#saltypeas

November 10, 2013 I just read Allan's note on here and Salty Peas and I have tears in my eyes. Yes, sometimes I struggle - sometimes I crave being alone with no one following me into a space to ask a question, register a complaint or need something. BUT. I would do it all tenfold more if I could take the burden of his illness away from him. He is my love, he is my best friend in all the world, and I can't imagine the world without him. Likewise, I love my work, I love my teachers-every one (even when they're driving me crazy) and believe that we all answer a higher calling to the work that we do and the children/young adults we serve. And I love my Sissy with all my heart-she is the inspiration for so much of what I do and have done in my work with families. Any my puppy more often keeps me grounded and comforted than yelling at him...he's very patient for such a young boy (1.5 years old)...will take him to school for a run after my pie comes out of the oven.

November 5, 2013 So, it's a chilly Tuesday (though quite a bit warmer than usual for early November). Looked at the weather map-looks like the UP is going to get socked tonight and tomorrow. Allan says someone told him that they're expecting 3 feet of snow....yikes! And it's supposed to be 62 here tomorrow. The seasonal battle between summer and winter begins. I love getting our hour back in the Fall-it just feels like an incredible gift! Puppy Dog is confused, though cuz it gets dark so early, it's hard to get his walk in after work. Haven't made it the last two nights.... Not sure if I've mentioned our WHOLE menagerie. I've talked about the Puppy Dog-we also have (had) seven (yes, 7) cats. The oldest cat is 14, the youngest is 5. Sunday night, one of our 14 year old boys passed in his sleep. He was all of 6 lbs soaking wet, and could back the dog off with a look. I buried him in the woods last night, under a pine tree. I think he'll like it there. Erich and the guys came on Saturday and Sunday to begin tackling the HUGE oak tree in the front yard that died last year. We've been nervous about it falling, so we're pretty glad they're taking it down. Allan reports today that his 15 little buddies (Methotrexate) that he takes on Sundays haven't kicked his butt yet this week...interesting. We go back to Karmanos to see Dr. Schiffer and Kim O'Riley (Nurse Practitioner) on Thursday to see what they say about Allan's progress and when they want to start IV chemo again. At Allan's request, I emailed Kim and asked if he should come packed and ready to be admitted for a course of treatment. She replied with questions about how he is doing, which I dutifully answered (she's really great). She's checking with Dr. Schiffer to see what he wants to do - haven't heard back yet. Sissy goes to the Wound Clinic tomorrow; last week the doc wouldn't touch her wound and did some cultures. I got brave and called yesterday - there is something going on, but Dr. Jones hadn't looked at it yet, so I STILL don't know if we'll be reinserting a PICC...sigh. We had dinner from the Spoon tonight-. Allan had the Voodoo Pasta (fettucine tossed with shrimp, peppers, and spicy sauce), Sissy had the Acropolis (lamb meatball sandwich) and I had the Kevinator (braised short rib with cucumber, sauce, and cabbage)-delish! Both ends of my day were "Spoon"-y - had breakfast this morning with Tam before work-GREAT way to start the day! At school, it was Parent-Teacher conference day, so no kids but plenty of parents - always great to see them! I also got my office mostly clean-I have two more areas to sift through, but Jeremy can now (as promised) dance on my office floor. I wonder what kind of music I'll play for that show...? Later-