Janet B

I have been on Tarceva for 5 1/2 years. My side effects have improved immensely, mostly thanks to my dermatologist and an antibiotic 3 days a week. The stomach issues are still here though. I can go for days with no problems and then there are days like today where I run to the bathroom every few minutes. I haven't heard of a link to Crohn's disease. I HAVE had doctors that don't understand Tarceva side effects and then they get very upset about some of them and try to find other causes. I am Not saying it isn't Crohn's but I would want to check with your oncologist, Dr. West and yes, maybe contact Genentech about whether there has been an issue with Crohn's and Tarceva.

Donna, you are both in my prayers. Peace and strength

I think I lurked here for almost a year before I first posted. I found the site by googling questions I had and I kept finding answers by the same person - Ernie, from the Lungevity site, so I decided to check it out. I am a generally shy person. Even on line. (I don't ask people to be my Facebook friends, I wait for them to ask me.) So, I just lurked, afraid to butt into a conversation. But in those months I began to feel like everyone here was my friend. When I first posted I was overjoyed to get responses from people I had been "reading" for so long, Ernie, Ry, Ned, Beatlemike, Bruce, Kasey etc. It gave me such an instant connection, a feeling that I was no longer alone. I started telling all my family and friends about my "friends on Lungevity". I have come here often, with questions, with good news and bad, and hopefully I have helped others with support. I have also spent a lot of time in the Just for Fun forums, because, let's face it, we have to remember to forget about the cancer and have fun! There have been periods when I disappeared from the forums for a while. Sometimes after the loss of someone I have grown very close to or when I am going through a really difficult time, it is just too hard for me to be here. But, I know that when I am ready to come back, the folks here will accept me back, no questions asked and support ready! My family and friends all know how important this site is to me, I have said before that this site and my in person support group are my life lines. Everyone here gets it. It was very hard for my husband to understand the connection, until the Hope Summit. He was so amazed at the connections a group of virtual strangers had, the laughter, the smiles, the hugs and mostly that his shy wife wasn't being shy! I have been watching the "visitor" numbers on the bottom of the page. Lately it seems the numbers have been high, 50 or so visitors when I am posting. that is a lot of people getting support and hope from this site, whether they are posting or not. Someday they will break their shyness barrier and join in too and when they do, we will be there for them. Katie, thank you for all of your hard work. God bless you.

Susan It took me a while to answer this one because it is a hard one! The replies you have already gotten are amazing and true, let me try to explain it from my perspective. When I was in my early 30s my mother had pancreatic cancer. She kept apologizing over and over to her children for "doing this to us". We all felt she was crazy for thinking this, SHE didn't do anything to us, the cancer did. We were thankful that we could be there for her, that we could comfort her, support her, take time away from our "normal" lives to be with her. When I look back on those days I do not think about the stress it caused on my family, or the money that was spent, or the things we put aside doing, I think of the joy we had with her, the peace we felt knowing we were helping, and the strength we developed as a family working together. Then I got cancer, and I found myself saying the same thing to my husband and children, "I am so sorry, for doing this to you.". I felt guilty that I had taken their joy, their belief in happy endings, their belief that we would have a long life together. I felt guilty for giving them pain, worry, stress. But, they reminded me that I hadn't done any of that. Cancer changed things. But our love would not let it ruin our lives in the process. I guess some of it comes with time, but I can look at my family now, 5 1/2 years later and see that cancer did just the opposite of ruining our lives, it made us all stronger and it most certainly made our family unit stronger. My children are closer to each other than a mother could ever hope for and my sisters and I have developed a new found respect for each other and a friendship that goes beyond the bonds of sisterhood. Just this week there was a huge sign for me that they were going to be ok. My oldest child has always been a momma's girl. Even before cancer, she called everyday, came home as often as possible, and preferred my company over her friends and boyfriends. I was so worried that the diagnosis would make her even more dependent on me and for a while it did. This week she was discussing her career and boyfriend with me. He is in the army. My daughter, the one who swore she would never live farther than 2 hours from her mother, told me she would probably follow him wherever he ended up being stationed. This was such an amazing relief to me. Not that my girl might live far away, but that my girl is not letting my cancer define her life, she will and IS going to survive this. All of my children will survive this, and they will be stronger siblings because of it. My husband and the money is a different issue. We have been married for 30 years, we have been together 37. Our marriage has evolved into what can be described as a good friendship. In other words, we do love each other, but our lives certainly do not revolve around each other. He has been at a loss as to what to do to help, not being particularly affectionate or romantic, the best thing he has found to do is to work even harder. To him, the way to help is to relieve the money worries. I know he is not doing this because he is worried about the money, but instead that he knows I am worried. I can think of a thousand other ways he could help, but this is what works for him, so that is what is best for us. I have learned to let people help the way they can, not necessarily the way I need and to be grateful for that. I think the way I can honor him the most, and help him deal with this is to accept the ways he finds to help and the ways he needs to deal with it. (I am also very grateful that we are lucky enough to have health insurance and I wish that every American could say the same, but that is a political issue so I won't go any farther with that.) I don't know if any of this helped, but just remember that YOU didn't do this to anybody and the people around you know that and love you and are grateful that they can help. Remember also, that none of us are promised a tomorrow, that is why we have to truly LIVE each day. (my 23 year old son just asked for advice on saving money, I told him not to save more than a few months living wage. Instead, enjoy his life, it is too short not to. ) Matt E. from the Hope Summit put this quote on FB today, - "Worrying does not take away tomorrow's troubles, it takes away today's peace.". Words to live by. Peace to you, and huge hugs

Thank you Nick! That was perfectly said, I agree with Randy, we need a "like button"!!

I had a tumor in the pons area of my brain in December '06. It was treated with fractionated stereotactic Radiation. In April 2011 I had 6 new tumors in my brain. I had Gamma Knife Surgery for them. Now it is June 2012, all my metastasis are stable and I am just now putting my feet up after a long, full, day. When you meet with your Onc, he/she will have options for you. take notes, research them, come here to ask questions. I know it is scary to hear it is in you brain, believe me, I know, but they can do so much now and there are several options for treatment. Please keep us updated Peace Janet

Anybody out there today? I have noticed big numbers on the forums for visitors lately. if you are out there just checking us out, or "lurking" - please pop in any of the forums and introduce yourself or ask a question or just come to the air and tell us about your day! I had a sad day today. As many of you know I volunteer at a rescue farm. It is impossible to not get attached to the animals, there are a few I am VERY attached too. Piper was the one I was most attached to. Piper the Duck passed away yesterday while I was at the Cancer Center. She was an amazing duck who was a vital part of our preschool and field trip programs. She happily let dozens of children pet her each day. She had a funny story as to why she was on our farm. Two boys, middle school aged I believe, took their mother's credit card without her knowledge, went on line and purchased duck eggs and an incubator! They hid it all under their bed and their mother was clueless until Piper started quacking!! Since they lived in an apartment, Mom said that Piper had to go, but since she was raised by two boys who loved her, she was a very sweet and friendly duck. I miss her already, as does her best "duck friend" Buttercup. If you have an animal friend, be sure to give it extra love today. Yesterday was my infusion. I started at 9:45 and was done by 2:30, but then I had to wait around for support group at 5:30. I had big plans to go out to the roof top garden and read, but they offered to let me stay and hang out in the Barcolounger, which I did, and I took a nice long nap instead! I still got my chocolate croissant though!! My support group, which is for lung cancer patients and their caregivers, has about 20 regular members, but the last two times we have had new patients join us. I am so glad they came so early in their diagnosis, it took me two years to go to group, now it, along with this site, are my best therapy! I hope you all had peaceful days.

Eric, you really do seem to get the most out of every day! good for you! I had my little buddy Shea visit me last week. That means that by Friday night I was completely exhausted. I slept from the time they left at 4:00 until 9:00, got up, had dinner, and went back to bed until 11 the next day! Saturday and Sunday I just rested and read. I seem to have caught a nasty cold, probably from being rundown by a 5 year old. I am trying hard not to cough here in the infusion room, but the lady across from me keeps glaring at me! Today it is supposedly beautiful out, 80 degrees and sunny. I, however have been in the infusion room since 9:30 so I wouldn't know! My infusion is only supposed to take an hour, but it usually takes four or more just waiting for the pharmacy to deliver it to me! I have support group tonight in this same building, so I am in no hurry. When my infusion is done I will go to the beautiful rooftop garden here at the cancer center and read and maybe even sleep a bit. (the garden even has a river running through it!) Oh, and have a chocolate croissant. They make the best chocolate croissants here! The farm I volunteer at has started to really pump up their Facebook page, if you want to see some amazingly adorable animals, you should check it out! Have a wonderful day - peace

hi guys, sorry I haven't been around, but I have had company all week. My little buddy Shea is 5 and the closest thing I have to a grandchild. He and his mom came for a visit on Tuesday and just left. We explored marshes, went to the beach(the Long Island Sound)., the lake, and the farm. In between, we sang, read stories, played games and bounced about! I am exhausted and am already lying down and may sleep the weekend away! Hope you have all been well! Peace

Judy, we had a family of racoons in our chimney for over a month. I got quite attached to them. I of course never saw the babies, but I could hear them crying for their momma when she was out, and I could see the Momma sitting on the top of the chimney sunning herself on sunny days! Of course, now that the babies are grown and gone, we will have to have the chimney cleaned and capped before anyone else moves in! Ann, you can get called back for jury duty that quickly in Florida? here in CT, once you have served, even if only for one day, they cannot call you back for 3 years. It is a perfect day here. I spent the ,morning at the farm and the afternoon at the lake. Now I am home to garden a little bit before I go out to a bluegrass concert at my church tonight. it is supposed to rain all day tomorrow, I don't mind, I need a day to be stuck inside and get the cleaning done! Thoughts of are course with Judy in KWs family today. Judy would have loved my farm today, so many babies there! have a fantastic finally Friday everyone!! Oh, and if you are new on this site and reading these posts, why not stop and post a Hi! we would love to get to know you! Peace

Sue, I hope lots of people chime in on this, because we all deal with it very differently. What works for some may not work for others and how we act one day can certainly change the next. Like you, I have stage 4. I have mets that are stable at the moment but they are there, in my spine, ribs, femur, lung and brain. Makes me sound pretty sick huh? The thing is, except for my funky, short spastic hair, I look perfectly healthy and normal. On top of that I am (usually) a laughing, smiling kind of girl, so people who don't know me really well, or who only see me once in a while assume I am perfectly healthy, even cured. That can be so hard, because the thing is I can act smiley and happy and active for only so long each day, and then my body crashes and I need to either nap, or rest, alone and quiet and because of my outward appearance, people don't get that. People question me on why I don't work, why I can't volunteer more, why I don't do this or that. So, with people who question me, I gently explain to them that my meds make me very fatigued and that I have to put my health first. I try not to let them bother me, but I also don't pull any punches, yes I have cancer, yes I am tired, no, I don't have to do what I don't want to any more! With my family (husband, kids, siblings, dad). I am very open. I do very little crying in front of them. (The only thing that really makes me cry is the sadness this causes my children.) We are, as a family, very irreverent about the cancer. We joke about it, curse it, use it as an excuse to do whatever we want and do our best to not let it be the ruler of our lives. We treat it like that nasty relative who you have to live with, but you don't have to pay attention to. I talk about my mortality very openly with them all, so they can see that I am not afraid. I have begun planning my memorial service right down to the music I want played at the gathering afterward., I have gotten my church to start planning a memorial garden so I have a place for my ashes, I have donated my body to medical school. All of this we discuss, and joke about and treat as "normal" conversation. My kids no longer live at home, so thankfully they do not have to deal with it or even think about it on a daily basis. We keep it very light and they really only worry now at scan time. My sisters are sure I am dying any day and hover over me like I am fragile. I have to tell them, often, that I am not going anywhere soon so please treat me normally. It is hard for them as I am the"baby" so I let them hover, they need to for themselves. My husband has gotten very complacent about all of this. He does need to be reminded that I can't do it all anymore, and that time is precious. He was never a doting husband and, although in the beginning I was upset by his complacency, I have now come to the conclusion that this is the way he can deal with it. (and you can't teach an old dog new tricks!) I guess the answer to your question, how do you talk to others, is to just be honest. tell them how you feel, that some days you are sad or scared or too tired to move. people that are important will understand. I have been at this for 5 1/2 years now. 5 1/2 years ago I was given 6 months. I guess that really made me step back and review the way I was living each day. I see each day as such a gift, I thank God for each morning and each evening. I try to enjoy every moment and every sight and every person I encounter. I try, somedays I am too tired, but I try. I think that this is in an odd way a gift cancer gave to me. If I was cured tomorrow, I would hope I would retain this awe and wonder at each day and each experience. I am trying to instill this awe in my children. What Randall Broad spoke about at the Summit hit the nail on the head, everyone should live as if they have cancer. I don't know if you believe in God, but for me, that faith has been such a source of strength. I am not afraid of death, I am only sad it will come sooner than I hoped. I ask God daily for strength and courage for me and for everyone on this site. I ask for him to give you strength - Peace

I was wondering that about Randy too Sue!! I have always wondered who really did kill Lizzie Borden's parents? I am sorry I haven't been on line here all week. I had everyone home for the weekend, with two extra, and although it was wonderful and full of lots of laughter, food and love, it totally wiped me out. When I am this tired it is hard to even think about what to say. Much less type it and proofread it. Today is hot, muggy, overcast and threatening rain. All the flowers and vegetables need watering, and I have put it off all day thinking the rain was coming, but nothing yet. Yesterday it was very hot and sunny. After the farm, I went to the beach and finally finished my book ( good thing, it was a library book, due yesterday!) I recommend it, Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. . It was actually chilly at the beach, I wrapped up in a blanket to stay warm. That is another thing I wonder about, why people live in a beach town in New England but won't go to the beach because it is hot out? That will never make any sense to me. Florida I can understand, but here it is always cooler at the beach, and you can always sit with your feet in the water. Yesterday was my 30th wedding anniversary. 30 years ago, in a tiny church in a tiny town called Hinckley NY. We picked multitudes of lilacs from area farms that morning and made them into bouquets and filled vases with them to fill the church. I had a panic attack right before I was to walk down the aisle, not about marrying my husband, but because once we were married we were going to move to Houston. My father told me he didn't care what I did the next day, but the wedding was paid for and I was walking down that aisle today! Throughout the ceremony the priest, a grumpy old drunk tried to talk us out of it, and as soon as the vows were said he announced, well that's it, you can't get out of it now! 30 years went by very fast, and we have been very blessed. I am glad I listened to my father and not the priest! have a wonderful day everyone, And keep wondering Peace

I have been crazy busy with everyone home so I haven't been able to post, but I had a moment and saw your question Judy. If I remember correctly it was Judy in KW that started the air. This forum - just for fun- had daily jokes, and sometimes fun starter questions. Sometimes the starter questions led to lengthy back and forth discussions and friendships started. Also, a lot of us were not able to do the regular Tuesday night on line chat room, but wanted to connect a little more with each other, so people started posting little things about their lives here (this was before Facebook was so popular). Judy decided to make it an official daily thing and started "the air". I tried to search for the original air, to find out the origin of the name, but the airs are deleted after a certain amount of time. maybe Kasey, or Randy or Katie remember the rest of the details. Alot of the original "air-ers", no longer post on the forums for various reasons and I think some just do the more chatty stuff on Facebook, but if you are out there and haven't posted yet, please join in! This is where friendships are made! When I got to the Hope Summit, it was surreal and wonderful to meet people I already knew so much about because of the Air! We would love to get to know you too!! I am having an amazing weekend. nothing is better than having all 3 kids home at the same time, and my daughter's boyfriends seem wonderful. I feel, however, that once the last of them leave, I will sleep for a week! We have had beautiful weather, a bit buggy, but sunny and warm. Tomorrow is the Parade, then one last barbecue, or maybe we will treat them to lobster rolls. I hope you are all having a Wonderful weekend also!!

Happy Friday everyone!! I am busy doing last minute stuff before MY KIDS COME HOME!!!! I am kind of excited! It is harder and harder now that they are grown and live on their own, to get all 3 of them in one spot at the same time. And, I must say, the three of them together are like a great comedy act! I have one more trip to the grocery store,a stop at the liquor store, one more vacuum (that is a constant with my golden retriever) and then start cooking!! I am trying hard to pace myself so I can enjoy the weekend without being exhausted. My oldest daughter can only come for one day which makes me a little sad, but it is ok, I have her for one day! It is a sign they are grown up when they come for day trips I guess! I hope you all have wonderful weekends planned, and that the weather holds out for any ceremonies and/or parades in your town. If any of you are veterans, THANK YOU. Peace

Bruce, I am so sorry. Sending you hugs and prayers. Peace, Janet

Sue, I have been on Zometa for 5 1/2 years now. I started with an infusion once a Month, after a while changed to every other month and am now getting it every third month. (my sister, who had breast cancer and the beginning stages of osteoporosis gets an infusion every 6 months) It would be worth asking your oncologist about. I had one of those moments myself today. I tried to run some errands and by the third store I was leaning heavily on the cart to continue. I looked around at all the people who were running about smiling and full of energy, many of them older than me and felt so frustrated. good days, bad days, everyone has them. Peace

WHOO HOO for your last treatment JUdy in MI!! Thank you everyone for your suggestions about my crazy eye symptoms. It did make me feel so much better. I hesitated to tell my doctor because last summer I had a seizure and they wouldnt let me drive for 3 months. Now, with summer here, no kids left home to be a chauffeur and a brand new yellow beetle, that would be HORRIBLE! Anyway, I told my APRN 'off the record" and she said we would just keep an eye on it. It is beautiful out today, but I have been inside cleaning all day. Headed out to the stores now for some little odds and ends and then hopefully I will finish up my book on the deck. We are supposed to be having rain today and tomorrow and then a nice weekend, I hope so. I have all 3 kids and 2 boyfriends (my daughter's boyfriends, not mine ) and it will be so much nicer if we can be outside for meals and yard games. I live in a "summer town" and my road is right off the road to the beach. You can tell summer is almost here because the traffic has doubled and getting out of our side street will be hard for the next 4 months. That and the line at the grocery store! I try not to complain, I get to live here all year long! Have a wonderful Thursday everyone peace

Sue, The thing with this disease is that just when you think things are going along great, you get a reminder that life will never quite be the same. Friends and family just might not understand, especially when we look and feel well on the outside. But little things, like not taking a yoga class, or for me, not being able to enjoy a bowl of icecream anymore (Tarceva stomach) are just reminders of how our life has changed, of just what cancer has taken from us. The thing we have to do is to keep searching for new things that can replace those that we have lost, and to remember that it is perfectly ok to just sit back and enjoy life, we dont HAVE to be super women (or men) anymore. I have learned to enjoy the fact that I can ask my husband to do the heavy lifting without feeling bad about it! My kids are all coming home for the weekend, of course I want things to be perfect, but I know they wont be, I get tired, I cant seem to multitask anymore, but that is ok, we will have fun anyway. AND when things arent perfect, I can just play the cancer card! (The cancer card has become quite a joke in my family, and laughing at the beast makes it seem not quite so scary!) As for the classes. I think it makes sense to check with your doctor first. I had mets in my spine also and had to get the go ahead from the doctor to do "gentle yoga" and then I discussed my limitations with the instructor before class so she knew not to expect me to do the moves perfectly. If the doctor says no, ask what you CAN do if excersize is what you enjoy. A lot of people in my support group do aqua aerobics, I think that is alot easier on the bones. I am wondering if you are getting Zometa infusions (Calcium) to strengthen your bones? I gently remind you, that you are new to this, so being sad and frustrated is completely ok and totally understandable, you will find your new happiness and you might even be surprised at how happy you can be. peace Janet

Donna, I just wanted to add my support and let you know that you and your husband are in my prayers. I am hopeful that he will have as amazing success as you in fighting this beast. peace

Thank you for opening the Air, Paulette! And Eric, I am so glad you are home safe and sound and back to your regular routine! next time, add a stop in CT on your agenda! It is a rainy chilly day here today. I was supposed to give a group a tour of the farm this afternoon but they cancelled because of the weather. I should have used the lack of plans as an excuse to get lots done, instead I have used it as an excuse to do nothing!! Yesterday was infusion day for me, getting to be very routine. We scheduled my next scans for mid July, that is a four month wait in between, which is the longest I have gone in a long time, so of course it makes me nervous. I had this crazy thing happen with my vision the other night, it looked like I was looking through a kaleidoscope with bright lights flashing, so of course I thought , brain tumors! But it went away so I will choose to believe it was nothing! This weekend I have all 3 of my children coming home, and my daughters are both bringing home their boyfriends to meet us. I am a nervous wreck about it, so I have been cleaning the house and doing yardwork like a crazy person. I think I am slowly getting over the nerves, it will be fun. It is supposed to rain most of the week, good cleaning weather, not such good weather for grocery shopping though. Oh, and the dog needs a bath. He will take forever to dry in this dampness! Have a wonderful Tuesday! Peace!

I have said it before and I will say it again, Bud, your life exhausts me!! Yesterday I cleaned out the kitchen cupboards. That was my big excersise for the day! I understand what you say about the importance of excersise, I just haven't found a form of it that I like yet! Well, wait, I think walking the farm could count, right? Ann, I can't help you with the motivation question. I am the world's greatest procrastinator. However, I think walking away and doing something you love for a bit and then going back to it may help? It is a beautiful day here today. The sun is shining, not a cloud in the sky. It is still only in the mid 60s, but you can sense summer is on the way. The forecast says we will have this weather through Sunday and then rain from then until the following Saturday. I am praying that changes as I have all 3 of my kids coming home Memorial Day weekend, two bringing along their boyfriends and I really want to spend the weekend, meals and all, outside. Plus, a week of rain and our lawn will be a foot tall! I am headed out to the garden center to pick out some new plants for my garden. Then the rest of the day will be spent planting and weeding. Sounds perfect! (and hey, that counts as excersise too right?!). My husband just requested pasta salad for dinner - it must be summer time! have a wonderful day everyone! Peace

Curlysue I am still working on this too, but I can tell you what I have found so far that helps. 1. Give yourself time to adjust. You worked for a long time, any one who has worked for years and then stops, cancer or not, has trouble adjusting. I loved my job, but I hated going to work everyday. I dreamed of the day I wouldn't have to anymore. When that day was forced on me, I was shocked at how lost I felt. 2. Experiment, you are free to do as you please. try something new, if you don't like it, stop, and try something different. This is your chance to do something you love without HAVING to do it. I was a preschool teacher. I love animals. I managed to find a rescue farm that has a preschool program. I volunteer, so if I don't feel up to it some days, or have Drs.. appointments, I don't have to feel bad about not going. That program is only 2 days a week, which leaves a lot of time to fill. I go to the beach, without guilt, as much as possible, I volunteer at church, I am free to visit friends, take day trips, and crochet and read to my hearts content. It is different than working everyday, but I have learned to love my new life. I have learned to be thankful for the time to live life instead of work through it. 3. Sure there are days when I am bored and lonely, and then I get scared and anxious. On those days, if I am up to it, I force myself out of the house to shop or visit, if I am not, I cuddle up with a good movie, and let myself grieve a little. 4.You are new to this. Of course you are still thinking "cancer" all the time. As time goes by and you realize life goes on, as you find things to fill your days, you will, believe it or not, not think about it all the time. There will be days when it is not your first thought in the morning or last at night. 5. I just learned this. And it was big for me. I was exhausted after the Summit. I am not used to such long days, with so much activity and no nap. I was exhausted when I got home and slept for days. Some of the people I met at the Summit sounded so full of energy on Facebook and I was feeling so badly that I wasn't handling things as well. But, someone said the same thing to me, they wondered how I was so full of energy because they were exhausted! I think it is easy to misinterpret people's feelings, emotions and energy levels when you only speak to them with the written word. We are all struggling in our own way and no one has all the answers. Everyone has good days and bad, full days and , as I call them, "slug days". The important thing, I think, is that we have days. I am so sorry we never connected at the Summit, next year!!! Peace, Janet

I am wih Alan, thank you Ann. I couldn't bring myself to do it even though I too knew it was what Judy would want. Thank you. AND thank you Beetlemike, for the short and perfect "air" on Saturday. This is hard, moving on after such a loss. Judy was so important and so loved by so many. My heart is broken and a bit empty. ok, so today, well, it is 1:30 and I am still in my pajamas. I am still in recovery mode from the Hope Summit. I had so much fun, but I pushed my self and am not used to so much activity especially without naps and early bed times! I do have to get dressed soon as tonight is support group. I know everyone there is going to want to hear about the summit, and I hope to convince them to come to it next year! I spent the weekend getting the garden prepared, I am in charge of the flowers, my husband the vegetables. As I mentioned before, we lost over half of our perrenials to the flooding from the hurricane in September. It was so sad, but on the positive side, starting fresh little by little will be a fun project. (although expensive!) I think I will purchase my first orchid today in Judy's memory. Peace

Welcome back!! I am so glad to hear you are doing well, And with such a positive spirit, it gives me and many others lots of hope!

well, I see the spammers are out in force. I hope karma finds them! I am still in "Hope Summit Recovery"! I had an amazing time, but pushed myself to do everything, so this is going to be a "slug week" for me! I still have the farm, actually twice as much as usual because of field trips, but besides that I am allowing myself to just lie about on the couch with a book, my iPad, some crochet and a hot cup of coffee! no cleaning, even though it desperately needs to be done, and, in fact, I haven't even unpacked yet! Being a slug is made easier by the fact that it is pouring rain today, not even the dog wants to be out there! So no news here. hard to have exciting news from the couch! I am praying for our Judy in KW. I hope she is peaceful. how are the rest of you doing this fine day for a duck?? is it sunny and warm in your neck of the woods?! Peace