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I started the day waking at 6:30 and doing all the usual things. I always find it strange to not have a weekend anymore. I just keep doing what needs to be done every day.

The blog seemed to write itself yesterday, and I was out of the house around 9ish.

Air Volvo carried me safely to Forest Grove. I began to notice rubble in the streets, and there was more wind than usual. The Oregon mist was heavy and going sideways. The traffic was even stranger; it was going fast! Even on weekends, Oregonians do not drive fast, but I had to be careful not to speed during the remains of a wind storm. At one point, I was nearly going 60 MPH on TV Highway!

A few lights were out, which means you treat it as a four-way stop. Everyone just went with it, and again this is not normal here. The passive-aggressive politeness usually makes it a contest of who will go last at a four-way stop causing many false starts and possible slow-speed accidents. Not today.

I stopped by McDonald’s in Frost Grove, and there was a long line of cars. The screens outside were not working, so two people in the heavy sideways mist took orders on a handheld. It went by fast, but even having the window open for just a moment damped me.

I finished my quick breakfast in the car and watched the mist slam the car a bit. I manage to be let in by one of the CNAs and head to Susie’s room: 44A. The place is empty as they are running on a skeleton crew on the weekend. Susie has had breakfast and is sitting up in her bed.

Susie is confused, her blood pressure is normal, and her heart rate is up to 110. Her face is tight, and her eyes look a bit strange. Susie is dehydrated and weak.

I get her water and get Susie to drink water, and in an hour, she packs in 16 oz via tiny safe sips. She only coughs a few times and then not at all; practice does seem to help!

I have the CNA check her vitals every four hours. She is not getting worse. I also get her some ensure and make sure the CNA and nurse, Sarah, are paying attention.

Physical Therapy shows they have a different person on the weekend, and she pivots Susie out of bed and takes her to the gym in the wheelchair. There they work on stands and try to walk. Susie is too unstable to walk, and standing is nearly impossible today. Susie is troubled by this today, but the PT person reassures us that there will always be good days and less good days.

I step out into the calmer weather, the storm is ending, and drive to the Grand Lodge for a sandwich. I am writing a letter to the facility about my upcoming surgery, what they will need to do, and their contacts. I write this all day between moments and when Susie is napping.

We watch the movie The Greatest Showman on my Apple laptop after lunch. This keeps Susie’s interest until mid-afternoon. She is tired now but looking better. However, her speech is tough to understand. Susie tries to nap, but the staff finally remember (after I remind them) to brush Susie’s teeth.

The staff is friendly, and Sarah, the RN, and I exchange cell numbers. I do not usually have the personal cell of the RN, so I am feeling better about leaving Susie. Sarah and the CNAs eat their late lunch while watching the final showdown of Portland and New York City’s men’s soccer team. NYC manages one goal, and that takes the game in 69 minutes. A hard loss for Portland in the rain downtown!

Susie is sleepy after being so busy and pushed hard to eat and drink water. So I leave her after 3ish. I am trying to hope for a good day for Susie on Sunday.

I notice more tree branches and other tree debris on the roads on the way back in Air Volvo. I stopped by RiteAid, once back near home, to get some cards for Christmas presents. Then, I decided to try the local sushi place, Sushi Zen. It is a track place, and I get a seat away from people and the door at the track bar. It was a hard day, and the treat to sushi improved my mood.

I never had sushi growing up in the Cold War in Michigan in the 1970s and 1980s. So it is exotic to me and wonderful. The texture of raw fish and the carefully made rolls and packages still thrill me. I did not have sushi until I moved to Oregon and worked for Nike Europe to write warehouse software (we call it all logistics now).

I do learn that the blood-red eggs are from flying fish.

I head home and rest a bit, and work on the letter some more and send copies out to check I did not miss anything important or have a phone number wrong. Michelle and David call and we meet to see the Bond-007 movie before it leaves theaters. I like it a second time, seeing it with their daughter in NYC when it opened last month.

I am home late and set the alarm to 7:30AM knowing I will likely awaken before that, but I could use a few extra minutes of sleep.

Sorry, this is rushed as I was up at 7:20…

Sorry if this sounds more like an outline, but it was an almost typical day.

I started the day at 6:30 as usual. Meaning that I wake up 30 minutes early and then fall back to sleep minutes before my alarm goes off.

I managed to make coffee and get started on the blog without much trouble. I am feeling better this morning, but my coughing begins again. I use my inhaler, and that seems to help.

This time I managed to remember my bag with my computer in it. I took my meds too. Air Volvo and I make it to Forest Grove in the rain without incident. I stopped by McDonald’s in Forest Grove to get an Egg McMuffin meal with a small coffee.

I remember that Susie is now in 44A after doing the Convid-19 ritual at the front door. It is a new person and all day I will meet new people. Apparently, the change to the Rehab wing means new people. We did keep the nurse Pre who checks with us. She puts up a new sign that Susie’s teeth should be brushed after each meal. Better.

According to the CNA, Susie is a bit more tired today and had breakfast that mainly was yogurt. They know me now and fill me in.

Susie has Physical Therapy today. One guy pivots her into a wheelchair and takes her to the gym. There I am told they manage a few steps. These are the first steps since the stroke in November.

Susie is visibly tired but sits in the wheelchair for the rest of the morning. One CNA takes Susie to be weighed in the wheelchair, and another later takes the empty wheelchair to weigh it. It is still a bit chaotic.

Susie is cleaned-up and put back in bed, and naps. I check that they have Susie’s tray before I leave and that she got a grilled cheese and not the fish.

I head out for a break. Mariah lives just a few miles away, so we meet at the Blackdog bar, known for its barbeque. We split a 1 pound plate of brisket. The food comes on two prepared dishes to make it easy for everyone. Mariah agreed that she would help me organize the visits for Susie when I am in the hospital and recovering. She will also report to Leta, Susie’s mother, what happens with Susie.

We split the dessert. A rather massive slice of a really uninteresting chocolate cake. The frosting has chocolate chips that are wax-like. Blackdog gets good marks for brisket and mashed potatoes, but dessert was a total fail.

Susie’s lunch is over when I get there. She had some of the grilled cheese.

Susie’s blood pressure is good, but her heart rate is back up to 110. I think she is dehydrated and also on new drugs. I ask the CNA to get Susie water for dinner to help.

I head out with a headache at 3:30ish as I have details to take care of at the house.

On the way out, I talk to Dan, the administrator for the nursing home, about our situation. I need to give them a letter explaining it all to be aligned. I am worried that they will discharge Susie before or after my surgery.

I drive Air Volvo home trying to follow the ever-changing speed limits. Mostly, I am not speeding much. Next stop, RiteAid.

I manage to pick up my prescriptions, including antibiotics I need to take before surgery. Then, I get gas and get the car washed. In Oregon, you wash the vehicle when it is raining to get the dirt off of it, so the windshield is clear. Clean windshields are essential in a place that rains for six months a year.

It is a standard gray Oregon winter day. Rain and Oregon mist.

At Home, I am not interested in ordering out. I have a salad I ordered from Dominos still in the frig. I fry up two frozen hamburger patties on the stove and have that with the salad that I dress up with shelled sunflower seeds.

I call Jatinder as he sent me a nice note. We work together at the shoe company and I wanted to just say “hi.” It is always good to hear from the MDG team inside of the Core ERP group.

I also got a electronic card that was signed by folks from Nike. I did cry a bit as it went on and on with notes from people including one from Raj offering to help as long as it was not some “Python scipt.” It was very kind.

Jenny, also from Nike and the Core ERP group, is messaging me offering me help and food. I am trying to get organized enough to have help. I spend most of my days sitting in the nursing home. When the surgery comes I will need help. So I will try to get organized.

I also copied my scary micro fiction story text to a rely on Facebook and sent Marianna a copy as reply to her email. If anyone wants a copy I will send them the text. Even thought the story was published by the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival, I retain the ownership so I can share it.

The new season of The Expanse is available to watch. This is a space opera based in the future, and this is season six, the final season. It has been more than a year since I last watched it, it is hard for me to remember all the details and characters. However, the show is still impressive.

I reread my horror/comedy fictional story about Howard and his lockdown. I like to retell my own story through Howard and make-up new reasons for things happening. I find one typo. I can never understand how there is always one more typo.

I finally head to bed and try to read. The headache just crushes me. Off to get Tylenol and Benedryl, and sleep comes instead of reading.

The morning started with me sleeping until 7ish. I was tired when I got started. I have anemia from bleeding, and it was impacting me on Thursday. I managed to get going in the morning, but I had issues keeping going.

That morning, I read emails, the news and made coffee. I needed to pick up some breakfast food one of these days, but I managed to leave around 9ish and make it to Forest Grove by 9:30. I had forgotten my bag with my computer and other things I always carry. I also had not taken my meds. It was a tough start.

Susie had her tray of breakfast food still. There was nobody there to help her. I spent the next 90 minutes or so helping Susie get some food. It also appeared some other items were not getting done. I told the CNA that they were missing some essential items and the head nurse then came to me. I explained that Susie previously was not allowed to eat alone; she could aspirate and that unless there had been a change in her status, this needed to be done. The nurse said she would check the chart and make corrections as needed.

Susie had Physical Therapy once I had my chat with the head nurse, Pre, and I left as I am usually a distraction as Susie often expects me to answer questions. She should do that on her own for PT. Susie was transferred to a wheelchair and went off to the gym.

The PT person, Erica, said Susie did three stand-ups, and Susie was trying very hard. Susie standing is close to a miracle as it comes.

On her return to room 15A, we both saw a note posted on the wall about someone always being with Susie for eating. Better.

Then total chaos! Susie was moved to room 44A. This is a rehab room with lovely windows and furniture and is shared. I knew that the facility had locked part of the building for Covid-19, but I was OK with being there. Now, the cleaning and restart of the rehab wing happened, and Susie is now where she should be.

Note: there was a Covid-19 victim next door to Susie in Legacy Good Samaritan. The Covid-19 lockdown has ended at the Forest Grove Rehab wing. Hand washing and compliance to process is not just an abstract concept for me; it is about making it to the next week alive!

I help move Susie to the new room. Then, I carry the balloons to yet-another-room. Susie is a bit confused, plus the PT has really worn her down.

Linda Wild (Rose) and Barb Wild sent Susie a gift, a Gryffindor sweater. Susie loves it and has me put it on her.

I am tired. I have the nurses hunt for Susie’s lunch. The new room assignments have messed up lunch, and the nurses will have to search for her lunch. I remind them it cannot be fish. I wait until 1ish, but the tray still has not come. Our new CNA, yes we had three today, promises me that she will find it and that it is not fish but chicken. And, yes, we will feed her, she promises me.

I leave as I am fatigued, do not have my computer, have not taken my meds, and have tasks at home that need to be done during regular biz hours. I drive Air Volvo, mostly maintaining a legal speed and stopping for all the lights without incident. The speeds vary from 20 for schools running, to 30 and 35 (!?), and 40 and 45 (!?). It is difficult to notice that 45 went to 30 and back to 40 in one three-mile section. I have heard that the locals will give you a ticket for 5 over.

Jeff is back at the bathroom and finishes the tiling. He also does the wall finishing today. Just a few more days of work. As he took out the old light fixture, a photo would not show much, so no pictures until finished.

I take Corwin, who is up to lunch. I have lamb kabobs that leave me too stuffed, and I will not feel well for the rest of the day. My bleeding is much worse, and my colon cancer seems to want to take a few last chances to make me know it is there. Thusly, I move from fatigued to exhaust with a headache.

I take a short nap and then drive Corwin to work. I then take Air Volvo to Beaverton and get the cash to pay Jeff and for some Christmas gifts. For Christmas, money always fits and is better for younger folks as they know what they want. I also get an Rx filled.

Dinner is just some corn chips and nuts. I am too tired to order, and various moments, best not included here, suggest I just wait and switch to less food.

I read some more of The Thin Man and fell asleep a few times. I do finish my laundry between napping. I forgot how fun this book is set in pre-cash 1929 NYC.

I did get a copy of the Daily Lurker, the newspaper-like guide to the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival. Unfortunately, the guides were not ready on October 5, 2021, for the in-person festival I went to before the trip to New York City. I would have been happier to have seen this and maybe signed a few at the in-person festival, but at least it looks fantastic.

There is a crazy movement in writing that less is more. I wrote a horror story that followed the Mythos in less than 500 words; I won the contest.

I managed to sleep about midnight taking Benadryl to help with the allergy reactions. I take 1/2 of one to prevent the hangover from the drug.

 

The day started with me getting going at 6:30 as usual. I woke, as usual, minutes before my alarm. I was less rushed as the day had no real plan. I had breakfast and coffee and then started on the blog for yesterday.

Jeff had another wall done in the shower and ran late as I did not see him until I returned home. He would not quite finish the last wall in the shower today as it has a seat and requires him to cut tile, a time-consuming process, to make it work.

The drive to Forest Grove took no time at all. I was there at 9:30ish, and after answering all the questions about my Covid-19 status and having my temperature taken, I could see Susie in room 15A. Sue was still in bed; she would remain in bed all day except for therapy.

Susie’s poinsettia from her Aunt Joyce.

The CNA takes care of the patients here, and Maria was very attentive. Susie was still not eating well. She was mainly drinking shakes. The CNA was trying to get Susie to eat more.

The physical and occupational therapy folks came. I stepped out as Susie often looks for me to answer questions, and I think it best for the PT and OT evaluate her while I am not there. According to the PT and OT folks, Susie cannot stand independently, and her speech and cognitive levels were low.

I stepped out for lunch. We agreed that Maria and friends would start lunch for Susie, and I would help when I got back. I drove the McMenamin’s Grand Lodge. This retirement complex for the Masons was turned into a hotel, spa, theater, and restaurant center. Susie and I had our 25th Wedding Anniversary there. I had a Captain Neon burger in the restaurant in the main building; the burger comes with locally made blue cheese and bacon, with salad and, sadly, water–they make their own beer, but it is best to not return to the nursing home smelling of beer.

I returned to the nursing home and found Susie alone with her tray. I cut up the very thin pork chop (no bone) and started helping her. A student CNA was then tasked with supervising Susie’s lunch. We took turns helping Susie. In the end, Susie had only about 20% of her lunch. Maria and I got permission for the kitchen to make ice cream shakes for Susie with Ensure. While drinking, Susie did not cough or choke, an improvement.

Susie was tired and took a nap and then was cleaned up and then let to sleep some more. I left at 3:45ish as I was nodding off too. The drive back in Air Volvo was uneventful for most of the trip, and I did try to watch all the speed zone signs. I would not like to fund any local governments by paying for a speeding ticket.

Oddly, on 209th within walking distance of the Volvo Cave, a red car pulled out and nearly added red paint color to the Volvo. Unfortunately, they managed to pull out at an angle, and none of the safety equipment reacted, but I saw them and stopped in time.

When I parked the car, Jeff was still working and grumbled that he would have finished the wall if he had got to work before 9ish. However, he did manage to almost finish the shower tiling.

I ordered spaghetti and meatballs from the same place as yesterday, Pastaghetti, delivered by GrubHub. It was good, but not great. The portion size was huge, but I was hungry (?!) and ate it.

I was happy to get an email that my episode for Doctor Who was available for download. So it was included in my season pass. But it is also the last episode until the year-end special, so sadly no more new episodes of Doctor Who for a while.

After watching the episode for the third time while eating spaghetti, but the first time without commercials, I did like it now. I think the writers are making no pauses in the story to allow for commercials, and thus the commercials spoil the tension. But, again, being an old Doctor Who fan, I like the episodal approach and the lack of breaks for commercials, old school BBC.

I tried to read and relax but was just uncomfortable and out of sorts. I want to do so many things, but nothing can really be started in the current situation. Finally, I decided to read something. The Thin Man is playing at the Portland Hollywood Theater, and I have a copy of the book. I forgot how fun that story is, and that helped me forget the world for a while and find my way back to roaring 1929, before the crash. Yes, that is what I needed: Dashiell Hammett.

I managed to finally fall asleep around 1ish.

Working backward to describe Tuesday, I finally fell asleep around 12:30ish as I had taken a nap in the early evening, and it was difficult to find sleep again. While I slept, there was a swarm of earthquakes in the ocean not far from the Oregon Coast. So far, nothing enough to do harm, but we are here on the Circle of Fire, and it is a potent reminder of why I put earthquake insurance on the house.

Before sleeping, I had read for a while more of Tegal Manor, a reworking of an old 1977 Dungeons and Dragons adventure into the current 5E version of D&D. I was feeling very cold and so climbed into bed and tried to feel better. I know it is a reaction to the day and stress. I do sleep for a few hours after nodding off.

Before this and maybe explaining how I could sleep so suddenly, I ordered Italian food from GrubHub in the evening. I had never heard of Pastaghetti before but decided to risk it. I got a salad (average) and an excellent pasta dish, Fettuccine Rustica. I ate this while re-watched Doctor Who’s last adventure of the Flux storyline on the TV. Unfortunately, it appears that I cannot buy the final episode for my Mac. Instead, you have to join AMC to get even access to it. This annoyed me. Maybe later I can buy it. One does wonder why you can buy the first four episodes on a season pass, but that does not include the final episode!

Moving earlier, I drove back in the dark and traffic after my appointment with the surgeon. Apparently, my colon cancer has not spread, and I am at stage 2 or 3. The doc told me that chemotherapy is done for stage 3 and is where the colon cancer has spread into the local lymph nodes. He further explained this cannot be determined until after surgery to remove the affected colon area and related lymph nodes. Thus, the doc gave me already filled out paperwork for surgery on the 21Dec2021 at 10:30 in Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital. Apparently, the cancer is run-of-the-mill, and the doc is sure I will recover.

I was an hour plus early for my appointment, not knowing how long the drive would be I gave myself extra time. I parked in the hostital parking garage finding a spot in the basement level. I then went to Starbucks and had a coffee and a slice of lemon cake, a fav, while I waited a bit and serfed on the Internet.

There a gentleman asked me if I knew the date, and I said it was the 80th Pearl Harbor Day. We chatted abit about war movies he liked.

Before this, I drove from Forest Grove to Portland. Susie is now in the Forest Grove Rehab Center. She was transferred there in a wheelchair van while I drove Air Volvo using nav, the balloons stuffed in my car, trying to find my way. Forest Grove has no highway access, so my driving is all stop lights and trying to spot the constantly changing speed zones.

I stop by Sonics and have a Chicago Dog-styled hotdog on my way back to Portland. A sign says to be nice to the folks who did show up to work today, and I am. I love hotdogs, and this one does not disappoint. There is almost more dill pickle than dog! Perfect.

Refocusing on the Rehab Center, the place is newish and busy but smells of urine. Susie is tucked into a bed with food for lunch ready for her. She is exhausted and just falls to sleep. Susie is in room 15A, a shared room. I bring in the ballons to brighten up her room.

The place is chaotic. I try to find someone to ask if they need anything from me (like money for a co-pay), but nobody knows what to tell me. Usually, it takes me a day or two to understand a place. This one might take longer. Forest Grove Rehab did not feel unsafe or unprofessional, just busy.

Before this, I am at the hospital waiting with Susie for the big move. She has a breakfast tray and a new nurse, Mary, but does not eat much. Susie is alert and knows that she is moving today and is nervous. Before you know it, Susie is out of bed being cleaned up by Mary and set in a transfer wheelchair. Of course, now I am told they do not move Susie’s wheelchair or her ballons she has collected over the weeks. So I tie the ballons to our red wheelchair and head out with the orchid too to Air Volvo. I packed the ballons and wheelchair and plant into the car. I head out for my hour-long drive to Forest Grove and arrive just a few minutes after Susie gets there at the new nursing home.

Moving to the morning, I got a call from the case manager at the hospital, Michelle, informing me that Susie is being moved today at 11AM. I was already rushing, so I left sooner.

Starting, I managed to get going at 6:30 and do the usual things early to leave early. Jeff is also at the house early as he wants to leave before dark. He plans to tile the next wall in the shower.

It was a busy day with me driving Air Volvo for hours. It will be strange to start at a new place and go to Forest Grove. The date of surgery is later than I wanted; I wanted ASAP. But we will make it work.