Chauffeur

For now, I’m hanging up my chauffeur cap.

Richard can drive. Actually, he drove to mass on Sunday and did a roundtrip (unescorted) all the way to Parkdale on Monday evening. I tell you, it was like my teenage son was out for the first time. And I was nervous for no reason.

I did do the driving to Portland on Tuesday (at Richard’s request), but tonight Richard has driven himself into Hood River. Unescorted, once again.

And Richard’s doctor’s appointment went well. His blood pressure was still a bit low, but they let him go home without an infusion. Most of the nagging, little (notice how I can make Richard’s woes sound so minimal, while mine are of “…a dimension and severity seldom seen…”) side effects of chemo and radiation have started to subside. The radiation burn on his back is finally starting to look better and he feels his singing voice returning. He even gained another pound. His blood counts aren’t back up to normal, but they are totally okay for where he is.

He has (or will have) a CAT scan scheduled for mid-August, and then sees his oncologists on August 20th. So, barring any amazing developments, we will discontinue Richard updates until after the 20th of August and go onto much more critical issues, such as “How can you tell if your cat has purged his purchased cat food to make more room for a tasty little rodent, or did he simply barf on the dryer?”

Or, “Why do the cats get the summer off and I still have to go to work?” Hey, I just realized it ain’t just the summer. Those two lazy bastards have been living off our largesse for way too long now. Anyone want to hire a couple of cats?

Real Estate 101

I’m sure you are all aware that after location, the most important facet influencing the value of real estate is water features. And boy, do Richard and I have wonderful water features.

First, there is Lake Kittytaka. (I know, it is blatant plagiarism, ridiculing not only domestic house cats, but a perfectly wonderful lake it South America). We plan to build a resort on the north shore, taking full advantage of the ample sunshine and unique land formations.

 

And then there is Rio Ricardo. Wow, I know you are all jealous, but try not to be bitter. Amazing water features come with their inherent drawbacks.

It is 4:30AM, we have no running water (inside the house), there is a generator grumbling in the front yard and the water company’s personnel are all have doughnuts and coffee in our driveway (on the shores of Rio Ricardo!)

I pull into the driveway.

It looks like there is crime scene tape highlighting the front yard.

Much like you, my first thought is, “What the hell has Max done this time?”

Turns out it wasn’t a crime scene, but a disaster of domestic water system creation. A little lake, a short river, and some day we may get water service back.

(I joke, we have plenty of water.)

Happy 58th Birthday to Disneyland.

I just want to point out that of my immediate family, spousal unit, siblings and siblings’ spousal units; I am the only one younger than Disneyland.

And yes, this is more than just a maturity issue. I am chronologically younger than all of them, too.

Weekday Update

Today was Richard’s first doctor’s appointment after finishing radiation and chemo.

All-in-all, Richard is doing pretty well. The radiation burns on his chest and back are pretty gruesome looking and a bit painful. The visual of those burns do make me wonder about his esophagus: how bad is it? There are issues with swallowing.

He was very dehydrated today, dehydrated enough that his blood pressure was dangerously low. So, we got to stay so he could have a baggy of water forced into his veins. (There is a more technical term, but I won’t bother you with precision.)

He’s lost a few more pounds. (Don’t worry, I found them. I’ve given them a new home.)

But really, after what he has been through, he’s doing okay. They say it will be another week or two before he really starts to feel better. He has another appointment in two weeks and his “big” re-evaluation appointment is on August 20th. Until then, it will all remain a bit of a mystery.

Could it be that I have found religion?

Thank you, Stephan Pastis

A quick shout out to Auntie Thel

Today would have been my mother's sister's 102 birthday. That is assuming she didn't die on the day she was born.

Thelma is now little more than a tombstone in TumTum, Washington, declaring her the child of Ira McCracken. Obviously, Fannie had little to do with child bearing.