Mid August Thursday

[Liz]

So glad to hear from you, Peggy, and glad you are doing as expected, and maybe even better!
And bon voyage, Anita! Hope you have a blast...a safe one!
Martha, glad you and our other LA people were spared the flooding this time. Hope the hurricanes miss you too.
Not all of Oregon is hot; I've been managing to stay pretty comfortable all summer just by moving from place to place. It is getting warm in the afternoon here in Prairie City, but Thistle and I had a wonderful hike in the Strawberry Mtn Wilderness just 10 miles outside of town this morning. We hiked to Strawberry lake and beyond to Strawberry Falls. Saw lots of wildlife.
Velda, those doctor appts. can really interfere with travel hopes and plans. After my cancer treatment, I dutifully went to dr. checkups every three months for a couple of years. (Not just the cancer drs....all of them seemed to want to see me that often.) When the cancer drs. finally said I didn't need to come back for a year, I told them ALL I'd see them in a year. I've been doing that ever since. Once a year is enough unless something is wrong.
I'm moving on tomorrow...heading up to NE Oregon to see what kind of trouble I can find in Hells Canyon

[MandysMom]

Thank you Liz for your comments. We may be stuck longer because he is locked,into Lymphedema massage to keep fluid out of his neck and they say it will be weekly for life. But we hope it will stabilize and we can begin at least short trips. The Drs and we are spooked by this unusual ( only 40 or so cases worldwide at time of his surgery) cancer which was not supposed to spread but in just 2 years it went from palate to neck. I am hopeful he will now stay clear and we can get to every six month checks. Who knows. Scans on sept 6 hopefully will give reassurance. But it's the side effects of surgery and radiaton that cause him the most trouble. It gets old having every week locked into appointments but at least he is able to drink meals and maintain weight and get around ok. It's just a crimp in how we hoped to be spending our time at this stage in life.
Velda