Time Flies

Can't believe it's been so long since I wrote my last post. Am I having fun yet? Suddenly finding myself surrounded by a number of home renos as well as the need to deal with some serious changes in my mother's health/lifestyle. I'm also undergoing a few medical test of my own right now. Suspicion is that I have a bad cold, but the cough is of a concern so a CAT scan has been ordered - swear I'll turn into a feline sooner rather than later if I have many more of those! On the up side of life (and there is always an up side), much of the last week has been taken up by Mom's 90th birthday celebrations. The party continues this weekend as I'm taking her to visit close friends in Everett, WA. Might be the last trip for her, so I hope it's a happy one. Will post photos of all the goings on once I have access to Phil's camera.

My Photo Secrets Revealed

Since posting the bit about my New York adventure, several folks have remarked about my photo with Mary Poppins. While I would like to think my computer skills warrant the high praise, there really wasn't much to it. Really. All I did was stand in front of the over-sized poster hanging outside the theatre. The poster had been specially installed so that Poppins-wannabes and other fans could have their photo snapped alongside every child's dream nanny. Kinda felt like a wide-eyed kid posing with an assortment of over-sized plush-covered cartoon characters in so many Disneyland holiday photos. (Isn't it interesting that all those characters have a lot to say in their films but are absolutely silent in person? Must be amazing performance rates in their contracts!) But I digress.

Even though the photo posted on that earlier blog entry was created through no trick photography or computer magic, the result was surprisingly difficult to achieve. The following earlier attempts at publishable quality images underscore the point.

Here, a rather nervous me isn't quite sure I'll like the flying thing. Had a bit of trouble with the lift-off.

Mary makes it all look so easy, doesn't she? Well, since I do believe in magic, I opted to give it another try. Not sure if my pleading for assistance or the petting of her arm was gonna help, however.

Unfortunately, a bad camera angle makes my pre-flight practice session look like an X-rated groping session! The next image may not be suitable for all readers of this blog. Viewer discression is advised.

Looks like I'm as shocked with the result of that effort as Mary was. Thank goodness her parrot umbrella/security guard is well trained.

Finally, after four attempts, the camera, Mary and I get ourselves co-ordinated and the final photo was worth publishing. Gosh but posing for photos is hard work. No wonder stars try to avoid the papparazzi. On the other hand, the experience was good training should I ever decide to take to the stage. Now I only have to work on my singing and dancing. Thank goodness my parents had me in pantomime classes all those years ago. Excuse me while I get back to brushing up on those skills.

Butt

Gardeners are - let's face it - control freaks.  Who else would
willingly spend his leisure hours wresting weeds out of the ground,
blithely making life or death decisions about living beings, moving
earth from here to there, changing the course of waterways?  The
more one thinks about it, the odder it seems; this compulsion to
remake a little corner of the planet according to some plan or vision.
-   Abby Adams, What is a Garden Anyway

If we are to take Ms. Adams' word for truth, I'm not much of a gardener. The proof lies in the northwest corner of my lot. Some of the weeds there are taller than I and have the propensity of prolific procreation. Somehow, that is the part of the garden that receives the least amount of attention, likely because it is the one farthest from view and the area where I am least likely to pass by. But this is September, the month of new beginnings. And so it was that I stepped into the garden with renewed vigor and determination to regain control of said rampaging rough patch before the snow flies. I have little doubt my plan would have succeeded had it not been for a particularly menacing bramble root. No ordinary root this, it taunted me by allowing one end to be effortlessly extracted from the earth. It was soon apparent that I would have less luck with the business end of the bramble, and so I did what any self-respecting weed whacker would do - I tossed my head back with a demonic laugh that underscored my desire to kill the pesky plant once and for all and emphasized the point by putting my back into the next lethal tug. That's when I heard an odd noise. Faint though it was, there was little doubt the sound emanated from my back rather than from the ground. No doubt the rogue root got the last laugh as sciatica took hold. That was a week ago. Since then, I've popped more than a few Robaxacet tablets and sought comfort in the coils of Momzy's electric heating pad. While I can still feel the odd twinge when I think of bending or shifting from a sit/stand position, the worst of it seems to be, well, behind me. Note to self: judiciously prune roots in future. And use a hoe rather than subjecting my rapidly aging back to further abuse. And always, always, bend the knees. 

Marks and More

I continue to feel a bit more tired post-chemo than I have in recent weeks. The internist overseeing my treatment says that my body is having to readjust to the drugs after the two-week hiatus during my travels. Other than that, I'm doing okay. Have gained a bit of the NYC weight loss back, but that's not at all surprising since I am no longer walking 8+ hours each day in high humidity. Some of my "plumbing" continues to be temperamental, apparently a common side effect of the Vinorelbine. On the good news front, my tumour markers continue to decrease. For those who aren't familiar with the term, a tumour marker is a naturally occurring substance that can be found in the blood, urine or body tissue. It's level is elevated in the presence of cancer. Different cancers have specific and different markers. When I was first diagnosed in March, my particular marker level was 29. It is currently hovering around the 17 mark. This is very good news and another indication that the current treatment is working. Told ya I'd kick the two-year prognosis in the butt!