Outsmarted!

Raccoon Report: Zero, Nada, Zip!

Nice to find the trap empty for a change. Although "someone" or "something" cleaned up the treat offering very neatly. They actually pulled the bowl out of the trap and feasted on salmon-flavored catfood without setting off the trap-door.

Whatever it was has the trap figured out. Now, that's a scary thought! They're getting smart....Uh oh!

Tonight I have the bowl tied to the trap floor. We'll just see who's smarter now! Can't wait til morning....

I know that mom is rooting for me. She actually said she was glad I knew how to use the shotgun, just in case...

Just in case what? I trap another snake. Or maybe a bear? Under no circumstances should you surprise me late at night or early in the morning. I am finding lately that unexpected noises make me jumpy...

Well, for heaven's sake, the heat is just making me crazy. Nothing to fear out here in our tiny corner of paradise ;-)

Sorry you had to wade through all my ramblings to get down here to the important stuff!
 
Mom Update: Doing fairly well. Card party last night sounded like a great time, although by the end of the evening, both legs had swollen up past her knees. You guessed it, she's been in the recliner all day today with her feet propped up. Another concern is her low blood pressure. It's making her a little wobbly at times, and we've been watching it closely. On the up side, she's eating well and is pretty much over the flu-like gemzar reaction from this round. It's so nice to have a break from the chemo tomorrow! It will be another day of rest for her, and then it's off to lunch and the IMAX theater on Friday.

Looking forward to a great day on Friday. In the meantime, if no one hears from me in the morning, please send a search party. Something is lurking in the woods...I'm pretty sure it's just our cat,

but you never know.

My love to each, Jane

The Beauty of Your Gift

Our Big Boy is making one last play for the ladies before summer comes to a close!  He knows he's gorgeous and loves to strutt his stuff!

This is our 3-year old India Blue Peacock.  He and his "harem" range the farm and keep us mostly insect and snake free.  They love bananas, cat food, grasshoppers, and poultry scratch in that order.  They are quite tame, but have an eerily haunting call that never fails to scare our guests half to death!

The annual tail feather molt usually begins in the fall, but due to the extreme heat stress this summer, we've been finding feather treasures around the farm for the past couple of weeks.

Enough feathers, in fact, that our niece, Sami, was able to make a peacock feather bouquet during her visit last weekend:

She was quite intrigued by the variety of feathers and couldn't believe they all came from the peafowl.  It's true, the peacock's beauty comes from the intricate weaving of at least 7 different types of feathers.  We did our research and this is what we learned!

There are Eye Feathers:

 Sword Feathers:

Butterfly Feathers:

Mottled Wing Feathers:

Big Wing Feathers:

Blue Neck Feathers:

Tiny Green Back or Saddle Feathers:

And then there's the gossamer soft Rump Down, by definition not even a feather at all, but wondrous just the same:

Many Feathers, One Gorgeous Bird!

And it occurs to me that, like the peacock, each of us has something of beauty to offer to one another, to the Body.  A gift, a talent.  Perhaps it is something small and seemingly un-noticed like the tiny Saddle feather or maybe large and showy like the dazzling Eye feather.

In our journey, we've been ministered to by many.  Each beautiful in their own way.

The doctors and surgeons, Eye feathers to be sure, but also the nurses and technicians, who are like the strong and silent Wing feathers, not often seen, but lifting us up with each gentle touch.

Or maybe, it's the cook, the chauffeur, the card-writer, the tiny Saddle feathers, each small gift a token of their love.  And the prayer warriors, like Sword feathers who hold the line in faith and bind us tightly to the One who is able to Heal above all else.

Or the family who never leaves, who loves, listens, scolds, and encourages, like the blue Neck feathers, a collar of solidarity through it all.

And the ones who gift us with mercy and grace by being there with a soft shoulder to soak up our tears, like the gossamer soft down that provides a sweet relief from the raging storm.

Graceful Splendor by Blending the Many into One Beautiful, Harmonious Whole.

We have been blessed utterly by the outpouring of your many gifts, your talents.  Mom is touched beyond measure, and knows completely that she is loved.  Even in the midst of battling pancreatic cancer, she counts these offerings as things of beauty.

Hearts Overflowing, Humbled by Love....





Another Round in the Bag

Raccoon #21 sauntered into the trap sometime early this morning!! Even I am astounded at the number of coons in our tiny corner of the world!

She got the requisite red stripe and a free trip to Deep Creek. She was not appreciative. Go figure!

Mom on the other hand is very grateful. Grateful for another finished round of chemo!

Dad took her in this past Thursday for the third and final infusion of Gemzar in this cycle. She's had a few off days, the normal chemo crummies, but is doing fairly well. Glad to have a chemo-free week coming up to rest and recharge. Although, I just spoke with her, and it sounds like the week is filling up with lots of activities:

Card Parties

Lunches

 and Scrabble games.

Consider that the recharging part! Nothing like having something fun to look forward to. She can rest in between all the entertainment!

One note of concern, her hemoglobin counts continue to drop, and have been in the low range for the past 2 months. Not sure when the doctors will consider a blood transfusion, but it's not out of the question. I think it has been interferring with her energy level, common problem with the low counts. So, there will be lots of nap/quiet times scheduled into the week too!

I think that's what siesta's are for! Especially in this heat! I vote we join mom for afternoon siesta's all week!

Autumn's vote is in!!  Sleeping like a baby....Nothing more precious.  Love you punkin!

Saying a prayer of thankfulness that the Gemzar is doing it's job, filled with gratitude for the upcoming week of rest, and delighting in the joys of grandparenting!

Grace Overflowing, Jane

Wild Weekend

It's been one of those days - all weekend long!  Busy, exhilirating, fun, and scary all wrapped up together.  I'm needing Monday just to catch my breath...

Let's start with last Thursday.  Chemo day for mom.

Here we are with Lance, one of our favorite chemo nurses.  And we're all smiles because Lance just gave mom her tumor marker results from last week.  Are you ready?!

174!!!

So exciting!  At the end of June, mom's tumor marker was sitting at 630.  Now it's 174.  This is a huge nosedive!  We're thrilled and thankful that the Gemzar is hitting the cancer so hard.  Makes the side-effects a little easier to bear.  We still have a ways to go, normal for the Ca19-9 tumor marker is 0-35.  But we're headed in the right direction.  Nothing better than that!

After chemo, we grabbed a bite at the Corner Bakery, stopped for some groceries, then got mom home and tucked in on the recliner with her foot propped up.  The left ankle is still swollen, and looked particularly moody (puffy, red and peeling) by the end of the afternoon.  The doctors are not alarmed, seem to still think it's just part and parcel with the cancer and chemo, but we keep it propped up whenever possible.  Does seem to help.

Once mom was settled in, I headed over to my brother's and picked up my niece, Sami, for the weekend.  Dean and Lisa were headed out of town and Sami was staying with us.  She's 12 years old, full of mischief, and cute as can be.

She loves the farm and was such a big help:

Here she is helping with chores.  She's so sassy!  Choretime with attitude.

Making her own jewelry.  So classy!

Beautiful!!

Then it was off to the Ft. Worth Museum of Science and Natural History to catch the Wild Oceans IMAX show!  Great way to beat the afternoon heat!

Back home to make some pizza!

Top Chef look out!

Yum!

Busy, fun weekend with Sami.  I think we were all exhausted by the time she headed home.  And she hadn't been gone long, when Leroy came running in the front door and hollered that the neighbor's field was on fire.

I don't think I can describe the sheer panic those words evoked.  As Leroy ran past me I could smell the acrid aroma of burnt grass and wood.  I raced outside and saw the billows of gray smoke rolling across our land and felt a blinding fear.  I could hear the sounds of fire engines and men's voices shouting, but could see little because of the smoke.

In minutes we grabbed what we could and packed the car, all the while just praying, "please, please..."

And God saw fit to answer that wordless prayer.  As we were preparing to drive out, the wind shifted and we could see that the fire fighters had contained the wildfire to just the other side of the road.  One spark, and our field would have been next.  As the sharp edge of panic lifted, I finally grabbed the camera and began shooting these pics:

Bless those firemen.  They worked fast and furiously.  Today we learned that the fire started at old Tom's place, just over the hill in the tree line.  Looks like his house is a total loss, but he made it out okay.  The fire got a good foothold in the dry tinder, and it took off with a vengeance.  All total, 10 structures (sheds, well houses, barns) were lost and probably between 30-40 acres.  Before it was all over, they had called in 20 fire departments from around the county, many of them volunteers.  We are so thankful for their dedication and quick response.  It could have been so much worse.  The winds were mild, but still we had ash and cinders floating down around our place for several hours.  

None of us slept too well last night....Kept checking the windows for smoke and flames.  I'm still jumpy today.  But all that remains is a blackened scar across the road and the faint smell of smoke when the wind shifts. 

What a weekend.  Think I need a vacation....

Too Hot in Texas!

Mom's been running like the Energizer Bunny this past week, and I think she finally hit the wall on Sunday! But before that, she enjoyed a great dinner out Saturday night at the Trail Dust Steakhouse with Steve.

Couldn't get her out on the dance floor, but watching the boot-scootin' sure was fun!

And unfortunately, she's been paying for all the fun now.  The first part of this week have been spent recuperating. Appetite's waned, fatigue has taken hold, and the chemo-crappies have set in. Thankfully, she can snuggle in on the couch with a good book, pillows for her feet and nap whenever the mood strikes. It's hard to imagine how people deal with cancer and these treatments, and still hold down a job or raise a family. And we know there are many brave and courageous cancer survivors who have done just that. Our hats are off in your honor. It takes a massive amount of energy to battle this disease. And to keep going when your body is so wrung out. True heroes. My paltry woes pale in comparison.

Praying that mom's strength returns in the very near future. Chemo #2 in this cycle is tomorrow. I think the heat wave may break by then - forecast predicts a high of only 100!  Yesterday, our outdoor thermometer hit 106.   A friend told us that it was so hot...How hot was it, we asked?  It was so hot that all the grasshoppers were sticking to the shady side of the fence post. We laughed and then we looked. She was right! Every fence post had dozens of grasshoppers clinging to the shady side!   I just had to get a picture of that!

Turns out that I'm not a very good grasshopper photographer!  Every time I got within 20 feet of the fenceposts, the grasshoppers' antenna swiveled in my direction, and they all went into panic mode, leaping to the four winds.  I must have sounded like the proverbial stampeding elephant to their sensitive ears.

But all's not lost.  Leroy, as it turns out, is a very good grasshopper stalker.  He captured these photos for me when he got home from work.

It may be hard to see the hoppers, but they're there on the shady side of the t-post!  Now, how strange is that?!  Tell me, does this only happen in Texas, or what?

As you can tell by the photos, the pasture and ground around here is parched.  And it's only July!  August is knocking on our door.  Texas is in the midst of an extremely severe drought.  While we may laugh at the oddities of grasshoppers, the truth is that farmers, livestock and neighbors are hurting.  Today marks the 26th consecutive day of triple digit heat in the north Texas area.  That's hot!  I don't care if it's dry heat or not, it's just hot!

Saying our prayers for mom, for rain and for healing.  To all in the heat wave zone: Stay cool, drink plenty of water and keep your mouth closed (flying grasshoppers are everywhere)!

 Love ya, Jane

Birthday Celebration!

Yesterday was Mom's 71st Birthday!  

     









Can I just start by saying how absolutely wonderful you all are?! Truly, mom was honored and her day brightened immensely by your many words of love and sweet well-wishes. If you could have only watched her read your notes while sitting in the chemo chair!

It was like you were right there with her. And it was quite a party!! I only wish you could have enjoyed the Birthday Kolaches.

They were particularly scrumptious! I felt kind of like a room mother; you know, when the birthday rolls around you bring cupcakes for all the kids in class? Well, we brought Kolaches (a yummy czeck pastry) for all the nurses and chemo patients.  Give us a reason, and we can make a party out of it!! And I think celebrating this birthday was reason enough!

All in all, mom had a wonderful day. If you put doctor visits, chemotherapy and urn shopping on your birthday wish list.  Yes, mom and dad had another memorial park they wanted to visit after chemo was finished!  On your Birthday I ask?!  Yes, she replies, what's wrong with that?!  Mental head shake me...  Anyway, this time we visited Rolling Oaks Memorial Park and received a tour of their funeral home and columbarium.

Beautiful facility...

Inside and Out....

And they had the most unique columbarium niches made entirely of glass....

These niches truly were memorials to the loved one.  A beautiful tribute filled with personal mementos, pictures and notes.  Mom and Dad both were intrigued with the possibilities.  And to some, this might seem very counter-intuitive; to be planning a funeral while fighting the cancer.  It reeks of just giving up.  And that's so not the case.  Mom is fighting this battle with every weapon available, but she's also a practical soul and desires to have her affairs in order should the unthinkable come to pass.  I'm starting to be okay with talking about funerals and cremation and things, but when the funeral director asked if we wanted to see the cremation witness room I admit to hyperventilating just a bit.  So, I'm not as okay with things as I thought...  Still working on it.

And all on Mom's 71st Birthday.  So glad we had a nice dinner planned for the evening with a few close friends and family.  Now, that's more like it.

Great food...

Great Gifts...

And Great Company...

A time to rejoice in a special day with a very special woman!

 
To celebrating many more special days with you mom! You're not done party-planning yet!

Love you bunches, Jane