Category Archives: Gratitude

Thankful Thursday

Posted in California, cooking, Gratitude, velcade by

I’m thankful for the beautiful weather here in Northern Ca. Our daffodils are up and the flowering cherry tree is blooming. Today is supposed to hit 70. nice!!

I’m grateful B is recovering so well from the laparoscopy and he can pretty much do what needs doing. We have a date now for the surgery and Hipec. It’s April 14. So the plan is to arrive Sunday and he will need labs. Fortunately, the lab is open on Sunday. Then Monday is the surgery although we don’t know the time yet. The surgery is where the surgeon(Dr. Lee) goes in and basically scrapes any cancer areas he sees. Then he is closed back up except for tubes that will administer the chemo. That part I’m not sure how long it will be but it could be quite long. At this point, I am NOT staying in the hospital but will go back to the hotel. After last time sitting in the waiting room just about did me in. Then the plan is I will go see him on Tuesday and check in about how things are. The last time Dr. Lee called me after the surgery was over so I suspect he will do that again. Then B will be in the hospital for at least a week. We haven’t figured out part 2 of getting him as I do not plan on staying all week.

I’m thankful for good food that I cook and feel good enough to do that. Last night we had a piece of the Halibut I got from Alaskian Fish. I think it was the first time I’ve had halibut and it was very good.

I’m grateful I can get my Velcade shot today in Rocklin and not drive into Sacramento. That is a real time saver and emotional one too not having to deal with Sacramento traffic.

I’m not so thankful for Dex overall, but it does do the job so I guess I am grateful for that.

I’m thankful ” to be alive on this fresh morning in this broken world”. What else can I say? Our democracy is in serious danger of falling apart thanks to tRump and mUsk. What a bunch of assholes.

Thankful Thursday

Posted in California, cancer, cooking, Gratitude, peritoneal mesothelomia, simple foods, swimming, travel by

It’s been a week since the surgery and B is doing fantastic. He’s doing mostly his normal chores just being more careful. So I’m so thankful he has a great response.

I’m thankful the drive to Palo Alto and back were uneventful (except for a few assholes) but mostly it went smoothly.

I’m very grateful for the Sheraton giving us a discount that was probably half of what the room rate was. When we’re down there next, if it’s a week that’ll add up but we don’t really have an alternative. An Airbnb would probably cost more.

I’m thankful my dentist appt went well too and is over.:) I do have a cleaning coming up so there’s that. 😦

As always I’m grateful to be able to swim and go for walks. I’d like to ramp it up some but honestly, it feels like this is the best I can do at this time. So I’ll take what I can do and not worry about adding to it.

I made the garlic confit yesterday but cooked the garlic too long and some burned so I just drained the olive oil into a jar to use and threw out the garlic cloves. It tasted good. ( the olive oil).

This is the homemade butter I made using heavy cream I had frozen. I made it in the Kitchen aid.

Thankful Thursday

Posted in books, California, cooking, Gratitude, library, peritoneal mesothelomia, Political things by

First, what a tragedy about the AA plane and the Black Hawk helicopter. Very sad indeed. I listened to part of what trump said, and at first, he was somewhat consoling and then spiraled into his usual blaming of Obama and Biden. Geez, give it up, just be with the victims here and not political.

I’m very thankful to get the Stanford call, and at least we can get this part done. Today, he has a video call with the anesthesiologist, and tomorrow, a video visit with Dr. Neal, who is the mesothelioma oncologist at Stanford.

I’m thankful we’ve had a nice period of no rain. Tomorrow starts a long period of lots of rain. I’ll have to see how the walking will go.

I’m thankful to feel like myself again after that awful night. It’s the simple things, right?

I’m thankful I got to the gym before my Velcade. It was nice because then I came straight home.

I’m thankful for the library and the huge bag of books I checked out. Three cookbooks which were new, so that’ll be fun. Reading cookbooks is like a hobby. I don’t often make the recipes, but I like looking at them.

Thankful Thursday

Posted in California, cash envelopes, cooking, Gratitude by

After reading about the severe cold in the south and midwest, our weather is something to be thankful for. I love living in California and am so grateful that we have a conscientious governor despite what the orange king has to say!

I’m grateful my LLS grant money came for my insurance. It makes a huge difference. Without it, I’m quite sure we would be struggling money-wise.

I’m immensely grateful that B is feeling so good for now. He’s doing all kinds of chores and is outside a lot of the day. Soon enough, with the Stanford surgery, it’ll be different but for now, it’s great. He still doesn’t have a date for the laparoscopy but hopefully soon.

I’m grateful for the other usual things, the Mike Shelito pool, the gym, and how well Roseville Parks takes care of things. It is much appreciated. If there was one other place I’d move to, besides Tahoe or Capitola, it would be Roseville. The former two would be beyond anything we could afford although if we had bought in the 70’s or 80’s it would be worth a fortune now. So much for hindsight.

I’m thankful for family and the support we all give each other. I do miss my sister, Heidi, even if we weren’t that close, she was still there and very supportive.

Well, that’s it from mi casa. Today is mostly a home day. I want to catch up on some house things and then pop into town to go to the bank.

Thankful Thursday

Posted in budgets, California, cancer, cash envelopes, Gratitude, Myeloma by

It’s a chilly morning here in N. Ca. I hope the fires are under control in SoCal. what a thing to go through. We live in a high fire danger area and so many insurance companies have dropped policies. What is going to happen with the cost of policies now? I’m sure everyone’s is going up.

I’m thankful for a warm house and we have enough wood to get through. I think next year ( this coming winter) we’ll need to buy wood. I don’t see B getting the wood splitter going and going to get wood. We could take some more small oaks down in the woods, so maybe that’ll happen.

I’m thankful we’ve all been healthy( of course that is somewhat relative with cancer) but still no colds or flu here. Although I do have some sinus stuff going on but hopefully that’s just seasonal stuff.

I’m thankful, as always, that we can pay our bills with our SS. We don’t have ‘extra’ but we have enough! Of course, I’d love to re do the kitchen and fix our foundation but it is what it is.

Speaking of money, I’m very grateful to LLS that gives me a grant for Myeloma and pays my insurance. Without that, we would be struggling. Insurance adds up.

I’m thankful for this time in my life. It is hard getting older. It is a gift though to reach 72. Lots of people don’t. So I try to do the best I can and I’m thankful for that.

The VW should be done today or tomorrow. The mechanic said it needed lots of things fixed, hmm, yes, we know that) but we said just do the starter, battery, and an oil change. It’ll come in @ $ 1200 I think. I have $300 in my auto repair envelope and then I’ll put the rest on my card. Not ideal but needs must.

I plan on going to the gym this morning. Then we have the video visit with Stanford. Plus I’m soaking pinto beans to can so I’ll try and get the canner going after I get home.

Thankful Thursday

Posted in California, Gratitude, home stuff, Political things by

I am thankful for the sunny days we’re having. It’s not warm but it has been in the 60’s. I’m definitely a sun person.

I’m thankful that the gym was not busy yesterday and I spent 30 minutes on the weight machines. The regulars I know were there and maybe 1person seemed new.

I’m thankful for these days when Barclay is feeling good enough to go do chores. He got the cat food yesterday and went to the bank. Next week is the video visit so we should know what the next step is by Friday.

I rolled up the LR rug the other day because I wanted to see how much the vacuum picks up without this rug. It seems this rug always has some sort of fiber that comes out with vacuuming and I wonder if it’s because it’s a cheap rug.?? It wasn’t that cheap but I had gotten it on a Prime Day about 3 years ago. Anyway, I was done with it. I’m not sure what I want to get, maybe a Ruggable. Costco has a special Ruggable deal so I may do that. For now, I’ll see how it is. I plan on offering it on Facebook Market place free.

I also moved the little grey couch out of the sunroom and put it in my office area. I’m going to leave it there for a while. We don’t sit out in the sunroom this time of year because it’s too cold. I’ll leave it here till spring.

Today is a home day unless I run out to drop books off. I still haven’t gotten to that.:(

I’m thankful we’re all healthy right now especially with flu season happening.

In the political arena, I’m thankful President Carter was honored by so many people. He was really a good person and lived his values. It was weird seeing frump there though as he is the exact opposite of everything Carter was.

Thankful Thursday

Posted in California, cancer, Gratitude by

As always there’s always something to be thankful for.

It’s been 1 year since I started monthly Velcade shots. I’m thankful that it’s quick( I’m in and out in 30 minutes), not too painful( it is a very long needle going into my abdomen), and I tolerate it well. Plus, it has kept my kappa light chain numbers at normal or near normal. I am so grateful that it’s allowing me to live as normally as possible and with these last 6 months with B, I’ve been able to take him to appts, chemo, and ER visits. My energy level is ok. Maybe not great, but I can do what needs to be done.

I’m thankful we’ve had some nice walks in the early morning. It’s been cold but we bundle up and it’s fine. I’ve used one walking pole a few times and it seems to add to some stability. I haven’t had anything like a fall but my knee( the ACL tear, and meniscus tear) are always in the back of my mind.

I’m thankful Barclay is having a very nice period of good energy, no chemo problems and he’s out and about. He can drive to get his own labs and do errands if need be. So that’s so great. He will have a video visit with DR. Lee in mid January so we’ll know then what the next step is. Age is a factor in this surgery so I’m a little concerned but I figure, don’t worry too much yet.

I’m grateful both my kids are healthy and doing well. My daughter does have immune issues but so far she knows what to do if a flare-up occurs.

Going forward into the new year, I’m grateful we have a safe warm house and plenty in the pantry. This year I want to be more intentional with food and not buy larger quantities of things at Costco. Here’s looking at you, giant bag of cheese-its!!! I see these things on sale and impulsively buy them. So I want to be more intentional. I can go to Winco and buy a small box of cheese-its if that’s what I want.

I’m thankful for each morning to wake up and look forward to a new day.

Thankful Thursday

Posted in California, cancer, cooking, Gratitude, home stuff by

I’m so thankful we had a lovely Christmas and our little family was all here.

We had a very nice Christmas with our 2 adult children, my son’s partner, and my brother. We had a lasagna, some cornish hens( which I didn’t think they were worth it), an antipasto plate, garlic bread, and a tiny bit of ham for those that wanted it. I had it timed perfectly and everything was ready at the same time.

We had fun around the table and then everyone pitched in to clean up. It was really nice. My son’s partner even got us a popcorn maker so last night we used it while finishing up all the Christmas movies. I’m glad it’s over though and clean up can start.

Today I plan to get out the Hanukkha stuff as I was too tired yesterday to light the first night’s candle. I plan on making the latkes with sour cream and applesauce on the side. Maybe an omelette with some smoked salmon I have left over from Christmas breakfast. Something easy at any rate.

It was raining this morning so we didn’t walk. I plan to just do some clean up today and start putting away a few Christmas things. B has labs to go do and then pick up some prescriptions. His labs have been very good so really until the next phase he should be fine. He was able to schedule a video visit with Dr. Neal who is the mesothelioma oncologist at Stanford. Once he looks things over he’ll hand it off to Dr. Lee. It’s still going to be a hard 6 months for us but hopefully, we’ll come out of this with positive results.

I’m thankful that this year is ending on a positive note even though I know there’s some rough stuff ahead. At least as we close the year, it’s closing with lots of hope for a better 2025.

Thankful Thursday

Posted in California, cancer, Gratitude by

First is that B is done with the chemo. It’s been a rough ride. His platelets and hemoglobin are coming up on their own so, he’ll have some goodish weeks until phase 2.

I’m very thankful his UCD doctor has been very supportive and proactive through this. he needs to make the consult appt with Stanford, so that’s the next step. Dr. Lee is the one to review the PET scan and labs and make a decision about the surgery. I’ll trust he know what he’s doing because that’s pretty much all he does. That consult should be a video visit because I’m not driving to Palo Alto just to talk about it. If he goes forward, the laparoscopy would require an overnight in Palo Alto.

I’m grateful for our warm house and enough wood to heat it. Our PGE bill is high this month but it always is in Dec and Jan. I like the house to be comfortable. I’m totally not into have it be 60 degrees. Plus B is very thin and the cold affects him so when needed we use the space heaters.

I’m grateful to have the chance to swim twice this week. It was mellow although all the lanes were still full. I think Christmas is having somewhat of an impact on who’s coming to the pool.

I’m thankful for our sweet kitties ( all six of them). They are not very cuddly cats but are sweet and entertaining.

I’m thankful both of my kids have great jobs they love. I wish I had found something I loved as a young adult. I mean I got my masters in counseling and did feel it was my path but I never got a regular job with it. I just freelanced. One regret I have is not getting a’regular job’ such as a school counselor or with a private practice. Well, hindsight is always 20/20.

I’m grateful to have some time before my next Velcade to do some Christmas cooking and enjoying the season without feeling the effects of Dex and chemo. My next shot is Jan 2, so that’s how the new year will start off.

Thankful Thursday

Posted in books, California, camping, cancer, Gratitude, peritoneal mesothelomia, social security by

This has really been an awful year. B getting diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma was such a shock. Also, it doesn’t have a very good prognosis. Then because of this, we had to cancel all our RV trips and it’s been hard to not head out somewhere. All in all, it’s just been a hard year. As we close 2024, I’m still thankful for many things.

  • that he’s had the last chemo and will get a PET scan soon. So going into 2025, we should know where he is with it all.
  • I’m thankful that, even with me getting Velcade, I can do most things that need to be done.
  • I’m thankful my kids are there to pick up the slack and help us so much.
  • I’m grateful that even though money is always tight on SS we can pay our bills. There’s not a lot left over but we have a roof over our heads, food, and hot water, wood heat and lots more. It would have been nice to not have a mortgage at all but that wasn’t in the cards for us. At least we can pay for it.
  • I’m thankful for the library and the world of books. Books, even as a child, took me to places I’d never been. Today, at 72, I can say books still carry me to unknown places and show me a different perspective.

I’m hopeful for 2025, but I think it’s still going to be tough going especially when we head to Stanford for the surgery.

One step at a time, one step at a time.

My appt went ok yesterday. It was quite busy in there but I still got in on time. Dr. L asked if I had any sleep apnea. Not that I know of. I guess my hematocrit is slightly elevated and he said to consider getting a sleep apnea test. Even if I did have it, I wouldn’t use a mask at night unless it was severe. Does anyone out there have any experience with sleep apnea. My guess is the hematocrit goes up and down because of not drinking enough water. Dehydration is one cause. I never drink enough water. Plus it’s been 1 point out of range for a year. 15.5 is high normal, I’ve been 16.4. I’m not sure why he brought this up now, but I said, I’ll think about it but I really have too much going on to add one more thing. I’ll do some more research and see what I find out.