Sunday - September 11, 2011

It's hard to imagine that it is September already. It is even harder to imagine that the 9/11 attack on NYC was 10 years ago and that my daughter, Tana, was born 41 years ago today. Wow, time is flying by!!

I have my flag up today but I haven't been out yet to see if flags are also flying at other homes in the neighborhood. I hope so. This is one day that we don't want to forget.

I have been to my doctors in Charleston since my last blog update and I am happy to report that I got almost a clean bill of health. My esophagus looks great with no sign of cancer and the small growth on my right kidney hasn't grown since my last scan in March. My urologist said that I don't have to come back for another year but the surgeon that operated on my esophagus said that he wants to see me in 6 months for another scan since esophageal cancer is so aggressive.

After we got home from Charleston, the urologist called and said that my scan showed some diverticulitis in my colon. He recommended that I see my family doctor here in Columbia for possible treatment, which I did. Since I had no pain or any signs of infection, my family doctor decided that no treatment was necessary for now.

My test in Charleston also showed that my blood pressure was somewhat low and recommended that I stop taking blood pressure medicine. My family doctor concurred and that is one less medicine that I have to take!

Not too much else has happened since my blog update on July 23rd. We had a few small parties at our home, including a social for one of the organizations (the Gills Creek Watershed Association) where I am on the Board of Directors. I also attended a luncheon with my water aerobics group. I continue to exercise three days a week (unless something conflicts with my schedule.) I usually walk two miles in about thirty minutes, work out on the Nautilus machines for about an hour and then do water aerobics for an hour. I try to do this routine each Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

I also try to go to AA meetings three times a week and I belong to several organizations including The SC Silver Haired Legislature, the Columbia Orchid Society, the Midlands Camellia Society and the GCWA mentioned above. I spend a lot of time in meetings! I haven't set up my greenhouse again since my cancer operation and I gave most of my orchids to the member or our orchid society that has cared for my plants since before my operation. However, I do spend quite a bit of time on my garden. Not many plants are in bloom at the moment but I will enclose a few pictures.

So, this is how I have been spending my time during the day. In the evenings, I work on my computer (I get way too many emails!!), watch TV and read when I can find time. As I write this, I have been watching some of the 9/11 tributes and thinking that it is good to still be alive. I'm lucky to be able to complain about how busy I am, how hot it has been this summer and a bunch of other things that really don't matter very much in the long run. (However, I do continue to worry about our Country and the economy.)

Terry went to New York again last month to spend more time with her sisters and I spend a few days in Beaufort at the home of my friends, the Coleman's. We had some great meals including a feast on fresh blue crabs that Jay caught during my visit. They were fantastic. I'll enclose a few pictures from my visit.

Well, I just tried to add some pictures and the software wanted to put them on top of the page. I also noted that spaces between paragraphs have been eliminated. There must be some way to edit this thing but I haven't figured it out yet. I'm therefore going to send this as is and send the pictures in another update.