Author: admin (Page 16 of 62)

With temperatures rising into the 90’s, it has been a hot week. High and low temps have been around 20 degrees higher than average. Time to run the central air and turn on the bedroom window A/C at night. The heat has put a limit on our outside tasks as well; we try to plan exterior projects for the shady side of the house — west in the AM and east in the PM.

Over the Memorial Day weekend we visited a couple of graveyards, one here in Elma and a new one, the Bohemian National Cemetery that Pam had read about. Pam’s ancestry includes a Bohemian link and this was the impetus to visit this site. The cemetery is small and very well kept, about a 35-40 minute drive (one way) from Elma and out in the farm countryside.

We found that many of the stones had marriage dates on them, and a few had genealogical information listed on the back side of the markers (such as Mother of, Daughter of, Parents of, and Grandparents of). Not only interesting but a boon to anyone doing family history research.

Just as we were about to leave, a mother and son arrived at the cemetery and, being the only people at the cemetery when they arrived, we struck up a conversation. The lady had grown up in the area and was able to give us some information on growing up in a mix of Norwegians, Bohemians, and Germans as well as Catholic and Lutheran religions. We enjoyed the conversation and left with a better understanding of life near the small town of Protivin, Iowa in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Back home, a couple projects occupied our time. Pam is nearly done with the snug and here is how it looks now:

Pam moved in the furniture, floor lamp, side table and other decorative items. The room is now “snug” and we are enjoying the fruit of her labors. The dogs and cats really appreciate having the sofa available to nap on. 🙂

I worked on two main projects, one was the install of a new dish washer. The old one had died last year and it was time to replace it. A trip to Lowe’s, in Rochester, yielded a Bosch unit in white to match the other appliances. Here are a couple shots of the install in process.

The dishwasher is now installed and in service. Not only does it clean the dishes well but we no longer have to hand-wash all the plates, pots, and pans. That was OK during the winter but now time is at more of a premium and better spent on other tasks.

The second project was to finish painting the siding that will be used on the south side of the house when Builder Bob arrives to install it and replace the kitchen window. We don’t have a time line yet but hope this work occurs sometime in the next month. The delay is dependent on delivery of the new window; building products have been experiencing long lead times.

This is my first week since completion of my radiation treatments, although I did have my second hormone therapy shot on June 1st. I am doing OK although my stamina is quite low. By 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon I am about done with project work for the day and turn to projects that take less effort (such as scanning slides). I did manage to get my pumpkins and watermelon seeds planted in the garden one cooler evening.

Also in the garden, potted pepper plants are doing well. Seeds from last year’s sunflowers have germinated in the line Pam planted. Rhubarb was allowed to go to seed at the beginning of the summer, with increased rhubarb production to look forward to in the future (hopefully). The blackberry bushes planted earlier this year are getting ready to flower. The Grandpa Ott morning glory starts appear to have been “frosted” one of the cooler evenings in late May, but are now making a gradual recovery. In the east side flower bed the geraniums [from the Mennonite greenhouse] are adding their red coloration. Numerous toads, of various sizes, have been spotted in the flowerbeds.

I will be on the road this next week. (Pam will be home with the cats and dogs.) As a result, my next post will be somewhat delayed. I am going to visit The Lot and see if The Box and other equipment survived the winter. Given my low energy levels I doubt much clearing work will be done, but it will be good for me to be in the mountains again. I’m taking the ATV and will purchase the annual CO license for off-road vehicles, allowing me to enjoy a few back country mountain field trips.

Photo Archive

I scanned a few more slides from the late 80’s featuring Pam , Felicity and Toby as well as a couple “artsy” shots.

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

Pam’s Penny

It’s just a few weeks now until Summer Solstice. Kinda hard to wrap my mind around the longest daylight in the year occurring a short time from now. The current long-lasting twilight [until almost 9:00 p.m.] is such a delight.

Happy Trails.

There will be lots of photos this time around and news on several fronts. Let’s get to it!

I finished my radiation therapy this week. I had to get a selfie of me gowned up, masked up, and ready for treatment.

The Mayo Clinic has a long-running custom that signifies a person’s completion of treatment: Ring the bell. Here I am doing just that. The bell is located just outside the Radiation and Oncology check-in desk and I passed it while going for each treatment. Note that the bell is titled “The Sound of Hope.”

Next up, on June 1st, is a scheduled hormone therapy injection. After that I am clear until my 3-month follow-up in late August or early September. I look forward to regaining some of my energy so I can move ahead on the various projects planned for this summer.

Last week we hit up a couple greenhouses and bought some plants. Pam potted some pansies for the front porch steps and planted geraniums in the east flower bed. Here are the potted pansies.

While trimming back some day lilies under the oak trees, Pam found two columbine plants blooming. One is pink, the other the traditional Colorado blue. Below is the pink plant in bloom.

One of Pam’s ‘Bucket List’ items for the house has been to get bunting on the porches for summer holidays. To this end she ordered bunting online, and has been sewing a casing to the tops, so each panel can accept a 5/8-inch dowel rod. The rods are used to hang the panels while maintaining their shape. (My idea.) Pam installed the bunting this morning, and the results look great.

Painting lengths of the house cement siding was interrupted this week by all of these weather conditions: cold weather, rain, and high humidity. Frost advisory? Really? And one day the humidity was 99% with temps into the high 80’s. I had to put the window A/C unit in my bedroom and we ran the central air a couple of days as well. Crazy weather this spring.

Photo Archive

In July of 1994 we took the kids on a trip to the east coast. We visited Old Sturbridge Village, Kitty Hawk, Shenandoah Park, Mt. Vernon, and other sites along the way.

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

Pam’s Penny

The patriotic bunting project is not yet complete (the small buntings on the east porch need some additional ruffles, for instance, for better proportion). But it’s satisfying to see the main porches with bunting swaying in the breeze. I tried to order bunting last year during COVID, but due to manufacturing difficulties none was available. Probably just as well; with the stresses of both the pandemic and the previous administration in 2020, I wasn’t feeling very patriotic last Memorial Day anyway.

Depending on what is flowering in the yard by Monday, I will cut some sprigs of fresh flowers and put a few on the grave stones of Hannah Tierney and daughter Gertrude Stute. You may recall these names of two of the past owners of Heart House — we visited their graves in the Catholic cemetery in Elma last year.

The gardens @ 702 are exploding with plant growth. Except for purchase of petunias for the Mary Lynn bed (hopefully on sale), most of the annual flowers are planted. Now begins the weeding. I’m trying not to be obsessive about weeding, as we have a resident population of toads who enjoy shady areas and undergrowth.

The possibilities of participating in local events closed down by COVID last year is tempting; we are considering which ones to attend. Summer will include continuing renovation projects of course, but I don’t think we’ll keep our noses to the grindstone as we did last year during lockdowns. Hopefully we’ll see some of you in Elma this year to check out our renovations/updates at Heart House.

Happy Trails.

With the arrival of full-on spring, the yard is coming awake with more flowers. It’s hard to believe that just a couple weeks ago we were dealing with frost and freeze warnings.

The daffodils and tulips have run their course for the year, but many other blooms are taking their shot at the sun. Lilacs, blue flax, bleeding hearts, and lilies of the valley are adding their colors to the place. Here are photos of a few of them.

In my last post I mentioned a few repair projects — Pam’s board buddies and a fountain. Here are a couple shots of these completed repair projects.

I have the fountain on the porch for the time being as I like listening to the tinkling sound of the water when I sit near it.

The man had one of his hat brims replaced and the lady received a new foot. Damage had been caused during our move from Colorado. The figures are placed where Pam can see them from the kitchen window.

Spring has also brought a few new birds to the area. One of them is this white breasted nuthatch:

Another bird spotted for the first time, which I have not been able to photograph yet, is the Northern Oriole. His bright colors are easily recognized. Photo below is from the internet.

A recent trip to a couple greenhouses yielded another amur maple, now planted in the east yard, and various flowers that Pam will put in pots or plant in the flower beds. More on these in my next post. I will note that the greenhouses seem to be very low on stock with many empty racks in the facilities. We don’t know if this is because it is still early in the season or if plant stock is abnormally low this year. Major chain stores seem to have their regular allotment of plants for sale.

Helping the grass and plants in their growth period was the arrival of nearly 2 inches of rain this past week. NE Iowa/SE Minnesota had been in a ‘moderate’ drought, according to local weather stations. Pam had been hand-watering plants, particularly the new ones, so the rain was welcome.

Painting of the cement siding got underway this past week. The rain didn’t help that project much, but a number of boards were painted and are being stored in the garage addition. I move the boards and Pam does the painting.

I completed another five sessions of radiation treatments. Eighteen done and four to go. On Thursday, my last treatment day, I will discuss a follow-up plan with the doctor and move into that phase of treatment. I suspect the plan will consist mostly of blood draws to monitor my PSA levels and hormone therapy injections every 3 months. More in my next post.

Photo Archive

More fall color photos. The first one includes Pam, myself, and son Toby enjoying a fall day.

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

Pam’s Penny

Busy. You too?

Happy Trails.

This week continued with the routine of last week, at least as far as my trips to the Mayo Clinic were concerned. Really nothing new there. I have completed 13 of the 22 treatments so am in the ‘home stretch.’

For those who may be familiar with the Mayo Clinic, you know there are two campuses. One is the St. Mary’s Hospital campus and the other is the Methodist Hospital campus. I am getting my treatments at the Methodist campus. The two are a few blocks apart in the city of Rochester, Minnesota.

My last post mentioned me getting my ‘day pass’ when I arrived at the campus. These are used for COVID-19 screening. Just for hoots I kept a week’s worth of these passes:

The treatments go on. Although I will be done with the radiation treatments by the end of the month, I will be getting my 3-month shot of Eligard (hormone therapy) on June 1st. These shots will happen every 3 months over the next 15 months. It remains to be seen how I react to the rest of the radiation but, to date, the side effects have been fairly subdued.

Pam continues her work in the snug. Painting is nearly done but details need to be completed. Later today we will attempt to remove the rest of the snug’s carpet which will be a real job. Here are some photos of Pam’s work to date.

The snug is looking good!

Ever since we moved in we knew at some point we’d need to replace the kitchen sink faucet as it, believe it or not, made a sound (like a sad sigh) and dripped every time a valve was turned off. (Not to mention the hand sprayer sticking in the “on” position and giving the next person a complementary shower.) Replacement was on the docket. I found a suitable new unit at Menards and set about swapping faucets.

One thing led to another and I ended up replacing several of the drain pipes. Nothing is ever easy, and what should have been a simple project took a trip to the hardware store for more parts and pieces and a couple hours of work. The main culprit was a broken trap and down-pipe that connects the sink drain to the rest of the plumbing, located in the basement.

Additionally, several of the slip rings and gaskets had to be replaced. The job was a real PITA but we now have a new faucet that does not leak or make noises and drains that should last as long as we own the house.

Spring continues to progress. Our lilacs are beginning to bloom. New growth is on all the plants and trees, good to see. Pam harvested a few rhubarb stalks this week and will continue, as growth permits, until there is enough diced rhubarb to make a pie.

A couple other projects are in the works. I sealed the cracks in our decorative water fountain and cut and glued a couple of repair pieces onto Pam’s “farmer and wife’ board buddies lawn ornaments. The fountain is waiting for the sealant to cure and the repaired parts of the buddies need paint. I hope to have photos of these by the next post.

It was a routine week. The time is dominated by my daily 125 mile round trips to Rochester and work on a few small projects after I get home. Pam’s work in the snug is highly detailed and takes up quite a bit of her time. Throw in the routine tasks and occasional animal transport to the vet for maintenance (JoJo just had her teeth cleaned) and the time goes by.

Photo Archive

Family photos from the early and mid ’80s.

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

Pam’s Penny

It’s an interesting thing about retirement – after a lifetime of reporting to one workplace or another, a person resists being scheduled in retirement. One of the irritants of the radiation therapy is Himself having to get up at an assigned time every weekday and meet an appointment schedule in Rochester. When the weekend arrives after five radiation appointments, it’s as if a work week has ended (all over again). Not a good memory.

JoJo and I also had to organize our schedules on Wednesday to drive her to Charles City by 8:15 a.m. for a doggie dental. Drove back to Elma quickly so the RAV was available for Himself to drive to Rochester. Himself returns from Rochester and I get back in the RAV to return to Charles City for groceries and doggie pickup. Schedules and timing again. Tiring.

Has anybody else out there been having major issues with the postal service? Ever since the incompetent previous administration replaced the postmaster with Dejoy, and our [regional Waterloo] sorting machine was destroyed [unnecessarily], mail service into/out of NE Iowa has been a mess. There were holiday cards and December bills arriving in mid January, a box shipped from Colorado in April that took four weeks to arrive. Now the USPS appears to have lost our mailed checks to pay for annual supplemental health insurance. Irritating, irritating, irritating.

Be well. Happy Trails.

This week was my first full week of getting radiation treatments. To date I have had eight sessions, leaving 14 more to go.

The routine is pretty simple. Up in the morning, shower and breakfast, leave the house by around 9:45. Arrive in Rochester and find a place to park. (Most days the parking ramp has space available but that is not a sure thing.) Get parked and head into the clinic. Stop at the COVID-19 screening station, answer some questions, get my ‘day pass’ sticker to put on my shirt. Head for the check-in desk.

Arrive at Radiation and Oncology check-in desk, give my name, date of birth, and answer more screening questions such as “do you feel dizzy or nauseous” and complete check-in. Head for a seat and wait for my name to be called.

On my first visit I was assigned a changing room that I would use for each visit. In my case, changing room G. When my name is called I head for that room. Right turn, left turn, down a hallway, left turn, right turn, down the hallway to room G. Grab a hospital gown from the Clean Linen locker and get ready for the treatment.

I am ushered into the treatment room, lie down on the table, get positioned by the two ladies who work that room, and the lights go down as the treatment starts. (The nurses leave the room during the radiation treatment.) Music is playing in the background, usually soft rock or easy listening tunes. After about 8 minutes the lights come up and the nurses return. Treatment is over. They help me off the table and I return to my changing room, get dressed, and head out of the building.

Once I am back at the car it may take a bit of time to leave the ramp. Parking is $2.00 for the first hour and $1.00 for each additional hour and I generally pay the $2.00 charge. There is always a backup of cars waiting in line to pay. Eventually I leave the ramp and head home.

I may or may not stop for small items at Walmart or other stores. For example, none of the local stores carries Lava hand soap (which we use to get paint off our hands, frequently). Walmart stocks this stuff. A trip to the Home Depot resulted in stocking up on house paint and other project supplies. There may be other sundry items on my list as well.

I’ll get home between 1:30 and 2:00 PM, check in to see what Pam is doing and discuss my morning, get some lunch, change clothes, and then take a look at any tasks that I can do during the rest of the afternoon. This does not amount to much as my energy levels are quite low.

I do attempt to keep dandelions eradicated in the dog run and garden areas. I spread some “Weed and Feed” stuff on other parts of the lawn in an attempt to keep the dandelions under control, but Pam doesn’t like to use chemicals in the location where the dogs spend their outside time. Same in the garden, where the chemicals might damage seedlings. Manual weed control is the order of the day in these areas.

And, of course, there are always routine tasks such as mowing the yard, grocery shopping, and doing laundry. I put together a painting station in the garage so we can begin to paint the siding that will be used on the south wall of the house.

How am I doing with the whole cancer thing, you ask? OK, I guess. I have no discomfort from the treatments although that may change as I get deeper into the program. The Flowmax the doctor prescribed has me going to the bathroom more frequently, including at night, so I’m up quite often. I don’t really feel refreshed when I get out of bed in the morning. It is also frustrating that I don’t have the energy I would like to have to tackle more projects. I am counting down the number of treatments left and will be glad when this is over. I try to stay positive but it is an uphill battle at times. Having any form of cancer upsets your mental equilibrium.

Pam has been busy decorating in the snug, adding hand-painted morning glory and [a few more] vines to the walls. More artwork was hung and she began removing the old, and quite worn, carpet in there. Which turned out to be a real job as the old backing is literally sticking to the floor. Removal will require a lot of hand work but the floor under that mess is in better condition than we had hoped. One half done, one half to go.

A few weeks ago I posted a photo of Pam reading “Katy and The Big Snow” to our kids when they were young. Pam found the book [the one actually used in the photo!] in our storage room, framed it, and hung it next to the photo. Pam used this story for first grader activities when she ran an elementary Gifted & Talented program back in the 1990s, and “Katy” also used to be one of my childhood favorites.

We did get some rain last weekend which helped freshen the yard. The bleeding heart plants are flowering and all the other plantings are doing well. The maple tree and oak tree we planted last fall deployed actual leaves. Both of these trees had sprouted from seeds and we are pleased to see they made it though the winter OK. The three rhubarb plants and two blackberry bushes planted earlier this spring are displaying new growth and look to have survived the late frost NE Iowa experienced earlier this month. Spring is a good time here at Heart House.

Photo Archive

I have always taken pictures of flowers; here are a pair from my collection.

Colorado’s fall colors were a frequent target of my camera.

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

Pam’s Penny

Himself is correct; as anticipated, his energy level is very low these days. Which was totally to be expected with his body taking in all sorts of meds and chemicals. The yard work – mowing, weed whacking, dandelion pulling – lends itself to be broken into small(er) projects and done a little bit at a time. But Himself is used to doing hours of yard tasks at once, and therein lies his frustration.

I’m trying to complete this phase of the two-room refresh indoors, because it’s now time to start painting outdoors. One of the first outdoor tasks will be painting barn red on that cement siding, so it will be ready for Bob the Builder when the window we ordered arrives. (BTW, the painter we talked to at the home show never did show last weekend to give us a quote on painting the second floor of 702. That’s the second no-show painter. I guess painting Victorians is not popular.)

On totally another topic, were you surprised Bill and Melinda Gates filed for divorce? Himself was. Me, not so much. Around married years 27-30, when the kiddos have moved out, and you look across the room at the person you married, I think it’s perfectly normal to think “Is this all there is?” No amount of money changes that dynamic. A phenomenon called “Gray Divorce” is apparently a thing, the Gates’ being the latest example. l think a couple has to develop a different “relationship plan” of some sort then — something that benefits both individuals — so divorce doesn’t have to be the conclusion. But it is NOT easy. And I don’t judge anyone who decides to call it quits.

Be well. Happy Trails.

The title of this post refers to my radiation treatments which started this past week. I’ll expand on this in a bit. Other spring activities continued as well.

This past week saw me starting my radiation treatments after my Brachytherapy last week. While I won’t go into all the details, this is an interesting process. First, the machine the Mayo Clinic uses for these treatments is made by a company called Varian, and the model is a TruBeam.

If anyone is interested in more machine details visit https://www.varian.com/products/radiotherapy/treatment-delivery and click on the TruBeam “Learn More” link.

For me, the biggest advantage this machine offers is very precise application of the radiation treatment which minimizes damage to surrounding tissue. The Brachytherapy used 15 ‘grays’ of radiation, a standard used by the Mayo Clinic. The external radiation delivers about 2 grays per session and I will have 22 sessions in all for a total of 44 grays. Again, this is in the middle of the range for prostate treatments.

Last Monday I drove to Rochester for my orientation session. During this appointment I was placed in a CT scan machine to get an accurate ‘map’ of the location of my prostate in relation to other organs in the area. This scan would be used to focus the radiation beam in future visits. I now have three very small, but permanent, tattoo dots on my pelvic bones and abdomen. These will be used to align and focus the TruBeam machine precisely where needed.

The treatments started on Wednesday and continued on Thursday and Friday. I have the weekend off and will start more daily treatments this coming Monday. The treatment sessions last only about 10 – 15 minutes each, but I have to drive about and hour and a half each way. Adding in time to park and check in, an appointment kills about 4 hours. Once a week I will meet with my medical crew, Dr. Stish and his staff, for a ‘Management’ meeting to go over any questions I have and generally check in with how I am doing. Typically this will happen on Thursdays.

So far, after three treatments, I am not having much in the way of side effects other than low energy levels. That may change as I get more treatments; all I can do is wait and see. So far, after-effects of the Brachytherapy have been pretty mild for which I am thankful.

Domestic life goes on. I recently removed all the inside storm windows I built last fall. With warmer weather on tap (today in the 80s) we will want to open the windows to get air into the house. Last week we were covering plants to protect against frost. It is spring in NE Iowa.

Pam continues to paint in the room we call the snug. This is high-detail work and takes a good hand to get the results she wants. I think it is turning out exceptionally well.

In the yard, tulips and daffodils are blooming, adding color around the house.

We get a kick out of these grape hyacinths which were relocated out of the yard last summer. Pam planted these in the Mary Lynn bed last fall.

We are getting good production out of the daffodil bulbs put in the ground last year.

The only negative has been a very dry spring. April made it into the NE Iowa/SE Minnesota record book as the 4th driest April on record. It is so dry we have been hand-watering plants and shrubs. There promise for some moisture on Sunday, but the chances are 50 – 50 with even lower percentages later in the week.

Later today the painter we had met at the home show may come by and look over the house in order to give us a quote for painting the upper story and gingerbreading. (We had planned to paint the lower portions.) That should be an interesting discussion.

Another task on deck is to set up a painting station in the garage addition. We need to get started on painting the siding we bought for the south wall of the house. With the improving conditions Bob the Builder will soon be here to remove the old siding and put up the new, and it would be helpful to have the siding ready to go.

That about wraps up the past week and preview of the next.

Photo Archive

I’m starting with a couple photos of me with the 1976 Scout II I had in Colorado.

Here are a couple more of the many landscapes I’ve taken over the years.

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

Pam’s Penny

It’s time for me to plant the scraggly-looking geraniums I overwintered in the basement. (Won’t be doing that again – the plants at the local Mennonite greenhouses are economical enough to dispense with future overwintering attempts.)

While digging holes for the replanting, I found this little nipper (pictured below) and decided such a fine-looking [potential] oak tree deserves a chance to show us what it’s made of. I’m putting it in the ground near the far southeast corner of the lot, within the confines of the garden fence.

Can it be May? I was thinkin’ I’d be farther along in the two-room refresh project by now. Detailed stencil painting sure does take time.

Be well. Happy Trails.

Well, there it is. On Wednesday, April 21st, I had my Brachytherapy surgery. At the same time Jake the Electrician showed up to finish wiring the garage addition and catio. Here is how the week went down.

On Monday I went to Rochester to have my Mayo Clinic pre-surgery evaluation and consultation with the doctor. As part of this visit I had a blood draw and a COVID-19 nasal swab test. (Test came back negative.) The doctor did a thorough job of explaining the procedure and what I could expect. The procedure is pretty routine at this point and the only questions I had dealt with how and where Pam would pick me up after the procedure. A location where Pam could drive in and collect me was established. It was the Charlton Building, part of the Mayo campus. I was given a prescription for some antibiotics and Flowmax. The latter was to help reduce the symptoms of a swollen prostate that would be one of the side effects of the surgery. All in all Monday was an 11 hour day with a couple hundred miles put on the car.

Tuesday afternoon we drove to Rochester yet again. After a stop at the craft store, Pam drove me to the hotel where I would stay that night, the Kahler Grand Hotel (which is right across the street from the Mayo Clinic hospital). The hotel has “Grand” in the title but is pretty much like any other hotel you might have stayed at. Slightly worn carpets covered the floors, but the room was clean and quiet. I settled in for a night of restless sleep.

Wednesday I was up bright and early with the 5:00 a.m. wake-up call, having a Mayo check-in time of 6:00 AM. I checked out of the Kahler Grand and walked across to the hospital and checked in. Taken to a room, I was issued a hospital gown and a pair of footie slippers. My overnight bag and other clothing were stored in a locker.

I will mention the gown, as it was not your typical hospital attire. Although it tied at the waist, there were velcro enclosures at the shoulders. The reason became clear as I would be on my back for the entire process, and these openings allowed the doctors and staff to ‘peel back’ the top of the gown to place monitoring sensors. The gown also had provisions to circulate warm or cool air; neither was used this time around.

At this point I was prepped and in the surgical room, but the anesthesiologist was delayed by an earlier surgery running long. I spent some time making small talk with the rest of the surgical crew until she arrived.

The next thing I knew I woke up back in the room where I had first been taken and where my clothing was stored. The procedure had lasted about 3 hours; by this time it was already early afternoon. The staff had me walk a bit, answer questions, and complete a dismissal check list.

Pam was able to pick me up around 4:00 PM. Although I was wheeled down to the pick up point, I walked and carried my overnight bag out to the car. I hadn’t had anything to eat all day, so on the way home we stopped at a small grocery store outside Rochester and Pam bought me a pint of ice cream to eat. My throat felt a bit better after that, as the hospital staff had inserted a breathing tube during the procedure and my throat was feeling pretty rough right about then.

I haven’t had many after-effects so far, other than the sore throat as a result of that breathing tube insertion. Halls cough drops have helped. As of this morning, Saturday, my throat discomfort persists but at a much lower level. I am a bit uncomfortable sitting on hard surfaces but that too is disappearing. Internal functions returned to normal without issue.

Next up is preparation for radiation beam therapy. My orientation session will be Monday the 26th with treatments beginning on the 28th. I am to receive 22 treatments in all, none on weekends. I am scheduled to be done with these by the end of May.

It will be some time until I learn the results of the Brachytherapy. Normally the prostate is monitored by blood testing for the PSA level, but I am taking medications to reduce the PSA level so the prostate is not acting on its own. That may continue for up to 18 months from my first treatment, or another 16 – 17 months. To give you some numbers, an “average” reading is around 1.8 – 2.4. My initial reading was 22.4 which caused the doctors to classify my cancer as “aggressive.” The blood test I had last Monday returned a PSA of .14. That’s right, “point 14,” very low. Time will tell where the PSA will settle after all of this is over.

I would like to thank all the people who sent me messages of support. In particular, a shout out to my friends Jim and Laura Brassfield from Colorado who sent me a box of baked goodies to cheer me up. I appreciate the positive support I received from everyone.

While my Mayo experience was the major event of the week, other things were happening as well. Jake the Electrician arrived to complete the wiring of the garage addition and catio. He completed this job on Wednesday, and I must say it is nice to have lights working from switches and no more extension cords hanging around. Among other things, Jake put in a new fuse panel and a pair of 240 volt 30 amp outlets. The outlets will let me operate larger pieces of equipment such as air compressors, although 30 amps is on the low side of the scale.

Some outside tasks were done, including putting up a bird house on the west end of the catio.

Pam had me tack up a sign she had received from her friend Julie Nickles. Julie had a career in US embassy service and had picked up this sign in Romania:

Roughly translated from Romanian, the sign says “This property is patrolled and guarded by an attack cat.” The sign is on the south side of the catio.

I managed to get a photo of a couple yellow finches at the bird feeder. (The feeder was dug in this past week and taken off the temporary base I had it on during the winter months.) Click on the photo to bring it up to full size and check the left side of the feeder.

Photo Archive

A few family photos start this section. Most were taken in the mid-80’s.

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

Pam’s Penny

The Mayo Clinic is quite an international place, with people of many nationalities and ages coming and going on a regular basis. Interesting to observe. But, for all its world renown, the Mayo is still a hospital, integrating new patients into its “collective” with the standard procedures – hooking up the IV (and catheter as needed), hospital gowns, etc. I wonder if the staff feels the pressure to live up to the hype of “the Mayo Clinic” reputation?

Minnesota is under a mask-wearing mandate, which is being enforced. This made it comfortable to make the stop at Michael’s craft store and to marginally interact [as needed] with the Mayo crowd. All good.

Back here in NE Iowa, once again I will be covering plants tonight as there is a freeze warning posted. I had a chat with the tulips in the Mary Lynn bed – several are about ready to bloom – I suggested they observe the closed buds of the daffodils and hold off blooming until Monday, when the temps may be as high as 70 degrees. Despite the cold temps I invited the fairies to inhabit their house in the oak tree, but I do believe they are still “snowbirding” in the south so as not to have to wear boots, mittens and mufflers. At least there have been no fairy sightings to date.

Be well. Happy Trails.

In an otherwise “ho-hum” week, we did have a couple highlights. We received our second COVID-19 shots and visited a home and garden show in Mason City.

On April 15th we drove over to Cresco, about a 25 minute drive, to receive our second COVID-19 shots. (The Regional Health group is issuing the Moderna vaccine.) We were warned that we may have reactions that were more severe than those after the first shots. Pam suffered more than I; she had a fever and cold flashes on and off for a day or so plus a sore arm. I had the sore arm and felt tired but did not have any more severe symptoms.

Be that as it may, we are pleased to have received our shots. In two weeks we will be considered to be “fully vaccinated” and will begin to expand our out-of-house activities. We will still mask and distance, however, for the foreseeable future.

We felt confident enough to attend the Mason City Home and Garden show on Friday. (Mason City is about an hour away.) While the show was fairly small and underwhelming, we did identify a house painter who does Victorian home exteriors by hand painting, not spray painting. We kept his card and will contact him for a quote sometime next spring, and see what he would charge to paint the second floor and gable shake trim. When asked did he mind painting at heights, he replied he used to paint water towers and the height didn’t bother him. As a bonus, he can also do minor repairs as needed under the eves and around windows. (Because, really, what are the odds we will need repairs on the entire second story, folks?)

Another find was a different source for cable TV. When we moved in we had signed a two-year contract with AT&T but now, after the intro period, they’re increasing monthly fees and decreasing offerings. An Iowa-based company has streaming plans starting around $35.00 per month (for two TV sets) and you get to choose what channels you wish to receive. Our current fee is now around $115.00 per month. While our current contract dies not expire until September, I will look into the “buy out” clause in our contract and see if it is worthwhile terminating the contract early and switching to the more local company.

The rest of the week was rather ho-hum. Pam continues to paint her ivy and morning glory details in the snug. I relocated a couple small bird feeders, filled them with finch food, and am pleased to see a few pairs of yellow finches visiting them.

Some yard work was done as I took out the riding mower for a first pass. This time of year the grass is ‘patchy’ with a few spots growing faster than others. The grass I planted last year near the garage additions is growing much faster than other parts of the lawn. A quick pass with the mower evened things out and picked up some of the leaves that had blown into the yard. The place looked much neater when I was done.

It has been dry enough to warrant bringing out the hose and getting some water on the plants that we relocated last fall and those we planted this spring, including the wisteria, rhubarb, and blackberry starts. I watered in a few areas where I had worked up the ground a bit and put in some grass seed.

A few days and nights have seen below average temperatures and we covered some of the more tender plants as temps dropped near or below freezing. Unfortunately, the upcoming week also promises to have night temps lower than 32 degrees so more covering is in the works. I guess we have to make up for the above-average conditions we had a couple weeks ago when temps approached the 80 degree mark.

The upcoming week promises to be a busy one for me. On Monday I go to the Mayo Clinic for a pre-surgery exam and consultation. Tuesday afternoon Pam will take me to my Rochester, MN hotel where I will stay the night, then be up bright and early (6:00 AM) to begin the Brachytherapy surgery process. Pam will have to make the return drive to Rochester that afternoon to take me home.

It’s hard to say what the first few days after the surgery will be like, but I anticipate I won’t feel like doing much. I will be starting radiation treatment but, as yet, do not have a schedule for those appointments. I would prefer to take them in Austin, MN, as that location is closer to me and the Mayo does have a facility there. We shall see.

Spring continues to progress. On our way to Mason City we saw a number of farmers working their fields. Our tulips are developing flower pods among the greenery. All of our hosta plants have poked shoots above ground, some up a couple inches. Other plants show spring growth in their new leaves and green buds. I’ve been able to open the garage doors to get some fresh air flowing through.

A trip to Walmart (in Decorah) resulted in bringing home some 12″ square paving blocks, a couple bags of topsoil, some spray paint, and a few other odds and ends. The pavers will be used in various places around the yard and the topsoil will be used as we plant more flowers. The catio door will receive a new coat of white paint. Projects and tasks continue as the weather gets better.

Nothing earth shattering happened this past week but small projects, along with Pam’s painting and my yard work, continued to receive attention. My next post will center around the Mayo Clinic experience.

Photo Archive

Many of my photos focused on “nature” photos such as the ones shown below.

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

Pam’s Penny

Lovin’ Spring, livin’ the retirement life. Hopeful being vaccinated will return existence to something near-normal. Toby should be fully vaccinated by next week, Felicity had her first “Fouci Ouchie” yesterday.

I try not to watch the parts of the national news that resemble a police blotter. A pandemic is not the only major problem we have in this country.

Be well. Happy Trails.

The past week saw record and near-record warm days, some rain, and now near-normal temps. As a result the yard and outside plants are turning a rich spring green. Record temperatures over the weekend really helped bring out spring growth on trees, shrubs, and newly-emerged flower plants. Here are a few shots taken around the yard.

Pam added to the ‘green up’ by continuing to “grow” ivy stencils in the snug.

I tackled a few outside projects, including edging all the sidewalks, planting grass seed in a few bare spots, picking up more leaves, and other general clean-up work. Many of these tasks fall into a maintenance category instead of projects but all take some time to complete.

I have found if I don’t edge the sidewalks a couple times a year the grass quickly encroaches on the cement. Still, this year the task was much easier than the first pass last year. No walk maintenance had been done for decades and cleaning and edging the walks was a real chore. This time the job took just over an hour.

Another pair of maintenance items focused on my ATV. I had to replace the battery, but also had to remove the winch and tighten a wire terminal on the winch controller. The winch had been operating intermittently and I wanted it fixed before the riding season gets underway. (The controller powers the winch in or out depending on the moment of a toggle switch located on the handlebar.)

Other minor tasks included getting the garden hose out of garage storage and hooking it up. It had been warm and dry enough to warrant watering some of the plants. A trip to the local farm supply store procured two blackberry bushes and three more rhubarb starts, all of which were planted within a day or two and watered in.

Rain moving in put a stop to most of the outside work, but it was a productive week just the same. Pam and I enjoy going around the yard and checking on the new starts and sprouting flowers. We had some concern about the hostas and other plants we had separated and relocated last year, but all seem to have survived the trauma pretty well and show new growth. Spring is a good time of the year.

The siding for the south wall project arrived this past week. Currently it is sitting at the west end of the garage until we can set up a painting station. The idea is to have the siding painted before Bob the Builder puts it up thus removing the job of painting siding from a ladder. A window replacement is also part of the project but lead times on new windows is six weeks or more so it may be June before work commences. This gives us time to get the siding painted before Bob arrives to install it.

None of the work done this week is major but getting these small jobs done was quite satisfying. We go into the spring with ambitious plans for the yard, house exterior, and finishing interior painting and redecorating a couple rooms. We will not have the yard work we had last year when we planted 23 trees and shrubs and relocated dozens of other flower plants. (Not to mention building the dog run and construction of the garage addition.) More jobs this year will be maintenance and minor upgrades and tweaks, but the big project will be more repairing and painting of the house exterior. We will not lack for things to do!

Photo Archive

The photos are farm scenics taken in Oregon and Wisconsin.

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

Pam’s Penny

The more layers of ivy I stencil onto the snug walls, the more additional ivy I see that needs to be stenciled onto the snug walls. Where will it end? (I also have stencils for mornings glories and hollyhocks – must leave a little room for them.) My sister observes that, in adding this decorative wall art to the snug, I am “having fun.”

Another visit to the dentist this week resulted in paying the ransom for a crown to cover my root canal. I do not enjoy dental visits, no, I do not. Whining isn’t satisfying though — teeth are necessary — whatcha gonna do?

Spring is a beautiful time at 702 Main. Hopefully the same applies where you are.

Be well. Happy Trails.

According to the recent forecast, NE Iowa should not experience below-freezing nights for the next week. More flower shoots are greening up and we are spending a bit more time outdoors. The past week went quickly.

Pam continues to work in the snug, painting stripes on the walls, adding ivy stencils to follow cracks in the plaster, and decorating with the bird house collection. The entire project will take more time — several weeks yet — but progress is being made. Pam wants to get the basics done indoors on the two downstairs rooms before it’s time to start painting outside.

Speaking of outside renovations, Bob the Builder arrived this past week to measure and preview a project we are contracting him to do. The southern exposure of the house, extending up both levels, needs siding removal and replacement. Where the kitchen window now sits on that wall, there was once a door — which is plainly obvious as it was poorly integrated into the siding after the door was closed up. On that same wall are the electric and water/sewer meters, the old telephone box, and the cable TV house entry. It’s a mess of patched and rotten siding. We were going to attempt this project ourselves, but opted to have a professional do it. We’ll use cement board siding for the entire surface, which should take care of future issues on this exposure.

Pam picked up a new cat-themed throw for the bench in the library and Elmo took advantage of it as a napping platform (of course).

I did more yard work and was able to take the first load of yard debris to the dump. I had driven the ATV, pulling the trailer, to the dump but once unloaded the ATV would not start due to a dead battery. Pam had to come to the rescue with the car and a set of jumper cables. (As she noted, at least she now knows where the dump is.) I have to go to the nearest Walmart today to pick up a prescription refill and will pick up a new battery as well. The existing battery was new with the ATV almost 10 years ago so it has lasted a long time.

Another minor project, which I mentioned in my last post, was to begin a reorganization of my tool box. So far I have most of my sockets organized with the help of some organizers I found on Amazon.

The warm weather has encouraged more plants to pop through the soil, as these day lilies show:

The house cats enjoy the sun coming in through the east bay window.

In avian news, a pair of yellow finches briefly stopped at the bird feeder. We know some frequent this area, having seen flashes of them last year. Time to get some finch food. (A grey squirrel has taken to looking for seeds on the ground beneath the feeder, as the birds do flick out whole sunflower and saffron seeds; this grey boy seems to like picking these up.) Recently Pam was thrilled to spot an owl that flew low through our yard and perched briefly in one of the oak trees above the catio. We think there is an owl’s nest a couple blocks west of us, as they call in the evening from time to time. It was awesome to see an owl ‘in person.’ We spotted a nuthatch out the kitchen window, headed downhill on an oak tree. Flocks of robins are gathering frequently.

This is Easter weekend so Pam and I wish everyone reading this a Happy Easter!

Photo Archive

These first couple photos are of Pam and Felicity during a trip we took to the Clark County Fair in the state of Washington. Late ’80’s. (We were living in Oregon at the time.)

These next few shots are miscellaneous critters that came before my camera.

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

Pam’s Penny

I hauled the overwintered plants out of the basement and onto the east porch this morning. Mixed reviews for this overwintering process. The geraniums look scraggly and leggy. Some late-arriving bulbs [planted in pots instead of the ground] are trying to thrive but look somewhat anemic. The wisteria looked dead but I see a tiny bit of green emerging on the very tippy-top. (Yay! That wisteria was an expensive purchase.) Let’s see what a little sunshine and fresh air will do for the lot. I would not be at all surprised if I have to cover them with a blanket somewhere along the line due to potential freezing temps overnight. It is, after all, early April.

The Mary Lynn Memorial plaque is out in the tulip bed. Quite a good show of tulips coming up; I planted another couple dozen in mid-November to fill in the sparse spots. Just breaking ground are several dozen daffodils making their first appearance. I take a few moments now to commune with my friend silently when checking on the bulbs’ progress, and hope she somehow/somewhere appreciates the floral display in her honor.

Be well. Happy Trails.