Our Own Backyard Concert

Brain cancer is...

 ...trying out the physically distanced patio party.

No one but the skunks has ventured into our backyard for months.  Until tonight.

Tonight we tried a gathering that follows all today's rules.  The party was all outside, and the households--Mayfields and Guillaumes--stayed at least six feet a part.  No hugs.  Strangely, no dancing.  We had separate pizza boxes, and there were also hand wipes and bleach spray.

It felt different and lots of work for all, but mostly it felt great to see people's faces and laugh together in a shared space.  Charlie's concert was the centerpiece.  What could be better than live acoustic guitar with great vocals?

Magical!  We learned that we could be safe and good citizens and still be together.

Two Updates

1.  Wild animals taking over the world?

Told you so.

2.  Could Darrell possibly have three sandwiches for the third day in a row?  Yes!  The Sandwich King says that pizza doesn't qualify as a sandwich, even if folded, however, so we thank Curt for broadening our sandwich horizons.

 Goal accomplished.  This I know about Friday:  There will be salad.

Today's Bloom

Marigold Gift from Bekah

Another Day, Another Three Sandwiches

Brain cancer is...

...very peppy today.

Darrell woke up with a spring in his post-MRI step, king of the world.  As king, he pronounced that today, too, would be a day for three meals of sandwiches.  Let it be so.

Here's the awesome egg sandwich he made for breakfast.

It has green salsa, avocado, spinach, and Canadian bacon, and it's only 300 calories.  Really, you need to have one when you come over.

Here's the other half of yesterday's Panera tuna sandwich.  (Note to future selves:  Eat all of the Panera tuna sandwich the day it arrives.)

And here's Sandwich #3, the black and blue burger from Lazy Dog:

Should you wonder whether a burger is a sandwich, Darrell the Sandwich King says yes.  He also says that the following items qualify as sandwiches:  Hot dog, won ton, Chinese dumpling, and basically anything Mexican with a tortilla:  Burrito,  quesadilla, taquito.  But not taco.  The biggest surprise sandwich:  Beef Wellington.  Questions?  Concerns?  Please take them up with Darrell.

Happy Wednesday, Team D.

Today's Bloom

All is well.

Brain cancer is...

 ...finished with the scan.  And tentative results are clear.

What a great day!  But first, the picture:  Christine noticed that the parrot is complying with safety suggestions by wearing its own mask, which slipped a little.  Here's the close up:

We appreciate that, Parrot!

The day's details:

• The entry sentries let both of us in, and I didn't need to give my prepared speech or share a phone number.
• Something went wrong in the doctor's order for the test, so we were assigned to the less preferred (for Darrell's doctors' purposes) machine.  When we asked to move, the kind technicians graciously made it happen.
• Both arms (see above) got needle stuck for the contrast IV, but Darrell was a champ, and it worked out fine.
• The staff promptly transferred the images to disk, and we headed out the door by about 8:30.
• Darrell is splurging with sandwiches for all three meals today.  (Fun Darrell fact is that he loves sandwiches.)  EggMcMuffins were first, and Panera will deliver the Victory Tuna Sandwich for dinner.  Here's the roast beef and avo for lunch:

• We have Darrell's UCLA account up and functional, and we uploaded all his MRI images for the video visit with Dr. Cloughesy.
• Meanwhile:  Amy sent the good news:  97% Optune usage rate.  Rock on, reigning champ!

•  And then the St. Jude radiologist released the report on Darrell's scan:  No appreciable changes from last scan.  No evidence of residual or recurrent tumor.

 

 

Hip hip hooray!  Maybe you'd like to join us and celebrate with...a sandwich?

Thanks so much, Team D., for your good wishes and support.  They (and you) mean the world to us.

A Square Inch of Silver Lining

Today we experienced gratitude many times and said "thank you" to so many people who helped us.  Our "thanks" made us reflect on how many times society at large seems to be saying "thank you" these days.  The level of gratitude toward fellow humans is registering very high, don't you think?

Today's Blooms

from Ginger

Ready. (?)

Brain cancer is...

 ...as ready as possible.

Cancer course typically provokes some anxiety for us, and it's been a bit disconcerting to prepare for it in these strange days.  But Darrell is feeling as ready as he can be for tomorrow morning's scan.

Radiology called tonight to confirm his 7:30 a.m. appointment.  You see, above, that his temperature is not elevated. That's the first step in the door. Shout out to our nurse navigator who responded quickly to our "caregiver-not-visitor" query.  She shared some good words to say, and she gave us her cell phone number to share with the entry sentries if they need to talk with her.  That was a relief.  We are packed and ready.

Now we're working with UCLA for Darrell's follow-up visit, which must be done online.  Usually we hand deliver the disk with the scan images when we come in for the appointment, so we're working out the details of transferring images electronically.

Shout out to Darrell, who's just staying busy now.  Way to cope, Big D. 

Square Inch of Silver Lining

We have never had more time to notice interesting patterns in our world.

Today's Blooms

You know that Darrell treats me to cut flowers regularly.

I smiled when he brought home this bouquet of Double Delight roses.  They were in my throw bouquet for our 1984 wedding. 

Classic!  : )

Wild Animals Take Over the World

Brain cancer is...

...watching it happen!

No doubt you've seen the headlines and watched the YouTube videos:  Wildlife is (re)claiming urban spaces all over the world.  Jellyfish in the canals of Venice, kangaroos in the squares of Australia, goats in Wales, horses and wild pigs in Turkey, monkeys in Thailand...wildlife everywhere! 

Now it's happening in our front yard too.  We continue to fight the skunk wars in our backyard (don't get us started!), but now the front yard too?  We took the above photo from our front porch.  This squirrel was going nowhere.  It was actually borderline aggressive as we headed out for our walk.  (Well, not really, but that's no doubt next.)

It felt good to be out after Vacation Saturday.  No animals threatened us, and the views were good.

Happy Sunday, Team D!

Square Inch of Silver Lining

Given the photo we received this morning, we can affirm that our granddaughter is the kind of person who just looks good in hats.  

Today's Blooms

From our walk:  When did flowers get so wonderfully weird?

From LuAnn:  Brodiaea near the Tule River

From Melanie:  Tessa contemplates her roses.  Looking a little like encroaching wildlife here, Tessa!

Suddenly We Were Eating Thai Food!

Brain cancer is...

 ...extending vacation by a day.

Perhaps the heat has us behaving oddly.  We woke intending to tackle a full to-do list with items such as:

• Workout
• Walk
• Continue weeding

Then we discovered that our favorite Thai restaurant, Thai Basil, has free delivery.  And suddenly we were eating Thai food!

Just like that our weighty to-do list became more of a menu with lots of options.  We mostly ordered off the to-do list menu today:   We went with all art and ABBA. 

Fortunately tomorrow's schedule has some room in it for the to-do list.  (Ha ha.)  We'll try again in the morning.

Happy Extended Vacation, Team D!

Square Inch of Silver Lining

It's cool somewhere.

Summer took this shot of Mousse after a recent Colorado snowstorm.

Today's Blooms

From the Welshons' Garden

Noon and Ninety: Vacation Time

Brain cancer is...

 ...declaring it vacation, Baby!

You can tell Darrell means it; check out his shirt.

We were up early, getting things done before the temperature got too far out of control.

We knew it would be a great day when...
...we went to Walgreens for allergy medicine and they had:

Hand sanitizer!

We also knew it would be a good day when we discovered that the jasmine, which was always so profuse that it tried to climb through the kitchen window (as in this post), but which was virtually destroyed when the new fence went in...

...survived! 

We discovered the jasmine while pursuing the Fence Planting Project.  First step:  Mint, in two varieties.

Darrell makes a great zero calorie, alcohol optional Moscow Mule that requires mint.  We'll make you one when you next come over.

By noon, it was ninety degrees, and vacation commenced.

Vacation:  Join us.  Happy Friday!

Square Inch of Silver Lining
Chris shared that Carbon Canyon Skelly is still attired like so:

Either Skelly is so concerned with public safety (note mask and sign) that there's been no time for a change into sunscreen, glasses, and swimsuit, or there is some hope that the heat will break and the weather will turn.

Today's Blooms

 Well, aren't you sweet, you silly little bougainvillea blossoms?

Going Out to Dinner

Brain cancer is...

...going waaaay out to dinner.  All the way out to the back patio.

Of our nonessential life habits, going out to eat was the top of Darrell's "activities to mourn" list with Executive Order N-33-20.

Last night was BJ's for dinner.  Tonight was Lazy Dog.  Darrell seems to be adjusting nicely to eating out...in. (See?  We have faith in humans as learners--as we asserted in this post.)

Also, we notice that we've drastically cut our discretionary spending.  Our biggest recent splurge was that marine toilet paper way back when.  Restaurant delivery might just be the stimulus package we need to jump start our spending.  We believe in you, America!

Wait, what's that you're asking about our lawn, above?  You're noticing how nice the grass looks, particularly under the newly trimmed bird of paradise?  Why thanks!  Here's a closer shot:

Darrell's pretty proud of his grasslets, which are growing from seed he planted to fill in the area formerly shaded by the overgrown bird of paradise.  Thanks for noticing.

Here's to dinner out...in!  Happy Thursday, Team D!

Today's Blooms

This is the brunfelsia in our front yard.  A common name for it is Yesterday Today and Tomorrow because its flowers change shades daily.  As you see above, they start as vivid purple, then fade to lavender, and finally turn white.  

Yesterday Today and Tomorrow:  We like any name that has us thinking about the future.  

Another common name for the plant is Kiss Me Quick.  We might like that moniker even better.

"It's a Beautiful World."

Brain cancer is...

 ...in complete agreement with Gordon.

Today, for the first time in 5 1/2 weeks, we saw Gordon's face.  Above you see that Gordon's facility procured iPads and now helps the guests FaceTime their loved ones.  Gordon's smile was indeed a sweet, sweet sight.

At one point in the conversation, Gordon said, "It's a beautiful world."  Our hearts are just singing along with his sentiment.

With FaceTime capabilities, Gordon will be able to see his great granddaughter and how she is changing.  Speaking of Nova:  Alex and Tiana are great about keep us apprised of her awesome feats.   Here's a picture of her trying her first fruit today:  Prunes.

Nova and her great grandpa clearly agree:  Prunes are delicious.

We also connected with so many other loved ones today.  But wait!  There's more:  BJ's delivery for date night on the patio.  It's a beautiful world.

Today's Bloom

Today during art, Lilly said, "It's Earth Day and nobody is celebrating." Let's celebrate.  Here's to Earth!

And here's to bees!  According the Google Doodle today, bee pollination makes two-thirds of the world's crops and 85% of its flowers possible. From our walk:

Go little bees!  Respect.

Social Distancing, Your Table Is Ready.

Brain cancer is...

 

...learning to navigate cancer treatment in this new world.

Who is this "Social Distancing" to take up so much space everywhere?  Darrell's 6:30 a.m. blood draw went fine.  As you see, above, there were no crowds. "Social Distancing" reserved half the house.

We stood in line outside the Cancer Center to be screened:  temperature readings and symptom check.  A big sign said "No Visitors."  So now Darrell and I learn to navigate his treatment during the pandemic, just as many, many other people are doing.  

When I told the check-in staff, "We're here for blood work," she asked, "Both of you?"   I was able to join Darrell after I gave my status as "caregiver" and stated his condition.  Of course our next question is how will we manage "no visitors" for his scan?  We're wondering when "caregivers" became "visitors."  

(We know all precautions are to protect the public.  Of course that's good.  We're just figuring things out.)

Next up:  Darrell's MRI is Tuesday morning, 4/28.  

Thanks for the Help!

Brady and Roene both gave convincing evidence that the tool we wondered about yesterday is a citrus juicer.  Here's a video of Darrell giving it a try:

Here's the result of his test:

Lemon juice in the bowl, with a few strained seeds still in the juicer.  The second test involved cutting the lemon before juicing.  Same result, but with more seeds and less drama.  (Less drama = less fun.)

We tentatively conclude that--although this design is still available online--there are other more effective hand juicer designs.  Maybe we'll try other fruits and vegetables next.  Or not.

Today's Blooms

Both contributions are by our parents.  We talked with Gordon, but didn't get to see him.  We talked with LuAnn, at a safe distance.  Parent Days with zero-calorie intake just feel wrong.

Why did we just today discover that Gordon has a tabebuia tree too?

LuAnn's Nasturtiums

 

A Little Help Here?

Brain cancer is...

 ...wondering what the heck this thing is.

We are making solid progress on the Project List.  We went through our kitchen cabinets at the cabin.  Everything made sense except for the device above.

A little help here? Clearly this tool is made to stand on the counter and squish something once the top handle is lowered.  Whatever gets squished gets strained and then poured into some other vessel.  Orange juicer? Tomato squisher?  Unlikely.

We are back down the mountain to begin Cancer Course.  First up:  Darrell's blood draw is tomorrow.

Two Last Views on Our Way Down

We thought our views were great until Melanie--a helicopter flight nurse--sent us her view of the day.  Melanie took a time-lapse video of a flyover of the Las Vegas strip. 

If you'd like to see an uncharacteristically empty Las Vegas strip, or if you are an adrenaline junky, this 14-second video is for you!

Alternate YouTube Link

Today's Bloom

Ginger and Tim kept an eye on Craig Park for us in our absence.  Here are today's blooms from Ginger:

If Ginger and I were in the same physical space looking at this photo, we'd be singing the voices of the four flowers in the foreground:  "Laaaaah!"  (You can hear it right?  Go ahead.  You try.)