I am currently undergoing chemo #11 (of 12) today, Monday, February 18th. I am pleased to report slightly more rapid recoveries these last two treatments, which we can only hope represent a new standard going into the homestretch. While still ill for about a week after chemo I am recovering a bit earlier and (just barely able) to get to the YMCA for week two on an every-other-day routine, building up my workout time and intensity each time. This past Saturday morning I did 20 minutes of treadmill running, then 20 minutes on a rowing machine, before I did my now-regular hour on the elliptical, this time using its "Climbing Mountains" profile while finishing up an Indiana Jones movie on the iPad mini using wireless headphones. It's great when all the tech works, and the body, too!

 

My family and I enjoyed a lovely visit this past Saturday and Sunday by our good friend Jen and her two middle-school children, coming all the way from California. And she delivered on the sunshine, just as we requested, along with a variety of different citrus fruit from her garden- yum! Too bad she returns home today, hopefully not taking all the sunshine away. :-)

 

In addition to exercising and out-of-town guests visiting, other grateful diversions have included back-to-back hosting of dinners by Amelia (fueled by her "kitchen therapy" endeavors) bringing good friends all around. These are scheduled all bunched up together so as to fall on my better days during the second week of recovery. This is also the time period when I work on managing things like appointments, reading-up, family updates, and soon... taxes! And I do very much enjoy Scott and Arthur joining me for my periodic "movie nights", and this past treatment cycle we actually managed to wrangle Amelia and Cady to join us once! My mood always improves with visits from my regular, almost-family drop-ins (you know who you are!). The love, care, and camaraderie I feel every time I am at Ithaca's Unitarian Universalist church (FUSIT) for our monthly Wednesday community pot-luck dinners ("All Church Night") or for the Sunday services I am well enough to attend have been heartwarming, to say the least. During the less frantic weekends, which would not have been this past one, my father and I retreat for a quiet coffee-shop conversation and a delicious treat. Especially meaningful considering my dad has been by my side every step of this journey- so fortunate he lives just minutes away!