March 31, 2023. Madison, Mississippi. Walkers.

Walkers are a huge help to those of us who are a bit unstable.  They allow me to be independent.  When I was in the hospital in December, the physical therapists stopped by to check to see if I would be able to go home and live by myself.  I discovered that they did not like my walkers with their big wheels.  They preferred the walkers that you must pick up in order to walk.  The reason is that the wheels get away from you.  I just laughed and told them that I would stick to my walkers with the big wheels.  But I promised that I would be careful.

I did find that when going down a ramp, I was fearful of going too fast so I was forced to having someone hold on the walker to slow me down.  I know I could use the brakes but somehow or another I can not slow down by myself.  I have no trouble going up a ramp, but down ramps make me nervous.  

The other evening as I turned from the computer, I inadvertently pushed  the walker which was right behind me.  It scooted right across the breakfast room and ended up beside the table on the other side of the room.  I just laughed.  Then I had to figure out how to safely get over to the walker.  Fortunately, I use a desk chair on wheels so I pulled my feel along the floor.  So I was rescued.  That was the only time when the wheels of the walker got away from me.

Once in Mexico, Wendy and I were doing something in the living room.  When she left for the beach, I realized that she had left the walker on the other side of the room.  I could not figure out how to safely retrieve the walker, so I just waited until Wendy returned.  And we laughed.  I had been stuck in place.  Without my walkers, I would really be stuck in place.  Hats off to walkers.

March 30, 2023. Madison, Mississippi. Good and Bad News.

First, the good news.  I look great and I have all the energy I need.  My vital signs are normal as are all my blood counts, even my white cells which are normal.  My glucose levels are with acceptable numbers.  My foot wound is totally covered with new skin.  Dr. Gregg, who I saw on Tuesday and who is a geriatric specialist told me to do nothing with the thumb.  No more cream.  Just watch it to be sure it does not get any redder.  I am going out for lunch regularly.  So I look fine.  And I feel fine but I am not perfect.

The bad news is the breast cancer.  When you are given the diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer, you know that the breast cancer will come back.  Eventually the breast cancer will take over.  My Pet scan told me that the cancer had grown.  When the Oncologist asked for specific numbers he told a bad story.  I have a new cancer on the top of my spine and a bigger one at the base of my spine.  There is a new cancer in the liver and the old one is bigger.  So we are not winning this fight.  Next week I will have a liver biopsy.  And two days later I see the Oncologist to map out a plan.  Or do nothing.

The Oncologist suggests  that I take a new chemo that requires infusion every two weeks.  She will not start it and then stop when I go to Nova Scotia so she thinks I should stay in Mississippi.  But there is no guarantee that the new chemo will work.  On the other hand, I know I will enjoy the summer in Nova Scotia, so I will go there.  And I will try to find an Oncologist who will give me the infusion chemo.  Of course, I have no idea if this treatment has been approved in Canada.  So we will see what we decide.

I am not upset with this information.  I knew the chemo that I was taking in Mexico was not working because my back hurt.  I was not able to sit in a wooden chair.  I still eat at home sitting in a comfortable chair.  And in a restaurant here I sit in a padded bench.  So here we go.  I am still walking and talking and not complaining.  Life is good.

March 29, 2023. Madison, Mississippi. Flannel Sheets.

In Nova Scotia I use flannel sheets all summer.  The nights are always chilly even during the summer,  so in order to keep me cosy, I use flannel sheets.  But I do not put flannel sheets on all the other beds which are used by guests.  Many people find flannel sheets too warm.

But in Mississippi, I only use flannel sheets when the weather is cold.  I have a major decision, here in Mississippi,  as to when the time is right to take off the flannel sheets.  It was like the changing of the guard.  When I switch to regular cotton sheets, I never go back to flannel until the late Fall, when the weather again will be chilly.  Before I arrived home to Mississippi, the weather turned hot and I knew my flannel sheets were still on my bed.  But I got lucky.   The  weather turned cold so I kept my flannel sheets on the bed for a couple of weeks.

Portia changes the sheets every Friday and as it was going to be 80, I asked her to use regular cotton sheets.  And she laundered and put away the cosy flannel sheets, the ones with snowmen and snow.  I love those sheets but I will not see them until I return from Nova Scotia.  The guard has changed, finally.

March 28, 2023. Madison, Mississippi. The Windshield.

 Before  I left for Mexico,  a rock hit my windshield and made a dint.  I knew that sooner or later, that hole would develop into a crack.  Sure enough, Christina reported a small crack in the front windshield.  Christina looks after my car when I am out of town and she drives in once a week to be sure that it is running well.  As the crack was small, she felt comfortable driving it.  But she reported to me that the windshield would need to be changed upon my return.

Last summer, when I was in Nova Scotia with the car with Christina, the back windshield shattered.  The back window was replaced, with the company doing the work in Christinas garage. So all was well, until now.

I was wishing we had not purchased a Subaru with all the safety features in the car, because in order to replace the windshield, they must also recalibrated all the cameras in the windshield, which must be done in their shop.  This takes 2 or 3 hours.  Portia offered to take and car and wait but that did not seem fair, so we ended up driving to Pearl for our 9:00 appointment and waiting together.  While we were there, we worked on my Christmas cards.  Portia wrote the envelopes while I read the names and addresses from my list.  Every hour, we walked outside for exercise.

On the way home, we stopped to bring lunch home.  We had fun while we were waiting and we got some exercise.  And we finished lunch in time for Portia to leave at 1:00.  So all was well.  And I no longer have a crack in my windshield. 

March 27, 2023. Madison, Mississippi. Christmas Cards, 2022.

By now, all my relatives and friends know that they missed receiving a Christmas card from me.  Many years ago when I was very busy, I often sent cards out in January.  But I have never just did not send them out.  But there was a series or errors with the card which meant that Christina could not order the cards.  And then my energy level went down and down.  And so I had no cards and I had no time.  

Now I am sending out a New Years card in April.  I asked Portia to help.  I asked her to put the return address labels on the envelope.  But in addition, to be helpful, she also stuffed the envelope with the card.  Now I write a note in every card so this was a problem/  But I was admonished to send the cards out without a note, which is what everyone else does with a picture Christmas card.  So now Portia has sealed the cards.  And she is writing the addresses on the envelopes.  With me telling her names and addresses and Portia writing the addresses we are making good time, and I am hoping the New Years cards will be mailed this week.  

I must say that it is just about time I sent out my Christmas cards.  New Years in April sounds pretty good.

March 26, 2023. Madison, Mississippi. Cups and Saucers.

 Once upon a time, many years ago, everyone served you tea in a fancy cup and saucer.  At least they did in Canada.  Every cup was different and always made of fine china.  Every bride was given cups and saucers so I had many beautiful cups and saucers.  I brought 16 of them with me to Mississippi.  When Wendy opened the box of china, I asked her what on earth I should do with those fancy cups and saucers.  I was no longer using them.  Wendy suggested that she put them in a nest of four.  And she stored them in a high cupboard over top of the refrigerator.  And she suggested that I would give them to the granddaughters at some appropriate time in the future

In the middle of the night last week, I decided that the appropriate time would be when a granddaughter had moved into their own apartment.  So I sent four cups and saucers to Kate as a Spring surprise.  This week, we had PackMail package them up and send the fancy cups to Kate, which arrived on Saturday.  She was surprised and delighted.  Last Spring, she and her friend Sarah Kennedy held a tea party  for their friends and they had already discussed having another this year.  Last year it was a hit.  Now Kate will use her fancy four cups and saucers at their tea party.  

Now I have three more sets up in my cabinet waiting for another granddaughter to move into their own apartment.  I have more cups and saucers in Nova Scotia but I do not know if PackMail has outlets there.  But for now, all is well.  And Kate is delighted.

March 25, 2023. Madison, Mississippi. Another Storm.

I went to sleep last night happy.  The storm had passed me by so I was safe to sleep in my bed.  Every spot in a Mississippi house has a safe place, an area in the house well away from windows and far away from the outside walls.  If possible, you go to the basements but as very few houses in Mississippi have a basement, that best option is not available.  So everyone designates a safe place for the family to go to in the event a tornado is coming your way.  But that storm was east of me, so I went to bed.

But in the middle of the night I awoke to hear loud thunder.  And heavy rain and wind.  I went back to sleep.  When I got up, the lights were not working so I knew a storm had hit our area.  It turned out to be a deadly storm.  The storm went just north of Jackson, actually not too far from me.  I had heard the edges of the storm, which came with a tornado that touched down a bit east of me and a bit north.  The tornado was deadly.  People killed and injured while I slept on.  

These tornadoes are what catches peoples attention.  They are unpredictable and deadly.  So Mississippi people listen to the TV and radio.  And they stay home during a storm.  The Notary we met with on Tuesday would not come into work on Monday because of the forecast of a storm.   Fortunately, the storms here do not last long but it can rain hard for long periods of time.  So I too stay home during a storm.  That still does not make me a Mississippian.  That takes several generations.