Uncle Norm's Beautiful Cats

Norman and Ruth had sworn off cats. No more pets. And then a home was needed for these beautiful cats. I can't remember what kind they are but they're a particular breed that is quite valuable as I understand it. They seem very happy. And very spoiled! And very fierce!

Uncle Norm's Beautiful Cats

So Little Hair - So Many Looks!

Here are the chameleon-like images of my head today. So many looks ... so little effort.

Here is my head with my hat. I wear this hat a lot. I need it to keep my head warm.

Here is my "hat hair". A tousled look. Bed head.

Here is my hair post epsom salts soak where my hair didn't actually get wet but responded to the warm humidity. Like a very short curly perm.

You might have noticed that I'm not so good with brows. My best eyebrow pencil ran out a few days ago (I have never in my life used up an eyebrow pencil!) and I've been making do with one that doesn't really suit my colouring. It's a little "strawberry blonde" for me at this stage. But I use it anyway because mismatched brows are better than no brows at all. No brows really does look weird. I do my best to draw them in but I don't think I'm very good at it. I have trouble getting them to match and sometimes I accidentally end up using a brow wrinkle instead of a brow hair as my guide. That makes them look pretty wonky.

Not many brow hairs have grown back. I'm not sure if I'll grow more of not. My eyelashes are doing better. They seem to be coming in much like they were before but they're not as long yet.

So Little Hair - So Many Looks!

Snowy, Windy Day ...

... out the window at work.

Snowy, Windy Day ...

Big Time YoYo

I tried my largest size yoyo maker with some scrap fabric. Here it is in comparison.

I made yoyo's while watching and listening to Luke's game tonight. It was so nice to be able to watch it online and the quality was the best I've seen so far, too. Unfortunately, the Bellarmine Knights were beat by the Denver Pioneers. It must have been frustrating for the Knights because they dominated so much of the play but just couldn't capitalize on many opportunities. On Sunday they play the Air Force Academy, also in Colorado.

I am so lovin' my Epsom Salts! I can't believe what a difference that morning soak made to my day! How do I spell relief? You guessed it ... E - P - S - O - M!!! I was so conscious of the pain relief well into late afternoon. When I got home, I soaked again and while the difference wasn't quite so dramatic, it was definite. Maybe I'll sleep better tonight, too.

I was thinking of Ricardo a lot today ... wondering if he was watching the wind and snow combination in fascination. Or horror!

Big Time YoYo

More Salt, Please!

This is the best my shoulders and arm have felt since last Monday after I saw the physical therapist! My Naturopath suggested I add 2 cups of Epsom Salts to my bath and soak my shoulders and neck. She suggested I only add enough water to allow me to lie down completely (with my legs up against the wall) so that my neck, back and shoulders would truly relax. I've avoided soaking my upper body in hot water up until now mostly because of that old PICC-line, because my Radiation Oncologist told me not to, and for fear of bringing on lymphodema. I don't know how long I'm to wait after radiation for upper body soaks in hot water but I decided to give this a try and I'm glad I did. I'm still not ready to try a hot tub, but this was devine!

This is the most relief I've had and now I'm afraid to move for fear of ruining it. Still, I got gingerly got dressed and my shoulders still feel better. Tender but not so painful. Let's see how long it lasts. They feel so good right now and I feel so relaxed for a change, I just want to lie down and sleep. I'm ready for work, though, and I don't want to muss my hair. You'd be surprised that with as little hair as I have, I can still get bed/hat/wig head!

Thanks, Carol, for that big jug of Epsom Salts you got for me from Costco. Now I know where to get it in bulk. I'll be there this weekend to stock up.

More Salt, Please!

I Couldn't Stop At Two ...

... so here's a third houseplant! A Peace Lily is a low light plant and that's what I need. This is a mini-one. I just hope I can keep it, and the others, alive. I'm not so good with houseplants.

I ended up a little distressed today. There was a message on my answering machine last Wednesday from the Champion Centre asking me to call them back. I did on Friday only to find that the person who had called me wouldn't be in until the following week but they would have her call me. She didn't, so I called this morning. I knew I was scheduled to see an Oncologist next week so I suspected the call had been to arrange an appointment. Apparently not. In fact, the person couldn't remember having phoned me and had no idea why they had. When I suggested that perhaps it was to set up an appointment, she said, "No". Even though I'm scheduled to see an Oncologist on April 12, there is no appointment because I "don't have an Oncologist". Mine left in November and even though I got a letter from the Centre telling me that I would be assigned to another Oncologist and that I would continue to recieve timely care, that hasn't happened. I was told that they have interviewed Oncologists and offered them positions but the last two chose to accept positions in Regina instead. I asked if we could book an appointment for me for the next available time, but they can't do that either. I'm just on some waiting list with no idea when I might get a call. All I know is that it won't be in April. I told the nurse that I DO have questions for an Oncologist and that I had just stopped taking my Tamoxifen because of all the troubles I've been having. She told me that she would have an Oncological nurse call me. That's as good as it's going to get, I assume. She also reminded me that all available appointments must be reserved for people on Chemo. I understand that and I would hate to see people just embarking on this journey or in the middle of it being told that their appointments were being delayed. But still ... I'm so annoyed. Cancer isn't something that's supposed to wait. It's my understanding (from doctors and from my own research) that chemo is to start within 6 weeks of surgery to prevent interim mestastesis. I waited 13 weeks and I've seen some Doctors raise an eyebrow or wince when noting that in my file. That happened when there was one more Oncologist on staff. I hope newly diagnosed patients aren't being delayed like I was ... or worse. I would advise new patients to be hot on the phone to find out when they're scheduled and to not settle for "you'll get a letter when there's an opening for you". Timing is important. But I digress ... I'm disappointed that my scheduled appointment has been delayed until some unforeseen time.

I did see my Naturopathic Doctor today. She had a few suggestions for me to help me deal with pain. I'll give them a whirl. She also highly recommended massage for me and was able to recommend a couple of massage therapists who specialize in treating cancer patients. She felt around and poked me here and there and she found tender spots I didn't even know were tender. It seems that I have a lot of tender places that only hurt when they're touched. Probably about 75% of my body surface hurts when touched. About 20% of my body hurts without being touched. I have a few pain free spots. She said a massage therapist will have to handle me very gently but she thinks it will be good for me. She also recommended soaking in Epsom Salts. I can do that (thank, Carol, oh wise one). She said my all over tenderness is very like fibromyalgia and she wondered if Arimidex or Tamoxifen could cause either of those. She also told me that my last blood work indicates that my estrogen and progesterone are both so low that they don't even supply a number ... they're both just "below 39" (I think that's the number she gave as the lowest one measured). That means the drugs have been working at reducing my estrogen, which was probably extraordinarily high prior to drugs and which probably explains my body's horrible reaction to having my estrogen cut so dramatically. My testosterone measures at the lowest measurement in the normal range.

I'm waiting for a call back from a massage therapist to book an appointment as soon as possible. As I've mentioned before, I've never had a massage. I'm looking forward to one but am also a little afraid it will hurt since quite light touch can cause pain over most of my body.

I learned today that someone I know has been recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Hearing it took my breath away and I feel so awful for her and for her family. I hope she knows she can call me if she wants to talk to someone who has preceded her down this bumpy road.

I Couldn't Stop At Two ...

Tonight's YoYo's

... from the Recess fabric.

Tonight's YoYo's

More Indoor Greenery

You didn't think I just got ONE plant at Home Depot, did you?! Silly! I got this fresh green fern, too. I needed it. It needed me.

Today. Today ... not bad. I had a lousy sleep last night so needed the extra shut-eye this morning. I did okay in the early afternoon at work but faded a little late afternoon. A bad hot flash kind of took the wind out of my sails and I was at a presentation at the time, so I was a little stuck. Manageable, though. Manageable. My shoulders and left arm are quite sore and so is that nagging spot on my left leg ... the lower calf. That has been a troublesome spot since October when I started taking the Arimidex and then it wasn't so bad recently. In fact, I thought I was in the clear. It's back, though ... not quite as bad as it was before, but bad enough. It frequently makes me limp. I wish I understood.

It's impossible to say if going off the Tamoxifen has helped at all. I doubt it. It's making me nervous ... being off of it. I think I might start taking it again tonight. Maybe not. What to do??!! I've read of so many women facing this same dilemma. Do we really know how much benefit we're getting from it? At what risk are we if we go off of it for a little "drug vacation"? I'll go over this with my Naturopathic Doctor tomorrow when I see her. And then I'll have some questions in the following weeks for an Oncologist.

In the meantime, I made 8 more yoyo's out of my "Recess" fabric (as seen here). I want my yoyo's to look a little "vintage". After I selected "Recess", I learned that it was inspired by images of children playing together from a 1934 1st Grade Reader. I thought it was pretty amazing that I chose it as a modern possibility for the 30's look. And honestly, I'm hardly that "in the know" about vintage fabric design. Largely coincidence, I think. I need to get some more of the "Thirties" fabric, too. I like the how the yoyo's turned out using that fabric and I need a lot more than 50 for a coverlet, I assure you. I'm hoping that the "Thirties" and the "Recess" fabrics will work well together. I have to make more before I'll know.

More Indoor Greenery

The Children's Book Is No Children's Book

I started reading this book, The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt, before we left for Kentucky and I finished it at the end of our holiday. It was a LOT of reading and, in my opinion, tough slugging.

There were some story lines that really interested me but there were sometimes lengthy gaps of less interesting minutia separating them. Perhaps I didn't fully appreciate the great detail Byatt goes into at times. It's not that I don't like detail but I found this a little much and it didn't always provide the benefit of "teaching me something", which I do usually like.

I also got a little annoyed with the behaviour of some of the characters. It seemed a little unrealistic to me ... I doubt that life in England at the turn of the century really was like that (even though I've read other novels and have seen movies that give the same sense), but it struck me as a little corny. I didn't buy it.

This book has received great critical acclaim, but for pure story-telling, it didn't grab me. I really wanted to love it, but just couldn't, even though there were things I really appreciate about the writing. I do love the cover.

The consensus of reviews is: "Generally positive -- but while many are impressed [they] also note that her attention to details and facts can be overwhelming". I concur.

The Children's Book Is No Children's Book

A New Plant

I've been wanting a plant for our living room, which doesn't get much light. So, when Kevin and I were at Home Depot we saw this badly battered plant on sale and apparently it requires "low light"! Kevin cut most of the dead stuff out and here it sits in our living room ... thriving, hopefully! I like the mix of colours in it.

I'm happy to report that I feel much better today than yesterday. I can't say whether or not stopping the Tamoxifen made the difference. I've had other times where I'll have good days and then, for no apparent reason, a very bad day. Maybe it's one of those. It's hard to say.

I feel less gloomy today. That might have a bit to do with having less pain today, too. My shoulders and left arm still hurt but my legs and right arm are considerably better. I'm not quite as weak. My neck is a bit sore today but that might be as result of tensing up yesterday. I'm feel more like I did last Thursday, which isn't as good as I have been but certainly better than yesterday.

I might even make a couple of yoyo's tonight.

A New Plant

I Feel Like A YoYo

Or at least that's how my progress to wellness feels. I'm feeling very discouraged today and was increasingly so over the weekend.

The downward slide started just a little vaguely in Louisville shortly before we came home. I was very tired in Louisville, but I attribute that mostly to the cold I had and that we were doing more during the day than I normally would be. I slept a lot and that was good and my cold is all but gone now. But also, a couple of days before we came home, I noticed that my toes were feeling funny ... more numb. I attributed that to my new deck shoes, which I was wearing without socks. Maybe they had just rubbed a bit.

But since I've been home, I've noticed that my toes have become more numb and the numbness is extending to the tops of my toes and the balls of my feet. These are parts that were numbed previously by the chemo but I had slowly been getting my feeling back. Now it seems to be reversing. Aggravating. My fingers are okay, though. No changes there. My legs have also slowly been getting more stiff and sore with each day. I have more trouble walking. This is very disheartening after seeing such improvements over the past month. My arms ... both of them now ... are so sore today, too. They feel very weak, too. I have to use two hands to hold an empty plate. I ache a bit all over ... almost like one of those bad flu bugs ... but I don't think it's the flu even though my stomach has been upset at various times today. I really don't think it's the flu. I have a headache and just feel generally crappy.

I tried to get ready for work and got as far as a bath and dressed in work clothes but I only got part of my makeup done. My arms got too tired to hold up for the painting on of eyebrows and eyes. And I was just so tired. I spent most of the day on the couch watching nothing epecially interesting. I didn't even make yoyo's today. Tooooo tired. The ones above are all I've done --- 39 and 4 minis. I have more fabric to work with but no energy for it today. Laura stopped by briefly to say Hi and to do some lacrosse business. It was refreshing to see her ... all vibrant and encouraging.

I've been feeling emotionally weak since Friday. Every day since Friday afternoon I've become a little weepy and very sad and maybe a little depressed every now and then. It doesn't feel right. It doesn't feel like me. I think it must be the effect of drugs even though feeling worse is certainly frustrating and depressing in it's own right, but I think this weepy reaction I'm having is a little over the top. I'm sure it's the drugs. Many women on tamoxifen are on anti-depressants. I don't want to go on any more drugs.

I'm not going to take my tamoxifen tonight. I'm giving myself a little tamoxifen vacation starting today. It took at least 3 months for the Arimidex to start leaving my system after only taking it for 6 weeks. Hopefully I'll feel some improvements sooner than that while I'm tamoxifen-free. I really don't know how much of what I'm feeling either physically or emotionally can be attributed to the tamoxifen. I see my Naturopathic doctor on Thursday, an Oncologist (I don't know which one yet) in a week or so and I see my Radiation Oncologist at the end of the month. Maybe ... I hope ... they'll have some suggestions and options or even some information that will help me make sense of the way I'm feeling.

But for now, suffice it to say I'm feeling pretty crappy. But who knows ... maybe tomorrow I'll feel great! Like I said ... a yoyo!

Thanks for your emails and Easter cards, everyone. I've been wanting to reply but am not in a good place for replies right now and my arms get so tired, too. My arms work okay if they don't drift far and if they're at about lap height but keeping them above elbow height is tiring. Computering seems to be tiring today, though I haven't tried typing with my computer in my lap. I might have to try that.

Like I said, hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow.

Oh ... and on the plus side ... my missing pink head-warmer arrived in the mail! It went missing on our 2nd last night in Louisville. I think it was gathered up with the laundry by house-keeping. I'm so glad to have it back because I still wear something to bed to keep my head warm. Auntie Eileen made this one and it's my favourite. I look forward to having it on tonight.

I Feel Like A YoYo

Easter Weekend

What a nice weekend we've had! Time with Ron, Patty and Matty on Thursday and then Darrel and Lynn stopped by for a while. Kevin, who doesn't have as early a bedtime as me, was able to get together with Kathy and Ricardo for a bit that night.

Friday night with the Peters. Awesome!

Saturday night Kevin and I attended a little office-plus "doo" hosted by Michael and JoAnn. It was such a nice event and a fiesta for the tastebuds, too! I LOVE potato latkes. At least JoAnn's potato latkes. I didn't have anything alcoholic and I think that made a big difference for me. I was able to stay awake a little longer and didn't suffer any of those especially nasty hot flashes. I think having wine on Friday night was a bad idea for me. I think it does induce hot flashes. Maybe other liquor does, too, but I wasn't going to test the theory on Saturday night. As it was, I slept more than 10 hours last night. I get SO tired!

Today, Don and Sylvia hosted an Acton Family lunch. Delicious and, as always, so prettily presented. I passed on the mimosas ... *sigh*.

The photo above is of the cornish game hens I made for dinner on Saturday night (we had plenty for leftovers tonight). I've never cooked them before so I found a recipe on the internet and gave it a whirl. They were VERY good! I'm amazed at how the flavouring really permeated the meat. I also made lemon roast potatoes for the first time, too. We'll be making them again.

Mom had done enough traveling lately so she didn't come in for the weekend. She had Gary over for a chicken dinner tonight. Hannah was researching and writing a paper today. Luke was recovering from Saturday night. I really miss having my kids home at Easter. I miss hiding eggs. I hate thinking of them NOT getting a proper Easter dinner.

I've made 50 yoyo's! I told Hannah I was making them and I was surprised that she knew what they were and then I was further surprised to know she LOVES yoyo's! Now I have a purpose for my yoyo obsession.

Easter Weekend

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!

Air In My Hair for Easter

I forgot to take a picture of my hair yesterday so here it is, one day later. I don't think the extra day gave it any more fluff. I took the photo outside because the inside photos, with flash, were reflecting off the bits of my revealed scalp giving me more bald spots in the photo than there appear to be in real life.

A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

Happy Easter, everyone!

Air In My Hair for Easter

Awesome Turkey Dinner!

Rex and Erin had us over last night for a SUPER DELICIOUS turkey dinner with all the fixin's. Rex and Erin have been family ever since our sons became good buddies when they were 4 years old. It was lovely to be included in their family dinner. Brigetta was home with her boyfriend, John. Gavin was there. Rex's Mom, Shirley, and Jeff, Dee, Anika and Mia. I meant to take some food photos but in all the excitement, I forgot! It wasn't just good ... it was all very pretty! Erin was disappointed that her roasted carrots (with bits of green tops) didn't look "like the picture" but I thought they looked wonderful!

Maybe it was the wine, but I pooped out earlier than I had planned. I wonder if the wine didn't bring on some extra hot flashes, too? Hmmm ... maybe. Anyway, I ended up feeling a little "hot-flash whoozy" and so Dee dropped me off at home on her way to take her little ones home. Kevin stayed for festivities. I would have loved to stay, too. I'm not a very fun Heather these days because I'm always toast very early in the evening. I don't like it very much, but c'est la vie!

Jeff was wearing a utilikilt! He looks good in one, too! They suit him. If you don't know what a utilikilt looks like, here's a picture. There are various styles for various purposes. They're designed to be a "working man's kilt". Mom and I first saw them in Seattle. Mom pointed out some window washers high up on the side of a building and she said, "They look like they're wearing skirts!". We had an "ah-ha moment" when we stumbled upon the Utilikilt Store. Just so you know, they're also equipped with snaps so they can be made more like shorts for those who care. I really like them, though they certainly don't suit everyone. Jeff wears them well.

Bellarmine was outplayed by Fairfield today. The score was 13 to 4 for Fairfield. Luke said the Fairfield team was very good. Oh well. Time to regroup for next week's games.

Awesome Turkey Dinner!

YoYo How To

They now have yoyo making tools. Here is a stack of mine, though I see my littlest one missed being photographed. It is the size down from the green one. The yoyo makers are made by Clover and you can get them here at Periwinkle Quilt Shop in Grosvenor Mall on 8th and probably in some other places, too. Clover also makes oval, heart, flower, butterfly and shamrock shaped yoyo makers.

I used to just trace circles on fabric, cut them out, stitch, gather and secure. Easy enough without a tool but I find I do like the tool. You snap your fabric into it and then just free-hand cut the circle shape after that. The stitch guides are no-brainers and it means your yoyo's will come out exactly the same size and shape every time. Otherwise, the size and the whether they gather tightly or not depends on how closely you make your stitches.

So far I've only tried the orange tool, it being the most "usual size" of yoyo's. Once I finish using it for my 30's fabrics, I'll try some other sizes.

The photos below are of the front of the yoyo tool with the fabric snapped into it, the back, and then a gathered yoyo waiting for me to secure a knot.

Easy peasy. Though, instead of following the enclosed instructions, I recommend watching a yoyo video to get you started. I mucked a few up before I finally searched out a video. This video from Australia is good, too. The finishing method is slightly different and, at the end of the video, you will see ALL of the various yoyo makers and yoyo's made with each of them.

Now that I've tried some yoyo's, though, I need to finish appliqueing all of the squares for Hannah's quilt. I have 10 to go.

YoYo How To

Easter Game Day and YoYo's

Today is a big home game for Luke's lacrosse team. They play Fairfield University. Fairfield has been on a winning streak and they're ranked considerably higher than Bellarmine. Still, they're beatable and they're beatable by Bellarmine. I hope the boys have a good game. We'll be following live stats right away.  I see from the roster list that Luke is "starting". That's great!

What a wonderful day yesterday! It was so nice out. Kevin did some yard work ... got leaves raked out of the carrigana hedge and the back lawn raked, too. Some garden beds cleaned up. We HAVE to build a new deck this year so Kevin's been giving some thought to that.

I did some laundry, some tidying and I made some yoyo's. Here are the first three I made. By the end of the day I had 16 of them! I'm using some 30's replica fabric to make them so they look a bit "vintage", as yoyo's are. I don't know what I'll do with them yet but whatever one does with yoyo's, one often needs many so I have a long way to go before I have enough for any real project.

Here is a quilt sold by Anthropolgie that uses various sizes of mostly BIG yoyo's (asking price almost $500 US). I quite like it.

Here's a quilt sold by Ethan Allen that I like, too (asking price around $750 US).

Here's a traditional one that the owner found in a the bottom of a box at a garage sale.

Here is a yoyo shawl that I think is very attractive ($60 USD on Etsey.com - the eBay of handmade things).

Click on the images to see a larger format.

Easter Game Day and YoYo's

Hannah's Dream!

I've been laughing out loud for a couple of days now ever since Hannah told me about a dream she had a few nights ago.

She dreamed that her Grandma Kerr (Mom) had a little white convertible VW and was driving around New York in it. Auntie Anne was in the car with her and I think I was, too, and Mom was telling Hannah to "get in" because she wanted to show Hannah some sights. Apparently, in Hannah's dream, Mom knew all the "best places" in New York because she used to live there with Kathy.

So Mom ... very flamboyant and colourful in Hannah's dream ... was driving us around in her little white convertible VW and she said we had to see a particular church. When we walked into the church, it turned out that Meryl Streep was there filming a movie and when Meryl saw Auntie Anne, she came running over, shouting, "ANNNNNE!" and gave Auntie Anne a big hug and then gave Mom a big hug. Hannah was just so amazed that Meryl Streep knew Auntie Anne and her Grandma!

That's the part I remember about Hannah's dream. Hilarious! I'm still laughing! Dreams can be so funny.

Hannah's Dream!

Happy Easter!

I worked today. Just a half day. Even then, I found it a little hard to get to work. My shoulders and arms have been pretty sore today and I was quite uncomfortable during the night. Getting dressed comes with it's challenges and it's worse with limited and sore upper limbs. Nonetheless, I managed.

The good news at work is we can now call Rochelle "Doc Roc". The bad news is that the water was off in the building yesterday afternoon and all day today. I didn't drink anything even though I was thirsty because drinking leads to bathrooms, which would have meant walking over to another building.

We had a delivery from Kentucky for Patty and Ron and since they, too, wanted to watch "Survivor", we had them over for burgers, a visit, and tv. I was sad that Boston Rob got the boot. That Russell! He's evil! And then Matty came by for a while, which was great. We hadn't seen Matty since Christmas.

And now ... time to wind down. I think it's a good time to soak some oatmeal in buttermilk so we can have oatmeal pancakes for breakfast. Have I mentioned how much I love breakfast? I do. It's my favourite meal with all my favourite foods. I also have to do my physio. It's hard to believe that such gentle stretching ... if you can even call that stretching ... can make my arms and shoulders ache so.

Happy Easter!

A Ricardo For Her Birthday

Today is Kathy's birthday! She got an extra special birthday present this year. She got a Ricardo. Not just ANY Ricardo, though. She got THE Ricardo!

Yes, Ricardo arrived yesterday from Costa Rica for his first visit to Canada. He missed most of the snow, though. Maybe we'll get a blizzard yet while he's here.

Kathy and Ricardo met some years ago while they were both working in the lighting department for shows on a cruise ship.

Happy Birthday, Kathy! We look forward to seeing both you and Ricardo asap!!

A Ricardo For Her Birthday