Thanksgiving trip

 There was so many disappointments this year at Greenleaf state park cabins.  Cross-posted from FB...

Got there to be told that they have been cutting down trees. It was awful news to us...
Most of our favorite tree friends around the cabins are either gone, or about to be. No birds. No squirrels. No deer, anywhere near the cabins.
These were oaks, hundreds of years old, killed by the awful summers we have had the past two years.

We got to our cabin, and they had JUST finished cutting down the trees that stood right outside. My heart hurt.
There was also mud and sawdust on the walk way that we had to use to move all of our gear, etc., and fresh hydraulic fluid all over our parking spot from the leaking “cherry picker.”

We noticed that only a few of the cabins were occupied...it was like they told people that the tree cutting was going on, and gave them refunds? It was weird, because the cabins are usually pretty much full.

When we called on Tuesday to confirm that we could buy firewood at the park upon arrival Wednesday, they said yes.
However, they neglected to tell us that the little store was CLOSED this week!

They told us that when we got there, too.

When we told the girl that we needed them for firewood, she said "They're on a cruise.....But there's cut wood all over the park, you can take as much as you want."

This free firewood was all giant limbs and logs, and we had enough to do to not have to go find, and cut, fire wood! Besides, we didn't bring an axe or a chain saw!!

So, Dave had to go back to town to buy firewood.

It was wet, and would not burn.

They replaced the heater in the cabin with a mini-split system heat pump. It was wonderfully quiet, but it was also incapable of creating any actual heat in the cabin. It's better suited to cool the cabin in the summer.
They DID provide a space heater, but it was small, and did not do much.

SO, no fire + no actual heating unit + crappy space heater + 35 degrees at night = very cold in the cabin.

Thursday was the Thanksgiving holiday, and that morning, the light went out in the toilet/shower area. Of course, the office was closed, because it was Thanksgiving.
We had to use the shower and toilet by flashlight until Friday morning, when we were able to contact the office and tell them.

Starting at about 11 am on Thanksgiving, the residence that is near the cabins, where the family that runs the little store lives, became the site of a big party.
So, who was at the house, if they were supposed to be on a cruise?
There were loud voices, music blasting, cars coming and going.... this has NEVER happened before, in 12 years of going to this park.

It was like the parents went away and left the teenagers to their own devices. Except that these people were adults. The noise from the party didn't stop until well after dark. So there was no sitting outside in the warm sun to read. There was no wildlife around. It was extremely irritating.

Friday, we had workmen coming into the cabin, four different times, and they were unable to fix the bathroom light. They left us a camping lantern, which was much better than our flashlight stuck into a roll of toilet paper. But still.

Then, the tree crews showed up, with their chainsaws, and their loud equipment.

So, we escaped for a while, and went into Muskogee to visit the Five "Civilized" Tribes Museum. They always have such beautiful art on their top floor, and we had not gone for a few years.

Came back, and the "cherry picker" and work men had moved to a different part of the park. We could still hear the chainsaws, but they were further away.

The chainsaws were back Saturday morning, so we left before we had to.

We have had issues before, but this was, by far, our worst experience to date.

Traffic going and coming was fine, though, and there WERE good parts to our stay.

I cooked us a wonderful feast, and we had a GREAT fire on Friday, so I was finally able to burn all of that wood that we purchased, and the cabin was finally warm for our last night there.

The weather was grand, and there were so few people in the park that the walks we took were uninterrupted by others.

We are looking at a different park for next year, without the super cool cabins that are made of native stone, but hopefully with MUCH better management.

The park we are considering has cabins, but they are modern, and have no character at all. Hopefully, though, the overall experience will be so much better, that we won't miss the cabins we love so much at Greenleaf.

Hoping that everyone who reads this has a good week next week!

November

 We have had such a good November, with taking that trip to Kansas City for a concert, and then our annual Crane Spotting, and now getting ready for Thanksgiving!

This has been a good year for us, mostly.  

I mean, despite the fact that I had to return to chemo, the upheaval with my care team, and the long, dry, hot summer that only just ended in OCTOBER.

We got to go home to meet my great niece.  

We got to take an impromptu, short trip to Santa Fe.

We got to take a staycation at the end of October.

Yeah.

There is lots to be thankful for this Thanksgiving!

Speaking of...

I saw my interim oncologist this past week, and learned that my doctor has been seated at the new facility since October, but that he is still not fully credentialed, so he still can't treat patients.

His presence there, however, allowed the interim doctor to compare the tests he ordered with the last ones my doc ordered this past summer!  

They compared the reports, and the news was good!

The most exciting thing, for me, is that the words "your heart is normal" were spoken!

Then, he explained that the lesions of cancer in my liver are reduced in size to about the size of a lentil, or tiny bean/pea.  So the chemo continues to be effective, even at the reduced dose that has allowed my heart to recover.

There was nothing else found in the CT scans.

He didn't have bone scan results from 9 years ago, though, but said nothing scary, or doom-ridden, about the bone scan.

He just said that I would continue on the same treatment regime, which combines the chemo, and the drug for the bones.

SO--we feel a HUGE amount of relief, and shall fight on, with confidence that all treatments are working!!

Oh, and I got to hug my doc, who came out to the waiting area, and his medical assistant was the one who took my vitals!  I got a big hug from her, too.

That was REALLY nice.... made the place feel less cold and impersonal. 

Latest update is that my doc should be my doc again in January, rather than December.

Had my treatment on Wednesday, and they forgot the bone med, so I spoke up.  

We had to wait an extra 45 minutes to get it released to the pharmacy, prepared, and brought to my IV pole.  That was a bit aggravating.

Because of that delay, all of the staff was gone by the time I was released, so I was not able to talk to anyone about the time of my next treatment appointment.  I will just have to take a half day off for that one.

Other than that, the only issue I had with the last treatment itself was related to the steroids.  

I felt weird and agitated while the med was going into my IV, and then, that night, I had really intense cold sweats... I soaked the sheets, my pajamas, and my hair.

It was quite strange, and very uncomfortable!  

But the cool thing is, this huge, new facility and network has an online patient portal, and I was able to message the nurse about this.  

I asked if the steroid used at my first treatment with them was different (because, you may recall, my records had not come across yet).  

I had noticed that the medication in that bag was cloudy, and that the one this past week was clear.....and I had definitely experienced fewer steroid side effects that first time.  

So, naturally, I wondered if the interim doc had prescribed something different from what my regular medication had been, and that, with my doc being there, they had switched back to the old medication this time.

She said no, the same drug was used the first time, and this time.  

Hmmm..... then why did it look different (cloudy in Oct., clear in Nov.)?  Why did I feel so weird during the most recent infusion, and why was my face still hot and red 36 hours later?

I didn't ask those questions, but I DID say, in my reply, that my doc had previously reduced the steroid dosage by half, and asked if it was possible for the docs to review my previous records. I would like them to verify that I am will be sure to get the lowered dosage in the future.

The reply to that was yes, SO... hopefully, before my next treatment, that will all be looked at in detail.  I will be sure to discuss it with the interim doc, as well, at my next pre-treatment visit in December. 

In other news, we are finally getting some rain, and a little thunder, right now.  It's lovely!  The drought has been deepening all through the state, and this is much needed.

Next week, while we are at our cabin retreat, there is supposedly going to be a big winter storm up in Kansas.... we are really hoping that our forecast remains as it is, for clear weather, and moderate temperatures in the 50s/ 30s at night.  

We have never been at the cabins when there was ice or snow, and we really don't want to experience that!

Have a lovely week, gentle readers, and if you celebrate American Thanksgiving, may your tables be full (even if you are celebrating alone), and your hearts be grateful. 

Crane Spotting 2023

 We are in Jet, OK this morning, having arrived on Friday afternoon.

The weather has been pretty good, for the most part, for our trip out to see the flocks of cranes. Friday was nice, Saturday was chilly, drizzly, and windy, but this morning, though it was cold, the skies were clear.

We also got to see Whooping Cranes mixed in with the 20 thousand or so Sandhills.... that was such a blessing!   I have wanted to see one in the wild for as long as I can remember, and we got to see one on Friday, one on Saturday, and TWO this morning.

 The refuge and adjoining lake are much healthier this year.  Last year, the water levels were drastically low, and the whole area smelled of dead, rotting fish.

Everything is full of water this year, so it has been a much better year for the wildlife, and for the human visitors.

We were able to stay at my friend's mobile home at the edge of the state park again.  We greatly appreciate the free lodging!!

They said no one has been here for months, though, so it was kind of creepy, with dead (and living) spiders in the sinks and bathtub...and the hot water smells weird.... but everything works, and Dave was my hero and cleaned out the webs and spiders.

We will head home here in a little bit, after doing the dishes.

Next week, I have three appointments.... My "well woman" visit is Monday afternoon, my oncologist and labs are Tuesday, and my next treatment is Wednesday.

Office day next week is Thursday, as we are having a "staff appreciation" luncheon.

Have a good week!

Staycation

 This has been a good week.

Other than having to be at the imaging center for three and a half hours last Monday for the CT scans, bone scan, and heart ultrasound, the rest of the week was pretty comfortable and relaxed.

I had been scheduled to be there from 9 am until 4 pm, but they were able to re-arrange things a bit, and I got my heart ultrasound while we waited the 2 hours for the injection for the bone scan to move through my body.

Also, they did the CT RIGHT at 9 am, instead of at 10, which was the time it was scheduled, so that helped, too.  They, apparently, don't use the barium cocktail, which has to be drunk 45 minutes to an hour before the scan.

So, I still have no idea why they told me to be there an hour before the CT, but it all worked out to my advantage!

They let me go get something to eat after the CT and heart ultrasound, since I had been told to fast. Thank goodness.

No one ever called with any news about any of the scans, but then, as bad as the communication is at the new cancer center, I am not at all surprised.

I can look the reports up if I want to, on my patient portal, but I really don't want to.  I'm sticking with the "no news is good news" angle.  If things had gotten worse, someone would have called.

Maybe.

Halloween was disappointing this year.  

The weather was so cold, and there were only two houses on our block with decorations up, and lights on, for trick or treat time..... and we only had 8 kids come to the door.

I could see that there were a lot more kids in the block to the west of us, but they didn't bother to come over to our block.  I wonder why.... 

We usually have 50 or 60 kids.  

Sigh.

Hopefully, next year will be better.

On Thursday, Dave went outside, and picked Sammie (mama cat) up just like it was normal, and dropped her into a carrier!  She didn't fuss or fight at all!

Off they went to the Humane Society's spay/neuter center!  He got in line, and got her registered as a TNR surgery, and they only charged $30 to do her surgery, her rabies shot, and her ear clip!!   The website had said $60!

Dave picked her up around 5, and she was fully recovered from the anesthesia, and ready to eat!  Her kittens all greeted her, and she didn't seem scared, and didn't "bolt" like so many of our TNR cats have done.

SO, now that we know about this awesome discount for TNR, we will take the kittens next time.  They are all three quite tame and comfortable with us at this point, so they should be easy to capture, too.

I just WISH we could get someone to come adopt them!  I hate to see them growing up on the street... well, in our back yard, but still...

Then, on Friday, we headed up to Kansas City for a concert.  We had a really nice hotel to stay in this time, with a restaurant downstairs, located within walking distance of the concert venue.

It worked out REALLY well, and we had a great time.  It was expensive, of course, but how often do we do this?

Then, next weekend, our offices are closed on Friday for Veteran's day, so I have scheduled our Crane Spotting trip for next weekend.  

I have the great good fortune of having a friend at work whose family owns a trailer house very near the national wildlife refuge.  They let us stay there for free, as long as we take out the trash, and wash the dishes, etc.

I like to leave them food, too, to sort of help pay for the electricity and water we use, etc.  

Usually, I take up some canned soups from Aldi (if you haven't tried Deutsche Kuche soups, you're missing out!), or some boxes of mac and cheese, or something frozen, like a family size lasagna.

Anyway, I also checked ahead of time this time to make sure there's no deer cull at the refuge on the weekend that we want to go!  

That was SO disappointing last year.  We had never heard of such a thing before, and we have been going up there for YEARS.   To get all the way up there and find it CLOSED was SUCH a bummer!

So, we are excited to be going, and I just have to plan our menu, and get the groceries, before we go! 

I hope we have good weather, and that there are lots of cranes this year.  

Right now, the refuge is posting on their Facebook page that there are 20 Whooping cranes there, too, among the 25K Sandhills! 

I would LOVE to see Whooping cranes in the wild.... what a gift that would be!  I've only ever seen them at the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, WI.

So, back to the office tomorrow.  Next visit to the interim doctor, and next treatment, are the week after next.

Then, hopefully, MY doctor will be on board for the next one after that.

Went to a new "Renaissance" festival this morning.  Lots of vendors, and some musical acts, but mostly, it was people selling stuff, and food trailers.  It was okay.... I bought myself a floppy hat that looks like a fly agaric mushroom, mainly because I forgot to take a hat, and it is a VERY clear, sunny day.

We also got some ale horns!  I have been wanting a pair of those for my medieval Yule feast for a long time... so now we have them!

Have a good week!