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Today I had trouble walking all day. I was cautious and took the elevator a few times at work. I am also exhausted, and I think this is a combination of coming back to work and just recovering from the chemotherapy and surgery. My doctor was not surprised that I tired quickly when I spoke to him last week.

So the morning had me running slow, and I was late to work, 8:10ish. I awoke to my alarm, and somehow it was already 6:30 when I was moved out of bed. I did get some coffee and a banana for breakfast and read all the email, text, and Slack messages before showering and dressing.

Today I had a few meetings, but I had a presentation to write for a new project I wanted to start. So I spent most of the day writing, reading, and creating a PowerPoint.

I did slip out, as usual, to Tigard to see Susie (her address is Portland). Hummingbird house was quiet when I got there, no hummingbirds to see, and Susie had fallen asleep in her recliner. Jennifer had gotten Susan going about 8ish and told me that the hummingbirds come early in the morning.

I woke Susie and gave her the phone to chat with her mother, Leta, on the phone via FaceTime. While the traffic was light, I could only spend a short time there as I needed to return to work within an hour or so. It is only 15 minutes travel time giving me about 30 minutes to visit on workdays.

Leta was just getting in her car when I called so she could chat while sitting in the car in the parking lot. Leta is volunteering again in Lansing, Michigan, where she lives. This gives her more and a reason to leave the house.

Soon, my time is up. I did sit with Susie for a few minutes, and today it was not as hard to say goodbye as Tuesday. She was sleepy again.

I returned to the shoe company and worked on my new project, and helped with a few crises of the moment. Then, without too much issue,  I managed the carpet-covered stairs and got another coffee to finish the day. Lunch was a savory and spicy crepe, again free. Nike and the program are still buying us coffee and lunch to celebrate our return to the office.

I sat through a few more meetings and headed out a bit early at 4ish. I then logged back in once Air Volvo landed me here at the Volvo Cave. I followed along with work items for a few hours while resting and reading.

I made a chef’s salad with now defrosted ham I had in the frig and the new lettuce. I also used Glenda’s celery and some aging carrots, and I used some of the Blue Cheese that has been around for a while. It was an excellent salad for lunch.

Michelle Smith called, and she brought over some NYC bagels; she and David just returned on the late flight on Monday/Tuesday from NYC. These were poppy bagels, my fav!

I walked Michelle around the house, showing her all the roses, many blooming now and a few new ones that will bloom later or next year. We also toured the new shower. The last time I saw Michelle, I was in mid-chemo. So it is nice to be able to do things now–the side effects are fading. We both agree that Glenda was amazing; the house looks so much better!

Dear reader, I am tired again tonight and more unsteady than I care to admit. So I think I will stop there. Thank you for reading.

This morning started at 6:15, with my alarm waking me from sleep. After that, it was a hard start, and I managed to rise to the occasion, looking much like Dracula. Tuesday is a rushed morning as I have an 8AM meeting, and I plan to do it from the office. This means jumping into the shower from the bed without first making and drinking coffee (gasp).

By the way, I still use Utterly Smooth with 2% Urea cream (that is cow pee) to help my hands and feet. Although I don’t know if it really works, my oncologist was happy I was still using it and rubbing the cream into my toes and fingers every day. I drop things now as my fingers are so smooth, yes, utterly smooth.

Next, I selected the red t-shirt with the battery symbol that nobody gets at work (it celebrates the 2032 coin cell used in many DIY projects). I could not wear it yesterday as I was going to a Star Trek movie.

I got to work just about 8ish after eating a banana and peanut butter toast with fresh liberal coffee at home. Yes, I am still drinking Fair Trade coffee, and it reminds me every day about all the good liberal causes. At Glenda’s (Susie’s Aunt) urging, I ordered a case direct from the vendor’s store in Portland and not from Amazon.

To continue with the narrative, I got a conference room–you can “invite” a conference room at the shoe company to your meeting to reserve it (if it “accepts,” it is your room). I hate to be that guy talking on Zoom in a room full of other people working on their laptops or having Zoom meetings. So instead, I find a conference room to be polite and to hear better. I can also remove my mask and be heard better.

After the meeting, I pop downstairs to get coffee, the stairs are much harder for me today, and I need to be careful. Coffee and lunch are still free–a welcome back from Nike and the program I am working on. I get a Starbucks Coffee (a bitter coffee) with cream. No sugar as I am diabetic and would regret the sugar.

I chat with the folks and help with a crisis of the moment and have an unscheduled meeting and had to be that guy as I did a short session of remote training from my desk–just a short one.

I then pop out of work and drive to Portland to see Susie, just 15 minutes away. She is still at breakfast when I get there. Jennifer is running the Hummingbird Home today (she lives there upstairs with her family and is always available) and told me she got Susie going about 9:15. When Susie can take a break from eating, we call her mother, Leta, and they have a video chat using FaceTime. Soon that is over, and my short visit ends, but Susie tells me that she does not want me to go. I understand, she has to face the whole day and night before I return; that has to be tough. But I need to get back to work, and Susie relents and agrees to me leaving.

It is always heartbreaking to leave and hard on days when Susie misses me. Unfortunately, I will not return that day as I still tire and find it hard to keep going in the evening. I can only manage short visits on workdays.

Air Volvo gets me back to work without incident. I take the elevator to the second floor of my building, Clubhouse, as I have some coordination issues, or it could be exhaustion; time to be careful.

I return to my desk and help with a few crises of the moment, but mostly the project is waiting for Tuesday when all the work begins to implement the new software and do the data conversions. I have waited for over five years to get here. It is exhilarating and boring at the same time. Perfect.

Lunch is from the truck; I have a chicken gyro, again free this week. I get a coffee at 3ish, and the stairs are not as hard this time.

The afternoon is quieter and filled with emails and some minor issues. Finally, I head out after 4ish. I have real problems on the stairs going down as my legs are not bending when I want them to. However, I manage to hold on to the railing and safely descend.

I had a simple trip back home to the Volvo Cave. My leg issues are not extended to the drive, “thank the maker,” as C3PO would say. I am home but freezing again at 70F. Put on a sweater, and take a very short nap while reading.

Corwin orders pizza for dinner; I have a slice. I also make ham, cheese sauce (pilfered from a Deluxe Mac and Cheese), and fire-roasted veggies (from the freezer). The sauce was average (not deluxe as one would expect), but still, it was good to use up the ham (from Easter and also frozen) and the frozen veggies.

I spoke on the phone with some friends and started on the blog, feeling tired again and just having the energy to write tonight.

Eighteen people died, mostly children, in a shooting incident in Texas. While the news is shocking and sad, it is strange that it is not as shocking now. It is a monthly event now in the USA.

It is Corwin’s Birthday on Wednesday, and I have provided him with an AMEX, and he can use it to buy a few days of hotel nights for his birthday. He is headed on a road trip to San Deigo for his birthday, lasting four days.

Aside: I prefer Corwin have the AMEX with him when he travels in case things go side-ways. And I forgot his birthday so covering 1/2 the hotel is a good gift.

Well, the tiredness is getting hard to resist. So I will not be working on my balloon model tonight. Thank you for reading. There are so many of you, and I am honored that you, dear reader, will still be following along. I will try not to start having a boring life!

Going backward, I just noticed the movie Star Trek: The Motion Picture was re-released in theaters today, the Director Cut. I have never watched the whole film in a sitting. The last time I saw it in pieces on TV, it still used the poor original special effects. These were replaced in 2001 and reworked a bit for the Director Cut. The movie, while it still has long sections of just watching, it was better than I remember it in the TV versions I have seen. So, while there are better Star Trek movies, it was not terrible in this version. It was just very dated. The next film, The Wrath of Khan, is made three years later and much better–legendary.

I got tickets online and had popcorn and a kids-sized diet coke. Corwin went, and he never saw the movie either; he was impressed by what went right and wrong with the film. It was worth a few hours and marvelous to see it again on a giant screen!

Before this, I made dinner. I had slipped out at 3ish and bought a few items to make some of the stuff out of the freezer (ground lamb and onions). So I made coconut-curry lamb meatballs for dinner. We had it with basmati rice; I still have five pounds or more of rice (purchased on discount in the middle of the pandemic–I have no idea why it was so cheap).

I had never made the coconut curry before; it needed some salt, but it was nearly perfect. I did cook too much rice. I made a whole pot of rice with two cups of uncooked rice. But I can keep it for a day or so for lunch, being careful not to mess up my sugar levels!

Before this, me constantly checking my emails and text and Slack messages; I visited with my oncologist and planned my next visit in six weeks. I need a CT scan in about a month. My labs were good. So progress is all good. Colon cancer seems to be in the rearview mirror.

It was strange not to go there for infusions. The doctor was happy to have a quick, uneventful appointment. And that made me happy too. The trip and the appointment were about an hour, so I just slipped it in between meetings.

AIr Volvo took me to Portland to see my doctors. Before this, I stopped at the house for lunch. Again, thinking of Glenda, I found the bacon in the freezer we cooked and froze and made bacon, lettuce, tomato, and cheese sandwich. I had no mayonnaise, so I put cheese on it. It was perfect with me microwaving the bacon to get it hot again.

I had slipped out using Air Volvo to reach Susie’s new place. It is about twenty minutes each way, so my visit was short. Susie was comfortable in a reclining chair and had a good breakfast–she was not that interested in lunch. Jennifer was there and told me she got Susie going just after 9. I reminded Jennifer that she needs to ensure that Susie is active and up reasonably early; otherwise, Susie can’t sleep at night.

I got to stay for a short visit and called Susie’s mother, Leta, on my iPhone. They had an excellent talk while I chatted with Jennifer. Her kids are fans of Nike. I was soon headed out again as it was a rushed visit.

Before leaving in Air Volvo to head to the Hummingbird House, I had a few meetings at Nike on data conversions. All the exciting work starts on Tuesday after the American holiday, Memorial Day (also the official start of summer in the USA).

My day started at 6:15, and I was cleaned up and dressed by 8ish. I was up late last night, so I was tired in the morning. I always have trouble sleeping on Sunday night.

 

 

 

I slept until after 7 and was going slow as my first item was the church service at 10:30. No reason to rush. I had breakfast, peanut butter toast and apple sauce with coffee, and just went slow. I read my email and work email. I also have a doctor’s appointment with my chemotherapy folks on Monday afternoon, and I did the online paperwork for that. I also wrote a note to Susie’s doctor about her move to the new place and her need for a smaller wheelchair (her feet do not touch the floor). Finally, I shower and dress in a white shirt and tie (picking an old school banker’s tie).

Air Volvo and I travel without incident to the church in Beaverton near the fountain, First United Methodist Church, though I would suggest there is nothing “United” at the moment with the Methodist. The church is about to break apart over gay rights: see news article here.

It was nice to see the folks and attend a worship service. Unfortunately, the coffee hour did not happen after church, as the infection rates for Covid-19 are climbing in our area.

After church, I did join Dr.Rev. Wayne and Rev. Anne Weld-Martin for lunch. Red Robin was my choice, but it was a bit chaotic. The staff is critically short, and there is only one waiter, and that gal is in training. I managed to order a burger, thinking that anything else was asking for a challenge for the cooking staff, as did Anne and Wayne. We had lots of fries and salads. It all was good.

Next, I waved goodbye to Anne and Wayne and headed to see Susie in Portland (really Tigard, just outside Beaverton). It was only fifteen minutes to the new place from Red Robin. Susie was in her room watching some animal program on her new TV. We are still trying to figure out the cable for her.

We spent some time calling Susie’s mother, Leta, and her sister Barb. I moved Susie outside, and we spent some time just sitting and enjoying the 70F+ temperatures (21C+). The porch overlooks Metzger park and has a nice small lawn with many bird feeders. It was pleasant to just sit outside. Oregon is seldom warm and dry in May!

I left as they moved Susie to a recliner; apparently, Susie has one to use now. I kissed her goodbye and headed to Safeway. There I picked up a few items we needed. There are a few masked shoppers in Safeway, but most folks were unmasked.

I returned to the Volvo Cave, unloaded, and then rested. I also worked on my balloon model a bit. I was wrapping model-sized rope around the basket. I still have quite a ways to go on the basket.

I made a ham and cheese sandwich for dinner and ate it on the deck; it was a lovely day. I am, of course, sneezing, and my eyes are burning from the pollen. The clouds started to come in as the sun went down. I told Corwin that the clouds were Monday coming towards us. He laughed.

I nearly finished the newly published book on the loss of the steamer Sultana. The author has been correcting the story of the wreck from original sources and it has been a very interesting book; a page-turner for me who loves Civil War and shipwreck history.

The wreck, surprisingly buried in a farmer’s field, was identified a few years ago. The wreck has been left alone after the initial investigations in the 1860s and the river slowly buried it and then changed course away from it. It is one of the shipwrecks I wanted to find when I was in high school, but I would never have guessed it is buried under a soybean field in Arkansas.

I have been reading and writing the blog for the evening. Not a very interesting day, but maybe it is nice to have an easy day for once.

Susie resides at:

Allegiance Senior Care
Adult Foster Care Home
9925 SW 82nd. Ave.
Portland, Oregon 97223

The house phone number: 503 246-4116

Going backward, I enjoyed a rest after saying goodbye to Evan and Mariah at the Bargarten Bavarian Social Haus in Beaverton. Evan and I had dessert there and another drink. Mariah, who joined us late for dinner, had dinner. Evan and I met Mariah at a Mexican place and then skipped over for German.

Evan and I had Mexican food for dinner after visiting Susie for just a short time, my second visit today. I dropped off some socks for her (somehow, we had no socks for her), and we saw her for a few moments as dinner started. I helped feed Susie a bit and then gave Evan a tour of the place. Again, it was just a short visit to drop off socks and for Evan to see Susie and the new location.

I had been ill from lunch. I had to stay by the toilet for a bit as I had the same problem I had last Saturday. Lunch, kebobs, had no settled, and I was soon emptied out. Ugh!

Before that problem started, I stopped by the gaming store Rainy Day Games and picked up the Castle Amber re-write for the current 5E version of Dungeons and Dragons. This Castle Amber publication is an old Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) adventure published in the 1980s by TSR that I have run a few times; I still have the original version. The last time we tried out the old school system, maybe five years ago or more, which is based on the original Advanced D&D of the 1970s (often called now OSRIC), the adventure Caste Amber ended the experiment–I, as the OSRIC Dungeon Master, killed the whole party. The adventure is unforgiving, like many of the old stuff (and not always logical or internally consistent), and we ended our experiment with OSRIC, as we wanted something that did not waste playtime by killing off the adventures.

The new version of Castle Amber is part of a republication scheme for the old adventures; the inch-thick book contains the AD&D original work and then expands it to fit the new rules and makes some minor corrections. So it is strange that the old AD&D adventure now expands into hundreds of pages to align with all the new rules and requirements for fluff text now the standard.

Aside: Despite the name “Amber,” this is not related to Zelazny’s Chronicles of Amber books.

I purchased the revised Caste Amber as I have signed up for the first Judges Guild publication to be done the same way, The Dark Tower Accursed By Set. I wanted to read how they handled the conversion to 5E. For the most part, they kept the story and chaotic nature of the adventure intact. They did suggest the DM play the Amber family members as partially insane and that fits better I think. I am thus looking forward to seeing the new Dark Tower and applied for the top version on Kickstart, including matching miniatures (that have to be painted).

I plan, someday, to play the Dark Tower again in a 5E setting, having owned the original and played it once. It is a campaign sized adventure now. Someday I will find the time to prepare it and play it for six months or so. Someday!

Returning to the narrative, I was at Susie’s new place at 9:20ish, the first time on Saturday. It is only a twenty-minute drive if I drive through Beaverton using Hall Boulevard. I took my laptop, a screen, popcorn, and various cables and dishes. Susie was just finishing breakfast when I got there and I had a cup of coffee while waiting, Michelle and Jenifer were there in the morning. I set up in the Activity Room and Susie and I watched the whole of SInging in the Rain film. It is a fav for both of us and is just under two hours long.

Leta called and I paused the movie, and Susie and she talked for a while on my iPhone using FaceTime.

Susie seemed happy and comfortable with her new place.

I also dropped off the payment for the rest of the month. It is $7400 or so a month for Susie, including some extra care she will need. This is not covered by insurance. Home Health, which is covered by insurance, should soon be coming to help Susie with some Rehab. Now that Susie is “home,” she can have more home-based rehab.

It took only twenty minutes for Air Volvo to reach the new place, Hummingbird House:

Allegiance Senior Care
Adult Foster Care Home
9925 SW 82nd. Ave.
Portland, Oregon 97223

The house phone number: 503 246-4116

The morning started at about 7AM. I had breakfast of apple sauce and some peanut butter toast with coffee. I was tired when I started and, with the toilet trips, and still run down today.

Thanks again for reading.