Loving October

Win-Some Women - Mom's Retreat
On October 18, my sister Bonnie drove from Erie, PA to pick me up and continue on the adventure to our parents'. (In the meantime, my mom also celebrated her birthday! Happy 83rd!) We "girls" traveled on to Mackinaw City, then took the ferry (one of my favorite parts! I love fresh air and the wind in my face!) over to Mackinac Island for the Win-Some Women Retreat, where we enjoyed speakers Jennifer O'Neil and Don and Eva Piper, and singer Kathy Troccoli. The music and lessons and good times have remained in my heart.

More Music
I am glad to have joined choir this year, of course, to meet the people there, and for the discipline of continual praise. My prayers can be so full of need. Thankfulness may come with consciousness of goodness. But I need to be more intentional and take time to purely praise God.


Putting the Garden to Bed
John and I found a piece of a sunny crisp October day to put our lovely little garden to bed. John did most of the work (mowing and vacuuming leaves, etc.), as usual. But I sprinkled and dug in a last layer of Organica-3, Cow manure compost, and Shrimp and seafood compost before he covered it with grass clippings and dried leaves for the winter. It looks peaceful. When we recently saw George, our garden mentor at English Gardens, we said "So long for a while."

MRI Results - OK !

Appreciating the lovely day and the opportunity for exercise,
I walked the three miles home after today's women's meeting at church.
I picked up the mail on my way in.
Ah, an envelope from my oncologist.
I opened it to find the results of my MRI.

Results:
No cancer, just "ordinary" pain, called "Trochanteric bursitis".
It is mostly in my left hip, and somewhat in my right.

"There is no occult fracture or dislocation."
"There is no avasular necrosis or metastatic disease."
"No suspicious pelvic visceral abnormality is identified."

I am glad for this news.
I am glad for what it is not.
I will figure out what it is and how to live with (or heal?) it.

Again and again, I am thankful for your care and prayers.

"Oh, Lord....
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well."
Psalm 139:14 (New International Version)

MRI Results Unknown

Thanks for asking.
Thanks for praying.

I would love to report results to you.
I would especially love to report healthy results to you.

However, I just do not know last Tuesday's MRI results yet.
I called the office Friday, and was told it usually takes a week.
I called today, and was told that the nurse (who gives lab results)
is not in, but I can call back another day.

I am glad I decided not to sit home and wait for a call today.
I spent a couple hours at the poll for a friend in my hometown, Dearborn.
[George Darany, running to remain on City Council.
George is the brother of classmate/friend Theresa (Darany) Smith]

Driving in to town gave the opportunity to listen to music from a singer I recently heard on my "mom's retreat", Kathy Troccoli. First I listened to her lively 60's and 70's adaptations (wake-up songs!).

Then I listened to one song over and and over. You can see the lyrics and hear her sing the song at this link: "My Life Is In Your Hands".

Some of the words that kept going through me:
My life is in your hands
My heart is in your keeping
I'm never without love
Not when my future is with you
My life is in your hands
And though I may not see clearly
I will lift my voice and sing
Cause your love does amazing things
Lord, I know, my life is in your hands
(Kathy Troccoli, Bill Montvilo)

Autumn Colors

(Photos coming)
There are more than one way of looking at and reviewing time.
One is day by day, moment by moment.
Another is to look at events and event groups.
They can become a picture of coordinating and contrasting colors, like a tapestry or an autumn day.
So here is a view from standing back and viewing colors of the season.


Company from Florida
This fall, we were blest with company from two sets of our Florida friends
(in whose homes we have stayed on our visits).
We didn't want to let them go.

Bill and Jean Adcock were in town primarily for doctor appointments.
We were honored that they also made time for a visit to our "new" house.
Unfortunately, we forgot to pull out the camera.
But we sure enjoyed the chance to catch up and eat together!

Kent and Marta Martindale came up to experience the peak beauty of Michigan fall.
Color and rain are both hard to plan, and they had plenty of both.
But our visit was warm and fun!
They had to leave too soon, but not before Marta had our next vacation planned for us. Ha!


Health

Flu shot
Early in October, John and I both had our (basic) flu shot at Kroger.
I wondered how it would work to get a flu shot at the grocery store.
There are a couple chairs in the middle of the aisle, as a little waiting area for the pharmacy.
Would the pharmacist come out while the seated person rolls up a sleeve?
Would patients be invited into the tiny pharmacy one at a time?
No. It is more like drive-through-window style.
I walked to the side pharmacy window and rested my elbow on a little pad on the window sill,
while the pharmacist reached over to my shoulder, and presto!
Done.


Neosporin Toothpaste Mix-up
I mention this for comic relief (and a warning).
While traveling to my parents', I reached inside a small pocket of the suitcase and pulled out a small tube and squeezed some out onto my toothbrush. It looked more clear than I remembered my toothpaste being, so I took a better look at the tube. (Maybe I turned on a light.)
Neosporin First Aid Antibiotic Ointment!
My hero mom gave me a new toothbrush.
But you might be surprised how similar those little tubes look on the backside.

Exercise
I am still living with the hernia (navel area), needing to do "gentle" stomach exercises, in hopes I do not get more. I am also still being sporadic with that exercise (from a book of back exercises). I was temporarily excited about a newsletter from a physical therapist I know. But I think because my initial (phone) request involved the word "Pilates", my doctor was reluctant to let me go ("Absolutely not"). I moped a bit, then made a check-list which I followed faithfully for a week. Then I went out of town.

I will have to start again.


MRI
I have had some mysterious mild hip pain for about a month. So my oncologist sent me for an MRI last Tuesday. I am in waiting mode. It is not that I am praying for arthritis. But I am asking that it is generally something I can live with, and specifically, not cancer.

All for tonight.. more "Colors" tomorrow...

Canoeing the Au Sable River

A rather spontaneous idea.
Maybe it started with one of those "Pure Michigan" ads.
(Turn on your sound, sit back, and listen.)

John had a rare day-and-a-half available.
(Sort of. He still worked on his sermon.)

So we drove up to see my parents over last Friday night.
And we put the canoe (with my dad's help) into the river for a couple hours.
There was not a lot of "color" change, but the views were still beautiful.
And the air... Ah, the air felt so good. So fresh.

Bonus: We saw two noble-looking great blue herons!

First Haircut

(First haircut in over a year and a half, anyway.)

Unfortunately, the photos that included Julie either were not in good focus, or the flash reflected too brightly in the mirror.









But you can see her work, my "before" look, just letting curls reign free, and then my "after" look, Julie's masterpiece.

By the way, that photo leaning against the mirror, IS a photo of Julie that has been "yearbooked".

One Year

September 23, 2008 was the date of my last chemotherapy treatment.
I am thankful for its healing.
I am thankful for healthy cells.
I am thankful for my doctor's watchfulness.
I am thankful for caring prayers and caring family/friends/those I may not even know.
I am thankful for God's mercy.
I am thankful for God's breath of life.