A family of Great Horned Owls nest near our property. In years past, their deep whoing call resonated through the forest after dark. This season, for the first time, the owls make regular appearances in the trees around my gardens. The winter was mild. Spring came early and lingers. Persistent rain drenched Oregon in May. … More Owls
Last Thursday I visited my oncologist. We reviewed the most recent lab tests. Things are good. My M-Spike holds at 0.1 g/dL and serum free light chain numbers are all within the reference range. My drug-free remission continues 21 months post transplant. On Friday I drove to Portland, OR to attend the International Myeloma Foundation’s … More IMF Patient & Family Seminar
Spring is a time of rebirth, new growth, and graduations. Last week, my family traveled to California and celebrated my oldest son’s graduation from the University of California, Berkeley Law School. This marks another significant event in an odyssey we have all traveled since December of 2002, when he broke his neck in a vehicle … More Graduation
Last weekend I learned that one of my favorite bloggers and multiple myeloma compadres succumbed to her disease. Nancy, of “Because I Said So” fame signed off her blog three weeks ago after admitting hospice into her life. We had much in common with respect to our cancer. We both received our multiple myeloma diagnosis … More For the Love of Nancy
Years ago, I owned a variety of Volkswagen Beetles. With the help of John Muir’s revolutionary book, How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive, I rebuilt and maintained several of the anemic air-cooled engines. I also learned to embrace the author’s most important advice: preventive maintenance. As children came along, I settled down with a career … More Anemia
What I’ve been reading: The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson Take perfect pacing, add quirky characters, a tablespoon of revenge, and a pinch of profanity, then feast on this top-notch police procedural. Afghanistan by Stephen Tanner All the king’s horses and all the king’s men cannot put Afghanistan together again. Its geography defies conquest and … More Remission
On Valentine’s Day, my wife and I adopted a neutered adult male cat. I named him Spanky. He’s a brawny Bengal looking tabby. He weighs 16 pounds and is oblivious to his size, believing he is a lap cat when, in reality, he is a two lap cat. We estimate his age at three to … More Balance
First, some book reviews of 25 words or less: Because They Wanted To by Mary Gaitskill Raw, kinky stories, populated by conflicted heroines engaged in short term urban relationships. Men are welcome; I think. Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri These stories are comfortable as old jeans, but there are holes in the pockets through which … More Survival Stories
In a small town, the ripples of surprise caused by a cancer diagnosis don’t stop with family and friends. They spread outward through the secondary connections in the community: the merchants, the clubs, and the schools that tie us together socially. The pool in which they reverberate may be small but before the surface smoothes, … More Cancer in a Small Town
Four nights ago, winds buffeted the house. Chimes, hanging from the eaves, rang like instruments in a Balinese Gamelan and disturbed my sleep. At first light I ventured outside. There, I retrieved our empty garbage can, which the wind had blown westward like a piece of tumbleweed. Then I proceeded to feed the quail and juncos that inhabit the thickets … More The Winter of My Contentment
Good Blood, Bad Blood 