday--earrings were the the big purchase and a scarf.  Tried to buy art from someone we like there but he has changed his colors and they just didn't grab us this year.    Went down to Eden Prairie shopping center to buy new  3 time World Champion Lynx shirts. Season starts in 30 days. Mary and Co came over for a nice ham dinner and several rounds of cribbage.  Nancy and Co were victorious. Lunch with Mary Margaret and Phyllis at Baker's square.  Phyllis was in the mood for cherry pie.  They brought me a great "spring" hat to add to the collection.  Sue said I was making a funny face, so I did and she took the picture anyway, but I love the hat.  Nancy got to rest on Monday on the massage table--felt good.  We went to see "Eye in the Sky" with Helen Mirren.  Good movie, suspenseful right from the start and straight through.  Thoughtful about modern warfare ethics in making military decisions.  Critics call it gripping, it was.

Lunch with Cathy Wick on Tuesday, we have not seen each other for a long time so it was great to catch up and pick up right where we left off.  She gave me a Rosie the Riveter puzzle (50) piece so quickly done and the sentiment is perfect.  And on top of all of this there is the guest bathroom remodel--boom, boom, boom.  They are hopefully taking out the cast iron tub today while we are not there.  Poor Jessie (the cat) is home alone with them and will be looking for a place to hide to escape the noise.  She will be glad to see us.

Jessie is one of my greatest supporters, following me into the bathroom, purring, sleeping on my legs by the hot water bottle, purring some more and walking on my head in the middle of the night, purring all the time. Her favorite though is nap time when she sleeps between my legs, after prerequisite purring.  She lets me know it is treat time when I come down in the morning and rolls over so I can give her a belly rub before she kneads my sneakers.  She has become more vocal and more connected and I love her dearly for it.  Lest anyone wonder if she really is a cat--she can also be a pest...

Not sure how to make sense of the tiredness I had given all that we ended up doing.  I think that instead of there being a few things, rest and a few more in a day, there were just the few and the rest.  I saw a lot of couch time.  I keep trying to positive and this week just saying 45 put a little smile on my face.  But it also is hard hoping that the treatment is working for the two weeks while waiting for verification down the road.  I fell behind on my exercising this past two weeks so that will be a goal going forward to keep that up.  70 degrees tomorrow will help.  Somedays for a little while I can forget that I have cancer, when my energy is up, I am eating something that tastes good-like mac and cheese-or we are doing something distracting.  Then something stops me in my tracks, tears for no reason, jumping in the shower and my head is still bald so there is no hair to wash, urgent need for a nap....and then I just say to Sue, "I really don't want to have cancer any more."  Not exactly an option so we acknowledge that idea and figure out how to go on with the day.  I am fortunate that I am not in pain, that the 5 pounds I loose the week after chemo, I gain back the next week, that mac and cheese and hot chocolate still taste good, that I continue to tolerate the chemo and that it keeps working.  I am asking my minions to love my cancer tumors to death--and to 45.

 This creation by me from a gift from Lisa and Jeff. It is called a zentangle.  My 45 is hidden in there.

Go 45!!!!!!!!!!