scifiknitter

Life got a bit more complicated late last summer when my husband Robert was diagnosed with stage II prostate cancer. What is supposed to be a “routine “ cancer with straight-forward treatment options turned out to be more complicated because of Robert’s ulcerative colitis. Even though his UC has been in remission for decades, various doctors threw up red flags about his preferred treatment method and we’ve had to do a fair bit of research and visit doctors in Syracuse and New York City before deciding on a treatment.  I no longer think that there is such a thing as a “simple” cancer diagnosis. Robert’s story demonstrates again how worthwhile it is to go to a major cancer center if you can. His cancer was downgraded by the pathologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering, making him eligible for low dose brachytherapy instead of going to daily radiation sessions for weeks and weeks.  This post I did for lungcancer.net talks about what we have learned while coping with two ...

This week started off right. Our firewood for next winter is cut, split, and stacked in the woodshed. We got done just as the black flies started getting vicious. Now we can bask in a virtuous glow, and turn our attention to other projects around the homestead. The last couple of days have been quiet. Robert is in Albany, working on the economic development project, and Ana is home, so I have been making sure to get home at a reasonable hour, and hang out with her. I have gotten quite a bit of knitting done. The two pairs of mittens, for Robert and me, are felted and ready to put away until next winter. They are gorgeous, soft brown and very thick and fuzzy. Mine are oversized, so that I can wear them over a pair of fleece gloves. I am hopeful that I now have handwear that will actually keep my hands warm on the most bitter days. I'm also happy that Robert has handwear that will be more effective when he plows and snowblows the driveway. Which he will again, even though that seems ...

2008 is a year of zeros here. The first one was celebrated Saturday April 26. It was my husband's birthday. He turned 60. Boy, I didn't see this one coming. My boss went through this a couple of years ago. He says hey, this is no big deal - "60 is the new 50 - or maybe the new 40." The "new 40" sure sounds good to me. Remember, I am only a few years behind Robert. Still, there is the sense that there is more behind us than before us, and that time goes by soooooo quickly. The sweet and the bitter. I'm very aware of those two undercurrents right now. For many reasons that I am not going to talk about at the moment. I was unable to find the time to think of a gift for Robert, until a couple of days before his birthday when on a whim I asked if he could use a new windbreaker. He said yes. So on Friday I slipped out of work for a while, and we met. We went to the post office and filled out the paperwork for new passports. Then we found a decent gray windbrea...