Chemotherapy Update

Spent a good chunk of yesterday at the Fortress of Healing, otherwise known as Saint John Regional Hospital. Had the usual wait before seeing my oncologist, who advises that we'll do 6 rounds of chemo and then she'll order scans again to check the response.

This was followed by chemo #4, which takes several hours while I sit in a comfy chair reading a book. Yesterday's was The House on Fortune Street by Margot Livesey, which I recommend (also recommend her Banishing Verona, which led me to this one.)

Part of this treatment is a steroid taken by pill on a cycle the day before and several days after chemo. The after is 12, 24, 36 and 48 hours, which means setting the alarm to wake up at some odd hour for 2 nights, and having a snack because the medication has to be taken with food. Fortunately I don't think 2 days is long enough to make this into a habit!

These treatments seem to have gone quickly with #4 already. It helps that the symptoms haven't been as severe as the first round - just have to remind myself that doesn't necessarily mean it's not working as well.

Wendy

Three Days of Sunshine

Although it's raining today, we just experienced three consecutive days of sunshine!

Anna and her Girl Guides were back in town as their final stop before heading home to Alberta. While the GGs shopped Uptown, we had a great visit with Anna, including lunch of salad with 6 kinds of organic greens, courtesy of our first week's supply from the farm, with strawberry shortcake.

I spent some time reading trashy novels on the deck. And yesterday Jack and Suzanne joined us for a mystery excursion - no one other than the tour guide moi knew where we were going. Our itinerary included a shopping stop at The Barn economusee in Bloomfield, lunch at the Bavarian restaurant in Knightsville, stopping to smell the roses at Corn Hill Nursery, ice cream cones in Sussex and a visit to the soap shop. It was a gorgeous day and the scenery was bucolic.

Wendy

A Day at the Lake

Our reading group spent a relaxing afternoon at the cottage on Washamedoak Lake, thanks to by one of our members. Continuing our focus on Canadian novels, our theme was novels of rural Canada. Deborah provided a definition of rural Canada, from a book of essays edited by Wayne Grady, former editor of Harrowsmith.

Books presented and reviewed were:
Since Daisy Creek W. O. Mitchell
The Rhinestone Button Gail Anderson-Dargatz
Relative Happiness Leslie Crewe
The Birth House Ami McKay
Red Dog, Red Dog Patrick Lane

Not completed but also discussed were Thomas H. Raddall's The Nymph and the Lamp, and River of the Brokenhearted by David Adams Richards. Made available for loan were Luna and Gates of the Sun by Sharon Butala, as well as Broken Ground by Jack Hodgins.

Several poems from the vegetable series in Lorna Crozier's The Garden Going On Without Us were shared.

Radishes

Radishes flip their skirts in the wind
like a line of chorus girls
throw them over their heads.

If they were singers
they'd be the Andrews sisters.
If they had jobs
they'd be nurses who drive
red sports cars after work.

Every spring you put up with
their flirtations
for the crunch between your teeth
the quick surprise
of rain and fire
they've saved all season
just for you.

A delicious lunch was shared and an eagle spotted overhead. (There were no further bird sightings once I remembered that I'd brought binoculars.) Comet greatly enjoyed the outing, which included almost sufficient stick throwing.

Next month's theme - Canadian novels related to bodies of water. Reading suggestions welcome.

Wendy

Happy Canada Day

Hope you enjoyed Canada Day, as we did. The rain held off, a relatively rare occurrence here lately, except for a brief shower in the late afternoon - and then the sun came out!

I spent some time lounging on the deck - my very Canadian reading material was a recent Maclean's and new biography of Champlain.

In the evening we entertained with strawberry shortcake followed by fireworks viewed from the deck. We can't see the low ones from here, but enjoy the sounds and any that go up into the sky. After his years on the pyrotechnic crew, I think Harvey appreciates the view from this distance - although there was some talk that next year we might watch from the roof (or remove trees on neighbouring properties).

Three month old baby Eve enjoyed her first fireworks display, although I think she was actually more interested in our cats, who certainly found her fascinating!

Wendy

Late June Update

Third round of chemo on Monday. So far so good - side effects seem to kick in after a few days, so won't plan much for this weekend. Also saw my oncologist, Dr. Burnell, who feels we'll need another round or two before she can tell if it's working.

Picked up our first strawberries of the season at City Market yesterday. With the rain we've had they are quite large but not very sweet - some sun now would really help, which I think is still in the forecast. Week after next we get our first shipment of fresh organic vegetables - we again this year bought a share in a farm on the Kingston Peninsula which is doing Community Supported Agriculture. Week 1 bag will include things like leaf lettuce, green onions, herbs, tatsoi (a neat little Chinese lettuce), beets with greens. We'll continue receiving what's in season for 20 weeks.

Our friend Anna arrives next week from central Alberta with her group of Girl Guides for 10 days in southern New Brunswick, starting and ending at Rockwood Park in Saint John. It will be great to have a visit with her.

Am still getting used to catching sight of a blonde in the mirror!

Wendy

Reversing Falls Bridge

We finally took possession of the painting “Reversing Falls” by Lynn Wigginton last week. It’s been hanging in the New Brunswick Museum as part of an exhibit for the past six months. The exhibit was the summary of a research project on the development of Saint John, entitled Saint John: An Industrial City in Transition. This Community Research Alliance Project was a multi-year initiative, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, to document how Saint John is attempting to reshape its economic base, protect and conserve its natural environment, and sustain its cultural life. University of New Brunswick Saint John faculty, New Brunswick Museum curators, and individuals from other community organizations worked with student researchers to address a wide array of specific topics, with the commitment that the resulting findings would be shared with the community in ways beyond traditional academic papers.

As project artist, Lynn worked with selected researchers to respond to what they had discovered and present their findings in a series of 12 significant paintings. She commented that, “as I worked collaboratively with the researchers to document and interpret their findings through my paintings, I was challenged to experiment and innovate artistically. It is my hope that the paintings create important visual links to significant local research in natural science and the humanities. I also hope that these panoramic views of Saint John will encourage people to appreciate the city's marvellous setting.”

It was difficult to choose only one of the large paintings (100 by 150 cm) for our living room. However, there was only so much wall space and we agreed upon “Reversing Falls” as our choice. (To see the other paintings in the series, go to http://www.lynnwigginton.ca/ and select CURA.)

Many thanks to Jack Hill, this blog’s unofficial photographer, for transporting the canvas from the Museum to our house in the back of his Element. Thanks also to Regi Mantin for her care in hanging the painting.
Most of all, many thanks to everyone who helped us celebrate the painting’s arrival at its permanent home, as well as the summer equinox, at a gathering last Friday.

Harvey

June in Bloom

After chemo treatment #2 on June 1 and some minor ups and downs that week, by last Monday I was feeling good, with two weeks until the next treatment. Still getting used to catching sight of a blonde in the mirror!

Saturday was the annual barbecue which the breast cancer support group holds in the lovely backyard of one of our members. Last year Harvey made blueberry cobbler for me to take - a huge hit, with the consensus being I should bring it again next time, and that it would be perfect with ice crea. That's what I did, and no one else brought any sweets so we could focus on cobbler.

Yesterday, King's County Studio Tour brochure in hand, we headed upriver with Lynn and Dale. Made a number of studio visits - several also have gardens worthy of a tour - and found a spot for our picnic along the way. Came home with some goat's milk soap and a pretty new mug.

We're looking forward to our weekly vegetable deliveries, which should begin before the end of the month, and fresh local strawberries.

Wendy