Monday's Air

[Janet B]

Sheesh! I only have so much energy in a day and I wrote out a whole AIR and lost it!!!

Any way,!! I have some energy right now, so I thought I would pop in. I miss you guys so much! I try to read the Air everyday, but then run out of energy ( and my brain is a little frazzled with thoughts and words since the WholeBrain) to write back.

Today it is down to the mid 80's. A welcome relief!! I have always been one to be constantly cold, lived for summer and 90 degree weather, but my body has changed in the last few months and I seem to be living in a constant hot flash! Our house has no air conditioning, but we have fans all over! Between the heat, the medication and the effects of radiation, I am pretty much a slug all day. Unfortunately, my days and nights have gotten mixed up, I think I slept two hours total last night. My Onc and I are discussing stronger sleep drugs today. He is weaning me off the Oxicontin and Steroids also which should help to keep me more awake during the day.

When there is a breeze I sit on the deck and catch the sea breeze, but there has been none the last few days.

My husband took two days off and got me to the lake twice last week. It is perfect there because there are shade trees, a breeze off the water and the water is warm enough that you can float for hours. I have turned into the weird old lady at the beach though, my husband walks me to the water, settles me into the float and then holds on to me so I don't float across the lake! I love the Long Island Sound which is just down the street, but there is no shade there, so we tend to go there around dinner time.

This week my sister from N.H. Is renting a cottage a few towns away that is 5 houses from the beach so I may go there once or twice. I gave in to getting a travel wheelchair to get me down the road.

How are everyone's pets doing in all this heat? My bird doesn't mind it, but the poor dog and guinea pig keep looking at me pleading for me to fix it!

Michelle, I lived in a town of 500 in High School and my husbands neighboring town had 200. After college we moved to Houston!!! That was culture shock the other way around from yours! Now we live in a town of about 10,000. Nice size. And, right in between NYC and Boston.

Diane, I am so glad that your son and daughter in law are going to try to work things out. prayers for them. Take it easy on the volunteering driving if at all possible, you need to take care of yourself.

Eric, as always your life amazes me, so active and doing so much for Lung Cancer. I would love to have been able to see Scotland some day. I have been convincing my children they should go! In my new state of lethargy I have been watching old favorites on Netflix. I started the Vicar of Dibley from Season 1 episode 1 - that show just cracks me up!

Everyone stay cool, enjoy life, have Margarita for me!!

Peace. Janet

[dianew]

Janet – what a treat to see your Air this morning!! I am so glad you have been able to spend time on the water. Since I grew up near DC, I remember the heat but mostly the humidity. Is it as humid where you are? It’s been unseasonably hot here, and although we do have AC, I have been running fans in hopes of keeping the power bill down to something less than the national debt. We seldom have humidity though, and that does make it more comfortable.

I hope everyone had a nice 4th. We didn’t do a thing – partly we were worn out and just wanted to rest but mostly we can’t go anywhere because one of the dogs in particular is just terrified of the noise. We seemed to have had an unusually high number of idiots blowing off hands or fingers this year, and the fire trucks kept me up most of the night. The people behind us were setting off something that sounded like canon fire and the poor dogs were just basket cases.

Janet a Margherita sounds good to me! I think I’ve mentioned that I’ve become friends with a woman I drove to treatment. She is in her late 80s and treatment did not work. She is still feeling good and her version of a “bucket list” is to try all sorts of foods and restaurants. So every two weeks we go to lunch to some new place and order things we’ve never eaten. We are having lunch today and I had a list of half a dozen places we haven’t tried yet – but turns out they are ALL closed on Mondays. 

Does anyone have any really exciting plans for the summer? We are pretty much staying home. I have a friend who comes every summer. We rent a place up on the river for a few days and just eat, drink, talk and shop (not necessarily in that order). Neither of us has a sister, so we decided years ago we would be “adopted sisters” and I really look forward to it every year. I think my husband is finally serious about this being his last summer working full time and hopefully that will mean by next spring we will be able to take a trip – maybe even DC for the summit? Scotland might not be doable, but I can dream - the summer temperatures sound perfect! I have my fingers crossed!

Have a wonderful week everyone and stay cool!

[eric byrne]

Good Evening Everyone,

Greetings from Bonnie Scotland we are at last enjoying the most fantastic weather,beautiful blue skies and temps high seventies,set to last for some days yet,I am becoming as brown as a berry.Wimbledon final on Sunday the weather was so good,I decided to record it and play it back in the evening,when the sun had gone down.I cut the lawn its looking so lush green just now,almost as good as a outdoor bowling green,thereafter read the London Sunday Times,do some su doki,then lie out in my lounger working on my sun tan.

I kept the TV off all day to avoid any possibilty of accidently hearing the finals result,so about 7pm,successful in not hearing the score,I decided to check my facebook posts,my nephews birthday was last week so I had sent him birthday greetings,he responded to thank me,adding was'nt it great to see Andy winning Wimbeldon,Grrrr, oh the best laid schemes O' mice and men.I dont know if you knew that Andy in the nineties was at the school where a deranged gunman burst into the primary school in Dunblane and massacred many of the children and teachers,Andy survived by hiding under the headmasters desk.Today Andy has given his hometown something to cheer about.I thoroughly enjoyed watching Andy winning at last after a wait of 77 years to see a Briton win Wimbledon,all the more sweeter that he was a Scot,yeah.

Dont know if I have shared this with you,but my daughter Jennifer has recently become officially Miss Byrne,she passed here post grad cert in teaching English in the secondary school sector,I think what Americans call High School?.She starts at Lochend Sec School in Glasgow.She has met with the school Head and Head of English,she is quite impressed and looking forward to starting in mid August,I think she will make a super teacher of English.

Think I mentioned here that I was a steward for a Ladies lung cancer charity walk through Glasgow recently,I did on that occassion,buy some raffle tickets,well I just received the news that I have won one of the prizes,afternoon tea for two at Hotel Du Vin at one Devonshire Gardens,this place just happens to be one of the best restaurants in Scotland,its owned by one of the UKs celebrity chefs,Gordon Ramsey or Jamie Oliver or someone of the ilk,so will have to be best bib and tucker,who will I take with me?.

My great nephew Max really enjoyed his week with me a my churches kids holiday club,Max celebrated his seventh birthday on Sunday the seventh,his little brother Kane celebrated his first birthday on the sixth,so my little sister arranged a party for them on Saturday,it was super fun,we had a marvellous barbie,the kids and I had a super fight with water guns,I did get a good soaking,but I quickly dried with the suns warmth.

I would be just great if the LCSC buddies could arrange a visit to Scotland,I would love to show you around,August is the best month to visit,the Edinburgh Festival is in full swing,tickets for the Edinburgh Tattoo are a must,its a super spectacle.

Janet I do appreciate the frustration of spending time composing a post here to press the submit button to have it vanish,should really type this out in a word document then copy and paste here,but I have forgotten again.Goodnight everyone,bye.

[michellep]

Hello Everyone! I was so happy to see a post from you Janet. I think of you often and wonder how you're doing. Sorry your not feeling too well, but you're a strong woman and I'm sure things will start to look up for you soon.

It's really been hot and humid here in Illinois. I love being outside but try to just go out in the mornings or evenings. Yesterday though Russ and I helped out a friend and went over with our riding mowers to cut her grass for her. It's about 3 or 4 acres and she has four horses there. Mowing wasn't much fun because of the heat but I love her horses She even has two mules! She said I am welcome to come over and ride anytime I want. I wonder though if I would be able to lift my leg high enough to even get on one! LOL

Tonight we have Russ's grandson spending the night with us. He is 7 yrs old and totally full of energy. Wish me luck