2Flutes-n-Family
July 10, 2006 (Monday)

Mom continues to improve markedly in her energy & activity level each day. Today she took a morning & afternoon walk, and we walked just a little past the end of the bike path, up to the next tree. In the afternoon we went all the way around the block after coming to the end of the bike path. Her stamina, strength of gait and color are getting much better, and I think the swelling in her abdomen has gone down significantly. I feel so good about her improvement.

But it's still fun cooking for her and reading her bedtime stories about Igor Stravinsky!!! I love taking care of her and am so glad I can be here with her at this time.

As I browse through her many piano books, biographies and technical books, I continue to appreciate what a special, unique person she is & how lucky I am to have her in my life. What a career & life's work she has made for herself, and what a great example to her kids & grandkids.

Tonight she, Uusi & I watched "Drop Dead Fred", one of my favorite, slightly off-beat movies. I'm not sure it met Uusi's artistic standards, and it irritated mom with all of it's rebellion & rudeness... oh well, next time they get to choose the entertainment! I still loved it as much as ever...

As far as the weather goes, it can only be called beautiful. Rains have ended & it's warming up, but today was a perfect blend of sunny warmth with a bit of cold bite in the air. Great walking weather.

Good night!

July 9, 2006

Mom's energy level really seems to be improving markedly with every passing day. This morning the walk was hard for her & she wanted to turn back before we reached our planned destination (the corner), but tonight she walked at such a clip & went the furthest she's gone yet... all the way to the end of the bike path & back. We had a big celebration at the end of the bike path!! Tomorrow we'll start heading toward the park I think! She was awake a little more today, is eating really well & seems to be tolerating all the foods put in front of her without any problems. The way things are going, I do feel good about her progress. Next Friday she sees the gasteroenterologist for a follow-up, and he's the sole one in charge of her care on this particular health issue now. (Dr. Haimes has passed the torch over to him, saying he doesn't have enough experience in this area.)

For dinner I made Mom Russell's meatloaf, except used ground turkey instead of beef. I was so glad I'd copied down that recipe when we stayed at her house! It was my first meatloaf & came out very well. Uusi loved it with the green olives... she said it tasted like pizza...

Tomorrow morning Dave, Steven & Lea leave at 7:00 to begin the long drive back. They should get into Boulder sometime Tuesday afternoon or evening, if they let themselves stop & sleep Monday night. (GOOD PLAN!)

That's the news, and now for the weather... it's been a steady drizzle and at times good rain. When we took our walk tonight the skies cleared just until we got back!

Now back to finishing the printing of 275 copies of "Dona Nobis Pacem" for a Voice of the Rockies order due out tomorrow morning -- ah, some work to do!!

July 8, 2006

The sad news is Art Lande isn't performing anywhere in Boulder until after we're gone. (He's the composer / pianist / avant-garde improviser who wrote the wedding march Matt played at our wedding). Not that I should be out galavanting around while I'm here...

Had to be stern with mom this morning. "I don't think you should be having ___ and ___ over to dinner tomorrow night. No social obligations or work obligations until your energy level is back to normal & abdominal swelling completely gone." (____ was completely uncomfortable when she & her husband were invited to come to dinner Sunday. She's the one who fielded all the phone calls & visitors from 12:30-2:00 every day when mom was at the hospital, allowing mom her sole 1-1/2 hours of uninterrupted sleep. I know she won't be the least offended when the invitation is revoked...)

The fun news from Chand & Jeff is that Chand got a job! As Jeff told the story, Chand was sitting on a park bench across from the Courthouse Square, and a lady sat down next to him. They started chatting. In the course of the conversation Chand mentioned that he was unemployed & wanted to find a job. The lady said, "You've got one, and it starts right now if you want!" She was the owner of the restaurant they were sitting in front of, The Lone Spur Cafe. It's a pretty new restaurant that these people bought & redecorated about a year or so ago. They serve breakfast and lunch, and are closed by 2:30. He'll be working in the kitchen 3 days/week. That will be a perfect schedule to complement the Tuesday-Thursday classes he's got lined up at Yavapai College for the fall.

The other wonderful Chand news is that he's finished all of his driver training, and ended with fine compliments on how he drives, from the instructor. Now he has the waiver he needs to go get his drivers' license. Driving, working & college classes will be welcome changes for Chand, I'm sure, and I think he'll enjoy the upcoming year!

Well, that's today's news & I'm sure I love whoever's reading it!

July 7, 2006 -- the rest of the story

The doctor called this afternoon to let mom know about the results of this morning's CAT scan. No sign of any cancerous anything, it seems like that question's been pretty thoroughly put to rest. However, also no sizeable false cyst; what's happening right now is only that her body is creating lots of small ones, some of them even behind the pancreas (which is pushing it forward). Mom says if there was anything bigger there yesterday when he palpated her abdomen, it's broken up now. So the only approach now is to watch & wait. She has an appointment with the gasteroenterologist next Friday (week from today) and I guess he'll determine the next approach. (The GP and gastero. both consulted together by phone today & decided just to have her wait, keep resting, & keep eating the low-fat diet.)
So it seems like that still leaves unanswered, or raises new, questions for us... I'm just starting to try to put mine together. Feel free to email me with yours!

Now, back to baking peanut butter cookies for Russ!...

July 7, 2006
At Pat & Russ Holmberg's house

Our family is spread out all over the globe.
Dave, Steven & Lea in Davison & Algonac, Michigan, with Dave's mom, brother & sister...
Sukha & Naomi near Agde, France at the Hohm Community's "La Ferme" outpost...
Chand in Prescott with Jeff & Nachama...
me in Boulder with mom & Russ...
Nicole, Anthony & Daylin in Phoenix waiting for their new baby Daniel to arrive on or around August 23.
I really have trouble focusing & feel so disjointed when everybody's spread so far & wide. What job am I failing to do that somebody needs? Nothing I guess... nobody's here... aarrghhh.

It was so good to see family in Michigan & see Kevin & Donna, Mom Russell & Bonnie's houses, as well as to see the places where Dave grew up. I've heard so many stories of these places. It was so much fun to put an actual face on the places that were important in his upbringing. And Michigan is SO green, beautiful, and full of berries of all kinds!

Now it's equally good to be here with mom. Not that there's as much to do as I'd imagined... she's sleeping 80% of the time -- gets up for 10 minutes, down for 40. I'm glad she's resting, and I think she's getting much more rest here at home than she was at the hospital. The swelling is slowly subsiding in her abdomen, and what's really great to see is that her feet and ankles are completely normal & free of swelling... the first time I've seen them look this way in years, I think. Mainly she's just VERY tired. She had a CAT scan this morning to see if they can verify the presence of a false cyst in her pancreatal duct. This would be a best-case scenario in the ballpark she was playing in (a mass in that duct can only be a very few things). If that's what it is, she'll likely have laproscopic surgery to correct it, clearing the blockage that's been the cause of her original pain & swelling. Wouldn't it be great to put all this behind us & move on?!

That's all for today.