Missed doing my blog yesterday.  It was a treatment day and I didn’t get home until 6 PM.  Sent Kelli and Mike off to Fresh to pick up dinner.  (thank you my badminton pals!)  What a godsend that gift has been.  The food is marvellous! Last night we had lobster cakes, quinoa salad, mashed potatoes with cauliflower, tomato and boccocini salad, rice.  What a treat to have a delicious meal that I didn’t have to cook!  Kelli and Mike are house hunting.  They are looking for something in the Kensinton, Pt. MacKay area but after visiting Fresh are thinking maybe Bridgeland would be a good option.  I’m thinking something a little further west is better.  Geoff’s friend Trevor and his wife Heather lived down there for awhile and poor Trevor had his car broken into twice.  Too close to the LRT and the Drop In Center me thinks!  You can always drive to Fresh to pick up your dinner.

I am dog sitting my friend Jenifer’s labradoodle while they are off cycling in Vietnam.  (Yes, I am jealous!)  Sienna is a cute little thing.....very high energy.  She adores Boomer but is only three as opposed to Boomer’s nine.  She has taken over his bed and only drinks out of his water dish.  He has good naturally given up his bed and has taken to retiring to his kennel where he can get some peace and quiet.  He still likes to play but his playful bursts are considerably slower than they were a few years ago.  Walking the two of them has been interesting.  We have just had our bike path repaved in the ravine below our house.  They are just in the process of sodding along the edges of the path but where they haven’t done there is about a 2 foot wide span of dirt that is currently mud.  I can’t believe these two  They have a 10foot wide bike path they could walk on.  The hillside is totally grassed but both of them choose to walk in the 2foot muddy patch for the entire walk.  Mud puddles are an added bonus for Boomer.  He never misses the chance to splash through them.  Then there’s the issue of the poops.  Sienna is very cooperative.  She does her business right beside the path which makes the bagging process quick and simple.  Boomer is a private popper.  He likes to wade into the deepest grass possible, preferably up hill....sometimes you can only see his head poking out.  Let’s not make this easy on Leslie!  He is quite modest about this.  After he’s done he scuffs up the ground with his back feet vigorously, covering the deposit with grass which adds to the difficulty of finding the damn stuff!  Sometimes I’m just tempted to just not bother but that would be very hypocritical as I get very annoyed with people who don’t pick up after their dogs.  One day when I was walking on Nose Hill this guy was sitting there on his Mountain Bike waiting for his dog to do his dirty work RIGHT ON THE PATH!!  The guy was chatting with me while he was waiting and when the dog finished the guys just rode away on his bike.  I could not believe it.....This fortunately was several months ago when I had a big voice and I yelled after him.....”Oh....no worries....I’ll just pick that up for you!!!”  He never even looked back at me and I know for darn sure he heard me!
Back to Sienna and Boomer though.  Jenifer must have had her to the groomers before she came here.  Usually when she goes to the groomer she comes home with a dapper little bandanna around her next but this go round she has pink bows over her ears.  Must confess I am not a fan of this and am tempted to take them out.  Makes her look like a bit of a foofoo.  Going to have to have a word with Jen!!!  I’m amazed she leaves them in.  Boomer would find a way to get rid of those real quick.  When I try to dress him up in his boots for winter ice or his Christmas outfit (my one exception to dressing him up)
he is mortally embarrassed and gets rid of what he can as quickly as possible.  When I take him to the off leash park in his Christmas Collar (with bells attached) I swear the other dogs make fun of him!

Anyways....enough chatter about dogs.  Had my treatment day yesterday.  Had a great nurse and it turned out she was the cousin of some badminton buddies at the Winter Club.  Small world.  She was fabulous at IV’s though....in first poke and it was totally painless.  She was also very chatty and an interesting gal to talk to.  She did an 8 day rafting trip down the Colorado in the Grand Canyon with a group called Thrive and Survive.  I saw this trip advertised on a bulletin board at the Holy Cross and thought it sounded really excellent.  Now I’m thinking it might be worth looking into a little more seriously.   It’s always nice to get a nurse that is willing to spend a little time talking to you.  Some of them just do the job.  Get the IV started and then basically leave you alone for four hours except for changing up the meds.  I have a few favourites though and they are the ones who don’t mind spending a few minutes with you.  It means the world.

Having a quiet day today.  Only slept a couple of hours last night.  The Dexamethazone is definitely revving me up as it always does.  It ticks you off....you go to bed pooped and then toss and turn for hours.  Have little planned for today...just going to lay low....might even do a nap which isn’t something I normally indulge in.

Ahhh...the Headshave.  Was unsure how I would handle this but so glad I went.   Had a few moments when I thought I might burst into tears but managed to hold it together.   Lots of hugs!  Man I do miss those hugs!  Saw a few of my favourite parents as well!  It felt so good to be back in my gym, my stomping ground for 16 years, but as I looked out at the body of kids I was shocked at how many I didn’t know.  Lots of new children.  One little guy kept coming up and hugging me and I know for a fact I’ve never seen him in my life!!!  7 participants in the headshave this year.  Three boys (all repeat head shavers), three girls (all first timers....most girls only ever do it once, self included, although it is looking as if I will soon be a repeater) and one parent.  My thanks to all the kids and their families who continue to support and honour this wonderful event.  Also thanks to Lori Holford for her work in organizing and making sure it happened!  As always I was totally blown away by the effort that has been put into this.  The grade 5/6 classes have been busy running recess bake sales and have been making $100 a day.  They are also organizing the third annual used toy sale which is a hugely popular event!  Lori wasn’t sure what the total was this year but I know that when I went on the website to make my donation they were at over $5000 on line and from previous experience the online donations are much lower than the cash donations.  Also the bake and toy sale money has not yet been tallied so I’m guessing it will again be a pretty impressive contribution that Ranchlands School will be making to the Terry Fox Foundation.  My heartfelt thanks!  It is an event that I loved organizing and will continue to support!

Got up this morning and debated....on which hair I should go in. The original or the purchased!   After a little thought it occurred to me that I would get the most honest reaction from the kids about my new do.  So off I went feeling a little silly but knowing that if it looked bad I could count on a kid to tell me that.  Those little guys notice everything!!!  I know that when I was working and showed up to school after getting my hair coloured I could expect the following comment, not once, but several times over the course of the day!  “Mrs Sherlock....did you DYE your hair?”  My answer was usually “No I COLOURED my hair!”   It’s not so much that they said it....it’s that they always seemed amazed that I would do that and I got the same question repeatedly over for the course of the entire day, sometimes two days!  After I confirmed their suspicions they would look at me thoughtfully and then give me their opinion.  My favourite was...”Hmmm....you look much younger!”  Today, however, not one kid even seemed to notice there was anything different about me, except of course for my voice.  A couple commented on it.  One asked if I had a cold.  Another asked if I still had cancer.  I answered yes but I’m doing my best to get better!  Several demanded to know when I was coming back!  Ahh....you gotta love kids.  They speak their minds better than any adults I know.

Left the school feeling a little nostalgic.  Honestly, there are some parts of work I don’t miss a bit but their are bigger parts that have played a role in almost half my life and I have come to realize how much I miss those things, namely the children.  I taught for 34 years and almost half of this was spent at Ranchlands School!

After the headshave it was back to the hospital for hydration!  First needle poke in three weeks.  Can’t say as I have missed that but I had a good nurse today and she was in on the first try which I always appreciate.  I have not had any chemo (not even pill chemo) for three days now.  My doctor said I could take a break until Friday.  Don’t know if it’s psychological but I feel wonderful!   Tonight however it’s back to the dexamethasone which I have to take before the IV chemo which is scheduled for tomorrow, so I can count on the next four nights being restless nights while I’m taking that!  Yucky stuff!

Finished up there and headed off to see Colleen Jurgens's adorable new baby girl, Olivia Rose!  What a beautiful baby and I’m not just saying that!  Colleen is a special person in the Ranchlands “history” of the Terry Fox Run.  She is the person who got this whole headshaving movement going.  She was the one who said that if the kids could beat their record of $5000 she would shave her head!  The funny part of it is I think she raised over $2000 that year herself, so she kind of sealed her own fate!  It was also the year I beaked off and said that if the kids could raise$10,000 I would shave my head.  I also talked several other women on staff into saying the same, promising them that there was not a chance  the kids could do it.  There were only four days left until the headshave and at that point I think we were sitting at around $6000.  Well, thanks to our secretary at the time, Bernice, (who got busy emailing everyone who knew us), the school raised over $13,000 that year.  Shocking for those of us who never thought we would have to put our money where our mouths were!  I must say having no hair was an interesting experience.  People do stare openly at you, thinking that you are a cancer patient and one of our teacher’s boyfriends at the time asked her what kind of girl I was! I don’t know if you’ve seen that movie (I think it was called Fifty First Dates) where the woman loses her memory and every morning she wakes up beside her husband screaming because she has lost her short term memory and doesn’t recognize who the man in bed beside her is.  Well, for the first several mornings Bill would look at me and say he totally understood how that women felt.  When he opened his eyes, he too felt like screaming!   It certainly does give you insight into what cancer patients go through when their disease becomes visible to everyone because of their hair loss!  When I went to the school today, Bill was sure I would get caught up in the event and shave my head along with the kids. I do have an impulsive streak so it was a totally plausible possibility.   It’s different this time though,  because I know it is inevitable that it is going to happen.  I’m in no hurry to get there......
I want to enjoy this frizzy mess for a little longer!

A great day all round!  Started off with Geoff and Lindsey arriving bright and early.  Bill was taking them to the airport for the start of their round the world adventure!  Gave them both a big hug and wished them bon voyage.  I couldn’t go to the airport because it was my appointment day with my oncologist.  So off they went to the airport and off I went to the Foothills.  Saw Dr. Esaw for the first time in months.  Either I’ve been away or I’ve seen his resident so we haven’t really seen each other since back when I had the pneumonia.  He came in today with a big smile on his face and said he was blown away by how well I was doing!  He was even impressed with my scary hair, telling me I had “iron hair”.....most people lose it in the second cycle.  I’ve had six cycles and although it is definitely disappearing, I still have enough to cover my head.  Hope it will stay for Hawaii.  I have also gained another couple of pounds which is really good.  From there went to get my bloodwork done and was shocked at the number of people at the lab.  Had to wait for over an hour which is rare.  Came home and had lunch with my brother.  He was in town to pick up his bike as he and Michele are getting ready to head south to the Baja where they spend 3 months every winter.  They take off now and come back when the snow is ready to be skied on.  He looks great.  I always marvel at how he has handled his MS.  We both agree that diet plays a huge role in how you handle your illnesses.  He has been on a restricted diet for a few years now.  No dairy, no legumes, no red meat, and no gluten!  Not sure I could handle that one.  Although he sticks to it fairly religiously at home I know he allows himself some freedoms when he travels!  You can’t deprive yourself completely!  Last night I had a piece of pumpkin pie at Geoff and Lindsey’s.  Normally I steer away from anything with sugar but who can turn down homemade pumpkin pie???  Not me!!!  After lunch I headed off to pick up my new hair!  I love the girl who did it for me.  So easy to talk to and really good at what she does.  I left “Compassionate Beauty” sporting my new wig and decided to hit a couple of stores on the way home....Glamorgan Bakery (cheese buns for Kelli) and Sunterra Market.  I kept looking at people trying to see if they were studying my hair but I had no double takers so think it might look OK.  I’ll post a photo and you can tell me what you think.  The best part is it doesn’t even feel like you are wearing it!  When I arrived home Bill walked past me twice and I finally said “Aren’t you going to say anything?”  He was surprised at how natural looking it is.  Said he really didn’t even notice until I pointed it out!  I sent a picture to Kelli (she’s in Vancouver) and she called me a super model!  Ha!  Super models are not happy when they gain four pounds!

Anyways.....here I am!

Tomorrow I’m off to the headshave at my school.  Apparently there are five kids shaving their heads.  Bill said he thought I’d probably come home bald....I’d get caught up in the event and offer up my head as well.  Not so keen on that.  I want to hang on to what I have for a little longer!  After the head shave I have to go for my hydration.  Chemo on Friday and then I get a break for a bit.  Won’t have to go again until November 16th.  Yahoo!!!  Looking forward to that!

Oh my goodness!  I hate beets!  Don’t mind eating them but sure detest the preparation......Bill loves them and plants a garden full of them.  I have done two huge batches of borscht, pickled several jars and there are still two rows in the garden!  I considered taking a photo of my kitchen for the blog but am too embarrassed to let you see what a haphazard, messy cook I am!  I just go for it and every pot and utensil is dirty....everything is red, including my hands.  There has been a fair share of cursing going on!  A few catastrophes.....like sending my cutting board over the edge of the counter, resulting in a magnificent spray of beets and onions everywhere!  Thank goodness for swear words!  They really do make you feel better!

I am just taking a little break at the moment with my back turned to the kitchen!  The cleanup will be worse than the cooking!  This is the time I should call those of you who have said to me....”Just call if you need anything!”  Hmmm......be careful with those words dear friends!

Anyways....feel pretty perky today.  Normally I would be at the Tom Baker getting my chemotherapy today so when I think of it that way, dealing with a shit load of beets is much preferable!  They are delaying the chemo a week so that I then will have two weeks before heading to Hawaii to recover and then I’ll get a three week break!  Yahoo!  Maybe my hair will come in thick and luxurious while I’m in paradise!  If not I will have to resort to my fake hair.  Haven’t picked it up yet but I am going tomorrow to get it styled.  Sure hope this girl is good with the scissors.  At least when you get a bad haircut it can grow back but if she screws this one up it’s permanent!  My friend Corrine told me she had a friend who had to wear a wig and it was so beautiful that everyone kept asking her who did her hair!  I’m really not planning to wear mine all the time but wanted it for occasions when we go out.  Nice to look normal and half decent and it is getting harder and harder to fluff the hair to cover the thinning areas.  Also, don’t imagine my ball cap would look so great with my Christmas dress!  Who knows, maybe I could start a new trend!

Well, back to beetsville!  Do you really want to see my kitchen????  Ah....what the heck.....(As I post this picture I can hear the parents from my school saying “It looks just like her office!)  Be nice girls!
THIS IS WHAT HURRICAINE LESLIE REALLY LOOKS LIKE!!!

Time to clean up!!!  I’m not sure what possessed me to share this intimacy with you but what’s done is done!!!

UPDATE!!!
I COULD NOT LEAVE YOU WITH THIS IMAGE OF MY KITCHEN.  BEETS ARE DONE!  I AM NOT GOING TO PROCESS ONE MORE BEET!  For all I care the deer can feast on them!  In any case I used my philosophy on cleaning up today...”If you touch it you have to deal with it!”  Presto!

Solved the mystery of the latest addition to my bunch of bunnies.  Kelli’s badminton coach, Jeff brought him back from London for me when he was there this summer coaching.  He is the mascot for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi.  I went up to the club today and dropped in to thank Jeff and got the best hug ever!  Catherine was also there and it was so great to sit and chat with them.  Both of these people were and still are very important people in Kelli’s life!  During her badminton training days I think Kelli often spent more time with her badminton coaches than she did with her parents.  They travelled together and developed a strong friendship.  Of all of Kelli’s coaches I would say Jeff was always the biggest cheerleader!  Loved the way he supported those kids and I’m sure he’s still doing it!  Jeff looked at me today and said he was happy to see I was busy at the business of “living”.  I looked at him and said that there were really only two choices......he agreed.....get busy living or get busy dying.....I’m definitely taking the living option!

When you are away for three weeks there is always so much to do when you get home.  Bill has been busy winterizing the trailer.  I went and picked up groceries and as usual managed to pick the “cashier in training.”  I do it every time!  And believe me I don’t do it on purpose.  Today, however, was quite entertaining.  My cashier was a young Asian girl and not only did she not know her codes.....she also didn’t know her vegetables.  She rang my cauliflower through as a Russet Baker....paused.....and asked the girl training her if that was what the cauliflower was???  She struggled with a couple of other items as well,  but the clincher was the artichoke!  That one really threw her!   I have never cooked one but decided I wanted to try it. (on a side note if anyone can tell me how you cook and eat these things I could use some coaching myself) .  She looked at it as if was a foreign object and asked me point blank what it was!  The girl coaching her wasn’t that friendly.  I think Kelli would call it “pimping your student” in front of the customer!  In any case at the end of my order the coach told her....”ASK FOR A DONATION”  which the poor girl immediately did.  Then she said just as bruskley, “DID YOU ASK HER IF SHE WANTED CARRY OUT.”  The poor girl looked at me and asked sweetly if I would like a carry out.  Then the coach told her crossly that next time that should be the first thing she did before she even started the order!  At that point I had had quite enough of her cranky meanness so I looked at the young cashier,  shook my finger at her and said in my Miss Piggy Voice...“You make darn sure you get all this right on your next order.”  We both burst out laughing at that point....not the coach though!  She failed to see anything humorous about anything!  Hope I didn’t get the newbie in trouble.

Came home and tackled a batch of borscht.  Ron and Marg dropped by.  Ron had a doctors appointment and the good news is that it appears he is healing nicely and can start taking off his neck brace.  I laughed when Marg said Ron was having to learn the virtue of being “patient”.  Those of us who can not do things we are used to doing can really identify with this.  When Ron first came home he was told he could lift a maximum of 5 lbs.  This is a guy that is used to heaving huge, heavy bales of hay around.  A jug of milk weighs 7 lbs.  It is really hard to face that you have to listen to these instructions and you have to let others do much for you that in normal circumstances you could easily do for yourself!  Having said that you also come to appreciate the people around you who are willing to do all these things for you.    I am so happy he is on the road to recovery and that his patience is definitely paying off!

Remembered my “White Rabbits” this morning!  Hopefully you all did!  Can’t believe it is already October!  Where has our summer gone?