Category: Uncategorized

2020

It's almost over! Yay!

A shot into our living room. The Christmas tree is up and lit, covered in ornaments. Some art of screaming ladies hangs on the wall.
CHRISTMAS EVERYWHERE!!

If you are reading this, you are either:

Christmas photo - Gabe and I are smiling, Edie is trying to grab my shoulder, Arthur is looking at something and not wanting to be involved in this fiasco.
Sure, there were lots of outtakes...

A:  A regular reader of my blog ‑‑ thank you! I do see the 18 to 20 of you that tune in regularly and very much appreciate it!

Or

 

B:  You got a Christmas/holiday card from us and this link was on the back and you may be checking this out for the first time.

We are doing well here and hope you are too!

 

This post will hopefully be fun for all, but it's going to start with a review of what on Earth this website is about:  Tata cancer.

Dusk, fall. The trees are changing, the sky is blue. A dead tree is in the foreground.
Our neighborhood is often dramatic.

A butterfly bush with purple flowers and white flowers. Butterflies with orange wings with black spots are taking advantage of the blooms.
Our butterfly bushes have been fun to watch!

A cow lawn ornament in one of our planter boxes. In front of it is a white flower, perhaps a dianthus.
Gardening.

Specifically, my tata cancer that I discovered in 2019 when I went to get a mammogram. I didn't want to go, but after my doctor's office called me to make sure I was going ‑‑ I'd gotten it scheduled by then! ‑‑ I went. And they saw something.

 

After that I went for biopsies ‑‑ those are super fun ‑‑ where they thought it was going to be a cyst, but no. It was not a cyst. In June of 2019 I was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), stage 1, in my right breast and ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) ‑ basically pre‑cancer ‑ in my left breast.

 Awesome. Not.

 

But wait! There's more!! I underwent genetic testing and found out that I also have a BRCA1 mutation. Basically, people with mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 have a higher likelihood of breast cancer. And other cancers. Great.

A black swallowtail butterfly on a person's hand.
We are forever rescuing butterflies from our sunroom. It's either that or have dogs bouncing off the doors...

What I keep trying to hammer home in this blog ‑‑ feel free to go back and read all 80 + posts! ‑‑ is that all cancers are different. My cancer was very aggressive. But it was also kind of a niche cancer because of my mutation. Because I like to be special.

Pumpkin pies in the oven.
Mmmmm... pie.

Anyway, before starting chemotherapy, I found out that I could do a clinical trial instead. It was a PARP inhibitor. It basically would starve the cancer cells if it worked the way they thought it would. It had already been proven to work the way they thought it would on stage 3 and 4 cancers.

Arthur chi-mix looking over the edge of a hammock.
Arthur sat with me in the hammock one day! That was nice.

So, I signed up for the trial and starting in August of 2019 I took a pill at pretty much the same time every day for 6 months. It made me tired. I was nauseous for a day, but that's certainly manageable. I couldn't exercise like I had been and wanted to. I gained weight ‑‑ common with any cancer treatment despite what the movies say ‑‑ and overall felt like crap.

A dirt road in the fall with trees changing colors along the edge.
Fall was for fall drives.

I didn't drink alcohol except on Christmas Day with approval from my oncologist. I had mimosas. One of the side effects seen in the previous trial was liver failure, and although they could not trace it directly back to the drug itself, better safe than sorry. Amiright?

Edie on her side getting rubs from a human. She looks content.
Edie is the sweetest girl.

I finished treatment in February of 2020 and was set for surgery in March of 2020. March 18th. Because of the type of cancer I had, they did treatment first. Other cancers they'll do surgery first and treatment after. All cancers are different.

Anyway!

March 18th, 2020, I had a double mastectomy with a flat closure. I also had a salpingo‑oophorectomy and a full hysterectomy that day because one of the additional cancers that my mutation could cause was ovarian cancer. Most people have a 1% chance of developing ovarian cancer in their lifetime. I had a 40% chance. Now I have less than 1% chance. Ha!

Amanda all decked out in Iowa Hawkeye gear. Black Iowa Hawkeye Marching Band stocking cap, black Iowa shirt, pink Iowa Hawkeyes temporary tattoos under both eyes.
Go Hawks!

That threw me into menopause, though. Oops. And I'm not allowed to take any hormone drugs because of the type of breast cancer I had. peachy.

Gabe dressed as a pink unicorn in an inflatable suit. Rainbow mane and tail. Holding an axe and a beer.
Because.. yeah.

I think that's the back story. I'm sorry about the pandemic, but I decided that if I couldn't have any fun in March, no one could have any fun the rest of the year. My bad. I was lucky in that Gabe was able to visit me in the hospital still. I could have one visitor. I felt kind of bad ‑‑ I had to tell my dad not to visit because pandemic. And now here we are in December and I still haven't seen him or any of my family since my surgery because pandemic. I look the same, just with no tatas.

Selfie out for a walk wearing a Halloween shirt that is two skeleton holding pumpkins over where my tatas used to be. I'm also wearing a skull buff on my head and sunglasses.
Halloween walk!

You can find the posts about why I chose the route I did with no reconstruction if you'd like. It was not a light decision I made, but I'm glad I did it. It was the right decision for me!

Gabe in a red chair with Arthur tucked into his shirt.
Pandemic entertainment?

So, here we are. Almost the end of 2020. Since this is my blog, this post is heavily about me, but I want to say that I could never have gotten through this time without my husband ‑‑ he's been awesome. He's the tall guy in the holiday photo. I really don't know how I would have gotten through this without him. He's the best husband in the world. No contest.

Gabe looking like the most interesting man in the world.
He may be the most interesting man in the world...

 

Also, the little doggos have helped keep us sane throughout this time. We adopted Arthur the Chihuahua‑mix right before I was diagnosed because we had lost our old man Spencer and Edie beagle was so sad without a friend in the house. It was palpable.

My next adventure is a Project Athena walk in San Diego in May. Hopefully I'll have gotten a COVID vaccine by then and things will be better for everyone. I know one person who has died, and countless friends have lost people they loved, others are struggling after the illness is with health issues. It's just been a really crappy time. I mean, even as an introvert, I'm ready to get back out there and hang out with people.

 

Anyway, for now I hope that you all stay safe and healthy. Stay home if you can. We are for the most part. I haven't been to a store since March, Gabe does all the shopping. And now I know how long it is before I really start craving people again:  Approximately a year. Ha, ha.

Edie Beagle and Arthur brown chi-mix standing on their back legs begging for treats. They are both wearing red plaid collars for the holidays.
Let's dance!

Arthur chi-mix sitting on a rug with squares on it. An orange shirt was dropped on his head and he looks sad.
Arthur is a nudist. He hates all clothing.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday season. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Bhodi Day, Happy Pancha Ganapati, Happy Yule, Happy Yalda, and, of course, Happy Festivus.

Amanda laughing, happy.
I'm still smiling. Oh, yes!

Gabe is pointing - Christmas photo - I'm smiling, Edie looks like she's going to take off and Arthur looks pissed.
Ready? Set? Hahahaha.

Christmas photo. Gabe is pointing and you can't see his face, Edie looks sad. Arthur looks like he'd rather be somewhere else and I'm laughing at Gabe pointing.
Take 40!

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Project Athena

My goal currently is to get in shape. Yes, I have a shape. No, it’s not my ideal shape. I’m honestly not sure what that ideal shape might be, but I think it is something to do with a small tummy area. It’s amazing how much tummy you can see when you don’t have any tatas in the way! It’s quite expansive.

 

So, as part of this goal I have been working out, walking a bit. Not running because I really don’t think that would be wise until the tummy has been reduced a bit. Aka, lose some weight so that my joints don’t give out. I’ve done body weight exercises most days for months. Just kind of an amorphous blob of attempting to get in shape.

 

And then I saw a thing. Someone in a Facebook group had walked 50 miles in the Grand Canyon in two days through something called ‘Project Athena.’ I thought, wow! If I tried to do that, I would probably die.

 

Thankfully, when I got to looking at the Project Athena web page - A Project Athena - I saw that they had other walks that might not kill me! Excellent. 

 

I of course immediately applied for a grant. 

 

And then one day I got a text - can I call you this weekend? Oh, yes. I was working on that Saturday, so I let them know. Then I talked to the person who talks to possible grantees for the Project. We decided that Zion might kill me, so the San Diego Harbor to Harbor Adventure Trek might be more my speed.

 

Awesome! 

 

And then just before Thanksgiving I received the information. Yes, you’ll get a grant. Yes, you’ll have help with training starting in January. And… you should start training now because it’s bad for the Project if people die on their adventures. I added that last bit, but I imagine it’s true.

 

So, for 1.5 weeks now I’ve been in training. I started on week 8 because I’d already been walking 4 miles a few days a week and doing weight-bearing exercises most days. I stopped counting the dog walks in my ‘exercise’ after talking to them initially because, well, walking dogs is more of a meander. Sniff something. Take a wee. The dramatic moment of stopping for a poo, picking up the poo. Not exactly exercise. Except the hills still count as stairs according to my fitness tracker. Sweet.

 

The first week I walked a lot. 4 miles. 3 miles with hills - basically every walk I take has hills because of the geography though. Rest day! Rest day is the best day. Walk 2 miles. 45 minutes cross-training = an excuse to buy a Nintendo Switch and get a dancing game. My extensive research (approx. 5 mins) said anything other than the main exercise was cross-training. Got it. 

 

Then walk 6 miles on Saturday. Wait. What? Okay. I walked 6 miles on Saturday. Sunday… rest day! 

 

I wasn’t even sore. I think there’s hope!

 

I started on what would be week 9 of pre-training on Monday of this week. Walk three miles and lower leg exercises. I’m still feeling those today. It’s Wednesday. Tuesday, 4 miles. 2 of the miles in less than 21 minutes. I walk fast. No problem. It was getting dark by the time I finished. And I was exhausted.

 

Today: Rest day! Last true rest day until next Wednesday. 

 

So, this is the journey I’m on. Tomorrow I’ll walk 5 miles in less than an hour and 40 minutes. Thursday is dancing for 50 minutes and core work. 

 

Want to join me? I’ll try to post how training is going here, and I urge everyone to follow whatever weird dream you have! Mine is now to walk 50 miles in two days. Assuming I don’t die, I plan to fundraise for the harder adventures in the future. Because I’m slightly nuts. 

 

Stay safe, stay home if you can, and have a good week!

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I’m Doing Pretty Okay

Are you?

 

We have been living in pretty much complete pandemic mode since my Surgery. March 18, 2020. It’s nice to be able to pinpoint a date in time. I’m hopeful that a vaccine will come through by the one year anniversary of my surgery. I’m putting my money on Moderna, backed by Dolly Parton. Because she’s awesome.

 

During this time, I’ve been making sure to do some things every day. Practice my Spanish. Donde esta el bano? Just because I practice every day doesn’t mean I’m great yet. I’m still very much a beginner. I also have a workout I do every day, except every fourth day when it gives me a rest day. I look forward to those.

 

I try to knit most days. And I have been working too much. This week I am not working as much, and last week? Hardly at all. I’m looking forward to winding down for the last 2 weeks of the year and working little if at all.

 

Since the last time I wrote, there’s been an election! Oh, yes. It’s been totally weird since then because someone refuses to concede. No matter, he lost. He can start running again on Inauguration Day - that is, raising money with little restriction - and I will be happy to ignore him. Maybe if someone gave him a participation trophy, he’d quit throwing fits? Possibly?

 

I won’t gloat too much about ‘my’ candidate winning. The Senate is still up in the air, and unlike many people, apparently, I hold my elected officials accountable and expect them to get things done for the good of my country and communities. I don’t want a king. I don’t want a dictator. I want public servants who are focused on the public good.

 

Yes, I’m focused on universal health care. I have a vested interest. I shouldn’t feel like every time there is a political party change at the federal level that someone might try to take away my health care. Or anyone’s health care. And we should all have access to health care. 

 

The current biggest limitation on that currently is the complete disregard for COVID-19 by way too many people. There are places where the hospitals are full. They cannot accept any more patients. None. Not a good time to have a heart attack or chop your arm off in a freak chainsaw accident or something.

 

Anyway, I promise my next post will be more happy - I have some news, and I’d love to take you on a journey with me. Don’t worry, it’s walking only. Although I’m hoping by the amount of walking I’ll be doing that I’ll be able to run eventually.

 

It is the holiday season, so a call to action for you: Donate what you can. Give where you can. Help where you can. Bring joy when you can. We all need to take care of each other to get through this time, but also every day. It’s important. Really, it is.

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We did another road trip!

There are a million parks and things around here, but we wanted to go and see something. So, using the website RoadsideAmerica.com, we went and saw some stuff!

 

We decided to first go and see Big Jim, Giant Gunslinger. He has an interesting background. A welder decided to build him, as welders are wont to do. He's 20 feet tall and weighs 70,000 pounds though. I've always said my next career will be a truck driver, but perhaps a welder of giant things might be fun too?

 

Anyway, Jim got to where he was by way of eBay. Yep. eBay. A town wanted to buy him, but the insurance was too much, so he ended up standing outside of a motel where he has been standing since 2007. It's a Best Western. So, it kind of makes sense? His belt buckle is a real horseshoe and he's very, very tall.

 

Would I recommend? Yes! Absolutely. Go see Jim. He's tall.

 

On the same road trip we went to the Menagerie of Large Fiberglass Critters in Charleroi, Pennsylvania. There are many large fiberglass critters, and we looked at them, got our pictures taken by them, and generally noted that, yes. This guy has a lot of stuff. 

 

It was a fun little road trip, if I do say so myself, and I would recommend checking out the website mentioned above to see what kind of oddities you can find in your area.

**I messed up while publishing this week, so I'll post the pictures soon!

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Why is this political?

On November 10th, 2020, the United States Supreme Court will be hearing arguments on the Affordable Care Act. Again. This particular lawsuit was filed in Texas district court in February of 2018. The argument is that the Supreme Court's 2012 decision -- National Federation of Independent Business versus Sebelius -- said that the ACA individual coverage requirement was a tax. In 2017 Congress took away the tax penalty. Therefore, the argument is that without the tax penalty, the coverage requirement is unconstitutional. This ignores the fact that Congress left the ACA alone at that time.

 

The current administration has never defended the ACA, so it's no surprise that they are fighting it all the way to the top.

 

In June of 2018 the Justice Department asked the court to strike down two critical protections in the law. Prohibitions on insurers to deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions and charging people higher premiums because of their health status.

 

Now they just want to strike down the whole thing, but there is theater going on as the President signed an executive order to guarantee coverage for pre-existing conditions. If that's the case, why are you fighting against it in court?

 

If the ACA is struck down, I will not have insurance anymore. And if I do, it's going to be prohibitively expensive and it's only because my cancer drugs were paid for by a clinical trial.

Do you remember catastrophic caps? I sure do! My mom hit hers and suddenly there was a $20,000 bill due. The ACA made that illegal.

 

If the ACA is struck down, we will again go back to women paying higher premiums than men. Because being a woman is a pre-existing condition. People who are sick will have higher premiums. We already have people having to decide whether to pay for their prescriptions or to pay for their rent. Things would get worse.

 

Health care is a human right. If you don't believe that, please ask yourself why. And then try to explain it to me. I really want to know what possible rationale there is for us not wanting to take care of each other.

 

I constantly feel that the world would be a better place if there was less, "Me! Me! Me!" and more," Us." When we work together and everyone succeeds, we are better. We are stronger.

 

So, I'm making this political at this point. I'm voting for Joe Biden/Kamala Harris in the next election. I will vote blue down the ticket as well. Why? Because my life depends on it. My life -- and countless others -- depends on having a government that works for the people, not against us. We need to get corporate interests out of the government. Are all the candidates I'm going to vote for perfect and totally free from corporate influence? Absolutely not. But we need to take steps to getting more people in power that care about people.

 

It's either that or I'd better start practicing "O Canada." That's only an option for me because I have a skilled job. I don't want to leave people here to fend for themselves with a government that doesn't care about the people.

 

I'm hoping I'll be able to sleep better after writing this down. I've been having trouble sleeping because I am so worried about our future and saddened by the lack of empathy around me. It's not anyone in my immediate surroundings, I feel loved and taken care of here. It's the wider world where us v. them is everywhere and where people are fighting for basic human rights every day.

 

We are better than this. We can do better than this.

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I Had a Three Day Weekend!!!

Yes, I realize many, many people also had a three day weekend, but this is not normal for me. The last time I had more than two days in a row off was when I was recovering from surgery. I didn't even get two days off most of the summer. This was big.

 

Anyway, I’m still in vacation mode, so here are some highlights from the long weekend in no particular order:

A gray, cloudy sky. The clouds are kind of fluffy, but flat.
It kinda rained? But not really.

Edie beagle asleep on the couch witih her face between her front paws and partially under a blanket. Her eyes are not all the way closed so she looks like a zombie dog.
Shhhh... sleeping...

A takeout container of nachos with everything on them.
Only food we've had as takeout since March? Old Mexico!!

A picture of me in a black jacket, chilling.
Social distanced party!

Arthur on our blue couch under a bunch of blankets. Only his nose is poking out a bit. Gabe, my husband, is sitting on the couch next to him. You can also see the back of our spinning bike that we keep in that room randomly.
We chillin... I was probably doing my workout and had an audience.

A small white flower.
I should know what this is. Flower.

A butterfly bush with a butterfly on one of the flowers in the foreground. It is almost a monarch, but not quite. It is orange with lots of darker markings. I'd never seen one of these before.
Butterflies love the aptly named butterfly bush.

Arthur chi-mix huddled in blankets looking apprehensive. He usually looks like that.
What are you doing??

A Biden-Harris 2020 flag we hung on our house.
Just in case you were curious...

Our laundry room walls painted gray. There's a piece of the block wall sitting on a step ladder thing. It came out of the ceiling next to the duct work. *We did put it back!
Home improvements! Woohoo!

Looking down my street, it's blacktop road, trees, one house in the distance.
Walkies every day!

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On Disability

Every single person in the entire world will be disabled at some point in their life. 

 

I am referring to the broadest form of disability - you are holding a baby, you are temporarily disabled because you have only one or no hands available. You break your ankle, you are temporarily disabled because you can’t walk on it without crutches for a period of time.

 

Do you wear glasses? You are technically disabled without them.

A black butterfly with slightly tattered wings feeding on a flower on the butterfly bush.
There is beauty in imperfection.

I was disabled for a time after my surgery. I couldn’t do most of the things I’d been able to do in the past and had to work to get back to a more normal place. I’m still not 100%, but working on it daily.

 

The reason my job exists is due to disability. I help people have access to information, or I help people hear what is being said. The entire reason this access is available to so many is because of the Americans with Disabilities Act, or the ADA. 

 

The ADA was signed into law on July 26, 1990, by George H.W. Bush. There is a long history leading up to the passage of this law which include the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as advances in science allowed people to live longer with a disability. I love modern medical science. Without it, I’m not sure where I’d be right now or if I’d have the same prognosis as I have. It’s the same for many disabilities - science has advanced to a point where people are living longer with diseases and disabilities that were death warrants in the past.

 

I recommend you meet some of these people or at least listen to them. The biggest issue I run into with ‘normal’ people is their assumption that if someone has a severe disability that there is something wrong with their mind as well. 

 

This assumption couldn’t be further from the truth.

Landscape. Green trees and a few dead trees that stand out starkly against the green behind and the blue sky above.
Do you see beauty everywhere? I do.

I work with people who are way smarter than I am every day. Doctors, scientists, engineers - people building the future - and some of them just happen to be Deaf or need assistance for any number of reasons. Some days it’s a person with autism who just sees the world differently than I do. 

 

I always find the differences beautiful. We all may suffer through varying degrees of tragedy or hardship, but it is important to also see the beauty. Be patient. Be kind.

 

I’m still pretty much on quarantine, but I am not complaining and I am not upset. There are people I have worked with that this is their life. Maybe they have an autoimmune disorder and can’t even risk getting sick normally or they need assistance to go anywhere or do anything. Think about that for a moment. The freedoms so many of us take for granted - jump in the car and go! - are not available for a substantial population. Your grocery store pickup? Disabled people have been using that since it came into existence because they couldn’t risk or were unable to navigate the store.

 

There are many, many things that we take for granted today that were created and designed for people with disabilities after the ADA was passed. Curb cuts, automatic doors, and more ramps come to mind. 

A swallowtail butterfly and a monarch butterfly on the butterfly bush feeding.
We may be different, but are we really?

So, my ask today is that if you are creating something please think if it is accessible. Are you putting art online? Provide an alt tag so that a screenreader user can know what your beautiful piece is about. Are you making a video? Caption it! I’m not opposed to auto captions, but please go back and fix them so they’re better. If you’re building something, make it accessible. If something is already there, can you make it accessible? If you can’t, could you do a virtual tour of it? 

 

Think outside the box. If we all take care of each other and lift each other up, we will succeed. Life shouldn’t be about being in competition with anyone except yourself. What can you do to be better? I think if we all just stopped being so focused on what’s mine and is it better than yours? - we’d realize that if everyone has some measure of success, we all will be better off.

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So…

The words aren’t flowing as freely. Not a lot is happening, see? Not many appointments, no parties to attend, no outings with friends. 

 

We have done a few little get togethers at a distance. Although my numbers are back to normal, although I am healed from the surgeries - there will always be scars - the fear is and will be there for a long time. I can’t get sick. I won’t get sick. I haven’t been extremely sick since May of 2019. I was sick for about a month before my diagnosis. It was horrible.

 

I don’t want to go through that again. I don’t want to get sick at all. 

 

I had a sore throat last night. It’s still sore today. It’s most likely allergies, but the fear is there - what if I get sick? 

 

I don’t think I’d be this afraid if I didn’t have people I know who have been sick. None near me - so far? - but people I care for. Thankfully everyone I know who has been sick with COVID has recovered. I haven’t lost anyone. 

 

Others have lost people they love. I feel their heartbreak secondhand. It doesn’t even have to be losing someone to COVID. Losing anyone right now seems harder. It’s more difficult to gather loved ones together to mourn. Zoom funerals are a thing. 

 

Loved ones being tested multiple times because they keep getting exposed at work. Exposing their children. I need to get those laptops ready and sent off for them - they’ll have some sweet computers and I am due to replace a few for my business anyway. I’m well past the 2-3 year cycle. There’s nothing wrong with them, though. I’m glad they’ll be going to help my family.

 

I learned about kids taking old computers and making them usable again through Linux. It’s a free operating system. Learn more about this particular group here: https://sites.google.com/a/csemn.org/asian-penguins/

 

Maybe every school needs a club like this. Technology shouldn’t just be for those of us who can afford it. 

 

I joke that I’m getting radicalized through work, but if it’s the kind where more people are getting ahead and don’t have to worry about food and shelter? Sounds good to me! 

 

I recently turned 40. Yes, I know, I don’t look a day over 35. My birthday wish is that everyone reading this try to do something good. I don’t need anything, I’m content. But I challenge you to do something to help someone else. It doesn’t have to be a grand gesture, just something small. A small donation, donate some time, even just be nice to people you come across if you’re out. We are all in this challenge together. 

 

Oh. And wear your damn mask.

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I’m Fine.

I know, I’ve been slacking off on writing. There hasn’t been much to report. Life is on hold due to COVID-19, except I’ve been insanely busy with work. Apparently when everything goes online, they realize how important accessibility is! I hope that continues once we are all back in-person.

 

Yesterday I had an oncology appointment. I will have one of those every three months for forever or five years or whenever they get tired of seeing me that often and move me to every six months. Examination: passed. CBC panel: passed. I’m still waiting on some more blood work, but if I don’t pass it I’ll update here before I post this blog.

A sign that says: Just a friendly reminder - please keep your mask over your nose and mouth. It has a picture of a smiley face with arms wearing a mask.
Nose in mask, please.

 

I’m in quarantine. Every now and then we have a socially distanced outside dinner with the neighbors, or a socially distanced drinks outside with some friends. But mostly I’m just home. Working. Although I decided that the laundry room was ready to get done NOW. So, that’s in progress as well.

A selfie. I'm wearing a red dress with a white V on the chest with some black details, there are three buttons down each side of the dress.
Not sure how this fit when the tatas were still present...

I have not picked up any additional hobbies like I should have. It’s been so hot and I’ve been working so much that the weeds in the garden areas are having a great summer. Thankfully, so are our perennials, except for it being so hot that we finally had to start watering.

 

Have I mentioned it’s hot?

 

I was out walking the dogs today and someone on the other side of the road walking said, “Gotta get the walk in before it gets too hot! Better than snow, at least!” And I was like… “No.” I would prefer a foot of snow over this heat.

 

Could it be menopause? Or the fact that all the grass is dead it’s so hot? Or both? Snow sounds wonderful. That’s all I know.

 

So, basically, I’m fine. I’m hot. Or I’m frozen because I stay inside too much. I’m thankful we replaced our air conditioner a few years ago. It works great! My numbers are getting where they need to be, except the scale, but I’m not worrying about that one yet. I’m maintaining the 8 lb weight loss from surgery. All good.

A white hibiscus flower with a pink center.
Hibiscus.

I will try to find things to write about soon. I have several friends going through problems - cancer, brain tumor, other stuff - and I’m a little preoccupied with that as well. I just want everyone to be healthy and safe.

 

So, to sign off: The science is clear - wear a mask when you are around other people, especially inside! You spit when you talk. It’s time to accept this. We all do. The sooner we all buckle down and behave, the sooner I can get back to traveling for work and being more normal.

 

I hope everyone is staying healthy and safe!

 

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