May 1, 2007 Happy May Day! A pretty good day today. I got a decent night's sleep (for me) last night. Then, early this morning, I drove myself to the clinic for my Coumadin blood check. This doesn't sound like a big deal but it was the first time I'd driven in at least three months and I was a bit nervous. My reaction time isn't what it used to be. They overshot on the Coumadin dose so I have to go and get it checked again tomorrow, along with radiation and an appointment with the heart doctor. A busy day. A number of the blood blisters on my arms have ruptured so I keep dosing them with alcohol and/or Neosporin to prevent infection. I think my breathing went a bit better today, although I don't have any objective, scientific evidence of that. My Oncologist, Dr. S., called today just to find out how I was doing and to let me know his thoughts. He is so conscientious - one in a thousand I'll bet. Also, Fred Olney and Frank Young dropped by this afternoon after fishing the Lewis River and we visited for several hours and, of course, watched the plethora of birds inhaling the sunflower seeds and thistles provided from the feeders near the deck. We got to watch about 50 evening grossbeaks which swarmed in for a spell this afternoon as well. They are always a treat - the grossbeaks, not Fred and Frank. Also a new species for our yard today - a brown headed cowbird - probably lost her way but made an appearance nevertheless.
May 2, 2007 John woke up feeling not too great, after sleeping through most of the night. There are up days and there are down days. Today, the tumor on his side was hurting again, probably due to the discontinuation of the Ibuprofen, and he found he was a little short of breath. I think the Prednisone dose has been wearing on him, too, because it makes it so hard to sleep for long and it weakens his muscles. We saw the cardiologist today and they think the myocarditis is resolved. Good news! His heart and vascular system appear to be working just fine in all the tests they've done. Thank Heaven for small favors.
After seeing the cardiologist, John got his first of ten radiation treatments to the tumor on his side and the one on his 12th rib. Tonight, he says all his "old pains" are back. We are assuming that the Ibuprofen had been masking them, but the cardiologist says he should stick to Vicodin now, if he needs pain relief, because it works better with the Coumadin. Tomorrow we see Dr. S again to explore some more of the options, but I doubt anything will be decided till we see the pulmonologist next week. More stressful waiting, but we'll keep busy and spend time with friends and the time will fly by.
May 3, 2007 Lynn and Phil are on their way to Hawaii right now. Maria and I are not. However, we did get to go down to SWMC for a doctor appointment and a radiation treatment. And the weather was sufficiently nice that we were able to open the sun roof (or is it a moon roof? I don't know the difference.) and enjoy the fresh air - almost like being in Hawaii except for the absence of the warm breezes, salt air, the aroma of tropical flowers, exotic birds, sea turtles, gently swaying palms, and an abundance of succulent fresh fruits. But I wax sarcastic.
I do feel pretty good today -certainly better than yesterday. My breathing seems easier. Dr. S is still mulling over the next round of chemo. He wants to wait until after I see the pulmonologist before deciding and wants me to be almost through with this round of radiation before starting any new chemo. I have eight more days of radiation. Neither Dr. S, the pulmonologists, nor the cardio doc have any idea what's going on with my lungs and causing the breathing problems. Dr. S went back and took another look at my last CT Scan and said there are a number of very small nodules that showed up. Unfortunately, they could be almost anything - basically nothing, an artifact of the chemo, a fungal infection, or cancer (least likely). If my breathing was showing no improvement or deteriorating, then he said we would want to find out what they are, either through a bronchioscopy, lung wash, or operation. No one's very excited about operating on me while I'm immuno-compromised and on blood thinners, especially me! He's going to consult some more with the pulmonologists and others and we'll talk again in a couple of weeks.
So, while we might not be lying on the black beaches of Kona or marveling at the inexorable push of Kilauea's glowing ooze to the Pacific Ocean, we still find ways to enjoy and amuse ourselves, both here at "Rancho Palensky" and at the new wing Regency Blue Cross and I are paying for at the Medical Center. And anyway, Lynn and Phil promised to send us pictures every day! But...... I wax sarcastic.
Cinco de Mayo, 2007 OLA! I woke up this morning feeling pretty dagburned good after a fun but tiring day yesterday. John McCollister and I met up after my radiation treatment, we grabbed some grub at Subway, and headed over to the Lewis River to watch some salmon get caught while we ate our lunch. Then we went by Horseshoe Lake in Woodland and watched a warden chase a couple of guys off that apparently had their limit but were still fishing. They had some nice trout - 14 or 15 inchers. John's wife, Bonnie, came by later and we all went out to dinner in beautiful downtown Battle Ground. Today Jeff and Vanessa are coming down for a visit before they head off to Guatemala (they do volunteer paramedic training and work there). They've been doing this for the past 3 or 4 years. Also, Ed and Julie, who we haven't seen since I got out of the hospital in February, are coming over. Ed is going to cook up a prime rib for us for dinner. So another busy day today.
May 6, 2007 Yesterday, Ed and Julie came over with a very large prime rib to cook up and Jeff and Vanessa also came down for a visit before they head off to Guatemala week (they go their every year and do volunteer paramedical training). So, since we had the company coming anyway and since we didn't get to go to Hawaii with Lynn and Phil, Maria decided we'd have a Luau here. First she called folks and told them to wear a Hawaiian shirt. Then she returned from the store with Leis, Mai Tai makings, little umbrellas and flamingos for drinks, three Hawaiian CDs, pineapples and assorted tropical fruits, greenery etc., etc. (Lord knows where she shops?). Fortunately it was a fairly nice day and we were able to sit out on the deck of the Wauna Haka Luki Hotel (see picture below) and enjoy the tropical breezes. The goldfinches and evening grosbeaks swarming around the feeders provided tropical fauna and the blooming rhodies and azaleas, the flora. Maria made Hawaiian Pu pu's of Spam, pineapple, and maraschino cherries (see picture) and we washed it down with an assortment of tropical drinks with umbrellas, one of which was supposed to be a Mai. However, because of the green color, we renamed it "Kow Pai Pai." Everyone seemed to have a good time - seemingly in direct relationship to the number of Kow Pai's they consumed. In fact, we all felt a little sorry for Lynn and Phil all by themselves in Hawaii sitting at some lonely coffee bar while the real party was happening in Battle Ground. Maybe next year.
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May 7, 2006 "Living with Cancer" Last night Maria asked me to watch the Ted Koppel special on the Discovery Channel entitled "Living with Cancer," with her. I wasn't particularly interested in watching it, in fact I was downright resistant. It was three hours long, although most of the meat is in the first hour, and featured Mr. Koppel's best Friend, Journalist Leroy Sievers, Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, and Elizabeth Edwards. It will air again tonight and likely several more times if you didn't see it yet and want to. The focus was on Leroy Sievers who was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2002. Four years later doctors found new tumors on his brain and lungs. He has been sharing his experience of living with cancer in a blog on NPR.org since February of 2006. He was supposed to have died by now but has persevered and currently has no apparent tumors. But is the cancer necessarily gone? No. It can, and likely will, return at any time. And then the fight will begin anew. But the respite provides hope where there was none. As I listened to Sievers particularly, I realized the huge commonality of feelings, attitudes, fears, and hopes that we have, and perhaps that all of us with a cancer diagnosis share. Knowing that, barring some miracle, the cancer is incurable - and how you and your friends and loved ones deal with it on a day to day basis.
It occurred to me that in my writings here I try to keep it fairly light, maintain a sense of humor, and entertain a bit as well as inform. I enjoy doing this and I will likely continue in the same vein. My concern is that those of you who follow this not think that I am being cavalier or heroic toward this terrible disease. While I believe that maintaining a positive attitude is an important part of my therapy and provides me with a semblance of well being and normalcy, it is not the only side that I have or experience. I have all of the fears that you might imagine. I have times when I am depressed and feel cheated, even though when I take stock, I've had a damned good, rewarding life and should have no complaints. I find I can be jealous over little things like seeing people at a restaurant laughing and enjoying themselves without an apparent care in the world, while I live every moment with the knowledge that I will never again be in that same place. I worry that all my financial affairs are in order. I view each change in season as possibly the last I will ever see and wonder if I will be around to see the plants I just planted bloom. But mostly, I worry about what Maria, Lynn, Michael, Jeff, and my friends will go through when I am gone. Who will be there for them in time of need as they are here for me? And then there's the rush to try to make memories that will last them a lifetime. When I get in these "funks" Maria - ever my soft spot to land - reminds me that with all this comes a gift as well. The gift is the ability and knowledge to live in the moment as much as possible - to enjoy the present with friends and family and to cherish every laugh, every tear, every hug, and every special moment. So, it is with that in mind that we continue to make plans to travel, to recreate, to visit with friends, and to fully enjoy whatever weeks, months, or years might be ahead of us. And, we will continue to be optimistic, since not only does it suit us, but we can find no advantage or reason to do otherwise. (For Maria's comments, go to the Diary page.)
May 8, 2007 I had several medical appointments today; 1) my 5th of 10 radiation treatments for the tumor on my left flank, 2) a blood test to check my Coumadin level, and 3) a consult with the Pulmonologist. They overshot by a ton on the Coumadin level and my blood clotting index was 4.75 (too thin), where it's supposed to be between 2 and 3. They told me to lay off the Coumadin for a couple of days, no football without a helmet, and stay away from sharp things. The visit with the pulmonologist was more complicated. Both he and Dr. S are interested in a swelling that I developed the last several days in my left arm, which we are going to check on with an venous ultrasound of the subclavian vein. The concern is whether the tumor might be compressing the vein? They also continue to worry about the cause of the small nodules on my lung revealed during the last scan and so are scheduling yet another CT Scan. On the bright side, my Prednisone has been reduced from 60mg per day to 40mg. That's not enough to rid me of some of the side effects like the facial swelling, the mood swings, or the inability to sleep, etc., but at least it's going in the right direction. Unfortunately, he said I probably have about five more months of Prednisone as we ramp down to 30, 20, 10, 5, and 0 mg. So, more tests to come and more waiting. But my breathing is definitely better and I felt as good today as I have since I got out of the hospital.
Maria took the time last night to
organize the "Updates" and "Diary" sections of the website by months (note the Archives
above). Since each month is on a
separate
page, we hope it will not only be easier to find things but that it will
download faster. Also, she has started a page where she can talk from her
perspective about her feelings and what's going on. This most likely will be a lot more touchy-feely than my reflections - and
probably a lot more interesting. Whenever she has an
update on that page, the symbol to the right will appear here. Click on it
and it will take you to "Maria's Musings."
May
9, 2007
May 10, 2007 We saw the radiologist yesterday after my treatment and he decided he wants to do more treatment of the tumor on my flank. So instead of being done next Tuesday, he will continue the radiation through the following week. That means an every day drive to SWMC, which pretty much consumes the morning, all for a 15 minute nuking. The doc is being aggressive toward it which is good - and it appears to be working. The outfall of the additional radiation schedule is that we have had to cancel our salmon fishing trip to Tofino, B.C. (west side of Vancouver Island) that we'd planned with some of our friends. First Hawaii and now Tofino! So, as a consolation prize, Maria and I are going to drive out to Horseshoe Lake in Woodland tomorrow and see if we can catch some trout for the old fry pan. It's not quite as exotic an outing as what we had planned but, hey, ya gotta do what ya gotta do! I keep hoping that there will be a break in this medical routine sometime where I have a week or more without an appointment, radiation, chemo, or a stint in the hospital. Right now I'd probably settle for a whole day. Have patience, Little Grasshopper!!
Tonight I went to my first meeting of a Cancer Support Group at SWMC. What a great group of people. I felt very comfortable with them and they were very generous with their time. Of course, now they all want to meet John, as they say he sounds like a great guy. He says he may go with me one of these times. :-) It has taken me this long to want to reach out to a group like that because with all the support from friends and family I haven't really felt the need. But lately, I'm afraid of burning people out, so this is a way to talk about the "elephant in the room" without it being the only topic when I get together with friends.
May 11, 2007 Radiation, doctors' appointments, blah, blah, blah. The real news today is that we went to Horseshoe Lake after the medical stuff and caught a batch of nice rainbow trout. John caught the most and the biggest, as you would expect. One was a lovely 14.5-incher (pictured below) with a bright rainbow. I caught 3. I'm off to "fry them up in a pan," as they say in the old song!
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May 12, 2007 Maria and I
had a fun time yesterday when we went out for a quick fishing trip after I
finished my medical stuff.
As she said, we got seven trout and had about as many bites that we missed.
She fried a couple up for dinner and boy were they delicious (picture at right
is the same guy as the in the one below).
When we arrived home, Fred Olney was
here at the house just finishing tilling up the garden (Thanks Fred). He
took a break and we sat on the deck and enjoyed a wee sip of Gentleman Jack
while we made plans to ply the waters of the East Fork for that last spring
Chinook next Wednesday. I told the the radiologists I was going to take
Wednesday off. If cancer doesn't grow on holidays or weekends, maybe it
can take a Wednesday off too. This afternoon I accompanied John
McCollister, his brother Russ, and nephew Chris on a shakedown cruise of
the fishing boat they moor at Ilwaco so I could learn a bit about how to handle
a 27 ft. twin screw boat. Russ just had two new 350 Crusaders put in it
and it is running really sweet. We cruised down the Columbia a bit and
then had lunch at the Island Cafe on Tommahawk Island. When the salmon
season opens this summer, John and I can go down and do a little fishing and/or
crabbing.
May 13, 2007 Happy Mother's Day! Annie, Garth, Tilia and Taylor came over today for a Mother's Day brunch that was mostly of Garth's making. Son Michael was able to come over as well. Garth made "twice baked" croissants (to die for), bacon, and sage sausage. We provided a tropical fruit salad and Mimosas (Champagne and OJ). We had a delicious brunch and a fun visit with everyone. Tomorrow it's back to the old grind with an early morning "nuking" and a doctor appointment. Then on to Coumadin checks, CT Scans, and more Dr. Appointments the rest of the week. I still feel badly about having to cancel out on the Tofino B.C. fishing trip since, as a result, it seems no one is going to go. John Mc C. said that we could all go up later in the summer anytime we can get away for a few days, so we can at least try to to reschedule something. The fish should be bigger by then anyhow. Last night was another one of those 3:00 a.m. wake-ups for me, although I was able to doze on and off a bit until about 6:00 this morning when we got up. Nevertheless, when that happens, I end up feeling pretty rummy the rest of the day. The large brunch might have a little bit to do with it, too. I was able to fit in a couple of little naps this afternoon and so I feel pretty good right now. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and Mother's Day!
May 14, 2007 An interesting thing happened to me last night. I woke up as usual at 3:00 a.m. and reached for the Pepto Bismol by the nightstand (stomach ache), forgetting I'd also put the bottle of rubbing alcohol there as well. You can see this coming, huh? Yes, I took a big swig of Isopropyl Alcohol, swallowed a bit, and quickly spit the rest out all over the carpet, wall, bed, ceiling, etc. Maria called the poison control center and learned that I would not likely die from less than an ounce. So, with the cleanest mouth in the county, I went back to sleep.
Later in the morning, though, we got the Big Surprise. After I'd returned from getting "nuked," Maria came running into my office squealing with Joy. It seems she'd just received a call from the Lake Oswego Art Foundation telling her that her sculpture (Anillos) won the "People's Choice Award" and would be purchased by the city for permanent installation. Here is the email we sent out to folks that describes it more fully.
As most of you know, Maria was invited last summer by the Lake Oswego “Gallery Without Walls” to craft and enter one of her sculptures. She did so, and “Anillos” (see picture) was installed out in front of the Chico’s Store on the corner of 1st and A streets in Lake Oswego. She has received a lot of positive feedback about Anillos and it was featured in an Oregonian article several weeks ago which described the community’s art program. Each year, ten of the installed sculptures are chosen by the Lake Oswego Foundation for the Arts, to be voted on by the residents of Lake Oswego. The one chosen as the “People’s Choice Award” is then purchased by the city and becomes a permanent resident there. I am bursting with pride as I tell you that Maria just received a call from the Lake Oswego Art Foundation and was informed that her sculpture, Anillos, won and will be purchased by and become a permanent part of the community.
What John didn't
mention above is the surprise celebration he arranged for me last night. Rob &
Paula Jones and Fred & Pat Olney joined us for a toast
and
an array of scrumptious goodies, including Rob's barbecued scallops. YUM! John
had a little cake for us, too. It was so much fun to share my little moment with
our dear friends (dear enough that I even let them do the dishes!). We enjoyed
the warm spring evening outside, watching the birds flitter around the feeders
and telling tales of our youth. What a lovely evening! Thanks, everyone!
May 15, 2007 Another day, another nuking. After radiation and the doctor appointment, I zipped on out to Woodland and Horseshoe Lake and fished for a few hours. I can drive to within 20 yards of the fishing spot so I'm able to cart my chair, rod, lunch, paper, and etc. down there without getting too winded. The weather was fantastic - actually too warm for good fishing. It was a bit slow. I had 5 bites and caught two trout, which will supplement last week's catch for dinner tonight. As I sat there with one eye on my rod and the other reading the Oregonian, I came across an article on Maria's Lake Oswego sculpture in the Metro Section. You can see the article by going to Oregonlive.com
May 16, 2007 Today was a day to think about fishing and fun. John took the boat out with Fred and Michael. They didn't get a bite, but had fun anyway. I managed to get to Portland for a meeting and visited the Portland Art Museum with my friend, Carole. What a nice day! Tomorrow, it's back to the medical schedule with a CT scan and more radiation for John. Results should be available on Friday.
May 17th, 2007 Ahhh, the dreaded CT Scan today. It is the test I think all of us cancer patients hate the most. It yields results about whether the cancer has been held at bay, even if only temporarily, if it has continued to thrive, or if it has broken out and spread to new areas or organs. First we are subjected to the prying eyes of the big "doughnut" as we pass through it, lying there alone and motionless as instructed. After 15 minutes to a half an hour when the doughnut's drone has ended and the technician returns, we try to glean from their expressions or chatter any clues regarding what they saw. "She's whistling - what's she trying to hide? Was it bad?" "Why did he ask me that? Did he see something on the scan?" "Is he avoiding eye contact with me?" As they finish and send us out to get dressed, they tell us, "The doctor will evaluate the results and provide a report to your doctor within a couple of days." Somewhere, perhaps in a dungeon deep in the bowels of the hospital, the results are read by a doctor who has been especially trained to interpret the results produced by the computer - a doctor that we as patients will never meet, who will never meet us, and who can deliver his assessment with total objectivity and anonymity. And we will not be given an opportunity to ask any questions of this this person who has such great influence over our lives and our futures. His missive comes only in the form of a sheet of paper - maybe two - filled with the jargon of the specialty, long words, words grounded in Latin or Greek, words that are unfamiliar and which sound onerous, even if they might not be. Our hearts race while the oncologist studies the report briefly. Again, we watch for any hints of what might lie ahead. Finally, the moment of truth as the doctor turns to Maria and me and says, "Well John, it looks like..............?"
May 18, 2007 Finally, some good news! I went in for my last radiation of this series this morning and then we went to see the Pulmonologist to get the results of the scan and ultrasound test. He said the scan showed that the nodules in my lungs that they were concerned about are getting smaller which they interpret to mean that they were caused by the last chemotherapy and the lung problem I developed shortly thereafter - not an infection or more cancer. This is consistent with the slow but steady improvement in my breathing. Regarding the swelling in my left arm, the scan (but not the ultrasound of the subclavian vein) showed a small clot in the Axial vein. They were concerned that it could have been a tumor pressing on the subclavian vein. However, the treatment for the clot is Coumadin, which I'm already taking so..... It appears that the primary tumor is still stable (not growing I guess). Also, Dr. B is dropping me from 40 mg per day of Prednisone to 30 mg starting tomorrow. I'll do that for two weeks and can then drop to 20 mg for two weeks, 10 mg for two weeks, and then, Jallajula, zip! At least that's the plan as of right now. If there's an adverse change in my breathing ability or some other problem, then it could go back up. I am so looking forward to getting off the Prednisone and 1) getting my real face back 2) not feeling like I'm starving 24/7 3) losing my sensitivity to cold food and drinks (teeth), and 4) sleeping past 3:00 a.m. Keep your fingers crossed for me.
We go to see Dr. S., the Oncologist, on Tuesday and suspect that he will want to start the new chemo. I'm hoping it will be one that I can tolerate and that it doesn't throw me back in the hospital. I really don't need any more lung problems. But, you pay your money and take your chances I guess. I'm anxious to get going as always and start bombing the little fellas with poison.
AND, last night while Lynn and Phil were here having dinner, we added another species to our bird list. A sharp-shinned hawk made two separate attacks on the 30 or so finches and grosbeaks that were occupying our Mimosa tree and on the feeders. Sharp-shins eat primarily birds. Both attempts were unsuccessful. Personally, I'd like to see him nail one of the the Eastern Gray Squirrels as a consolation prize. Maria and I are looking forward to tomorrow. A day off for us. Maria will work in her studio and I will putter in the garden as weather permits, spy on some birds, and maybe watch a movie or two. Life is good.
May 20, 2007 A lazy
Saturday for me. I didn't sleep well last night, waking up at 1:00 a.m.
and then again at 3:00. Finally, I gave up and read until about 4:30, then slept
fitfully until 6:30. I don't think I got over 5 hours sleep all together.
I worked on updating a bunch of stock "stuff" on the computer until early
afternoon while Maria worked in her studio and did some gardening. About
2:00 I joined her with enthusiasm and grandiose ideas of raking and planting and
watering and pruning and fertilizing and.... However, as always happens,
my plans and ideas surpass my physical ability and I ended up sitting on a chair
gasping for air and brooding. Today I even went into the Grand Modified
Funk (as opposed to the common regular funk) where I feel sorry for
myself and stare longingly into space. When Maria saw this happening, she
rose to the occasion and immediately started "face to face" resuscitation,
saying all the right things to
get me out of it. I tried to counter her by saying that I wasn't much good
for anything but holding down a chair - a waste of oxygen. It really
bothers me that she has to wait on me so much and
that I feel like I'm not contributing. My words rolled off of her like
water off a salt marsh harvest mouse, and she continued to administer the face
to face antidote. Within minutes, a smile crept over my Prednisonally
porked-up face and I began to feel better. The funk could have been in
part due to low blood sugar, to the reduction today in my Prednisone dose, or to
lack of sleep. Or maybe a combination of all three. Anyhow, I'm over
it now and Maria and I are going to have some dinner and watch "Gettysburg."
May 21, 2007
May 22, 2007 Maria and I just returned from the appointment with Dr. S., the oncologist. No Chemo yet. Instead, he's going to give me a couple of weeks to continue to hair up and heal over from the last chemo and the radiation (there's a more detailed explanation of our discussion with Dr. S in the Diary Section). So, Maria and I are free as birds until I go in for another PET Scan in a couple of weeks - provided nothing breaks in the interim. We even think we might have time to head south and visit her folks, Al and Rita, for a few days. We haven't seen them in over a year now.
Yesterday, Fred Olney came over and helped get the little boat (15' Alaskan) ready - electric trolling motor, sonar, wiring, etc. Tomorrow we are going to take it out for a maiden voyage to a secret spot not too far from here.
Then, last night, Ann and Bob Crumpton, Maria's friends from her teaching days, came to dinner. They are fresh back from the half year they spend in Arizona, playing golf, bridge, and visiting with friends. They get out of the rain for most of the winter and get to enjoy the Great Northwest during the beautiful spring, summer and early fall seasons. What a life!
May 28, 2007 The website has been out of commission for a few days while my server guy changed over to a new email with better Spam blocking. As always, it took a while to iron the bugs out. Will update tomorrow.
May 29, 2007 I'm Back. What a glorious morning it is!! This past week was wonderful. No doctor appointments. No radiation. No Chemo. No tests. Just fun. This morning, I have to go in and have blood drawn to see how my Coumadin levels are doing, but I just have to go into Battle Ground to do that. The next big push is on the 7th with the dreaded PET Scan followed by an appointment with the oncologist. Based on the results of the scan, we will decide whether to initiate chemo, more radiation, leave me be for a while longer, or just shoot me. So there's no new medical news expected until late next week. Whee!
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L-R; Blake, Fred, Phil, Tom, and Jeff |
L-R; Tom, John, Rob, Blake, and Phil |
The 3 major food groups of a Poker Party; Beer, chips, and dips |
On the personal side, we had a fun Memorial Day weekend at home. On Thursday Jeff, just back from Guatemala, and I went to the cabin at Pacific City and took measurements and made plans to complete the deck in the next several weeks. We enjoyed lunch by the ocean at the Pelican Pub and Dinner on the Nestucca River at the River House. The weather was great. We came home Friday as everyone was heading out for the weekend. Friday evening Jeff and I held Texas Holdem game at our house with the Jones boys, Phil, Fred, and Tom. Saturday Maria and I took Jeff to the train station to head back to Olympia and then went to Portland and had lunch with Lynn and Phil. Sunday was a day of rest and, yesterday, Ed and Julie came over for a long visit and dinner. After dinner, we sat around the fire pit and ate chocolate covered strawberries. Today I think I will finish the putting the last few plants in the garden. On Thursday, Fred Olney, Frank Young and I are going to meet for an old phart's breakfast and then go shad fishing to score some crab bait. Life is good. Take care.
May 31, 2007 The end of
May already! And that means the shad are running by the bazillions in the
Columbia. Today Fred Olney, Frank Young, and I are heading up to
Bonneville Dam and see if we can round up a few for crab bait.