Green snowballs, too hot, not enough heat, too cold, and hint of Group of Seven

Although not much happened this week, it was actually quite interesting. Our garden (and lawn... grrr) started to really fill out with lots of heat and rain early in the week. This is the state of the snowball tree in one corner of the yard - green, but hopefully soon to be white. 

With all the heat, we realized that our air conditioner had stopped working. It was warmer inside than outside, and we ended up having to get a new A/C. Bigger but oddly not much more expensive than the one we had installed in 2001. 

I continued to make more bread this week. My first one (blueberry+cherry bread) was a complete disaster - the old bread machine appears to be failing, as it didn't have near enough heat to fully cook it. This cheese bread, however, worked perfectly. I waited until the A/C was on before baking this one in the oven. The bread machine was tried again for the next (plain white bread) with a perfect result. The machine (or the operator) seems a little inconsistent. 

I did finally finish the custom stained glass project I have been working on (since 2014...shhh!). We took a drive and socially distance delivered the two panels (32"x10" each) to our friend's house today. The design itself started with a Group of Seven style tree, then expanded from there. It is just sitting in the final destination window, but the light coming through made them look spectacular! 

Looking outside today, that green snowball has now turned white! Of course, it was only 6C when we woke up this morning and our new A/C was definitely not needed. Somehow a white snowball seems more appropriate at that temperature, doesn't it? 

Pandemic living, excellent NEWS, and a video!

We've been keeping "pandemic busy" and have been getting out of the house for walks as the weather has cooperated. The only time I really went anywhere in the last few weeks was for a CT scan to check the tumour in my neck and to see if it has moved around anywhere. I got the results the next day but wasn't completely sure I was reading the report and the images correctly. Luckily, Wendy and I had an oncologist appointment scheduled for the next week...on the telephone... to clear things up. 

I knew it was good news, but the oncologist used the words "you are in remission"!  Did we hear that correctly? Yes, we made him say it again. 

REMISSION

Just a pretty picture... not showing anything critical!

They can't find evidence for any local recurrence in my neck. It is no longer visible on CT or MRI. 

With that news, I was definitely happy! We clearly did the right thing with the treatments I have had, and they did far more than the oncologists had hoped for (and I hoped for). I think I may, however, been less happy than everyone around me. This was partly the result of having a lot of pain right where they say that my tumour ISN'T. It is hard to reconcile that it is not there, yet still be able to feel it. I am clearly a bit reluctant to ride the roller coaster that I know I am on, so my tempered nature seems to be softening my responses to this very good outcome.  We have since settled that pain down with a long course of steroids, but this means that I am even more immune challenged and will need to stay at home for yet more reasons. Can't win!  

Unfortunately, we did also find multiple very small spots on my lungs in each of the lobes (there are 5 of them, look it up - I am still a professor!). Could they be metastatic cancer or some other issue? We don't know, so now we wait for the next scan in June. I can't be (and am not) worrying too much about them at this point, as this cancer typically spreads to the lungs. It frequently does this before you first find the original tumour. Either way, I'll take it as it is.

Just for the record, the picture from my CT is just for its artistic merit. I didn't include one with the suspect spots, mostly because I am doing what I can to not believe that they are real. Maybe I don't want to jinx things!

In other family news, our elder son Adam was home from North Bay and he turned 24! I baked him a red velvet cake (his request) and we had a very minimal party for him. He doesn't like his picture being taken, so this is all I have for you. He has since returned back north to keep working on his online courses (not done until later in May - they have a different term length for his program). Not sure when he will be back, but he is hoping to finish off some of the practical work for his courses before the fall. All of that is up in the air and will hopefully be more clear in the early summer. 

Unfortunately, Adam was our primary grocery purchaser and errand runner. Although we sent our younger son out to the pharmacy today, we are making do with respect to errands at the moment. We have some great friends and neighbours who have helped us out by dropping off food at our door. I even have enough yeast and flour to bake any time I want! Life truly is looking up. 

The gardens and the lawn are growing like you wouldn't believe. This is just a picture I took on a wet morning. The garden is a profusion of colour (I have to admit that I had nothing to do with it!), but it is looking good. When it is warm enough, we hope to sit out there to enjoy it more.

I had a minor milestone today - May 1st. At the end of 2019, I was given the grim prediction of having a 50/50 chance of making it through April. It was only through my completely weird turn of fate (yes, I am comfortable being weird - and I am good at it!), that I was able to reach this milestone and truly reflect on its significance. Here is what my milestone and the garden looked like this morning. 

I posted a video on YouTube today (it is just under 9 min long - sorry!). It may explain in a different way what has been going on in my life the last several weeks, so it is pasted below as a link and an image. Click whichever one works best for you! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaX3LHnX9YM

Hope you enjoy!