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…
❤️
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