tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-184526952024-03-23T13:10:43.385-05:00Lost in a world awhirlalanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013341654649926300noreply@blogger.comBlogger565125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18452695.post-91859334518474806732015-04-07T14:38:00.002-05:002015-04-07T14:38:52.883-05:00End game...So things didn't get better...I slipped further and last Tuesday I went to my scheduled appointment...when she saw me the choices were go home for a matter of a few hours or days. or come up here where I've been for a week and hope we might stretch that...a bit. My pulmonologist has always played straight with me and though they don't like putting dates on things like this, I kind of asked "days" and got a bit of nod, "weeks" and got a slower nod and when I asked month, there wasn't really one. The primary, much more optimistic is telling me to figure on being at the boy's birthday party at the park next month and watching Indy and Monaco on Memorial Day; that July 4th or another road trip aren't out of the realm of possibility. I'll take whatever I can get, but am still a realist. I'm not sure I'll get here again...between the whirl of family, trying just to deal with a lessened ability and also I have to admit that mentally, the diminished oxygen I'm receiving is having an effect. Before if my sats dropped below 94 I was in pain and at 92 it became intense...a 7 to an 8 on this lovely scale everyone likes. I'd let my numbers rise and then "go" again, or turn it up, or find another cannula. This last few weeks I was up to 4 lines to try and shower.<br />
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They have come up with a pain regimen that alleviates that and right now I can be in the low 90's or even the upper 80's and not hurt, so they've been able to reduce my usage back to something more "normal" for someone to have at home. That will help a lot.<br />
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The best guess is that the tumor (number I heard the other day was 18cm and quadrupling regularly) is doing some other things as well, or the cancer is spreading and masking itself as the IPF. Not sure how much I'll be able to "get around" once I'm home, but being there is wonderful!<br />
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I have most everything dealt with except for tagging some books as to which grandparent or relative they came from; if I can get beyond that I'll try to do it to some of my favorites as well. I found a Library of Congress article that said as long as you use name brand 3M Post-It notes it won't react with any paper or ink; use of any other brand can (and they showed some sad examples of eaten pages).<br />
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If we can't deal with it at home then I'll come back here to their care center...it's not home, but still nicer than the ward.<br />
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I always envied Bing Crosby, flying over to Spain to play golf with some friends and dropping dead from a heart attack. I know none of us get to choose, but wow...<br />
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I've learned much from those I've met here; I've seen the world through eyes other than my own; I've seen things I'd never have been blessed to otherwise. Everyone keeps telling me "you'll be around, you won't be gone"...I'd like to think I'd been that good.<br />
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In the settling of things my sister asked me "what about memorials"? I asked what she meant and she said she assumed, since I had said no traditional funeral service, that some people would want a place to send money in lieu of flowers. I told her I'd never dreamed anyone would do that for me!<br />
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I thought about it a while and then decided that the "<a href="http://oldrhinebeck.org/ORA/donate/">Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome</a>" we visited the last summer would be a most delightful thing I could dream of! You can contribute to maintain the place, the aircraft, etc., you can even look through and pick a particular plane or building. When we were there they had just assembled wings and fuselage on a replica of the "Spirit of St. Louis" they are putting fabric on now built from scratch! There is a Liberty V-12 engine there from WWI that they still run that I love very much, along with lots of aircraft. A hangar always needs patching; there's always a tool someone needs...then there's that original Bleriot they still fly as well! Dottie's personal pet is the new Visitor Center that will have more handicapped bathrooms available and a better location than the current. They had broken ground last I knew and had most of their fund, but things never cost what you think they will, lol!<br />
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Thank you all for sharing your lives with me! It's been grand!<br />
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May the world be kind to each of you!<br />
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alanalanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013341654649926300noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18452695.post-68766102310839403072015-03-25T16:59:00.001-05:002015-03-25T16:59:23.328-05:00Sometimes I wonder...(thinking of the lyrics to "Stardust")I slipped out on a bitterly cold evening last month just after I last wrote to attend a ceremony for my youngest grandson as he "bridged" from Cub to Boy Scouts. It was single-digits outside and though it's only 15 feet from the front door to my side of the truck when she pulls in to get me, I got a couple of lung fulls of very cold air that made them ache like they hadn't in ages and for longer than they ever had. Usually the pain subsides in 10 minutes or so; this time it was over a half hour before the ache let go and my O2 saturation percent came back up to 98%.<br />
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A few hours later, leaving my son's from the "after" festivities, it was the same thing. When I screw up and make them ache that way it usually takes a few days for the "tired" and the "ache" to let go. This time, not only did it not want to let go, but all of a sudden the machine settings that used to maintain me wouldn't: I needed higher settings, more oxygen, more bottles across the board. I had been showering with 3 oxygen lines; it turned into an almost impossible struggle...<br />
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I ended up back on antibiotics as well, because I picked up something that night, but even when they and the steroids started to work, things didn't improve. I figured out management strategies to "get by", sometimes not being able to charge the refillable bottles, using my portable in addition to the house machine during the day.<br />
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I saw the heart doctor a week after this began and he explained that when your lungs hit cold air they choke off the bloodflow so you don't lose all your body heat; when your lungs are already compromised, you can't give up any bloodflow because you're already not getting enough oxygen. That made sense; he said it's usually a problem for cold weather joggers and runners.<br />
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The same week I saw him the "miracle drug" showed up and I started on it.<br />
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4 weeks into it a fever kicked up again; I'd already discussed with the pulmonologist the cautions that were packaged with the new drug about it being a blood thinner and that you should avoid other drugs that are and was told that I needed to do what I need to to control the fever. That worked for a few days; the fever went away with doses of tylenol, aspirin and ibuprofen two hours apart. I stopped those on Saturday.<br />
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My lungs produce phlegm from the fibrosis every day; some days it's a "productive" cough and I can get rid of some of it; some days it's not, and I can feel or hear the stuff but it never makes it out. On the new drug things seem to have been much more productive, right up until there was pink on Sunday morning and a brighter red in the early afternoon. It faded; I figured I was off the thinner regimen and it was a fluke; Monday it was back and faded again. Tuesday there was a brighter red and a larger volume of phlegm and I started panicking a bit-perhaps I've seen too many movies with portrayals of TB in the last century, but I ended up calling the doctor. I see her next week anyway, she said as long as it doesn't worsen not to worry and add a chest x-ray to the bloodwork I'm having done before my visit next week.<br />
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Today there has been some pink again, but no real "red", so I'm going to take that as a good sign!<br />
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I've been spending a lot of time reading this last week and watching old movies. I introduced my granddaughter to "The Philadelphia Story" a few weekends ago and she enjoyed it so much I think "Bringing Up Baby" might be in order next time she comes!<br />
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I hope life is being kind to each of you!<br />
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alanalanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013341654649926300noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18452695.post-28218869669199147192015-02-13T14:00:00.000-06:002015-02-13T14:00:03.437-06:00A bit of green is showing in my lawn...though it's still colder than I'd like outside and going to get even colder the next few days.<br />
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I'd never intended to let 2 months slip away without finding my way back in here again, but I've been either busy or miserable, without any in-between. The holidays, the family gatherings, the visitors...the respiratory bug I fought from just before Thanksgiving until the last few days...it's been a lovely winter so far!<br />
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Finally I seem to have shaken it though; I finished my umpteenth round of antibiotics a few days ago and though I cough a bit of stuff now and then, it is clear and seems to just be my fibrosis at work instead of anything more sinister! I've seen the pulmonary doctor twice since we last visited and had a follow up with the cardiologist this last week, partly an annual because of my episode 23 months ago and partly because if I can get that new fibrosis drug they wanted an echocardiogram done to make sure everything was OK.<br />
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Dottie and all of the kids and grandkids are doing well. It's amazing to have been granted another cycle of the sun to watch everyone grow and change. I was diagnosed 2 years ago December and really didn't figure to still be here; instead I'm really not in bad shape for the shape I'm in!<br />
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This last week I've finally been feeling good enough again we slipped out to a few movies. Dottie really likes the "Hunger Games" movies, so I got her to the latest in that franchise, then the next day we saw the final Hobbit movie. Yesterday it was bitter cold again, so instead of going out to the movies I got her to watch the first movie to win Best Picture with me, "Wings". Bill and Laura bought me a BlueRay of a lovely restoration of it to replace my old recorded-off-the-air VHS. Quite a treat, recorded with an orchestra playing the original score. It actually holds up very well across the years!<br />
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Still no news about the new drug. The pulomonlogist has submitted paperwork and resubmitted, as have I; we're waiting to hear if there are more hoops to jump through or if the company is going to grant me the drug gratis...I can't imagine many can afford $320 a day for it!<br />
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I'm starting to cautiously look towards spring and think a bit about traveling a bit once the snow and ice are done for the year. I saw footage a few weeks ago of someone climbing the ice at Niagara Falls from exactly where we were only a couple of months before that...hard to believe I was there in sandals!<br />
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I hope the world is being kind to each of you!<br />
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alan<br />
alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013341654649926300noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18452695.post-7866784858413005832014-12-13T20:52:00.000-06:002014-12-13T20:52:27.669-06:00Whack-a-mole!I've started to put my head up more than once here the past 6 weeks, but every time I can almost see over the edge of my burrow, it feels like someone takes a swing at it! Thus my reference to the arcade/midway game...<div>
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Healthwise, I'm doing OK; one small round of a bug and a different kind of round with a crown that decided it didn't like the molar it was on after 20+ years. It got pulled last week; stitch came out and all seems fine there as well.</div>
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The Christmas tree is up a bit earlier this year; though every year the promise is "smaller" the tree is once again larger-about 7' tall and about as wide, lol! It will be interesting to see Liam's face when he comes in the door and sees it...I know he already thinks we're crazy...and he's right!</div>
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We've gotten some wrapping done and the shopping is almost complete; perhaps it will really be a "soft landing" this year instead of the all night thrash it usually turns into! (Fingers crossed!!!)</div>
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I'm so saddened by much of the news of late; death in the streets everywhere, every day; men that think they have the right to rape, be it those in foreign lands or my childhood heroes...I've always been wary of idols because of the old proverb about their clay feet, but didn't really expect that one...</div>
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Then there's the old East Coast sausage grinder mincing bits of the EPA, campaign contribution laws and even part of the Apache Indian reservation (really, Mr. McCain?) to make an exotic premium variety for Wall Street. I might go figure out which den the groundhog is hiding in and wait to stick my head up again until he says there still is a sun, let alone that it might shine again someday!</div>
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Yes, I know it could be worse...I keep telling me that, yes I do! I guess that a calendar's whirl from 60 I'm just having trouble convincing me!</div>
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I am truly grateful though, to each who still find their way here! I hope the holidays find you surrounded by love and light and warmth and that the New Year brings each of you the smiles you've each brought me!</div>
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May the world be kind to each of you!</div>
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alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013341654649926300noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18452695.post-69790927317420043582014-10-20T18:45:00.000-05:002014-10-20T18:50:30.779-05:00A bit "Spindletop"!(meaning, forgive me if I gush a bit...)<br />
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We slipped away headed East after my last post. Originally we'd intended a fall trip to a cluster of museums around South Bend, IN. that were "on my list". But if we were traveling that far East we talked about extending a bit to see Niagara Falls (we'd driven by it for 36 years as we went to and fro on the Vermont trips). If we were going to get to western New York, there was another place on my bucket list in Eastern NY; getting there it would be a shame not to skip over the mountains into Vermont and see family again. The timing of all this hadn't even dawned on us until we started trying to book rooms (peak color season).<br />
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So South Bend went on hold, she changed the oil in my truck and we bought a portable oxygen concentrater of our own (because the O2 company lent me one last time cobbled from parts that didn't really provide enough to get me totally off of bottles, and this time said they didn't have one at all until late October and then only for a week).<br />
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We split the run to NY into two days because 8 is about all I can ride anymore and still have time to take my diuretics-the days of driving straight through to anywhere are long gone!<br />
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So our 3rd morning out we awoke a few minutes from Niagara Falls State Park. We went to the "Cave of the Winds", down an elevator shaft and along a shelf in the cliff face, then out onto a set of wooden walkways that lie alongside and partially under the Bridal Veil Falls.<br />
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They gave us rain ponchos, sandals and plastic bags to put our shoes in. I was very glad we had bought a water resistant cover for my Nokia phone (the camera I'm using now, as I can't deal with the wheelchair, the oxygen and the Nikon). Though we didn't go up onto the "Hurricane Deck" we were as wet as we really wanted to get before we went back up to the main park!<br />
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We went back up (much work for Dottie, as my lungs don't allow me to do much to help propel my wheelchair) and ate some lunch as we dried out a bit, then she rolled me to the overlook of the American Falls. There is a new section of walkways they are completing that will get people much closer next year. I shot a few movies just to record the amazing sound of 150,000 gallons of water <i>per second </i>as it crashes onto the rocks below!<br />
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We made a loop around Goat Island on the Park Service trolley (equipped w/wheelchair lift, thankfully) then rode back past our intitial starting point to visit the overlook for the Horseshoe Falls, but it was much too long a "drop" to go down to actually see it (getting down would be easy enough, but there's no way Dottie could push me back up and it was much too far for me to walk, even with two bottles and cannula. I can do short distances that way, or flights of steps, but this would have been several footballs fields of long grade). My phone seems to do well until I zoom it past "medium" focal length, then it begins to distort, so I haven't included the photos of the Horseshoe Falls here. But if you ever get a chance to visit, it's sooooooo worth your time!</div>
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The next morning we were eastbound again for a little place south of Albany named Red Hook, NY-the home of the <a href="http://www.oldrhinebeck.org/">Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome</a>. I'd first heard of it years ago when I saw Neil Armstrong visit there on a PBS series he did called "First Flights". Only a few minutes south of the route we usually take into Vermont, I'd never wanted to give up the family time to visit; it was always too precious and hard to get to spend it selfishly. </div>
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Up early on Saturday we visited their museum hangars and the gift shop that lie across the road and up the hill from the main aerodrome. We got back to the grounds in time to get some lunch and get seats as they started flying at 2PM. The Saturday air show was pre-WWI to pre-WW2 aviation. One of the first things up, as it was a calm day was them flying <i>an original</i> Bleriot monoplane <i>with original motor</i>!</div>
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They only take her up about knee-high off the ground, as they don't want to take a chance on anything happening to her, but to listen to her as she taxis and see the ease with which she does take off makes her seem much younger than her 100 years!</div>
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Other pre-war aircraft flew, one taxied and gave control demonstrations of some of the early "less intuitive" systems that were in use before everyone settled on one. (Remember Beta vs. VHS? Try it when your life is in your hands!)</div>
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Another bit of loveliness for me is to be so cold to lovely old motors like the Curtiss OX-5 in the pusher above. Notice that the valves and rockers are all out in the breeze? Meaning their oil is as well? Motorcycles and early cars were the same way...an old Harley or Indian will waterproof you nicely from the waist down! The early pilots wore goggles as much to keep the oil from their eyes as other debris...</div>
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Many cars, a few motorcycles, a WWI Renault tank...<i>all running</i> are among the other vehicles on display. The airshow on Saturday closed with a lovely Stearman biplane "wringing it out" for the crowd. Before and after the airshow there is a biplane offering rides over the countryside. I begged Dottie to go so she could come back and tell me about it, but she wouldn't because she said it wouldn't be fair. </div>
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We actually had a sit down dinner that night instead of "road food", then a good night's sleep (after we bought wire ties to fix my wheelchair as it didn't like its off road experience). The next day, up early and back to visit the buildings and displays at the lower end by the airfield and talk to one of the owner/builder/pilots who was kind enough to take me "under the rope" and give me a personal tour of his DeHavilland biplane. (Built in a 2nd story Manhattan apartment!)</div>
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The airshow the 2nd day was the last one of the season for their WWI dogfights. But before they got to the Fokker Triplanes and Spads, they rolled out another icon, an original 1917 Curtiss "Jenny" complete with the original 1917 motor!</div>
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A lovely fall afternoon; the color growing more intense in the background each day; vintage aircraft on the ground and in the air-it was a truly wonderful afternoon!</div>
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I can't imagine being able to make wood do what they did for the fuselage in this lovely work of art in the frame above and again below here!<br />
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I left with hundreds of photos and dozens of movies, though I'm still learning my new system. I've also seen some "add on" lenses for it, though they require leaving the armor cover off it and I'm not sure I want to risk that!</div>
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Monday found us headed over the mountains to Vermont. The run through Bennington was very close to peak color, then things were greener again as we headed north towards Northfield where Dottie grew up. We visited one sister on the way up and headed out to try and catch sunset at a favorite spot before we went the rest of the way to Williston to our room.</div>
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As we roamed the state over the next week we were in and out of color as elevation and distance from rivers and streams changed. Every day there was some new brilliance and a lovely view, even when the weather wasn't what some would call "good".</div>
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Around the corner from one of the sister's houses was a haybale sculpture that was too cute not to catch a photo of. The "please don't touch" signs are chest high!</div>
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Finally the time came to turn West again. We left on a route we'd never taken. We crossed into New York on a bridge below where Lake Champlain narrows and cut across New York through the Adirondack State Park-one of the most beautiful drives I've ever had the pleasure of!</div>
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As we approached Hammonsport, NY (our next destination) we saw a lot of New York that was new to us. We crossed and then drove alonside several of the Fingerlakes and both rather fell in love with some territory we'd never thought we would.</div>
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Our last stop for the trip was at the <a href="https://www.blogger.com/http://www.glennhcurtissmuseum.org/">Glenn Curtiss Museum</a> at Hammondsport, NY. I truly didn't know that much about Curtiss, other than his patent wars and lawsuits with the Wright Brothers until the last few months. I've come to a new appreciation of him, not just for his feats in aviation...</div>
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Built it, rode it and set the world speed record on it...in 1906...at 136 m.p.h.!!! </div>
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The more I think I know, the more I find to learn!</div>
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I picked up a cold somewhere in my travels that set in that evening and has had me pretty miserable since. Deep hacking cough that goes on for so long I lose my oxygen and my ribs ache. It slowly seems to be getting better, but in a day or so if it's not markedly so I'm going to have to call someone and may end up having to turn myself in to get some IV antibiotics. The idea of setting foot in a hospital and catching something worse is more frightening than anything I've been through to this point!</div>
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I hope life is being kind to each of you!</div>
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alan</div>
alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013341654649926300noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18452695.post-18051389900261527172014-09-17T00:40:00.000-05:002014-09-17T00:40:26.192-05:00When you know the right people...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
wonderful things can happen! I've found so many of them through the years and the doors that have opened have amazed me!</div>
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One of those belongs to <a href="http://timeandoft.blogspot.com/">Anji</a> (a link to one of her several blogs), who among her many interests, deals in antique postcards. I had purchased some beautiful sets she assembled and gave them to my daughter-in-law a few years ago; antique postcards of flowers made into arrangements that were wonderful pastels and and made a nice wall hanging for her.</div>
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Given the "rabbit hole" I've been in of late, I visited her a few weeks ago to see what I might find in early aviation postcards, thinking I might find one of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Bl%C3%A9riot">Louis Bleriot</a>'s monoplane. Not only the builder and pilot of the first successful monoplane, he was also the first to fly across the English Channel. When you conside the state of aviation in 1909, the reliability of engines, etc., his fame is well deserved!</div>
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My search had my eyes misting as I not only found what I'd hoped, but also two pristine original postcards of Wilbur Wright's visit to France in 1908 (the upper two cards below). They tie in to my current reading (the rise and collapse of the Wright company).</div>
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The 3rd card is of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenn_Curtiss">Glenn Curtiss</a> airborne over Hammondsport, NY. A motorcycle racer turned aircraft builder, among many things he's considered the "Father of Naval Aviation". The last frame belongs to Mr. Bleriot.<br />
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This hangs next to my side of the bed where I see it first thing each morning and last at night as well as numerous times through the day. Thank you, Anji!<br />
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I mentioned my mother-in-law recently and was asked to write more about her. There are so many things I wish I did know! I know she attended Cornell for part of her college, then moved to one closer to home. Given it was the Depression, I don't know whether it was due to financial issues or other things.<br />
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I know her favorite band was Artie Shaw; she told me of dancing not only to the Shaw band, but Miller, the Dorsey and the Goodman bands as well when they played college dates. You can imagine my envy of her getting to hear those in person! One late night in her kitchen in Vermont when I was playing some cassettes of Bunny Berigan with Goodman's band we were discussing the possiblity of traveling far enough into space to catch the AM radio waves and record the radio broadcasts of the period with modern recording techniques...I've been assured by my oldest, the astrophysicist that they would be distorted enough that it wouldn't be the same, but it's still a nice thing to dream about!<br />
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After the war she worked a few more years, then gave it up to settle down, marry and raise a family. She still did some projects from home; the girls remember being given a set of disposable razor handles that she designed injection molds for.<br />
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I know she didn't renew her licenses one year when my wife and her siblings were little. She and the girl's father were both working in a mill in Vermont full-time and still having a hard time making ends meet. At the time groceries and heat were more important. I've been there!<br />
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It wasn't long after we lost she and my Dad within a year of each other that I started making a point of asking my only surviving grandmother lots of things about her history; I learned a lot; part of it I got on cassettes I should be making a point of transcribing to disc before the oxide peels from the tapes. I wish I'd done that with my Mom's parents, my Dad and Marion as well! They say hindsight is 20/20. I sometimes think 20/10!<br />
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I had a couple of good doctor's appointments in the last 10 days; there has been a bit of improvement in my lung percentage. It's thought to be due to how long it's been since I had my last chemo. The cancer doctor said "keep doing what you're doing". I'll have a CT in November so they can really peek behind the scenes; until then I just have to ignore each ache and pain and quit worrying about them, and try and avoid the fall flu season! I went and got my shot the first day I saw them available.<br />
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I hope life is being kind to each of you!<br />
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alan<br />
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alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013341654649926300noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18452695.post-23585324142236485152014-08-11T16:01:00.000-05:002014-08-11T16:01:09.928-05:00Diving deeper...and juggling multiple books and sources, I'm finding myself amazed at all the things that can play into/hinder rational decision making!<br />
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Concurrently reading a Packard history of non-automotive engines and hit their WW2 building of the Merlin (Rolls-Royce aircraft engine, most notably used in the P-51 Mustang) at the same time I got to them in a memoir by a Rolls-Royce engineer who was very involved in it. Mixing that in with some of the politics that I picked up at the Churchill Museum in Fulton, Missouri and the Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abilene, Kansas and reading a bit more on key players, I'm convinced we're lucky to have survived!<br />
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My "light reading" this past little while, among all the technical things, had been "Lost Horizon", the James Hilton novel from the 30's. I've seen bits of the movie, and love Ronald Coleman, but have always avoided the movie because I wanted to read the book first. I finished it a few days ago, and last evening, when my brain had been sufficiently "stretched" by all the "heavier" reading, I dug out one of the Will Rogers books I've picked up this summer "Letters of a Self-Made Diplomat to His President".<br />
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I saw the cancer doctor a few days ago. He said he heard nothing that caused him concern; he didn't mention scheduling any tests, just made sure I had prescriptions ahead for my antibiotics and prednisone to try and finish getting through this round of lung infection and another 2 for next time.<br />
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The only friend I have that goes back more than 30 years has moved back to Kansas and bought a farm, so we took a day trip on Saturday to visit him and meet his "new" wife and daughter. It looks as though life is finally smiling on him, and the day "in the country" was wonderful! I'm looking forward to a return visit soon!<br />
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Between sorting some plumbing issues here along with some other odds and ends as well as having my brain "picked" over the phone to troubleshoot some things, I'm feeling not quite so useless this last week or so. It's kind of nice to feel like I'm contributing something to the world instead of just watching it go by!<br />
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May the days be kind to each of you!<br />
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alanalanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013341654649926300noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18452695.post-14448743038083618142014-07-29T06:14:00.000-05:002014-07-29T06:14:11.585-05:00Down the rabbit hole!When I came back from my trip to Dayton and Indianapolis with so many photos and books I planned on spending many hours going through them, researching the engines I'd never heard of, the configurations I'd never seen, etc.. I never dreamt I'd spend quite so many happy hours doing so, to the point of waking in the middle of the night to go read or re-read a certain piece, or look up some piece of information that suddenly "gelled" as my mind mulled things while the rest of me slept...<br />
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The ever-widening circle of information led me back into realms of engine theory I hadn't visited since my days riding and street racing Triumphs, the engineering I taught myself then just being a primer for the things I'm delving into now. A new pantheon of engineers and designers is taking shape in my "hall of heroes". It's an interesting trip! (Thus my title for this post.)<br />
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I was startled to find supercharged motors in the Air Force Museum that dated almost to the end of WWI. Having come home and devoured the "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Packards-At-Speed-Robert-Neal/dp/0964748304/ref=la_B001JRX1P4_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406632007&sr=1-3">Packards at Speed</a>" book I bought, along with a few other "lighter" things, I moved onto the Packard "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Master-Motor-Builders-Production-Non-Automotive/dp/0964748312">Master Motor Builders</a>" book. Also, unable to buy a book covering the Allison engines at the museum I visited in Indianapolis, I came home and found one on eBay-being sold by the Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust (they operate that museum). Several transactions later, I'm now a member. The things I've learned as I tied all this together have added Henry Royce to that list I mentioned earlier.( I'd never considered the possibility of weighing the air/fuel charge in a cylinder to determine what the power output would be under a given set of circumstances...among the many things I'm learning!)<br />
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The "Master Motor Builders" book has me hunting down names and theory, scribbling notes and working a calculator, much to the amusement of my wife. I keep finding things that predate my ideas of when they began by decades! It seems Tesla wasn't the only engineer who was years ahead of his time; he was just more prolific...<br />
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All of this is making me miss my mother-in-law terribly as well. A mechanical engineer, descended from a long line of inventors and engineers, she graduated college just in time to work for Pratt and Whitney during WW2, laying out assembly lines and streamlining things, hiring to fill them, along with various design projects. She always had a way of reducing things into simplest terms, thus making "the little light bulb over my head" turn on. What it takes me two or three days to sort out by surfing the web or sorting through other books she would have settled in a few minutes. Somewhere I know she's smiling...<br />
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Curiouser and curiouser!<br />
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May the days be kind to each of you!<br />
<br />
alan<br />
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<br />alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013341654649926300noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18452695.post-46222237995342457822014-07-11T07:11:00.004-05:002014-07-11T07:11:42.992-05:0021...for dinner and fireworks. The most people we've had here at once in the 36 years we've been here! A bit worrisome as the day approached, because it is a small house, only one bathroom, etc.; all the things that make you "sweat" ahead of time.<br />
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But it came off well; Dottie had things planned out well; everyone brought food and my younger son grilled (I kind of stay away from the grill now, with my plastic O2 line and bomb of an O2 bottle). Last year I bought a good 3M respirator with charcoal filters that were rated for sulfur fumes (black powder) and slipped the O2 line from my concentrater out the door to my chair and under the mask. It worked well-a year ago I never figured I'd get a chance to use it twice!<br />
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Bill and Laura made it in from Colorado so I got to watch Liam as he watched his first fireworks; as wonderful a year as I've had to this point, that was among the highlights so far!<br />
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Now the weeks until school starts again are growing short, so we're trying to spend as much time as possible with the grandchildren here (though their schedules are still hectic). We've been making day trips with each of them as they've had time, and have perhaps time for one more round with each of them before their schedules get really busy.<br />
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If I'm still doing OK then, perhaps another cross-country trip before winter sets in...<br />
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May the weekend be kind to you all!<br />
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alanalanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013341654649926300noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18452695.post-67240339828751767142014-06-19T16:32:00.001-05:002014-06-19T16:35:08.039-05:00Such a lovely high!Home from some of the most wonderful 8 days of my life, never having thought I could string together so many in a row! Despite the logistics of my support systems, Dottie loaded up my oxygen concentrater, the compressor that refills some of my bottles, the CPAP, wheelchair, shower chair and a dozen non-refillable bottles in the new shell on the back of my pickup, and she drove (it's not that I can't, but since November, she insists) from here to Dayton. (After she changed the oil in it and did all the other things I always did before we set out on the road, plus mowed and caught all the laundry up!)<br />
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My older son and his wife set up rooms for our trip, and I allowed for 3 days at the <a href="http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/">National Museum of the Air Force</a>, a day of rest, and then a day to visit some Wright Brothers sites that are there in Dayton as well. There are a group of "old-timers" I've chatted with off and on for years on a message board for veteran's who flew the B-36 who had told me it would take that long to do it justice, and since the admission was free, I planned accordingly. For years I've driven by it as we made the trip to Vermont to visit family, always intent on getting there and never taking time to do other things along the way. Last year, thinking it was my last chance, she suggested stopping for a day either going or coming home, but I knew that would only break my heart as I'd know how much I hadn't seen...<br />
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Being in the shape I'm in and dependent on others for mobility except for short distances, I knew I shouldn't be dragging my Nikon and lenses and a bag. When Nokia started offering a cell phone with Zeiss optics (Zeiss as in lenses like the Rolleiflex I shot years ago; like the good lens that was in my 4X5 Graphic, or on my Dad's Hasselblad) I started doing some research and liking what I read, got one. Though I miss my other lenses, I got by pretty well with my new Lumia and it's simple enough that Dottie can shoot it as well, and did a lot as she could shoot angles I couldn't, and get to places I couldn't in my chair.<br />
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Allowing the extra days at the Air Force Museum was the perfect call; we took 4 days and still didn't quite manage the whole thing! A million square feet of aircraft, engines, related systems, memorabilia...I didn't read every card, but probably 85% of them, photographed most so I could come home and look up more info on the ones I wanted, and we photographed almost every aircraft, missile, space capsule, engine...I was in mechanic's Heaven!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A plane I've loved since the first photo I saw at about 11, the Boeing P-26.</td></tr>
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Divided into galleries by era, we spent the first day in the "Early Years" gallery; the 2nd in "Air Power" (the build up to WW2 and through it to it's conclusion). The 3rd day we started in the "Missile Gallery" (I finally understand the theory that makes geosynchronous orbit work!) and moved out into the "Cold War" because they were the furthest from the entrance, and I was feeling very guilty about Dottie wheeling me through this wonderful place. At the end of the 3rd day we came to the training mock-up of the Space Shuttle, and I told her to go ahead and go up by herself because I didn't want her pushing me up the ramps for it. It was late in the afternoon, and she said we'd see how she felt in the morning.<br />
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Notice, that was the end of the 3rd day, and my wonderful wife didn't even question whether we were coming back for a 4th!</div>
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So the next morning, she did take me up into the trainer. I was grateful for the 5 flat stops on the incline going up, though they didn't really lessen my guilt. After learning and talking to the two docents who were there, we went down the other side and on to the "Korean War and Southeast Asia" gallery, via a corridor filled with much info about the Berlin Airlift. I'd read much about it through the years and still learned things; Dottie was saddened by how much she didn't know, as it was just a footnote in her history class.<br />
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There is a very nice cafeteria there with reasonable prices where we ate each day, then went back to the motel so I could take my meds and refill my O2 bottles for the next day. I averaged 5-600 photos per day, and killed the battery in my phone 2 days out of 4 there. (I've since bought a battery bank for my next trip!)<br />
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That last day, we didn't get out quite in time to visit the 8th Air Force Control Tower and Nissen hut they have set up outside, a recreation of the ops centers from WW2 and an actual hut brought there from England.; it closed an hour before the Museum itself. We visited the aircraft they have stored outside, and called it a day.<br />
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The next day we were supposed to move to Indianapolis, but since it was only a 2 hour drive, Dottie loaded everything up again and we went to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dayton_Aviation_Heritage_National_Historical_Park">Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center</a> in downtown Dayton. I thought I knew much of Wilbur and Orville, but had no idea of their connection to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Laurence_Dunbar">Paul Laurence Dunbar</a>. (I have books of his poetry that belonged to my grandmother, along with ones of Countee Cullen.) Along with a museum dedicated to the history of the parachute (again, learning much I didn't know) we crossed over to the "Wright Cycle Co." shop. Viewing their machinery with their creations in mind only heightens my respect for them.<br />
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The night before, as I was planning out our day, I ran across a note about <a href="http://www.americaspackardmuseum.org/the_museum.html">Packard museum</a> that was a few blocks from the Wright Cycle Co.. I have memories of being not much more than a toddler and my Dad working on a Packard at a distant relative's house (something Dad didn't do often; cars usually came to him) and what a beautiful car it was and his reverent tones when talking to the owner about it. With that and their history in aircraft and marine engines, I took a chance and asked her to take me there.<br />
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(I should mention at this point that my new phone also does navigation, and proved useful for times like this!)<br />
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We parked, she wheeled me across the street and then I had to step up into the showroom of the old dealership building-the real, original dealer's building-and was never so glad I clicked a link! Car after car; engines, a truck, a WWI Liberty aircraft engine (turns out that besides building them, Packard was in on the design), a WW2 PT boat engine...limos, racers...it was a wonderful afternoon!<br />
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We got to Indianapolis just before dark that evening and settled into our room with my head swirling with the images of the last 5 days and my heart smiling as I looked back through some of the photos, adding "favorites" to my phone and texting her ones she liked to add to hers.<br />
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The next day she took me to Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where I had planned to visit the <a href="http://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/facility/35204-museum/">Hall of Fame Museum</a>. As she paid our admission, they told her about a "behind the scenes" tour that was available. I told her no, that was OK, I didn't want to slow anyone down. They said their van was equipped with a chair lift, and she told me I was going...<br />
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And go we did! The grounds, the garages, past the medical facility I've seen so many drivers sent to; on to the "Pagoda", where all the reporters work from, the press conference room, timing and scoring then on up higher to the Hulman family suite (the owner's of the track). Then back down and to the podium, where the drivers receive their trophies (a bit of walking for that, but not much).<br />
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Finally, they took us down to the "yard of bricks", the finish line; the only remaining pavement that shows from "The Brickyard" of 1911.<br />
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From there it was back to the Museum where I spent the rest of my day among 75 or so of the cars that have won through the years, the Offenhauser engines my Dad used to think the most wonderful ever built, along with a special display of all the turbine cars that tested or ran (some with the same engine that was in my Navy helicopters). Again I was in "motorhead Heaven" and again I killed my camera battery.<br />
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Between Dayton and Indy, I'd seen a sign for the <a href="http://www.mtfca.com/clubpages/museum.htm">Model T Ford Club of America's Museum</a> at Richmond, Indiana. It wasn't far from Indy, so the next morning found us heading east again. Again more delight, more learning, more smiles. At least the camera battery got to charge on the way back to town, because I'd read a blurb in the tourism booklet the night before about Rolls-Royce Heritage operating a <a href="http://www.rolls-royce.com/about/ourstory/heritage_trust/support/branches/indianapolis_branch.jsp">museum</a> of Allison engine things (what my helo engines were, among many others). We found it, and I spent the rest of my afternoon in bliss.<br />
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The next morning we were supposed to head home, but wanted to mail one last set of postcards with Indianapolis cancellation marks, so I found a Post Office and put it in my GPS. A familiar street name from some research I'd done came up and meant one more stop on our way back towards the freeway.<br />
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Though the Andretti Autosports shop wasn't doing tours at the moment, they were kind enough to let Dottie take me in and spend some time among the cars, get some photos, and some autographed photos.<br />
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I've been home and rested up some; I'm still picking through photos, because I keep reading up on more things as I do. I've also put away a book that came in while I was gone: "There's Not a Bathing Suit in Russia", a Will Rogers volume from 1927 I picked up. Written about his visit to Russia 9 years after their revolution, Will chiding Congress for letting Russia get ahead of us in aviation fit in nicely with this past few weeks!<br />
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I had a doctor's appointment on Monday. He thought I was doing wonderfully, and said keep doing what I'm doing. He also said something about no sign I was ready for hospice, which took me aback, as I wasn't really thinking about it, though I know it will come. He did say that any further chemo would be a real "Hail Mary" because I've already been through so many rounds. He is checking on the Pirfenidone that has finally been released for compassionate use to see if it might keep my lungs from slipping as quickly and not react with the cancer...<br />
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So I'm plotting out some day trips for now and getting ready for the 4th of July! A year ago I figured that was my last one, so I'm truly planning to enjoy this one! After that, perhaps another road trip...<br />
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May the week, the world, and life be very kind to each of you!<br />
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alan</div>
alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013341654649926300noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18452695.post-68050524910299887852014-05-30T18:15:00.000-05:002014-05-30T18:15:51.641-05:00So far it's been a lovely spring!I spent a few days recovering from the road, then my oldest and his wife came to visit for a week and a half with the "new" grandson. At 6 months, he's 95th percentile in everything except head size, and there he takes after my side of the family, so he's off the chart, but the doctors are finally not worried because he's been consistently there, lol!<br />
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They split days between here and her parents. On one of their trips there, they went and had some baby pics taken by a professional photographer that will soon be hanging all around the house. We got the family together once for my nephew's college graduation (a teacher-to-be, hurray) and again just so my sister got some extra time with her newest nephew.<br />
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Since Dottie quit work I've had the longest spell without catching anything that I've had since I was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis 18 months ago. It seems she was right, that she really was bringing things home from work! I'd been trying to convince her it couldn't be that and that I'd end up being sick whether she was working in a nursing home or not...shows what I know!<br />
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Though I am knocking on my head as I write that!<br />
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After Bill and Laura went home, we picked up the John's youngest son and brought him home for a few days-since she's not working and he's out of school, we can do that on weekdays now! He's always very happy to come hang out, watch movies and play video games...the art museum we took him to yesterday wore on his patience a bit, though there were parts he seemed to enjoy.<br />
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Dottie's returning him right now and I'm waiting to see if she comes home with our granddaughter...the one who's 13 and going on 24, I swear! Last fall she was still a little girl, and a few weeks ago she came around the corner with a towel wrapped around her head after a shower and it was like she totally grown up in just a few months.<br />
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I've finished 3 of the books I came home from Claremore with; one written by Will's great niece; one a history of the ranch where he grew up, but so much more a history of the land, the people, the territory...a sociological study...a time capsule...from when someone could ranch 60,000 acres and run 10,000 head of cattle and have other ranches almost as large in every direction, through the break up of the ranches into farms and statehood for what began as Indian Territory through the arrival of the railroads and the beginning of the citification of things.<br />
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The 3rd book was about a different Will I've always had an interest in-William F. Cody. Years ago I read a book written by Cody's sister that was reprinted with a forward by Zane Grey when Cody died; I'd bought several more about him since. This one was written by someone who formerly ran the Cody Museum in Colorado at his grave site, and besides having access to a lot of memorabilia and photos I'd never seen, he also had access to court documents and things that are making me rethink the stories I'd read until now (about how Cody ended up being buried in Colorado instead of Wyoming).<br />
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After the docents at the Will Rogers Memorial pointed me in the direction of some collections of Will's daily telegrams and weekly columns (cross indexed so they are searchable) I picked up the first volume of each of them to fill out the sets I've acquired, and picked up a few first editions of his books that lept from eBay into my mailbox as well. I unwrapped one from 1924 yesterday and it was so perfect that my eyes misted...when a sawbuck can bring a pristine first edition to my door, it's hard to pass up!<br />
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I'm plotting out a few more trips for this summer, hoping that my good fortune continues and life keeps letting me play!<br />
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May it be kind to each of you as well!<br />
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alan<br />
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<br />alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013341654649926300noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18452695.post-77940833838970452762014-05-10T15:22:00.003-05:002014-05-10T15:22:32.058-05:00My 2nd childhood...I've had a lovely week, though it didn't really start out to be. I got my reading of the P.E.T. scan from the cancer doctor on Monday-after the 6 month gap since my last chemo treatment, the cancer is growing again. The tumor is up around 30%; the lymph nodes are showing activity, though not growth. He said it's too soon to start chemo again, that it would weaken more than the result would be worth.<br />
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So we decided to try to take a road trip. I couldn't get a portable concentrater, but got some extra bottles from the O2 company, took my machines from here so I could refill the 4 bottles they gave me with it, and we loaded up all of that stuff and my wheelchair and headed south.<br />
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I've been wanting to revisit the Will Rogers Memorial since I was a kid; Dad took us there in 1962 (I was 6) and I bought "The Autobiography of Will Rogers" and read it before I was much older, as well as numerous times since. You've all known me to quote him...he's been a big influence on me. Yet, vacations were always about visiting family and we never took them to go places for "us".<br />
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But Dottie made a point of getting me there, and it was wonderful! They've almost doubled the square footage since I was there, very tastefully done architecturally, I might add; the exhibits are fantastic and they have several of his movies playing constantly. I spent far too long in the gift shop after, as well!<br />
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The next day we visited the J. M. Davis Firearms Museum (an amazing collection) and had dinner at a Claremore restaurant that was one of the best meals of my life. Friday we headed home, via Oolagah (the town closest to where Will was born) and visited the Will Rogers Ranch, where the house he was born in stands. It was moved uphill about a 1/4 mile to get it out of the area flooded by a lake they filled in the 60's and when I saw it back then it was still sitting on timbers and jacks from the move. Now it sits on a lovely homestead with a period correct barn and furnishings provided by his sisters, some original and some replacements, but correct.<br />
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I was very exhausted by the 3rd day, but had a great time. I slept 14 hours last night and I'm still tired, but so very glad we went!<br />
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I hope each of you are doing well!<br />
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May the week be kind to you all!<br />
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alan<br />
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alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013341654649926300noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18452695.post-86505203857214738222014-04-12T15:59:00.000-05:002014-04-12T15:59:19.934-05:00Lovely weather we're having...as thoughts of an old Louis Armstrong track play in the back of my mind...<br />
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The last few days have finally seen me winning my battle with that last round of pneumonia. 4 rounds of antibiotics and, after a visit to the cancer doctor last week, his suggestion of a taper dose of prednisone seems to given my body the "oomph" it needed to fight back...this time. As always, foreshadowings of what lies ahead linger, but it's warm outside and I can get out and about again (with assistance) and it's time to enjoy things for a while!<br />
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My sons both approach the mid-point of a "normal" life span this month; in their mid-30's, I couldn't be prouder of both of them or the choices they've made in life or their families. Next weekend (weather permitting) will be another of those family gatherings to celebrate their birthdays, along with a nephew who graduates college this year. The years seem to leap by now! My oldest grandson got his "learner's permit" to drive the other day and has been texting me all about the Porsche he has his eye on for his first car...a bit poignant for me because I'd planned last year to buy a set of frame rails and start building something I'd have been putting a body on this summer with his help. Instead I've sent my last stash of magazines and parts catalogs to him because they're a bit hard to look through. I'm still reading "Hot Rod Deluxe" (reprints of things from the "old days" and ones found from then) and a couple of aviation magazines, but much more "then" than "now" things. There is more than enough in the news for now and when I want a break the NASA channel is nice!<br />
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As I write, the Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach auction is playing; it always "knocks me out" to see the cars from the high school parking lot, that the neighbors drove or things that Dad and I worked on selling for multiples of what my house is worth!<br />
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Dottie gave her notice at work; partly because she's tired of bringing home "bugs" that may or may not be part of what have been "getting to" me as well as fear of bringing home one that really will; partly because there are probably 3 or 4 months of time left that I'll be able to do things before we won't be able to take enough oxygen for that and I become housebound, at which point I won't be able to stay alone anyway. If I can stay healthy we plan to have a fun summer until that time comes. We've bought a "shell" or "cap" for my pickup so we can load up all my accoutrements and perhaps slip away for a few days at a time; beyond that there's going to be as much family and grandkid time as we can manage!<br />
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I'm still going to pop in here from time to time, but with her home 24/7 and her "anti-social-media" stance, I'll be looking over my shoulder, lol!<br />
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Something that I came across the other day, as I was scanning things...<br />
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I'd been taking pictures of the boys and Dottie and she picked up my 35mm. She says I was making comments about her abilities with it...it wouldn't surprise me, I guess!<br />
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I hope you each are having a wonderful spring and that summer is kind to all of you!<br />
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alanalanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013341654649926300noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18452695.post-26538574257940749352014-03-25T16:23:00.004-05:002014-03-25T16:23:50.700-05:00Finally! A hint of green outside!I only wish my lungs weren't so jealous that they'd decided they needed a bit of green of their own! I'm in the 2nd week of a battle against a "mild" round of pneumonia they caught in a chest x-ray I had done two weeks ago tomorrow. Tomorrow I'm in for bloodwork and another x-ray and, since there's still a bit of color coming up, a refill on that antibiotic.<br />
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We had a few days of 70's last week, but then dropped back into the snowflakes yesterday. They're saying we finally have a warm weekend coming up so maybe we can finally get the front hub put in the Malibu and get it back on the road. The list of things I'm unable to just "go do" now rather irks me sometimes, not only because I can't, but because I have to ask others to, be it my wife or my son. I've had to concede though, because a few weeks ago when "we" put the car up to diagnose it, I got under it at one point (which was easy enough) and getting back up took about 15 minutes as I sat up and recovered, then turned over onto my hands and knees and recovered, then straightened up and recovered, then finally stood up and recovered before I managed to walk 4 feet back to the lawn chair.<br />
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So from here on I read the manuals and "supervise" and perhaps hand off a few tools, but my days on the creeper are done, lol! I now know how a turtle feels when he's on his back!<br />
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I finally got far enough ahead on last year's leftover medical bills to update the scanner software I needed to make it work with Windows 8 and have been scanning my way through the family archives these past few weeks, trying to get them digitized and backed up along with "cleaning up" a select few in Photoshop as I do. I'm starting with the slides because they're easier than the negatives-at least they're all a uniform size, though I do have some 6x6 ones running around somewhere after I finish the 35mm. Film will be fun when I get there-there's everything from 110 Instamatic stuff running around to 8x10 transparencies. I'm rather curious to see what the meg size on that one will be...<br />
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May life be kind to each of you!<br />
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alanalanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013341654649926300noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18452695.post-23962418856629919892014-03-03T12:54:00.000-06:002014-03-03T12:54:45.796-06:00Crossroads...I spent the weekend at one...sadly I wasn't smart enough to bring anything to "conjure" with.<br />
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I saw the radiologist on Friday. He seemed to think I was a great candidate for stereotactic radiation, though there was a "small" chance I might react to it, a slight chance that with them doing 5 doses because the tumor is behind my rib that the rib might become brittle and be easily broken or "cracked". I told him that life wasn't exactly easy right now, and that I couldn't imagine what it would be like if I lose any more lung capacity.<br />
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He said he would contact the pulmonologist this morning (her first morning back after a spring vacation) and would call me on Tuesday.<br />
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After telling both boys what was going on, I did a bit of research on line and found a case history of someone they tried this on in 2008 who was in the very early stages of IPF. He had been through chemo, his lungs were just beginning to show the scarring from the fibrosis and he seemed fine after they did their radiation treatment. When they did the follow up he had developed radiologically induced pneumonia and that kicked off the fibrosis; he went from not being on oxygen at all to where I am now.<br />
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So I didn't have a good feeling about it after reading all that!<br />
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This morning when the phone rang, Dottie was getting ready for work. I was still in bed, only vaguely noting the ring and that she had answered it. A few minutes later I heard her in the bedroom doorway as I turned over and snuggled back down under the blankets (it was below zero here this morning).<br />
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She said the phone call was the radiologist; he had called the pulmonary doctor and she told him "hell no he couldn't do radiation on my lungs", it would kill me.<br />
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So now their consensus is that I should go back in 3 months and have another P.E.T. scan so they can figure out if the cancer is spreading again or not.<br />
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Though life isn't "easy" at this point, I'm not really ready to "give up". I do dread where it all goes from here...<br />
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In the meantime, I've done what I need to this morning and I'm going to heat up some chili for lunch, then crawl under a blanket on the couch and watch a movie or play a video game. While I dealt with the first of the month stuff this morning I caught up on the latest on Ukraine/Crimea/Russia and it's time to escape for a while!<br />
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I hope each of you are warm, and that the week is kind!<br />
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alanalanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013341654649926300noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18452695.post-5081859032790780632014-02-20T15:21:00.000-06:002014-02-20T15:21:42.581-06:00The pendulum keeps swinging...Frozen weeks, then a few days of warm; good news, then not so good; the same with my days...good ones, then not so good. Sometimes it even breaks down into hours! Kind of like letting someone else pick your music...<br />
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I set up a Pandora account years ago but never really used it. The blue-ray player we bought is a "smart" one, so it will play that, along with NPR stuff and You Tube (been spending a lot of time in Jay Leno's garage lately). I set up a channel of swing stuff starting off with some Erskine Hawkins and it swings along nicely until they decide to throw in something in the same tempo but "urban". I'm not sure if they're just checking to see if I'm awake or what!<br />
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One of Dottie's sisters is flying in tonight and Bill, Laura and Liam are driving in from Colorado tomorrow because John and Noel are renewing their wedding vows this weekend for their 15th anniversary. They're also having the "big do" they didn't have a chance to back when they started out. I used to feel guilty when Dad and I were photographing those that Dottie hadn't had a chance at one, but she's assured me enough times through the years that she wouldn't have wanted one even if it was offered that I finally believe her. Our little ceremony in the judge's study in San Diego seems to have worked out pretty well!<br />
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I had my visit with the oncologist the other day. He said that with the tumor being the only thing active now, chemo would be too hard on me physically for what return there might be on it. If it wasn't for the fibrosis, they would do radiation to kill what's left of it and then wait to see if it comes back somewhere else.<br />
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There is some new technology that targets radiation to a very small area and he is going to discuss with the pulmonologist whether that would still be too much risk for what lungs I have left. The other option is doing nothing and scanning again in a few months to see what's changed.<br />
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So another round of doctor's visits while we all come to a concensus...<br />
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Meanwhile I keep peeking at the news and watching the Ukraine burn and Syria crumble while those who profess to run the world march to their own drummers! In the idealism of my youth I truly believed that when I got to this age people would have outgrown the idea of killing those they disagreed with...that talking would be something more than a strategic pause while you repositioned or resupplied or tried to gain some other advantage.<br />
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Meanwhile we're selling aircraft carriers for a penny for scrap and China's building new ones!<br />
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May life be kind to each of you!<br />
<br />
alan<br />
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<br />alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013341654649926300noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18452695.post-91742515300464593092014-01-29T15:48:00.001-06:002014-01-29T15:48:11.408-06:00Testing...testing...2 weeks ago I finally saw the pulmonologist for the first time since August. When they tried to do their pulmonary function test my O2 numbers dropped so low they decided not to, and sent me directly in to see her. Since I hadn't heard from the oncologist about scheduling the cancer scan (that would also show the fibrosis in my lungs) she did it, along with an ultrasound EKG of my hear and an ultrasound of my legs to check for clots, which would account for the swelling in my legs and ankles.<br />
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She also started me on Lasix to clear the fluid from my system. That seems to have helped as the swelling is almost non-existent now, and though it hasn't helped my lungs (she had thought perhaps there was fluid putting pressure on them as well) it has made me feel better overall. I've also dropped some inches and some weight, so we're continuing with that. It takes about an hour to "kick in" once I take it and then I spend the next 4 or 5 hours running to the bathroom every 20-30 minutes, but life could be worse!<br />
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The P.E.T. scan shows that the tumor in my lung is still about the same size it was in the last scan and still active cancer, but it hasn't grown. The 3 lymph nodes no longer show any cancer at all!<br />
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She suggested I try and contact the oncologist and see what he plans at this point; perhaps a continuation of the chemo, but at a less frequent interval. He's out of town this week, so I'll be setting something up with him next week. If I continue with chemo that will mean getting a port implanted in my chest, as I can't do any more PICC lines because of the adhesive problems. The dermatitis I already had has been aggravated by the chemo to the point that even Neosporin blistered me last week-not from the antibiotic itself, but the "base" they mixed it into.<br />
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I see her again in two weeks to see how things are progressing.<br />
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When I saw her last, I wouldn't have bet money on making it through spring; I feel enough better at this point that I figure I'll make it through the F1 season and perhaps the football season as well (I'm still hoping for another Chiefs Super Bowl win before I "get out of here"), which means I'll make another holiday season as well. This last one was kind of hard, because I was pretty sure I wouldn't. I wrapped all of Liam's gifts myself, not that it would mean anything to him, but...<br />
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I also made a point of working my way through all my favorite holiday movies...shared a few of them with those who were passing through as well...spent lots of time with family for both the holidays and my birthday...<br />
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And then I hung onto the Christmas tree until last week, when I finally let Dottie take it down before we set the house on fire somehow. It was pretty brittle by then, though still green. A few years ago she found some things that I had actually made back in kindergarten and she's used them each year since; she had me write on the back of them this year, and we marked some of the others we've bought in our travels as to when and where we got them.<br />
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So that's about it from here for now...<br />
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I hope the New Year is being wonderful to each of you!<br />
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alanalanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013341654649926300noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18452695.post-67788476173451653472013-12-23T16:24:00.000-06:002013-12-23T16:24:57.413-06:00An early Merry Christmas! Billie Holiday swinging in the background...the lights on the tree twinkling...totes of wrapping paper and ribbon gathered to work on getting more of things ready. The majoirity of the shopping was done a week ago, despite me not being able to get "out and about" like I would have before. Bill's dog is curled up at my feet and checking the door everytime he hears a noise to see if Bill, Laura and Liam have come back from her parents. They got here on Thursday and it's been wonderful getting to know Liam as well as seeing his parents again for the first time in a couple of months.<br />
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In a few minutes when I actually settle in to wrap I'll be slipping "White Christmas" into the DVD player. We watched "Holiday Inn" a few days ago-both are favorites of mine, with "Holiday Inn" actually getting an extra half a star for the music for all the other holidays that echoes around in my empty head at the appropriate times.<br />
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My favorite song from "White Christmas" (other than the title track, done in both movies and perhaps more wonderful in the first) is "Count Your Blessings". I've always heard that in my head when I was depressed, or times were rough and it's always managed to change my perspective. This year, it's especially poignant.<br />
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Among those blessings, I count each of you who have found your way here through the years. The ones that still visit now are especially dear right now! Your comments; your kind words; they've meant so much through all of this!<br />
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May your Holidays find each of you near those you love and if you can't be together physically, may you find some other way to be close to each other through this magical season!<br />
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Merry Christmas to each of you and the Happiest of New Years as well!<br />
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alanalanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013341654649926300noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18452695.post-78496128794818280652013-12-08T15:45:00.000-06:002013-12-08T15:45:53.298-06:00Letting sleeping dogs lie...kind of sums things up around here!<br />
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They still haven't scheduled the P.E.T. scan because they're trying to give the chemo some time to max its result. I cancelled the pulmonologist appointment accordingly, though I'm beginning to regret it a bit. I'm on my 3rd round of antibiotic, having changed drugs for this 3rd round and finally between it and Mucinex it seems perhaps, grudglingly, the bug is giving up.<br />
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I've been keeping better track of my O2 numbers this past week as well and would almost bet money they've slipped a bit again. I drop just wandering around the house now with the concentrator set on numbers that used to let me walk at a fast pace on the treadmill. If I don't concentrate on my breathing I drop to a point that is scary low-down in the 70's. I'm using a shower chair now because that's the time I drop the worst, even with the concentrator maxed out.<br />
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So I'm starting to think in months now, rather than years...<br />
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Despite Kansas City falling into the "deep freeze" of late, things are coming together nicely for the holidays! A good thing, as I'm not up to shopping like I used to. The box to Vermont is gone and a lot of the shopping for here is done now; we're still waiting on lists from a few hold-outs to finish things. We haven't gotten our tree yet, but will in the next few days. I'm also hoping to get a new glasses prescription as I haven't had new ones in 6 years and my reading is starting to suffer from that along with some badly placed scratches on my old ones.<br />
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What I've been lacking there I've been making up watching TV as I've had to spend a lot of time on the couch this past week due to some swelling in my left lower leg (jokes of tapping it didn't make Dottie laugh at all). A few weeks ago I picked a Roku box (internet television running off my wireless router) and between the free outlets available and the others I've spent a lot of hours watching things from it. Now that the Chiefs game is over and I can take my eyes away to fix some lunch, I'll be moving there in just a bit to either watch Dawn French or Chaplin-I haven't quite made my mind up yet. I've also spent some time watching the NASA channel (free) and actually got to see them discussing the delivery vehicle for one of Bill's projects!<br />
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Thank you all for the kind words and encouragement each time you come here. I know it isn't easy when I don't sugarcoat what's going on but life is a bit too short for that anymore!<br />
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I hope the holidays find each of you somewhere wonderful with those you want gathered near!<br />
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May the world be kind to each of you!<br />
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alan<br />
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<br />alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013341654649926300noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18452695.post-67522096538685906442013-11-23T17:25:00.002-06:002013-11-23T17:25:58.346-06:00Mixed weather...mixed life...60 a few days ago-14 night before last-25 for a high today. Poor Dottie's out shopping and I'm snuggled up at home where it's warm. Some days it pays to be sick!<br />
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I had the 12th round of chemo a week ago Friday The nausea hangs on a lot longer and a lot stronger now-there was none until about 4 rounds ago; the drugs took care of it. I got a stronger med after round 10, but the med provider would only authorize 8 pills a month when I was supposed to get 2 a day for a week. I talked to them, then the oncologist did and he got them to authorize 15/round, which is enough to get me through until the 8th day (today) when it finally seems to back off.<br />
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I got the PICC line out and will have a port put in for the next round-Kranki was right about that being the best possible choice not only given my allergies, but in that I only have to have it maintained every 6 weeks if I'm not actively getting chemo and it looks like my "maintenance" will be at least that often.<br />
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The P.E.T. scan has been moved back to the first week of December, so I won't know any numbers on cancer reduction until then.<br />
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Because of the prednizone I was taking for the itch from the bandaging of the PICC line I've put on about 10% weight-wise and it's affected my breathing to the point that I had to back out of trying to go to Colorado to see my newest grandchild. I'm barely getting around the house right now at 500 feet altitude; going for 5700 didn't seem wise. I made it through Sam's Club with Dottie a few nights ago and rested most of the next day. Earlier that day we had to go to one of the larger malls so she could pick out glasses frames and we used the wheelchair I got last month for the first time. I hadn't been in that mall for about 6 years, so she took me around the lower floor before we got her frames; by then I was tired enough that we just came home to take a break before we went to Sam's.<br />
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I had some plans of hitting a couple of local art galleries (in the wheelchair) while she was off, but the nausea hanging on until today had me not really feeling like it. Maybe Tueday we'll do one of them. Wednesday she'll spend making pies for Thanksgving, but I really don't mind hanging around the house when she's making a bunch of apple pies!<br />
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I'm grateful to each of you who still find your way here to check up on me, and hope that the week is kind to each of you and that Thanksgiving finds you all gathered with those you love most!<br />
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alanalanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013341654649926300noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18452695.post-55533466557373153732013-11-11T19:56:00.000-06:002013-11-11T19:56:01.990-06:00A Veteran's Day post...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhktUayxgXk6XpPZ1epS-HPJ3mSB3FIMee5BirxsBZZtTnGektJsKVRQksid__rpNI2qW1aypETJSrXlVuUpWH-NZohNYeehyphenhyphen85hehO1jpvoce3LavpjzAwFYC3EviFu7FaU9o/s1600/Airman-Apprentice-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhktUayxgXk6XpPZ1epS-HPJ3mSB3FIMee5BirxsBZZtTnGektJsKVRQksid__rpNI2qW1aypETJSrXlVuUpWH-NZohNYeehyphenhyphen85hehO1jpvoce3LavpjzAwFYC3EviFu7FaU9o/s320/Airman-Apprentice-web.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
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Something I found last night as I was looking for photos for my grandaughter's Veteran's Day project at school. 40 years ago this year, taken by my Dad as I was on leave between "A" school at Memphis and my "C" school in San Diego.<br />
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May the week be kind to each of you!<br />
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alanalanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013341654649926300noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18452695.post-81698570605119935572013-11-06T18:19:00.003-06:002013-11-06T18:19:35.947-06:0011 months ago...I wasn't sure I would make it until Christmas. Let alone the rest of a bleak and dreary winter, the tail end of the drought that made things so brown and sad around me, the summer, a trip to Vermont and to the beginning of another holiday season!<br />
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But here I am!<br />
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And that holiday season kicked off early last evening with the arrival of Liam Fletcher at 8 pounds and 2 ounces. He and his Mama are doing well, and his Papa appears very proud in the text pic we received!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmy4ziKCG_lC3vkWpiR-9syhBBJCbKG-1xoXG1awRXWLdYG9wpk5CEp5cf6exOrztrDSupPDQL76qmLpsshsS-UmCugk3P7ukxHIU-rmQ4lwE6L4eyZoBsAe7rlY6uPp2kaA4/s1600/Bill+and+Liam+print.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmy4ziKCG_lC3vkWpiR-9syhBBJCbKG-1xoXG1awRXWLdYG9wpk5CEp5cf6exOrztrDSupPDQL76qmLpsshsS-UmCugk3P7ukxHIU-rmQ4lwE6L4eyZoBsAe7rlY6uPp2kaA4/s320/Bill+and+Liam+print.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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I don't know what else to say about things at the moment, except that it's been a very good year! I know what blessings I'll be thankful for in a few weeks!</div>
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Each of you among them!</div>
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May the rest of this lovely week be kind to each of you!</div>
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alan</div>
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alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013341654649926300noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18452695.post-75385632571102617542013-10-26T14:31:00.001-05:002013-10-26T14:31:31.145-05:0011th round...of chemo yesterday. The PICC line still doesn't work right, but we figured out there is a kink in it right where it goes in the arm, so cut one stitch and stood it up a bit and at least things worked better. After round 12 they're going to pull it and I'm going in to have a port surgically implanted in my chest. It's less maintenance and the only time there's adhesive on it is when I'm actually being infused, so that would be nice as well!<br />
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The last round was pretty rough between skin reactions, stronger than usual nausea and more blurred vision than usual. Perhaps the flu shot I had the week before was messing with me, or the respiratory but I picked up the week after. Finally started feeling human again on Thursday.<br />
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My only reading of late was "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke. I'd loved the movie, and of course the book is better. I bought the three book set at a great discount, and needed a break from all the war related stuff for a bit. Now I've started Erich Maria Remarque's "Flotsam", a lesser-known novel of his written in 1939 and translated in 1941, set in 1937 Europe and revolving around all the poor souls being punted from country to country as their papers were revoked for being Jewish or too outspoken or some other perceived flaw. Very good so far, I got about 5 chapters in yesterday at chemo.<br />
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Our newest grandbaby is now due November 5th, he will be our 4th but Bill and Laura's first. Very much looking forward to this! John and Noel plan to renew their wedding vows in February, so there's another date to look forward to-I kind of plant these milestones out there to keep my focus somewhere other than my immediate "goings on".<br />
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The battery in my truck is 8 years old now ('07 truck built in late '06 and the '14's are out now) so I'm going to try to slip out to Sears in a minute and bring home a new Die Hard to put in it. It's not being driven much, but the idea of going out to go somewhere and having it not crank doesn't enthuse me. After that I need to put a set of tires on Dottie's Malibu. It has 80,000 on the Goodyear Assurance's I put on it almost 6 years ago; they aren't down to the wear bars, but don't have the wet traction they did when newer and they're predicting a wet winter for us. She credits the aggressive traction tread with saving her at least 3 times in heavy downpours and traffic, so we're going back with exactly the same tires again.<br />
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I hope this finds each of you enjoying a lovely fall!<br />
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May the world be kind to each of you!<br />
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alanalanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013341654649926300noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18452695.post-28248962582874852952013-10-03T18:10:00.000-05:002013-10-03T18:10:20.276-05:00I've been lost in the pages...of some great reads these past few weeks. I finished Remarque's "Three Comrades" and lept into Ken Follett's "Fall of Giants"; it covers much of the same time frame as "All Things Quiet on the Western Front", "The Road Back" and "Three Comrades", but written across 5 families and countries. I finished it just after the sequel "Winter of the World" hit paperback and drank those thousand pages as well. Follett sucked me in a few years ago with "Night Over Water", a novel that takes place aboard a Pan Am flying boat, a plane I've always had a love affair with. I only wish one had survived the war. Then I ran across another he'd written, "Hornet Moth" that involved fleeing from the Nazi's in a biplane that shouldn't have stood a chance.<br />
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On the heels of those, I read Jules Verne's "Around the World in 80 Days" because I found a copy my grandson had bought in a book sale a few years ago and figured I'd better read it while it was at the top of the shuffle.<br />
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For a while I'd been reading many comments about "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak so I've spent the last few days devouring it, finishing it when I got up today. I probably should have known better since I also have been taking Prednizone most of the last couple of weeks to keep me from scratching my arm wrappings off, and today had started the pre-chemo steroids as well. My eyes have been a bit puffy this afternoon, lol.<br />
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Now I'm trying to decide what to start tomorrow! I need to get away from the WWI and 2 for a bit, and have a couple of things I'd like to start, but it may rain tomorrow and don't want to take a chance on getting a few of them wet. So I may just put my Kindle in a freezer bag and take it to chemo tomorrow and read some short stories instead, then start something else on Saturday!<br />
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I got the Kindle because I had thought I'd be in the hospital a lot more than I have been and it would be easier than trying to keep a stack of books around. I haven't read it a lot yet, more because I've been getting to the library while the weather is good, along with picking up a few books of my own through the summer as well. I have more than enough things on it to keep me busy as well! I've been amazed at how many complete volumes of classics can be picked up for a few dollars, or even for free!<br />
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Tomorrow is my next round of chemo, and if I haven't lost count, I have two more after it, then another PET scan to see what's going on inside me. Sometime around Thanksgiving, perhaps I'll know something, which will also mark the anniversary of the beginning of all this. Hopefully I can prove the statistics on the fibrosis wrong and this doesn't mark a halfway or quarter point, but I try not to think about that too much!<br />
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May the weeks be kind to each of you!<br />
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alanalanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013341654649926300noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18452695.post-52708403444029833392013-09-15T16:02:00.001-05:002013-09-15T16:02:20.356-05:00Back home again... I slipped off to Vermont last month, not long after my last post. I didn't want to "jinx" myself by talking about it beforehand, as on the health front things were just too "iffy" to be sure I could get there and back OK. Nothing went as planned, but everything worked out despite Murphy and his laws...<br />
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The oxygen company dropped off a portable concentrater for me to use the day before I left. I'd tried to get one a few weekends before to experiment with, but they said they had none extra as it was peak vacation season. They were also supposed to drop off a smaller 5 liter machine for me to take with me, but it got left off their list. Dottie had already decided I was taking my 10 liter one from home, and the compressor for the walk-around bottles I've been using for the last 8 months, and I was lucky enough that the guy who drives the truck came up with another high-pressure bottle for me as well. Between the 4 that I have I can make 12-14 hours right now just on bottles, depending on my activity level.<br />
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We packed and she loaded most of the car the night before; the morning we were leaving she loaded the two machines last, we put the portable in the backseat between them, and plugged it into the cigarette lighter. It alarmed immediately, and I went through the troubleshooting stuff and couldn't make it stop. We did the last errand we had in town as I called them and they asked if I could stop there on my way out of town. We lost an hour, but they traded me machines and the 2nd one worked OK. On 12 volts it would maintain my numbers as long as I was sitting or driving-if I tried to walk I crashed immediately as it doesn't have the reserve to allow multiple "puffs" in the same breath like the bottles do. So when I was in the car I used the machine; each time we stopped I switched to one of my bottles.<br />
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That night, in the first motel, I tried to shower and did OK in the beginning, but by the time I'd done my legs and feet, my numbers were down in the 70's and I was close to passing out. The directions said you could put a 50 foot hose on it; I only used a 25 and had it turned all the way up running on 110 from the motel. My lungs were aching for 3 days after that...every time my numbers get that low it's bad for a while.<br />
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The 2nd night we made Vermont. We had worried about the 2700 foot passes going in, and I wore my oximeter the whole time, tracking my numbers and stayed at 98% while on the portable. After we cleared the passes, Dottie said she was too tired to drive further, so I took the wheel for the last 3 hours to her sister's.<br />
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Of course, it was right after that she said that she was really hoping she'd get to see a moose this time, as I had 2 trips ago with her brother-in-law Tom. I'm driving, it's 11 at night and starting to get foggier by the minute. Somehow I just knew her moose was going to appear in front of the car, especially when it got to the point of foggy you could only see about 3 car lengths and I was down to minimum highway speed!<br />
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Instead I drove into rain, and the visibility got a bit better. She never did get to see her moose this time (thank goodness)!<br />
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When we got to her sister's, I'd used 2 of my medium bottles, I still had the smallest and largest full. We got things unloaded and started the machines up and then I slept about 10 hours.<br />
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Since none of us were sure if this was my last trip over the mountains or not, instead of spending most of the time visiting family, they decided to take me all the places I'd always wanted to go in 36 years of visits, but hadn't been to, along with a few new ones I'd found that even they didn't know of. We managed new places almost every day of the two weeks, along with a couple of wonderful family barbecues. I managed to hit a few bookstores and bring home some new treats as well, all used but one. One is a 138 year old Library of Congress "extra" that gives the inventory of the library/art gallery Dottie's great-great-uncle gave the town of St. Johnsbury!<br />
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The first Wednesday back I saw my pulmonologist. She said my lung capacity was back up just a smidge (42% up to 45%) and that I'd done well enough that if I <i>promised </i>not to try to "tough it out" and turn around and come back if things didn't work well, I could try to go to Colorado after Bill and Laura's first child is born in November. They are due early in the month and when they were here for Labor Day, Bill figured out that he most likely won't be able to travel at Thanksgiving. I really don't want them on the plains right then anyway, if there's any chance of them getting stuck. I-70 is the only place I've ever seen gates on the freeway ramps that they can padlock to keep you from getting on, and with a newborn that worries me!<br />
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This last Tuesday I went in and had a new PICC line put into my right arm. They pulled the one in my left before the trip as it was 7 months old, which is old for one of those, and had a bit of a kink besides. It was so nice not having to travel with it, to wrap it to shower and to have my skin have a chance to heal!<br />
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The new one is taking some getting used to as besides being in my right arm, it's also more towards the front and so every time the bicep moves it is in the way. Friday I had chemo, and after they cleaned all the dried blood and stuff from the PICC site at least the itch has stopped for the last few days! Between taking prednizone for that and the pre-chemo steroids I was a bit of an emotional wreck!<br />
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After things settle down a bit I'll touch up and post some of the trip photos I came home with. Not as much scenery as I wish I'd shot, but some interesting places we visited.<br />
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I hope life is being kind to each of you!<br />
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alan<br />
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alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013341654649926300noreply@blogger.com2