I have had a very nice weekend. Now I am home in the quiet and the low angled light. A trio from work is here helping me (um, doing it all) get the gardens tucked in for winter. I did manage to blow the leaves off my lawn last week, but digging and cleaning gutters and such is off my current list. As I write, they are mulching and cleaning up. Thank heavens for them (and they are hire able - let me know if you want their contact information.)
My sister, niece and grandchildren came for a quick visit. They came to check up on me but also to just have a light, fun time. They stayed in a place with an indoor pool and the kids swam for about 2 hours yesterday. We all watched, clapped, cheered, and sunk into our pool-side chairs for a low-key spell. We also went to a museum, and out for all three meals, not including breakfast this morning.
The littles are now old enough to have real conversations. They asked to ride with me (which was very flattering) and so we transferred the booster seats to my car and drove from place to place with lots of chatter - all interesting.
As we drove Bailey asked me why I was wearing a hat. I told her that my hair was very short and that my head got cold. I wasn't sure how much to say, but the Jones told me about a little girl he knew who was taking medicine that made her hair fall out. And then it turned out that Bailey - aged 4 - had chosen to give her hair to Locks of Love when she had it cut recently. I was amazed that she had the wherewithal to make that sort of decision (I know her parents helped...) but it was a big surprise to me and it allowed the three of us, me and a 4 and a 6 year old, to have a real conversation about medicine and hair and baldness. It was a more real conversation than I've had with most people. And it was very nice.
So I know I've been absent from work a lot. I'm sorry for that and I'm also deeply grateful for the folks who are able to make this possible. I am almost done with my treatments and do hope that I'll soon rise back up and be more active than I am right now. But folks keep telling me that sleep is what I need so I keep trying to be okay with that and with stepping away form the day-to-day work challenges.
At the moment I am trying really hard to finish this treatment regimen, to stay positive, to believe that it is working, to prepare for next week's evaluation, and to imagine what is next. So though I am not at my desk, I am full of this challenge.
I am able to work on my book some - it is now at the designer's so the next time I see it, it will look like a real book! I've also been working at our new shop signs, which are now in process. We'll all see them in a couple of weeks. And, well, those things keep my brain and heart full.
Thank you for sticking with me through this. I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving (did I tell you I'll be enjoying our Dinner to Go this year? yay!!) and then it will be Christmas (by which time I hope to be done with treatments.)
It has been a very full year, an extraordinarily challenging 6 months, and, overall, one that has given me much to be happy about.
I'll be in touch next week.
