Four years

This is the fourth anniversary of the day that I had the surgery to take out the lung tumor.  I haven't had my official four-year follow up doctor appointment yet but it's very unlikely that I'll get anything but a good report. 

This is a good news sort of day for me but it's a bittersweet one, too.  I spent the day at a memorial service for someone who had died earlier this year.  Troy had kidney cancer several years ago and after surgery and treatment it seemed gone for good.  It came back, though, in a way that couldn't be stopped.  Although the progression of the disease was very hard on him, he made the best of the time that was left to him. 

Earlier this week I also heard that my friend Bruce had died.  He had endured some serious health problems over many years but his death took everyone by surprise. Bruce lived out of town and I saw him last on a camping trip at the end of August.  I will remember him for his laugh, for the sparkle in his eye, and for the way he could take joy in the simplest of things. 

In contrast to these things, my brothers and their families got together at my house last night to see one of my nephews who is in the area for a few days.  It was wonderful to see them together - laughing and talking about important and unimportant things.

So, on this landmark day for me I am reminded again of how lucky I am to be surrounded by dear family and friends. I am also reminded of how lucky I have been in many other ways. I so often lose sight of that.  As I have said before - and have often failed to achieve - I will try to let the awareness of these gifts and gratitude for them guide my thoughts, attitude and actions. 

October - some introspection and some fun

Fall weather has come as we move into October. Some crisp days are welcome after the unrelenting grey skies and rain we had in September. Soon it will be Hallowe'en and then Thanksgiving and then that headlong rush into Christmas as the year ends. This year seems to be slipping by quickly. That was brought to mind more clearly to me yesterday when I heard that Steve Jobs had died. As self-centered as it seems, news like that always hits closer to home when the person is close to you in age. He was only a few years older than I am. He truly was a person who had everything except his health. That puts things so clearly into perspective - what's important and what really is not.

I have a two new residents at the house now. One is a little bird. I think it's a sparrow but it could be a wren. He (or she) sleeps every night on the post that supports my back porch. It's hard to get a good photo. Here's my best effort.
He shows up some time around dusk and leaves as soon as it begins to get light. He's been with me for about a month now. I look for him every evening.

My other guest comes from my brother who is away from home for a little while. His dog, Lucky, is staying with me. Lucky is old now and is almost blind from cataracts. He has always been a good tracker and retriever. It's clear that his sense of smell is as good as ever. He can zero in on unattended cat food quick enough. Here are two photos of him. The first was taken when he stayed with me many years ago. He looks sad but he was having a great time. He was just waiting for me to throw a stick into the water for him to fetch for the millionth time. The second was taken this morning. Poor old guy. He is still the happy dog he has always been and loves everyone.
We're getting along just fine. It's fun to watch the cat around him. She's usually scared of dogs but she also likes to protect her territory. At first she shied away from Lucky or hissed at him when he came near. He can't see or hear her, though, and isn't interested. Now she seems annoyed at the lack of attention.

And speaking of Sam the cat, I have a video. I took a quick movie of her just to see how it would look on the TV. She has never paid attention to the TV before but she perked up when she was on the screen. She didn't recognize herself, of course, and didn't like it that some other cat had invaded her territory. I decided to post the video on YouTube - adding to the giant volume of cat videos that are already posted on the internet. Here it is. It's good to have the sound turned up so you can hear her yell at herself.

The return of old friends

I haven't posted anything here in quite a while and I decided recently that I should begin again. I'm starting back today because the sixth of the month has a significance for me. I had my lung surgery on November 6 and I hold this day of the month as a landmark - to remind myself to be grateful that everything went as well as it did.

These past few days have seen the return of some old friends. I had surprise emails from two people that I hadn't heard from in quite a while. It was delightful to reconnect and to catch up with them.

Following that theme, at my mother's house there were always datura plants growing by the driveway. They are remarkable plants that grow as perennials - dying to the ground in the winter but coming back every year as a substantial two or three foot plant. They produce beautiful night blooming flowers that have a rich scent.

I had planted some at the side of my house years ago. They thrived for a while and then faded away. I just recently found some seeds that I had saved from my mother's place. They were over ten years old. I planted many of them and nothing happened for months. Then this one plant emerged. It's now just over a foot high and flower buds appeared on it recently. Just last night the first flower opened. I could smell it before I saw it. It was, for me, the return of another old, dear friend.