The holiday season begins

A belated happy thanksgiving to everyone. I hope you had as good a day as we did. Al's daughter Robin and her family joined us, so we had just seven. But wonder of wonders, I worked all that day in the kitchen and around the house and felt AOK. I chose to do some yard work rather than shop on Black Friday and again felt really good, until I crashed at about 6 pm. My energy seems to be returning. Hurrah!

I have begun decorating the house for Christmas. We will have a full house on the 27th with all of Robin's family, including Jessica, three-year-old Anastasia and we hope husband Andrew from Spokane, and Dan and Aimee from Brooklyn. It will be crowded and noisy and perhaps hopelessly fatiguing, and I can't wait. 

Only 26 shopping days until Christmas. Get out there, kids. Do your part for the recovering economy!

Love,

Katie

Two steps forward, one back...

This has been a week of ups and downs. I have a new retirement date, December 2, which is good news. But I'm discovering that my energy isn't what I keep hoping it is. I drove to Livermore on Tuesday for some pre-retirement meetings and lunch with a good friend. Back in Stockton I had an appointment with an orthopedist about my painful left hip. She had me get an x-ray and then saw me again, which extended the day to 5:30. I had put in an 8-hour day, my first in months. I slept 11 hours that night and awoke still pooped. I had a lunch scheduled for Wednesday with a friend in Stockton and another trip to Livermore planned for Thursday for lunch. I had to cancel both. Grrrrr.... Patience has never been my strong suit, as Al can attest. 

This week will end on the way, way up side, however. On Sunday Al and I leave for most of a week in Mendocino. Rain is forecast, which is AOK with us. Hot tub in the rain, anyone? We are taking lots of books and DVDs. Mom will stay home, and she has a Phoenix friend who will be with her for several days. I suspect we all will enjoy our privacy and peace and quiet.

And today is my birthday! As baby sister Maggie has reminded me, I'm now eligible to sing the old Beatles' song "When I'm 64." Of course when the song came out, none of us could imagine being that old. But look at us now, older and better than ever.

Much love,

Katie

Mostly back to normal

Dan and Aimee arrived on Sunday evening after a wedding in LA. It is so good to see them! Yesterday was a lazy day of them doing some work, me baking, and Aimee and me knitting. Pot roast and mashed potatoes with apple pie for dessert. Aaaahhhh.....

I am feeling almost like my old self, although I haven't yet attempted any yard work. Last week I spent four absolutely terrific days in Seattle visiting a girlfriend and enjoying a family reunion at a memorial service for Mom's oldest sister. (At 96, she had lived quite a wonderful life.) Everyone commented on how good I looked, which I decided was because their expectations were very low. I didn't get tired, which surprised me, tho I also spent lots of time sitting and relaxing.

The edema in my legs comes and goes. It's with me right now and I'm seeing my PCP in a few days to see if she has any ideas for a solution. I've read that edema can be permanent following chemotherapy. I hope not. It's rather uncomfortable, and I don't relish the thought of wearing compression hose for the rest of my life. Whine, whine.

I missed last week's rain, tho I can see it in the snow on the mountains. I also missed the Giants final win. Three World Series in five years—a dynasty for sure!

Much love,

Katie