Book Review – Remarkably Bright Creatures

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Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt picked by one of our book club members was a welcome read after a run of several serious books. It was a delight, and I finished the 368-page novel in no time. The cover is beautiful as well. We were staying on a lake in our Airstream while I was reading most of this book.

I read the author’s comments in the back, and she noted that her publisher wasn’t sure how it would go, since she was writing an octopus as the narrator of the story. Marcellus is a giant Pacific octopus, weighing about 60 pounds. He was rescued by an aquarium in the Pacific northwest, where Tova works as a janitor. He starts each of his chapters with Day #### of my captivity. He longs to be back in the open sea, and I grew fond of him throughout the book.

Both Marcellus and Tova are wonderfully written characters. I don’t know why the publisher was concerned, as I found Marcellus to be engaging and very entertaining, which made me want to know more about this amazing creature. If you’ve never watched any videos or documentaries about octopuses, I highly recommend you do so. They truly are very amazing. One might think the author was making up his abilities to escape from his tank through such a small hole, unlock treasure chests, memorize names and fingerprints on the tank, and even learn to read. I found it believable after a video popped up in my Facebook feed right before I started reading the book (insert spooky, eerie music). He would escape at night when Tova was cleaning, dig through the trash and eat contraband food that had been left behind.

Tova saved Marcellus the first time she found him out of his tank (he was tangled in some cords underneath a table), and that was the start of a long friendship. Apparently, their suckers put quite a mark on your arm if they attach their tentacles to your skin, but she suffered through it, lied about the marks, and managed to keep his secret so she could connect with him on a deeper level. Tova’s son had drowned when he was 18, and there was much suspicion that he had committed suicide (although Tova never believed it). Her husband died a couple of years ago as well. She had a lot of grief going on. As Tova and Marcellus become close “friends,” Marcellus sets on a quest to solve her son’s mystery for her. He leaves her clues from objects he has found around the aquarium on his many escapades. This is likely his final deed, since octopuses don’t live long and he was counting down the days. I was cheering him on, and her as well.

Then there is Cameron. I didn’t like him at first, and I wondered why the author would introduce him at all. He didn’t seem to “fit” with the rest of the story. He was a young adult in his early 30s, unable to keep a job or relationship with any stability. When Tova hurt her foot and had to stop working for a period, he helped out at the aquarium. He lived in a camper as he had no money for rent. I assured my book club friends that his camper was nothing like ours. His was old and had a smelly mattress, something he didn’t mind but made me think ew, gross. He became integral to the story as Marcellus brought him and Tova together. They both needed someone, and somehow Marcellus managed to make it happen. Learning his true identity at the end of the story was alluded to throughout the book, but it was satisfying to watch it play out. His is a success story, as he proves himself to be a hard worker and loyal to his employer.

I think we can learn a lesson from Cameron’s character. Just because someone appears to not have it all together when we meet them doesn’t mean they will be that way forever. They just need someone to believe in them. Someone to give them a hand up, not just a handout. Tim and I are starting a new book together about evangelism using house keys. It is a bit hard in the Airstream, but we will be looking for ways to use our new home and hospitality to connect with people. Perhaps we can do it on the road as well.

I liked the way the author packaged everything up at the end. There were other characters too, of course, and even their stories were wrapped up with a neat little bow. I may not remember all of them or their exact names, but there was Terry the aquarium director; Evan, the Scottish shop owner who was sweet on Tova; the “Knitwits,” Tova’s knitting group who tried to care for her with endless casseroles; and Cameron’s aunt and mother. The twist for me was at the very end, which I probably shouldn’t tell you (spoiler alert!). I thought from the very beginning that the title referred to the octopus. But Marcellus in all of his wisdom looks at Tova and calls her a remarkably bright creature. Sometimes we may forget that we are, indeed, remarkable. We are created to be bright and clever and creative.

My book club loved this book as well. We met on the second Wednesday in June to discuss this one. Here’s the summary from our leader, Carol.

Eleven of us gathered at Canopy this afternoon to discuss Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. This is her first novel and we all loved it. It was delightful. I started out the meeting by asking everyone “What kind of person do you think Marcellus would be if he was human?”. Some of us thought that he’d be skinny or fat, he would be inquisitive; good listener; Yoda [that was not mine lol]; Sleuthing; bald; nerdy with big dark rimmed glasses; a collector; therapist; a professor especially science teacher but we all thought he was an incredible character in the book. We are in awe of how smart octopuses are!!! We thought the book was well written, the author pulled all the strings together at the end and we were not disappointed at all with the ending. We encouraged everyone to watch the academy award nominee documentary movie called My Octopus Teacher that is on Netflix.

We rated the book 8.6.

À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!

June 6, 2024July 3, 2024

Scans and Treatment – Update

May be an image of 1 person, smiling, drink and hospital

Cheers! I’m done with everything. Just in time for lunch. Bone scan, chemo and CT of the chest, abdomen and pelvis. They had my CT scheduled for 6:00 AM tomorrow so I was so happy they agreed to do it today. Whew! 🤪

UPDATE – My oncologist called, and all my scans are still coming back good. They are watching a lymph node in my abdomen which increased slightly, but they are not concerned. My body remains stable. Stable means there is no progression. But, stage four cancer (metastatic breast cancer) never goes away, so we stick with the program.

PTL . God is so good! I don’t deserve it, but I’m so glad He’s not finished with me yet.

I am living John 10:10 (living life abundantly) the best I can. I believe God is healing me, keeping the cancer at bay, and giving me strength to continue. Could I choose to quit treatment? Yes. But we don’t know what that would do. No one has ever tested it, and likely never will because who would want the risk? My cells seem to attract hormone and protein driven breast cancer, so the treatments I get with infusions as well as a daily pill protect my cells from the invasion. I’ll never stop treatment unless the doctor says, “you’re cured,” (which doesn’t happen for the reasons I already stated). Instead, I get regular scans to ensure there is no progression, doctor visits to prevent complacency, and treatment to ward off the demons.

À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!

#chemoday #scanday #livinglifewithmbc

May 8, 2024June 21, 2024

Book Review – The Last Restaurant in Paris

Our book for May was The Last Restaurant in Paris, by Lily Graham. Apparently I didn’t take a picture of this book, which is unusual for me 🥴, but you can click on the link above if you want to see the cover. I was intrigued because it was set in Paris, and I have been learning French on Duolingo for about four years now. It was set during the time of the occupation by Germany, in a little town where a woman owned a restaurant.

I was unable to make it to the meeting as we were in Bandera Texas in our Airstream at the time. I did take a picture of that. Several in fact. 😂😂

Here are my thoughts about the book, which I emailed to the group.

I finished the book, and I really enjoyed the read. Admittedly, I had difficulty getting into it at the very beginning, and when I read later that the author changed the order so she started with Gilbert instead of Sabine I wondered if I would have liked it better had she stuck with her original plan. But once I got into it I had a hard time putting the book down.

I kept hoping Marianne had somehow escaped, and was not executed. However, after reading the why behind the murders it made sense that she turned herself in. She likely felt like she deserved to die after what happened to Henri. I felt her pain when she was not able to vindicate herself by telling Otto Bush why she was killing him, but that also made sense. Again, after reading the author’s notes it made sense due to the way every day people in her shoes dealt with their actions. She was not trained to kill.

I agree with Pat that the third part seemed like a repeat of part one, although it was from a different perspective. I still felt like there was a lot of repeat, but more was revealed in the third part and there was an understanding that was missing when Gilbert was sharing his story.

I enjoyed reading part 2 the most. I appreciated the story of Elodie and Jacques. Again, there was a lot of sadness in the development of her character, but it set the stage for her purpose behind the murders. It was not a surprise to me that she was a spy. I thought it was odd that no one else in the book thought that, as they all thought she was crazy or something. I wanted to yell at them and say, “There could be another reason!” She was doing this not only to vindicate her husband but also to save her country. Another reminder to be slow to question someone’s actions, as they may have a lot more going on behind the scenes than we give them credit for.

There was a question about this in the notes – would you be willing/able to sacrifice something personal for the sake of the greater good? I honestly don’t know how to answer that. Until I am faced with that decision it would be hard to say yes, but I imagine when one is in that position it gives them pause. I would have difficulty killing anyone, so I’m not sure I could carry out that kind of mission. I would also have difficulty sacrificing someone I love. I don’t think I could do that.

It was a little dark due to the war setting and complicated protagonist, but a great story and well written. I rate it a 9.

The group talked about it in my absence, and here was their summary.

Seven us gathered this afternoon to discuss The Last Restaurant in Paris by Lily Graham. All of us enjoyed the book and thought it was well written. Of course it is a heartbreaking story and Sabine and Gilbert investigating the past and finding the truth kept us hooked by the book. We thought the ending tied everything up neatly in “a little bow”. As you can read below, Cindy and Pat that there was a lot of repeating of part one but several of us liked this and getting a different perspective we felt important to the novel. We admired how Elodie/Marianne survived such tragedy, her mother dying in front of her; her terrible father and stepmother; her miscarriages; her Jaques getting killed by Otto Busch and then patiently getting her revenge but at the sacrifice of poor Gilbert’s brother, Henri. We all loved her grandmother and the sister at the abbey. Sabine and Gilbert finally getting the truth and realizing that, of course, Marianne is not a murderer or traitor as the townspeople accused her of. In our discussion, we realized that this novel is based on true events and there really was a Otto Busch, who was a naval officer.

We rated the book an 8.6.

April 10, 2024June 21, 2024

Book Review – Before We Were Yours

Here I am in chemo again, reading my book. 😉

I love the cover, as the emotion is so evident in the lives of these children. I envision Rill on the left, who felt totally responsible for taking care of her siblings.

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate was selected for our April book club. This one was much better than the last one, but it was still a difficult and sad story to read. The story is based on a real place called the Tennessee Children’s Home Society, whose owner Georgia Tann tricked families into giving their children up for adoption (and even stole babies who were born) so she could traffic them and make money. She made a lot of pretenses about helping the children and taking good care of them, and wealthy celebrities supported her endeavors, but the book reveals the truth about the woman and her place through the eyes of some (fictitious) children who lived through it.

The shanty boat families were intriguing. Families who could not afford proper housing lived on a house boat on the Mississippi River. They kept to themselves, to avoid problems with the law. The main family that was followed in this story loved living on the river, and the children didn’t have any inclination that they were disadvantaged. They fished for food, and rowed into town for other necessities. When their mother was in the hospital giving birth to twins, Rill and her four siblings were taken away and placed in the Tennessee Children’s Home Society; their one piece of comfort was dreaming of the day they would go get to go back to the shanty boat and live with their parents. While this family is fictitious, there are pictures of shanty boat families in the book that I would imagine this family to resemble.

The story doesn’t begin there. It’s another novel that goes back and forth in time (we seem to be reading a lot of those lately). In the present day, Avery Stafford is with her Senator father attending a lady’s 100th birthday celebration at the nursing home where her high society grandmother now lives. A new resident at the home named May Crandall comes up to her and grabs her by the arm, and calls her “Fern.” Although a bit startled, she is intrigued. This event leads her down a path to solve a mystery, especially when she follows May to her room and sees a picture of May and her own grandmother on a table in May’s room. The book really takes off toward the second half, as Avery is learning about her grandmother’s hidden past, while learning about her own heritage in the process.

I shared a personal foster story with my book club, based on one of the questions in the book. There were a set of boys at the orphanage, who reminded me of my foster brother Jerry Meyers. He lived with us for two years from the time starting when he was 11, the same age as my brother Shawn. I was 7. If you were friends of my family back in the late 60s early 70s, you may remember Jerry. The boys in the book’s orphanage were incorrigible, as was Jerry, and older boys were rarely adopted. They felt unloved, and therefore acted unloving toward others. Jerry had been tossed back and forth from one foster home to another so he never learned how to love or trust his family. My mother made it her mission to love Jerry with the unconditional love of Jesus, and he had a radical transformation under her care. After two years his father (who had basically disowned him) decided to take him back. Why not, he was much better now. We saw him once more when he turned 18 and sought out my mother, but then we completely lost touch with him after that. I often wonder what happened to Jerry.

Anyway, the book was very good. It touched on a lot of emotions. It was a hard story to read, but an important piece of history. We discussed human trafficking, and how it still happens today. It’s just harder to put a name or face to the perpetrators in our day. Somehow Georgia Tann got away with this for three decades, but she died from cancer before the investigation could result in a conviction. I wonder how many others are getting away with this today because people are desperate to adopt a child, and they put their faith in an entity that they know little about. Definitely food for thought.

On a lighter note, it has been two years since they started the book club at the Canopy, and thus it was time for a celebration. the Canopy provides a variety of support services to cancer survivors (and warriors), all for free. They also sponsor my Spanish class. Click the link if you or a friend want to know more about how to get involved in the Canopy.

Here is our fearless leader’s synopsis of our time together.

Eight of us gathered to celebrate our second anniversary of the Canopy Book Club. We all liked the book and thought it was an easy read and some of us would read it again!!!! Especially since the names of the children had changed at the Tennessee Children’s Home Society by the terrible Georgia Tann. We all couldn’t believe that a Memphis woman could cause so much pain, death and child trafficking and people went along with it for decades. We discussed how Rill/May and her siblings were so poor on the Arcadia but were so loved by Queenie and Briny and they never forgot it. We discussed how the sisters kept their history to themselves rather than sharing it with their families.

One woman shared a family secret that she found out through researching her genealogy but kept it to herself. We talked about adoption and another member shared the journey of both her children who have adopted children and how different the birth mother’s stories were. This was such a sad and heartbreaking story but we all thought it needed to be told.

We rated the book 8.4.

À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!

March 14, 2024June 21, 2024

Book Review – Mistress of Rome

Our book for March was Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn. I almost didn’t leave a book review, because it comes with mixed reviews. I recommended it to my book club based on a friend’s very high recommendation. Also, it’s a best seller! I didn’t think we could go wrong.

I understand why my friend liked it. The setting of first century Rome was intriguing, the author did a good job of maintaining historic accuracy including some real historic people, and it follows some strong women throughout the book. I learned a lot about the role of Domitian (the last of the really bad Emperors, and that dude was ba-a-a-a-d) as well as gladiators, the games, and how women matriculated their way through society. I didn’t realize gladiators were like our modern day athletes, and while they were technically slaves, they were revered by the community because of their position in the games. Similar to our celebrities, women would fall at their feet. Tim also filled in some information about this time period in Rome that helped me appreciate the history.

However, my book club hated it. 🥴🙄 Some of them didn’t even finish it! 😭😭 I knew they were going to be careful about revealing their honest thoughts as no one wants to hurt the feelings of the person who recommended the book. So, I started the meeting off with, “First of all, I want to apologize. I thought this would be a good book but it wasn’t.” I could see a wave of relief spread across the room, and we were all able to laugh after that 😂😂. We had previously read another novel by Kate Quinn (The Rose Code), and it was absolutely wonderful! So, we were all disappointed to say the least.

The story follows two women primarily, Thea, a slave girl from Judaea, who was purchased as somewhat of a “pet” for Lepida Pollia, who is a spoiled socialite and daughter of the creator of the games. They attend the games on a regular basis, and Thea has to answer all of Lepida’s whims. One thinks they might mature and become friends, but that is not in the cards. Thea falls in love with a gladiator who becomes the best and most well known. He continues to win because of his obsession with killing. Lepida is jealous, because she wants him for herself, so she sells Thea to a brothel and tears them apart.

There were a lot of graphic descriptions about the games, how (specifically) gladiators would kill, with all the blood and gore, and I think this is primarily what turned off our readers. The crowds would cheer with each death, more loudly when more gruesome, and there did not seem to be any remorse to the killings. I was aware of Christians being thrown out to the lions, which was also discussed in the book. I felt like I had a front row seat to what the early Christians endured, and a glimpse into the suffering Christians experience in other parts of our world even today. While hard to read, I was glad to experience a greater understanding of their hardship.

It was a very depraved society in so many ways. In addition to the blood and gore, women in first century Rome were basically sex objects, so they used their bodies as a means to advance themselves in society. There were descriptions of some of the sexual exploits, orgies, prostitution, and other conniving actions of women, especially those of Lepida. Again, the author was true to historic first century Rome, but it just wasn’t a “feel-good” book.

One member said she finally ran into a character (Lepida) she actually hates. I felt the same way. Lepida was so conniving and had only one mission in mind, to become the Emperor’s mistress. She would stop at nothing to fulfill that mission. I didn’t care for this book overall. I found it hard to pick it up after the first page which finds Thea self-mutilating into a blue bowl, but I did finish it. This just goes to show that not every book is for every person. Authors of all types are needed. Some people love this book–it is a best-seller–while others are put-off by it.

We had some fun discussing the book and laughed about our feelings, but everyone agreed they would not read any more books in this series. This is now the second book I have recommended that my book club didn’t care for. I have decided to buy a book and read it first before I make my recommendation next time. 😂😂 Here are the notes from our book club meeting.

Eight of us gathered this afternoon to discuss Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn. We all giggled about this book because we were so disappointed in this Kate Quinn novel especially after reading The Rose Code in January of 2022. Lisa couldn’t finish it which she always finishes a book. We all agreed that it was a struggle to get through and found the book a lot like the movie “Gladiator”. We thought it gory, abusive even though it was during the Gladiator times. We did appreciate that some of the characters were real and her research in this book. We rated the book a 4.5.

À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!

March 14, 2024

Echo, Chemo, and Docto…rs

Quick medical update on this week’s events.

I had my annual echocardiogram yesterday and saw my cardiologist. Everything looks good. Even my cholesterol is in the normal range. It’s a beautiful thing! She said I should exercise “150 minutes per week.” That could be 3 days for 50 minutes, or 5 days for 30 minutes, etc. We walk, but it could be a bit brisker for me and we probably need to be more consistent.

I wish I could say I was laying there taking a nap, but it’s impossible to sleep when the tech is jamming the wand into your ribs to get pictures of your heart. 🙄🥴😂 Fortunately I am only required to have this test annually now, and they no longer do contrast. So no pokes for blood, and a shorter time in the scan.

Today I gave blood for the second time in two days, then saw my medical oncologist. Tim went with me to that one “for quality control.” Dr. K. laughed and asked whose quality is he controlling, mine or his 😂😂🤪🤪. The doctor referred to me as “people like you” as we talked, meaning I’m off the charts in terms of lifespan with metastatic breast cancer. They don’t really know whether they are over-treating, and no one will ever do a study to determine that. As long as I am tolerating it, we are good to keep going. After this many years of treatment, he said it is easy for one to become complacent. He is always guarding against complacency, and I appreciate that.

Every time there is any little something that comes up, he sends me to see another specialist, just to be sure. First, the brain lesions are likely just increases in hot spots due to the radiated areas, but the specialists will determine that in April after my follow-up MRI. Second, I’ve had a little lung issue with spots showing up from time to time (coming and going), an ongoing cough, occasional shortness of breath and fatigue. My cardiologist said it doesn’t sound heart related. So, Dr. K. is sending me to a pulmonary specialist. No emergency. No rush. Just making sure he is covering all his bases. Third, I have had some headaches with an increase in double vision (not likely related to the brain spots). So, he wants me to see an opthalmologist. Not a bad idea; I was already considering it.

While I don’t look forward to adding more specialist visits to my list of providers, that’s what I love about my oncologist. He never assumes everything is just fine unless the specialists tell him so. He listens, and responds accordingly. It’s better to go see a specialist and discover nothing is wrong than to not go and allow it to escalate.

At this writing I’m getting my treatment (Herceptin and Perjeta), which I do every three weeks. That’s the last of my medical appointments for this week, and then we can play.

I’m wearing my Airstream shirt because we are hitching up the trailer right after this and leaving for a Bluebonnet Rally in Brenham. They got me in early today and I have a very efficient nurse, so that’s a double blessing! Looking forward to seeing some beautiful bluebonnets!

“Lord, You restored me to health and let me live.”

^{Isaiah 38:16b}

À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!

February 23, 2024February 26, 2024

The Cure is Worse Than The Disease

Have you ever heard the expression, “The cure is worse than the disease”? This statement applies to our recent Airstream experience.

If you follow us on Facebook you will undoubtedly recall, last summer on our way to Oklahoma City, a rogue spaghetti jar and some of his hooligan tin-can friends decided to escape the confines of their luxurious pantry and dance about on our pristine white Airstream floors. Their party was so raucous that spaghetti sauce found its way into some of the most obscure parts of our trailer. Needless to say, the owners of said partiers were in shock, and ultimately deeply depressed. The brand new Globetrotter had been defiled. This is a poetic way to say that our Airstream suffered some serious consequences from that mishap.

After two dealer recommendations and five home remedies, the mess only seemed to get marginally better. Was this an insurance claim? Was this a warranty item since the pantry lock had failed to do its job properly? Was it the result of owner stupidity? A few days later and after some serious conversations with the warranty people at the Mothership, it was determined this was indeed a warranty item — a $15,000 warranty item. There was a sigh of relief that this problem could be solved and return our Airstream to her previous glory.

Fast forward a few months. We found ourselves at Foley RV Center and Airstream of Mississippi to get the repair. (Originally we were going to travel to Jackson Center, Ohio for the repairs, but Foley has been highly recommended and since they are closer to home we could drop it off and avoid paying for hotels until the repairs were done). Mind you, this repair is not as simple as it might sound. The warranty work required that anything touching the floor, or connected to anything that touched the floor, had to be removed from the Airstream, and reassembled after the floor was replaced. That meant removing all of our personal stuff from the rig. We decided to use this opportunity to do some reorganizing and cleaning when we got it back from warranty work.

After removing everything, the last things to come up were the rugs. We reexamined the floor. To our astonishment, the stains had largely and substantially disappeared! On the drive from Conroe to Gulfport, we came to the conclusion that the cure (tearing everything apart and reassembling it) might be worse than the disease (some residual, very light staining). We spoke to John, the service manager, and while he would have loved to receive the $15,000 revenue from warranty work, he also felt that leaving it as is was likely the more prudent course. Decision made.

You have to look really closely to see the spaghetti sauce stains. It should look even better after we clean it a few more times.

We are returning home as we write this blog from Gulfport, on TX SH-12. It’s a beautiful, sunny, 71 degree Friday morning, a perfect day to clean the rig and put everything back where it belongs. All the additional warranty items have been repaired, and Roam Home seems to be feeling pretty good. Surgery was avoided and she will just have to live the rest of her life with only a small scar as a reminder of a piece of her journey.

Isn’t this much like us? We begin life with hopes and beliefs that our journey will be blemish-free. Then real life happens. We too find ourselves with the residue of regrets and bad choices, bumps and bruises, with scars along our path. But once we meet the Divine Service Advisor, we learn that we can be whole again even if not perfect (until we meet Him in eternity). The damages that we once had so much sorrow over become tutors to a better future.

(Thanks to Tim for helping me write this blog on our journey home from Mississippi. He has also started learning Spanish with me using Duolingo, so we are honoring our language studies at the end of each blog.)

À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!

Foley RV Center and Airstream of Mississippi (above). View from our hotel window (left).

February 22, 2024February 23, 2024

Brain MRI update

It’s a bit daunting to have scans, only to be told I need to do it again in a few weeks. I was just getting used to having annual scans *sigh* 😔 . I’m not nervous or scared, mind you. Just annoyed that I have to take the time out of my busy retirement schedule to go back to the clinic (🤪😂🙄).

You may recall I had an MRI of the brain last year, as I do every year. It was in February (2023) and nothing was found. Well, I DO have a brain. They found one (contrary to some opinions 😂🤪), but there were no lesions noted. Still stable!

Shortly after my annual MRI in 2023, I had a routine vision exam. The exam showed a significant increase to my double vision, which was concerning to my eye doctor. He can’t add enough prism in my glasses to fully correct it, so my eyes fight to bring the objects together. I’ve had double vision for about 2+ years now. I can see perfectly clear; I am just doubly blessed with whatever I see 🤦‍♀️ . In some ways it’s easier to wear glasses all the time instead of always looking for my readers, so I don’t mind that too much.

I shared the vision issue with my oncologist and he repeated the MRI of the brain in April 2023. In those results, two very small lesions showed up. But, they didn’t see any cause for concern. These are in the exact same location as two of the lesions we had radiated with gamma knife back in January 2019. My oncologist said they likely showed up because of the way the MRI slices. I wrote a blog about that in May 2023 if you missed it.

My follow-up MRI for this year was done last week on Valentine’s Day, along with a follow-up CT of the chest (because of some new spots noted on the lungs in my last CT scan).

Before you read the following, please note that any hot spots in my brain are likely due to post-radiation effects. I think that means any lesions are just showing where my brain was radiated with the gamma knife, and therefore will keep showing up on the scans. There doesn’t seem to be anything to worry about, and they are still calling my body stable, but they do watch these hot spots closely in case there is progression of disease.

Bottom line, those little punctate lesions in my brain have grown since April of last year ever so slightly. Here’s the medical lingo from their impressions.

Irradiated Lesions: * Interval increase in size of an enhancing lesion within the right cerebellum status post radiation therapy which now measures 0.7 x 0.5 cm in axial dimensions (series 26 image 32), previously measuring 0.4 x 0.4 cm. Similar minimal associated T2 hyperintense signal without significant mass effect. * Interval slight increase in size of an enhancing lesion within the cerebellar vermis status post radiation which now measures 0.4 x 0.4 cm, previously 0.3 x 0.3 cm (series 26 image 36). Similar minimal associated T2 hyperintense signal without significant mass effect.
Comparison: MR brain with and without contrast dated 04/20/2023, MR brain with and without contrast dated 02/21/2023.
MRI Brain with and without Contrast
Collected on February 15, 2024 8:25 AM

(It was on the 14th, not the 15th.)

What does this mean now?

They still think these spots are most likely “post-radiation” effects, rather than disease. I have had several conversations with the radiation PA, who has also been in contact with my radiation oncologist (who did the gamma knife). They want me to follow up with another MRI in 6-8 weeks (scheduled for April 3). I can do that in The Woodlands.

After the scan, I will meet with my radiation oncologist on April 9th to discuss “treatment options.” I don’t like the sound of that, but I did ask a question about treatment if there is progression, so perhaps she is just responding to my question. I’m glad she is willing to do talk with me via telehealth, and I’m happy they have MRI in The Woodlands now. It’s so much better now that I don’t have to drive downtown.

I have been five years without any progression, and it’s not uncommon to have some spots show up when you have metastatic breast cancer. I’m not worried, and I think it’s going to be fine. Having said that, just in case there is something else going on we are praying for a miracle, e.g. these spots will all vanish in the next scan. Please join me in prayer for that miracle. Either way, we trust the Lord with whatever comes our way.

As for the CT of the chest, all the lesions they saw in the last scan are gone 😁 . I believe it was the cold I had at the time. They found some new spots, but are attributing it to “inflammatory,” meaning I have another cold. Surprise 🙄 🤦‍♀️. So that’s good news.

À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!

(I started studying Spanish as well as French, beginning in January of this year. I’ve been studying French on DuoLingo for more than four years now.)

January 30, 2024February 18, 2024

Book Review – Born a Crime

For our February book club, we read Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood, by Trevor Noah. We know the books we will read three months in advance, so I’ve had it for a while. The cover was not appealing to me. I’m not sure why; it just wasn’t. Well, this is one instance where there is truth to the saying, “you can’t judge a book by its cover.” This is an excellent book, and I highly recommend it. Here’s my review.

Trevor Noah is an excellent writer. He was first a stand-up comedian, and he shares stories from his childhood in many of his gigs. I watched a few of his shows, and I do not believe he used a ghost writer because he is very articulate. He’s an intelligent young man. He speaks multiple languages. He isn’t the kind of comedian like Jim Gaffigan or Jerry Seinfeld, where you laugh at punch lines which hit you every thirty seconds. He is more of a story teller, with humor intertwined with some rich history from his childhood as well as apartheid. It’s informative, educational as well as laughable.

The first page you read will tell you he was born a crime because it was illegal for blacks and whites to have sex during apartheid. They literally would be sent to prison for having relationships. His mother was a bit of a rebel, and she didn’t play by all the rules. She was black and his father was white, so Trevor is “colored.” I was interested in reading on, as I wanted to learn more about apartheid, the diversity that is evident throughout the book, and how he matriculated these years. Born a Crime is filled with information about what it was like living during apartheid, and a life of “freedom” after Nelson Mandela was released (which had its own complications).

The stories he tells about having to hide from the public, being on the outside of every racial group, having childhood sweethearts and losing love because of the color of his skin, never having any friends, were heart wrenching. Yet, he had a way of telling the stories that made you laugh. He managed to find humor in every challenging life situation, and didn’t let his circumstances push him down. This spirit came from his mom.

Trevor’s mother sounds like quite a lady. I already said she was a rebel, and she fought the traditional expectations of a black woman in South Africa. She had a way of (literally) beating sense into her son, talking to him in a way that made him listen, and developing him into the man he has become. Her advice was crude and sometimes made my eyebrows raise, but it spoke to Trevor and stuck with him as life lessons. Her commitment to Jesus was unmatchable. She would drag him to church or Bible studies several times a week; her faith in Christ saved her life. I wonder what my group members will think of this, as they often don’t like books that have a strong biblical base.

Trevor’s mom became independent and took care of finances, raising her son as a single mother. But she did make some poor life choices which deeply impacted Trevor, like marrying Abel who was a violent alcoholic. Her financial independence was put in jeopardy as he kept drinking away their earnings. This made me so mad. “Just leave him!” we would say.

Yet, I also understand the mentality of abused women. The learned helplessness. Domestic violence is so hard to comprehend even with my mental health background. The belief it is better to stay, because he will kill you if you do leave, and after hearing how things were handled by the “good ol’ boys” police in South Africa, it’s no wonder she had difficulty leaving. I wanted to wrap my arms around her and take her away from him. But she wouldn’t have wanted that. She’s an independent woman.

I didn’t care for the language. There were lots of “F” bombs and “sh*t” as well as other curse words, even though they were committed to a Christian way of life. After living in Australia, I realize cursing is viewed differently in other countries. So, I gave him a pass on this. However, I was also able to understand some of his terminology because of living down under (e.g. “tuck shop” and “jumper”). His friends needed a bit more character development, I thought. He knows them well, and he can tell stories about them, but it was difficult keeping up with who was who at times. I enjoyed reading about “The Cheese Boys,” and wondered if this is where the term “Big Cheese” in reference to our bosses came from.

I loved the stories, but I had a little trouble keeping track of where he was in the course of his life. His writing style is a bit like a stand-up comedy act. Story after story without a lot of chronological organization. If he at least started each new story with “when I was nine,” or something similar, I might not have had so much trouble keeping up. Regardless, the stories were captivating, and the introduction to each chapter with a bit of historical reference was intriguing as well. I read the book and also read some of the stories to my husband, and he said he wants to read the whole book. They were that good. Some stories are more serious. Others were hilarious (the poop in the kitchen was by far the funniest of all stories). Some were a mixture of both, helping me to also better understand how some folks simply don’t know who Hitler was, and what all he did. That kind of blew my mind, but it did make sense to me culturally.

It was a great book about coming of age, culture, diversity, South Africa and apartheid. I learned a bit of history I never really studied before. I would rate the book an 8.5.

We’re meeting in two weeks to discuss it. After we meet, I’ll include what my book club had to say about Born a Crime…

Updated February 13th. Here’s what my book club had to say about this book.

Ten of us gathered to discuss our February book, Born A Crime by Trevor Noah.
We had two new members show up, so a BIG welcome to them. This book surprised a lot of us with a young comedian writing a book about growing up in South Africa, and boy were we surprised how well written and also learned a lot. We didn’t realize it was a crime to become pregnant by a white man in South Africa. We didn’t realize the atrocities of living with Apartheid……no electricity, no water, different neighborhoods that were cut off from each other. Trevor describes it was worse than the Holocaust. Despite all these terrible things, we laughed a lot. His friend called “Hitler”; his experience in jail and starting to like it since it was 3 meals a day and a bed; his beautiful date who turns out doesn’t know his language, the struggles of being “colored” and not knowing where to fit in, etc. We all thought his mother Patricia was a force and admired her strength and teaching Trevor how to speak in different tribal languages and how he used this to his benefit of survival. We were in awe how she survived getting shot it the head by her abusive husband and surviving that. Our conversation covered so many topics that Trevor pointed out in this novel. Several people didn’t like how he jumped around a lot and didn’t flow in chronological order. We rated the book 8.4.

À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!

January 15, 2024January 30, 2024

Wheel! Of! Fortune!

If you’ve been following my journey, you will recall when I was first diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer we didn’t know how long I would have to live. We were told anything from nine months to a year, maybe a year and a half. Here I am more than seven years later. My body is stable, and I’m still going strong. Praise the Lord for His boundless mercies, protection and healing! ❤️❤️

When I started feeling better (and it became evident the doctors were wrong on their predictions), we made a commitment to live life to the fullest. You never know how long you’re going to have on La Terre (Earth), no matter what your circumstances, so why wait until retirement to enjoy the one life we have? You will read a lot of stories about our travels, books I’ve read, ministry, and fun times we have experienced because of this decision.

In addition to motorcycling, Airstreaming, driving the Mini Cooper, and playing with the grandchildren, we also watch a lot of television. We watch movies, but our go to in the evening — we like to eat dinner while watching Wheel of Fortune. We even tape all the episodes so we can go back and watch them when we are away. I’m pretty good at the puzzles. Some of my friends have been on the show (jealous!) and I would like to do that one day.

In the hallway of Studio 11, waiting to watch the taping of WOF.

Well, for Christmas, my hilarious husband gave me a very thoughtful and unique gift of attending a taping in Culver City, California. The show itself is free; you just have to sign up! Tim used points for the flight, so we just had to pay for the hotel and our food while we are there. He decided to give me a first class experience all the way, so we flew first class on points and stayed in the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills, a Luxury Hotel in the Marriott collection. We had the same server each morning. She was terrific! We gave her a five-star review, and she should get a bonus. We hope so as she was so good.

Breakfast was included and boy was it delicious! Decadent. i wanted to take that little iron teapot home.

We didn’t rent a car at the airport because it cost $70 per night to park it at the hotel. We took Uber or walked everywhere we wanted to go. We did make one exception and rented a car one day to go do some site seeing, and to retrieve my purse 🤦‍♀️😔🙄🥴. (I left it on the plane, and fortunately a United employee found it. They had it ready for me to pick up the next day! PTL!).

Ironically, I didn’t even realize I had left it until we got all the way to the hotel and I was getting out of the Uber. “Where’s my purse?” That’s when I realized I must have left it in the plane. On my seat. We were in a hurry to get off the plane. I laid it down to put my book away, and left it there. It’s a horrible feeling when you lose your purse. On the side of caution I immediately cancelled my debit cards and put a hold on my credit cards, but I never really felt like I was in jeopardy. I believed I would get it back, and I did.

Historic Santa Monica Pier. Yummy freshly made churros!

After driving to the airport to get my purse, we took the rest of that day and drove around the area in our rental. We went to the Historic Santa Monica Pier, drove up to Griffith Observatory (didn’t park as it was too crowded), saw the famous Hollywood sign, took a ride to Airstream of Los Angeles, parked in a $3 mall garage (bought something so we could get our ticket validated and save $12), walked the Hollywood Walk of Fame (looking for Pat and Vanna), walked to the Beverly Hills sign via Rodeo Drive, had dinner at a nice restaurant in the Golden Triangle, and then walked back to our hotel. That paragraph alone could take up a whole blog! Or two.

We didn’t see Airstream on the Walk of Fame, but Wally Byam needs a star! ⭐️ 🌟 🤩

On to the Wheel!

We discovered too late before we left home that we were supposed to call and confirm our spot 5-7 days in advance. 🤦‍♀️ Originally we were supposed to be there for the taping on Thursday, Jan. 11th, but since we called too late to confirm, the guy transferred us to Friday Jan. 12. So it ended up being the last thing we did on this trip.

The taping is for Sweetheart’s week, so maybe that was providential ❤️❤️. The three shows we saw will be aired on Feb. 12, 13, and 14. We were sitting right in the middle of the crowd, if you look closely at the pan from the back at the very beginning of each show (if they do it). 😜 😉

We were in the studio audience, but my dream is to be on stage as a contestant someday. I told Tim we are getting good practice, as we now know how the stage looks, where the used letter board is, what they do with the contestants between tapings, and what happens when there is a glitch.

We weren’t allowed to take pictures inside the studio, but we got some outside and in the hall during our bathroom break. We also took a few pictures of the other studios, which have names of the movies that were filmed inside there. I’ve included some scenes from our trip in this blog. What a GREAT experience. I recommend doing this if you have a favorite show.

We should have posed like Pat and Vanna (missed opportunity) 🙄🥴😂

I must admit, recovering from the glitch during the taping was pretty cool to watch, and perhaps my favorite moment. They had listed the wrong final tally for one of the couples during the third taping (to be aired on Valentine’s Day). Pat noticed the error as soon as he said it, then said, “let’s just stop so we can get this right.” He wasn’t upset. He just asked them politely.

He waited a couple of minutes, talked to the couple, then walked off the stage while the staff cued up the tape that had been rolling. All the couples stood there waiting. When they were ready for him, he went back on stage, stood between the couple exactly how they were standing before, he was cued and they started the tape rolling. Pat seemlessly started talking when the tape got to the point immediately prior to where they had messed up the first time. I doubt anyone will even notice it, and I was super impressed with how they did that. I guess that’s why they pay him the big bucks! Fun to witness the other side of Sony Pictures!

So memorable, and that was the culmination of our experience in Beverly Hills.

I won’t give away the puzzles (I probably can’t remember them all anyway 😂😂), but I will say it was fun to watch two out of three couples who went to the bonus round actually win the bonus round. That’s all I’ll say about that.

À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!