Looking Back: It has been a busy fortnight or so. I had my second chemo treatment on Wednesday, October 8th. For the remainder of the week I tidied up the cabin in preparation for Thanksgiving. Aina had a hair appointment in Caroline on October 11th, so she dropped Madison off here on her way to town. After her appointment she returned and helped prepare for Thanksgiving, baking a batch of fresh buns and pumpkin pie. We continued working together on Sunday, and had a nice meal on Sunday evening. Trevor, Kai, and Sonja joined us. Our turkey was excellent. Helge purchased a 22 lb organic turkey from a local supplier. It cost us $75.00 but it was worth it. I was also very happy with the way my stuffing turned out. Everyone went home with a stack of leftovers.
The next few days were clean-up days with dishes to wash, turkey stock to make, etc. Since I am not currently working I was able to take my sweet time doing these tasks!! We certainly enjoyed our leftovers: turkey buns with cranberry sauce, shepherds pie, and turkey soup. Autumn food is so comforting!!
October 14th: Full Moon. Federal Election. Rueben's birthdate (1943). I have a weekly outing on Tuesday mornings, going to Sundre Home Care to have my PICC line flushed and dressing changed. Then I head off to the "Outlaws Bar and Grill" for some great homemade soup. After that I might run a few errands like pick up a few groceries at Sundre Sobeys. This Tuesday I also went to Caroline on Tuesday afternoon to take advantage of my civic responsibility and cast my vote.
October 16th: I attended "Look Good, Feel Better" at the Red Deer Cancer Center. Each participant (cancer patient) had their own volunteer. The volunteers each wore a black apron with the LGFB logo. Their first task was to unpack the cardboard box of complementary makeup given to each participant. It was like Christmas watching this process. Each participant received between $300 and $400 worth of free cosmetics. I was so excited to receive makeup that had been on my wish list for a long time but that I had never purchased due to cost. This included Mac eyeliner, lip conditioner and lipstick as well as a beautiful Clarins quad eyeshadow, lipstick, and lipbrush. We used our product to remove the makeup we were wearing, and then learned how to apply makeup. It was a fun afternoon, and our results weren't bad!!
October 17th: Rebecca, Spencer, and Parker spent a good part of the day with us. It was great to visit Rebecca and have some quality time with my grandsons. Rebecca spent about a week with her folks as her Aunt (her Dad's sister) had passed away. She was my age and was fighting a recurring case of breast cancer. She got a blood clot in her leg which sadly moved to her heart. Her funeral was on the same day as Rebecca's Dad lost his Mother (also breast cancer) before Rebecca was born.
October 18th: Helge and I joined our friends Judie and Darrell for supper at Caroline's excellent Chinese restaurant, "The Silver Gate." We were celebrating Judie's Birthday. My fortune cookie said: Remember three months from this date. Your lucky star is shining. Three months from now I shall have completed chemo if all goes well. It will also be time to celebrate some birthdays: Alice (15th), Spencer(6 years on the 16th, my Mom's birthdate.)
Today: I bid farewell to Rebecca and the boys before they took off for Peace River. We sold our last two pups. One pup (all black one) went to a nice family from Ponoka. I thought their (Mike and Robin) children had such lovely names: Brody, Tori, Kate, and Mallory. They were all beautiful children with lots of curiosity, energetic, and well-mannered. The other pup went to a Vietnamese father and son from Red Deer. The fun part about raising dogs is all the interesting people we meet!!
This Coming Week: I'm looking forward to a more quiet week. I start a Cancer Support group on Wednesday evening in Red Deer. So far I'm doing quite well. I have been blessed with all kinds of support and encouragement. I am so thankful for this precious time at home.
Latest Musical Discovery: Billy Bob Thornton and the Boxmasters. BB calls their music "Vaudebilly" saying they look like the Beatles but sound like a bunch of Hillbillies. I like their sound so will add them to my wish list. It is fall fundraising time at my favorite radio station CKUA. There are many wonderful prizes for people who make donations. As an ongoing subscriber my name is automatically entered in the draws. I would sure like to win the mid-campaign prize which is a week for two at the Ka'anapali Beach Hotel in Maui (see pictures.) Helge would never agree to a resort holiday but I know it wouldn't be hard to find a travel companion! My husband would like to go on a camping holiday to the NWT, as would I. We would like to follow the Deh Cho Trail from Northern AB to NWT to Northern BC and back to AB. I always wanted to go to Liard Hot Springs in Northern BC. We have friends that have just bought a ranch at Houston not far from Liard. We could visit them as well as my cousin Jackie in Yellowknife. Lots of possibilities...
