And more Redmond.

Sunday afternoon brought severe thunder storms to Redmond. I have never seen so much rain here. There was lightning and thunder and hail and wind, oh my! We did have a beautiful sunset when it was all over.

With John's and Kristie's schedules not cooperating so that they could carpool and give me one of their cars, I rented one. Monday morning the kids and I went to the local Fred Meyer for groceries and a resupply of paracord. Avery and Anika have both been paracord tying fools.

When we got home, Anika and I started making a cake but discovered we had run out of eggs. Off to the big Wal-Mart for eggs and cereal (just try to keep Anika away from the sugared cereals.) On the way home the car beeped at me and told me there was a tire with low air pressure. We pulled into the driveway and Anika heard a hiss. Avery looked and saw a razor blade sticking out of the tire. Avery and Anika then learned how to jack up a car and change a tire. Everyone pitched in and we had fun. If you are in need to tire changing skills, these two can help you out. Oh, we were surprised when we pulled the never used spare out of the trunk that there was money in the well. We collected it all and Avery counted $2.40 plus a pack of pencil leads. Score!

With the tire changing interlude, a cake to bake and ice, and a trip to the airport to trade in our car, our plans for the day were altered. But we had fun never the less. First, our new car is a Kia Soul - like the ones in the commercials with the fat hampsters. We took advantage of the car for some posing. I must admit the this funky looking thing is comfortable and fun to drive.

Next it was cake icing time. We had baked it in a 13x9 pan, so after it cooled I cut it in half so that we could have a layer cake. Anika did a great job applying the icing to the cake, and the counter, and herself. That evening everyone agreed we had done a good job.

Tuesday was a lazy morning with Avery and Anika watching iCarly videos and me taking care of the routines of bills and phone calls. When I was done with the chores I got out my ukulele to practice. The kids told me to be quiet so I moved out to the front porch. It was rather nice. to sit out there inmthe sun and strum away. We then headed to Bend for lunch with Kendra and then a movie - Despicible Me 2. I loved it!

 

Redmond

I arrived in Redmond on Time a little before midnight last Tuesday. My bag did not arrive until 11:30am on Wednesday and the. was delivered about 1:30pm. It seems that Alaskan has a problem getting bags off and on their flights. In my past four trips between Chicago and Redmond, my bags have not made it twice on the trip west and once on the trip east. Other that that annoying issue, uneventful traveling.

On Wednesday I hung out at the house all day, and did little beside practice my ukulele and nap. The kids were in Boys and Girls Club and John and Krisite were at work and I was without transport. That was O.K. by me.

Thursday was a big day with the highlight being Anika's talent performance - she is a hula hooping diva.

On Friday, Anika went to Madras with the Boys and Girls Club for a day of swimming. Avery and John and I went fishing in the Deschuttes River. John's "short walk" to the river wasn't and involved climbing over downed tree limbs and though bushes and cat tails to get to the river. Once there and in the river I promptly fell. Fishing was a bust, like.y because the water temperature was 66 degrees. Pretty warm for trout. The kids were successful catching crawfish though. They collected 17 of them and we took them home for dinner.

 

 

Redmond in August.

 

Headed out to Oregon again to spend time with John, Kristie, Kendra, Avery, and Anika. Sharon was generous and we used her miles to fly me first class. Ain't she wonderful?

Uneventful flight from Chicago to Seattle and then on to Redmond. My bag didn't make it though until Wednesday afternoon. There seems to be a problem for me getting myself and my bags from Chicago to Redmond and back. On three of my last four flights here my bag has not made it. Once going west and twice going east. You would think the odds of this happening 75% of the time would ensure it would not happen.

I spent my first night on the couch which was just fine. The rest of my time here I will alternate between the kids bedrooms. No one wants to share a room with be because I snore! Fancy that.

Today, Wednesday has been a down day. I made a few phone calls and waited on my bag. Practiced the ukulele. I am getting better. Did some dishes, took a nap and have been planning dinner. I'm making Arroz con Pollo. Consider this a day of rest to prepare for full days with Avery and Anika! They were at Boys and Girls Club today.

 

Neuropathy Update

Happy Left-Handers Day!

Neuropathy. The worst bane of my recovery from chemo. I felt that my recovery from neuropathy had hit a wall. My fingers continued to hurt every time I touched something and were sometimes numb, sometime tingly and my feet gave me a combination of numbness and pain. The combination of pain and numbness in my feet makes it sometimes both painful and difficult to walk. The combination in my hands made it difficult to pick up things and made it impossible to play the ukulele!

In July I finally did something about it. I have been seeing a Naturopath since about mid June. She has recommended exercises, which I am not following as I should (surprise), a couple of supplements that I am taking, and she has a machine, an Ondamed, which I am thinking is magical. I don't know quite how it works but it does work. Example - when I first visited Melody she was in the process of using this machine and my left hand began to cramp. I have been having cramps in both hands for quite a while and they have become worse and more frequent. Melody pointed what I call her magic wand at my left hand and the cramping eased. She used the wand on both hands and the cramping which had been a problem multiple times a day is now almost gone. I now have minor cramps less than once a week. The fingers of my left hand, while still experiencing some tingling, are no longer painful and I have been playing the ukulele almost daily since these treatments began. The fingertips of my right hand are still tender and a little painful but not as much. My feet are much improved and I have been feeling all of my toes and the numbness in the balls of my feet is slowly going away. I even walked barefoot in my driveway and in grass recently. Bottom line, I've seen progress since seeing a Naturopath.

Melody did try a couple of new things on me last week - a toxin cleansing foot bath and a vibrating platform. While I felt better immediately after our session I lost ground within hours. I will not do either of those treatments in the future. If you are in the western suburbs of Chicago and having no luck with traditional medicine for a number of issues, go visit Melody Hart! You will not be sorry you did. I do not pretend to understand what she is doing but it is working and I trust her.

Sharon has noticed an improvement in my energy level and my walking - and she also notices immediately when my feet are hurting. Interestingly when my feet hurt, my knees and eventually hips hurt also as I try to compensate. We were able to make a trip to Ann Arbor recently to visit Audra. Sharon thought my being willing to make the trip was a positive step! We had a great time.

My feet!