Saturday's Surprise Showers

Well, I am almost awake, yesterday, I could barely function. I had no energy and I think I took at least five naps. I awoke about 0500 and finally got up at 0600, but not really rested. I made myself a couple eggs, a soy sausage patty and a couple pieces of toast. Then I emptied the dishwasher that I started Friday night, then added the dishes from breakfast and then did the stove full of pots and pans from the last two days.

After cleaning the kitchen a little I went into the living room to read the paper and mail. Somewhere along the way I dozed off. After a while Kathleen got up and after she had some breakfast, I reminded her that we needed to pick up the chipper/shredder that I had on hold at the store. It was on sale and they were only going to hold it for me until the end of the day.

We picked it up and then headed home, getting some gasoline for Kathleen's Acura, $51.00 later we headed home. It is a good thing that we do not go too many places, we could not afford to do that every week.

I was really tired when we got home, so I took another nap, but the phone woke me up, so I got up and made myself some lunch. I combined the left-over noodles, sausage, some rice, some hash brown potatoes that Kathleen made herself for breakfast and a can of tomato soup. Not bad!

I cleaned up my mess and then went out to the garage to put together the chipper/shredder, it did not need much assembly, so it did not take too long to do, but I was tired from just moving it around, so when I had finished, I went back inside, cleaned up and took another nap.

Kathleen came downstairs and started putting the Easter baskets together for the grandchildren as we were going to Alyssa and Dan's for a get together with the children and grandchildren. Then she went back upstairs and I fell asleep again, only to be awoken when Kathleen was opening some plastic bags to put the baskets in.

I was still really tired, so I told her that I did not think that I could make it. I physically could have gone, but I was so tired that I did not want to push myself and I knew that Kathleen would stay longer than I would be able to, so I told her that I would stay home and dozed off shortly after she left.

I would have liked to go, but I could not handle the activity that it would have involved, plus I probably would have just sat around and tried to stay awake.

Somewhere around 1730 I awoke and reheated the left-over soup that I had made myself to lunch, I kind of just vegetated the rest of the night. Kathleen came home around 2130, and I was just about ready to head upstairs to go to bed, but she called and said that she was on her way, so I stayed up until she got home.

Well, that was my yesterday. I did sleep a little better last night, I did not wake up until about 0630, I am not what I would call wide awake, but at least I do not feel like I need to take a nap...at least not just yet.

A Fan for Friday

Well, I did not write yesterday, I awoke at 0300 and could not get back to sleep by 0500, so I just got up. Then tried to take a nap in my chair mid morning and the phone woke me up, so last night Natalie's school had a school program and I went hoping that I could stay awake. I did, but was really tired when it was over.

So we left and Alyssa gave us a container of leek soup. I was so tired when we got home I just kind of vegetated in my chair the rest of the night. So that in a nut shell is pretty much all I did yesterday.

This morning at 0515 my alarm clock went off, Kathleen had done some rearranging the other day and must have set it. She said that it went off yesterday morning, but I was already up and did not hear it. So this morning when it went off it totally woke me up and I finally got up at 0600.

So this morning after breakfast and reading the paper the mail came followed by the UPS truck. I had ordered a new composter and it arrived in three boxes weighing a little over 150 pounds. So I spent the next couple hours I putting it together. It is really a big unit, much bigger than my old one and better engineered. Now I just need to keep up the composting.

I had the leek soup that Alyssa made today for lunch, and it tasted so good. After eating, I sat down in my chair for a while and fell asleep only to be awoken by the phone again, so I went back outside and finished putting together the composter .

Then I came back inside and rested in my chair again, only to fall asleep again. As you can see I have been rather tired, mostly from lack of sleep, but also it has been rather warm today, almost eighty degrees today and something like seventy-five yesterday. Tomorrow is supposed to be in the seventies again, so I am hoping to get the front yard mowed tomorrow morning. I was planning to do that today, but it took so long for me to get the composter put together.

Tonight Kathleen heated up the noodles and sausage that she had made last night, plus she also heated up some frozen lima beans and we finished the cranberry sauce that we had earlier. Well, I am still pretty tired so I think that I will call it a good night.

Winded Wednesday

I slept really well last night, but around 0400 I was awakened by the Wrangler's alarm going off. It was in the garage and I could see the door was still closed, so I just used the remote and shut it off. I could not get back to sleep for about an hour. I guess that I was just completely awakened and it took the hour to wind back down and get to sleep, but once I did I slept until almost 0800.

I made myself a couple eggs for breakfast and heated up the rest of the hash from last night along with a couple pieces of toast and coffee and was really satisfied. I emptied the dishwasher after I finished eating and then loaded up my breakfast dishes into it. Then I made some orange juice since I had forgotten to make some juice yesterday when I finished the pomegranate juice yesterday for breakfast.

After finishing up in the kitchen I went into the living room to read the paper and then the mail when it got here. The were a couple catalogs and the Visa bill, but the rest of it was junk mail.

While I was reading the paper Alyssa called to invite us to Natalie's school Easter program tomorrow night, and so I talked to her for a while. Then shortly after that Sue and my Mom called and talked to them for a while as well. They were all concerned about the rise in my PSA count, as am I, but I think that I am more at ease just waiting to see what the doctor says when she returns from her surgery.

Kathleen called after her sleep study and said that she was going to do some shopping while she was out, so I went outside and mowed the neighbor's front yard and the side that borders on ours and then did our back yard. Kathleen was still not home so I got cleaned up and went to the credit union as I had three large insurance checks and some cash that I needed to deposit.

Kathleen was home when I got back and told me a little about her experience last night. I was hungry so I got the rest of the chicken/macaroni salad from a couple days ago and while I was eating it Kathleen asked if she could have a bite or two. I finished it off and then got a couple kumquats to top my lunch off.

After a while I went outside and cleaned off the table that I had used for potting plants. It had become more of a storage pile and was really rather useless. After that I decided to put up my driving net and hit a few golf balls around. I was pretty worn out by the time I started it, but it is suppose to be in the seventies for the next few days do I thought that I would put it up now and get a couple days use out of it before I needed to take it down to mow again.

I hit balls for about a half hour, and since I was tired to begin with I decided to sit and rest for a while. Well the resting went so well, that I decided that I would gather up the golf balls and driving mat and put them back into the garage. Then I got my driver, glove and phone and went into the house and got cleaned up.

After a while Kathleen asked if I wanted a DeLight pizza for dinner, it sounded good to me, she had to go out and get some distilled water for her sleeping devise that she has to wear when she sleeps. She got back in about forty-five minutes and we ate about 1915.

Well, I have put the dishes away, put the left-over pizza in the refrigerator and now I am ready to crash. I am not ready to go to bed yet, but I am extremely tired and I think it will probably be a rather early night.

Alyssa called again tonight so Kathleen and I talked to her for a while again. Well, I think that that is all I can think about so I will just say good night.

Tuesday's Termoil

I was awake for quite a while last night so naturally I fell asleep again just before daybreak and slept until about 0800. After eating breakfast I went into the living room to read the paper, and then the mail when it came. I did not have much of anything, but Kathleen got a few things. I think that the most exciting things I got were a Bi-Mart sales book and a Costco sales flier. Like I said, not much.

After recycling the paper and the mail, I went outside and got my vegetation killer and sprayed the fence line all around the house. Luckily there are no neighbors in the back, the house to the east is vacant and the driveway on the west is an area that I mow anyway, so I am always there anyway.

After doing that I did a little more trimming on the birds nest spruce and then pulled up some more ivy, something that I had not done for a while. Right now there are a lot of daffodils, tulips and grape hyacinth growing in there and I do not want to disturb them until they finish blooming.

I was getting pretty tired so I put my tools away and went into the house and got cleaned up. Then I made myself a Limburger cheese and onion sandwich and had some of the left over chicken macaroni salad from last night and a dill pickle.

After resting for a little bit I went out side and dug out some plants that Kathleen did not want and disposed of them. Then I came back inside and as I was sitting down I remembered that I had not heard from the doctor about my PSA test that I had taken last Wednesday, so I called the radiation/oncology office.

My doctor was out having surgery and the doctor that I saw last week was on vacation so I talked to the nurse. She told me what my PSA was and I thought that it sounded a little high, but she told me that it was okay. After hanging up and thinking about it for a while I suddenly realized that it was about two and a half times higher than it was before I had my radiation, so I called back.

They had a doctor there that was filling in for the other two, but she had never seen me so she took a look at my folder and then called me back. She said that it was higher than expected and that it is something that I need to keep an eye on. She also said that she would leave a note for my doctor so that when she got back to work after her surgery she could call me if needed.

So I still do not feel really too good about having gone through what I did for the last few months only to have my PSA climb as much as it has. So I guess it is not over with as much as I would like for it to be.

Anyway, Kathleen needed to take some books back to the library and pick up some she had on hold so we took off to do that. On the way Kathleen remembered that she had some prescriptions to pick up at Fred Meyers so we stopped by there on the way. While we were there I went back to the lawn and garden department because I have been thinking about getting a small electrical chipper/shredder to use before I put the stuff into the new compost tumbler that have on order.


We also stopped by Home Depot to look there, but I did not see any electrical ones at either place. I stayed in the car while Kathleen went into the library and then we headed home. I gathered up the clothes and started a load of dark clothes and then went into the living room to rest. Needless to say before long I had dozed off and woke up just in time to put the dark clothes into the dryer and then loaded up the whites.

When the clothes were done drying I went upstairs and folded the dark clothes. On my way upstairs I asked Kathleen what she had planned for dinner, she did not know. She has had an upset stomach, from anxiety over her sleep study tonight, so she did not want anything too spicy.

She asked what I though about hash, since I could eat hash just about anytime I said okay. She also heated up some green beans, Kathleen only had the beans, and even the hash did not appeal to her.

Shortly after we finished eating and I cleaned the table off, the dryer went off, so I gathered up the clothes and went upstairs and folded and put them away. Well, Kathleen just took off for her sleep study and I have run out of things to write about, so good night.

Misty Monday

This morning I woke up at 0900 and stayed in bed until 0700, I was kind of hoping that I would fall asleep again as I was not really rested. I did not get back to sleep, so I finally got up and made myself some oatmeal for breakfast. After breakfast, I cleaned up the kitchen and then went into the living room to read the paper.

Kathleen had a doctor's appointment at 1030 across town, but she did not leave until about 1015. The mail came shortly after she left, but there was not much of anything there. I went outside and rearranged some of the irises that I had dug up earlier this spring and put them back by the back fence.

Then I went back inside and did not feel like staying there so I went back outside. The ground was dry so I thought that I would mow at least the front lawn. So I got the Honda out and then thought that I would get out the old push reel mower and see if I could get through the lawn with that. It was rather energy consuming, but I did it, I needed the extra workout, as I have not been doing much of anything physical for several months.

I was tired when I finished, but I had wanted to trim the birds nest spruce, so I got out my hedge clippers and hacked away at it. I got it so that one can walk past it with out brushing into it every time. Then I got the loppers out and finished cutting out the dead wood from underneath.

While I was walking back to the garage, I realized that Kathleen's SUV was not in the driveway, so I decided to get the blower out and blow off the fir needles off the driveway. By the time I was done with that I was pretty tired. Kathleen came home just after I got cleaned up Kathleen came home.

I asked her if she wanted the crepes that were leftover and since she did not, I heated them up for myself. I thought about sitting down and resting for a while, but I knew that if I did I would probably not get up. So I went outside and decided that I would try to take out the old dog run.

So I got my shovel and started to work the post loose, I took four of them out and rolled up the fence up to the next post. The sun was starting to come out so I put the shovel away and got my spading fork out and decided to so a little weeding in the old dog run.

I worked on that for a couple hours and got a little bit done; I am trying to get all of the crabgrass roots out of the area so that it is not a problem this summer. It is something that has needed doing for a couple years, but I have just not had the time to do it.

I finally reached my limit and decided to clean up my tools and get cleaned up myself. It was 1630 by the time I got back into the house. After cleaning up I sat down in my chair and before long I had dozed off. I woke up a little after 1730 and just in time to get ready to watch the Ohio State/Florida finals game.

Kathleen asked me what she should make for dinner so I suggested macaroni and chicken salad. It took a while to make, but it really tasted good. Well, I think I have run out of things to write about so I will just say good night.

Smiles for Sunday

I slept in until about 0800 this morning, I still did not feel well enough to go to church or Sunday School, but I have been feeling better just about every day. So after breakfast I went into the living room to read the paper. I am not sure why but I did not finish reading the paper until about 1130.

I dinked around outside for a while and then went into the house to make myself lunch. I had just about run out of leftovers so I opened up a can of hash and mixed in some hot salsa and cooked it. After cleaning up the dishes, I went back outside and decide that I would do some weeding.

I wanted to weed along the east side of the property by the old fence, so I started on the outside of the old dog run, something that really has not been used since Caleb. When I get a little more ambitious, I want to pull it out and plant flowers in the old dog run. I could never get anyone to put Reggie in it and it has been a difficult area to mow or do anything with.

Anyway, I spent a couple hours working on that area, I did not get a lot of area weeded, but I did get a lot of weeds pulled. Part of it was hard to weed because it had fences on three sides. I also pulled out some roots from trees that I took out a long time ago. I finally got tired enough to quite so I cleaned up the tools and put them away and went inside and got cleaned up myself.

When I looked at the clock it was 1530, so I made my way to my chair and rested until about 1830 when Aaron called and we talked to him for a while. Kathleen heated up the crepes from the other night and mashed up an avocado and opened up a can of peaches for dinner. I added some hot salsa to the avocado and was all set to eat.

After dinner Kathleen and I loaded up the dishwasher and then I went into the living room and Kathleen went into my office to check our tax return for me. So I am in the living room on the laptop doing my blog and Kathleen just finished checking the taxes. It looks like we will get some back from the federal taxes and pay a little to the state.

Well, I am tired, but it is a tired because I did something today and it is a good tired. So I guess that this is all that I can think to write about, so I will just say good night.

Sleepy Saturday

I was up more last night than I had been and woke up about o600 and could not get back to sleep again. I finally got up about 0715, not really feeling as rested as I would have liked to. After breakfast I went in and read the paper, and almost fell asleep. After I finished the paper, I decided to go outside for a while since it had stopped raining.

I try to go outside and walk around as often as I can, I would like to talk more walks away from the house, but I do not feel comfortable doing it very often. Anyway, I decided to fertilize the roses and after I did that, I got a different bag and fertilized the berries. By the time I finished that I was tired enough that I needed to go inside and rest.

After a while, I decided to make myself some lunch, so I opened up a can of sardines and got a kosher dill pickle out of the refrigerator and made myself a sandwich. I thought about going outside, but it had started to rain again, so I just sat in my chair in the living room and dozed for a while.

After I was more awake I watched the Ohio State/Georgetown game and then took a shower at half time. Tami was having a birthday party for Alexis at 1700 so I wanted to get the garden dirt off of me. Then I put on my clean shorts and tee shirt and finished watching the game.

We left for the party at 1700 and stayed until a little after 2000, it was my longest outing in the last three months. All of the children and spouses were there as well as all six grandchildren, Alyssa, Dan and their family had just returned from Disneyland earlier in the day, so their children were a little tired as were Alyssa and Dan.

Anyway, I am home and really tired, so I will close for tonight and say good night.

Feel Good Friday

Last night was another good night, I got up about 0730 and I probably could have slept in longer, but I was mostly awake and more sleep might have made me more tired. After breakfast, loaded up the dishwasher and turned it on. Then I went in and read the paper and mail.

After I finished the paper and the mail I recycled them and then I put away the dishes that I had washed earlier. It was a pretty nice day again, so I went outside and did some weeding. I worked on that until about 1330 and I was starting to get tired so I went inside and made myself some lunch. Actually, I just heated up the last of the lasagna that Alyssa made for us last week and it was still good.

After sitting down for a while I went back outside and did some more weeding, I finished what I had started and decided to quite before I was too tired, so I cleaned up my tools and put them away. Sitting down for a while, I soon dozed off for a while, what is it about these daily naps?

Kathleen came downstairs and asked if I was ready for dinner, I said yes so she looked up a recipe on the internet and came up with chicken and mushroom crepes. They were really good; they also had water chestnuts in them to give them some crunch.

Well, I am really tired and can not think of anything else to write about so I guess this is good night.

A Tremendous Thursday

I had a pretty good night last night, I only had to get up one time, which is pretty good, and so when 0730 rolled around I was ready to get up. After eating, reading the paper and the mail, I went outside and mowed the back yard. It did not take that long and I probably could have finished it yesterday, I am just learning that I cannot push myself too much or else I crash.

I do not have anywhere near the energy or endurance that I did a few months ago and I am learning, sometimes the hard way that I need to build up my strength and endurance gradually. This for me is not the easiest thing to do, I have always been able to kick into another gear and keep going, and I no longer have those extra gears to kick into.

After finishing the lawn, I went back inside and rested for a while. After I was feeling better I made myself some lunch out of the lasagna that Alyssa made for us last week. There is still one piece left, so I will probably have it for lunch tomorrow.

After I ate, I cleaned up the kitchen a little bit, mostly just gathered up the dirty dishes and silverware. Then I went outside to take advantage of the really nice weather we are having, I decided that I could best spend my time by doing some more weeding around the blueberries and around the walkway behind the berries.

Chucky came over to borrow my jump starter so that he could start Dan's John Deere tractor, as he wanted to mow their yard while they were away. I told him to call us when he finished and we would see about doing dinner together. Then I went back to weeding, I worked on that for about two hours and then realizing that I was getting pretty tired I decided to stop so that I could go inside and rest.

So I put the tools away and got cleaned up then proceeded to doze off in my chair. I slept until about 1730 and then turned the news on to see what was happening around the world today. Kathleen made dinner around 1900; actually she heated up the casserole from last night.

Chucky never did call back, so we ate without him as I do not like to eat dinner much beyond 1900. After eating I soaked the pan that the casserole was in and put the other dishes into the dishwasher. I cannot think of anything else to write about so I will just say good night.

A Waiting Wednesday

I felt pretty good again this morning although I was up quite a bit last night. When I got down stairs I had a pretty good idea about what I wanted to make myself for breakfast. Since Kathleen did not want the rest of her fish, crab and shrimp from Tami, I decided that I would fry a couple of eggs and heat up the fish, crab and shrimp and have that for breakfast.

It was not quite as good as it was yesterday, fresh out of the oven, but it really tasted good. I have told people before that I could eat seafood three times a day; I think that most people think that I am crazy, but I think I could.

After breakfast, I read the paper and the mail. Then I vacuumed the carpet, it is no longer Reggie fur, but the fir needles that are getting all over the floor, it is not quite as bad as the dog fur, but not far from it. After a while I swept and mopped the kitchen floor as I noticed a couple spots when I was in there earlier.

The spots were mostly from water drips that had collected dirt or dust and were now just dirty looking spots. It had been a while since I really mopped the floor, most of the time it was a lick and a promise.

I had my radiation checkup appointment at 1300 today so we took off for that. The doctor was surprised at how well I had healed externally and that I was not still experiencing the pain and other symptoms. So in that respect I guess I am lucky, I had also thought that I would get the results of my PSA test this afternoon, but they told me that it probably would not be until Friday of maybe even early next week.

That is where the waiting comes in; I am more concerned with that result than what the doctor told me today. I already knew that I was not experiencing much pain and that externally I did not have any scaring or anything like that. Oh well, patience I guess!

This afternoon I mowed our front lawn, one neighbor’s driveway path next to our yard and another neighbor’s front yard. The one neighbor has not moved in yet and I do not want the house to look too vacant, so I have been mowing it about every other time that I mow ours.

For dinner Kathleen mixed some of the chicken from the other night with some peas and pearl onions together with some rice and creamed soup. My kind of meal! Well, I think that is all for tonight, so good night!

Tireing Tuesday

I got up about 0700 this morning, I just did not think I would fall back to sleep again this morning, so I just got up. I felt pretty rested, but not like I should. After breakfast I read the paper and then vacuumed the downstairs.

Feeling kind of restless, I noticed that the front porch needed some attention, so I picked up the rugs and swept down the walls, and then the floor. That helped a lot, but I wanted to get rid of the fly paper goo that was on the corner walls from the fly paper I put up there last summer. So I got up the cleaner and a sponge and wiped it down, then decided to wipe off the mail box, which was looking pretty sad.

Kathleen had gone to Epic Imaging to have her sinus' checked out, I was expecting her to be home sooner as we were suppose to go to Aaron and Tami's house for lunch. I called Aaron and said that Kathleen was not home yet. So I said that I would wait about fifteen more minutes and if she had not come home by then I would come over by myself.

She did not come home so I went myself. She called about fifteen minutes after I got there and said that she had developed a bladder infection and probably would not make it. Tami fixed a really good lunch, some stuffed fish (flounder) and a fish and crab casserole.

Tami gave me Kathleen's portion to take home for her, and I was a good boy and did not eat it on the way home. I spent some time dozing in my chair this afternoon; I guess the physical activity from this morning wore me out. Well, just another sign that I still have a long way to go before I am back to somewhat normal.

Kathleen had to go to Fred Meyer to pick up a couple prescriptions and also some groceries, I was still too tired to go, so I stayed home and heated up her dinner from last night. She said that she did not want it, so I will have my left over dinner for lunch tomorrow.

Well, Kathleen just got back and I helped her unload the car and put things away. She was supposed to do a C-pap sleep test tonight, but since she has the bladder infection, she canceled and made an appointment for next week.

I have my two weeks after radiation appointment tomorrow, so that should be interesting. Well, I cannot think of anything else to write about so I will just say good night.

Making Progress Monday

I felt pretty good again this morning, so when I went downstairs I took the white clothes with me and loaded up the washer. After emptying the dishwasher I had breakfast then went into the living room to read the paper.

There was quite a lot of mail this morning, I had a couple magazines and most of the rest of it was just junk mail. So after finishing the mail, I took the recycling out to the garage and sorted it out. Then I took it up to the street for pick up tomorrow.

Then I gathered up the trash from the house and took it out to the garbage can and took the garbage can out to the street as well. Shortly after I got back into the house Andrea came by with Brandon, they had been to the doctor's and Brandon has gained a pound since he has been home.

Kathleen made some tomato and vegetable soup for lunch, which Andrea stayed for and then left after she fed Brandon. Kathleen went and pickup up Toni so that she could get her Kitten, "Spooky", from the vets. While she was gone I vacuumed the downstairs carpets. Toni came back here with the kitten and then Chucky came by with dinner after he got off work.

We watched the Blazer's game while we ate, and then they left about 1930. There was enough left over from dinner that we will be able to have it for some other meal. Well, I cannot think of anything else to write about, so I will just say good night.

Soggy and Sunny Sunday

This morning when I woke up it was raining pretty hard, just as it had been off and on all night, so I rolled over and went back to sleep until about 0900. I cannot believe that I have been sleeping in so late myself; I guess that I was more worn out than I realized and my body is just trying to get caught up.

I sorted the clothes before I went downstairs and left the laundry bags in the bedroom so that Kathleen could put her clothes in them when she awoke. Once downstairs I looked in the refrigerator to see what I could make for myself for breakfast. I found some egg whites, a chopped up red potato and a couple slices of bacon.

So I fried up the bacon and chopped up half a slice, then I drained the bacon grease and fried the egg whites adding the chopped up bacon, some onion, and garlic and added a little cayenne. While that was cooking, I heated up the potato. I not only made a decent breakfast, but I also emptied two containers out of the refrigerator.

After eating and putting my dishes into the dishwasher, I cleaned the frying pan and then cleaned up the stove. Then I went into the living room and read the paper. After reading the paper I watched the first of the March Madness games today. Once the paper was read, I put it into the recycling, and then I took the recycling to the garage to sort out into the different containers.

Before I knew it, it was time for lunch, so again I opened the refrigerator to see what I could make for lunch. I found some beef tips, gravy, a couple red potatoes and some asparagus. So I took one of the potatoes opened it up and put the gravy on it, then put the beef tips on the side and put it into the micro wave and cooked it. Just before it was done I added the asparagus and finished cooking it all.

Not too bad for a leftover meal, and I was able to clear out three more containers out of the refrigerator. I have always liked leftovers, so doing this is almost a treat for me. Kathleen sometimes forgets what is in the refrigerator and it goes bad, so I do not feel too badly about using what I find in there for my meals.

After resting for a while, I decided that I needed to take a walk since the sun was out and I was getting cabin fever. I have thought about it for quite a while, but for the last couple of months, I could not get that far from the toilet. The other reason I have not done it was that I just did not have the energy to make the effort. I realize that taking a walk would be really good for me, but it takes a lot of energy and knowing that I will not have to rush to make it to the bathroom.

I felt pretty good after my walk, so I went out to the back yard and pulled some weeds and small tree sprouts. After a while I could feel myself getting tired, so even though I did not want to, I gathered up my tools and put them into the garage and went inside and cleaned up.

Kathleen had added her clothes to the laundry bags, so I took the dark clothes downstairs and loaded them into the washing machine and started it up. Then I went into the living room and sat down in my chair for a while and before I knew it I had dozed off.

About 1815 I got up and put the clothes into the dryer, then I went upstairs and asked Kathleen what she had planned for dinner, and then I suggested that we have the lasagna that Alyssa made. She said that she planned on doing that, so this is three nights in a row that we have had it. There is just enough for tomorrow night, so that is four meals that we have enjoyed the lasagna.

Speaking of Alyssa, she and the rest of her family are flying to Disneyland tomorrow morning for the week. I am not sure that I envy them, as this is spring break for many of the schools around here and Disneyland will be really packed.

After dinner I folded and put away the dark clothes, I will save the whites for tomorrow morning. Well, I think that this is all for tonight, so good night!

Another Soggy Saturday

I slept pretty well again last night, if fact I did not get up until 0815. After getting up and eating breakfast, I emptied the dishwasher and then loaded the towels into the washer. I waited for Kathleen to get up, because she had said that she wanted to take a shower, so after I heard her upstairs I went up and asked her if she were still planning on taking a shower.

She said that she was, so I waited for her to finish her shower and then she put her towel into the washer and turned it on. When that load finished I put it into the dryer and than gathered up the throw rugs from the upstairs bathroom and washed them. In the last week I have washed all the throw rugs from around the house and I am still finding Reggie remains.

After folding the towels and putting them away I took the rugs out of the dryer and put them back down in the bathroom. By this time I was getting a little hungry so I made a couple backed bean and hot salsa burritos for lunch.

I wish that I could say that I accomplished a lot today, but that is about all I got done. I spent most of the day in my chair reading and watching "March Madness". Kathleen reminded me that I tend to think that I should get a lot more done than is possible, so I guess I need to realize my limitations and just be glad that I feel better than I have for the last couple months.

For dinner tonight Kathleen heated up some more of the lasagna that Alyssa made for us. I have been trying to eat less, as I am less active and do not need the extra food and weight that would come from eating too much. So far we have just eaten half of the lasagna, when normally it would have been all gone by now.

Well, that is about all for today, not much to write about, but I am feeling better every day, so that in itself is something to be thankful for. Well, I guess this is good night!

Friday's Fun

This has been one of my better days in the last couple of months. I only was up three times last night and one of them was because I had bad leg cramps, why I am not sure, but they were not pleasant. I had to get up and walk around for a while so that I could get back to sleep.

This morning, I stripped the bed and washed the pad, sheets and pillow cases. While they were washing and drying I worked on the mud room some more, I emptied the cabinet and cleared off the junk on the top of it. Then I had Kathleen help me sort out the stuff and threw a fair amount away.

Kathleen could see that I was getting tired so she made some vegetable soup. After eating, I sat down in the living room for a while and then vacuumed the carpets downstairs. Then I sat down again and dozed for a while.

Alyssa called and said that she was bringing over some lasagna, garlic bread and dessert for dinner tonight. She got here around 1700 and had all the children with her. So in the last day, I have had all the grandchildren and all the children and spouses except Toni, Chucky, Dan and John. I have not been able to see them very much in the last couple months.

Alyssa and the grandchildren only could stay a short time as she also made some lasagna for Andrea and John. It was nice to see them today as I will not get to see them next week as they are going to Disneyland.

Well, the lasagna was really good, and for dessert Alyssa brought over an angel food cake, strawberries and whipping cream. I am a happy man!

Well, I am tired, even though I am feeling much better, I do not have much energy and tire after just the slightest amount of work. Well, good night.

Thursday's Turn-Around

This has been quite a week; I had a really bad weekend and got to the point where I wished that I had not had the radiation. Monday was kind of a leveling off day and Tuesday and Wednesday were kind of back to the old routine.

Yesterday morning Kathleen got up before I did so she let Reggie out, she had not done that for quite a time and she was surprised at how bad Reggie had gotten lately. To make a long story short we put Reggie down last night, I knew that it was coming for quite some time, but Kathleen kept hoping that he would get better.

Anyway this morning when I got up after eating, I took the covers off Reggie's beds and washed them. Then I took everything out of the mud room, except the washer, dryer and the sink, and swept and mopped the floor. Then I washed all of Reggie's play toys and gathered up his treats and put them all in a couple bags.

We had just gotten him a new bag of dog food so When Aaron, Tami and the girls came over, I asked if they wanted any or all of it for Archie, and they took it all. After they left, I went out back and pulled up some violet sprouts from the berry patch. I could feel myself getting tired so

I went into the house, cleaned up and made myself some lunch and was going to go sit in the living room, but I realized that if I did not get the lawn mowed, it might be a while before I could mow it. So I went outside thinking that I would just mow the front yard. Well not only did I mow the front yard I also mowed the back as well.

This time when I went inside I did sit down and rest for a while. Andrea came by with Brandon after a while as she was out running around. They stayed until a little after 1800, it was good to see them. They both are looking better and I think that Andrea is settling into motherhood.

Oh Sue, you asked where Andrea is registered, Target and Babies "R" Us. I think that you have asked me that a couple times, but I have been rather out of it for a while.

Tonight Kathleen made some pollack, rice and asparagus for dinner, it is not as good as salmon, halibut, cod or sole, but it is a lot cheaper and does not taste too bad.

Well, this has been probably my best day since I started my radiation therapy, so I am hoping that this is a trend that continues. Well, I cannot think of anything else to write about, so I will say good night.

A Fabulous Friday

Well, another night without much sleep, this is really getting old. I did not feel all that bad when I did get up, just did not have much energy. After breakfast, I went into the living room to read the paper, just as I finished reading the paper the mail came.

There was not much there, just a refund check, I think that is the least amount of mail that we have gotten in a long time. Kathleen and I had planned to go visit Andrea early this afternoon, but about 1230, I got so tired I went back to bed.

Just about the time I fell asleep, Kathleen awoke me when she asked if I was sleeping. Then I had just gotten back to sleep when Andrea called to find out when we were coming, Kathleen had already left. Getting back to sleep again, someone called looking for money, and by the time I convinced them that I was not going to give them anything, I was so wide awake that I decided to get up.

I heated up a bowl of spaghetti from last night and toasted a croissant and put some peanut butter and all fruit on it. I was going to sit in my chair in the living room, but I realized that it was really nice outside, so I thought why not take the phone and lay outside.

I originally planned on lying on my lounge chair outside, I got the chair out of the garage and sat down in it for a while, but every time I looked around all I could see was things that I needed to do. So I got up and trimmed off the dead stalks from plants and the dead parts of a couple other hydrangeas.

Then I lay back down in my chair and rested for a while. After a quick cat nap, I emptied the can of clippings, just as I was finishing up; Kathleen called and said that she was still with Andrea. After hanging up, I went inside and cleaned up and sat down and rested some more.


I am still tired, and I do not think that I will get to sleep until midnight or so. Even when I try to go to bed earlier, I am up so much that I do not get any rest, kind of a vicious cycle. Kathleen got home around 1700 and decided to heat up the spaghetti for dinner tonight, which was fine with me. Both of us were really tired and just about fell asleep in our dinner.

Kathleen did say that both Andrea and Brandon were looking better today. They are keeping Brandon at the hospital for observation, Andrea had been discharged, but they are letting her stay in her room as they do not need the space right now.

Andrea is glad that they are keeping Brandon until they are confident that he is ready to go home. I think it is a good idea because if something were to go wrong, he is already at the hospital and would save a lot of time just getting there.

Well, I am too tired to remember if there is anything else that I should write about, so I will say good night for now.

Tireing Thursday

I did not get out of bed until after 0800 this morning, I was still tired when I got up, but my body was hurting from staying in bed so long. I am not sure why I am so tired, other than for the fact that I really have not had a good night sleep for the last two months.

Anyway, I made myself some oatmeal this morning, I had not had any so far this week and kind of missed it. After eating and washing the dishes, I went into the living room to read the paper and mail. After I finished reading, I decided that I would go outside, and my original thought was to just sit out in the sun. However once I got outside, I decided that I would spray the lawn with weed killer. Four gallons later, I finished the lawn, both front and back.

After I finished spraying the lawn and putting the sprayer away, I got out my pruning shears and pruned my Bonsai Japanese Maple tree, I put the branches into a 32 gallon garbage can and had it half full. I realized that I was getting pretty tired, but I was determined to finish the tree, especially since I did not know when I would get to it again.

After cleaning up I sat down for a while, pretty soon Kathleen took off to see Andrea and Brandon. After a little rest, I decided to make myself a couple burritos. I had used the rest of the hash yesterday, but I found a can of Bushes baked beans and some salsa. I topped it off with a little Cheese Whiz and then micro waved them.

Then I went into the living room and dozed for a while, when I woke up I gave some thought to taking a walk, but I just could not work up the energy to change clothes and put on my walking shoes.

Having a little bit of energy, I decided to vacuum the downstairs, since I had not done that in a couple days. About half way through, Kathleen came home from grocery shopping, so I stopped vacuuming and helped her bring the groceries into the house. Then I finished vacuuming and helped her put the groceries away.

Tired again, I went into the living room to watch the news, and Kathleen went upstairs. After dozing for a while I woke up a little about 1815 and asked Kathleen about dinner. She made some spaghetti; I also toasted some bread and put some garlic powder and onion powder on it. It not only smelt good, it tasted pretty good as well.

Well, Kathleen has gone back upstairs and I am out of thoughts about what to write about, so I will just say good night.

Wonderous Wednesday!

I woke up feeling pretty good this morning and had a pretty decent night sleep. For breakfast I heated up the remaining granny smith pancakes micro waved a couple of soy sausages and fried a couple eggs. It was a pretty good breakfast, but I cannot wait until I can spice up my foods a little more. I have gotten rather tired of eating bland food.

After eating and emptying the dishwasher, I went into the living room and read the paper and then the mail. I kept trying to get Kathleen to get dressed so that we could go to the hospital and see Andrea, John and Brandon. Finally about 1300 I told her that we needed to go, she came down in about five minutes, so we took off.

We stopped by the radiation/oncology office on the way up to see Andrea and visited with our friends who are still getting treatment. It was nice not to have to go in for treatment today.

We finally got up to see Andrea about 1330. Andrea was sleeping when we got there, so we joined John in the waiting room for a while. Pretty soon Andrea came down and said that they wanted her to feed Brandon, so Kathleen went down with her.

Toni called about 1430 and said that she would like us to take her to the vets after she got off work, and asked me to have Kathleen call her before she got off work at 1500. Well, 1500 came and Kathleen had not come out yet, and Toni called again, so I knocked on the door and got Kathleen to take the call.

We finally left about 1515 and I had not gotten to see Brandon for another day. I had a couple checks that I needed to get to the credit union so we stopped by there for a couple minutes and then headed home.

I felt pretty good, with the exception of my bowls, even though I did not have radiation treatments today, the effect of the radiation I did have will take a couple weeks to wear off.

Anyway, Kathleen dropped me off and then Toni called a while later so Kathleen took off to pick her up. I made myself a couple more hash burritos and then went into the living room and dozed off and on for a while. I still am getting very tired in the afternoons.

Kathleen finally called and woke me up about 1800 and told me that she and Toni were stopping off for tacos. So I went into the refrigerator and got out the turkey burger, mashed potatoes and stuffing from several nights ago and heated it up in the micro wave.

It did not taste too bad for something that I have had three meals out of already this week. Well, I think that is all for tonight, I am too tired to think about anything else to write about, so I will just say good night.

Tuesday's Termination

Well, I had trouble sleeping again last night, other than dozing for short periods of time; I did not sleep much between about 0230 and 0530. I finally fell asleep again and slept until almost 0800. I heated up a couple of the leftover granny smith pancakes that Kathleen had made for yesterday's breakfast, and put some peanut butter and maple syrup on top.

Kathleen had a doctor's appointment this morning so she left for it around 0945, while she was gone I folded the towels that I had washed last night and put them away. Since it was not raining out, I decided to go outside and play in the dirt for a while, that is I pulled weeds.

Even in the areas where I had weeded last month, there were weeds starting to sprout, so with the ground nice and soft, pulling weeds went quite well. I thought that it must be time to go inside and start getting ready for my radiation treatment, and when I got my hands washed and looked at the clock it was almost noon.

Kathleen came home a couple minutes after I got into the house. She made herself something to eat, as she had not had time to eat before she left for her appointment. We left early because Kathleen had several prescriptions to drop off at Fred Meyer.

When I got to the office, everyone came over and gave me a hug saying that they will miss me. It is funny because everyone that had worked on me was there today with the exception of a couple of the interns, and they were in the middle of finals. So this was my last radiation appointment, I do need to go back in two weeks to run the test to see if my PSA level is where it should be and than again in three months for another check.

We went up to see Andrea, John and Brandon after my appointment, but could only stay until 1445, as I needed to get home. On the way home Kathleen stopped by Fred Meyer to pick up her prescriptions and we got home about 1515.

After changing my clothes, I made myself a couple hash burritos, with cheese whiz and ketchup, and then I micro waved them after I had put them together. It is amazing what one can come up out of desperation. Actually it did not taste all that bad, and I still have half a can of hash so I can have them again, sometime.

After eating I went into the living room where I dozed off and on for a couple hours. I would have liked to have done some reading, but that is hard to do when ones eyes keep closing. Finally around 1800 I called up to Kathleen and asked if she was planning to do dinner anytime soon. She came down and heated up the turkey burgers and stuffing from the other night, then she made some packed mashed potatoes and there was still some cranberry sauce left over also.

Kathleen did not like the way it tasted, but I did not think that it was that bad. While getting dinner ready, Kathleen went through a box of "old" packaged things that neither one of us could think how old the stuff was. It would up being two grocery bags full, that I gathered up and put into the garbage can.

Well, just to say it one more time, today was my last radiation appointment! That sounded good! Now all I need to do is heal inside. I was reminded again by the doctor, that it would be two weeks or longer before I start to feeling better...I am counting the days!

Well, that is all I can think about tonight, so I will just say good night.

Monday Milestones

Well, this morning, at 0824, our middle daughter, Andrea gave birth to a 9 pound 15.5 ounce 19.75 inch baby boy. They have named him Brandon Mason (Cimino).


Yes, he is a big boy! Andrea had to have a C-section, due to the baby being breach, and it was a good thing as the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck and he probably would not have made it had it been a natural birth. God in his wisdom knew that beforehand.

Well, to say that this morning was normal, would be a misstatement, while I did not go to the hospital this morning, Kathleen did and than came back to pick me up in time for my radiation appointment.

We stopped by to see Andrea, John and the baby before going down for my radiation treatment. John's parents were there as well as Tami and her girls, and Toni. Aaron had been there earlier, but needed to leave for work.

This was the last day of treatment for one of the women that was being treated for breast cancer. Kathleen and I have sat and talked with them for the last couple months so it was like the end of a social event for us.

After my radiation treatment we went back upstairs to see Andrea and the baby again. By this time Alyssa and her children were there, so we had all six of our grandchildren there at one time. Hayden was tired so he was not in this picture.


Andrea and John were tired and Brandon had just finished nursing, for a half hour, so we left about 1430. Kathleen wanted to take a book back to the library and pick one up that she had on hold, so we swung by the library after leaving the hospital.

We got home about 1500, and I was hungry, so I put a turkey burger between a couple heals of bread and added some ketchup and cheese whiz and put it into the toaster oven to heat up. Then I took the rest of the beets from the other day and put it into a bowl. I enjoyed it, but it was making Kathleen sick.

I read for a while this afternoon and then did a load of towels. Before I knew it, it was 1800, so I went upstairs and asked Kathleen about dinner. She said that she felt like soup, so I suggested tomato soup and grilled Velveeta, so that is what we had.

Well, it seems like it has been a long day, tomorrow is my last radiation treatment, so that is a good thing. I cannot think of anything else to write about so I will just send this off and say good night.

Sleepy Sunday

Well, I knew that this would be a lazy kind of day. I was tired all day partially from loosing an hour last night and got up at 0700 this morning, and partially because I was tired yesterday to begin with.

Anyway, I toasted some bread and put some honey, peanut butter and a banana on top. Then loaded up the dishwasher and washed the pots and pans from last night. Then I went and read the paper. Since it was not raining this morning I decided to go outside and get a little fresh air. While I was out there I noticed several slugs, so I started collecting them in a plastic bag. While I was at it I also picked some weeds that were growing in the lawn.

When I got inside it was time for lunch, so I heated up some of the stuffing from last night and cooked soy patty. After lunch I gathered up the dishes and started up the dishwasher then I went into the living room to watch the Ohio State/Wisconsin game.

When the game was over I went upstairs and gathered up the laundry and put it into the two baskets and asked Kathleen to put her clothes in. The dishes had finished a while ago, so I emptied the dishwasher.

After reading for a while, I looked at the clock and saw that it was 1800, so since Kathleen had not come down to do dinner, I heated up some more stuffing a turkey patty and opened up a can of beets. Kathleen finally came down about 1845 after I had finished eating.

Well, tomorrow is the day for Andrea to have her baby; I think I probably will skip my radiation appointment. I am hoping that can get a good night sleep tonight. Well, that is all that I can think of for tonight, so I will just say good night.

Spring ahead Saturday

I woke up early this morning and could not get back to sleep, so I finally got up and have been tired just about all day. So besides getting up early this morning and loosing an hour’s sleep tonight due to setting the clocks ahead one hour, I probably will be going to bed early tonight.

For breakfast, I fried the rest of the mashed potatoes from the other night and then put the leftover beef tips and gravy on top and micro waved it. While that was cooking I fried a couple eggs and that was breakfast.

Not much in the paper this morning, and other then a golf digest magazine there was not much in the mail for me. Kathleen got more today than I did and Toni and Andrea got a couple things as well, so after finishing the magazine, I went out side.

Because it has rained during the night, there were a number of slugs in the lawn, so I gathered up as many as I could find along with several slug egg cases. That took a little while and then when I finished that I went into the garage and moved the router table that Aaron brought back yesterday.

When I got back inside I watched the Ohio State/Purdue basketball game and tried to stay awake. After it was over I had some leftover cream of chicken soup that Kathleen had made the other day and not finished and also a couple peanut butter and real fruit sandwiches for lunch.

Retiring to the living room once again and settling into my chair I read one of the books I have had on my read list for a while. I finished a couple hundred pages and am about three quarters through it.

When I got to the point of not being able to keep my eyes open any longer, I decided to lie down on the couch for a while. I dozed for a while, but was still tired, so about 1800 I asked Kathleen what she was planning for dinner. She made some turkey patties, some stuffing and a couple asparagus spires. No too bad, but I can not wait until I can start have some spicy foods and even eat more than a couple vegetables a day.

Well, like I said, it is going to be an early night, so good night!

A very Fine Friday

This morning Aaron, Tami and the girls came over for a while for a visit. It had been a long time since I had seen the girls other than a couple weeks ago at their doctor's office when they were not feeling well. So it was good to see them, both, the girls, had drawn me a couple pictures and wanted to give them to me.

Andrea came over after her doctor's appointment this morning as well. Unfortunately I had to leave for my radiation appointment so everyone left and Kathleen and I took off at the same time as everyone else left.

My treatment went fine; one of the interns who has been there during my treatments was there for her last day. Next week she has her finals and then off for a break. She thinks that she will go to Philadelphia to visit her best friend. Then back to school for a while, she will graduate this summer and looking for a place to find a job.

After my appointment, Kathleen and I sat around and talked to the other two couples until 1400, and then we all took off. Both the other couples finish up of Friday, so for my last couple appointments, there will not be there for Kathleen to chat with while I am getting my radiation.

This afternoon when I got home I made myself a Boca burger and put it on a couple heals of dark rye bread. I think that I would just as soon have a Boca burger than a regular hamburger. I usually keep a pack in the freezer for lunches when we do not have any leftovers in the refrigerator for a quick meal.

Alyssa called this afternoon, I had been calling her for a couple days and have not been able to get through, and so it was good to talk to her. She said that she was going to have pizza for dinner tonight, and that sounded pretty good to Kathleen and me.

Kathleen left to get the pizza shortly after we finished talking to Alyssa. She was only gone a short time and then put it into the convection oven and before I knew it, it was done. I like the "delight" variety of pizzas from Papa Murphy's, they are lower in fat and calories and the taste is not bad either.

Well, that is all that I can think about for today. Just two more radiation appointments to go. I will probably miss Monday's, because of the arrival of Andrea and John's peanut, so Tuesday and Wednesday will be my last...I hope.

Of course I still might be able to go to my radiation treatment on Monday, depending on what happens with Andrea. I let the folks know that I probably would not be there, and if I did I could just wait until they could fit me in.

Well, good night!

Another Thankful Thursday

Forty-four years ago today the high school I went to caught on fire; I was in a study hall in the new building with mostly seniors and thought that it was just another fire drill. It was not until I actually got outside that I noticed the smoke coming from the old building.

My first reaction was, "boy they are really making this look real, I wonder how they got it to smoke like that" Then the fire trucks arrived, as they were only about a half a mile away.

I went to look for Sue, my little sister; little did I realize that she was on the second floor of the building that was actually on fire. Luckily she was able to jump to safety.

I remember walking to church, where Mom was working and than that night all the relatives from Ohio and New York City calling to hear what had happened. Quite the excitement.

Well, that was then, this is now! I got a pretty good night sleep and feel almost awake. Last night I spent some time putting new line, (backing, fly line and leader) on my fly reels, and that took most of the evening.

Between not being able to concentrate very much and my arthritis, not being able to move my fingers the way I wanted to, it just took forever to accomplish. But at least I got it done and it keeps both my mind and my fingers busy.

Now for today! Today when I woke up the sun was shining and it looked like it might be a nice day, nice at least for Oregon. I went back to oatmeal for breakfast, I thought about having something else, but oatmeal has so many benefits that it is hard to not want to eat it.


I did not do much other than empty the dishwasher an put the dishes in from last night and breakfast. Before I realized it, it was noon and that meant that I needed to start thinking about getting ready for my radiation appointment.

There are two other couples that are usually in the waiting room after I have my radiation and Kathleen and I have developed somewhat of a relationship with. One of the couples the wife is having treatment and the other the husband. Anyway we usually sit and talk until everyone has finished their treatments and then sometimes keep talking, sometimes for half an hour or so.

After my appointment Kathleen wanted to stop at Montivilla Sewing Center to pick up her monthly CD. When I go in I spent most of my time over at the Stark's Vacuum side of the store looking at the vacuum cleaners.

There is one that I have been looking at for a couple years, in fact the salesman almost know me by name. Anyway, the one that I have talked to the most made me an offer on the vacuum that I had been wanting, that I could not refuse. I got an employee discount and he threw in a couple boxes of bags. Besides the vacuum, I also bought the attachment kit; I got everything for about fifty dollars less than the normal cost of just the vacuum alone.

So when we got home I made myself something to eat, I put some cottage cheese in a bowl and then added a half of a can of beets on top of it. It was interesting to look at, but it tasted okay.

After eating I had to try out the new vacuum, I think that I will like it. It weighs about the same as our old one, but it is much quieter and it has a 35 foot electric cord, so that I do not have to change plugs when I am vacuuming.

The attachment kit that I bought has a long hose so that I can do the stairs with the vacuum still on the main floor. With the old one I had to unplug and move the vacuum upstairs and finish the top stairs that way.

Well, all that vacuuming wore me out and I fell asleep for a while, while Kathleen was out running an errand.

Tonight for dinner Kathleen made some beef tips mashed potatoes, gravy and asparagus. Kathleen thought that I had eaten quite a lot, but I did not think go. Oh well, it tasted good.

Well, for some reason I seem to be more tired that usual, so I think that I will just say good night.

Wet again Wednesday

This morning when I got up I noticed that everything was wet outside; I am not sure when it happened, but it did. It continued to drizzle off and on all morning, so our few days of nice weather is over for a while. I am glad that I was able to get the little bit of yard work done that I did over the last couple of days.

This morning I heated up the mashed potatoes from a couple nights ago, in the pan that Kathleen made the spaghetti sauce in last night, so that it gave the mashed potatoes a sort of Italian flavor.
Then I added a couple spoons of Cheese Wiz and sprinkled on some Italian seasoning and heated it up a little more in the micro wave to melt the Cheese Wiz into the potatoes a little.

I also fried up a couple of Morningstar sausages to go along with the Italian fried mashed potatoes. Have I made you ill yet? Actually it tasted pretty good. I am sure that Alyssa will want to include this recipe in her Fabulous Food Friday one of these days.

It is a recipe made out of desperation, I am trying to find foods that I can eat without making my intestines rebel and that still something that is somewhat healthy and does not taste too bad either. The tasting part is probably the least important to me at this point; I just need things that will not cause my intestines/bowels to behave more normally.

Anyway after eating and putting my dishes into the dishwasher, I went into the living room to read the paper and then the mail. Then I decided to take the kitchen recycling out to the compostor as it had stopped raining for a while. While I was out there I noticed that some of the moss was looking a little worse than it had, so maybe I was somewhat successful in hindering that growth of the moss.

Well, it was now time for me to get ready for my radiation appointment; Kathleen had just gotten back from her doctor visit, so I suggested that she should stay home and relax a little. So I took my Wrangler so that she could drive herself to the memorial service for one of our friends who died last week of cancer; he had a brain tumor.

I wore dress pants and a button down shirt, so that I would not have to rush home to change, but go right to the church after my appointment. The radiation therapist was not sure what to think, as even on the coldest days I was always in my shorts.

I got to the church about a half hour before the service started, so I visited a little. I sat out in the vestibule so that if I needed I could make a quick exit. The church filled up and people were starting to stand in the vestibule, so I gave my seat up to a couple of elderly ladies and stood.

Well, since I am not in great shape any longer, about half way through the service, I started to get really tired and my legs were getting sore, so I left and headed home. I probably have felt as good today as I have in a couple months, but I have been really tired and fell asleep a couple of times in my chair.

Finally when I woke up a little I decided to vacuum the downstairs and then loaded up the dishwasher and turned it on. Then I washed the hand wash and dried the pots and pans.

Kathleen is sitting with Aaron and Tami's girls tonight, so I heated up the rest of the spaghetti from last night for my dinner.

Well, that is about all for tonight, there is not much to write about as I have been sitting and dozing most of the day. I am hoping that I will be a little more wide awake tomorrow, well, good night.

Teriffic Tuesday

I am not sure how much more of this nice weather I can take. It has been in the 60's all week and I do not have the energy to do what I need to be doing outside.

This morning after reading the paper and mail I went outside and pulled weeds and trimmed the blueberries and hydrangea. Then we left for my radiation appointment, just six more to go...I think!

After my appointment we stopped by Bi-Mart, to check our lucky numbers and I also wanted to get some stuff to put on the lawn and roof to get rid of the moss. So when we got home, I changed my clothes and went outside and got the spreader out and did the front and back lawns. Then I put the spray stuff into the hose and wet the lawn down. I figure that giving it a double dose would not hurt and maybe it would kill the moss.

By the time I got done I was not only tired, but it was about 1600 and too late for lunch. So I made myself a protein whey shake. Then I sat down in my chair and tried to stay awake.

Kathleen ground up the hamburgers from last night and made some spaghetti for dinner. I probably ate more than I should have, but I figured that I missed lunch. I have been loosing weight since I have been on the radiation treatments, but I could stand to loose some.

Well, I can not think of anything else to write home about, so I will say good night!

Marvelous Monday

This morning after eating my oatmeal, reading the paper and then the mail, I showered and got ready for my radiation appointment. After my shower, I loaded the white clothes into the washer and turned it on. Then I got dressed and came back downstairs and gathered up the trash and put it into the garbage can and took it up front.

Then I unloaded the dishwasher and put the dishes that had gathered in the sink into it. The washer went off so I loaded the clothes into the dryer and turned it on and then when Kathleen came downstairs we took off for my appointment, later than we normally do, but I got there just in time for my appointment.

After we got home and I changed my clothes again, I took the laundry upstairs and folded and put it away. Then I went back downstairs and put a couple of the throw rugs from the kitchen into the washer. While they were being washed, I mopped the kitchen and the mud room floors, and by the time I finished the rugs were ready for the dryer.

While the rugs were in the dryer, I made myself some lunch, I heated up the leftover blueberry pancakes from yesterday’s lunch and micro waved a couple sausages. After finishing lunch I loaded the dishwasher with the lunch dishes and then took the rugs out of the dryer and put them back down where they belonged.


I have been meaning to clean out my beta's vase for a week or so, so I went ahead and did that as well. The water at the bottom was getting pretty green, some of that was from the vegetation in the vase, but some was from just needing cleaning.

Kathleen made some hamburgers and mashed potatoes for dinner and after dinner I soaked the pots and loaded the dishes into the dishwasher. Kathleen had a meeting at 1900 so she took off for that, so I vacuumed the downstairs carpets and now I am blogging.

I think that is about it for tonight, so good night!

Sunday Sunshine

Well, I finally decided to get up around 0800 this morning, after spending most of the night getting up and going to the bathroom. I quit counting how often I got up, but I think that after 0500 in the morning I finally got to sleep for three hours before getting up. I think that the longest that I had slept before that was maybe twenty minutes.

Once up and dressed, I made myself some toast and emptied the dishwasher that I did not get to do last night. Then I sat down and enjoyed my English muffin bread toast with peanut butter and Smacker’s all fruit. Then I loaded the dishwasher up with the dishes from last night's dinner and my plate from this morning.

After reading the paper, I decided to take the garbage out; while I was outside I thought that I would enjoy some fresh air, so I stayed out for a while. I moved the fence around the large rose bed in the back of the house because it would make it easier when I mow.

Then I dug out a couple blackberry bushes that had started to spring up under my Japanese maple. While I was walking around the yard, I noticed that the lawn was starting to grow more in some spots than in others, so I thought that I would get the old lawnmower out and even everything up.

When I finished the mowing, I could feel that I was really tired, as you can tell, I am not in the best of shape, mostly from inactivity, but I also have lost a lot of my stomach muscles from my surgery.

Once inside and cleaned up, I sat down in my chair; Kathleen asked if I would like some pancakes for lunch. I sounded okay to me, and since I did not have a lot of energy at this point it was a good idea as far as I was concerned.

After eating I went back to my chair, but after twenty minutes or so I decided that I would be better off going to bed and actually going to sleep. So even though I am not much of a formal nap person, I went to bed and slept from about 1500 until about 1700.

Once up I decided that the clothes that I had worn outside probably should be washed, so I got some clean shorts and tee shirt out and sorted the clothes for the washing machine. I left it upstairs and told Kathleen to add her cloths to the bags.

Kathleen finally came downstairs dressed, so I went upstairs and brought the laundry downstairs. Kathleen made some tomato soup and melted cheese sandwiches for dinner, so after eating I put the dishes into the dishwasher and started it up. Then I loaded the dark clothes into the washer and that is where they are now.

Well, the washer just went off, so I think that I will say good night and transfer the clothes to the dryer. I am hoping that I can get a little more sleep tonight than I did last night.

Some Sunshine on Saturday

The creamed chipped beef and toast was even better than last nights because the toast had gotten soggy. It tasted almost like a breakfast dish that someone we know makes with eggs, toast, sausages or bacon and creamed sauce. I really liked it.

This morning after reading the paper and the mail, I went into my office and tried to find the files from this years taxes that I had started before my computer hard drive started acting up. I finally found most of it, and only had to re-input a little bit of what I had done before.

Now I just need to review it and e-file. I did not feel like doing it today as I am not sure that I am alert enough to really do a good job of it.

Well, that pretty much took care of my afternoon. I did go outside for a while and dug in the dirt, but it was still pretty wet. For lunch I reheated the chicken, rice asparagus and carrots from the other night.

I loaded up the dishwasher and turned it on, it was not quite full, but full enough that it needed to be run. It has finished, but I do not have the energy to unload it tonight. It will give me something to do tomorrow morning.

For dinner tonight Kathleen was at a loss for what to fix, so I suggested corn beef hash and tater tots. Not what I would consider a very nutritious meal, but bland enough as to not bother my intestines.

Well, again, not a very productive day, but I did get the taxes pretty much finished. I guess it is time to say good night.

Festive Friday

Well not really, but it is Friday and I do not have radiation treatments for two whole days, yeah! Kathleen had her sleep apnea study done last night so I sleep in until 0800 this morning. She got home about 0930 this morning; I was surprised to see her back that early.

Andrea came over this morning after her doctor's visit and left when we left for my radiation treatment. I only have about seven more to go, so I am hoping that in less than a month I will start to feel more "normal".

We stopped by the library so that I could drop off a couple books; Kathleen was too tired so we did not stay to look around. For me that is a good thing, because usually around 1500 is when I start not to feeling too well.

Today was a little different, I am still feeling pretty good, relatively speaking, and I have not had to make as many trips to the bathroom as I have been...I hope that this is a good sign.

I heated up some leftover macaroni and Velveeta for my lunch and then had a couple pizza sandwiches. It does not sound like something that most people would choose, but for me it has the tomato, processed cheese, which I can have, and English muffin bread all which seem to not upset my bowels too much.

This afternoon I spent most of the time reading a book and updating my "want" shopping list of books I want to read in the future. I also did a little research on the internet on a couple items I am interested in.

Then tonight Kathleen made some creamed chipped beef on toast for dinner. Here again it is a meal that I can eat without too many repercussions. Kathleen has gone upstairs to take a shower and get the goop off her from the electrodes that they stuck on her last night.

Well, I cannot think of anything else to write about, I live such a boring life! Well, good night!

Tired Thursday

I actually felt pretty good when I got up this morning; I had only gotten up twice last night compared to eight times the night before. After eating my oatmeal, I read the paper and then the mail, and since it was wet outside, I vacuumed the downstairs. Being really bored, I took the vacuum upstairs and vacuumed it as well.

It had been quite a while since I had vacuumed the upstairs, so I was not really too surprised at the amount of dirt that I picked up. After vacuuming I thought about doing the stairs, but I just did not have the energy, so I emptied the dishwasher.

Next it was off to my radiation appointment, which went well. Since we did not have any place that we had to go to or even wanted to go, we went home. It was nice getting home earlier because I had some time before I would start my afternoon bathroom pilgrimage.

I heated up the leftover salmon, pea and noodle casserole for lunch, and then toasted a couple pieces of English muffin bread and made some toast pizza, one of my staples.

Starting my treks to the bathroom an hour late was another surprise, because normally I had been starting my treks about 1500, but today for some reason it did not start until 1600. I am not complaining, I was just surprised when it did not start when I expected it to.

This afternoon, I finished another of the books that I had checked out of the library, so tomorrow we will probably stop by the library to take them back. The rest of the afternoon, I spent dozing in my chair. I am not sure why, but I have been extremely tired this afternoon.

Tonight for dinner, Kathleen made some chicken, carrots and asparagus stir fried along with some rice. It tasted really good, but then I really like fresh asparagus and baby carrots. Because I can only have a coupe of servings of vegetables each day, so it is nice to have something that I really like.

Well, tonight Kathleen goes across town to do her sleep apnea study, with her gone tonight and as tired as I feel, I think that it will be a really early night, so I will say good night for now and talk to you again tomorrow.

What a Wednesday

This morning for breakfast I made myself a couple eggs that I put on a bed of dark rye toast covered with the onion, mushroom and salmon cream sauce. Yes it was very good, I could have eaten a whole lot more, but luckily for me there was no more of the sauce left.

The rest of the morning was pretty normal the radiation treatment went well and we even stopped off at Bi-Mart, the post office and got gas for Kathleen's SUV. We got home just a little before 1500 and it was none too soon as I just had enough time to change clothes and then made my way to the bathroom.

This afternoon I had half of the leftover macaroni, salmon and pea casserole from the other night. Then the rest of this afternoon I pretty much just sat around and read a couple magazines and dozed.

For dinner tonight Kathleen made one of her famous "yellow" meals, macaroni and cheese with peaches for dessert. I think it was good; I was/am too tired to know for sure.

One of the things that I was reading today gave me some encouraging information; I thought that I would share that with you as it is not too long. So here goes:

Surgery and Radiation Seen as Best for Localized Prostate Cancer
Compared with less definitive approaches, radical prostatectomy and radiation therapy result in significantly higher survival rates in men with prostate cancer that hasn't spread beyond the gland

TUESDAY, January 23 (Reuters Health) - Both surgery (radical prostatectomy) and radiation therapy result in significantly higher survival rates in men with prostate cancer that hasn't spread beyond the gland, compared with less definitive approaches, according to the results of a large study conducted at the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit.

Dr. Ashutosh Tewari, of New York-Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City, and colleagues studied 3,159 men, 75 years of age or younger, with biopsy-confirmed, localized prostate cancer, treated between 1980 and 1997.

"A patient was considered to have undergone radiotherapy or prostatectomy if he received that treatment within 6 months of diagnosis; otherwise, he was assigned to 'conservative management'," the researchers explain in the medical journal Urology.

The overall survival rate at 15 years after treatment was 35 percent with conservative management, 50 percent with radiation treatment and 65 percent with radical prostatectomy, the team reports.

When deaths due specifically to prostate cancer were considered, survival rates were 79 percent, 87 percent and 92 percent with conservative management, radiation and surgery, respectively.

Looked at another way, men who had radiation treatment lived an average of 4.6 years longer with radiotherapy, and 8.6 years longer with radical prostatectomy, than those managed conservatively.

Because this was a look-back study, Tewari and colleagues caution that forward-looking clinical trials are still needed to compare the survival benefits of each of these three treatment approaches.

SOURCE: Urology, December 2006.

Have a good night!

A Tiring Tuesday

This morning while my oatmeal was cooking I emptied the dishwasher that I ran last night, and then I sat down to enjoy the oatmeal. It is not the same without the raisins, but the raisins seemed to be doing a number on my intestines, so I will give them up for a while. I can not wait until the radiation treatments are over so that I can start eating nuts, grains, fruit and vegetables again.

After finishing breakfast I went into the living room to read the paper and the mail, when it arrived. After the obligatory reading, I recycled the junk and the paper, and then I went onto my computer to pay a couple bills that had arrived in today’s mail.

Once that was done I decided to vacuum the downstairs carpeting, it is funny as I was doing it I realized that I vacuum more often when the weather is nasty outside. It seems like when it is nice out, I am outside doing things, but when the weather is not so nice I spend a lot more time inside and I notice the dog fur a lot more.

Well, my appointment was pretty normal, today the doctor took a look at the skin to see what kind of burning has been taking place, she said it looked pretty normal. I really have not had much of a problem with burning, just a little bit, my bowels are what have been giving me most of the problem, and that is one of the side effects I was told to expect.

After the appointment Kathleen needed to pick up a couple prescriptions for Fred Meyer, so on the way we stopped by the credit union to deposit a couple refund checks. Kathleen also had a couple prescriptions to drop off, so we had to wait about a half hour before they all would be ready.

We got home just in time for me to start my afternoon bathroom voyages, usually around 1500 they start and are pretty regular until about 1730 or so. Then I have a couple hours relief and then it starts all over again, usually until around midnight.

I had some of the leftover tofu, onion, mushroom and tomato sauce over macaroni for lunch again today. I finished it off, it was good while it lasted, but all good things must come to an end.

This afternoon, when I was not in the bathroom, I pretty much spent in my chair reading a book on what to expect after cancer treatments are over. It was a pretty short read, only about a hundred and twenty-five pages or so.

Tonight for dinner Kathleen made some salmon, cream of chicken soup and peas over pasta, Kathleen did not care for it too much, as the salmon was packaged and not fresh, but I like salmon even when it is not fresh. I do prefer fresh, but I like to eat salmon whenever I can.

There was enough leftover so that I will be able to have it for lunch some day. Well, I think that is about it for tonight, I am tired, so have a good night.

A Mixed Monday

Weather wise today had something for everyone. Early this morning it was rainy, then as I was going to my radiation appointment, the rain got really thick and probably at a little higher elevation it was actual snow, then when I came out of the hospital, the sun was so bright that it hurt the eyes. Now it has been rain showering since mid afternoon.

After my shower this morning I loaded up the washer with the light clothes and turned it on. It finished just before we left for my appointment so I loaded the clothes into the dryer and turned it on. After my appointment we stopped at Winco to do our grocery shopping, something we had not gotten done in a couple weeks.

By the time we got home I started my usual after appointment not feeling well, but I unloaded the groceries out of the car and then helped Kathleen put away the groceries. Then I heated up some of the left over macaroni and sauce from last night, I saved enough so that I can have the rest of it tomorrow. Then I made a couple English muffin toast pizza.

After eating I went into the living room to read a magazine that I got today and tried to stay awake. I caught myself dozing on a couple occasions, but never really got to sleep. After a while I realized that I still had not taken the clothes out of the dryer, so I did that. I then took them upstairs to fold and put away.

Kathleen made some onion, mushroom, and salmon in a cream sauce for dinner tonight. She also baked a couple potatoes, I used the sauce over my potatoes, and Kathleen just put butter on hers. Mushrooms and onions are not some of her favorite things. She also cut up an avocado on the side.

Well, I think that pretty much sums up my day, nothing very exciting, but that is how my life is nowadays. Well, good night!

Swampy Sunday

Well, after a couple days of mostly rain, the ground around here is getting rather swampy. I went outside this afternoon for a little while in between showers and it is a good thing that I have different footwear for outside and inside, because the rubberized sandals that I wore outside got pretty muddy.

Anyway, about today, I had my usual Sunday toast for breakfast, but like most Sundays for the last month or so, I did not go to church. Even though I am feeling much better, the amount of time that I need to spend in the bathroom makes it difficult to really go anywhere.

Anyway, since I slept in, I did not eat breakfast until about 0930. After breakfast I loaded up the washer and did a load of towels. While they were washing I read the paper and then vacuumed the downstairs carpeting.

By this time the wash was done, so I loaded it into the dryer and unloaded the dishwasher and put the dishes away. When the towels were dry, I took them out and folded them and put them away.

For lunch I made some toasted bread pizza and had the leftover cake from Andrea's shower. Kathleen came downstairs and made some scones for herself and started to make a tofu, tomato, onion and mushroom sauce for me. She does not like tofu, but I rather enjoy it, so I will eat it and she will have something else tonight.

I told her that if she got her clothes into the laundry, I would do the laundry this afternoon. So finally around 1600 I went upstairs and brought the dark clothes down, loaded them into the washer and started it up. They are in the dryer now, so I will have to stop in a bit to take them out to fold and put away.

Around 1800, I asked Kathleen about dinner and she said that I could have the sauce and leftover macaroni from last night. So I filled up a bowl with macaroni and put some of the sauce that Kathleen made this afternoon and heated it up in the micro wave. It was really good, I think that there is enough left over for lunch tomorrow.

Kathleen tried a little of the sauce and she said that the texture just did not sit with her very well, so she would not be eating any more of it. Oh well, her loss, it is one of the things that I can eat and not have problems with it later on.

Well, the dryer just went off, so I think I will close this and say good night for today.

Soggy Saturday

I woke up this morning to rain on the sky light in the bedroom and it has rained most of the day. It has rained hard at time and other times it was more of a drizzle, but late afternoon if finally let up at least for a little while.

I made myself a couple eggs and sausages for breakfast and than washed the dishes and whipped down the counters in the kitchen. Then I went into the living room and read the mail and paper. I cannot think of what else I did other than run to the bathroom a few times, but before I knew it Andrea was here to take Kathleen to the shower that Andrea's friends from the hotel were throwing for her.

I heated up the leftover chicken and mandarin sauce from the other night and then made a couple toasted bread pizza for my lunch. It seems like I have that almost every day, but it is something that I can eat without any problems and I have not grown tired of it yet.

They left here about 1315 and did not get home until after 1800. They seemed to have a good time and Kathleen was tired when she got into the house. Kathleen heated up the leftover salmon for dinner and also cooked some macaroni for dinner tonight. For dessert we had some leftover shower chocolate cake.

Well, it has been another rather unproductive day and I cannot think of anything else to say, so I guess that I will just say, good night.

Friendly Friday

Well, today was a little different as I had my radiation appointment at 1100 instead of at 1300. So I got up a little earlier and eat breakfast before getting on my computer to have my devotions and read my e-mail.

While my appointment was at 1100, I did not get into the radiation room until about 1145. They had to take new x-rays of my "target" zone, and then they started the new treatments. In doing a more narrowed down zone, they also use six positions where before there were only four.

We had thought that we would stop by the grocery store after the treatments, so after we left the hospital Kathleen stopped by fabric depot to pick up some thread. I stayed in the car and waited for her, but by the time she got back I was starting to feel not so good, so I asked if we could just go home.

After changing clothes I wound up having to sit on the toilet three times in the next half hour, so it was a good thing we did not try to do the grocery shopping after all. Kathleen heated up the left over soup from the other night and I made a couple pieces of bread pizza for my lunch.

Andrea came over for a little while this afternoon and left around 1630 to try to avoid some of the freeway traffic. I have felt pretty good since about 1500, so hopefully this will last through most of the weekend.

Tonight Kathleen cooked a couple salmon steaks, heated up the left over rice and squash for dinner tonight. I think that I could eat salmon every day of the week.

Well, I cannot think of anything else to write about tonight, so I will just say good night.

Thankful Thursday

Well, today is about a week since I started to feel better. I still do not feel great, but soooo much better than I had been feeling.

This morning was pretty typical, I got a pretty decent night sleep, and it makes a lot of difference when one does not have to get up a half dozen times a night. I had oatmeal for breakfast, only now I am not adding raisins. I never would have thought that a few raisins would cause so many bowel problems.

I guess that for now I just have to eat an unhealthy diet. It seems like just about everything I really enjoy, I can not eat. I am limited to white bread, no or as little fiber as possible, no raw fruit, limited milk products and no spicy foods.

I have been reading and updating some of my computer files this afternoon, I went outside a couple times, but the weather has been rather unstable. On minute the sun is shining and the next it is raining.

Kathleen made some Mandarin orange chicken and rice for dinner tonight. It was pretty good and there was a little left over for a lunch or snack. Well, I can not think of anything else to write about, as my life is not all that exciting at this point. So I will just say my good nights!

A Wow of a Wednesday

This morning started off where yesterday ended. By that I mean, I felt so much better than I had in over three weeks, it was hard to believe. Kathleen made "Granny Smith" pancakes this morning, only this time she peeled the skins on the apples and that seemed to make some difference as I did not have any problem with my bowels this morning.

When I went in for my radiation treatment today, the nurse that talked to me last week was there, she only works on Wednesdays and she asked me how I was doing. I was happy to report to her that I have felt better over the last week than I have since this whole radiation procedure started.

Kathleen and I stopped by the library after my radiation appointment today, we each had some things to drop off and we both wound up checking out a couple more books. I finished one, over 400, pages this afternoon and have started on the other one.

This afternoon has been really good as well; I have been feeling a little tired, but that kind of goes with the radiation. I have not had any problem with the cramping for going on three days and my stomach is feeling much better.

Tonight we had some of the leftover hamburger and rice soup that Kathleen made last night. It was very thick when I put it into the refrigerator containers last night so we just added some water to thin it down just a little.

Today the weather has gone from very sunny early this morning to overcast this afternoon. They are predicting rain off and on for the next few days, so this is just the precursor to the change in the weather.

I enjoyed getting outside for a little bit each day for the last couple days, but they are saying that the rain will not be all day affairs, but rather scattered showers with the possibility of some thunder and lightning a couple times.

Well, I am feeling much better, but I still am not getting much done around the house. Well, that was my day; I hope you all had a good day as well. I guess I will just say good night for now. If anything else exciting happens later tonight, I will either write an other blog tonight or write about it tomorrow.

Tempting Tuesday

This morning was normal by my radiation standards. Radiation went normally, but this afternoon has been quite pleasant. That is I have spent very little time in the bathroom, very different from my normal afternoons.

Monday was much better than my typical afternoons, but today was much better than yesterday. I would like to hope that this is a new trend, but by the same token, I do not want to get my hopes up too much.

I wish that the day had been a little nicer, it would have liked to have tried to gotten some yard work done. I did go out a couple of times, but the weather was just to changeable. Maybe it was a good thing as I probably did not need to get too worn out.

Besides not needing to use the bathroom a often, I have not had the cramps that I normal have in the afternoons and evenings, so that has been another very good thing. So what this means to me right now is that I am not as tired as I have been for the last month or so.

If the next month or so goes as well as the last couple days have, I think I can handle it. The way it had been going, I was not sure if I made the correct decision as far as the radiation goes. Next to the time I ate some bad oysters, I think that this is the worst I have felt for an extended period of time.

Well, I cannot think of anything else to write about so I think that I will just say good night.