Hosting a Visitor

My sister Diane arrived Sunday night from Ontario for a visit. Harvey is enjoying the practice of having someone to cook for whose tastes are less limited than mine currently. Yesterday we got a lovely piece of salmon which Harvey served with an interesting sauce, fiddleheads and roast potatoes, with a blueberry/blackberry cobbler for dessert. Our freezer is still quite well stocked with fruit thanks to my picking last summer.

On Monday Diane went with me to the Look Good, Feel Better seminar put on through the Cancer Society for women going through treatment. There were about 10 participants with 5 volunteers helping with the presentation. The main focus is on makeup; we went through the whole process from cleanser to lip gloss, each receiving a large package of products supplied by the Canadian cosmetic manufacturers association. A new experience for me, but it was done with quite a light touch so didn't look bad. It was particularly nice to have eyebrows again, since mine have largely disappeared; that's something I'll likely continue to do. Also a bit about wigs, hats and scarves. The whole thing was nicely done and I understand why people recommended it.

My white blood cell count wasn't high enough to go ahead with chemotherapy this week. My doctor has decided that I need to get blood checked twice a week rather than once, so I go back for that tomorrow. Hopefully we will be able to go ahead with treatment next week.

Wendy

Treatment Underway Again

Thanks to the self-administered injections, my white blood cells are approaching the normal range, so we were able to go ahead with the next round of chemotherapy starting today.

Despite my less than green thumb, every year at this time I get the urge to do some gardening. After visiting several garden centres over the weekend, my new additions have all been planted - some perennials, annuals and a few herbs. Still need to get some grass seed on the bare spots on our lawn, before even more dandelions move in.

Last spring when we moved my intention had been to bring some of the rhubarb from the Woodville Road backyard with us, but we got busy with all the other preparing to move stuff and the transplanting didn't happen. This year there's none to be had at the nurseries, but a friend has offered me some of hers - hopefully I can find a suitable spot for it in our backyard.

Things get greener by the day, especially with the rain we've had this week - and there are lots of blossoms out.

Wendy

Fresh Ingredients

We've discovered an organic family farm on the Kingston Peninsula that is doing Community Supported Agriculture, so we've purchased a share. Beginning in mid-June, weekly for 20 weeks, we'll get a box of fresh vegetables delivered to us (or we can go to the farm to pick them up). There will be a variety of greens, root crops and other vegetables depending on what's in season. (I'm hoping not too heavy on the green beans!) They are growing a variety of lettuces and different types of tomatoes.

Harvey may have some new cooking adventures to report, depending on what appears.

And the gooseberry and currant bushes I planted very late last fall have survived, so I may eventually be able to pick fruit without leaving our yard.

Wendy

Treatment Continues

I was scheduled to start my fifth (of six) round of chemotherapy today, but my white blood count was still too low, even after the week's delay. My doctor prescribed something that stimulates white blood cell production, which I'll give myself by injection for the next five days, after a practice session with the nurse today on how to do that. The things I'm learning through this process!

I've decided to take time off from work until my treatments are completed sometime this fall. As you can imagine, this was a difficult decision to make, and certainly something I was not ready to do in January when treatments started. But I think focusing on dealing with this is the best thing to do now.

So that starts today too - Harvey is a little worried about having me around the house more, so he may have a future report about that.

Wendy

A Slight Delay

My blood counts this week were "borderline" so my next chemotherapy treatment has been delayed until next week.

Am feeling ok and have been able to get out and do a bit of cleaning up in the garden. Its raining today so that should really make things grow. The rhodedendron outside our kitchen window is in blooming - last year it attracted hummingbirds regularly but haven't seen any of them yet. Harvey fears that he will soon need to cut the lawn!

Wendy

High Water

The Saint John River is forecast to reach its peak here tonight or tomorrow. A few roads closed and houses evacuated in the City, but quite minor compared to upstream.

We checked out Reversing Falls at high tide on Friday and there was so much water coming down the river that it wasn't reversing. It was pretty impressive at low tide too.

Today we went out for a meal at a restaurant for the first time in several months. Borscht at the Polish restaurant at Hammond River was calling me. The restaurant is on a hill overlooking the river, and we could see the water creeping over the road on the other side. It's cut off access to Darlings Island, so people are getting in and out by boat.

My throat is still a bit sore, but no longer keeping me from eating. I get my blood checked tomorrow and if it's ok, chemotherapy on Wednesday.

Wendy