On the Veranda...Bayside

Going Honey Badger on the Lymphedema

Oh my goodness, every day is a new adventure!  First, the good stuff....

The Flounderhole is in full bloom, the confederate jasmine smells divine, and I even did some weeding in the field of dreams (I can only do about one square foot every couple of days).  My goal is to have a mossy path to the back yard.  I just have to keep pulling the weeds and grass until the moss is thick enough to choke them out by itself.  The broken slates are ones I dug up out of the backyard.  They were under about 3 inches of dirt, don't know if there are more, but probably so.

Now the lymphedema....whoa, it has snuck up on me the last few weeks. Between my waist and mid thighs, my body is all swollen and hard.  It kept getting worse and worse, then I noticed I had gained 7 pounds and I know it wasn't fat or muscle!  I started to have trouble urinating and was in lots of pain.  Then of course I got panicky, like when I had the ileostomy.  I wanted to run away from my own body, but of course I can't.

The internet has lots of information, some good and some terrifying, so I just tried to find out how lymphedema is treated.  Apparently, if you start treating it early, you can keep it under control.  So yesterday, I called the doctor and he is putting me in a Lymphedema Clinic.  Don't have any information on that yet.  I started wearing a Spanx garment, stopped eating salt, and started self massage from the swollen parts to the heart.  I can see a difference and I lost two pounds.  I'm sure it's all fluid. Yesterday and today, I walked and did what little yoga I am capable of. I'm sure I must look hilarious, but who cares!?

Every day is a new adventure.  I have been spending all my time trying to shop for shoes (swollen feet) and appropriate clothing for a bunch of stuff we have coming up (that I can't attend in my gym clothes!).  That in itself is physical therapy, or in my case, Special Olympics. I don't like shopping as much as I used to.

So please say a prayer for me that this swelling subsides, and I don't lose my mind or crash into depression.  I try to keep a stiff upper lip, but sometimes it's hard.  Then God sees all, and puts things into perspective. I was coming home from an errand yesterday feeling wiped out and bummed out. Running toward me down the street, on a leash of course, was a beautiful golden retriever. His coat was all shiny and blowing in the wind and he actually looked like he was smiling.  And he was missing his right front leg.  Take that, mortal!

The Sun is Shining, The Birds are Singing!

Well, the birds are singing......the sunshine should come later!  It is Randi's birthday and life is good. Happy Birthday!! I will call you later......

I have been to the surgeon, and I am AOK.....it will be 6 months to a year before my parts are working right.  He says it will never be like it used to be, but I will be able to have semi-normal bowel function.  Yeah!

The lymphedema and fibrosis are kicking my butt, but I'm trying to kick back!  I have some books to read by Julie Silver, a doctor and cancer survivor, about the after effects of the chemo and radiation. Sue told me about an NPR segment with her, so I was glad to be enlightened.

Guess what?  We had the bluebirds of happiness show up the other morning!  There were a pair of them on the ground.....looked like fat little blue golf balls....and Steve got this picture of one of them.

Shortly after the bluebird sighting, I saw this rose breasted grosbeak.  He was only around for two days, then I guess he moved on.  You know you are getting older/geekier when you start getting all het up about bird watching :)

Alex should be coming over later and we will do some errands.  Today is a good day and I want to take advantage of it!  Have a good day too!

Don't You Want to be a Food Snob Too?

Yesterday, I finally stopped going to the bathroom long enough that, for a bit of entertainment, Steve drove around the neighborhood stopping at garage sales.  I told him, I think if I were drawing my very last breath, I would be up for a garage sale.

At one sale, the woman was giving away foodie magazines, so I took several.  I have always enjoyed them, but haven’t subscribed to any in quite some time.  Ha ha!  I got quite a chuckle out of how dreadfully seriously these people take themselves.  One chef, who plies his trade in a desert state, pronounced that his scallop/chili/honey/pistachio dish “spoke to the region”.  I was wondering if his region had farm raised scallops, or…..…..then I read that there used to be a Japanese internment camp there, and so the scallops………..oh please.

Here’s just one of the dishes that evolves for us every day which I can guarantee you is better than anything you can find in a magazine or buy in any restaurant in Virginia Beach.  Steve asks me what I want for dinner before I get out of bed in the morning.  I never care.  You want fish?  Sure.  He takes two things out of the freezer (our freezer is a giant Jenga puzzle of seafood, mostly caught by Steve, in all sorts of unlabeled containers……I have quite given up) and puts them in a pie plate for me to transfer to the fridge when thawed.  He asks what kind of fish is in the chinese take out container, the one with the big crack.  I say I don’t know.  I don’t say that I knocked it out of the freezer the day before, while I was hunting for ice cream, and shoved it back in.  I think, whatever it is, it shouldn’t have freezer burn yet.

Happily, the mystery fish is sea bass (my favorite) that Steve caught in the bay.  It will go nicely with the other fish, which is cod he got at the grocery.  This also works with flounder.  Just take a Le Cruiset casserole and rub some butter on the bottom.  Lay your fish out.  Melt more butter and mix with juice of two lemons, pour it over your fish, salt and pepper (we do use sea salt and we do crush the peppercorns manually).  Lay a bunch of dill all over it, cover, and stick it in the oven for about 25 minutes.

For sides, Steve keeps homemade semolina noodles onhand, pre-cooked and tossed with butter and parsley.  I wanted to bake an acorn squash, but I didn’t have enough strength to cut it in half, so I waited until he got home, had him cut it, and threw it in the microwave.  While that got cooking, I went into the garden, cut some lettuce leaves (what kind? I don’t know…..light green), flat leaf parsley, and lemon balm.  I was thinking how nicely the subtle flavor of lemon balm would compliment the fish.  Little did I know that it would be SPEAKING TO the fish’s sauce! 

Imagine this lovely meal:  delicate white fish beside rich, yellow noodles with brilliant green parsley drenched in that buttery, lemony sauce (I told Steve, I love it so much I want to drink it), cuddling up to creamy, smooth, yolky looking acorn squash, and a lovely, multi green salad dressed with the best olive oil and balsamic vinegar we can afford. It was sublime.

So when I read the article about the scallops that speak to New Mexico, I naturally thought of OUR meals that speak not only to the Chesapeake Bay, Farm Fresh grocery store, and our garden, but also to our incredible ingenuity, expertise, and artistic flair.  I love being a Foodie!   Hahahahahahahaha!

 

 

Dad Made Hatstands!

A box arrived yesterday from my Mom and Dad.....my Dad finished my hatstands!  It was so exciting because I had envisioned my hats up on my armoire on these stands that would allow you to see the pretty carved back on the top of the armoire......and it worked out perfectly! And Dad says the bases are made of 100 year old walnut......so cool!

I really love hats, especially the little "Kate Middleton" ones, wish I had the nerve to wear a hat more often.  And gloves.  Why don't women wear hats and gloves anymore?

They Call it Lymphedema

Well, I am looking forward to my surgery next week, when they will put my stuff back inside me and patchwork quilt me back together!!!

I even decided to get online and research my ailments which are fibrosis and lymphdema of my hips, thighs, and pelvic area.  Yikes, it ain't pretty!  I was only able to read about it for a short time.  I have a real mental block, call it denial, when it comes to the lasting effects of all that radiation.  But the good part is, they got the cancer and I will be able to live without a colostomy bag. Praise the Lord for that.....

I have been working on my dressing room/studio area a bit. We found an art desk and lamp at a garage sale which works well for painting and for sewing.

I finally hung a couple of plates that I really love against the April Mist color of this room.  The "Happy Anniversary" plate is my all time favorite. It came out of an old house down at the oceanfront.  A couple of years ago, Sue had just run the Shamrock 5K (or whatever K it was) and walking back to the car, we went dumpster diving where someone was emptying out an old house.  Can't believe this plate didn't get broken as it was quite deep in the dumpster!

I am going to be down for 6-8 weeks following the surgery, so I will have to get creative about what to do and how.  Right now I am painting flowers and vines on a little side table, but the going is slow because I can't sit or stand for very long periods.  I need to take a picture of that before it gets done....I am bad at taking the before and during pictures sometimes!

Also, while I am recovering, I hope to be able to find some more information on the fibrosis and lymphedema, and maybe some support groups. Eventually, if I am able, I want to do some volunteer work for the American Cancer Society too. But for now, I am doing good if I can take a walk in the afternoon and cook dinner at night!  

Rainy Day, Great for Planning Projects

Oy Vey! I have overdone it again and must lie low today, but it is raining steadily and I have several projects going in my mind.

I picked up this lovely (but too big for me) skirt for next to nothing at the thrift store.  I love the lively French print and I'm going to make another apron out of it.  This time I want to copy a cute little ruffled one I found at an antique store in Selma, NC years ago.

It seems like every day, I use all of my available energy to cook, do laundry and iron, leaving no juice left for playing. Why do I do that to myself? Today I will take it easy and watch Downton Abbey. Randi has loaned me the first season DVDs and I love it! Also found a great book called Lessons from a Sewing Cafe/Sweatshop Paris. It's a little out there, but I got some good ideas and lots of internet addresses to very cool sounding French shops.

Time for me to lie down for a while, have a great weekend!

What Blessings!

Well, the test seemed to go well today....the tech said everything looked "beautiful"!  Officially, I can't see my doctor until next week at the soonest but I am hoping that soon we can schedule the final surgery.

So that was great, but listen to this. I know I tend to go on and on, but bear with me:) I recently joined www.freecycle.com and I needed to either get something or give something within a certain time frame, or get kicked off. I have been asking God what to do about the tithing question, and about certain other things that I just can't figure out, and after a couple of weeks, I felt compelled to give my Victorian Chair away on Freecycle. Now, usually on this site, they give away useful things and there are a lot of truly needy people that use it, I'm sure, but something kept telling me to give the chair and the caning kit.

I had tons of emails from folks wanting a finished chair, or just the caning kit, a set of chairs, or sadly, a canning kit for canning food (I need to educate myself in writing posts for that site). I read through them all and tried to get a sense of someone who understood what it was (no pics on this site), and started emailing a girl who said her boyfriend was a woodworker and had done caning before.She needed a chair for her desk and he would put the seat in for her.  

We made plans to meet at a public spot, in front of cameras and I was five minutes away when she called and said she was stuck in tunnel traffic. I was a little concerned, since I had just had the test and was tired, but I felt compelled to tell her it was no problem, I would wait. I had been craving an apple fritter, so I went to the 7-11, got gas, got a fritter and coffee, and went to the meeting spot to have my picnic. I sat in the sun and ate the fritter while the coffee cooled and thought about how I had just felt that I had to tell this woman that since I had no money to tithe, I wanted to give away stuff. This sounds crazy, but I swear, ever since we planned the drop off, it just kept looping around in my mind. Now when I get "a feeling" to do something and the feeling doesn't quit, I do it. Call me stupid or whatever you want, but I trust my intuition.

Sooooo, she showed up just as I finished up my picnic, and she was a beautiful lady about my age who apologized all over the place for being late and thanked me profusely for giving away the stuff. I told her that I had had cancer and couldn't tithe money, so I was going to try giving away stuff instead. She just looked at me and kind of started to say something a few times, I mean her mouth opened and nothing came out, then finally she said, " Do you mind if I pray for you right now?" Now, there was a day when I would have been embarrassed to death, but no longer! I said sure. And she put her hand on my arm and said the most beautiful, eloquent prayer for God to heal me and take care of me. Then I thanked her profusely and told her that I do so believe that prayer works, and marveled at how God brought people together at the right time for the right things. And I didn't burst into tears like I normally do any time people do nice things for me! She said she was on unemployment and the chair was a real gift for her, so I felt very happy indeed.

Now, don't ask me why I felt so strongly that I needed to do all this stuff, but look how great it turned out.  I am (I hate to say "amazed" because that word has been used to the absolute limit, but.....) in awe of the power of God to bring about good in our lives if we only ask for and follow directions.

Thanks for listening to my Happy Day story and have your own very happy day!

As Promised

I know I have mentioned my friend Annie and my sister in law Sue, who make really beautiful stuff and have their own websites and budding businesses.  Finally, here are the links under Favorite Places, I am so slow! Check out Pungo Couture and New Origins Jewelry.

I am so happy for both of them and really impressed by their energy, creativity, and determination.  Not only do they have full time jobs, family commitments, and all the other junk we all have, but they are still able to get these businesses started by doing what they love and believe in.  Annie and Sue, you rock!  I hope God will bless your endeavors and your cups will be overflowing!

 

 

Channeling Scarlett O'Hara

I found an old drapery panel at an antique store on the Eastern Shore last year.  Someone had already altered it with crude hand stitching and pink diaper pins!  I loved the big roses and all the beautiful colors, so I bought it for $2.  The other day, I decided to trace my old shop apron onto it and make a girly shop/garden apron.  So here it is.  I really love it, and I added a loop beside the double pockets (do a close up) for a towel, hammer, whatever.  I am also working on a special design in canvas which will be done in a week or two.

BTW, I didn't think I looked this bad!  My eyes, as my mother would say, "look bad".  I haven't slept too well, and just got off all the pain meds, but I feel better than I look!  Went to the hospital today for my test to see if the colon resection has healed properl, but they did't do the prep for me (because I am allergic to iodine), and I hadn't asked because it was called a barium test, so yada, yada, I have to take Benadryl and some other stuff and have the test on Wednesday.  Won't know anything until next week, probably.  I'll let you know what they say!

I'm Not Dead Yet

and I think I should be around for a long, long time.  It has been ages since I have been on here.  Since July, I have undergone chemotherapy and radiation that nearly killed me, but almost got rid of a big tumor pressing on my spine. Now I just need to have (major) surgery to remove what is left and I should be cancer free. Yeah!  God is taking care of me!

Needless to say, I haven't felt like, or even been able, to do much of anything.  One of my sisters-in-law gave me a great gift of acrylic paints and all the accoutrements to take my mind off the pain.  I have just started playing around with it.  I made some tags for little bottles of rosemary olive oil I made for the neighbor's Christmas presents.

I found some great cedar boards that someone had put out for the trash....yes, I am a trash picker and proud of it!  Anyway, I want to try my new Annie Sloan Chalk Paint on some of those and maybe practice some vine and flower painting with the acrylics on top of that.  Will that work?  I have no idea, but I will find out.  Just have to pace myself.  I have zero stamina now and the mind isn't too quick either!