That's a picture of dinner last night. Yummm... I had just finished making vegetable soup and I looked at it and completely didn't feel like eating it. It wasn't even that hot, it just wasn't a "soupy" kind of night. It was a "fruity" night. Maybe because we'd had a heavy-ish lunch downtown earlier in the day -- it was a celebratory lunch. Yesterday was Jim's two-year-cancer-free-iversary. Yay! It was the biannual trip to the oncologist to get test results, which continue well, but to be honest, no trip to the oncologist is really a nice thing. No matter how good of news one gets, there are all those other people waiting in the waiting room, young and old, and it's a glimpse into a world we seldom see, if we're lucky. It's still surreal to me, walking through a door that says "oncology" on it. The first time, I almost had a panic attack. It would have been my first. I'm not a panicker, but I started to breathe weird and felt this hysteria welling up in me. Now... it's still freaky, and then after the good news, still sad for the other people.
I will also always remember when Jim came home after his surgery and we had rented some videos and set him up on the couch to relax and watch The Office -- the British version. Words of wisdom: do not rent comedy for people fresh out of abdominal surgery! Laughter is not always the best medicine! He had to keep trying to laugh without moving his abdominal muscles, and it was the funniest sounding thing! (We are still big Office fans, US version, too. Dwight Shrute is one of my favorite characters on TV. Love him!)
On a sad note, though, it looks like the coyotes have gotten another of my mother's cats, this time the baby, Zucca (Pumpkin) who just celebrated his first birthday, party and all. Because my parents live on the edge of the wilds of Forest Park, the cats are only allowed out very sparingly, in daylight, and closely watched. But Zucca is a mad little hunter and he busted through a screen and got out... and he hasn't come back. There is already an engraved stone at the edge of the garden for "Our Old Warrior," my mom's eighteen-year-old tomcat Pesca who got grabbed by something in broad daylight when they first moved to Oregon. My mom is beginning to hate her beautiful house and its invisibly circling gang of horrible coyotes, which she has never gotten so much of a glimpse of. I still have a teeny tiny hope that little Zucca might come back, but you know how it goes.
19 comments:
So sad about your mom's little Zucca (an adorable name for a cat btw) - there's always the chance he outran or is up a tree somewhere - that happened with a 25lb cat we had, that we never would have guessed he could have climbed a tree anymore let alone so tall - something big had to have chased him, because he was all the way to the top of a tree taller than our rooftop. We just heard this far away mew, after a day of thinking he was just gone. We had to put a long board from the rooftop up to the branch he was on & lure him down with kirry food. So try looking up as well as on the groud for him.
Glad your Jim is continuing to be cancer-free - that is good news, indeed!
I didn't know about Jim's battle. Am so glad you've had good news! Truly the best reason to celebrate!
Sad about the kitty. When I was growing up, we had a succession of cats that were always getting hit by cars or poisoned by a mean neighbour. So we learned not to get too attached.
Love the look of your fruit salad! And I'm a fan of the British version of The Office; haven't seen the US one.
So glad for the good news, oncology centers are really sad places most of the time unfortunately but I have hope that in the future we will have better treatments... I can only hope.
The fruit (minus the watermelon) looks wonderful ;)
Laini, I didn't know Jim had this battle, and I'm so glad the tests came back good. Yes, oncology centers are strange places, I still haven't found a word (maybe there isn't one) to describe them.
I'm sorry about your Mom's kitty. It's so hard to lose a little critter.
I'm thinking about watermelon for dinner tonight. I could live on the stuff. :)
It is great news about Jim, I know how hard it is to go there for the biannual tests and I know what you mean about the surreal effect of the Oncology Dept. I , too, remember the first time that I saw that Oncology sign when Dave & I took my mom there. It was like there was an invisible "force field" in front of the sign that was preventing me from taking another step. I felt a panic attack as well. It's really hard to describe unless you have been there.
Unfortunately we never had good news, we were the "other people" so I am sooo happy that Jim was one of the " other ones" that we so often talked about 7 years ago..
Sending always Cancer free thoughts Jim's way! :)
I didn't know Jim had battled cancer, but YAY on the good news check-up! That's wonderful.
I hate to hear about your mom's kitty. That's sad and always a concern to those of us who live in the country. (J and I are almost sure the coyotes got one of our favorite cats a few years ago, although we never had any proof.)
Your supper looks fabulous!
Love your banner! (skin)
Yeah for Jim!!! hip hip hooray, wipe that C word right out of your vocab. This is new info for me too. I'm sad that beautiful you even had to experience it at any level. But, yesterdays celebrating is wonderful news.
Mmmmmm fruit for dinner...yum!
Tell Jim we love his C free person and give him a group hug (((HUG)))
x dar x
Love the new look Miss Laini!
And hooray! for Jim's health! this is great news!
But I am so sorry to hear about little Zucca. So hard for your mom. And to lose your old friend in the same way as well. So sad. Sending hugs and hope to your mom (and you).
Congrats to you both on Jim's healthy report! What a relief and yet those major health issues do their part in helping us appreciate the good times and how precious our health is. Brad had one a few years back but all is good now thanks to his "bionics" (he has a pacemaker).
Love the banner!
That's amazing news about Jim. I raise a mango to his health!
And how sad the loss of that little life. Well, he was able to express his adventurous spirit while he was here.
And Wowzers! Check out your new banner. Did I miss it before? Did I get lucky with the refresh button this time? How breathtaking! How intoxicatingly inspiring! Brava!
Poor Zucca--I hope Tinker is right and that he is hiding up in a tree somewhere, soon to be rescued. Perkins joins Brian in his field work about three times a week and we worry about the hawks---he's only about the size of a rabbit.
I, too, didn't know about Jim's illness. Your entries are always so bright and hopeful that it's hard to guess that something so painful might be lurking in your past. I wish you both love, strength, and health.
God bless my favorite Jimbo for many, many years to come! We will celebrate this weekend with culinary feats of dazzling snail doodee topped with gold brick chocolate sauce!
And of course, a prayer to Zucca. Animals truly are little angels with fur stuffed all over them.
AND I LOVE YOUR NEW BANNER! WOW! wow WOW!
I love the office! Dwight cracks me up.
I am so sorry to hear about your mom's cats. We lost 2 kittens to a raccoon when I was little.
Congrats on the good results from the oncologist.
Laini, I forgot to mention I love your new banner! Brilliant! And for the first time since I joined, I will miss Sunday Scribblings this week. Sorry - I'll be in London. All being well, I'll contribute a SS piece the following Sunday. Hope you and Jim have a good weekend ahead!
Just thought I should chime in and pass along a huge THANK YOU (!!!) for all of the kind words everyone's been giving. And for everyone out there (and for your kids too!), take it from me: use sunscreen! I often did growing up, and almost always have in most of my adulthood, but those times I didn't were what caused me problems. After getting a decent-sized wedge taken out of me 2 years ago and many follow-up exams (and many more to come), I can say that I wish I wouldn't have even attempted a tan in my younger years.
So again, be careful out there! :)
Much warm feelings!
Jim
Jim and Laini i'm thrilled to hear about your continuing good news - this 2 year anniversary is just the beginning of what will be a very happy and healthy life together :-) - and such a beautiful banner, and new look - i love it!
but poor little Zucca - man, it's tough out there being a kitty :-(
How wonderful - I celebrate that 2 year anniversary with you! Last night I was talking with someone who had toured a cancer center and she said it was so, so hard emotionally. Lately there seems to be a lot of cancer in my circle, and it makes me so angry and sad.
I'm sorry about your sweet kitty. We have coyotes around here too, and they've snatched some of our dearest cats. Oh, the wildness of nature...
So happy for you both and that Jim continues to be a healthy bunny! I'm so sorry about Pumpkin though, that must be so hard for your mom. Invisible phantoms reeking havoc...
Love your new banner!! I really need to learn how to do that. I love the new look!
yay for jim. yay for my john, too. i still think that is such an odd coincidence. so glad all is well for them. and i totally get that feeling of panic. it your whole life, and love, and quite scary.
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