Nothing Is Set In Cement

It seems to take me such a long time lately to get back to my blog from "life." I have also been going through a brief fit of "writer's block" and have been a little apprehensive about trying to write for the last several days - a result of having written an academic paper (for which I received an "A" I'll have you know) and not being in the more creative mindset I prefer when writing here in my blog. So much has happened and I am not sure where I left off last time, so I will just go ahead and "discuss" things and hope there is not too much repitition.

We found out the week before Thanksgiving that yet another aunt has breast cancer, this time inflammatory breast cancer, which I had never heard of and in which there are no little lumps to clue you in to the problem. She has been quite sick and in a lot of pain from what I am told and we are all hoping she responds well to her treatments - chemo and radiation. If she responds well her doctors believe they can give her another five years, which only seems too short if you have never been threatened in the way our family has, by a genetic factor you can do little about. Because of all of our prior experiences with various forms of cancer, breast and otherwise, we were able to send my aunt a "get well" package of useful things, hand sanitizer and aloe vera gel, as well as various cards meant to make her laugh and keep her mind on living and not dying. We learned all of this following my Dad's bout with breast cancer (yes, men get it too!) and my younger sister's battles with leukemia. Both Dad and my sister are doing well for the moment (fingers crossed, knocking on wood and prayers being sent heavenward as we speak!) as are my other two aunts who have had breast cancer and my cousin who had it and had a massive amount of surgery in order not to get it again. It is that cousin's mother who has the inflammatory breast cancer right now. At least we seem to be taking turns rather than all developing it at the same time, which is really something to be thankful for but also hard to understand until you have been through some of what our family is experiencing right now and anticipating experiencing in the future. I have an appointment soon to discuss surgical alternatives with one of the many physicians I see regularly. I am hoping to take care of things a little at a time without developing any of the potential cancers in the mean time. Joy, joy, joy. :-(!!!

I am not sure what any of my other cousins are doing, at least the ones who know they have the gene, but think I heard that at least one or two others are getting, or looking into, surgery as well. In the interim, life goes on and there is homework to do and Christmas to prepare for along with visiting my grandmother and checking on relatives once in a while. I think we will not be having a too prosperous Christmas celebration this year, but a happy one. We still have my sister, my aunt is hopefully getting a little better, my grandmother is doing well, and I (hopefully) have finished my shopping for the season except for pre-Christmas returns of items not being used for gifts afterall. And I think I mentioned homework somewhere a few lines back.

The weather is grey, grey, grey today and there is no sound from our backyard, most likely due to the falcon in the neighborhood (or maybe a hawk - I get them mixed up) who seems to consider our yard his personal smorgasbord for "bluejay suprise." I hope the raptor in our midst moves on soon as I really miss the bright eyes and loud, raucous squawkings of the local blue jay population. They are such clowns and also one of my favorite birds. All of the foliage - what's left of it - is dulled down for the winter although there is the stark, grey beauty of tree branches against winter skies to look forward to soon - if it snows. There are so many chores we need to tend to before that, and I am still hoping to get some Christmas lights up before things are too frozen to deal with and we are not able to drape the lights without thawing them first. Life in New England is interesting and I do not feel any inclination to seek warmer climes in my advancing middle age - I would miss the variety too much!

Reading and homework beckon so I must sign off. If I do not get back here before then, I hope all who read this have fewer troubles than our clan and also have a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday Season, what ever days they may choose to celebrate.