April 30, 2009
Mayday
Did you remember that May 1st is always May Day? May Day is a cross-quarter day, meaning that in the Northern Hemisphere it falls approximately halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. Perhaps the most significant of the traditions is the Maypole, around which traditional dancers circle with ribbons.
On May first, May Baskets are traditionally made. These baskets are small and usually filled with flowers or treats and left at someones doorstep. The basket giver would ring the bell and run away. The person receiving the basket would try to catch the fleeing giver. If they caught the person, a kiss was to be exchanged. As a child, I always observed this tradition, by taking homemade baskets (usually cone-shaped and made out of construction paper) of flowers and delivering them to neighbors, then ringing the doorbell and running away! Now, I think it’s sort of rude to not be there when someone answers the door!!! Besides, exchanging a kiss sounds like ever so much fun!!!
Sandy Connor said,
May 1, 2009 at 10:52 pm
Helllllloooooo….I am so happy I found you. I am going thru practically the same stuff as you so it is good to find a friend. My name is Sandy, I’m 56, live in San Diego and in early March I began feeling ill. Actually it was the second week of March when I went to my primary care doctor and told her I had bloating, gas, feeling full without eating, low back pain, etc. I knew these were the symptoms of ovarian cancer and asked her to do a CA125 and ultrasound. The ultrasound was negative except for fluid in the pelvic area, but a week later on March 20, my doctor said my CA125 was 272 and I needed to see a gynecological oncologist. Long story short, none of the scans showed tumors, but my doctor got me into surgery on April 13, did debulking surgery (small tumors on spleen, bladder, colon, diaphragm, omentum, etc (yikes). The removed everything (all female organs) and cleaned up the tumors, but there were microscopic tumors the chemo is supposed to take care of. I was in the hospital for 8 days and thank god for my doctor, Dr. Bernadette Duggan who is supposed to be one of the best in southern california. I just found out I am stage IIIB. She called it “advanced” but “found early”????? I will be getting regular and abdominal chemo I think, but will find out on May 6.
I’m scared. want to live and be with my grandchildren. Everything feels so surreal…I’m trying to stay positive, but??????
Doctor recommended vegan diet and meditation which I’m trying to do. Not very hungry at all. I AM SO HAPPY I FOUND YOU. I NEED SOMEONE TO TALK TO. It sounds like you caught yours as soon as you could which is great. Please email me if you get a chance…GOD BLESS YOU….
pdxfirefly said,
May 2, 2009 at 10:59 am
Welcome aboard, Sandy! But, buckle your seatbelt because we are in for a bumpy ride! I am so happy you found my weblog. Plese share it with your doctor and have her share it with anyone else she thinks might benefit from it. Stay strong. With Love, Portland Firefly