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| Blueberry Season |
Well, it's been quite a month. There's been a lot of work and much has transpired.
I'll update on Bob first because that's probably foremost in your minds.
He had his liver biopsy which went well. The results were that he has a malignant neuroendocrine tumor. Only about eight percent of pancreatic cancer patients have this type of cancer. So, he has the dubious honor of being a special case. This type of tumor results from the pancreas going wacky and overproducing a particular hormone (or hormones).
The treatment involves hormone injections rather that chemo. The injections aim is to turn off the receptors which produce the excesses. Hopefully this will stop the tumor growth, and with luck begin to shrink the tumor. It doesn't kill the growth or "heal" it. Other later treatments may include targeted radiation and other oral medications. This is all an effort to give him relief and extend his remaining time. This is my layman's (and possibly lame) presentation of the situation as I understand it.
He received his first injection three weeks ago. He will receive one injection every four weeks, but we don't yet know for how long. He was nauseous for eight days (but does have two antinausea medications), was extremely fatigued and had other gastrointestinal issues.
His oncologist doubled his digestive enzymes, so he is beginning to eat a little more and has a little more energy most days. We need to try and keep his weight from slipping down further.
His next treatment is on August 11, so keep him in your thoughts.
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| A sampling of produce |
Now, on to Thistledown.
We've been busy here. When able, Bob's been on the computer and phone researching and arranging for our next situation. I've been doing the more physical chores.
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| Kale |
The portion of the garden that we got planted has been producing. Since Bob cannot eat very much, and I won't have a huge freezer, most of produce has been going to friends or the local Food 4 All pantry.
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| Chard ready for the Pantry |
They say the patrons really like the greens.
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| Collard greens for the Pantry |
The garlic has been harvested and is drying in the shed.
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| Garlic all harvested |
Most of the garlic and shallots will be heading for the Pantry, too. Yellow and green beans are coming on. Bob's been enjoying those, so I have frozen some for later. I'm sure the Pantry will get some before long. Cucumbers are doing what cucumbers do, so the Pantry has gotten some of those, and squash season is ahead, so Lodi folks will be introduced to Patty Pans soon.
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| Blueberries |
Blueberries were great this year. Those, too Bob has been enjoying. We shared quite a few of these with friends.
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| Surprise Shiitake bloom |
Shiitakes. Wow! Our old logs, which we thought were pooped out, were taken into the woods and propped up to make way for new ones. One day when I was dumping weeds back there, I noticed the logs were starting fruit. A lot of fruit! I kept checking on them and by week's end I harvested 107 mushrooms!! We ate fresh mushrooms, shared many with friends and I froze 21 small containers.
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| 95 Shiitakes harvested |
This was really unexpected treat.
A poignant end to my gardening life came this month when I handed my entire seed stock over to our "Egg Lady", who is starting on her own garden adventure. The torch is passed and I wish her success and joy in the journey.
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| Tidying the garden |
Since my back seems to be healed, I spent a hot week working to tidy up the unplanted garden beds. I wanted the garden and grounds to look a little more inviting to prospective buyers.
I weeded; moved the rest of the compost onto the beds and mulched with as many leaves as I had. Then I spread our remaining amendments around, sowed grass seed where the compost and leaves had been piled and overseeded the lawn. I want Bob to teach me how to run the weed wacker. Our lawn service is supposed to be doing it, but they're not.
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| Moving Sale Crew (outside branch) |
We had our moving sale on the 11th and 12th. The weather was perfect and it was a great success. We had many helpers before and during the sale. Our niece and nephew even drove from Michigan to help us and to visit. Their help was invaluable and we all had a wonderful visit. They really raised the spirits of their uncle.
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| Kyle managed the garage |
We sold nearly all of the garden equipment and home renovation tools. Three trips to the resale shops has taken care of all the rest. Many people stopped by to visit Bob and fortunately he was feeling quite well that day and enjoyed the company.
We have had friends come, some very often, to help with a variety of tasks, from sorting for the garage sale; to shifting this or that about and repairing little things; giving guidance and supplying Bob with eggs and THC oil. We are greatly indebted to all of you and thank you so much.
This past week I spent the time readying the house to go on the market, which is scheduled for Monday or Tuesday this week.
Finally! Sidewalk
We finally have a new sidewalk out front! The forms still need to be removed and the mess cleaned up. That was supposed to be done a week ago. Now he promises to come this weekend. This man's promises are of very little worth. The walk looks great, but that's the only recommendation regarding this particular individual.
Now for some exciting news. On Friday we submitted a quote on a townhome in Ithaca, and it was accepted. We have somewhere to go! It is in the South Hill section of Ithaca, in the Deer Run community. The neighborhood looks very nice, and Tompkins County has many more services and amenities to offer, especially for an aging population.
On Friday evening, we accepted an offer for the purchase of 31 acres of our back property! It's to our advantage to break off this large section because our house will probably sell better without so much land. Now we need an eager buyer for the house and remaining seven acres.
Now that I know exactly where we will be living, I can pack and sort out possessions more precisely. This will be much of my focus now.
Bob has been working his magic on making all of this come about. He has done all of the real estate legwork and lining up how this will be handled financially; looked at listings and scoped out communities. He has also begun to spend time getting information from Pan-Can, the website for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. He needs to sign up with a social worker and nutritionist there to get tailor made advice on how to deal with this disease. We've already learned a lot.
So, this is what's been keeping us busy. Keep us in your thoughts.
Till next time,
Kathleen and Bob
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| After the Sale |
