Recovering from the big long weekend in upstate New York has been gratifyingly swift.  I did not need  to use the steroids I was prescribed in case the tumor responded to the radiation by swelling up from inflammation, and started pressing on things around it.  I did not have any embarrassing accidents. I stayed awake for the crucial stuff. I did not need opioids or steroids to control discomfort.  Cornell did indeed rent an appropriately accessible potty trailer and the lame, halt, and blind like me all lined up to use it and thanked me for advocating for its presence..  Overall, a definite win! 

My daughter invited me to dance a maypole In Swarthmore on Tuesday , something I have not done since the primary grades at The Spence School in Manhattan.  When the contra dance started afterwards, I managed to go up and down the line of dance rather than bowing out halfway through. I napped during every other dance.  Wednesday I swam for 50 minutes in what certainly felt like an ice plunge but in reality was not. I did a similar swim on Wednesday.  Of course I need naps after doing anything. 

In today’s consultation I clarified with Dr Metz that the tumor may indeed be pressing on the bladder and thus reducing my time and distance range before I need a bathroom.  I told him I envisioned Crassius as about the size of a MacDonald’s Whopper.  He said it was smaller - and I proposed a kiddy burger.  He agreed more or less. Still - it’s occupying real estate that is otherwise allocated to bladder capacity (except during pregnancy).  In addition he explained that the edge of the bladder was in the treatment field. As such, the bladder was doubtless being irritated by the radiation, which would make it more reactive to a sense of fullness. The urine itself might  be causing some irritation. All of these factors contribute to my having the current bladder capacity of a flea. Unfortunately, it’s all very much  to be expected.

Now, on to the Commencement weekend.  The good news is that university president Martha Pollok apparently made one last deal with the Devil before her retirement, and ensured blue skies and bright sunlight for the actual commencement ceremony. However… Cornell has a lot to learn about affirming the graduates, creating positive memories and grooming future donors. But that is not as important as the fact that  we were THERE for my son in spite of his misgivings, that we were able to explore the length of Lake Cayuga, his sister was able to drive up after work on Friday, and that his friend from high school drove over from Rochester to Ithaca to celebrate with him.  We had a festive dinner at a  very competent and accommodating Vietnamese restaurant,. Our party included the cherished academic advisor who has been, for us, the human and humane face of the university, as well as his high school friend , and a guest whom we know from our Columbia County community. Apart from the driving , slashing cold rain which descended immediately after the second commencement ceremony. (President Martha’s payment for the earlier delightful weather ) and the slightly excessive air conditioning, our dinner was a delight. 

Travelogue:

Cornell itself is on a steep mountainside and the campus is bisected by deep, dramatic, and dangerous  gorges. Just south of Ithaca is Buttermilk Falls, an exceedingly scenic giant’s staircase whose name comes from the frothy, creamy turbulence of the waters.  Just a bit farther south out of town is Taughannock Falls, the tallest waterfall in New York State, including Niagara falls. Niagara, may be wider, but Taughannock is higher. Fortunately, for me, a lovely overlook has been created that allows even the mobility impaired a full view down to the pool. 

The road southbound  passes through a most bizarre hillocky terrain.  Ben calls these odd lumpy hills incised moraines.  This means they were clumps of rocks and gravel carried southwards underneath a glacier and then dumped unceremoniously when the glacier melted back northward. These hill sized piles were then incised by streams of meltwater running off the glacier.  The result is a confusing up and down and roundabout,  but very verdant  landscape.  It must be heaven for prey animals because there is so little line of sight.  This area looks like a nightmare for crop farmers. I can imagine Scottish sheep might do well in that environment.  They are specially bred with one set of legs shorter than the one on the other so side they can run around steep hills efficiently. *

The road north along Lake Cayuga is a magnificent visual feast.  On a day with even a modicum of sunshine, the 39 mile lake shows off with glistening whitecaps and wavelets and nearly four miles of width in spots. And it’s not even one of the Great Lakes!!  The sovereign island nation of Malta is only 36 miles long. The valley around it is a fertile remnant of the much , much larger ancient Lake Cayuga. I wish that there were more farms remaining to exploit the clearly lush soil, in proportion to the number of vacation homes.  There is more than one lovely state park along it’s length, and I think we stopped at every one.  Of course,  my son tried his luck fishing in multiple spots, and was gratified to observe the aquatic life even if they showed no interest in his bait. Among other joys, he saw a crawfish basking, brook trout, and a fish building  a nest. Near Ithaca, there are multiple streams bringing sediment into the lake bottom, as well as runoff from human activity. The waters at the south end are, as a sad result, nasty enough that swimming is prohibited close to the university.  The lake’s current actually flows north and empties into the Seneca River.  The bottom at the middle point of the lake is crushed shells, which could be modern or ancient .  The waters away from Ithaca at the middle of the lake are very clear, probably at least in part due to the invasive zebra mussel. This bivalve creature is a voracious and indiscriminate filter feeder that cleans up the water of literally everything organic, and thereby starves out native species. At the extreme north end, the lake becomes swampy.  Huge boats ply the waters, and they are needed to deal with the weather the lake doubtless creates all on its own out there in the middle. The west side of the lake — our return route — has a subtly different vibe to me but no one else agrees with me.  Perhaps what I was noticing was that farms were less visible from the road. 

I am so glad we played tourist — the landscape is such a varied mixture : the  rolling farm fields, the very steep mountains, the dark and leafy gorges with kettle ponds at their bottoms, formed from a big chunk of glacial ice surrounded by a ring of glacial outwash, the astonishing waterfalls, the bizarre glacially carved mini-hills that look like the product of a child’s imagination, the massive lake itself,  and of course, the amazing riot of flowering shrubs all over the campus (timed very deliberately to bloom when parents are on campus).. Definitely worth a visit.

I’m so grateful to  my Oncology team for helping to make this trip possible, and to everyone who has supported me with prayers and  loving thoughts  in making it to this point to witness this important mile stone.  This weekend we are in Maryland near Ocean City at Ocean Pines, and the stars are shockingly brilliant.  God’s universe is beyond our imagination!

* Never let it be said that the Scottish race lacks a sense of humor.