Skipping Town

Disaster. A mason guy met Andrew today to assess the retaining wall damage and my joking figure from yesterday turns out to be not a joke at all. We're going to get more estimates, but this is a huge huge huge job. The wall must be completely rebuilt, and a giant tree whose roots were partially the cause of the wall's undoing must be taken down. Homeownership. This is the absolute worst. And also the absolute worst time for this malicious, inept government to be tanking the stock market. But. But! I have chosen peace. This is a homeownership travail, but we'll get the work done, and then the Story of the Retaining Wall will be over. My capacity for getting stressed out and upset about anything that's not, you know, SURVIVING CANCER has decreased almost to the point of extinction. I literally have one thing to worry about and focus on: becoming and remaining disease-free or -stable for many many many years.  This is a perspective shift. I wish I could return to my previo...

A regular, uneventful day. That can't be said for Sunday morning, which I forgot to write about yesterday. Mid-morning, I was puttering around the kitchen when the doorbell rang. When I saw a young-ish male stranger through the window, I put on the aggrieved but polite face I wear for solicitors and, corralling a freaking-out Farrah, said "Yes?" without opening the storm door. He said he was our backyard neighbor. Important note: our "backyard neighbor" is actually very far below us, as our street is at the top of a hill; the houses on the street below ours are separated from and protected by a series of retaining walls on each property on our street. (Note: this was news to me; I'd never peeked over the wooden fence at the back of our yard to see this wall.)  I should have given a spoiler alert. Obviously the neighbor was there to announce that our retaining wall had collapsed into his yard. "Usually I park the car there," he said. "Good thin...

Spent most of the day relaxing by reading and crocheting a leprechaun hat. Lucia and Andrew went to a hockey game, and Greta and I walked with Farrah to the library for pickups and then to Starbucks. On the way home, we talked about all of the toys and collections that were the backbone of her and Lucia's childhoods: Lego Friends figures, My Little Ponies, Shopkins, Splashlings, American Girls, Calico Critters, Playmobil animals and foods, Barbie-sized princesses, Maileg mice. Formative. The deep playing the kids did with all of these things never ceases to amaze. Hours upon days upon weeks and months. I can think of others that were important to them in their very earliest years: Magic Clip princesses, Strawberry Shortcake dolls. Each collection is vast, and now organized and tucked away. I assured Greta we'll never get rid of any of it.  Homework and piano practicing and dinner took up the evening. I also put away, finally, the last of the Christmas things that I like to keep...

I picked Greta up from her sleepover this morning, and then she, Lucia, and I caught up on last night's The Way Home plus and episode of Lost. Then Greta took a nap and Lucia began preparing for her semi-formal. Andrew and I took Farrah on a long walk in Schenley--it was bitter cold outside but we persevered. Then we spent some time planning our New York trip, booking all our dinners.  Tonight was the Upper School's semi-formal at Heinz History Center. Three of Lucia's friends came over for pictures beforehand, and Andrew drove them to the dance. Lucia's dress was so cute--very long and shimmery metallic Barbie pink, with a corset back, plus very high black heels. She looked beautiful.  Greta hung out at home with the pets while Andrew and I went to the club for dinner with the Clarks. I hadn't been up there for months, since my diagnosis; I miss taking tennis lessons. I'll get back to it later this spring. Laundry and groceries and plant watering filled the res...

End of February--still a slow month but nowhere near as slow as January. Had a busy work day. Tonight Greta is at a sleepover. Lucia, Andrew, and I ordered Mad Mex (used DoorDash credit and kept to the spirit of the economic blackout), and Lucia and I watched a couple episodes of Gilmore Girls. Once she went upstairs, Andrew and I finished season two of Hacks. Now I'm ready to settle in for a nice quiet weekend of reading, New York planning, and Lost viewing.  Feeling totally back to normal and regular energy level. But there's a weird new thing--after chemo #2, the site where my IV was stayed sore, and now the vein in that part of my arm has hardened. It hurts to wear my Apple watch. This is exactly what happened to me when I had shingles and had to get IV antibiotics. The arm took a really long time to heal, and it hurt to move it--it was right before I started my new job and I was worried I'd go in on my first day holding my arm at a weird angle. This paragraph isn't...

Andrew's colonoscopy went fine today and he is in perfect health. He was tired for much of the day but happy to be able to eat again. I worked from home and then took the kids to piano. We did some planning for our NYC trip tonight. Five days isn't nearly enough. The only good thing about a shorter trip is not having to be away from the pets for very long.