So, here we are at the University of Michigan Cancer Center. Tommy is having his first "infusion" (sounds like a fancy tea, doesn't it?) and I'm loving the hospital's WiFi. Today is a long day, since a new port had to be installed. Consequently, we are treating ourselves to a hotel in Ann Arbor and tomorrow more treats: a movie! Last week we saw "Moneyball"; we love any movie about baseball but throw in Brad Pitt and a field we know...can't get much better.
The next chemo is 18 October, the third on 8 November, and then a CT scan to see how things are doing. In the mean time, I'll go to Panama on 24 October to get some admin stuff done and bring back winter clothes. A Michigan winter...ugh...ugh...ugh...the last time this chica was in winter was more than 25 years ago...ugh...ugh...ugh...
It is now college football season here. The University of Michigan team has won four straight, but the real tests are yet to come. Since TV at the farm is minimal (until Donald and Sarah spend more time here), we find different locations to watch the games. Last week was the Zukey Lake Tavern; we may go there again this week although the Gregory Pub beckons, too. I have always been fascinated how the Michigan alumni never ever stops rooting for Michigan...despite being out of school for years and years and years.
Speaking of the University of Michigan: when Tommy was in school here, he once visited the hospital for some minor problem. Fifty years later (i.e., this year) when we went to the first doctor, whose office was a part of the University Hospital system, Tommy's records were pulled up immediately! Can you imagine how many old records are in the system?
Time to go...
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
Bar #2 in Alpena
This is a great bar. The "lounge" with Gus the bar tender. Because of this bar, and the BigTenNework (which will show the Michigan vs. Eastern Michigan game), we may have to stay in Alpena a third night...
Some photos from Steamboat Springs
Let's see if we can get some photos up....
This is a nice one. We had decided to have a cocktails on the driveway deck, next to Tom Terry's great RV.
Cynthia and Tommy; Cynthia just had eyelid surgery so that's the reason for the bruising.
The Cancer Thing
This is really a bummer. Last October, Tommy was given the "all clear" by his Panamanian doctors. In June (at the University of Michigan Hospital) he was diagnosed with recurrent cancer, now outside the esophagus but which apparently spread from the site of the original cancer. I can now see the tumor, along his neck and collarbone.
We will re-start the testing and doctors in a week. Maybe the new CT scan will tell us how fast the tumor is growing. The radiation oncologist will tell us if he can radiate the new tumor, or if it is too dangerous. The oncologist will tell us what treatment she recommends to try to control the tumor. And Tommy will decide what he wants to do.
I should mention that Dr. Reddy, the thoracic surgeon told Tommy that the tumor is not operable, that it cannot be cured, and that he has two years to live. Well, that puts a new frame around it, doesn't it?
So that was one of the reasons we decided to go on this driving trip. Driving is a good thing for Tommy; he loves the van, the US roads and attractions, and just seeing new stuff. It is one of the situations in which he can have control. He is a fantastic driver; I am a great navigator and passenger.
So, the driving trip and seeing so many of our US friends have renewed our energy and I think we are ready to face the cancer again.
The US medical system is so different than the Portuguese and Panamanian. Seeing a doctor is only a small part of the process, whereas in Portugal and Panama, the doctors rule and I could reach them by cell phone and e-mail. In the US, the doctors are protected from too much interaction with the patients. I never knew of a "nurse practioner" before; now I do and I'm sure I'll get to love them but....
El Valle Church Windows, continued...
So, you saw the original windows. Here is a photo of the students and the work in progress...
And then the final windows (which are mirror images of each other, except that the east window has an "alpha" and the west window an "omega".
The installation started on a day when we couldn't attend. When we checked on the progress, we could not believe that the west window had been installed in the east window's space! Yikes! How could this happen? Particularly when the two windows were not the same size???? Jean Claude Augrain, the Foundation's Director, quickly translated and had the installer change out the windows. As the re-installation was taking place, Roberto and Jose Luis came by and pitched in to help. The are both carpenters; now they are both window makers and installers.
I am so proud of the students and feel ever so fortunate to have had this experience. The community is extremely proud of these new windows. I love them!
El Valle Church Windows
Last year the Foundation funded me to teach four young locals to learn stained glass. The Foundation paid for all the materials and tools, which I had shipped from the U.S. My students were three adults (Roberto, Jose Luis and Yulitza) and one 14-year old (Eduardo). They knew that the ultimate goal was to build replacement windows for the ugly colored class/plastic ones in the main church.
They were fantastic students, who put up with my miserable attempts at speaking Spanish. They learned quickly and made six or seven projects, which were displayed in the art exhibition in February 2010.
In early March 2011, we starting building the windows, which were designed by Coqui Calderon (one of Panama's premier artists). Coqui's designs were translated into glass patterns by Tommy; this was a very, very difficult job but, of course, he did it. He also built the build boards for us. Before we began, my wonderful friend and Spanish teacher, Cecilia came to translate so that we were all clear on what we were doing.
Let's let the photos speak for themselves...the original windows...
The Wall
Our "trash group" is a loose collection of about seven or eight gringos, often augmented by visitors and/or other residents. We pick up trash every Monday morning along the main street. We have been doing this for about three years now. This same group runs the recycling program, but we'll talk more about that later.
Anyway, one of our biggest gripes was the long Hong Kong (a supermarket) wall, which was a very dirty white, completely covered with graffiti. We asked Mario, the owner of Bruschetta's, to get permission for us to paint the wall; he did. He also was the focal point for an art contest, which asked for entries for mini-murals to be painted on the wall.
Led by Jim Eaton, we power washed the wall (twice), primed and painted it, blocking off the mini-mural "canvases". This took days and days, which you might expect since all the workers were in their sixties. Nevermind, we did it! And then it was time for the kids to start painting. We had eight wonderful youngsters who were very serious about this. It was hot, and since the wall was east-facing, they were in the bright sun for most of the day. They never complained, but kept at it. The trash group keep them well hydrated and fed.
And traffic in El Valle stopped, as residents and tourists stopped to watch, take photos, and compliment the youngsters and the trash group. Over the main two weekends of painting, we had so much fun with the kids and the folks who stopped. The amount of good energy was incredible.
We later had Cesar (local artist) paint the first panel. The last panel was designed by Cas Jimenez (art teacher) and painted by him and his students.
All my photos of this wonderful project are in my other computer; I'll see if can resurrect some of them.
Anyway, one of our biggest gripes was the long Hong Kong (a supermarket) wall, which was a very dirty white, completely covered with graffiti. We asked Mario, the owner of Bruschetta's, to get permission for us to paint the wall; he did. He also was the focal point for an art contest, which asked for entries for mini-murals to be painted on the wall.
Led by Jim Eaton, we power washed the wall (twice), primed and painted it, blocking off the mini-mural "canvases". This took days and days, which you might expect since all the workers were in their sixties. Nevermind, we did it! And then it was time for the kids to start painting. We had eight wonderful youngsters who were very serious about this. It was hot, and since the wall was east-facing, they were in the bright sun for most of the day. They never complained, but kept at it. The trash group keep them well hydrated and fed.
And traffic in El Valle stopped, as residents and tourists stopped to watch, take photos, and compliment the youngsters and the trash group. Over the main two weekends of painting, we had so much fun with the kids and the folks who stopped. The amount of good energy was incredible.
We later had Cesar (local artist) paint the first panel. The last panel was designed by Cas Jimenez (art teacher) and painted by him and his students.
All my photos of this wonderful project are in my other computer; I'll see if can resurrect some of them.
Catching up
While Tommy is sleeping, I'll catch up on various news. Our beloved TwoBaby died in January. He had been sick for several months, eating less and less. We woke up one morning and knew it was his last, so we held him until he died. We buried him next to the house, and later planted flowers there. We are now nine months later and I still miss him and his sweet nature. He was the most wonderful little friend. Whoever would have thought that you could love a little animal that much?
I have wonderful memories of Two but a really fun one was in Portugal. Tommy and I were at the Scotts' house for dinner. I can't remember if Gill and Nigel were there, too. Anyway, we were all having a laughing good time, with plenty of food and drink, and I was laughing my big laugh. All of a sudden, two small black furry things appeared: TwoBaby and his sister, who had heard me laughing and tracked us down. More laughing, of course.
There was another time in Portugal when Two stationed himself in front of the dishwasher. We had already determined that one of the hoses had been gnawed in two by an animal, so we figured Two was guarding the house and not letting the rat move. Tommy and I constructed a "rat run" from the dishwasher to the front door. Armed with brooms, we pulled the dishwasher away from the wall, and "broomed" the rat out the front door. By this time, Two was sitting on the hill across from the front door, watching his two crazy friends. He proudly did nothing to help.
Two was a bundle of love. Tommy "gave" me Two and his sister for my birthday in 1997. I promised to make the two cats outdoor cats, who would never be allowed in the house. Ha! Not only were they allowed in the house, they owned the house and us. Two went on to travel to the US, and then spend four months in the van with us, traveling to Panama. When we were in Portugal, he loved to hunt and bring home treasures but in Panama he was more of a house cat, although he loved to sit in the herb garden and smell the hummingbird plant.
I miss his warm furry body, his sitting on my lap at night, brushing him, his leg kisses, his talking, sleeping with me at night, and his greetings when we came home.
Anyway, I got Two for my birthday in 1997. This year's birthday was celebrated with Carl and Mary Ann at Zingerman's Roadhouse in Ann Arbor. Here's a photo....
September 16th, 2011, Alpena, Michigan
The UP of Michigan is an extraordinary place, with incredible scenery and people. One night we stayed in Gladstone at the Lakeview Inn, which no longer has a view of the lake but does have a salon with the most friendly attendants (I guess today they are called "estetacists", although I can't even spell the word so let's just called them beauticians, etc.). Had the most wonderful haircut to repair the damage of the miserable one from El Valle three months ago. New to me, the "latest" is to flat iron my curly hair completely straight and then cut it. Me with completely straight is not a sight for sore eyes. And then I had a facial, which they promised would make me look ten years younger; false advertising.
We crossed the Mackinac Bridge and drove down the western shoreline of Lake Huron. We have now driven along three of the five Great Lakes, all of which are spectacular and huge, huge. Last night we ended up in Alpena, a small town on Thunder Bay (great name, isn't it?). When I got up this morning, I decided that Tommy looked worn out so we are booked for another night here in Alpena. Perhaps tomorrow we'll drive straight through to the farm, or not...we'll see what tomorrow brings.
It seems that the closer we get to the farm, the sadder we get as we realize that we will have to face the cancer, treatment options, and all that crap. So why not put off reality for a while...
Photo above is Tommy and Peter Shipman when we met for dinner in Denver.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
September 14th, 2011
Yesterday was our 29th wedding anniversary and we spent the evening at the Hotel Chequamegon in Ashland, Wisconsin. Why Wisconsin? We are driving from Steamboat Springs, Colorado to Michigan. Why? Okay, let's back up...
Earlier this year, we shipped the big black van back to Michigan (to Donald and Sarah's farm) from Panama in anticipation of a three-month driving trip around the U.S. and expecting to spend about 6-8 weeks in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, building stained glass windows for Cynthia.
We arrived in Michigan in mid-June and shortly thereafter Tommy was diagnosed with recurrent cancer. The tumor is not in the esophagus (the site of the original cancer, four years ago), but rather along the vocal cords and the right lung. Since the tumor encases nerves and arteries, it is not operable. After weeks and weeks of tests and doctors and sickness, we couldn't stand it any longer and decided to take a break and drive to Steamboat Springs.
We raced across country, getting there in four days, with our last night in Laramie, Wyoming: a very cool town. Then we dropped down into Colorado and arrived in Steamboat in mid-afternoon, shortly after Tom (Brown) and Cynthia. And the fun began. Tom and Pat Barron arrived the next day. Wilson, Linda and Tom Terry arrived a few days later. Too much fun was had by all, as evidenced by the recycling box and the number of missed planes. Tom Barron successfully made his plane but only because he had a private plane meet him; he was mercilessly teased about that plane. Everyone left by the 7th of September, and Tommy and I stayed around to rest and tidy up; we left on the 8th.
We had a short drive to Denver, where we met up with Peter Shipman for dinner. The next day we hit the road, driving through Wyoming, North and South Dakota, Minnesota and now Wisconsin. We hope to be in the Upper Peninsula in Michigan later today.
Photos to come...if I can figure it out!
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