1. I have lived in a fog of tiredness these past few weeks with no energy for anything. But my husband has been home from his latest hospital stay since Monday, a week ago, and is feeling better.
This is the latest, randomly put together, as I am hoping for some normalcy.
SOME GOOD NEWS AT LAST:
2. After a ghastly 4th of July holiday weekend, with my husband in severe pain and running out of medicine, I took him first to the ER here in town, which was useless. The next morning, I drove him down to UCLA Medical Center Emergency. There we spent most of a day, waiting for the liver specialist team to appear. Once they did, they admitted him and he spent a week in the hospital, getting lots of tests, including a CT scan and an MRI.
3. After receiving conflicting and very scary information about the status of his liver, the final word came in that need for a liver transplant is not as urgent as we were told at first. Such wonderful news I had not dared to hope for. And he is feeling very much better. He still has cancer, of course, and will need a liver transplant eventually, but the targeted treatment is working right now, and each good day is a wonderful gift.
4. Thank you all so much for your kind and supportive comments. I haven't been up to visiting your blogs with all that's been going on and I know you understand, but please know that for me blogging is the entire experience of putting together my own posts, reading yours, and leaving comments. According to my statistics, lots of people stop by my blog and leave without commenting. I sometimes wonder who these people are, if they enjoyed my post or maybe not.
Thank you also for your emails, what wonderful friends you are ~ you are no longer virtual, you are very, very real to me. Thank you.
Thank you also for your emails, what wonderful friends you are ~ you are no longer virtual, you are very, very real to me. Thank you.
5. While the mornings are cool and lovely, it gets very, very hot in the afternoons here in the canyon. Much warmer than in our town. The other day, huge black clouds appeared, but any rain they may have held evaporated before reaching the ground. Then yesterday, for a brief moment, it rained. I can't find words for the joy I felt.
6. Someone asked if I still have a Swedish accent and the answer is: Yes. Computerized answering systems have a difficult time understanding me, which can be very frustrating. Imagine me, annoyed, sitting there, yelling, "agent, agent," trying to be transferred to a human being, while the computer voice goes, "I'm sorry, I did not understand," and proceeds to repeat its instructions over and over again. Other than that, I like my accent.
7. My friend Judy sent a large box full of good books. They have helped me no end to cope with what's going on in our lives right now. I just finished one I liked a lot, called Clara and Mr. Tiffany, based on the true story of Clara Driscoll, who may have been the first person to design and make a Tiffany lamp. Written by Susan Vreeland, the book tells the story of the triumphs and hardships of Clara and the 30 or so women who worked for her at Tiffany Studios around the turn of the last century.
Fran, I think you would enjoy this book as it provides in-depth details of one of your artistic expressions: The making of Stained Glass Art. I found it fascinating.
I just started on The Goldfinch, a critics' favorite and Pulitzer Prize winner, but put down by many others in articles I have read. Judy sent it, and I figure it's time for me to read it and make up my own mind.
Fran, I think you would enjoy this book as it provides in-depth details of one of your artistic expressions: The making of Stained Glass Art. I found it fascinating.
I just started on The Goldfinch, a critics' favorite and Pulitzer Prize winner, but put down by many others in articles I have read. Judy sent it, and I figure it's time for me to read it and make up my own mind.
8. I have lost 10 pounds since my husband was diagnosed, he has lost much more. Now that things are calmer, we are eating again and making sure we both get our nourishment.
9. Our container vegetables, mainly peppers, tomatoes, rosemary and thyme, are doing very well, but our large garden is nothing like it was last year. And a chipmunk has discovered it and will no doubt end up the best fed critter on all of our dry, dry land. I don't begrudge him our garden goodies, so many animals have disappeared; the rabbits are skinny, I see no more ground squirrels, snakes, coyotes, or bobcats. It's scary and sad.
10. Finally, this is Faith, also known as Princess Faith or Miss Bigfoot. Check out those paws! Faith came to live with us in mid-June and will be three months on July 28. I will tell you her story soon.
Puppy Love, how sweet it is.
Samson Says:
Gracie, she's my little sister. She will always be my little sister. She's frequently a big pain in the butt, so not to worry, you are my love, my feisty one. XOXOXOXO, Your Samson.
