With chemo postponed, this turned out to be quite a lovely week. I enjoyed using my Kitchen Aid stand mixer to make some Christmas biscotti. It is two years since I received this mixer as a Christmas gift from all my children. I did not take my mixer with me when I went to stay with Mom and with Aina. With all the readjustments and coming and going of this past two years, I have done little baking. Now I am excited to get back to my old stress reliever - mix a bit, taste a bit, bake a bit , taste a bit...I am also thrilled to have a 'new' toy to help me out!!

I did a bit of shopping in Red Deer on Friday afternoon at my favorite spot,Winners. I ran into another fan while I was there, Arlone Lenz (Rebecca's Mom). Friday night I babysat Madison while Aina and Trevor went to Trevor's Christmas Party at Stettler. Maddi and I ordered pizza, then did origami while we waited for delivery. We ate our pizza, then folded even more paper. After that we changed into our pyjamas and tried out the entertainment room, watching "Legally Blonde 2" together. We both really enjoyed that movie. Then Maddi went to bed and I watched "Erin Brokovich," another movie I have never seen. Next morning Madison and I had our breakfast and folded paper for another couple of hours. It was great to have some quality Grandma - Granddaughter time!!

I left Aina's around noon, did a few errands, then headed home to get ready for Helge's "Mountaineer" Christmas program. We had a great evening with an excellent turkey dinner, good company, and dancing. Helge and I each won door prizes - lots of chocolate - so we'll be sharing over Christmas. Helge's prize was a handmade reindeer bedecked with glass balls and Christmas ribbon, bells, Lindt and Ferrero-Rocher balls, candy canes, Ovation mint sticks, and white-capped Toblerone. I must take a picture before the candy and chocolate is eaten!!

I'm looking forward to doing some more baking this week. I plan to bake a fruit cake tomorrow. After that it will be Julekage, Norwegian fruit bread, which I must have for breakfast on Christmas morning. Then I hope to bake some more biscotti and other cookies. Ah, such fun.

Postponement

I went to Sundre today for my weekly routine dressing change and PICC line flush. I also had blood work done. By the time I got home I had a message from the Red Deer Cancer Centre that my white blood cell count was too low and that my fourth treatment would be postponed by one week, until December 3rd. This is not a surprise to me as my third treatment had also been postponed by one week. I am thankful that my progress is being monitored closely. In addition, Helge's Christmas Party is this coming Saturday, November 29th. I know I will enjoy it so much more than if I had undergone treatment this week. My delightful student nurse Dynelle from Home Care in Sundre has given me a product Mon.A.Vie to try. It is a blend of acai and 18 other fruits. I ran into Debbie Ennis at the Pharmasave in Sundre today. She started working there about three weeks ago. Her daughter Alyssa used to dance with Sonja. We have not seen much of each other since the girls quit dancing. Thus we have arranged to get together for lunch next Tuesday. I am looking forward to that!

Family and Community Fun

Since my diagnosis in August I've tried to limit my running around and to find entertainment close to home. On November 15th, Helge and I went to the annual Crammond Beef supper. The food is always great with a good selection of homemade pies, and there is always a full house. Crammond Hall is about 1/2 mile north and 2 miles west of us so it is very convenient. November 17th, our grandson Parker turned one year old. I wish I could have celebrated with him in Peace River. I did send a parcel via Greyhound which Rebecca picked up on the day of his birthday.

Tuesday, November 18th I went to Sundre for my weekly dressing change and PICC line flush. I also picked up tickets for the Shooglenifty concert at the Little Country Cappuccino. Then I noticed a little gift shop next door. Turns out it is a laundromat along with tanning salon and infrared sauna. Items for sale included beautiful soaps and bath salts made in Canmore, some earrings, and most intriguing of all some stuffed animals handmade from recycled materials. The prices were great and the animals had names so I couldn't resist bringing home a couple of them!! I also enjoyed visiting with Danielle who was manning the shop owned by her Mom. I found Danielle to be a delightful young person. She has her degree in Psychology from UBC, Kelowna campus. She has enjoyed a job working with special needs children and has decided to become a teacher rather than do research in psychology. She is taking a year off before continuing her studies.

Wednesday morning, November 19th I had an appointment with Dr. Miller in Innisfail. After my appointment I headed downtown to go to the bank. Since I was downtown I thought I might visit a few shops. I noticed that the sporting goods shop carried O'Neill hoodies so I thought I would check that out. This was my first visit to this shop. I was surprised to discover that the owners live close to me on the Harriman Road! Then I continued down the street heading for my favorite shop,The Gift Loft. Between the sport shop and The Gift Loft I discovered a fairly new shop Bare Bones owned by Angie who used to work at the Bowden Institution. After leaving Bowden she had much success selling on eBay. Then about a year ago she opened this shop. She has a great selection of clothing for guys and gals including shirts, hoodies and jackets. She also has awesome baby clothing and baby gear. Among her selection of purses are purses made from recycled materials, given the name Pursnickity. Angie is one creative person with a knack for knowing what people like. Visiting her shop was fun!! Next stop was The Gift Loft. I have found few shops anywhere that can equal the organization and creativity of this shop. About a year ago this shop was renovated. The new vintage style white shelves nearly reach the ceiling drawing attention to the original pale pink embossed metal tiles. (Before the reno I had never noticed this exquisite ceiling.) Now the shop is "Christmas" from back to front, with many styles and colors of decoration displayed. It is a real delight for the spirit. After lunch at the Coop (at the Mall at the other end of town) I checked out new clothes at the Classic Touch Boutique. Then I had a walk downtown and back which took about one hour. On this walk I discovered another new shop of baby clothing New Beginnings, and I stopped at Erin's on Main for a cup of tea. Even though I have little money to spend I still enjoy knowing what's new in the shops. My curiosity needs regular feeding!! After my shopping adventures it was off to Judy's....

My colleagues and I had been trying to arrange a time to get together at Judy's place. I asked if Wednesday after work was okay, and they said "sure." Judy and Al prepared coffee, tea, and juice along with hot and cold appetizers. Judy and Al spent 2 weeks in Korea in October. Judy's married son has been living there for some time. Judy was anxious to spend time with her young granddaughter. Judy brought back pairs of Korean slippers for all the female staff. I was so happy to see all the following (as well as the hosts): Barb, Evlyn, Cathy, Nancy, Shelly, Sherry, and Pat. We missed Norma as she was away on a week's holiday. The male staff sent their greetings. It was so much fun to visit and laugh with my wonderful colleagues!! Cathy lent me her CDs of "The Secret" to listen to. We are having our staff Christmas party on December 12th after work at Pat's home. I am so thankful for the ongoing support of my colleagues!! After Judy's get-together I headed to Red Deer to spend the night with Aina as I had an appointment for 8:00 on Thursday morning. On Thursday morning, November 18th, I had my second MUGA scan. The purpose of this scan is to monitor my heart function.

Friday, November 21st brother Glenn and his children Tyler, Braden, and Erika came to visit. Michelle was in Ontario for the weekend visiting her sister Danielle. Glenn brought two garage doors for Helge and picked up some more firewood. He also bought a beautiful bouquet of flowers for me. I made a big batch of blueberry oatmeal muffins for snacking and roast beef and veges for supper. Tyler is taking guitar lessons this year so enjoyed strumming on a small guitar I dragged out. Braden enjoys construction toys so made an amazing creation from our Fischer-Price Construx. Erika is working on a craft badge for Girl Guides so I showed her how to do some origami. Everyone enjoyed our Brio train set. These are the times that I am very thankful to be a pack rat!! I could never get rid of good quality toys like Playmobil, Brio, and Lego.

This afternoon Helge and I went to Sundre to hear the high energy Scottish band Shooglenifty. I missed my walk today but made up for it with some lively, sweat-causing dancing. Afterwards we shared a sub at Subway. It's nice to have a break from cooking and doing dishes!!

I enjoyed phone calls this week from Sharon Winder-Nelson, Alice, Laurel, Aunty Bea, and my children. Sonja has tickets for herself, me, Aina, Madison and a few friends to see the top ten dancers from "So You Think You Can Dance Canada" perform at Rexall Place in Edmonton on February 2nd. That's my birthday so I'm really looking forward to that. Laurel sent a nice card and a little note written by me that she had found in Mom's jewelry box. I would guess that I was probably in grade 3 or 4 when I wrote it. It said:

How are you? I am fine. I hope you will like the lilacs. God bless you. Elaine

Latest musical inspiration: Lorraine Klaasen, born in South Africa, and living in Montreal for the past twenty years. I love the energy of her song "Jubulani" from her latest CD "Africa Calling."

Three Down, Three to Go

Spencer's two beautiful cousins on Rebecca's side, Ava and Anna

This photo was taken in front of the Caroline Library and Fire Department. The Fire Department hosts a Haunted House every Halloween. We had only four trick-or-treaters come here. Why did I buy so many treats?!! What will I do with them all? (I've stored them out of temptations way!!)

Enjoyed a nice visit with brother Glenn and nephew Braden on October 26th. Glenn also picked up a load of firewood. Braden turned ten on October 28th, same birthdate as Aina.

Aina, Trevor, and Madison moved into their new home in Red Deer on the weekend of October 24th. Aina's birthday was on October 28th and our 31st wedding anniversary on October 29th. I was to have had my third chemo treatment on the 29th. Then our plan was to celebrate our occasions by going out for dinner in Red Deer, and to see the new home. This did not materialize. My neutriphil (type of white blood cell) count was a little on the low side. It was recorded at 1.3, a couple points short of the 1.5 they want as minimum. I was disappointed but not altogether surprised. I had been walking daily but carrying reams of tissue as my nose and eyes were running continuously. We thought it was a good idea to lie low and not run off to Red Deer for dinner, etc. In addition, Aina was tired from moving so it worked out best for everyone. I had my third chemo treatment on Wednesday, November 5th. My neutriphil count had risen to 3.4 and I was certainly feeling much better. My neighbour in treatment was a man named Keith, probably around 50 years or so. His chemo was scheduled for 5 days in a row followed by a few weeks rest. That sounds pretty brutal to me!! When you think you have a challenge you always run into someone who appears to have a worse one.

Helge didn't come with me to Red Deer for my 3rd treatment. I advised him against it since after treatment I was to have an appointment with my oncologist, Dr. Tarukandirwa. In addition, my cancer support group was scheduled for the evening. I knew it would be a long day, so I decided to go in by myself and stay overnight with Aina. Turns out my support group was cancelled. I had supper at Aina's then enjoyed some retail therapy (Winners). I had a relaxed Thursday at Aina's, sleeping in, watching Regis and Kelly and having a nice jacuzzi bath. I also did a few dishes and a bit of laundry for Aina as she is very busy now with work and studying module 3 for her CA. Trevor is also under a lot of stress with his new position. After I left I delivered my Great West Insurance forms for disability to Dr. Topstad, the surgeon who performed the biopsy which detected my breast cancer. If all goes well these benefits will be in place once my EI sick benefits are complete.

Madison is having difficulty adjusting to her new school. There is continual homework in every subject area. Imagine that at grade 3!! (I told Aina I believe that has to do with living in a higher socioeconomic community where parental expectations can be somewhat unrealistic.) When they left Peace River, Madison was at the top of her class. I'm sure that once she adjusts to all the change her grades will improve. She has always done well in Math but has now encountered word problems so that has slowed her down. There is a long list of new spelling words every week, so it is a challenge to learn and remember them all. Her feelings are hurt when her teacher says, "I am so disappointed...." However, she continues to amaze everyone with her artistic talents, lately cartooning. She does karate two days a week and really enjoys that, too.

Spencer is in Kindergarten in Peace River. He continues to be very social with both girls and boys as special friends. He is playing in a hockey tournament this weekend and scored two goals. He was so happy! Parker will be one year old a week from tomorrow. He is a highly energetic child. Rebecca is a busy but capable Mom. She is in charge of 40 hockey jerseys, so that is a challenge when one also has a baby to care for. Luckily she has the support of good friends. Jarl went to Edmonton for the weekend and will probably be there until Tuesday, hoping to finish a surveying job where the Anthony Henday joins Highway 16.

Kai has a new love interest, Jocelyn, and his motivation seems to have substantially improved. It is difficult for him to know whether or not to take a welding job in the city when he could get a call from Grande Prairie at any time. There are so many uncertainties in the trades. Sonja is busy with her studies, working out, and a part-time job. Her last exam before Christmas is December 12th.

Aina is planning to have the Nome family Christmas at her new home (Christmas Eve and Day). Our Bjorgum family Christmas will be at Laurel's on December 28th, so I am looking forward to seeing everyone, and to seeing Laurel's new home.

If all goes well my next treatment will be on November 26th. I will be starting on a different combination of drugs so the plan is to spread treatment over two days, with each of the two drugs being given on separate days rather than together. That way they can assess the side effects of each drug separately. The first day (26th) I will be given Taxotere which can cause pins and needles and skin rash. On the second day (27th) I will be given the antibody Herceptin. One in four women with breast cancer is HER2 positive. HER2 is a protein/gene that promotes rapid growth of cancerous cells. In the past the prognosis was not so good. However, targeted treatment with Herceptin has been very successful. Dr. Topstad tells me I am fortunate to have this option. One of the possible ( not a given) side effects, however, is heart damage. Thus, before my next treatment I have to have another MUGA scan. I continue to be proactive by eating nutritiously, getting tons of sleep, taking my supplements, minimizing sugar and caffeine, and walking almost daily. So far I am doing better than expected. I have no hair but am enjoying my collection of hats and toques.

Helge has been doing much research on the history of the Social Credit Party, and went to a Socred Party meeting yesterday. We both would like to see a more equitable distribution of wealth in our society. He believes the time is right to start a ground swell with the Socreds. It is unfortunate that all the funds that federal governments pump into the banking system enable large banks to gobble up small ones but do not benefit the common man.

Hopefully Helge and I will go to hear our local musician Allen Christie in Caroline on November 15th. (His performance was postponed from Nov. 1st.) I am also trying to arrange meeting a few friends at Red Deer's Festival of the Trees on November 22nd, health-permitting, of course. I am considering the idea of donating a white Christmas tree next year, covered with origami decorations in various shades, textures, and prints of pink paper. I would also add some pink ribbons and balls. (Perhaps I'll ask for support in the form of loonie and toonie donations - have to figure that out yet.)

We had a light frost last night. I so enjoy the smell of the air after a frost. The temperature now at almost 1 p.m. is 10 degrees Celsius so I must get myself going on another lovely walk. Helge has been busy using his tractor to create trails in the bush to access areas for firewood cutting and pasture grazing for his goats. This makes so many special spots in the bush much more accessible for walking so I really enjoy that!!