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!