A long goodbye

 Our get together with our visiting friends last weekend was nice.

This past week has been largely uneventful.

Pete the cat started throwing up again, here and there, and we had further issues with the foods we were trying to change to, so we just switched back to where we started.

Thankfully, we were able to return all un-opened packages.

We know the original food is likely the cause of Pete's issues, but we don't know what else to do right now, so we shall see what happens when his 3 month medication wears off.

We may have to resort to feeding the cats separately, which would involve locking Pete up to eat, and he might perceive that as punishment. 

Cats are ... interesting that way.

Our passports came in the mail yesterday!  Good to have that done! 

Next, we need to get our "real id's."  

Apparently, now we have to have both?  

We had previously read that the passports superseded the requirement of the real id. Not anymore, according to a friend who is preparing for international travel.

Be that as it may, it will probably require me to take time off from work, of which I have ever so much less these days.

I DID schedule to have my birthday off, but that's cutting it short, as the deadline for real id is May 1st.  We shall see.

Dave should get his first pension payment deposit on Tuesday, so we can be one step closer to seeing how our finances will work out.

Should I retire, or not?  Time is still going to have to tell.

We had a brief thunderstorm last night, with the first measurable rain we've had in a long time. It also brought a cold front through, so that it's substantially cooler today than it has been.

Our dear friend Cathy, whom I mentioned last month, has chosen not to seek treatment for her advanced pancreatic cancer.

The treatment options were limited, and would not have done anything to extend her life, and most likely would have only increased her suffering.

This breaks our hearts, but we understand completely, and are doing our best to support, and be present, from a long distance.  I hate being this far away from them.

As I mentioned before, there is a lot of history between us...and VASTLY more to the story of our friendship, but that's enough for this format.

Suffice to say that my world will be very, very different without her in it, and that I want nothing more than for her last weeks to be peaceful, comfortable, and full of love.

She is facing this with unequalled courage resolve, and utter awareness. As I would expect her to.

On that note, I will take a long, deep breath, and go take my shower.

Have a good week.

More friends!

 We have a couple of friends who periodically come to Oklahoma so that he can attend a conference.

They arrive today, and we will be meeting up with them for dinner this  year.

Last year, they came to our house, and we enjoyed cocktails, made dinner together, and played some card games.

Since I just had chemo on Thursday, and am tired, we are just going to let someone else cook for us this time, HAHA!

Before last year, it had been several years since they came through, so it's been nice to know we would see them two years in a row.

My treatment went just fine, but the steroid aftermath was ... sleepless.  I got the steroid in a drip this time, rather than the "push" that they've done the past couple of times.  NO idea if that makes a difference, but I slept for 2 hours on Thursday night, and about 4 hours on Friday night.

The sweating wasn't bad, though, for whatever that's worth.

Because I had been awake since midnight on Thursday night, I worked a half day on Friday, and just could not keep going, so I emailed a supervisor (mine was out of town), and clocked out.

Then, when I tried to put in my PTO request, it was rejected because we are in a time off black out that NO ONE TOLD US ABOUT.

SO, not only did Human Resources re-structure our time off from having sick time, and vacation time, in separate banks, but they ALSO TOOK AWAY 75% of our saved sick time hours (I had 300, and, as a cancer patient, that was a great comfort to me) when they converted, but now we are in a black out??

I am getting to hate this company more and more.

Anyway, they announced, and did that conversion from Sick/Vacation to a single PTO bank, with the 75% fewer hours available.... WHILE I WAS ON VACATION.

They also had a "town hall" meeting during that week, so that I was the only person on staff who DID NOT KNOW ABOUT IT at all until my vacation was over.

It was infuriating, and NO ONE on staff is happy about it.

I finally got to talk to a co-worker about it when I was in the office last week, and she said the reason they gave was that the paramedics (who are all in a separate "division" of the company) have always had it that way, and so now the office staff has to have it that way, too, so that everything is the same. 

In order to make it "as fair as possible to the paramedics" we LOST most of our hard-earned, and saved time off.

What if someone gets sick, or needs surgery?  We are shit out of luck if we didn't apply for the short term disability insurance the company offers, and NO, we can't go sign up for it now, because you can only do that during open enrollment, which was in November.

It's utter bullshit.

SO, I am really, REALLY hoping that we can afford for me to retire SOONER rather than later.

ANYWAY... in other news, we had another wind storm, but it wasn't as bad as the first one.  Since then, the weather has been pretty nice.

I did a lot of cooking yesterday, and had a visit with a friend.  Then, last night, I got in the hot tub after dinner, and fell into bed around 8:30.... I slept SO WELL, at last!

Today, nothing much is going on until we meet our friends for dinner, so that will be nice.

It's going to be cooler, and cloudy today, but that's okay. Screen doors and windows are open wide!

Have a good week!

Dust bowl?

 Friday, we had an EPIC wind storm move through Oklahoma.

The highest winds were clocked at 83 miles per hour.  In Oklahoma City, proper, we had sustained winds of 45 miles per hour, with gusts of 67 - 70 miles per hour.

This wind storm caused a record breaking number of wild fires, which destroyed both farm land, and residential homes.

The result was a full-on dust storm, enhanced by smoke.

Our old windows were no match for it, and the parts of the house that still have the old windows had poor air quality.

We could smell the dust and smoke while sitting inside, with all windows and doors closed.

Visibility was limited, and the sky was brown.  There were multiple accidents on the roads, and semi trucks were flipping over.

It was terrifying.

The power stayed on, thankfully, but the internet kept dropping, which made working a challenge.  I told my boss that it was happening, though, so that I won't be penalized for poor productivity.

I felt sick yesterday, but it was probably because my system was dealing with the effects of the air quality on Friday.  I feel better this morning.

Still congested, but the headache is gone.

This storm system swept across the country, and has caused multiple tornadoes, and, tragically, many deaths.  They are referring to it as a cyclone.

Climate change is real, folks.... 

It was still pretty windy, and surprisingly chilly, yesterday, so we have not yet taken a good look at the roof.  All over our neighborhood, houses are missing shingles, so we will take a look today.

It's supposed to be sunny, calm, and in the 60s later.  

I will also FINALLY have the chance to put some fresh soil in the flower bed this afternoon.  

It needed doing weeks ago, but the weather was bad, then we had company, so it's finally getting done today, even though my spring plants are already 6 inches tall.

My visit with the PA at the cancer clinic went well.  She confirmed that the PET scan I had in October showed NO EVIDENCE OF CANCER in my liver.  All that it saw was the bone metastasis.

Unfortunately, though, we are not going to pause or stop chemo.  This drug that I am on has a strict protocol. The patient stays on it until EITHER the cancer grows or comes back, OR the patient can no longer tolerate the medication.

So. Onward...but with more peace of mind!  

In other news, I put in my application to start collecting my social security money.  If it is approved, my payments will start in May, after my 63rd birthday.

I wanted to be sure to get that set up before they take it all away.  

Plus, there is no guarantee that I will live to see 67, which is my "max benefits," "official" retirement age.  

SO yeah, I will be getting $500 LESS per month than I would if I were to wait until I'm 67, but... well... stage 4 cancer changes one's perspective.

I plan to just put it in savings.

We'd LOVE to purchase a bigger vehicle, that is more visible, and higher, to make it easier to get into and out of.  Dave's old knee injury bothers him, and our current car sits pretty low.

Speaking of finances, Dave's final pay check never showed up in the bank, so he has to call them about that on Monday.

It could be that the last check is sent in the mail, instead of direct deposit, but he will find out tomorrow.

In the meantime, it's good that we got his annual bonus, because we can't live on my pay check alone!!

I was afraid that there would be a lull between his last check, and his first retirement income deposit....but I didn't expect it to happen so SOON!  

He should have had one more pay check, and it should have hit the bank at midnight last Thursday.

Anyway, I am off to start my day.  I have chemo next week, so will be in the office on Wednesday, most likely by myself.  I kind of like those days.... nice and quiet, and I can listen to music.

Have a good week!

Busy !

 Our friends arrived on Wednesday, as planned.

One of their flights was re-routed, but they eventually got here safely.

We have had lots of intelligent banter, lots of laughs, good food, and have done some cool stuff.

The American Banjo Museum was really fun and interesting (I'd been wanting to go for years), and everyone enjoyed going to the Myriad Botanical Gardens "Crystal Bridge."

Yesterday, they all went back to the Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum (they really enjoyed it last year, and wanted to visit it again), and today, we are meeting at the OKC Museum of Art.

While they were on their own yesterday, I got my usual chores done, and made dinner for everyone.  We played "Cards Against Humanity" after dinner.  It was great to have everyone sitting around my table, laughing and enjoying themselves!! 

I have to work tomorrow, so after the art museum today, we will say our good byes.

They all fly out tomorrow.

It's been a whirlwind, but it's been wonderful!

Pete the cat continues to be feeling great, and we are doing our best to see that he gradually regains the weight he had lost.

We got our passport applications submitted on Tuesday, and I tried to get my Social Security on line account set up, but found out that I can only go so far with the account, and then I have to wait for a document to come in the mail to continue.  They have to send me an activation code.  Apparently this is a new thing.

I hope I can get my account set up, and start collecting my money, before they take it all away.

There's not much else to report.

Have a wonderful week! 

In like a Lion

 March has arrived, and with it, the beginning of tornado season in Oklahoma.

Yesterday was beautiful, but today could be blustery and stormy.  We do need the rain, though, and will welcome it.

Pete the cat experienced the "wearing off" of his last injection from the vet by vomiting stomach fluid up all night on Friday.

It started on Thursday night, and Dave left a message for the vet Friday morning that was never returned.  SO, first thing on Saturday, I called them, and got Pete in for another injection.

While Dave was there with Pete for his shot, he talked to the vet, and the news was pretty good, actually.  

Based on Pete’s symptom profile, the vet still thinks it’s a matter of inflammatory bowel (which also causes stomach irritation), and that it can be managed with medications.

The injection he received should last 3 months, rather than two weeks, and it will not cause him any kidney damage, as I was concerned about that.

The vet is also saying that he doesn't think the ultrasound is necessary for the moment!
We'll also DEFINITELY be re-evaluating the food we give to the cats.

This is all a huge relief for now, but time will tell. Yesterday's injection took effect immediately, and Pete is feeling 100% better.

So, we went to PetSmart yesterday, and looked at "limited ingredient" foods for cats. We brought home a couple of options to try, and the first one was as HUGE hit....they gobbled it all up!

From the little bit of research I have done, grains and potatoes can really be irritating to cats' digestive systems, and it seems likely that Pete's issues COULD be our fault for feeding him food that is causing him chronic digestive irritation.

We USED to feed them natural, grain-free foods (that were pretty expensive), but we switched a while back to hair ball remedy food, because of Frank's pancreatitis issues. Reading the ingredients was an eye opening experience! Saw dust!

So, we will try the next limited ingredient food this evening, and see how that goes over.... then we will go back and get more of their favorite.

HOPEFULLY, during this three month period of Pete having relief from his symptoms, perhaps the new food will calm his digestive tract down to the point that he will no longer be having problems.

In addition, maybe Annabel will completely stop over grooming. Her medication has improved her tendency to over groom, but she has not stopped, so part of it could be an underlying allergy, which I have always suspected.

We also might add some pet CBD oil to their regime.

In other news, my treatment went okay on Thursday, and I did get rest on Thursday night, with only one seriously sweaty period between bedtime and midnight.

My blood work was much improved, but there is still that one reading that indicates dehydration/kidney stress, and I have been advised to drink a GALLON of liquids every day. I am trying to adapt to that, but that's a LOT of intake!

Anyway, Pete being sick all night on Friday was exhausting, but I went to bed early last night, and feel like I am getting caught up.

Dave's official last day of "work" is next week (though he has been on vacation for a month), and I took the week off.

Friends are coming in from Illinois to celebrate, and to bring Chicagoland treats!

We also hope to finally go get our passports.... I thought we just mailed the applications somewhere, but then found out we have to make an appointment, and go in person, so we had to wait until I was able to take off work. I have to take my birth certificate, and both marriage certificates, to show my name changes. Ugh.

Today, hopefully, we will get our taxes filed. From what Dave's retirement advisor said, this will be our last time being able to just file ourselves using TurboTax... Going forward, we will need an accountant.

Yay.

Have a good week!

It's been a difficult week....

 Our very dear friend, the one who introduced us, has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

She had surgery yesterday, and they found that it has spread to her liver.

After she recovers from the surgery, they will start chemo.

I have known her since 1994, when cancer brought us together.  She was in treatment for breast cancer at that time, and found my massage therapy flier.

We became friends through her weekly visits to my office.  We discovered, quickly, that we had nearly identical Spiritual beliefs, and that solidified our connection.

Shortly there after, her husband also became a massage client, and we became friends as well.

There is a lot of history between us.

They then met Dave through an on-line radio station that had a "listener forum," back in the early days of internet chat rooms.  That listener forum still exists, in fact!

Funny how things work out, right?

So, anyway, please keep Cathy in your prayers.  Light candles, do dances, shake rattles...do whatever it is that you do to reach out into the Universe for help.

Thanks.

In other news, my 96 year old Aunt Janet passed away on the 19th.  She had been in nursing care, after a stroke last year.

My sister and brother in law went to visit in December, and she was still doing okay then, but had declined sharply in the ensuing weeks.

It comforts us to know that she and her siblings (my dad, Uncle Neil, and Aunt Judy) are all together again.

May she find peace in the Light.

The deep freeze from this past week has now thawed.  We finally saw temperatures above freezing yesterday.

Today should reach the 60s, and tomorrow, the 70s.  Crazy Oklahoma roller coaster weather continues.

The nice thing about the weather last week was that my office was closed, and they did not force us to drive on ice, or to go out in record-breaking cold weather.

I have to go for labs this week, so hopefully, the numbers will be closer to normal again.  Chemo is Thursday, if all goes well with the labs.

We are headed out the door to Costco.  Have a good week. 

Wintry

 More wintry weather has arrived in central Oklahoma.  We got a lot of wind, and a little snow, yesterday.

Earlier in the week, we had a minor ice storm.  I had to go to the office the next day ("safety be damned, you have to come to the office!"), and the streets were awful in the morning, but there was no traffic, so that helped.

Going home, the streets were completely clear, so that was good.

This coming week, they're predicting another ice storm, a substantial (for Oklahoma) snowfall, and then low temps below zero, with wind chills in the negative twenties. Whee.

We got a heated shelter for Sammie a couple of weeks ago, and she has been using it faithfully, thank goodness.

Her thick styrofoam box full of straw is also available to her, but she is preferring the heated one at the moment.

Pete got his injection on Monday, and has been doing SO MUCH BETTER!  I just wish we knew what is really going on with him.

Since we don't, though, we are taking advantage of this time while he is comfortable, and making sure he thrives ahead of the next bout of whatever it is that's wrong with him.

We may have to "bite the bullet" and spend the $1000 on an ultrasound. Ugh.

Dave has one more appointment with his IRA guy this coming week, and also has a couple more irons in the fire that he needs to get done - SOON - regarding his retirement. 

It's amazing to me how LITTLE support his company has given him, leaving him to figure things out on his own that no one should have to figure out on their own!

For example, no one told him that he had to fill out an entire packet of forms- that are found on a website that no one gave him the address for!  

Instead, they gave him a phone number to call, so he called it, and the person he spoke with said "you need to contact your HR department, and fill out the packet first!"

He said "....but THEY said I had to call YOU first...."  SO completely inept.

This has to do with continuing MY HEALTH INSURANCE, and our vision and dental, so it's CRITICALLY important.

Anyway, he called, got the web address, the site was down!  Of COURSE, it was.... so he called I/T, and they never called him back.

REALLY??

It's just SO aggravating.  

In any event, this coming week, he has GOT to get all of these things (plus another I have not mentioned here) FIXED and DONE!

We have insurance until April 1st, but without the above mentioned process being completed and fully in place, I could lose coverage, which means I would have to stop treatment. That would be bad.

This is why I have been having nightmares.  That, and the confirmation of RFK Jr as Secretary of Health and Human Services.

BUT, anyway.... Today, it is cold and sunny outside.  I will be making cottage pie (ground beef, veggies, with a layer of mashed potatoes on top), and doing a little laundry.  Talking to my brother, and visiting with a friend.

Should be a nice Sunday.  

Have a great week!