My dog is a veloci raptor

I may have to cut this little shin-ding short. My dear dog, Federico has, like any good raptor, found a weakness in the fence system. He is getting out. TWICE he's been out. TWICE his guardian angel has put him back with me.

Now I may have to cut this trip short because I am not going to put Jeff through this mess. 

Mom hates it - she has decided to dive head long into cooking something for me to take. A complicated dish. One that takes all fracking day.

Dad is trying to maintain.

Mom is now in the bathroom. I know she is crying.

Damn.

My addiction

I heard it. And my heart raced. My blood pressure went up. My anxiety level rose, ever so slowly, to greet it.

The familiar heart beat, clock ticking, beeping sound.

I think I even salivated a bit.

My addiction began two or three seasons ago. At first it was all the action. Then the intrigue and betrayal. Then the finding of the weak sniveling ones. The getting rid of the ones against THE ONE. Then the resolution, which brought sadness as well as joy. Which brought action like never before, but a deep sorrow that Jack would not be coming back next week. 

It drove me mad to think that I would have to wait for a whole year. That there would be no repeats. That Monday nights would feel so empty without the heart beat, clock ticking, beeping sound.

But now it is back and my addiction has kicked in. I feel it. I feel the need for the heart beat, clock ticking, beeping sound. I feel the need for Jack Bower. I feel the need for intrigue and action. I feel the need to find the easy, wimpy, sniveling targets that must disappear.

Its coming back. And I am all the happier for it.

Go check out the first "episode." If you are addicted, it will all rush back.

Wow

I am SO damned confused these days. Like today . . . we went to Mass then off to a friend's house for late lunch (around 2 PM). The lunch was full of great caribbean flavor (food, spices and music). The talk turned to how good the people in that silly little island have it. So while I am having a conversation about New York, New York (the city so nice they named it twice) and Broadway, etc. I can hear the music shaking me in my hips because its all I can do not to dance right there.

Then back here to mom and dad's.

Then off to my sister's to see a movie that, well, belongs to my parents and my niece Anamaría borrowed - so basically I told mom you are going to see your movie at their house.

And then off to get some meds for mom.

And back here.

And all the while my mind keeps going places. First the caribbean. Then OKie land. The Austin (the store reminded me of ATX). Then back out in the cold to see mom and dad. Back here to my bedroom/dad's office . . . I miss my waterbed so damned much!

At least they are doing well. Mom and dad are fine. They ARE getting old. Dad is slowing down a lot and the stuff he is taking is making him fatter and slowing him down more. Mom is still moving right along.

I keep looking around and thinking . . . one day . . . the phone call I dread . . . "Your dad has died" Cause I honestly believe he will go first.

Who knows? I've been wrong before.

For real?

I know they are supposed to be somewhat realistic . . .

but nipples on the guys mannequins?

And pointy too?

Bizarre.

More mannequin fun

Been a while, I know. I have to add these pictures before I catch you up with more stuff.

So I went to Macy's in OK City. 

Is she giving me the stink eye? I mean, honestly. That is so damned rude!

Sorry

I apologize for not blogging. I am SO tired from teaching and working extra hours for these kiddos. I am trying to get some of them to pass an old grade. We are doing something called "Summer School Now" and it is a credit recovery class. I have eight kiddos and they have to get the credit for Spanish 1. How do you fail Spanish 1?! I mean, really, it is SO easy. Anyhow, I get home kind'a late and I am way tired. I will blog soon. Promise.

Good News

Wow. Its been quite a while. I hit the ground running over here. School started last week and I can't believe how tired I got right away.

Well, as stated in the title, good news indeed. I will copy what my sister said on her email so you can read the good news yourself:

First piece of news -- the whole fiasco with the handicapped parking application ended up being a huge mistake by the doctor, and she apologized profusely. I never did bring it up to mom & dad, but talked to the doctor directly (she's also my family physician) who assured me that when she filled out the application she was thinking of a different couple who comes in together to see her -- and not of mom or dad, so no need for concern with dementia right now... thanks be to god.

Well, that's one large little mistake there. Anyhow, now about mom:

#1 --here's what I heard her say about the breast cancer: 1.5 cm in size (not really big)
type -- duct infiltrating
nodes were negative
no metastases
estrogen positive
progesterone positive
HER 2 negative

this all means that it is a stage one -- and her chances of recurrence are 20 to 25 percent after surgery -- doing hormone blocking therapy pills cut this percentage in half

here's another important part -- studies have shown than in women over the age of 70 whose surgery was a lumpectomy (partial masectomy) and who have hormone therapy, radiation and/or chemo seem to be of no more help in changing recurrence. BUT she first wants to do another test (where she sends mom's tumor to the pathology lab) to make sure this is the case (it's a new test, only been used in the last one or two years)

#2 -- about the lymphoma -- hers is called "follicular lymphoma" -- it's non-Hodgkins, low grade (slow growing)

chances are that it's not going to be a problem -- it's a non-curable, but you can live with it for 10 or 20 years

mom's CAT scan showed nothing on the lymph nodes in chest and neck, but she has some shadows in her abdomen

Doctor's suggestion is to do nothing for now, and repeat the scans in four months to see if anything has changed, grown etc.

#3 -- the bottom line even with both cancers -- is just to watch and see how mom does, if anything else develops -- and if this last test of her tumor affirms the doctor's view -- to give mom hormone blocking pills -- I HAVE NOT HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT THE RESULTS OF THIS TEST.

#4 -- our father is taking hormones that in effect make him a "woman" (hot flashes etc) and our mother is taking hormone blockers -- I find that kid of funny :-)

I find that funny too. Quite the flip flop there.

And on those bit of news, I say

Bueno, bye.