A Leaf on The Tree

I'm not as fat today as I was a week ago. The last 4 days have included a water-only fast, and a chemo infusion that did not include an anti-nausea steroid for the first time. Juli and I have had quite a bit of apprehension as I began the fast last Tuesday morning because we were aware that the fast would include headaches from caffein withdrawal, and some unknown side effects unique to my own body since I have never successfully fasted. The Glorious Scent of Italian meatballs When I was a young man of about 22, I was aware of the religious value of fasting. The bible talks about fasting and praying in many places and indeed the Orthodox church has had fasting rules in place for two thousand years including a 40 day fast at Lent, a regular fast 2 times every week, and multiple other fasts throughout the year for the Nativity, Apostles, Dormition, and others. Orthodox fasts however are abstentions from certain foods like dairy or oil. What I had attempted was a water-onl...

I've always been a skinny guy. It used to be so hard back in Junior High when my friends started filling out into bodies with muscle and substance while I waited desperately for the promised development to begin. I was so thin that in a windstorm my body would vibrate a musical note like it was some kind of tuning fork. If I flexed really hard I could lower the note. With just the right amount of windspeed and some admittedly awkward-looking practice, I learned how to play the theme from "Summer Breeze" by stretching and curving my body into various positions. Early 20s with our firstborn Stephanie. :) I went out for wrestling in High School because they had weight classes. I was tall and skinny with the ability to contort myself into many different positions, possibly due to my musical exercises. I wasn't exceptional as a wrestler but I could occasionally squeeze an opponent hard enough to cause musical noises from them for a change. Later, when I settled on...

I stated during my last infusion that I was half way through chemo. Triumphantly, as though the first half was done, let the second half begin! I forgot one thing... the infusion begins a process, and technically, I wouldn't be halfway done until the 3rd infusion had run it's course, a 21 day cycle. I should have waited before getting all excited because this one has been kind of rough. First, the neuropathy is getting worse. My fingertips and toes have begun getting numb and tingly, actually painful at times. It seems to be getting better this week near the end of the cycle, but right in the middle during nadir I had to ask Juli to button some buttons, and even open the pull-top on a can of soda. ("Pop" for my Oregon friends.) Our son Brett has officially completed his service to our country in the Air Force, (Thank you for your service, Brett) and is staying with us temporarily while he completes some vocational training. He has come in really handy when I can...