A Bucket That Doesn't Leak...

Yes, I do like peace. For many, many years that is all I wanted. Peace was the one thing I always asked for when I stepped out and looked up at the night sky before turning in for the day with the hope that tomorrow would be better. Peace...

I think it fair to say that my life is more peaceful now than it was, even a few years ago. I have worked hard; Karen and I have worked hard, to bring more peace into our lives. Without that basic foundation in our lives the past six months would have been much worse. It is a case where the harder we work, the luckier we get.

Today is sunny, breezy and for November, unseasonably mild. More of the same is forecast for the rest of the week and I cannot say I am disappointed. November is typically the cloudiest month of the entire year and I do need sunny days. I know there are some people waiting for snow. Sue and John would like to have snow because then people would want to buy skiis, and many hunting brethren would like tracking snow for the rest of the deer season, but I will take days like this as the gifts they are.

Deer season has been a success. I was lucky enough to receive a nice doe; very fat and evidently fond of corn though Jeff and I do not know where she found corn up in the woods around Hines.  Maybe someone has a small field of corn, or maybe someone is baiting deer, which is illegal. Either way, she came to me and now she has joined us for the winter. We are thankful. I still have a tag for a buck and will probably hunt for at least part of Saturday with the idea that any further luck that comes my way will have to go to someone else's freezer. When I finish this blog I will take the remains of the doe back into the forest, to a nice place with a good view, arrange her as respectfully as possible, say a few final words of thanks and leave her to rejoin the earth. I cannot abide the thought of throwing the remains of deer I kill into a dumpster or garbage bag. I cannot dishonor the spirit of the deer in that way.

The other night Karen and I were taking a shower and running out of hot water long before Karen was ready to be done and she was mightily pissed off. So yesterday I went to Fleet and bought two new elements for the water heater and we played plumber last night. I always enter these type of projects expecting the worst- something is going to break, or leak, or the parts will be wrong, etc., etc. Turns out the most difficult part was getting the water to drain down fast enough. But we did get the project completed. No one got yelled at, nothing got thrown, we don't have any leaks and now we have lots of hot water again. It was only after we were done that I wondered why we didn't call my plumber nephew down in Arizona for advice.  I am still convinced the most reliable plumbing is a five gallon bucket that doesn't leak. I can say that, having lived without running water for two years. For me, simpler is often better.

I took advantage of the hot water this morning and enjoyed a long hot shower, completely naked. That is, without my ostomy bag on my belly and that was wonderful. My little rosebud behaved, no pooping in the shower and the hot water felt so good on skin that is often completely covered for days at a time. We are, I am, still learning more about the day-to-day management of my ostomy. We went on line yesterday to the United Ostomy Association of America website and perused the pages for advice on a couple of concerns we have. Theses people, these ostomates, represent a huge wealth of knowledge and experience and their contributions are invaluable.

Tomorrow I start my next, and I hope, my last round of chemo.  We always knew this was coming but many people who have followed us in this journey, are surprised to hear I have to go through chemo again. I thought we had always mentioned this last bit of chemo, so we are surprised that this is news to so many people. I have some anxiety about this round of treatment. I will have a two hour infusion and then go home with a pump attached to the port in my chest. I will only have to wear the pump for two days at a time. I can only imagine the fun I will have managing the pump and ostomy at the same time. This cycle of infusion-chemo pump, will take place eight times over the next four months, meaning I have the treatments every two weeks. The break between treatments is designed to let my body recover before the next round. That is the part that makes me nervous.

But hey, how bad can it be?  I mean, I should be ok with potential side-effects such as an increased sensitivity to cold, especially in my hands and feet. And temporary numbness in my fingers. That should  be great, too. Especially if the numbness makes managing my ostomy or use of my hands, difficult. What the hell, right? Winter is coming after all, complete with cold and clouds and shorter days and longer nights. But we do have hot water.

And we do have peace and that is worth any price.
Peace and love to all of you,
Enjoy these days and the love of friends and family,
Mike