Day #20
So my little "brat" sister is agitating for "more blogs!" - she will do anything to avoid writing those grants she's supposed to be working on. And now we have a mysterious "Lurker" following the blog. This thing seems to have acquired a life of its own.
Things remain benevolently quiet here. We have a little routine that makes the days go by quickly: up around 7:00 AM, meditate for 1 hour, breakfast, and then 1-1.5 hour walk or bicycle ride. I'm beginning to think about mixing in some jogging with the walking. However, the last round of chemo prior to the transplant, plus the cyclosporine (immunosuppressive) they have me on now, have made my feet number than ever, and that somewhat dampens my enthusiasm for running, as yet. We have a light lunch around 1:00PM. We tend to stay in doors mid day to avoid the sun and heat; do some reading (I just finished "The Kite Runner" today), practice guitar, catch up on e-mail; MC's been combing fleece that she intends to spin into yarn when we get back to Sandpoint. Simple evening meals (we're still working our way through those leftovers we froze last Friday). Had dinner with Dave and Judy, local friends of my sister Nancy, last night to "orient us" to their home. We will be watching it for them Aug 6th - 20th, and actually housesitting there after the 15th. We feel like Gypsies, but we are getting to stay in some very nice homes! Tonight we are checking out a meditation center in Bethesda, strongly recommended by my classmate Steve when he visited last week.
I recently sent out about 30 e-mails to local Comanche pilots, in Virginia-DC-Maryland, to get some "right seat" (co-pilot) time, but have only received a couple of responses. Not sure why.
Routine blood work and clinic tomorrow. Last Monday my magnesium was up, so I'm hoping to get my Magnesium Oxide dosage reduced, which would mean one less pill each day, and fewer side effects to deal with.
I'm glad I don't have anything interesting to relate. Probably my next blog won't be for another week, or so.
Phil
posted by Mary Catherine @ 11:26 AM
12 comments
12 Comments:
"...up around 7:00, meditate for 1 hour, breakfast, and then 1-1.5 hour walk or bicycle ride." Phil you're making it sound like a spa vacation and luxuriously relaxed. That climate-enforced siesta mid-day sweetens up your report even more.
Here it continues to be true summer. The lake is deliciously, maybe even a bit too warm. The weeds are growing and I wonder if the Long Bridge swimmers will feel thd tentacles of vines.
I'm off to Boise this afternoon to visit Kerry for a couple of nights then on to Utah. I'll use Kerry's and my brother's computer to keep en-blogged.
Keep on doing it so very right. Love and hugs to you and MC, Karen
Hi Phil (and all those lovely healthy cells) and MC,
Just caught up on things. Mike kept me semi-informed with his edited, translated and Cliff note version (like I'd even know a Cliff note if I saw one! Ha!) Glad to know things are going so well - and so relaxing; it sounds like you all are taking advantage of the down time to do what you really like.
Belated B-day wishes to Mary Catherine - I'd like to know how she appears to miss the zapping of the Birthday Fairy's wand. Lucky girl!
We're hopeing to hook up with you guys at some point in this journey so keep us posted as to the route home and when - hopefully we can intersect somewhere.
All's hot in Alabama - Kirsten is suffering from humidity adjustment having just moved from Denver to Savannah! You can emphathize I bet.
Hugs and best wishes for continued good news! Love ya, Kathy and Mike
Hi Phil and MC, so good to hear your positive reports. There is joy in each day and amongst friends. That is something you have always appreciated. We are enjoying our influx of summer visitors so have been back and forth between Sandpoint and the Moyie cabin. Good kayaking on the gentle riffles. I think of you both often and look forward to your return home. Love, Pat and Gary
What does this have to do with CHANX.
Hi,Philancy!! Glad to hear life is becoming "normal" and "routine". Dave and I send lots of positive thoughts your way so share some with MC. Got your chocolate consumption up to normal yet? How long will you two be back east before returning to paradise?
Sounds like you and Dave can put on a guitar concert soon!
Love -the Roens
It's nice that things are boring and normal... so to speak. Things here are just as boring. I have had a few tomatos out of the garden as well as some yellow squash. Although I caught a mouse eating one of my tomatos... Although I think Bailey my cat caught it a little later and ate it!!! Alls fair in love of the tomato's... All the animals are doing well in the heat. I have the mister on an auto timer for the kennel dogs and they seem to be doing fine. I have one lab that runs to the horses water trough when I let them out for a run.... Smart dog, he knows how to cool down!!! My outside kitty needs some attention, his little toe is swollen... Pretty boring stuff huh?!!! Yesterday the pigs where pretty cute they got all excited when I went to visit them.. running around like a little pig rodeo!!! I made them a little mud hole and then went in to check the food situation... wrong order to do that in... by the time I got out of there my legs were pretty muddy... They are so funny.. they stiff and act like they are going to bite you... It freaks my husband out. I just tell them no and push them away... Who would of thought that pigs are this entertaining...Can't wait till the fall when you two come home. It will be good to see you. Take care, P.S. Phil... I gotta tell you.... You talking about meditating is great to hear but odd coming from you!!! Keep it up!!!
Love,light and laughter...
lane
Phil,
Dale, Rich Schaefer and I sent your regards to the lower Salmon River this past weekend. Five days of viewing life at 3 MPH, in 100 degree heat, and clear, warm water that makes life seem a bit more bearable. Almost as good as your spa life in the East, eh? We may have been short on magnesium due to the melting temperature of chocolate but we made up for it with beer.
Keep the healing rolling and we will toast the river together next year.
love, Betsy
Hey, Phil and Mary Catherine,
The Rosenwinkels here, from Germany! If there are typos in this, it's because the Y, the ', the z and the left hand capitaliyation key are all in different places on the keyboard.
Glad to hear things are going boringly well. Phil, this is what is called "stopping to smell the roses". You'll get used to it!
We went to the Holocaust Museum in the middle of the city. What an incredible experience! More on that later, they are waiting for me right now.
Love to you both! Elizabeth, Mark and Jeremy
Hello Phil,
We are back from a five day trip to Montana, drove up the Lochsa from our house on the Middle Fork and went to the Allison Kraus concert on Wednesday night in Missoula. It was a really good, but kind of hot in the stadium. We fished the East Fork of the Bitterroot River and the West Fork on Friday. The water was low and 72 degrees on the East Fork, awfully hot for the trout. There is talk of closing the rivers to fishing because the low warm water makes the fish too vulnerable. We continued on from Darby over Nez Perce Pass and the Montana road toward Red River, backpacked into Trilby Lakes, catching cutthroat trout. It was very hot hiking with packs out of the lakes to the saddle yesterday. We are home now and went to ROW for breakfast at Syringa. It is very hot today and we will be in the river soon. We are really glad to hear you are doing well. We just had more friends move to Sandpoint. My friend Amy is going to teach at the high school, science and math, I think, so we will be there to see you all when you get home. We are also off to the Lower Salmon on the 19th of August. Maybe next year we can try again with you guys. Tell Sarah Hi, when you talk to her. Nick and Marci
Glad to hear things continue to go well. Hope the Bethesda visit to IMCW was useful. We're here in Paris--cool weather just right for long walks. Today at the Musee D'Orsay we saw someone who looked a bit like you when you were younger. We took a photo to show you--it was Pierre-Auguste Renoir as portrayed by Frederic Bazille in a painting paying homage to Renoir, done in 1867. We'll be in touch soon.
Love, Steve and Melpa
So great to hear all is calm... love the mello schedo . But some of us are still trying to get calmed down...
You should have seen me and mom when you were talking with dad last week. He was chatting away with you and then , all of a sudden , he gets serious and starts saying "uh huh..hmmmm I see, well it does sound like its clogged..hmmm" Mom was about to have a coronary , I hold her arm, we listen nervously and then Dad says " well, son have you used the plunger?" I look at mom , she looks at me -- busted out laughing as we realized that it wasnt you or one or your fancy iv lines ...just the toilet that was clogged...(OY)
so you see. Some of us still need alot of communication, reassurance etc cause we LOVE you.. not just cause we're avoiding grant writing (which is off season .. now its time to be avoiding writing the papers..).
whats a blogger lurker?
Masha and DT send love too..
The Brat
Hi Phil,
It is so good to hear the positive reports and that there is some calm in your lives for a change. Sure miss you at the Festival concerts. Sandpoint is the same; traffic is bad, the lake is wonderful (we floated today until our hands were like prunes), the blueberries and huckleberries are wonderful and the letters to the editor in the Bee are still discussing creationism vs evolution.
Take care, Sue K
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