Monday post! Crane Spotting 2025

SO... my bone scan wasn't great, there are new lesions in my sacrum, and I have to start back on chemo.

My oncologist has ordered a new oral chemo. The side effects sound awful, so we will see what happens.

I am, as usual, resolved that all shall be well. 

The great news is that there's no cancer in any of my organs.  So. Yay. 

Our crane spotting weekend was a success!

There was a bit of a snafu when we arrived at the mobile home that is our free lodging for this annual (mostly) visit.  

The key was not where the owner said it would be, and she had to drive all the way out there to let us in (she lives about 60 miles from the property)!

That was okay, though, because we got to go to the Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge earlier than anticipated.  

The ice in the cooler was still holding out, so it was all okay, and I knew that there are pit toilets near the trail to the bird blind, which was good, because I had a full bladder!

I was super excited to go see one of my primary spirit animals... the cranes....in their numbers.... even though I knew that the particular time of day was not ideal for seeing thousands of cranes.

That afternoon was ridiculously hot and insect-ridden, though, and I got seven bites from what my grandma called "no see ums," also known as black flies, or INSIDIOUS FLOWER BUGS.  I LOVE that name for them, HAHA!  INSIDIOUS INDEED!

We'd never had to deal with heat, sweating, and swarming insects on this trip before, that was for sure.

ANYWAY, the cranes started to come in to land while we were there, around 3:30pm, and we saw several hundred while we were there, and my soul bathed in the sounds and sights.

There was another couple there, but they left shortly after we arrived, so we had the spot to ourselves.  

We heard a great horned owl, AND...the coolest thing, we saw a mature bald eagle, who circled over the lake, and then banked, so that the sun shown through his brilliant white tail feathers.

It was awe inspiring.

We had an idea when the owner of the mobile home would arrive, so we headed back, and made it back JUST before she got there, we got the key, and got unloaded and settled before dark.

Unfortunately, on our first arrival, we had noticed that the property to the west of the trailer, which was previously vacant, is now occupied.... with.... well, I can't be tactful if I describe the people.    

The property is now occupied, with TONS of junk all around the dwelling, drunken brawls in the yard, gunfire after dark (and in the middle of the night), barking dogs that came through the fence, and a f*cking ROOSTER, who crows at  all hours. 

4:30 in the morning, he started crowing, and didn't stop for about 45 minutes.... Ugh.

We were having to deal with noise, unpleasantness, and feeling a bit...insecure... 

SO...we are pretty sure that we will not be staying at our friends' mobile home again, unless those people to the west, who might actually be squatters (not there legally), leave.  

We will have to pay to stay somewhere else, but if that means peace and quiet, AND access to my cranes, it's worth it.

Back to the crane spotting!

Sunday morning, which was quite cool, we got up when it was still full dark, had coffee and breakfast, and headed back to the refuge just after sunrise.

To our DELIGHT, there was NO ONE there yet...and there we were, just us, and thousands of cranes. 

It was spectacular.  

Of course, people started to show up, but they trickled in, so it was still pretty quiet and roomy in the bird blind for about an hour.   

I love how friendly these people are, and how forthcoming they are with their knowledge of all of the different bird species that are seen there in the autumn.

The cranes started to take off to go on their daily foraging, or along their moving-on-down-the-line flights, to points further south.

At one point, a HUGE flock all took off together, and the sound and energy of it was beautiful.  

I got part of it on video, but the person standing next to me HAD to speak... UGH.... OH well... it's etched in my memory as a very special moment, despite someone ruining my video, HAHA!

We left when the sun was fully up, and when the blind was filling up with people with HUGE camera lenses, and we felt like we were in their way.  My feet were really cold, too, and I had to pee...HAHA.

It was wonderful, though, all in all

Hanging out at the mobile home all day, with the damned rooster, and the REALLY annoying dogs, and the yelling people, who were also hammering on something, and using a "saws all" kind of tool.... was most unpleasant, but we didn't know where else to go to escape, so we took a walk in the state park, which is just across the road.

(At least they weren't shooting their guns...that had only happened twice the night before.)

The afternoon seemed interminable, because of the unpleasantness next door (and I really needed a nap, because of the rooster, and the gun shots, and the dogs from the night before)......but it was FINALLY time to go back to the refuge for sunset.  

Thankfully, it was not nearly as hot on Sunday afternoon, and I took a hoodie with  me, in anticipation of it cooling off QUICKLY at sunset!

Since we had seen the cranes starting to come in the day before around 3:30, we thought 4:30 would be a good time, so off we went.... and there were hardly any cranes at all in the area visible from the blind when we got there.  

We could, however, guess that there were a lot of them further off, at an area we knew of that is completely protected, and not visible from the blind, or anywhere else in the refuge.

The usual place where they gather had only a couple of hundred, and no flocks were coming in. 

Yet.

But, knowing that nature is unpredictable, I insisted that we wait for sunset, which was about 45 minutes away.  

The CRANES didn't know it was 3:30 the day before, when they had started to flock up, or that it was now past 4:30... they don't care about our clocks!

The only other people there were a mother and teenage son.  They'd been there for about an hour already, and took my word for it that thousands of cranes would be coming.... some time before or around sunset, so they stayed. 

The son had a really nice camera, and seemed enthusiastic about being there, which was really cool!

He was naming the different species we could see! 

In the meantime, we saw three immature bald eagles, some other interesting water birds, and the cool thing was that with so few cranes (like it was back in the 'teens, when Dave and I first started going), one could hear the individual cranes' voices. One purring call at a time.... it sent shivers down my spine.

There was also a group of about 10 or 12 that were really close to the blind, and they were dancing!  I got a decent video of that!

There was also some noise in the reeds below the blind, where Dave and I have seen a white tailed deer buck in previous years, but we didn't see what we figured was a buck, as the teen aged boy was talking too loudly.

As the sunset approached, the cranes started to come in....and so did more people. 

Many cranes were landing where we could not see.... confirming my notion that they were off over the ridge, where there is no viewing area.

Gradually, though, we could see thousands of cranes flying toward the refuge.  Thousands... some started to land in the viewing area.

The people who arrived were also really nice....but it was getting a little crowded, so Dave went off by himself.... and he met up with the BUCK!!  

He got a couple of good pictures before the buck bowed his head, once, and pawed at the ground, once.  

Dave turned to go, QUICKLY, and looked back, and saw that but buck, TOO, and run off, with his white tail held high.

The Gentleman had a full rack, except for a broken tine, where he had clearly won a fight for access to a doe.

Anyway, it was a scary moment for Dave, knowing that bucks can kill men....but it was also really cool. 

 I assured him that the buck was just giving a greeting- as well as a warning, but I am not sure he believed me! 

If the buck had been going to attack, he would have snorted, and AGRESSIVELY pawed at the ground, and kept his head down.

The sunset was pretty.  Not as spectacular as some that we've seen out there, but pretty!  The mom and son and I walked back to the parking area together, where Dave was already sitting in the car.  

I hadn't wanted to leave, but Dave gets nervous driving in full dark,  it was getting chilly, and we were hungry for dinner.  I was grateful for my hoodie, as the post sunset air cooled VERY quickly, and there was a bit of a breeze.

Back to the trailer we headed, stopping once so I could get some pictures of the sunset from a different angle.

We saw several female deer every time we went into and out of the refuge, but Dave's encounter with the Gentleman was the only buck, and I wish I'd seen him, too.

I was sad that we did not see any Whooping Cranes this year, but glad to know that, last week, 43 were spotted at the refuge on the same day!  43!!!!

We allowed ourselves to sleep later this morning, since the bird blind was OPEN, but the refuge was closed, in general, for one of the deer hunts.  

Hunting is necessary to control the deer population.  I understand this intellectually, but that doesn't mean I like it.

I love my cranes, but I also love my deer (as you know), and could not bear being there, and hearing the guns not far from the bird blind.

After coffee and breakfast, I cleaned the bathrooms, vacuumed, and cleared out the fridge (the owners had left many perishable items to rot in the fridge!!).  

Dave did the dishes, and started loading the car. 

On the way out of the area, we stopped at the state park to drop the trash at a dumpster, and looked at the cabins at the state park.... that's one option for future lodgings.

We shall investigate the cabins further, at a later date.

Our kitties were very happy to see us, and we are all settled in and ready for the coming week.

My new chemo has arrived, and I will start it tomorrow. Please keep a good thought for me!!!

I will also go get my labs drawn tomorrow, and then, my usual bone treatment is Thursday.

A day later than usual, I wish you, gentle reader, a good week.

No news is....

 ...hopefully good news, but the last time I had something abnormal in one of my scans, it took the nurse several days to call me.

SO.... I am more relaxed, now that I did not get a call by the end of the day Friday, when my reports were all in MyChart by early afternoon Wednesday.

(you may recall, gentle reader, that I prefer NOT to read the reports on my scans.  I know all of the terminology, and don't want to be freaked out while I wait to see the doctor)

But I am not completely relaxed, HAHA.  I see the oncologist on Wednesday.

Scan day itself went just fine.  

The facility they sent me to this time (the actual hospital on the OU health campus) had a newer machine for the nuclear bone scan, and it only took about 20 minutes instead of 45, which was really nice.  

They also let me eat after the CT scans, so we went to the cafeteria and got breakfast ahead of the long wait for the bone scan.

The weather this past week has been so nice, but today will be chilly and windy, and tonight, we will have our first HARD FREEZE! 

Bye bye mosquitoes!

Also, this past week, I was able to confirm our "Crane Spotting" weekend!  It was canceled last year at the last minute, because repairs were needed on the old mobile home that belongs to our hosts.

I have been seeing some great pictures on line from the wildlife refuge, and really hope we get to see a lot of cranes.

So, I am planning our meals, and what groceries we will need to take with us, and the house sitters have been arranged.

The weather will be warming back up as next week goes along, and we should not have to worry about taking parkas and hats, as we have some years!

We had our air ducts cleaned this past week, and are hoping that helps us all (people and cats) with our various allergies.  So far, though,  Dave and I still wake up with sinus congestion every day.

The crew arrived late in the day, and were here for nearly 3 hours.  They said there is a lot of moisture in our duct work.  Hmmm.

Anyway, next week, I also have my annual well woman appointment.  There have been times when I have sat in the gynecologist's exam room, in the gown, for an hour past my appointment time....so I have taken to bringing a book and blanket, HAHA!

Then, the week after next, if nothing has changed by then in my treatment plan, I will go for labs sometime Tuesday, and have my bone treatment on Thursday.

I will also start planning, in earnest, for Thanksgiving!  Yay!

Hope you have a wonderful, autumnal week!

November is here!

 November is my second favorite month, October being the overall favorite.

Halloween ended up happening at our house, in a more subdued fashion than is my preference.

Last week, we had a wind storm that kept me from getting the rest of the decorating done, so I had planned to finish up on Thursday, and during the day Friday.  We also usually carve the Jack o lanterns on Oct. 30th (also my brother's birthday), which was Thursday.

HOWEVER, we decided to go get our Covid boosters on Wednesday, and I ended up feeling icky on Thursday.... shivering chills, a low grade fever, and fatigue.  Just like last year.

SO, none of that Halloween stuff happened on Thursday!  I was left with Friday to get everything done, and I was still moving a little bit slowly, so the house was not as "all out" as it usually is for the trick or treaters.

That's okay, though, because, ultimately, we gave out all of our treats, and had to turn the porch light off.... and still they kept coming.  I guess the universal sign of the porch light being off no longer counts?  Don't know, haha!

I managed to dress up as Lady Gossamer Peaseblossom, the neighborhood's friendly Witch.  One kid said "I like your costume," and I said, of course, "This isn't a costume...this is how I dress every day...."

In other news, the weather has been spectacular since that wind storm passed.  Dave is hoping to get out and mow one last time, and to also try to remove some of the ivy from the back of the house.

I will be doing some chores that I didn't do yesterday, and working on the course I am taking.

The week ahead sees us each having an appointment.  Dave with his psychiatrist, and me to get my scans.

Please cross your fingers that the scans come back "STABLE."  I would LOVE to be able to continue living without chemo for a while longer.

I see my doctor on the 12th, gynecologist on the 13th, then it's Crane Spotting time, then the 19th is my next bone treatment, and then we have Thanksgiving!

November ranks as my #2 favorite because of Crane Spotting, and Thanksgiving!

I am off to make some breakfast..... have a great week!

Halloweeeeeen is coming!

I still haven't gotten the front porch decorated, because it was either too hot, or raining...but it WILL HAPPEN before Halloween!

We have had some MUCH needed rain the past couple of days, and are supposed to have more on Tuesday next week.

At least the temperatures have dropped to "normal," and the 80s and 90s are a thing of the past....until next year.

Just so long as it doesn't get TOO cold, and rainy, at the same time, HAHA!

Today is the anniversary of that catastrophic ice storm in 2020.  As if 2020 needed anything to make it worse than it already was, with the beginning of the pandemic.

I still have PTSD from that ice storm....it was truly horrible, and then the two weeks of no power... and unseasonably cold temperatures.

No hot water, no lights, no appliances (other than the stove, which we could light with a match or lighter), the food slowly rotting away in the fridge/freezer and deep freeze..... 

Having to heat water on the stove for bathing.  Having to wash my hair with ice cold water from the hose in the back yard.  Having to take our laundry to a laundromat - that's just a few blocks away, and HAD POWER.

The block across the street from us HAD POWER....but not one neighbor came over, offering to help us. 

Thanks, Covid!  You may recall that we, as a population, were all afraid of one another during those early months of the pandemic.

We went to our friends' in Edmond, OK, who had power, to take showers a couple of times, and to do laundry for free.

As if all of that wasn't bad enough, we went down to Moore, OK (which had widespread POWER) to find a restaurant that was open, so we could have some hot food that wasn't out of a can.

And...we got rear-ended on the highway on the way home.  There was a big sheet of black plastic blowing across the highway in front of us. Dave slammed on the brakes, and BAM!

Good times.

ANYWAY.... at least neither of us got Covid... That year.

Now we have a little generator that can power the heat pump and keep the food cold.  This gives us great peace of mind.

Not much is up around here at the moment.  Looking forward to another week with no appointments, before November sets in, and I have a whole bunch of them.

Have a great week, and happy Halloweeeeeen!

 

Chilling out

 Autumn temperatures might FINALLY have arrived in central Oklahoma!  It's 44F this morning, and will only be in the low 70s by this afternoon.  Glorious!! 

Yeah, it's supposed to be back up to 90 tomorrow, but we will take what we can get, HAHA!

Later in the week, it's supposed to cool down again. 

There really isn't much to report for this past week.  Neither of us had any appointments, and nothing really happened around the house.

I managed to do my yoga and physical therapy routine every weekday, and added the hand weights back, doing two sets by the end of the week.

I'm more consistently pain-free, now, so it's definitely helping.  Re-building some strength is in order, so I will continue with the hand weights, and maybe switch to the heavy resistance bands.

Dave has also started using his little pedal machine that has been sitting in front of the tv for several years, collecting dust.

We got out and walked in the cooler mornings this past week, too....sometimes just a block due to it getting too hot by the time we stepped out, but a couple of days, we went further than that.

On Thursday, I cleared out my spice cabinet, went through everything, and re-organized it.  In that process, I dumped out maybe twenty jars of really old, or seldom used herbs and spices, to make room for fresh.

My friends in Illinois gave me a gift card for Penzey's, so an order has been placed.  I'm obviously only replacing spices that I know I will use, and my cabinet will now have more room, and be much more user friendly!  

Today, I hope to do the same thing to the pantry cabinet.  

It mostly just needs to be re-organized, but there might be an expired item or two as well.  Getting those items out of there will make the re-organization easier! 

We had planned to go to the "No Kings" rally yesterday, but a storm system came through RIGHT at the time that we would have been getting there.  

It's risky enough for me as it is.  If things were to ... get scary.... I can't really run, and if I were to fall, I could break several bones, due to the bone metastases.   Adding lightening, wet pavement, and poor visibility to the mix.... and, well.... No.

So we stayed home.  The OKC rally was completely peaceful, but not as well attended as it might have been, due to the weather.

That's about all I have for this week. Have a good one! 

Gumption

 It took a few days, but I am now completely off of the blood pressure medication, and, as long as I stay well-hydrated (another factor in high bp/heart rate), my numbers have returned to normal.

Saw my doctor on Thursday, and we are just going to keep on as we are. No hormone blockers, no bp medication.

I will just keep nourishing and hydrating myself, and hoping that the active cancer doesn't come back.

Which, we all know, is highly unlikely....because stage 4 never ends.

She assured me, though, that when that time comes, there are many new options for treatment, going forward. 

 New oral medications are now available, and there are clinical studies and trials that may also help me stay out of having IV chemo again.  At least for a while.

This is why my previous doctor bade me stay with the University of Oklahoma cancer center.... it's cutting edge.

It would be lovely if I could continue to be free from treatment through the holidays, though.  

We finally got the permanent license plate for the new car (WOW that was expensive!), and got the settlement money from the car accident deposited and allocated to pay off Dave's credit cards.

It will be really nice to have that improvement in cash flow.

Now that all of that is behind us, I will start setting money aside each month to rebuild our savings. Hopefully.

ANYWAY--We are hoping to attend the local NO KINGS rally next weekend.

Unless it's still 90 degrees... which it may be.

We shall see.

Despite the heat, I made a pot of my "Magick Chili" yesterday, and will be making my recipe for potato leek soup today.

I just get tired of waiting for the weather to cool down..... it happens every year around this time.  I hate the climate in Oklahoma, and it just keeps getting hotter.

We haven't been in our little hot tub for months...I miss it!  But it's just been way too hot when we've had the time to get in it....

We drained it this past week, and I cleaned it. Now it's fresh and ready for us.... so Summer needs to get the heck out of Oklahoma! 

I haven't started decorating for Halloween yet, either, because it's just been too hot.... Also, no mums or pumpkins on the porch yet for the same reason.

Now that the Cubs' baseball season is over, I will need to find something else to do with 3 hours a day!  Hopefully, I will find the gumption to resume my learning of embroidery, and, perhaps, get back to trying to make some beaded jewelry for holiday gifts.

We shall see.

This coming week, the only thing we have scheduled is an estimate to get the ductwork cleaned.  It's been a couple of years.

Dave received word that the corrected windows should be complete by November 20th. Sheesh.

That's all from the Dragons' Roost for this week.... have a good one! 

One less thing

 I started putting some pieces together in my mind regarding how I have been feeling in recent weeks.

Compelled to go to bed before it was dark out, and sleeping/staying in bed for 10 or 11 hours.  No stamina at all for exercise.  Feeling light headed when I stand up.

My doctor also noticed that my heart rate has been running higher than normal.

Then I thought about the fact that I was put on a blood pressure lowering beta blocker two and a half years (or so) ago, when the Enhertu chemo caused heart issues.

I have not had an Enhertu treatment since July, but was still taking this medication on a daily basis.

I started measuring my blood pressure and heart rate every day, and the pressure was low, pretty consistently, and the heart rate was elevated.

After failing to find my cardiologist's information in My Chart (maybe he moved or retired), I did some research on the medication, and YES, being on a beta blocker un-necessarily could cause all of these symptoms.

SO, I wrote a message to my oncologist's office, and the response was immediate and simple... YES, stop taking the beta blocker, and monitor your blood pressure and heart rate daily until we see you for your next appointment.

I stopped the medication, since I was only taking 12.5 mg per day, but my heart rate sky rocketed, so I did some additional research, and learned that it's bad to stop taking the medication all at once.

My oncology nurse/PA probably didn't KNOW that, so it wasn't specified in their response to my inquiry.

Fortunately, the tablets are really easy to cut with a sharp knife, so, for a few days, I took half of my normal dose, and my pressure and heart rate have been fine.

Today, I will try going without that 6 mg, and see where we are.  It will be nice to have one less thing!!

In the meantime, my lack of exercise is catching up with me, but I am determined to get back on track, one way or another.

I have a new pair of walking shoes on order, and have been doing my yoga and physical therapy exercises almost daily (took yesterday off), to stay ahead of the pain and stiffness..... I'll get moving again soon!

Especially if the weather cools down.... please??

In other news, members of my family are gathering today, in Iowa City, to lay my Aunt Janet to rest.  She passed a few months ago, at the age of 96.

I am very grateful that some of us could be there.  The funeral is today, and the interment of ashes is tomorrow.

It's very cool that the church in Iowa City has the same name as the one she grew up in, (as did we all), in Wheaton, IL.... Trinity Episcopal.  

Nothing much else to report on..... I will see my oncologist on the 9th just for a check in.  My scans aren't until November 5th, so we will just continue as we are now, on a "break" from chemo until further notice.

I will still receive my bone treatment every 8 weeks, as mentioned before.... which also accomplishes the required flushing of my port.

In the meantime, I am trying my best to stay hydrated and nourished.

Have a lovely week!