Month: March 2021

With the seasonal transition from winter to spring underway, this last week contained a hodgepodge of activities including work in the house, yard work, and addressing a few longer-term projects. Here is the week in review.

Pam has begun to order some new ‘fittings’ for the house. One of these items was a new curio cabinet intended to hold a number of small items we brought with us from Colorado. The case needed assembly and turned out to be well suited for holding a number of Pam’s small keepsakes.

Pam continues to work on the snug, ordering a few small items for around the house, sending a few Easter postcards, and working on other small projects.

In addition to assembling the new display case, I kept busy. Monday I drove to the Mason City Post Office and submitted my passport renewal forms. (Since the current passport had expired there were a few additional steps I had to take and could not renew on-line or by mail.) The process went smoothly and I hope to receive my new passport in the next 4 to 6 weeks.

With the warmer weather and some rain, all snow is gone from around 702 Main. I completed a lawn clean-up, raking more leaves, twigs, and small branches that had fallen on the lawn over the winter. The lawn looks good for a day or so, then winds pick up neighbor’s leaves and blow them onto our yard. These will have to wait until I get the mower out and run over the lawn. The bagger system does a pretty good job of collecting these strays after the raking loosens the base level of collected debris. I still need to take the utility trailer to the dump and dispose of this first load of stuff, a job for the upcoming week.

One warmer morning I sat on the east porch and took photos of birds at the feeder. House finches are the main species featured in this photo. Their red coloring is attractive and they are interesting to watch.

I took some time to work up a few bald spots on the lawn and put in some grass seed I had left over from last fall. For example, we had removed the phlox plants for relocation late in the season and grass had not had time to grow in before winter arrived. I am hoping the warmer weather and rains forecast every few days for the next week will be enough to green up these bare spots.

I would like to give a shout out to my sister Kitt who fixed me up with some KN95 masks. These are quite a step up from the cloth and blue pleated paper masks I had been using. Given I will be in contact with many people during the course of my prostate treatments I am very glad to have the new masks! Thank you!

On a technical note, a couple weeks ago I had a new battery put in my iPhone 6s. The phone is 5 – 6 years old and was still running on the original battery, but it was beginning to have issues. It required frequent recharges and would occasionally jump from 80% – 90% charge to less than 5% then back up. The new battery (with installation) cost just over $65.00 and took about 45 minutes. Charging is required only every other day and the battery is stable in operation. It was a worth-while update which will bring more peace of mind as I am on the road to and from treatment appointments.

The events in Boulder touched us this past week. Having lived near there, and working in Boulder, we have many memories of shopping at the King Soopers grocery, walking the Pearl Street Mall, stopping in shops and eating in various restaurants, and attending University Lutheran Chapel. Boulder was our home town from the late ’70s until ’85. We reviewed the names of the victims but didn’t recognize any of them, probably a good thing. It was a shock to see such violence in a place familiar to us.

The upcoming week, well, no major new projects are anticipated but many smaller jobs will receive attention. One such small job is mine; I have ordered a few tool chest organizers and plan to finally organize my socket sets in my main tool box. During the course of the move some items were separated and ended up in different places. Now is a good time to get everything together in one place.

I will probably put the mower deck and bagger back on the John Deere and retire the snow blade for the summer. There is already new grass growing in the cracks in the side walk and it won’t be long until the first mowing session of the year occurs.

JoJo will go to the groomers next week and all three dogs will be getting their nails and anals attended to. Some COVID-19 protocols are still in place at the vet for drop-off and pickup. This means a couple trips back and forth to Charles City (about 50 miles round trip) on Monday but I will get some grocery shopping worked in as part of the outing.

So it goes. Life is a mixture of routine and project work. What else is new?

Photo Archive

There is no theme for this week’s collection. Take a look at the captions for an explanation!

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

On the TV design shows, staging takes place at the end of the remodel and the room(s) involved look fantastic immediately. Not here at 702 Main. It takes me months to layer all of the final elements in rooms. Painting and drapes are the easy part. Going through the stored stuff in storage room boxes (for the walls and for display in various ways) seems endless. Stored stuff has to be curated. The plaster walls don’t support heavy items; we lost two wall anchors on one wall, they disappeared right into the lathe and plaster.

Which is why it’s satisfying to have the curio cabinet filled with memorabilia. This also means fewer boxes in the storage room, which is another area of the house requiring organization (at some point). Win-win.

Here’s a new acquisition that defines the library space (in the room with the Art Deco stencil).

Be well. Happy Trails.

Several noteworthy events happened this past week, but getting out first COVID-19 shots tops the list. Here is the week in review.

We had been on a vaccine list through our local clinic, but didn’t know where (what #) we were on their list. Given my impending prostate cancer treatments, I investigated further and was referred to the regional health center, keeper of ‘the County list’, to see what might be done to speed up the process. I explained my situation to the vaccination coordinator and she called back with an appointment date of this last Friday for both of us.

It turns out Howard County vaccinations are being scheduled by birth year; Howard County had worked their way to 1947. Given our birth years are ’52 and ’53, bumping us up wasn’t much of a jump, but enough so that a board had to consider the request. Now I/we will be fully vaccinated before my next trip to the Mayo Clinic. Second shots are scheduled for April 15 and my next Mayo appointment is on April 19th.

Here we are getting our shots. We received the Moderna version of the vaccine.

Both of us had a mild reaction — sore upper arms for a day or so and fatigue — but nothing more than that. We’re pleased to have this protection in place and moving forward to full immunization.

Earlier in the week Pam finished the west wall of the library. Here are a few photos of the work as it progressed. The plan was to repaint the wall and add artwork to it.

In addition, the three east-side windows received wall paper in the panels below them.

And, if that wasn’t enough, Pam started working on the walls in the ‘snug’ which is the room off the library. There will be more on that project as it progresses.

My big project of the week was snow removal. Monday saw an all-day snow event which dumped about 5 – 6 inches of heavy, stick-to-your-shovel spring snow. I kept the walk between the house, catio, and garage open on Monday but decided to wait until Tuesday to do the rest of the walks and garage access.

The effort utilized shovels, a broom, my Toro snow blower, and the blade on the John Deere rider. As I also clear the snow from around our mailbox row, and a neighboring bank of mail boxes, the job took several hours in total.

Today the snow is almost gone, and will be totally gone by tomorrow night as temps have warmed up again and upper 50 degree days are on tap. Rain is to move in early next week so even the deepest ditches will be clear of the white stuff by my next post.

The next few weeks promise to be busy as well. Pam will continue to work on the snug, I am reviewing paint colors to repaint the upstairs (my) bathroom, I have an appointment with the Mason City Post Office to renew my passport, and Jake the Electrician called and put us back on his work list.

Bob the Builder will be coming by at some point to give us an estimate on re-siding the south wall (kitchen end) of the house. It had been on my ‘to-do’ list for this spring but given the anticipated side effects of the radiation treatments we decided to farm out the work. The project will include replacement of the existing window and trim. Pam and I will still take care of painting the new siding and other painting around the house as summer projects.

It was another busy week with some projects completed and others begun, typical of our calendar. Getting the first of our two COVID shots has improved our mental health, though. We will continue to wear our masks and social distance when in public places for the foreseeable future or until health experts say it is OK to abandon those practices.

Photo Archive

This first photo is one of my favorites of Pam reading to the kids. “Katy and the Big Snow” was one of their favorites. Early ’90s.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

What are the odds the nurse giving me my vaccine “jab” in Cresco would turn out to be the granddaughter of a past resident of Heart House? And yet that’s exactly what happened. After I handed the vaccine paperwork over to her, she saw the address in Elma, there was a short discussion, and Ann Sullivan identified herself as the granddaughter of Clara Boyle. Clara lived at 702 Main in the 1990 time period. Ann remembered her grandmother’s stained glass windows and clawfoot tub from her childhood. I invited Ann to stop by 702 sometime on a future trip to Elma (after this COVID crap is history). Small towns…

Be well. Happy Trails.

This past week was not exactly typical but, at the same time, not very exciting. Here is how we spent some of our time.

On Monday I drove up to the Mayo Clinic for two appointments. The first was to take a blood draw which will serve as a baseline to evaluate future treatments. The second was to get an injection of Leuprolide (AKA Eligard) a testosterone-reducing hormone treatment. The shot is good for three months.

I am scheduled for two late April appointments. The pre-surgury check-up will be on April 19th followed by surgery to implant the brachytherapy ‘seeds’ on April 21st. Not much to do between now and then except wait!

Tuesday was grocery shopping day, a process that generally takes 3 – 4 hours to complete, taking into account the time to haul groceries into the house and put everything away. For some reason local stores can’t get Friskies canned cat food, particularly the flavors our cats like. Empty shelves are a common sight.

Wednesday was Tax Prep Day. We went though our three sets of taxes (Colorado, Iowa, and Federal) and made all the corrections and calculations needed. Federal and Colorado returns have been mailed as we are getting a refund from both of those sources. We owe Iowa tax, no surprise there, so will not send those forms off for another month or so.

Thursday I drove to Cresco, the county seat. I needed to get an Iowa license plate for our aluminum utility trailer. The old Colorado plate was good through January, but with spring approaching I will be pulling the trailer on public roads so needed to ‘get legal’ in Iowa. Unlike Colorado, Iowa does not issue a title for trailers that weigh under 2,000 pounds, just a receipt along with the plate. I had to laugh, though. The cost of the plate, good through August, was $10.00. Renewals for a year will be $20.00. This is far less than we paid out West.

Pam took the spotlight for Friday. She returned to the dentist for X-rays and a routine cleaning. The molar that received the root canal is still very tender but is improving. Pam still needs to get that tooth fitted with a crown but that will not happen for a few weeks at best, possibly longer.

Scattered through this time I began the first lawn cleanup off the year. As much as I tried to have all the fall leaves taken care of, our neighbors are not as concerned with cleaning up their yards and a lot of leaves blew into our yard over the winter. The lawn is still wet from melting snow, but I have managed to clear leaves from around the dog run and garden fences and a bit around the garage and flower beds. Eventually I will rake the entire yard to clean up all the winter debris.

Other signs of spring are appearing. Tulip greens are starting to appear above the layer of mulch we put on them last fall. Some grass is beginning to ‘green up.’ Recently we have seen house wrens and finches at the bird feeder. I saw my first robin of the year a couple days ago. The outside cats are sunning in the catio enclosure. All the snow around our place is gone, although there is ‘plowable’ snow in the forecast for this coming Sunday night into Monday. (Warmer temps are in the forecast for later in the week so any snow we get won’t last long.)

Inside the house, Pam continues to work on the west wall of the library. Furniture has been re-arranged and a pair of new wall-mounted lights have changed the library appearance a great deal. That project continues and is now more than half-done.

All in all it was a busy week for mid-March. Not routine, but busy. Hopefully the next few weeks will have less trauma and more good weather.

Photo Archive

Family photos lead off this post. Taken in Oregon at our friends Tom and Patti Hamilton’s place, these first couple photos date from ’90 or ’91.

These next few shots are from all over.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

Life in Iowa…

Are you wondering what could possibly keep us occupied in Iowa during the waning days of winter? Days are full and tasks are many. Warming weather brings out the house flies and (continuous) hatching of the Chinese lady beetles (or whatever they are). Wasps will soon be next; Fields has already been on the hunt for defunct wasp nests from last year to eradicate from the house facade.

Lent is here, and with it additional Friday night fish fries to enjoy. The local bars feature Friday fish all year, of course, but Lent brings out the religious groups and town fundraisers. We’ve already enjoyed the drive-through fish fries in Alta Vista and Elma. (The fish fry featured above is in Charles City.) Lent fish fries seem to have more creative deserts than the all-year bar options. Anytime of year, Friday night fish is on the “things to like about Iowa” list.

The local weather report out of Rochester, MN no longer gives snow depths on the snowmobile trails and last month issued “get off the ice” reports for fishing shanties. Bugs-Lent-ice breakup — must mean spring is near.

Also, spring birds are here. The forsythia bush near the bird feeding station has finally come into its own. I hacked at that ancient growth three times in 2019/2020 in attempts to beat it into submission. Now the graceful forsythia fronds provide cover and branch supports for the variety of winter and returning birds helping themselves to bountiful meals. Enjoying the abundant bird life has also joined the “things to like about Iowa” list.

We are never at a loss to figure out on what to spend our COVID stimulus checks. The 2020 version helped pay my hospital bill at Gundersen in LaCrosse for the gall bladder surgery. The early 2021 stimulus paid a portion of my root canal, and the forthcoming Biden stimulus check will pay for a crown and various deductibles for Himself’s prostate cancer treatment. The only thing we’ve been stimulating is medical and dental providers, it seems.

My life, consistently, revolves around the needs of the animals. London, our 17-year-oldster Siamese mix, has stabilized at about 6 pounds and is now eating two additional small meals per day (the kitchen is always open, it seems). I keep track of the comings-and-goings of the catio cats, checking visually to see if anyone is ill or in need of repair. Elmo is always destroying something, usually requiring a change in interior decor to dampen his “interest.” The dogs are scheduled for grooming (JoJo is one giant hairball) and a vet visit. Heartworm meds and flea/tick preventatives are in-house for the season.

Himself already bought me a few packets of Grandpa Ott morning glories for spring planting. I was watching an Iowa farm show on PBS (I also occasionally take note of hog and soybean prices) that traced the Grandpa Ott seeds back to a Bavarian origin. There you go, Larry. PBS also had a special featuring the Czech and Slovak Museum in Cedar Rapids, which is definitely worth a field trip.

It will soon be time to switch out the “winter wardrobe” to the “summer wardrobe.” I am greatly in need of my sister Becky to be on premises; she always shames me into throwing away something totally ragged and unfit for continued use.

And, if we get bored, there’s always the hunt for COVID vaccine shots, which somehow have not made it to the NE Iowa rural area clinics (regardless of how well Iowa’s governor says things are going in that respect.) But then, who’s bored?

Be well. Happy Trails.

The latest medical news is not good.

On Wednesday, March 3rd, I went to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, for two appointments. The first was to get an MRI of my prostate; the second was a doctor consultation to determine a course of treatment.

The MRI indicated a possibility that the cancer may have spread into the pelvic area lymph nodes and seminal fluid canals. The results were not conclusive, but due to my high PSA reading the doctors think this is likely. As a result, the Proton Beam Therapy I had hoped would be the preferred course of action is not viable.

Instead I have opted to use Brachytherapy, or internal radiation therapy. This involves use of radioactive ‘seeds’ implanted for a short time in the prostate. External radiation will also be part of the treatment.

There are two version of this Brachytherapy, low-dose long term implants and temporary, high dose implants. The later are inserted for 5 – 15 minutes at a time and are then removed. General anesthesia is used for the procedure. I will be going the high dose route as the doctors think I am a good candidate for this type of treatment. The high dose implant and removal will be followed by external radiation treatments extending over 5 weeks, give or take.

In addition to the radiation I will be on one or two prescription drugs and injections to lower my testosterone levels, which helps discourage cancer development. I will be taking across-the-counter calcium tablets and vitamin D supplements to help offset the effects of the radiation. The first of the injections happens this coming Monday, March 8th, following a blood draw that will set a baseline for treatments to follow.

Pam will accompany me for the initial implant in April, as I will be sedated and not really fit to drive home after the procedure. Otherwise I can take the follow-up shots and treatments on solo trips. Many of the subsequent treatments can be scheduled at the Mayo Clinic satellite office in Austin, Minnesota, which is a half-hour closer to Elma than the main Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

The first implant will take place in late April and the follow-on treatments should be completed within 5 or 6 weeks after that. The lowered testosterone will continue for up to 18 months with PSA level checks every 3 months or so. The long-term prognosis, overall, is good.

However, there are side effects to deal with — loss of energy and loss of muscle mass mainly. There can be other issues as well but most clear up within a few days or weeks. It will not be a good time but the treatments are necessary. I’ll just have to deal with it as well as I can.

And face it…this is not like lung cancer or brain cancer. “Keep the big picture in mind” was the advice of the doctors and that is what I hope to do.

It does mean my summer plans will have to be modified; attending my annual motorcycle rally in Colorado will probably not happen this year, but the middle and end of the summer should still be productive to some extent. It remains to be seen how well I tolerate the treatments and side effects.

So Wednesday was (pardon the pun) kind of a bummer. I had hoped for a better outcome. We were mentally prepared for a non-invasive cancer program due to the CT scan results at Mason City, then the Mayo folks starting using the phrase “aggressive cancer” right away when describing the MRI scan. However, on the bright side, the MRI did not require the insertion of a probe, for which I was most thankful.

A side note:

If you have never taken an MRI, the machine is very loud. I was provided ear plugs and head muffs to keep the noise to a minimum. The process includes a lot of tones, beeps, and other noises from the machine. My session took about 50 minutes as 2 scans were completed, the first being a ‘normal’ scan and the second, aided by a chemical infusion, was a ‘high contrast’ scan. The doctors ( I had 2) showed us the results of the scans in their consultation session, but a layman can’t ‘read’ the outputs very well. When the doc points to a gray blob and says “this is the prostate” you just have to take it on faith. Anyway, with the check-in, preparation, actual scan, and release, the appointment took about 2 hours and 20 minutes, much longer than I had anticipated.

Back to our regular programming.

Pam is working on the west wall of the library, which is the wall containing pocket doors leading into the nook and bathroom. I will have before-and-after shots of the wall when completed, but for now Pam has the brown edging done and two coats of white paint down. Next comes the grosgrain ribbon border around the ceiling and above the door.

That wall will not get the art deco treatment of the east wall but will be decorated with posters and wall art. Complicating the work is the now-unused shell of an electric wall heater. The casing of the heater is not flush with the plaster; it sticks out just a bit and Pam is trying to find a way to work around it. Wall plaster in the library is very dry and fragile; Pam doesn’t want to take on a major sheetrock repair. (Pick your renovation battles.) So, a poster or large photo will eventually cover the area and, when we leave, the next owners will have to decide how to handle the old heater box insert.

Well-above normal temperatures have arrived, resulting in the rapid melting of our accumulated snow. I think NE Iowa will experience more storms before spring really arrives but it’s good to be able to take the dogs out without having to put on their cold-weather coats (offset by muddy paw prints in the laundry room). The outdoor cats have been more active outside the catio and I have been able to putz with several small projects in the garage. The warm weather is extending into next week’s forecast so should be with us for several more days.

Overall, the week had ups (warmer weather) and downs (MRI results) but not much in the way of photogenic moments, for which I apologize.

Photo Archive

This week’s photos are scenics from the Pacific NW and rural settings in that part of the country.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

Cancer. Here we go (again). Yes, Hank, it’s the “same-o same-o” treatment for prostate cancer now as when you survived it in the past. It ticks me off that cancer research seems to be more-or-less stalled on chemical and surgical treatments. I was hoping the Proton Beam would be an improvement, only to have that potential pulled out from under.

At least the Mayo Clinic keeps extensive electronic records in the online medical database (Epic). None of the Iowa clinics so far do this; it’s a huge headache making sure medical providers are all functioning with the complete patient profile. Mayo makes the fourth clinic location Himself has visited (Austin, MN for the radiation will make that five) and there have been three different medical groups involved — Howard County Medical, Mercy One, and Mayo. It’s a billing and information mess.

Regarding ongoing renovations here at 702 Main, re-evaluation of timetables will need to accommodate both the upcoming cancer treatment schedule and the health impact of those treatments. I suspect I will need to concentrate on more projects I can complete solo.

Be well. Happy Trails.