Wednesday's Air

[Joppette]

Well, for some reason, it's the middle of the night again, and I'm awake, so I'll open up again! My not sleeping is not an issue, but I've learned to just be okay with whatever hours I sleep! Cancer does that to you.

Birthday surprise was a delight. Thank you for all your good wishes! I think I got over 100 good wishes on Facebook! What a surprise.

He took the day off from work (which was a big deal). He drove me for an hour and a half through country roads. I had no idea where we were going. He stopped at this tiny little country kitchen for lunch. I did not expect that! But we had a great lunch, and then headed on in our travels.

Once, we got close to the destination, I figured out that we were going to a zoo. I adore zoos. It was the Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek, MI. It was this exotic zoo, with many African animals that I've never seen before. What a delight!

We mistakenly got onto the "kiddie train" and took a 20 minute ride about the park. We lauged as we fitted our big selves into these tiny train seats, not knowing it was the kiddie train.

Next, we got onto the Tram to go to Africa. It was a great time. Afterwards, we headed out for dinner. Again, it was a mystery for me. He took the back roads again, so I had no idea where we were going. We wound up at this lakeside restaurant that is about an hour from home. We had a delightful dinner, a glass of wine, and he gave me a gift of a pretty sweater.

After a delightful dinner, we drove home. The sunset was incredible, and the whole experience was amazing. I told him it was the BEST birthday of my whole life.

When we got home, we shut the A/C off, and opened the windows to a delighful mid 60's night. It is cool, and beautiful as I write this.

I am so grateful for all of this. Life is short, and celebrating it in this manner is priceless.

Hope all of you have a wonderful day. I have a dentist appointment today, and then the "company picnic" with his new company this afternoon. The weather is supposed to be spectacular again, so am very grateful for that as well.

Hugs and love,

Judy in MI

[ts]

Oh Judy, what a great day.

(I'm awake after a 2 hour nap after dinner!)

[Bud Baker]

Good morning, everyone!

It was 86 degrees as I rode to work this morning. Forecast high is 108. It will be our 40th consecutive day of 100+ temperatures.

Bud, I was just curious why they closed all the boat ramps to one of your fav lakes?

MI Judy, Benbrook is first and foremost a water supply lake, and with the drought and extreme heat here, the lake's water level has been lowered to 9 feet below normal. That leaves all the nice concrete boat ramps high and dry. Here's an article from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about it. I found this graph showing Lake Benbrook's water elevation for the past year.

After posting my Don't Set Limits guest blog in March, stating that I expected some time this summer to surpass 24,900 miles (the circumference of the earth) ridden since my diagnosis, I forgot to track that this summer. I now have 26,221 miles since my diagnosis, so I have indeed ridden around the world since being diagnosed with lung cancer!

Perhaps I should post that in Updates or somewhere else. No time right now though, I have to get back to work.

It sounds like you had a great birthday, MI Judy. Have a great day, all!

[Janet B]

Judy in MI - Happy Belated Birthday!! It sounds like it was a perfect one!

AND, I totally get the sleep thing - I now clean, do laundry, crochet etc at 4 in the morning - there is no sense struggling to sleep - I don't work anymore - so now I just nap when I can and try not to let it bother me!

I haven't been on much - I have been reading your posts as best I can, but my double vision has gotten pretty bad (from the steroids or the swelling?) which makes reading on the computer and typing kind of hard! I start off each morning (since diagnoses!) doing the sudoku - I figure if I can do it the tumors in my brain aren't too bad! Well for the last 5 or 6 days I haven't been able to complete one and I was freaking out! Then I realized it was the double vision - I know where I want to put the numbers, but when I go to write them in I put them one square over! Today I worked very slowly with a straight edge for a guide - and SUCCESS! The little things that make us happy!

Tomorrow I am headed to Maine for two days - my sister and her husband are there renting a cottage on Penobscot Bay for two weeks and we are going to invade for a couple of nights! Hopefully while there I will finally see a moose in the wild - but since I have been multiple times to Maine, NH, Vermont and never seen one I am beginning to think they are like the elusive Unicorn!

So, I have been up since seven baking goodies to bring -raisin bread, zucchini bread, mollasses cookies, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies - yum - now to clean - then the BEACH!!! If I don't make it to the beach everyday - I feel like the day is wasted!

Hope you all have beautiful weather today - I am so jealous of everyone meeting in Seattle! Not only would I have loved to be there to meet you guys - but ever since I was a little girl, and there was that TV show "Here Come the Brides" I have dreamed of seeing Seattle! (maybe it had more to do with my crush on Bobby Sherman than Seattle?!) Have fun!

The sun is shining and the birds are singing - I have to get outside - and away from this computer screen -

peace everyone!

[Joppette]

I'm back. Bud, now I get the boat ramp thing! Makes perfect sense. Gosh you guys need rain bad. My brother in law, in San Antonio is miserable too. It's remarkable that you've managed to continue to bike even in this extreme weather. I think we need to get the 60 Minutes news team your way to do a special for TV on the indominitable spirit of human endurance, or something like that. Amazing.

Janet, you were missed! But look at you go! Making all these home made goodies, and getting to the beach. Living life so fully in spite of the cancer junk. Inspiring to me my dear. Thank you.

Yesterday, R was worried as we walked and walked and walked. I didn't complain, but he was concerned. Yes the feet hurt like the dickens. However, I was not going to miss one ensy teensy part of that glorious zoo! It was worth every single wince and "ouch" I'm saying today.

Judy in MI

[jaminkw]

Afternoon All! Had to get my shot today at MDA afterall. The pharmacy failed to tell me I could take it with me for $4000 unless I got insurance prior approval. So, no early start to OH but the man was o.k. with it. Going thru GA heading into SC now so the computer will be iffy to none. It's iffy already not giving me my email and kicking me off LCSC once. Will save as I go lol.

Judy, what an awesome BD Randy gave you. Sounds like he's making up big time for a temporary lapse there awhile ago. Hope you enjoyed the company picnic as well.

CONTRATULATIONS BUD! I think I remember the around-the-world achievement but it's well worth mentioning again and again. You are an awesome survivor.

Janet, so glad the steroids are helping you keep it going. I'm amazed at what you accomplish in a day. You are not the only one who is soooo jealous of those who will be together in Seattle. By the way, I couldn't get into Sudoka but just started doing crosswords puzzles again. I used to be great at them. Was awful when I started again but am getting better. Have a great trip to Maine and hope you see that elusive moose.

Stephanie, congrats on the red tomato and wish you many more lol. In the interest of fresh produce, for once I insisted Stan get off 95 and let me buy GA peaches. They are small but very tasty. And a chunk of peach fritters was calling my name so I got them too!

Have a great afternoon everyone. If I'm not back in awhile, blame the Carolinas. Sorry Randy lol.

Judy in KW

[Annette]

"Good" Afternoon everyone - it has turned into a very trying day. I am swamped at work and spent all day on the phone doing reference checks for a job we are working on - only to find out another job I am working on is due well not far enough in the future to finish. Doesn't matter I'm sliding out of here early to go out to dinner at Plaza Azteca - a darn good Mexican restaurant where they may offer me a alcoholic beverage and I just might accept.

I am so glad that you (Judy MI) had a great birthday surprise - I used to love to go to the San Antonio Zoo when I was younger. I would love to go back and say "Lions and tigers and bears oh my..." I love saying that - weird I know.

Judy KW - hope your travels are easy and I'm glad you are feeling better that's all that matters - good is good right!

Bud - you overshot your house - guess you will have to travel all the way around again. I remember the horrors in New Braunfels (down by San Antonio) when the river was "down" - the industry was mainly tourist oriented and when you couldn't float a tube with a ice chest of beer down the river - why go. No matter how hot it is I miss Texas. When I was in the Navy I wore an awesome shirt that said "It's hard to be humble when you are from Texas".

Judy and Janet - I have several books that I have purchased full of Sudoka puzzles - I do them and then go off on a jigsaw puzzle. One of the girls in St. Paul works the one in the paper up there and it has 9 numbers and some letters in it - I get stumped on the 9 number ones sometimes.

Not sure who I missed but I'm off to dinner.

Annette

[Janet B]

Annette -

I had to reply to your post -

When my husband and I were first married we moved to Texas and were totally miserable (I always said if we could make it through our first year of marriage in Texas we could make it through anything!) Now, not to offend any of my Texan friends - but imagine - a young (23 year old) couple, just married, never away from home and family, home is upstate New York - a village of 500 people, weather never got above 80. - the culture shock of landing in Houston - in July - was mind blowing! Anyway we took a weekend trip to San Antonio and New Braunfels while we were there. We fell in LOVE with New Braunfels. It reminded us of home. (I lived on a river in NY state and we went tubing all the time.) I told my husband if he got transferred to New Braunfels or found a job there we could stay a bit. Instead he got transferred from Houston to Dallas - we have been in CT ever since!

peace!