7 PM Sunday, April 10, 2011

Wow!  The weekend went by SOOOO fast....... but it was great to be home and have Ed feeling well enough to have visitors, and to get up and go out too.  Thanks, Tom for the beautiful flowers (roses and stargazer lillies which have all opened - love them!) and most of all for the gift of your time, driving up from Huntington Beach after a long work week to visit.  Leo & Georgette came by and Ryan and Chantel as well so it was a busy Saturday.  We both really enjoyed seeing all of you....it feels good to have family and friends around.  It's always been such a core part of our lives and we've really missed the connections and conversations and friendships. 

Today, Kent Truman came by and we had a great visit (lots of hot rod talk) and my daughter Stacy and her husband Gary came by with their adorable tribe (Luke, Hope and Cade) to have an outdoor adventure in the backyard at Grandma Liz and Ed's house!  Lots of lizards, flower picking and tromping through the shrubbery, rock climbing and a few just-in-the-knick-of-time "saves" as not-yet-2 year old Cade followed his big brother and sister up and down the patio stairs and almost too close to the pool.  They were so much fun, scampering and exploring and chattering away about karate, Disneyland, bugs, critters and "Carolyn", the lady who drives the trash truck in their neighborhood!  Kent, you have 3 little fans who'd love a ride in your dump truck next time - Ed has some serious competition for the tractor - you two could start a side business doing kid's parties with your heavy equipment! 

Ed and I drove out to his Mom's house in Camarillo and then stopped at Lazy Dog Cafe  at the Oaks Mall for a quick dinner - Ed insisted we stop, so he watched me eat.  (I ordered goat cheese and beet salad and raw ahi tuna, so he wouldn't feel bad watching me eat stuff HE'D like to eat - he doesn't like any of that stuff.)  He's really wanting to start eating again - but so far, it seems his body has other plans and has been quite uncooperative the last 2 times he's tried.  With everything that's scheduled this week, he wants to wait again until he's out of the time zone for the anticipated "feeling crummy"  period and then he'll try eating again   He'll get the 3-hour Rituxan infusion in the morning on Monday, drainage tubes taken out of his chest tomorrow afternoon, chemo Tuesday morning for 3 hours, blood tests for the infection on Tuesday afternoon, the Nuelasta shot on Wednesday and then hopefully, a quiet rest of the week in terms of doctor appointments.   There is an emotional aspect of the chemo that takes a little getting used to - - the idea of voluntarily poisoning yourself (or driving someone you love to have it done )  is surreal to say the least.  Understanding the concept objectively isn't so difficult, it's just hard to explain the feelings and emotional conflict.  The company this weekend has been a welcome distraction and source of comfort.

I'll let you all know how Monday goes, but it may be late in the day tomorrow before I get to the blog.  Ed is now peacefully dozing through 60 Minutes.  He got some good color in the sun the past 2 days, and he looks content.  A cup of tea, in one of my Mom's china tea cups, is next on my "to do" list, Ed's antibiotics and last meds at 9, then an early night to hit the hay.

Sleep well.