Check-up, check-in

I had my six month check-up at the oncologist on Monday. She says I'm doing great. The leukemic cells are still slightly detectable at less than one percent. We would like them to be undetectable, but this result has been consistent for 18 months now, and that's good. I am also still a bit anemic, but that is consistent too.
I did lose 10 pounds, which I hope will spur me on to manage my weight better. It's hard to get in any walking time when my pronated ankle is hurting. I just need to spend more time on the exercise bike and less on the computer.
I haven't been stitching since we got back from California even though I purchased some nice things at Needle in a Haystack. I did have a nice exchange with Pam in Chicago. She wanted Starbucks coffee mugs and sent me a 123Stitch gift certificate in payment. So now I get to shop again!

The Fire Dept. held a successful haunted house for Halloween. We had over 600 people come through and made over $300 in donations. Plus it was a lot of fun for everyone!
Now I'm getting into a Xmas holiday frame of mind already. I want to put lights on the decks and clean up the house to get it ready for decorations. I've gotten a couple of cards in the mail from 123Stitch members and want to get mine ready to go too. The lack of snow here doesn't make for a Christmasy landscape though.

Fall Trip

I'm slow sometimes to get updates on my blog, but this time I have a great excuse! Larry, Tanya, and I just spent ten days in California. My Valley Angels in Training went to San Francisco for the Nike Women's Marathon.

We stayed all together in a vacation rental house with 8 women in the 4 bedroom unit and the 3 of us downstairs in the "In-Law" suite. It was fun being all together like that.

We all went to see "Wicked" Friday night, Alacatraz on Saturday, and the Team did the Marathon on Sunday. Tanya's first 1/2 marathon! I'm so proud of her! Here she is at mile 12, still smiling.

After the Team left on Monday, the 3 of us spent the rest of the week exploring wine country and the coast North of SF. Then on Saturday, I met with a bunch of the 123 stitchers at Needle in a Haystack. It was a wonderful trip, but I am glad to be home where there are not so many people and vehicles! And we saw a couple of moose just after leaving the airport in Anchorage.

Angels in Training is done. Now I just have to wash and finish it into a wall hanging. I was hoping to be able to stitch 4 more angels onto a second piece, but may not have the time.
Working has put a limit on my sewing and stitching and scrapbooking time. I need to finish the ornament for the Xmas exchange too.

Trista, Chevelle, and I went to see The Lion King. What a great show! I had picked some fantastic seats, so Chevelle had animals passing down the aisle right next to her. She was thrilled and named that the best part of the show. At times there was so much going n in the theater that it was hard to take it all in. I'm sure it will be something Chevelle will remember all her life.

I had my flu shot and now I need to get my next genetic blood test on its way. It's called a PCR-ABL and it checks for the existence of the leukemic cells. I have been at .01 twice now and am aiming for PCRU, which means they are undetectable.
Since I have been taking the Gleevec, my hair got thinner. When it started to come back a bit, it got really curly. I have darkened it for the Fall season and went for an expensive haircut. It now has some layers to help the curls not be frizzes. Next I need new glasses and then some weight loss. Soon I will be a whole new woman!

I did not end up stitching for Labor Day. Sometimes the best laid plans......

Here is a cute pic that we took at the Fair. We don't know why these ladies were dressed like that, but they were so cute sitting there having some food.

Since then we attended the annual 911 Remembrance Ceremony at the Central fire station. Most of the pics are on Tanya's camera, but I did get this one of the flags on the lawn.

Every year about this time, Larry and I seem to end up taking a day to "have a Fall adventure". One year we drove out the Petersville Road until we saw a spectacular sunset. This year we were invited by friends to go up to Eureka for the afternoon. It was chilly and rainy - we almost backed out. But the further up the Glenn Hwy, the nicer the weather got. There was still a bit of a chilly breeze, but it IS Fall. I don't remember going this way at this time of year before. We stopped at Bonnie Lake to stretch our legs and I took some pics of the colors and the great scenery.

Just this side of Eureka, there is a communications tower on top of what looks like a hill because it is so much shorter than the mountains surrounding it. We turned off the highway on the gravel road that goes toward the tower and saw a lynx cross the road in front of us. I wish we hadn't been in the car so we could have gotten a pic of it. We met another couple and the dogs there at the base of the tower and walked down to the stream to play in the water and look for a bit of gold. For today, all the gold was on the trees. Once we drove to the top of the "hill", we found it was much higher than it looked. And the views from the top were wonderful!

Labor Day week-end

Ahh, Labor Day week-end. It is supposed to be for relaxing.
Friday evening we picked up the grand-daughters and went to have tacos with the duty crew at the Fire station. The girls were very well behaved while we ate. They played with the paper dolls that came with their Happy Meals (they don't like tacos). Since the duty crew was practicing stopping sprinklers and the weather was nice, we watched them get soaked for a while and let the girls run around on the lawn.
Saturday was lots of fun just playing. In the afternoon, we put the girls in the tub and set up the old Pachinko machine. that kept them busy until it was time to take them home. I did get to have some stitching time for a couple hours before bed.
Today is Sunday. So far we have been out to breakfast with a couple of friends, I decorated a hat, and fixed the wireless connection on Tanya's computer. Then I picked up my friend Vicki, and went to a Ladies Tea
at our English friend's house. She sets a beautiful table with fine English china and fresh lilys from her garden!
I think I need to spend some time with my needle! I've got a horrible leg cramp (a side effect of my meds) that gets worse when I drive for some reason.
Now I am hoping there won't be much planned for tomorrow as I really do need to have a date with my sewing machine and more time stitching. The good part of the week-end is the beautiful Fall weather. The leaves are turning yellow, but the sun is out and the days are bright. I'm glad Tanya and I went to the Fair last week as I would rather enjoy this weather away from the crowds.

Finally!

Whew! The red tape has been untangled and I have been officially hired by the Fire Dept.! Some of the paperwork has been piling up just waiting for me to get my hands on it. We are going to do "Fill the Boot" for MDA this week-end first though. I'l be taking pics of the firefighters for our scrapbook.

Tanya and I have been scrapbooking in our bits of spare time. Time when I should be stitching on "Angels in Training". I desperately want to have it done for our trip to San Francisco in October. I need to do more outlining on the portrait of my mother before I get on a plane too. Actually, today would be a great time to catch up a bit. The weather is fabulous. I've got maybe 1 1/2 hours before I need to be in Big Lake, so I'm going to leave the computer and get out on the deck right now!

Stitchers meet

I got to have breakfast with Linda from South Carolina today! I have finished the Tin Pin and wore it so she would recognize me. It's from Twisted Threads, on 32 count linen with one thread over one thread and came with the backing piece. (Pictured with my stork scissor to show size) But we pulled up to the Valley Hotel at the same time and walked in together. Linda and I chatted for about 3 hours about many things. It is great fun to meet other stitchers!

The weather has taken a dramatic turn. It has rained a bit lately with more expected and today is very windy. When it is this windy at our house, it is much more so in Wasilla and even worse in Palmer. The sun was out when we finished breakfast, but went into hiding before I got home. I did make one stop at a thrift store and found some small cross stitch kits to stuff into my on-the-go bag.

Happenings

I can't believe how much stuff has been happening around here! I try to keep things simple and just stay home and stitch, but life just flows on and brings me with it.

One of my sisters has been diagnosed with diabetes as we all knew she would be when she finally got in to see a doctor. I'm offering support from 3500 miles away. At least I let her know that I understand how she feels. Getting a diagnosis like that is devastating for a while until you decide to learn to live with it and take care of yourself. It reminded me that I am not doing enough to take care of myself, so I walked Wednesday when the Team did and plan to continue that. I've made up my mind to work on my attitude about food too. I've done it before and I can do it again!

The Fire Dept. and I have been slowly untangling the big ball of red tape blocking me from a job in the office. The Chiefs have been taking turns being frustrated with all the little knots that come up. Hopefully, we are close to getting it worked out.

Larry and I had our 28th anniversary and celebrated by taking a fun overnight trip to Denali on the train. We saw the siding where our neighbor unloads his equipment from the train to go to his gold mine, attended a dinner theater that was lots of fun, and stayed in a nice room. A great little get-a-way.

I have a chance to connect with another stitcher soon! Linda from SC will be in Alaska for most of July and wants to meet up. I promised to wear a stitched pin every day so she would know me if she saw me. Of course, that made me want to finish the tin pin before the 4th. I got a bit excited about it, tried to hurry, and ended up frogging some stitches. That's not easy when stitching over one on 32 count. I talked some sense into myself and made a little perforated paper heart pin instead. I made a little mouse & cheese as an experiment some time ago because I am so stingy about tossing even the tiniest scrap of fabric. I was glad to find a way to use those little bits. Both pins are about the size of a quarter.

The Fire Dept. Auxiliary geared up for the July 4th parade by gathering up candy and flags for the trucks. I volunteered to take pics so I could sit on the sidelines with the grand-daughters and Trista. It was a busy , fun day. Trista and Larry took Chevelle with them to the drag strip to see jet cars after the parade. I kept Lexi with me to enjoy the picnic at the Central fire station. We watched the firefighters play water games, ate burgers, won a prize, and then came home to eat some parade candy, blow bubbles, and have a nap (Lexi napped, I stitched).

In the evening, we could hear some of the people shooting off fireworks. It doesn't really make much sense to shoot any in the air, because it doesn't get dark enough to really see them this time of year, so we mostly hear them. Sure enough, about 2 AM, a fire call. Before Larry left the house to respond, Vicki called to see if I wanted to go too. We brought coffee and snacks out to the fire scene and fought off mosquitos. Vicki and I didn't stay long because she goes to work at 5 AM. We left the coffee with the medics and headed back to the station where I microwaved some breakfast sandwiches and made more coffee for after the fire. I got back to bed about 5:30.

Today we are attending a BBQ at Lalen Lake with the Team. I made a Berry Crunch dessert to bring. I wanted to make it early before the day got too warm. Of course, we Alaskans think anything over 70 degrees Farenheit is too hot!

go Team!

I'm so proud of my daughters and my Team. Trista and Tanya did the 5-miler at the Mayor's Marathon on June 20, Margaret and Jill did the 1/2 marathon, Clint did the full, and we had a relay team of Terri, Becky, Karen, and Cathy! The next morning, we had breakfast with the Virtual Team in Training coordinator Julie and Coach Joe. The Valley Team is going virtual for the winter season.
The next event is the July 4th parade in Wasilla. Terri is checking into having the DeLorean in the parade for the Team. The Fire Dept. is putting in some trucks too. I plan to take the grand-daughters and be the official photographer for both.

Trees and Stitches

I was out in the woods behind the house this morning marking trees to be cut down. The black spruce trees are a fire hazard. When the weather is this warm, sunny, and breezy, the fire danger is high. A few of the trees are dead and some of them are blocking the growth of the birches. The floor of the forest is that spongy muskeg that makes for difficult walking. I think I got plenty of trees marked for the guy that wants to make fences of them. If not, we'll just find more from the area in back of the mobile home that Tanya & Mike live in.

Samantha, Tanya's German Shepherd, kept me company in the woods. She thought it was wonderful that I was walking on the moose paths with her and seemed puzzled when I stopped and didn't go further into the forest.

I'm going to spend my afternoon stitching on the deck like I have for the past two or three days. Stitching one over one on 32 count is much easier in the sunlight so I should be finished with the little tin pin soon.

The only other thing I need to do before meeting the Team this evening is to look up Chili's menu online to find something that will agree with me for dinner. I'm not impressed with their food so far. I sure wish I could eat salads again.

Back home

That was such a quick trip to Minnesota! Time just flew by except when we were on the planes. My wonderful sister, Carol, drove me to Stitchville USA where I purchased the fabric to start my Mother's Tree. Last time we were in there together she was just overwhelmed, but found a pattern she liked. I stitched it for her and she has it hanging in her office at home. The word 'Alaska' is stitched with a piece of qiviut (musk ox wool) that is dyed purple. This time she has chosen a Hinzeit pattern of Alaska with charms.

I visited the chiropractor before we left on this trip and did just fine the whole time we were there. Upon returning and after two nights in my own bed, I needed another adjustment. I'm sure he's right when he says I need to wear better shoes and keep the orthotic in my left one. And this morning, I had another foot cramp, which is a side effect from the Gleevec, but they don't seem as bad when I am wearing supportive footwear.

I did get to spend some time stitching on Angels in Training out on the deck, but the temps aren't quite comfortable enough to spend long hours out there and the wind wants to turn my umbrella inside out. It is still my favorite spot with the occasional doggy wrestling show, the neighbor's rooster crowing all the time (poor confused bird), and the small planes or an eagle flying over.

I've been busy packing because Larry and I decided to go spend a week in Minnesota. The families are all excited to see us. A week isn't much time, but it's hard to leave Alaska this time of year. Everything is turning green.

I had an appointment with my Oncologist on Wednesday. She said all my blood tests looked good, except that I am a little anemic. I think that's kind of normal for me because my temp is always a bit low too. She feels my neck and pushes on me to feel my spleen. I asked for some sleeping pills for the planes. Larry wanted me to get some nausea pills too, so she gave me a scrip for that. It has helped in the last couple of days. I'm not as miserable after I take my Gleevec pill. We discussed my weight again.....sigh. I'm hoping to get more motivation after this trip so I can be a bit more energetic when we go to San Francisco in October.

I have also been packing up some stitching to take along. I want to finish "Angels in Training" (freebie) and make a wall hanging to surprise the Team. My idea for the portrait of Mom is coming along. I have done some of the stitches around the perimeter of the design so I can just fill it in with stitches while on the plane or on the layover in Denver on the way home. Obviously I need to learn how to post some pics here.

I found out that owl was either a Hawk Owl or a Great Grey Owl. In the meantime, the eagles are cruising around. Sometimes I can hear one before I know where it is. Today on the way home from the fire dept., an eagle was circling over the road near Rainbow Lake. After I passed under it, I could see its shadow move across the road. That's got to be scary for a creature that might become prey!

Some family news: Trista got laid-off from the Municipality of Anchorage, but already has two (2!) full time jobs with other greenhouses! She gave her notice at the dog groomers too. Now she will be working 7 days a week, but getting home much earlier in the day.

Fire Department

Yesterday was a busy one! Rescue training was to be a live scenario where they stage an accident, perform their duties, and critique it afterwards.
Everyone was involved: medics, rescue techs, firefighters, and the state troopers. The Auxiliary was asked to feed everyone.
Vicki and I shopped for burgers and sausages, coleslaw, beans, potato salad, cookies, and the makings for a fruit salad.
I was in the training room before everything started and they tried to hand me a triage tag so I got out of there and waited outside. Vicki and Christie waited with me until the pre-briefing was over and everyone moved out of there to the "accident scene" outside. The weather cooperated nicely. The sun was out and it was just a bit chilly. We saw a huge flock of geese heading for their summer home and several cranes making their strange noise flying over. There are still some piles of snow around where the plow left them.
I was stirring the beans when Christie's younger son came in and called his dad (also a state trooper) "Dad, you should come here and bring your camera! Adam has a fake bloody nose and now he's getting arrested! It's cool!" Apparently, Adam was playing the part of a drunk driving teen in the scenario.
We all worked well together getting the food ready. Christie manned the grill, I took care of warming the buns and the beans, Vicki set up the sides and the plates before we sent her off with the camera for a few pics. Hopefully I'll get to post some. Christie wants to use one of Adam for his senior page in the school yearbook some day (he's a freshman now).
Unfortunately, everyone made it back into the training room before we did, so clean up got delayed. It turned into a late evening for me because I still had to go home and take my Gleevec which means I have to stay up and sit still until the nausea goes away.

I just had dinner with my Team, the Valley Renegades, a great bunch of people training for marathons! It was another cold, windy run or walk for them. I couldn't even do a short walk because I tripped coming in off the deck yesterday and twisted my ankle, so I sat in the truck and stitched until they got back. It was nice to see almost everyone together again. Edie couldn't be with us just yet.
Margaret said she bought a little cross-stitch kit in Boston and wants me to help her get it started. While I am always hoping to find a stitching buddy close by, I can't imagine that she will get as hooked on it as I am. She is such a busy lady.
On the way home, I saw an owl sitting on a fence post. He was huge and turned that big head as we drove by. Now I need to find out what type of owl he was.

Hello, It's Me ... Lu

I suddenly decided to start blogging. One of the reasons is to keep track of my stitching projects. They seem to be everywhere in various states of progress. Perhaps if I post them now and then, I will stop starting new ones and finish something!
Another reason is the difference between my life in Alaska and the lives I read about everywhere else. When I read posts on my favorite message board (123Stitch), I can't relate to some of the issues. Oh, the cross-stitch things I totally relate to, but things like neighborhoods, lawns, and such are just not part of my life!
One more reason is to share my journey through leukemia (CML). I probably should have started writing about it in Feb. 2007 when I was diagnosed, but it was so much more devastating then than it is now.