Counting down to Sonoma

If i had stuck with the original plan, I would even now be settling into my Casita in Scottsdale--and I'd have had to deal with airports, airplanes, rental cars, limitations on luggage, the usual stuff. Instead, I'm counting down till Sunday afternoon, after church, after a congregational meeting and a committee meeting, when I can drive the hour and a half to the Valley of the Moon. This time, I'll be smart and go by way of the beach. That should cut half an hour at least from my last trip.
So, what have I been doing lately? Wednesday, I saw my podiatrist--a doctor who had NOTHING to do with cancer--yippee. I get hard little calluses in the pores of my feet and after a while, it feels like I'm walking around on pebbles--in this case the Rock of Gibraltar on one foot and Ayers Rock on the other. Even with my numb feet I could feel them. They are gone now.
Saw my primary care yesterday, who congratulated me on being done. I told him I NEVER want to do that again. I will, if I ever have to, but given my druthers... I got a flu shot, which is now swollen and red with a huge almost spider-web bruise. I want sympathy for that--and I really want it to feel better before people start massaging every muscle I have.
Today was terribly exciting in that I saw no doctors at all. Can life get any more exciting than that? I celebrated by lounging until after 11 in the morning, finishing my next to last Sue Grafton book. I've moved on to T is for Trespass. When I finish that, I'll just have to wait around for the next one the way I waited for the Harry Potter books. Not to worry, I have a new series to start by Nevada Barr. The good thing about driving to Sonoma is that I can take as many books and as much yarn as I want. I've got a sweater for Glenn in the works and a baby blanket that I'm already bored with but will finish--thinking about taking yarn and needles for a new project, since I'll be there for a week. Let's face it, you just can't be slathered with lotions, potions, and creams 24 hours a day--you need to knit and read too.
So there I am. My beloved Bears are playing tomorrow, may they do well. I'm nearly packed with way more than I need, but you just never can tell what you might want.
xxooxx

Hair!

It seems to be coming back. Not necessarily where I would like it, but coming back all the same. This morning I had to put the tweezers to my chin--don't remember the last time I did that, sometime in May, I think. It may be wishful thinking, but I think I see baby eyebrows when I'm penciling on something that passes for them. My legs felt a little scratchy when I put lotion on them this morning. And the head. I think I see and feel new growth. That will take the longest time, of course. One of my friends in radiation, breast cancer, started chemo after I did and finished before (is that fair?), said she and no hair then all of a sudden there it was. The downside of hair coming in is that it renders the cranial prostheses even hotter and itchier.

I still have tingly fingers and toes. Sometimes I think they are tingling more and that is the start of feeling coming back, but I don't want to get my hopes up. I don't know which I'm looking forward to more--a full head of hair or feeling in my fingers and toes.

Of course, I still have projects going. This is a sweater for ME, although one of the wives in the radiation waiting room thinks is would do handsomely in her wardrobe. Guess again.

This one is for the baby of one of my sister's friends. It's kind of fun to work on something completely new and different--even if I do have to rip it out more often than the patterns I can do in my sleep.

That seems to be it for now. The Giants were quite spectacular yesterday--unfortunately, I was watching the 49ers at the time, who weren't. Don't these people know they are part of my recovery?

xxooxx

Recent Projects

Between radiation and the cold, life has been pretty boring. The cold is now on its last legs, radiation has a month to go. Yesterday I made a break for it, thought I would do some retail therapy. I went to Stanford Shopping Center. Nothing caught my eye. I walked around the mall for exercise and only had to sit down and rest twice.
So I thought I would share some of my projects. This is the one I do most often. I've been making this pattern for over 40 years. I vary the color and buttons to keep each one individual. I can do this pattern in my sleep and I still love it.







This is a new pattern--a hoodie that screams "little boy." It is actually more of an olive green--didn't photograph too well, since this looks like baby poop yellow. I've got some navy blue yarn to make another one.

This is a pattern I picked up in Canada because I thought I needed to try something new.

This is a blanket and hat. I've now made several in different colors. It looks harder than it is. Actually, it's kind of fun. The blanket is worked on 22 stitches at a time. It is fun watching it grow. The border is not especially fun, since you have to repeat the same pattern 56 times. But

then, finishing has never been fun.

So that's my exciting live right not. I have some weekend functions that I can attend if I feel up to it. We'll see.

xxooxx

Learned the skill!

So I'm backtracking a little--well, a lot. This is me, snowshoeing at Lake Louise in February, a few hours before the pain started that began this whole thing. I could have edited my posts, but I'm fairly sure no one really wants to go back to see what I added. So there we are.


I spent yesterday in a drugged haze, beating back orcs. It isn't that they weren't there, they were just in the next valley or forest. I'm not at all comfortable, but I'm also living better chemically and getting through it. Now I'm going to try using my new skill.







This is the first cranial prosthesis and the only one that matches anything I've ever looked like before. Elaine took all these shots after my last chemo in front of one of the walls of cards.

So this one is the same brand, sort of a chestnut brown. These are the sports models--apparently I can go swimming in them. Maybe after the wound heals.

















This would be the blonde. I'm quite partial to this one. Glenn is worried about me losing brain cells while I wear it--I'm just worried about learning

to flip it correctly.


















So now here's the redhead, ready to fiddle and/or take on the world. There's no contest or anything, but friends can vote.
Friday afternoon, before the orcs started to venture out, I mailed off the sweaters to the little girls. I kept thinking they live in Georgia, but after I found the address (that I TRIED to lose), I realized they are in North Carolina. My last picture for the day is of the sweaters. I hope they fit, hope they like them and can get some good use out of them.

I can see I still need to learn a little about composition--but, hey, you got pictures. Time for me to complete another sweater set so that I can move on to the next one. The "craft" room is becoming a death trap with bags of yarn. I'm knitting as fast as I can.
xxooxx

Insomnia

Oh--I haven't yet discussed this subject, near and dear to all chemo patients. That is why I am up at 3 in the morning when I have a 9 o'clock chemo appointment. I've been traveling through the wide wonderful world of sleep aids. Haven't found a favorite yet, but I haven't tried them all. I am beginning to understand how people overdose. So, do I get up and knit--seems overkill, besides, both arms are bright red from trying to finish the sweaters for the little girls in Atlanta. I'm so close, albeit less close than I was when I realized that two skeins of a different dye lot made it into my bag of yarn. One I had already used on the two year old's sleeves and also on the back ribbing band for the three year old. I discovered the error as I was about to start sleeve #2 for the three year old. So back to the yarn shop to trade out the last wrong skein for a right skein. The owner gave me a second one, since she loves me, I spend lots of money there, and I'd done so much work, and she should have checked the dye lots in the first place. So this afternoon, I finished sleeve #2 for the three year old--the rest of the sweater is done and just waiting for the sleeve seems and setting in the sleeves--and I got 2/3 through with the errant sleeve for the 2 year old. Sleeve #1 for her only has two or three wrong rows. I'll decide what to do about that when everything else is finished. It shouldn't take very long. With luck, I'll have them packed up and ready to mail off by Friday. So maybe I won't to that right now. I could read more James Patterson--I'm on "Violates are Blue," I think I have only three or four more Alex Cross novels to read, I've read all of the Women's Murder Club, but there are several other non serial books to read. Then I can move on to John Gresham. I've only read "The Appeal," loved it, and want to read more. I could just stare into space or count sheep or just give it up and wait for 7 to come and have breakfast and get ready for that 9 o'clock chemo. More later.
xxooxx

If I only have one life to live...

Those of you who are old enough know that the next line is "Let me live it as a blonde." Works for me. I picked up cranial prostheses numbers three and four yesterday. I haven't worn the redhead on the streets yet, but the blonde one is great. Glenn is worried that it will cost loss of brain cells. I say it leads to more exercise as I learn to flip it back. I love it.
So more good news--the wound is now only one cm deep. Wippee! Unfortunately, the opening is closing so I have an appointment Friday for the surgeon to open it up a little bit. I can handle that. It is uncomfortable for a day or so, but it beats having the thing close and get infected again.
I finished the first of the two sweaters for my night nurse's daughters and didn't have enough yarn to complete the second one, so I had to make a trip to the yarn store. Bad idea. Should have called and had her send the three skeins I needed. When I go to the shop, I want everything I see. Good thing I have LOTS of time to knit. Now I'm hustling on sweater #2 so that I can move on to other stuff and try to clear out some of the bags of yarn.
I'm now 2/3 through this chemo cycle. I know I need the next week for healthy cells to grow. Even so, this week I'll be pawing the ground, just waiting to get session #3 over. I still think the best idea would have been to put me in coma till the whole process is over--but then, I wouldn't get to knit. I guess life is always a series of trade offs.
xxooxx

On the mend

So this seems to be the pattern. Chemo on Wednesday, start feeling bad sometime Friday, and by Tuesday, I'm working my way out of it. I actually dressed today and have somewhat more energy. I definitely hurt less. I've added another layette to the stash of baby clothes and have started on a set of sweaters for the daughters of my night nurse from the second stay at the hospital. The challenge there is that I'm actually making something I've never made before, so I'll have to be a little heads up while I'm working on it--as opposed to the two patterns that I can actually do in my sleep.
This is exciting. I have two weeks of feeling almost good stretching out before me with only four appointments before the next session. I'll try not to go too crazy. Maybe I'll take a nap so that I have the energy to deal with all this feeling good.
xxooxx