The nauseau predicted from the new chemo treatment I started last week didn't occur, but my stomach was queasy and diet limited. White toast, bananas, organic carrots and chicken broth with noodles, supplemented by the occasional bit of cheese.
By Wednesday when we drove out to the Peninsula to pick up our week's veg, I was finally starting to feel better. Harvey, ever willing to accommodate my oddities but noting that "I could cook anything you want", somewhat reluctantly agreed to my plan to stop for dinner at "the Irving" on the highway on our way back into town. I thought surely I could find something on the menu that I could eat. Worst case I'd have a different version of chicken noodle soup! It worked, and for the first time in days I was able to eat a meal that necessitated using a knife and fork. Amazing how much better that made me feel.
Continuing to take pleasure in the small things -
Wendy
Friday, September 25, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Trip to Prince Edward Island
With promise of another sunny weekend, Wendy felt the need to hit the road again. We’d heard that Stan Rogers – A Matter of Heart was a terrific show. At least it wasn’t Anne of Green Gables. Wendy phoned and ordered the tickets and we took off. This time, along with the bread we remembered cheese and other lunchables.
With Comet navigating from the back seat we made it to Confederation Bridge in just over two hours. Rather than make a beeline for Charlottetown, we took a trip along the Northeast shore. It was a pretty drive, marred only by the lack of open restaurants and far too much tourist attention focused upon a certain red haired orphan. There was much mention of ‘green gables’, ‘shining waters’ and ‘kindred spirits’, and even a gaggle of Japanese tourists to complete the cliché. We managed to find The Cheese Lady and sampled some lovely Gouda cheese. It made a great lunch with bread and veggies, and of course we brought some home with us.
Unable to make contact with the Bed and Breakfast that claimed to accept pets, we took our chances and found a nice spot on the north side of Charlottetown with lots of lawn to throw the Frisbee for Comet. Note: PEI residents seem inordinately fond of maintaining vast expanses of eye-blasting green lawn. You can only imagine my horror.
We had an early dinner and made it to the Confederation Centre in plenty of time. The show was presented “Cabaret” fashion in The Mack, a small theatre across the street from the Legislature, just a block from the Centre. We shared our table with a couple from Quispamsis and a couple from Calgary. The two women were sisters with family connections in PEI. I sometimes forget how open and friendly Maritimers can be. We were laughing and talking like old friends after introductions.
The show is a dramatization of Stan’s songs by four singer/actors accompanied by keyboard, guitar and fiddle (but the player was definitely a violinist of the highest training). While I remembered most of the songs (I declined to sing along mostly) I had forgotten just how good a poet Stan Rogers was. And his songs are timeless and relevant – surprising to think that Tiny Fishes for Japan was written almost thirty years ago.
We enjoyed our evening a great deal. They managed to make us laugh, cry, feel sad and joyful, sometimes all at the same time.
And you, to whom adversity has dealt the final blow
With smiling bastards lying to you everywhere you go
Turn to, and put out all your strength of arm and heart and brain
And like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again.
Rise again, rise again - though your heart it be broken
And life about to end
No matter what you've lost, be it a home, a love, a friend.
Like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again.
In the morning, coffeeless and feeling mildly grumpy, we headed out for breakfast at Smitty’s. Fortified with lots of coffee and a rather leaden helping of French toast we set off to find shopping opportunities. We went downtown and explored a bit, mostly browsed through two used bookstores. Wendy treated us to ice cream cones from Cows before setting off to further adventures.
Our next goal was PEI’s only winery. Travelling along the south eastern coast we had a lovely drive through forest and agricultural land. It’s potato harvesting time, and more than once we smelled the scent of hot oil and cooking potatoes as we passed a large industrial building with the name “Cavendish Farms” or “McCain’s” on the outside.
Rossignol Winery has a really nice selection of whites and reds as well as some fruit based and one maple syrup based wine. They make a very nice Marechal Foch as well as some other reds blended with a Baco Noir and Chardonnay. We ended up with nine bottles including a white that will go nicely with seafood. Looking forward to sharing our wine finds with friends.
Before leaving the winery we let Comet chase the Frisbee for a while. He hasn’t lost his touch at all. Back on the highway we followed the shore up to Montague before heading west and back to the bridge.
This was a very successful trip. We recommend the Stan Rogers show and if you can put together a group, all the better. It runs until September 26. Charlottetown is a great little city with lots of history and several good used book stores. And if you have some time, the countryside is scenic and there’s lots of history there.
Harvey
With Comet navigating from the back seat we made it to Confederation Bridge in just over two hours. Rather than make a beeline for Charlottetown, we took a trip along the Northeast shore. It was a pretty drive, marred only by the lack of open restaurants and far too much tourist attention focused upon a certain red haired orphan. There was much mention of ‘green gables’, ‘shining waters’ and ‘kindred spirits’, and even a gaggle of Japanese tourists to complete the cliché. We managed to find The Cheese Lady and sampled some lovely Gouda cheese. It made a great lunch with bread and veggies, and of course we brought some home with us.
Unable to make contact with the Bed and Breakfast that claimed to accept pets, we took our chances and found a nice spot on the north side of Charlottetown with lots of lawn to throw the Frisbee for Comet. Note: PEI residents seem inordinately fond of maintaining vast expanses of eye-blasting green lawn. You can only imagine my horror.
We had an early dinner and made it to the Confederation Centre in plenty of time. The show was presented “Cabaret” fashion in The Mack, a small theatre across the street from the Legislature, just a block from the Centre. We shared our table with a couple from Quispamsis and a couple from Calgary. The two women were sisters with family connections in PEI. I sometimes forget how open and friendly Maritimers can be. We were laughing and talking like old friends after introductions.
The show is a dramatization of Stan’s songs by four singer/actors accompanied by keyboard, guitar and fiddle (but the player was definitely a violinist of the highest training). While I remembered most of the songs (I declined to sing along mostly) I had forgotten just how good a poet Stan Rogers was. And his songs are timeless and relevant – surprising to think that Tiny Fishes for Japan was written almost thirty years ago.
We enjoyed our evening a great deal. They managed to make us laugh, cry, feel sad and joyful, sometimes all at the same time.
And you, to whom adversity has dealt the final blow
With smiling bastards lying to you everywhere you go
Turn to, and put out all your strength of arm and heart and brain
And like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again.
Rise again, rise again - though your heart it be broken
And life about to end
No matter what you've lost, be it a home, a love, a friend.
Like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again.
In the morning, coffeeless and feeling mildly grumpy, we headed out for breakfast at Smitty’s. Fortified with lots of coffee and a rather leaden helping of French toast we set off to find shopping opportunities. We went downtown and explored a bit, mostly browsed through two used bookstores. Wendy treated us to ice cream cones from Cows before setting off to further adventures.
Our next goal was PEI’s only winery. Travelling along the south eastern coast we had a lovely drive through forest and agricultural land. It’s potato harvesting time, and more than once we smelled the scent of hot oil and cooking potatoes as we passed a large industrial building with the name “Cavendish Farms” or “McCain’s” on the outside.
Rossignol Winery has a really nice selection of whites and reds as well as some fruit based and one maple syrup based wine. They make a very nice Marechal Foch as well as some other reds blended with a Baco Noir and Chardonnay. We ended up with nine bottles including a white that will go nicely with seafood. Looking forward to sharing our wine finds with friends.
Before leaving the winery we let Comet chase the Frisbee for a while. He hasn’t lost his touch at all. Back on the highway we followed the shore up to Montague before heading west and back to the bridge.
This was a very successful trip. We recommend the Stan Rogers show and if you can put together a group, all the better. It runs until September 26. Charlottetown is a great little city with lots of history and several good used book stores. And if you have some time, the countryside is scenic and there’s lots of history there.
Harvey
Friday, September 11, 2009
Next Step
After reviewing the CAT scan done last week, my oncologist, Dr B, concluded that the chemotherapy drug I've been getting hasn't been as effective as hoped. So she is switching to another drug; its an older chemo drug which is platinum based, given on a 3 week cycle. I won't lose my hair, but it's likely to cause more nausea than the chemo I've had so far. The other major potential side effect is damage to kidneys, so keeping up my fluid intake will be very important. (Mother figures are hereby authorized to nag about this if they feel it necessary.)
The first treatment is next Wednesday, so getting mentally prepared for a new/different range of side effects.
Wendy
The first treatment is next Wednesday, so getting mentally prepared for a new/different range of side effects.
Wendy
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Second Annual Labour Day trip to Grand Manan
With the weatherman’s promise of a sunny day we set off in the fog (way too early for my taste) for Black’s Harbour and the ferry for Grand Manan. Comet, ever vigilant to our every move, wasn’t entirely certain he was to accompany us. When he was certain, he loudly proclaimed his jubilation with barks, squeaks, and howls. We arrived in plenty of time for the Grand Manan Ferry. Oddly enough, as we approached Black’s Harbour the fog disappeared and the promise of a beautiful day manifested itself.
On the water by nine-thirty, we took Comet up to the upper deck where dogs are permitted and I’m sure he believes is a much better place than sitting in the vehicle area. It was cool and breezy, but a nice ride. We spotted a minke whale, one of the small species. Halfway across the Captain pulled a surprise fire drill for the crew and when that was done a lifeboat stations drill. We slowed down and suddenly there were two zodiacs dancing around the ship. I inquired of a crewman if these were the crew who had screwed up, but he assured me that messing around in zodiacs was ‘a helluva lot of fun’. The zodiacs followed us, and sometimes led us into Grand Manan.
We headed to the northern tip of the island where we went bird and sea mammal watching at The Whistle for a while. Of note were a flock of immature eider ducks and a Gray seal. We drove to the bakery and got some great bread and treats. We stopped at the Anchorage Provincial Park for lunch and discovered we’d forgotten cheese and butter for the bread. We blamed each other and ate what lunch we had anyway. Wendy threw a stick on the beach for Comet and took him for a walk on the “wheelchair accessible” bog trail at Great Pond, where they got their feet wet and muddy.
We visited Southern Head and peered cautiously over the cliffs there, watched birds and the other tourists, went for a little walk and headed back to the north end of the island. We took a side trip to Dark Harbour, which may be the only harbour on the West side of the island, and stopped at Castilia Marsh to check out the birds.
The shadows were getting long by then and there was a feeling of peace and of the day ending. As I watched a work boat work its way back to port the opening lines of Gray’s “Elegy in a Country Churchyard’ flitted through my mind.
The curfew tolls the knell of parting day,
The lowing herd winds slowly o'er the lea,
The ploughman homeward plods his weary way,
And leaves the world to darkness and to me.
I could have spent the rest of the evening there, watching this corner of the world slip into night. However, home beckoned and we finished our break and got back into the car. We had some shopping to do. Wendy never passes up recycled books or clothes.
On the trip home we sat on the deck again with Comet. He seemed uncertain and sat beside me on the bench snuggling. Every kid on the ship, save two, came up, asked if they could pet Comet and then proceeded to make a big fuss over him. He, of course, ate it up. Then women started stopping by and petting him, telling him how smart, cute, and perfectly adorable he was. Wow! I think I have found the perfect way to meet attractive women. We had great chats with several women from Toronto who thought Comet was the ideal dog, and I’m sure would have stolen him if I didn’t have him on a leash. He even had his picture taken twice.
We watched the full moon coming up as we headed home, early enough to have a supper of bread and cheese, feed Comet and the cats, check our email and head off to bed.
Truly a great day, thanks to sister Joyce for this birthday present for Wendy.
Harvey
On the water by nine-thirty, we took Comet up to the upper deck where dogs are permitted and I’m sure he believes is a much better place than sitting in the vehicle area. It was cool and breezy, but a nice ride. We spotted a minke whale, one of the small species. Halfway across the Captain pulled a surprise fire drill for the crew and when that was done a lifeboat stations drill. We slowed down and suddenly there were two zodiacs dancing around the ship. I inquired of a crewman if these were the crew who had screwed up, but he assured me that messing around in zodiacs was ‘a helluva lot of fun’. The zodiacs followed us, and sometimes led us into Grand Manan.
We headed to the northern tip of the island where we went bird and sea mammal watching at The Whistle for a while. Of note were a flock of immature eider ducks and a Gray seal. We drove to the bakery and got some great bread and treats. We stopped at the Anchorage Provincial Park for lunch and discovered we’d forgotten cheese and butter for the bread. We blamed each other and ate what lunch we had anyway. Wendy threw a stick on the beach for Comet and took him for a walk on the “wheelchair accessible” bog trail at Great Pond, where they got their feet wet and muddy.
We visited Southern Head and peered cautiously over the cliffs there, watched birds and the other tourists, went for a little walk and headed back to the north end of the island. We took a side trip to Dark Harbour, which may be the only harbour on the West side of the island, and stopped at Castilia Marsh to check out the birds.
The shadows were getting long by then and there was a feeling of peace and of the day ending. As I watched a work boat work its way back to port the opening lines of Gray’s “Elegy in a Country Churchyard’ flitted through my mind.
The curfew tolls the knell of parting day,
The lowing herd winds slowly o'er the lea,
The ploughman homeward plods his weary way,
And leaves the world to darkness and to me.
I could have spent the rest of the evening there, watching this corner of the world slip into night. However, home beckoned and we finished our break and got back into the car. We had some shopping to do. Wendy never passes up recycled books or clothes.
On the trip home we sat on the deck again with Comet. He seemed uncertain and sat beside me on the bench snuggling. Every kid on the ship, save two, came up, asked if they could pet Comet and then proceeded to make a big fuss over him. He, of course, ate it up. Then women started stopping by and petting him, telling him how smart, cute, and perfectly adorable he was. Wow! I think I have found the perfect way to meet attractive women. We had great chats with several women from Toronto who thought Comet was the ideal dog, and I’m sure would have stolen him if I didn’t have him on a leash. He even had his picture taken twice.
We watched the full moon coming up as we headed home, early enough to have a supper of bread and cheese, feed Comet and the cats, check our email and head off to bed.
Truly a great day, thanks to sister Joyce for this birthday present for Wendy.
Harvey
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