I apologize for my long silence.  I have to admit that writing a blog is much tougher than I imagined.  It’s not the writing – that I could do for hours (if I had hours).  It’s the rewriting and second-guessing that takes so much time.  The self-doubt doesn’t help either.

So many interesting things have happened and I’m really excited to tell you about them.  We had a big wind blow through Manchester a few weeks back, which felled some trees and my elderly neighbor’s tomato plants.   On the surface, not very interesting except the fact that my elderly neighbor LOVES JeanPaul and plied him with wine after the big tomato plant cleanup.  It seems she thought my assistance was paltry compared to his – his glass was refilled several times.   She only filled mine once.  That’s a story for another day, though.

Okay, then there’s the “treatments” in July – 2 eight hour treatments, 2 weeks apart.  I do 1 series every 4-5 months.   It’s that spotted stuff I shared with you before.  The treatments keep me less spotty.  Anyway, the treatments are done at an infusion center.  Strange places where we all sit around in overstuffed recliners, watching televisions suspended from ceilings trying not to hear each other’s TVs.  These infusions contain lots of liquids so getting a seat near the bathroom requires greasing the wheels a bit.  I always bring cookies from the Portuguese bakery.  Seems to work well as I usually get a chair next to the bathroom.   A word of advice, if you ever find yourself in this situation – bring homemade brownies with you on your first visit.  If you’re too sick to make them, buy them and put them on a chinet plate.  No one will ever know and there’s a good chance you’ll get close to the bathroom on the first try.

The bathroom is front and center so we all watch each other as we push our IV stands to and from the bathroom.  Not to make light of it but we’re all a little loopy from benadryl so it can be quite comical.  I usually unplug the machine and get the pole and myself into the bathroom okay.  It’s getting back to my seat that usually trips me up.  For some reason I seem to get my tube wire crossed with the electrical wire.  Should be easy enough to untangle but it isn’t.  I usually stand there for a bit looking very confused until a nurse notices and gets me untangled, settled in my chair and plugged back in again. This last time, I guess I was loopier (if that’s even a word) than the last time.  On my way out of the bathroom, backend first, I noticed the infusion room was quite a bit chillier than the bathroom, especially around my legs.  Despite the fact that I was front and center, I am quite sure that no one noticed my skirt hitched up around my waist.   After all, they’ve gotten the benadryl, too.  I think I rectified the problem quickly, before anyone noticed but I can’t be sure.    That’s the nice thing about infusion centers; we are all very respectful and polite to each other.

Then there’s the trip to Old Quebec City.  I’m really looking forward to telling you about it and showing you the pictures.  Preview:  we went to see the changing of the guards at the Citadel in Quebec City.  After the event, we took a guided tour.  During the tour, we were taken to a high precipice overlooking the St. Lawrence River.  As the wind blew up from the river I felt that familiar chilliness around my legs again.  This time, my skirt wasn’t just hitched up at my waist; it was banging me on the back of my head.  I guess foreign people on tour are as polite as cancer patients because no one noticed.  At least, they pretended they didn’t notice.  I guess I made a good under garment choice a few years ago when I decided not to wear thongs.

In between all the wine drinking, vacationing and mooning, I went to see a fantastic art exhibit and started putting new ornaments into my eBay store.  The fun never stops!!

Please forgive me if I’m a bit out of sorts, the Dreaded Treatments take a lot out of me but I’m on the mend and should be back to my old self soon.  Thanks for your patience and I’ll talk to you soon.