Tuesday under the Houston Sun

Today was an exceptional day for planting, or in the very least, to pick the flowers that would be planted sometime before the next unlikely rainfall this week. It was 80 degrees, sunny, and while I was at work, I looked out the window and wished I was out there. Susan and Doug did just that. She felt less fatigued and couldn’t resist letting a day like this slip away. They went to Wal-Mart’s garden center and picked up flowers for planting. She pushed the cart while her and her dad decided which of their dazzling selection would go into the cart. I was pleased with their choices since they got me a cayenne pepper plant and a sweet banana pepper one.


Anyway, I digress as usual. After their excursion to the Palace of Save Money, Live Better, they stopped at Sonic and got snacks. This time, Susan treated herself to a giant slushie, which might I remind you kind readers that because she was taken off fluid restrictions she was able to drink the whole gosh darn thing without worries. She did…the lucky stiff.


In one hand she holds a planter. And in the other....look closely...closer...CLOSER, darnit! See it now? She's holding a giant slushie in her "tick hand." That's how much improvement she's experienced. She can actually hold items in that hand and hold up the cup high enough to take a sip when she wants to.



Tim arrived today to draw blood…or at least that’s what I’m assuming he was here to do. If not, then Tim and I need talk. Too much seems to carry on at home while I labor mercilessly away. At any rate, we’ll discuss that later, what I wanted to mention was his utter shock when he saw Susan’s Tick Hand. He was flabbergasted to see how much it’s shrunk since his last visit. I noticed since chemo #4 that there has been a consistent improvement to her hand – her arm as a whole. But it’s a good feeling to hear people who haven’t seen Susan for a week or even days apart since their last visits to take a sudden note of her improving condition upon their return.

For those of you who have seen the "tick hand" you can see how smaller it's become. It's almost in the same league as her left hand. For those of you haven't seen the hand, you might say that the swelling looks bad. But no, it was a lot worst before chemo #4; and it was even worst than that last month.

Doug got a little creative in the kitchen. He made jambalaya. It was very tasty (though I’ve learned to despise that word thanks to that spiky white-haired chubby putz, Guy Fieri, on the Food Network, who says everything he shoves in his gullet is “tasty”. Man, I am digressing tonight).

Here's a picture of Doug presenting his Jambalaya for all to see. I'm a little wary since he's standing much too close to my bowl that I have to hold it away from him.

Please keep your prayers coming for Susan’s continuous improvement. It really does show and it pleases me to no end to see her hand shrinking, the way she is able to lift herself out of chairs with the near same ease as before, and the way she can walk to the back patio and back with no assistance. Thanks to all and good night!

Ray