It’s been a hell of a week.
I put the photo of the best moment at the top of this post. Cosmic Charlie and Carrie Chandler (two thirds of Carrie Sue and the Woodburners). They were wonderful and did my heart SO much good. We wholeheartedly recommend them. Long live the mighty Rosebowl.
OK, here goes. We woke up Monday, no, wait, Tuesday, in foul moods. Not irritated with each other but definitely not pleased with the world. Teri had invited us to her Rotary meeting and that’s where Charlie and Carrie played. As I mentioned, they were great and it was nice to chat for a moment too. Live music forever.
Ernie had dropped me off pretty close to the Lake House. I used Joe (the shillelagh) and was doing ok although it was a harder walk than I expected. And as someone with mobility issues I must say that the toilet in the Lake House is possibly the lowest I’ve ever rested on. I was quite amused but managed to get up. I headed outside knowing Ernie would catch up but I got just a little ways and realized my legs were not working the way one would expect one’s legs to work. I leaned against the wall. Teri ran to get a chair and a truly kind woman named Linda stood with me, kind of propping me up while Ernie ran to get Red Rider (the walker). I just didn’t expect this so I was a bit freaked out. I thanked Linda and made it to the car with Red Rider but it wasn’t easy. I was, of course, in tears by that point. We were supposed to head over to Carle so Ernie could get platelets. Instead he raced me home and got me in the house because I didn’t think I could navigate Carle at the moment. He got his platelets but when they tested him again, his count was even lower. Geesh.

Yesterday we headed back to Carle. I got to the doctor’s office for the appointment but I mustn’t have looked on top of things as the nurse offered me water. Lord she was kind. She’s one of our favorites. I know I complain here and there about Carle but there are some extraordinarily kind folks there, particularly in the Cancer Center and Vasireddy worlds.

The Pod Gods must have known we needed a break because we got POD FOUR!!! Pod Four in the Infusion Suite is just is a bit more private and quiet and that can make a huge difference. He was just getting Keytruda so we were out before noon.

Unfortunately I am still having difficulty walking much. Getting upstairs last night was harrowing. Today there’s stuff I need to get done but I’m trying to focus on both of us relaxing and calming down a bit. Deep breath in, deep breath out. Deep breath in, deep breath out.
On the up side? There are MULTIPLE baby Busters!!! Damn, life is good despite the hard stuff.

Also, we are extraordinarily touched by the folks that have donated blood in Ernie’s Blood Drive (which goes through noon tomorrow). Truly. I’ll write more later but it means a lot to us. He heads back for a six hour infusion (only two hours for platelets, the rest is an infusion for his immune system) on Monday. Funny how your perspective of what is important changes as you move through life.
Onward.
Oh, wait, one more thing. You gotta admit…. Buster and the Hard Stuff would be a great band name. I mean I still want The Cynthias who will cover all my favorite songs but I really like Buster and the Hard Stuff for originals.
