Just Have to Brag a Bit

I hope you will pardon a grandfather for being proud and wanting to brag a bit. I hope (and think) I have featured each of my grandchildren here from time to time for their various achievements. I know I have mentioned Anders' growing accomplishments in cross country skiing before, but yesterday we were present at the annual Birkebeiner in Hayward, Wisconsin for his participation in the Kortelopet event, which is a 29km race (slightly more than 18 miles).

All of the Birkebeiner events finish on Main Street in town. The city hauls in loads of snow to cover the street for this purpose. About 10" of fresh snow had arrived a few days before, so the trail was in very good condition too. Yesterday, though, the sun was shining and the sky was blue, though the temperatures were around only 0ºF when the race began.

Anders finished 1st out of 40 men in his age group (13-14 years), 23rd out of 892 participating men, and 23rd overall out of all 1,582 participants. Below you can see him as he nears the finish line, as he attempts to cool down while staying warm with a blanket, posing with his parents, and posing with one very happy grandfather.

His next events will be at the Junior National Championships in Fairbanks, Alaska March 13-16. He qualified as number one in the U16 group (14-15 years old) to be a part of the Midwest Division team that will travel to Alaska.

 

 

Staying in Touch

I haven't posted anything here in awhile, but we've been busy with various things, so it seems a good time to share some news. Each of us has dealt with various, probably age-related, aches and discomforts, but generally our health has been good. Little slows us down. I have another full post-cancer checkup scheduled for April, but all news on that front has been and continues to be good so far.

 We are currently at our cabin in Wisconsin enjoying the snow (really!) and the crisp, pine-scented air. Strange, but a given temperature never feels as cold here as it does back home. Perhaps the drier humidity level has something to do with that, perhaps having wind blocked by the forest helps, or maybe it is being able to enjoy our cozy home in the woods with its fireplace and other comforts.

When we arrived, we found over 2' of snow on the ground and on the roofs of our cabin and garages. I always worry a little about the weight of all that snow, but so far the trusses seem to be holding up--this isn't the first time for so much snow. The individual who has kept our entrance plowed created quite a hill of snow at the end of the driveway, and the pathway to the front door was quite narrow, though deer have been using it regularly.

 

 Of course, we guys like our "big boy toys." I have a nice snow blower here, so I got a chance to do some additional clearing of snow at the entrances to our garages, to widen the path to the front door, and to clear the heavy snow from our deck. Later, I used a long "snow rake" to pull snow from the cabin roof below each skylight, since failing to do so often results in ice dams and some dripping water inside the cabin.

Through the winter months back home, I managed to finish a couple of woodworking projects. I made a simple hall tree which has proven to be a nice addition for guests' hats and coats. I also made a quilt rack to display a quilt that Kathie made with some help from her sister. The quilt was made from most of my old work neckties. It is really pretty--I'm very proud of the work Kathie did on this, and now the quilt rack both displays and protects it. (Double click on the photo of the quilt for a closer look!)

 

 We love our new home in Iowa, but the kitchen likely had not been altered since the home was built in 1994. A number of the cupboards and drawers were showing significant wear or had broken, so we decided to do some updating. We picked out new cupboards, countertops and backsplash as shown below. Before we left home to come to Wisconsin, the old cabinets were removed. Since we have been away, the floor has been refinished. New cabinets are scheduled to be installed next week and other work to follow soon after. Being away while all of this is going on is a good thing!

 

We have enjoyed watching our grandchildren in various activities this past winter. Anders has been skiing very well and has qualified at the top of the Midwest in his age group. He will compete in the Junior National Trials in Fairbanks, AK in March. Via event streaming services, we have seen several of his past races. He will compete at the end of February in one of the Birkebeiner events in Hayward, WI near our cabin. So, we'll get to see him in person for that.

Penny was part of a choral concert during December.

Over the holidays, Jessica's family visited for a few days. There was card playing and a Hawkeye women's basketball game to attend, and I showed Leo how to use the lathe to turn a small goblet from walnut.

In January, Betsy's family visited, and we attended a Hawkeye men's basketball game. Ice cream may have been involved.

And Pete is often good for a laugh.

At the end of February, we are flying to Arizona to spend the month of March with friends there and to see a number of spring training baseball games. So...more news later from there!

Happy Holidays!

For those of you who have kept up with this blog and the postings throughout 2022, you will know that the year has been one with a few challenges. However, we seem to be past most of that now, and the future looks good. We are already making plans for some traveling in 2023. We have missed being able to do that, what with COVID and cancer interruptions. However, this next year we intend to spend the month of March with good friends in Arizona (yay—spring training baseball games!), travel with our very dear Australian friends through parts of Canada in June, and then in late July and early August spend a week with Jessica's family and Travis at a beautiful guest ranch in the Bob Marshall Wilderness area in Montana, a place we visited with them in 1993 when they were much younger and, in Jessica's case, sans family.

Of course, we are also looking forward to the opportunity to spend more time at our beloved second home in Wisconsin. In fact, in some portion of January and February, we plan to be there to enjoy the woods in winter, to do some snow shoeing and/or cross-country skiing, to spend time with friends who live near there, enjoy visits by some of our own family members, and finally, to watch those of our grandchildren who ski as they participate or compete in the annual Hayward area Birkebeiner event. (Click there for details and access to trail cams and other videos.) Some people escape to warmer climates when it gets cold. We go north into the snow! (At least for a bit.)

Before we say goodbye to 2022, I have to take this opportunity to express my deep gratitude to all of you who have been so kind, supportive and communicative, especially during the months I was dealing with surgery and the chemotherapy program. Your cards, Zoom or FaceTime calls, and other expressions of care and concern will never be forgotten, and I hope that we do continue to stay in touch. 

Confronting one's own mortality brings all kinds of memories, wishes, and hopes to the fore. I have so much about which to be grateful. My 78 trips around the sun so far have been mostly very good ones, and I look forward to at least a few more. More time up north. More woodworking. More books. More music. More time with my children and grandchildren. More paying attention to living things, green spaces, beautiful scenes, sunrises and sunsets, and friends.

Finally, I want to acknowledge the love and daily care that Kathie has shown and provided all through the year. During an illness like the one I faced, one does stop to think about that "in sickness and in health" phrase which is a part of most marital vows. Kathie lived that notion this year and seemed to do so with strength and smiles, though I know the time was often hard for her. I owe her my life and love, and I must work harder to be for her what she has been for me. (Maybe a new puppy sometime this summer will help!?)

We wish for all of you the happiest of possible holiday times, and best wishes for a healthy, happy 2023.

Kathie and Bill

What We Are Up To + A Few Musings

(Remember, to see better images of any of the pictures herein, just click on them.)

It is time for another report from me, whether you asked for it or not! 😃 This posting will be somewhat "all over the place." We are enjoying the transition to fall and winter, although global warming trends seem to find us now doing lots of things in our yard that we surely did much earlier in years gone by—raking or mulching leaves, covering selected plants, and trimming back growth on other plants. A hard freeze finally stopped our single amazing "Better Boy" tomato plant dead in its tracks. We brought the small plant home from a favorite nursery near our cabin in Wisconsin, and it produced like crazy. Kathie harvested every last bit of fruit near the end of the plant's life, as you can see below. Some of these tomatoes are still turning red, and we have prepared a few as fried green tomatoes. Many were shared with friends too. Going back to those store-bought tomatoes with the texture of an apple will be disappointing.

 

 

For a recent family gathering, I made a big pot of vegetarian chili, which ended up being some of the best tasting chili we have ever had. You can click here for the recipe if you wish. I'd like to say I used some of our tomatoes, but the truth is that I followed the recipe to the letter and used canned whole tomatoes with their extra juice.

 

 

 

As a preview of coming attractions (spring 2023), pictured below are our choices for new cabinets and countertops in our kitchen.  After living in our new house for about 1½ years, we have decided that the original cabinets are too dark and worn. Some of the hardware is failing, sliding pullouts have broken, and the finish is badly deteriorated here and there. Plus, there are presently two different styles/colors of countertops (a different one on the island), a backsplash along only a portion of the counters, and no accommodation for a microwave except by taking up counter space. The wood we have chosen is hickory. Everyone these days seems to be choosing white cabinets, but we still like wood. This hickory is going to be much lighter and varied than the present cabinets, and the countertops will be a nice light color too. Stay tuned! I'll provide more details second quarter next year.

I can't help talking about my children and grandchildren—something I suppose many of us do. So please pardon a little bragging here. Will's son Anders has become quite the athlete, specializing in cycling and cross-country skiing activities. He recently won the Minnesota state championship in mountain biking in his age group. Bicycles can get pretty muddy in such events! Riders too!

Rob's oldest daughter, Eleanor, has become quite the thespian, having performed now in three different productions with a lead in two of them. Here she is posing with an advertising banner for the Iowa City City High production in which she played the part of Peter. A contingent of grandparents, cousins, and an uncle attended one of her performances recently.

A couple of weekends ago, around the time of Kathie's birthday, Will and some of our grandchildren stayed with us. This was homecoming weekend for The University of Iowa (I won't let Ohio State get away with capitalizing "The" in front of their name if I can't do it for my university!), and some attended the game against Northwestern (which Iowa won—not a given this particular season!). Cousins Anders and Henry, who seem to have formed a special bond these past few years, sat together. (By the way, Henry has just been accepted as a student at the University beginning in the fall of 2023.)

All of the grandkids present helped in preparing for a breakfast birthday celebration for Kathie the following morning. They all helped with the cooking and table preparations.

We survived another Halloween! For us in our new home and neighborhood, "Trick or Treat" night is a very different thing. At our prior home in the country, we rarely had anyone come to the door. Here we get dozens! Kathie camped out near the front door while a steady stream of cute, clever children came by—81 in all!
 

Meanwhile, the grandkids were out and about in their respective neighborhoods. Here are Eleanor, I think as a Barbie Doll, and Penny as Elton John.

Henry was a three-hole-punched sheet of paper with other references to "The Office", Frederick was Darth Vader, and Clara was a snow boarder. I think I have this right!?

I want to mention a couple of very interesting NASA-related web sites to you. First, you may find it interesting, as I do, to know about "passes" of the International Space Station (ISS). The ISS is a very bright object in the night sky, and it is fun to watch it arrive somewhere in the western sky, pass overhead, and then disappear in the eastern sky. These passes can take several minutes. In order to know when to watch for them, one can register with NASA in order to receive emails that inform you of passes that will occur the next night. These include details regarding where in the sky to watch for the appearance, maximum height above the horizon, and duration of the pass. I find this very fascinating, even after having watched many prior times. Click here to learn more. The second NASA web site I wish to draw to your attention is called "Astronomy Picture of the Day." The web site is located here. I like seeing these different day-to-day pages so much, that I have made this my browser's home page—that way, I cannot fail to see different things from time to time. One page in particular recently affected me. This was the September 26th picture of the day (by the way, the site offers access to an archive of its past postings). If that day's picture doesn't make you stop to think about how precious our planet's water supply is, then nothing will. Click here to see what I mean. If you do, you will learn that if one were to gather up every atom of water on the planet, fresh and sea water both, and form it into a sphere, that sphere would be quite tiny compared to the sphere which is the earth itself. The fresh water only version is even more diminished. When you think about what we have done to our water resources with pollution, runoff, introduction of micro-plastics, and more, some of the water that is tears in your eyes may appear.

Reading is one of my favorite things to do. Since 2010, I've kept a record of all the books I read, so I can tell you that I read between 70 and 100 books each year—mysteries and other novels, history, biographies, science, mathematics, and others. I always enjoying getting recommendations and sharing same, and I thank those of you with whom I share a periodic report about books. Here are a few of the 2022 books I've read that I highly recommend:

• Chasing Me to My Grave: An Artist's Memoir of the Jim Crow South by Winfred Rembert (Only read a paper copy of this book!)
• Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Loewen (Best book I read this year! Thanks, Luther!)
• Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler
• Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
• God Is Not Great by Christopher Hutchins
• The "Broken Earth trilogy" by N.K. Jemisin
• UNIX: A History and A Memoir by Brian Kernighan
• Code Girls by Liza Mundy (Tidbit: I learned that Bill Nye, the "Science Guy", is the son of a "code girl"—one of numerous women who made an enormous difference during World War II to decode enemy communications.)
• What if? 2 by Randall Munroe (His What if? is also very good.)

A bit more about this last one: Munroe draws a funny online cartoon at the web site xkcd.com. Most of the cartoons are about science, mathematics, etc. People have written to him for years asking often ridiculous questions. In these two What if? books, he has taken many of these questions and developed serious, accurate, but often very funny answers. For example, in What if? 2 he takes up "What if my phone was based on vacuum tubes? How big would it be?" (The answer, by the way, is about five city blocks, but the several pages of explanation are quite fun.) Another example (for you, Margaret and Murray): "How many pigeons would it require in order to lift the average person and a launch chair to the height of Australia's Q1 skyscraper?" 

I have a few woodworking projects underway but nothing to show yet. Some pieces for that folding Confederate War era chair I mentioned previously have been cut out, but I have a long ways to go on that project. In the meantime, I'm just finishing up a walnut hall tree for our home. I'm also designing a quilt rack to display a gorgeous quilt that Kathie made, with some help from her sister. She made the quilt from many of my old work neckties. I no longer need to wear them! Yay!

I've been thinking about writing to my readers about the political climate for some time, especially with the elections as they approached. I know this topic can be touchy. Honestly, I have been quite depressed about the state of our nation and the state of my state of Iowa, for that matter. I don't feel a lot better after the election! My concern is mostly for my children and grandchildren and their futures. I am pleased that the so-called "red wave" didn't appear to happen, although Iowa became a shade redder! I strongly dislike that Iowans voted (three to one!) for a constitutional amendment that further enshrines gun rights with language that will make it exceedingly difficult to enact sensible laws that protect us from gun violence. I also dislike that Iowa, which elected President Obama twice, has now become so staunchly Republican. I dislike that some of Iowa's Republican candidates (for governor, senate, and house) gladly accepted alliances with a former President who, in my mind, is simply a bad individual (dishonest, unprepared for leadership, divisive, and prejudiced). I dislike that so much of our political environment is based on lying and misrepresentation—I suppose this has always been present, but it seems so much worse today. I dislike that the Internet, something I helped advance in a small way, is today a vehicle for much of this. I dislike that politics is getting in the way of appropriate and decisive attention to the problems our environment and our planet are facing.  And I dislike that we seem to be turning away from civil rights, the value of diversity, and towards such public, pronounced prejudice. All of this hard line liberal versus conservative thinking isn't helping. Can't we find a way to work in the middle somewhere? I don't think it helps anyone to think that we have to be strictly one way or the other.

In closing, permit me to leave you with a few quotes that a best friend shared with me recently. These are, I think, especially appropriate for we retired, aging folks:

• People who ask me what I'm doing tomorrow probably assume that I even know what day of the week it is. (Amazing how this happens when you retire and keep busy!)
  
• Some call it multitasking. I call it doing something else while I try to remember what I was doing in the first place. (Kathie is a good multitasker. It seems like she can literally listen to and absorb one thing and think about another all while doing something constructive. I, on the other hand, much prefer things one at a time—don't assume I've heard what you said until you're sure you have my attention! I'm flawed!)
  
• Funny thing about getting older: Your eyesight starts getting weaker but your ability to see through people's bullshit gets much better. (And let me personally add...especially politician's!)
  

Getting Back to Normal (Whatever that is!)

Now that I'm no longer receiving chemotherapy treatments, my posts here will appear not so regularly. I have only one small, but important, bit of information to share related to my September 7th post-chemo health checkup. You may recall that I'm participating in a research study that has resulted in a "circulating tumor DNA blood test." Signatera is the trade-marked name of this test, and you can read more about it by clicking here if you wish. Simply put, the test is tailored to each individual based on DNA related to the original cancer tumor. I have had two such tests so far. One was administered in February, about one month after the surgery I had in January to remove the tumor. The second one was administered after my September 7th post-chemo checkup, though the results only became available more recently. In both cases, the measurement was zero, meaning that no circulating tumor DNA (referred to as ctDNA) was found. Absence of ctDNA is a strong indication that there is no reoccurrence of the cancer, at least at the time of the test. So, bottom line, continuing very good news. But as before, on to other things.

Fall colors at our lake home have been extraordinary this year. Here is a sample from about 10 days ago. Things are peaking now, with frost occurring this week and wind and rain knocking leaves down. Still... You might want to double click on this picture to see a larger version.

While I am at the cabin winterizing various things and putting outdoor items away, Kathie has returned to Iowa for an Alpha Phi reunion. When she got home she found that our single Better Boy tomato plant was continuing to produce. Although I haven't actually weighed or otherwise measured our crop, I'd be willing to bet that we have gotten perhaps a bushel of tomatoes from this one, hardy plant. The tomatoes are so so good, with a texture and flavor unlike anything one buys during the remainder of the year at the grocery.

Before Kathie went home, my sister Paula and brother-in-law Ron came to spend a couple days with us at the cabin. There is a local restaurant that specializes in really good breakfasts, so we enjoyed that one morning as you can see here.

Unfortunately, while they were visiting, our twelve-year-old dog Tighe became very sick. Actually, he had been up and down for a few days or maybe even longer before that. We had to make the difficult decision to put him down when the vet diagnosed cancer of the spleen. Surgery was not recommended, and we did not want him to continue suffering from the obvious pain the vet assured us he was feeling.

Many of you know that Tighe had a way of annoying me at times, but he was a very sweet dog too and a good companion from day to day. He loved Kathie most of all. Honestly, I've never seen a dog bond so tightly to one person as he did with Kathie. They were clearly a mutual admiration society. His loss has been really unfortunate for her, especially as she has had to face the stress of my last ten months of cancer treatment.

Tighe was a cute puppy. For his entire life, he seemed able to conjure up this sad looking apologetic face which was certainly enhanced by his face coloring. He had a beautiful coat which nearly everyone who saw him admired.

For his first two years, he overlapped living with us and his great aunt Josey. I have a number of humorous pictures of them playing. Well, truthfully, Tighe is trying to play, while Josey either ignored or simply tolerated him.

Here is what he looked like through most of his mature life. It was always funny to see him decide to play with one of his squeaky toys. He didn't do this every day or evening, but when the mood struck him, he would seek them out, work carefully to locate the positions of the squeakers, and then proceed to exercise the squeaker in an effort to gain more of our attention. He loved to chew on things, especially the beef bones Kathie got for him, and he had a real gift for knowing certain times of day (meal times) as well as morning routines and evening bedtime routines.

He absolutely loved playing with a frisbee. One only had to mention the word and he was ready to go. The appearance of a leash also got him very excited. Kathie took him on lots of walks, and I enjoyed having him along when walking to our Wisconsin mailbox, which is a good distance away from the cabin. He was an English Shepherd, and when I got out the leash, he was clearly trying to herd me toward that promised walk.

I wouldn't have said that Tighe was a lap dog, but neither Kathie nor Tighe seemed to know that. Nearly every evening, there was a "puppy pile" on the couch while we watched something on TV.

At the risk of making my wife more sad than she already is when she reads this, I just have to share this picture of Tighe on his last day. I'll always look at this and know the special feelings that each of them shared when they looked into each others eyes. I said they were quite bonded to each other, and it was true that they were. One cannot see such things and fail to understand the unique roles that pets, especially dogs, play in enhancing, supporting, and increasing the happiness of their owners lives.

Finally, let me end with a shout out to our oldest grandson Henry, daughter Betsy, and our son-in-law Peter. This picture was taken on the night seniors in the high school marching band were being recognized for their contributions. Peter has been going through a rough patch lately with some medical issues, but he was determined, along with Betsy, to be present to support his son. I'm proud of them all. Get well Pete!

1st Followup Results

Today I had my first followup appointment subsequent to completing my chemotherapy regimen. The bottom line is that things look great at this point--no signs of cancer. I will continue to have checkups every three months for at least two years and then every six months thereafter. Reoccurrence of cancer, when it does happen, is most likely during the three years following the initial occurrence. Hence, the continuing checkups.

A few additional details, if you wish to know more. I am a part of a research study that involves a new, personalized method for detecting instances of relapse. You can read about it by clicking here if you wish. The very first use of this test for me occurred post-surgery in February and yielded very positive results. Blood was drawn this morning for another test, and I should receive those results in about three weeks. Down the road, additional instances of this test will be done.

Yesterday, a full throat to pelvis CT scan was done. My oncologist reviewed those results with me this morning. Everything was good. Known issues were all stable, and nothing new appeared. Routine blood tests were done this morning too, and again, everything looks good there--counts or measures that had been low or that were being depressed are all recovering, including the depressed platelet levels that had been a bit of a problem about midway through my chemotherapy program.

You may recall that I had a deep vein thrombosis issue (blood clot in my leg) about midway through my chemotherapy. Since then I've been on a blood thinner. That will continue until I have an ultrasound examination in December. Assuming there is no further indication of problems, I'll likely be taken off the blood thinner at that point.

My medical port will stay in place until around the six months point post-chemo. That will be sometime in March of next year. At that point, assuming all other indications continue to be positive, the port can be removed.

All good news! I'll have another detailed followup in December. So, back to the lake we go!!

While we were up there the latter part of August, Travis came for a visit along with Jessica and her family. Travis and Mike replaced some damaged roof shingles for me on our smaller garage, and we took the usual family "departure photo" of everyone before they headed back home.

One evening, we had a beautiful view off our deck looking out over the lake. This picture looks mostly to the east. The setting sun in the west was casting a strong pink hue over the clouds to the east, and with the reflection on the lake, things were very colorful.

Oh, and you will remember that pie I wanted to make from the apples on our trees at the cabin. Well here it is, and yes, I did eat my slices from the outside in and usually with cheddar cheese warmed over them. Remember: Apple pie without cheese is like a kiss without a squeeze.