March 31, 2011
Doggie Diary V
I thought that Mercedes was Bichon Frise breed of dog and that is what the shelter was told and they agreed. Well, I could finally have her groomed the other day and the groomers told me a little more about this white ball of fluff. This was her first groom.
Mercedes doesn’t like to have her face hair wet. She is starting to come to me after she eats so I can wipe off her face! So, I thought that I’d have her face shaved fairly close so she would feel more comfortable. Well, a Bichon has a rather broad and somewhat flat snout. Poodles have a long narrow snout. Mercedes had so much hair around her face and neck that I thought that she was pure Bichon, but after her new groom, it is apparent that she has Poodle in her. She has a classic poodle snout, but the sturdy body and cute ‘curved over the back’ tail of a Bichon. They also told me that she had had at least one litter of puppies. My Mercedes had been a Momma! And because of the abuse, I suspect more than once. I think they probably used her as a breeder to make money. No more!
The poodle in her explains why she insists on having her face wiped off after she eats! And is why she is so meticulous about keeping her paws cleaned off as well. When she came home with me from the shelter her toe nails were so long that her paw pads couldn’t touch the ground. The hair growing between her toes and over her paws was over two inches long. I couldn’t even see her collar for all the six inches of fur growing all over her body. And she couldn’t even see because of the fur covering her beautiful liquid black eyes. Within a few hours of coming into my home, I took care of some of those things as best I could until she had her first beauty day. But now she is the beautiful animal that God created her to be.
March 30, 2011
Color of the Year
I didn’t even know that there was a color of the year, but look out, there is!!!!
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Pantone captured the energizing hue of the honeysuckle flower to inspire and brighten the world during these otherwise gray times. Pantone has declared the color of the year for over a decade and has been the world’s authority on color for over 50 years. Leaders in product development and professional design depend on the Pantone color standards.
“In times of stress, we need something to lift our spirits. Honeysuckle is a captivating, stimulating color that gets the adrenaline going — perfect to ward off the blues,” explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®, Eiseman continues, “Honeysuckle derives its positive qualities from a powerful bond to its mother-color red, the most physical, viscerally alive hue in the spectrum. The intensity of this festive reddish pink allures and engages. In fact, this color, not the sweet fragrance of the flower blossoms for which it was named, is what attracts hummingbirds to nectar. Honeysuckle may also bring a wave of nostalgia for its associated delicious scent reminiscent of the carefree days of spring and summer.”
Shop for a Cure is Tomorrow
Tomorrow, Thursday, March 31, 2011 is your opportunity to shop and donate!
Chico’s store at Washington Square Mall is having a Shop for the Cure Day where they will donate 10% of sales to the local ovarian cancer fund raising organization for ovarian cancer – The SHOC Foundation. Please shop and when paying, please remind your sales associate that you are ‘Shopping for a Cure” . Thank you!
March 29, 2011
Doggie Diary IV
Well, Mercedes is now a part of my family. We are having a learning curve here on adjusting to each other. I have been listening to the audio books by Caesar Milan, the Dog Whisperer. He has some very valuable insights that I have had to employ with this shelter rescue dog.
Poor little Mercedes was abused. I was able to figure this out through some of her behaviors. When she does something wrong ( and believe me she knows when she has been bad) she goes and hides. When I went to get her out of her hiding place the first time, she growled at me and so I explained to her that I was not going to hurt her, that no one was going to hurt her anymore and that she can come out when she is ready. It took her 2 1/2 hours to come out from her hiding place and ask to watch TV with me. the next time she was bad she went and hid again, but this time, she came out in about 20 minutes. The last time she started to go and hide and then stopped short and turned around and came right to me. I could actually see her thinking and working through the process. “OK, I’m not supposed to be on the bed unless I’m invited. But I jumped up there anyway. Now she wants me off the bed, I was bad. I’d better go and hide before someone hits me. OH, she loves me, she doesn’t hit me. She doesn’t even yell at me. She just firmly tells me to get off the bed. I am safe. I think I ‘ll go and tell her I’m sorry.” And then she comes over to me and lays down and rolls over and all is forgiven and my little Mercedes has learned another lesson.
And then last night, when I quickly reached down to pick her up, she quickly blinked her eyes shut and flinched. Wow. An animal wouldn’t have flinched unless she had been hit before more than once. My poor little sweet (sometimes) girl. Someone must have been really mean to her. I cuddle her and reassure her and give her lots of affection. She has come a long ways in a short time. And I love her.
March 27, 2011
Shop for a Cure
March 26, 2011
Drs. Appointment
I had a regularly scheduled doctors appointment yesterday. My blood had been drawn earlier in the week and I usually get my lab results and my CA 125 test results when I go to my appointment.
This time was different because I am waiting for Grandbaby #2 to decide to arrive and I’ll be watching Grandbaby #1 when that time comes. So I requested the results via phone a day earlier. My doctor called with the results at 6:00 pm on Thursday night while I was out running a last-minute errand. The message was blinking on my answering machine when I arrive home 5 minutes later.
I was not surprised at part of her message “Your Ca 125 result came back at 53. We can visit about this at your appointment tomorrow.” No other explanation was needed. We both know that the normal range for a CA 125 is below 30 and my last 4 were in the 12 – 18 range, so a reading of 53 means that my CA 125 levels have started to climb once again. The rising CA 125 did not come as a surprise; in fact I would have been surprised if it WAS in the normal range.
Why? I am so very attuned to my body and I have been having some minor, but persistent symptoms. For me the main one is Fatigue — if I have to get in bed and take a nap because I just can’t go on with normal daily activities, then I know that the cancer is rearing its ugly head again. And I had several ‘time for a nap’ days recently. The other one is a particular taste in my mouth that doesn’t go away. Then there is the continuous minor sensations in my abdomen and the less persistent but bothersome reflux. Another one is new constant leg pain. Yes, who would have thought that leg pain is a symptom of a deadly gynecological cancer?! Well it is because the tumors can cause pressure on nerves which radiate down the leg to cause unexplained leg pain.
At the appointment, my doctor discussed everything very thoroughly. She is extremely thorough and makes sure that the patient understands her detailed explanations with diagrams and graphs. Since I want to know as much as possible what is going on, what the possible prognosis might be, what options are, etc, I love her manner. In fact, I realized yesterday that she & I actually have a sort of ‘short hand’ way of communication because after two years, we understand each other so well. I feel very fortunate to have her as my Doctor and I trust her and her judgment and her expertise completely.
Here is what we have decided. Since I am mildly symptomatic and able to function quite well on a daily basis, there is no need to rush to Chemo at this time. There are many studies to support this and I totally agree. After Grandbaby #2 arrives, and my Grandmotherly duties will be more flexible, I will have a CT scan done. I’ll probably have another CA 125 done at that time so we can see the trend of that test. After we get that scan report, then we will meet and make some decisions.
The thing to remember about Chemotherapy is that there is a time and place for it. Chemo is very hard on the body and starting Chemo too early in this instance just doesn’t make sense right now. Yes, I feel a little sick all the time, but with Chemo, I will feel really bad and not be able to do many of the things that I can now still do. It is a quality of life decision as well as a medically sound decision. I hope that explains it to you in a way that you can understand this decision a little better.
March 20, 2011
2 Year Cancerversary
Hooray for me!!!! Today Sunday, March 20, 2011 is the two-year anniversary of my first Chemo. I actually received my diagnosis on March 19, 2009, but didn’t get to the oncologist until 7:00 am, the next morning, so I really consider March 20th my cancerversary date!
People ask why I am ‘celebrating’ this day. I am celebrating this day because two years ago, we were not sure how long I would live. The average life expectancy for ovarian cancer is 25 months.
I am rejoicing because I feel good, people tell me that I look good and I am far from the grave (that is unless God has different plans for me). I figure that my worst case scenario is 1 year and I plan to far outlast that. After all Beautiful Grandbaby Number 2 is on the way (might arrive this week!) and I plan to watch Grandbaby Number 1 walk into his first day of kindergarten 3 1/2 years from now.
I am so very optimistic. I have had a great response to the standard chemo drugs and I have only had two of them. There are about 20 more chemo drugs available and new strides are being made every few months, certainly every year. So the longer I can stay alive , the better my chance of living longer because of the new medical advancements that are being made!
Yes, my energy level is not what is once was and I now realize that it will never be. I still get tired, but then, I am able to do a lot more than I was able to do that first 18 months. I have completed most of my travels. Oh, there are still a few places calling to me… but currently I am resting up and not planning any new travels.
So, Hooray for me!!! I am still alive…. I am happy, I am loved, I have fabulous friends and a beautiful family and a cute new doggie. I am assured of my salvation, I know I’ll go straight to heaven when I die and I ask you, my dear readers, what could be better than that? Blessing to you all.
March 18, 2011
Abby’s Closet
The mission of Abby’s Closet is to inspire confidence and respect in high school women by providing free formal gowns for prom and other memorable events.
The “7th Annual Abby’s Closet Prom Gown Giveaway” will be held on April 2-3, 2011 at the DoubleTree Hotel Exhibit Hall-Lloyd Center. All high school women are invited to attend to receive a FREE gown (just need to show a high school ID). Hope to see you there! For more information, click HERE.
By the way, Abby’s Closet also accepts donations of wearable gowns of all styles and sizes. Go to the website to donate. http://www.abbyscloset.org
March 16, 2011
St. Patrick’s Day
Ah, tomorrow morning is the day to say, “Top o’ the Morning to ye.” I hope you all have a very Happy St. Patrick’s Day and enjoy the parade and the corned beef and cabbage and colcannon.
Here is the link to a colcannon (mashed potatoes & cabbage) recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tylers-ultimate/colcannon-recipe/index.html
March 15, 2011
KGW Raptor Cam 2011
The Hawks laid their eggs on March 6, 2011. Their nest is on a ledge of a downtown Portland building and this can be pretty cool to watch especially after the chicks hatch. Here is the link to their live web cam: http://www.kgw.com/lifestyle/raptor-cam
Enjoy!!
March 13, 2011
Introducing Mercedes
This is Mercedes Humane Society picture. She still hasn’t been groomed yet because of her surgery. But she really needs a beauty day!
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March 12, 2011
Doggie Diary III
The weather on the Monday that I first went to see Mercedes was beautiful – mid 50′s and sunny and dry, something we Portlanders had not seen in a long time! But by the following Wednesday the weather had turned nasty…. bitter cold with overnights in the teens with rain, snow, ice, and sleet in the forecast. The weathermen did not lie. We had all of the above on Wednesday and Wednesday night; it started to clear a little by Thursday morning. Thursday was the day the I could go and formally adopt Mercedes. On my way across town, the roads were clear but I ran into ice, snow, rain, sleet and a hail. Just a little bit of everything, not enough of anything to make a big road hazard.
I was really excited to get her and didn’t realize how long the process would take. I had to go through an interview process where we went over all of her paperwork. Since she was a ‘surrender’ the previous owner had filled out 6 pages of forms which we needed to go over. Part way through reading these surrender papers, I started to cry while thinking, “How could anyone give up this sweet girl?” I was anxious to get her and take her home and start her new life with me, so I stopped reading so carefully and just glanced over the remainder of the form.
After they checked my Drivers License Number, I was then approved to go to the cashier and pay for her. I brought the receipt back and they went to get her ~ after waiting for an available kennel attendant. This was about a 10 -15 minute wait. Then my little ball of white fluff finally arrived in the arms of a caring attendant. She attempted to locate Mercedes microchip and when she couldn’t locate it, she took her away again (more waiting) to insert another one. Then more time to go over that paperwork!
Since it was cold outside, I brought a little sweater for her to wear in the car home. Then we put her seatbelt harness on her and the attendant carried her out to the car. They are very careful during this phase of the adoption process because I guess that they have had dogs bolt before they were put securely into the new adopters vehicles. We put Mercedes into her seat belt in the front seat and the attendant held onto her while I went around to open my door and got into the car and closed my door. Then Mercedes door was shut and we were off on our way!
Mercedes loves to ride in the car and I don’t think that she took her eyes off of me for more than a few seconds on the ride home. I took her outside on the leash so she would know where to go. She followed me around the house for the rest of the day and just kept watching me. She adjusted Ok that first day and even ate from her cute little dishes.
She whimpered a little bit at bed time, but I knew that she was fine and just had to ignore her until she settled down a few minutes later.
She has settled into our routine and is getting used to me and is really showing her cute, impish personality.
March 11, 2011
Daylight Savings Time 2011
Daylight Savings Time begins tomorrow on Saturday night, March 12, 2011. This is when we turn our clocks ahead one hour. Spring Forward, Fall Back.
So before you go to sleep on Saturday night, move all of your clock ahead 1 hour. So, if you are changing your clocks at 10:00 pm, you will move them to 11:00 pm. You moved the clocks ahead 1 hour and you just lost an hour of sleep! So get in bed and sleep fast!
March 10, 2011
Renovation & Remodeling Show 2011
The Portland Renovation & Remodeling Show is this weekend March 11 – 13th, 2011 at the Portland Memorial Coliseum.
Fri. 2pm-8pm, Sat. 10am-7pm, Sun. 11am-5pm
Portland Renovation & Remodeling Show is the premiere event in the building and construction industry dedicated solely to the remodeling industry. This is the only national event that brings remodelers, custom builders, residential architects, and designers together to meet face to face with top manufacturers to preview innovative products, information, tools & services.
March 9, 2011
Lent Begins
“Ash Wednesday” by Carl Spitzweg: the end of Carnival.
Today is Ash Wednesday — the end of Carnivale and the beginning of the Lenten season. The word Lent comes from the idea that the days are now begining to ”lengthen”. And here in Oregon, that is only good news!
Lent is the 46 days prior to Easter — 40 days if you do not count the Sundays – and is actually determined by the date of Easter. Now…determining the date of Easter… that is a complicated and interesting formula which I’ll go into in a later post.
For more than you ever thought you wanted to know about Lent go to these two web sites! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lent and http://www.cin.org/users/james/files/lent.htm
March 8, 2011
Shrove Tuesday
Today is Shrove Tuesday also known as Mardi Gras and is the day before Lent starts on Ash Wednesday.
Mardi Gras Masks by PDXFireflyMardi Gras is French for Fat Tuesday and it is the day before the Lenten Season begins with Ash Wednesday.
March 5, 2011
March 5th – TWA Anniversary
It was March 5th many years ago when I started my training classes for TWA. TWA flew me from LAX to KCI on what would become my favorite airplane, the 727 Stretch.
We took off over Marina Del Rey and I sat watching the glistening blue waves kiss the golden sands receding below me. I still have that beautiful picture in my mind. Hours later – probably after a delicious meal – remember the airlines used to serve great food even in coach – all included in the price of your ticket. Hours later, we came in for our landing at the old Kansas City International Airport where the landing pattern takes you over the downtown skyscrapers and then the bridge spanning the Missouri River, just at the end of the runway.
We were housed at the beautiful, new, state of the art Breech Training Academy in Overland Park, Kansas. It is still there today and has been sold and used by many different companies over the years. This facility was built just for the purpose of training Flight Attendants for Trans World Airlines. Our accommodations were 2 to a suite with 2 well-lit desks, plenty of closet space and a generous private bath. Ten of these suites opened onto a central area which was a sunken living room complete with a modified kitchen. These 20 young women comprised one class. The classes were arranged alphabetically according to last names. Our class was notable at the Academy for its ethnic make-up . I think we had the single most diverse class that was ever enrolled at Breech Academy. There were 4 black women, 1 Egyptian, 1 Chinese, 2 Hispanics, 2 Catholics, 4 WASPs, 2 Jewish, 1 Japanese, 1 from Belgium, 1 German and 1 from Poland. This diversity would not be unusual today, but ‘ahem’ number of years ago it was very unusual. Remember that our classes were determined by last names only and the classes on either side of ours consisted mostly of ethnically similar, if not identical, young women.
Our classrooms were in another building within walking distance from the 4 multi-storied dormitory buildings. These were also state of the art. Each classroom was horseshoe-shaped with a semi-circular bank of 20 fixed chairs with one long continuous horseshoe-shaped desk for the 20 chairs. Each desk ’station’ had its own set of three buttons marked A, B, or C. Theses buttons were used during the 6 weeks of training for in-classroom testing purposes. At the front of the room was a projection room behind a black window which served as the screen for the slides and videos that were used in just about every single class of our training. To the side of this screen was the teachers podium. Her podium was electronically connected to the buttons at our desks. She could put a multiple choice question up on the screen and we would each push the button that indicated what we thought was the correct answer. We would get immediate feedback as soon as we pushed a button at our desk . If you got it correct, a little green light flashed, if incorrect, a little red light flashed.
We were served three meals a day in the huge cafeteria and we had an enormous swimming pool which was encased in a big white plastic bubble so the pool could be used year around. The pool was necessary because it was imperative that each flight attendant pass the water ditching test in order to graduate. And that meant jumping off the end of the diving board into the pool and swimming over to the enormous life raft floating in the center of the pool. Then you had to climb on board the raft with your life vest fully inflated while the people in the raft made the raft bounce around to simulate North Atlantic Ocean waves!
Out of our class of 20 women only 16 graduated. Of that 16, I think that 10 of us went on to international training for another 2 weeks. At that time one had to be proficient in a foreign language and I passed the test in Italian.
And so March 5th is the date that my career with TWA began. It was a career that gave me incredible opportunities, much happiness, innumerable friendships, and was the fulfillment of my childhood dream. And now in retirement, I am still reaping the benefits of all those years of service by being able to use my travel pass benefits. Ah yes, here is a toast to March 5th and all the memories it brings to this now weary traveler.
March 4, 2011
Doggie Diary II
Back home on Monday afternoon, I decided to take a little rest after my long trek over the hill. “Well, I’ve been gone all day,” I thought. “So I’ll just check my email real quick before I lay down.” Nothing there so I decided to look at the Oregon Humans Society’s web site to see if perhaps a cute little ball of fluff came in.
I actually had my hand on the mouse to close out the site as I was quickly scrolling to the bottom of the last page – disappointed but glad to be able to take a little rest. AND …. there she was ! ….. second from the bottom. Suzy. A ball of white fluff with two eyes in there somewhere behind the cute little black nose. My heart started beating faster, my mind racing, trying to figure out if she really was available and now what do I do to get her?
I went back and reread her bio, jotted down her ID number, clicked around the site to find the phone number and called the shelter. Yes she is available, just came in today, there are no holds on her. I decided to go and see her, but the shelter is on the other side of town and now it is rush hour.
Grabbing a very quick bite of early dinner, and refilling my water bottle, I rechecked the directions and got in the car. She was still available when I arrived and she & I had a ‘meet and greet’ in a large private room designed for just that purpose. She was perfect! Since she had not been spayed yet, I couldn’t take her home that day but I could put a non-refundable deposit to hold her until she could go home. I knew that I would change her name since she was going to have a new life . I watched her carefully during our time together and when I called out the name ‘Mercedes’ she stopped her explorations and looked right at me! So that was settled, her name is Mercedes. She is a Bichon Frise which is the breed of dog that the Spanish explorers would take with them on long voyages and they are often pictured in Goya’s paintings of Spanish Royalty. And so my new little doggie has a beautiful Spanish name to go with her beautiful spirit. I immediately paid the additional $15.00 fee and signed the papers and told her that I’d see her the next day. And I left. I was tired when I arrived home.
The next day, Tuesday, I kept my promise and drove the 60 miles to see her again. But she wasn’t in her kennel when I arrived. My Motherly instincts kicked in and I went back to the front desk to find out where she was. She was on a ‘meet and greet’ with another family! I was so upset… She is my dog! They informed me that until she is formally adopted after her surgery that they can still continue to ‘show’ her and can also put two more ‘holds’ on her. When the attendant opened the door to the room that she was in (with the other family!), I said “There she is; that’s her!” Guess who came trotting over to the doorway? Mercedes. Yes, I am sure that she remembered my voice from the day before! She is a very smart dog! I told the attendant “Please tell that family not to get too attached to her. She is my dog and she WILL be going home with ME as soon as she can leave.” That dog was not going to go home with anyone but me!
I waited for the other family to be finished with MY DOG, and then I got to sit with her again and hold her and sing to her and talk to her. We had some more bonding time together and I got a lot of my questions answered. I told her goodby and the next time I’d see her, she would be going home with me. “Now get in your bed and go to sleep, Mercedes. I’ll pick you up on Thursday.” She had surgery scheduled for Wednesday and I would not be able to see her that day as she would need to rest quietly ‘in the back’ that day and night. I could complete the adoption process when I came to get her on Thursday.
March 1, 2011
Free Pancakes
Today, March 1, 2011 is National Pancake Day. To celebrate this day, IHop is giving away a free short stack of buttermilk pancakes until close tonight 10:00 pm. They are asking for a donation to Dornbecker Children’s Hospital in Portland and I believe that they will be taking donations for other childrens hospitals throughout the United States.
For the location nearest to you go to : www.ihop.com
