Week #10 – Big girls don’t cry…

Chemo treatments: 4 down, 2 to go - we’re over the hump, y’all!!!

When I did my labs on Friday I was a little concerned that all my travels (i.e.exhaustion) may have affected my “numbers” but no such thing. My numbers were great and I even got them to reduce my pre-chemo Benadryl dose from two pills to one so as not to spend the day drooling on myself.  I used ice packs on my hands (to ward off neuropathy), found the movie channels (Wonder Woman and Jumanji) and even got a visit from some friends (Hi Michelle, Amanda and Shawn!).  It was a good day by all accounts.  Heck, by the time #6 rolls around I’ll finely have this chemo thing dialed in ;p

I only had one show last week - Friday night I was in the little town of LeClaire, IA – Home of the American Pickers - at a winery where I play atop a 10’ bluff overlooking their patio.  It was a clear, crisp autumn night.  After sweating my proverbial “nuts” off last weekend in MN I played this show at a whopping 57 degrees.  The audience was great and stuck it out thru the cool – to the point of begging ersatz blankets (beach towels and tablecloths) from the winery in order to wrap themselves up against the chill.  (the night before the temp was 87º with 70% humidity… what a difference a day makes, yeh?)

From that vantage point I can really see and interact with everyone on the patio – and I did!  One such group included a young singer/songwriter, Angela Meyer and her husband, Dean and dad, Doug.  I had schooled Angela in advanced guitar, live performance and music business for about a year - I believe she has a real chance to become a star.  It was wonderful to see her.  She stayed for a set and a chilly pitcher of sangria slushy and before leaving told me she had a show that night just down the street.  So, once I was done I packed up quick and headed over to listen to her set.  I walked in and she immediately gave me a shout out – which was sweet of her – but then she said to everyone, “she’s rocking the warrior scarf y’all, fighting the good fight - give it up!” which thru me a little and moved me a lot.  From now on my bandanas shall be known as “Warrior Sscarves”.

The Fall equinox has arrived and with it my favorite time of year.  My wife and I were married in October, Halloween is my favorite holiday and the sensory experiences; fall leaves, the smell of backyard fires, cleaning up the yard to prepare for winter, mulled cider and pumpkin bread – all of these things are exciting to me.  In fact, I’ve already made my compote for the winter: apples, figs, cherries, craisins, a splash of brandy and bourbon (as preservatives) and brown sugar.  A dollop of compote on a toasted English muffin with a schmear of cream cheese – NUMMY! 

Our chemo treat for this week was a simple breakfast-in-bed - pumpkin donuts and freshly roasted and brewed coffee accompanied by a game of Scrabble.  Please forgive the staging but neither of us wished to be in the portrait so early in the morning…

 

Week #9 Homecoming:Share the love

I had 3 shows in Minnesota last weekend.  Three, four hour shows.  Three, four hour shows in 80 to 90 degree weather with high humidity.  There was sweating.

There was also exhaustion that I hadn’t noticed before but became real for me over the last few days.  I’m like a puppy that plays and plays, not realizing when it’s exhausted.  After a 6 hour drive to MN followed by a 4 hour show (which included a one hour set-up and tear-down) I did finally realize my exhaustion but not before Sunday morning when I still had one more show to play that afternoon.

Booking these shows back in December 2017 didn’t seem like such a big deal at the time. Oh, what a difference a day makes. (and a hysterectomy… and 3 chemo treatments…)

So, I’d like to take a moment to thank everyone who came out to the shows last weekend.  To my audience - your energy helped keep me energized.  To the musicians who showed up to lend a hand (and a voice) I cannot begin to tell you what a relief it was to know that I didn’t have to carry the whole show the whole time; Adam, Ann and Elizabeth – THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!!

These last couple weeks have been a little rough.  The muscle ache has become more prevalent and seems, to one degree or another, to be a constant companion.  I’ve also started to notice a numbness in my feet.  My hands have faired better but there’s still some achy-ness that I’m doing my best to assuage with finger exercises.  The Wife and I did some googling and discovered a technique that involves using ice packs on the hands feet that suggests it could be beneficial during treatment.  The cold constricts the veins in my hands and feet to keep the chemo out of those areas which, in turn, decreases the chance of neuropathy.

You can understand why I’d like to avoid this particular side-effect, yeh?

As exhausted as I was last weekend it was also a big boost to my emotional health.  Playing shows in MN for the people that shaped my career and spending time with people who shaped who I am.  There is so much I am grateful for and you people are a big part of that.

Week #8 – Pardon me boys…

Is that the Chattanooga Choo-Choo?

Well, kinda…4 of us headed down south to the land of the Smoky Mountains and ended up in Church.

We spent most of Friday exploring downtown Chattanooga starting at a funky little coffee shop, Rembrandt’s, and ending at a rather disappointing Ghost Tour. In between we visited Ruby Falls, sampled the local flavor (liquid and solid) and met quite a few Uber drivers.  We also met quite a few people who moved to Chattanooga for it’s scene – we even met one bartender who said they stopped their for lunch during a road trip and never left.

One thing we learned while on this trip is Tennesseans are a friendly bunch and are more than happy to offer up all their favorite places for eating, drinking, entertainment and the like. They were all in agreement of the best places and we were never at a loss of what to do, where to go.  As a matter of fact we probably had too many choices and did our best to see them all.

Ruby Falls is a spectacular, spelunking journey into a cave system found and explored at the turn of the 20^th century. 100 years later we enjoyed the stunning natural wonder of this cave system - not just the usual stalagmites and stalactites but “flowstone” and “drapery” formations.  The journey culminated in the exquisite Ruby Falls – all 145 feet of it. (cue the very dramatic music and lighting.)

  

 The reason for this trip was to attend the Moon River Music Festival.  Two days and nights of great music with just enough rain to cool us off and only a little more to shut it down for a brief time or two.  We enjoy discovering new music and relishing old favorites so festivals like this are right up our alley.  Of all the new music I experienced my new favorite band is a duo called, Penny and Sparrow.  They were amazing! Rich voices and sweet guitar work – they sing real purdy… for boys.

Some of the lesser-known groups we also enjoyed were Caamp (not a typo), Secret Sisters, Boy Named Banjo, Mandolin Orange and Ballroom Thieves.  The better known groups (at least to us) were Judah & The Lion, Trampled by Turtles and Mavis Staples with the shows being headlined by Drew Holcomb and Avett Brothers.  Man, what a line-up!!

For two days we danced, drank, tranced, sang, devoured and danced some more.  Another fun perk was to spend these days in the VIP section; no waiting in lines, no stinky porta potties and some real nice chairs set up under the trees to make the scorching Tennessee days a lot more bearable.

On Monday we headed for Nashville for a change of scenery and to be just that much closer to home for the trip back.  Monday was “Be A Tourist” day.  First stop - the Ryman Auditorium.  The self-guided tour was very informative (unless, evidently, you watch the TV show, Nashville, in which case you already knew all that).  I only wish I hadn’t been so “frugal” and had spent the money to make a recording in the Ryman Studio.  Note to self; if one has to ask the question, “will I regret not having spent X amount of dollars to do Y” the answer is most likely, “yes”.

 Our next stop was Broadway – yes, we went to Tootsie’s, no, we did not go to the Bluebird Café, but we did find plenty of other things to do.  Luke Bryan was opening his new restaurant and there was going to be a free concert in the street that night - the excitement was palpable and it seemed the night would go on forever.

We, on the other hand, could not and were back at our hotel by 7:30.  What started as a raucous drive playing the Alphabet Game using music artists and bands ended in quiet, companionable ride home. 
Goodbye Tennessee, Hello Quad Cities.

Lucky week #7…sorta

Treatment #3 - I'm halfway done!!!

With the long Holiday weekend and only one show on Sunday it was a blessing in disguise that my treatment was pushed out from last Monday to Friday.  My white cell count was not high enough to do my Monday treatment but by Friday I got the okay.  Given my usual 2-3 days good, 3-5 days bad, then good till the next treatment I thought my chances for feeling good for this show and enjoying the holiday weekend would go better due to this rescheduling.  And I was (mostly) right.

On Sunday I was back at Tabor Home Winery for a Labor Day Weekend show.  I really enjoy playing this venue and it has been a couple years since I’ve played their.  Even the threat of rain didn’t keep people from coming out and having a good time.  Tabor has a unique micro-climate and perhaps the luck of the land of this Century Farm that “it never rains on a show day" - this luck was put to the test on Sunday.

The rain came in around 2:45 and stopped just minutes before the show started at 3p.  Thru the heat and the humidity I played and sweated my way thru a set list of old and new and even a couple of re-imagined songs in the third half of the set (the Third half is the Weird half).

I made some new fans and re-connected with some old friends and watched with delight as my newest young fan, Ava, kept trying to make off with a cantaloupe I’d been given by the Johnsons from their garden.  Ava’s mom was kept busy chasing her daughter around while the rest of us were kept amused by this 18mo antics.  Then, about 5:45 the wind and the rain started again – evidently, Mother Nature just couldn’t wait until the end of the show.

Tents came down and the folks on the lawn either ran for their cars or for the covered deck where I was playing.  We became a tidy bunch of rowdies and I played the rest of my set within the warmth and joviality of this resolute crowd.  A quick flurry of Irish songs seemed appropriate for the weather.  While the rain came in sideways and forced us all into a tighter and tighter circle we ended the show with a rousing chorus of Auld Time Religion.

With all lending their voice to the refrain the show ended and so did the rain – just long enough for most to get back to their cars while a few of the motley crew stayed on to finish their wine, visit with friends and help me with my tear down and packing. It was 2 more downpours before the rain stopped again and I was able to pack my car and head home.

It was on my way home that I became aware of the pain that had started while I was tearing down.  Instead of heading to dinner with friends I headed home to a warm Epsom salt bath and a Gabapentin.  I was so exhausted from the day’s activities that I fell fast asleep that night.

Only to awaken Monday feeling that same bone-crushing ache – despite the Gaba.  It was a hard day; lethargy and pain making it difficult to do anything but I had one chore that I really wanted to accomplish.  Susan and decided that this week’s Chemo Treat was to deliver flowers to our friends who’ve supported us during this time.  We made a few deliveries and then home again to rest and more Gabapentin.  We realize how many folks are our there supporting us in many ways and since we couldn’t deliver flowers to everyone we’d like to give you this:

  

“This week’s Chemo Treat is our treat to you!  A Sunflower Celebration to thank you for your thoughts, prayers, love and support during this time."
Thank You! ~ Love Lojo  & Susan