Thursday, December 24, through Thursday, December 31, 2015: The End of the Year:

We spent Thursday (Christmas Eve) looking for the snow we were promised.  It barely showed up;  we had just a dusting for Christmas morning.  It was pretty, though, and the four of us took advantage of it.  I got to wear my Sorels for the first time.  They are so comfortable!

Christmas is a special time for me, and I mostly enjoy just soaking in the joy and comfort of the season.  This is the first time in many years that we haven't spent Christmas with Becky's family in Pasadena, but it just wasn't in the cards this time around.  We phoned them and shared greetings with all of them, anyway.

Saturday we were greeted with great views of a nicely snow-covered Mt. Humphreys.  Just lovely.  For no apparent reason, that compelled us to have Mexican food for a late lunch/early dinner.  We chose Fiesta Grill, a new restaurant we had not tried before. 

It was opened by a family named Rodriguez, whose son, so the story goes, was passing through town and decided Williams needed a real Mexican restaurant.  The food was excellent and the people were very nice.  We'll be back for more. 

Saturday also involved a lot of football, of course, and I was particularly happy that the two Washington Pac-12 teams won their bowl games and I was disappointed, though not surprised, that UCLA was upset by Nebraska.  UCLA is consistent in that it nearly always loses games it is expected to win and vice versa.

Sunday was more football while Becky enjoyed a redbox movie called The End Of The Tour.  Otherwise, it was a day to forget.  Monday morning we received a visit from John and Sherry Phelan, who are spending a week in Scottsdale, away from the madness of southern California. 

They came the 185 miles to see our house and to have a delicious lunch at the Red Raven restaurant, our favorite in Williams.  (I had a Reuben sandwich, again.  I get into some bad habits.)  After lunch and a brief walking tour of the Route 66 memorabilia stores,

the Phelans returned to Scottsdale, and Becky and I, and the dogs, took naps.

Tuesday involved a trip to Flagstaff and our semi-annual visit with Dr. Stark for our teeth to be cleaned, etc.  The news was good, as usual, and we took our shiny teeth back to Williams in good spirits. 

Wednesday we returned to Flagstaff for our now-weekly meeting with my plastic surgeon to monitor my recovery from the recent surgery.  Dr. Boettcher was pleased, though not elated, with the progress.  Apparently, a small part of the skin graft is not doing as well as he had hoped, so we have now begun a twice-daily application (by Nurse Becky) of a magic cream to the surgery site. 

We'll see if that helps.  On the way home, we picked up a Pablo Picasso Mexican Salad from Oregano's, which we thoroughly enjoyed when we got home.  Wednesday night, USC got beaten (narrowly) by Wisconsin in the Holiday Bowl.  Yippee! 

Thursday (New Year's Eve) was filled with a lot of football and a little champagne. We don't take this "holiday" seriously and rarely stay up past nine o'clock.  And  this year was no exception.  I was really looking forward to the Alabama/Michigan State game, but my eyes were too tired after Clemson/Oklahoma game that I went to sleep instead.  That turned out to be good because Michigan State got its butt thoroughly kicked by Alabama, which I would not have enjoyed watching.  Becky was able to sneak in another redbox movie, Southpaw, with Jake Gyllenhaal, which she enjoyed.

Thus ended a complicated 2015.               

Thursday, December 17, through Wednesday, December 23, 2015: In Recovey Mode:

For the time being, I am considering myself to still be in recovery from the surgery, so I'm doing little in the way of exertion.  I feel fine but I don't want to push it.  I drive to the Safeway and the Post Office, but that's about it.  Otherwise, my day is pretty much what it is in a normal period---reading, doing crossword puzzles, catching up on emails, and watching a little TV.  (Sheldon and Amy finally slept together!)

On Thursday we had a little snow, just a couple of inches.  It looks beautiful as it forms a blanket over our yard.

On Friday, I ventured out to get a pedicure.  I stole Becky's appointment. 

Saturday was a bit of a football day.  I printed out a schedule of the 41 bowl games this time around, and, while I have no intention of watching all of them, I don't want to miss any that might interest me.  While I watched a little football, Becky ran into a couple of our old friends from the South Rim at the Safeway. Dorthy Westmoreland  and Nancy Charette have become fixtures with Xanterra at the canyon.  Becky had a good time catching up with them.

Sunday was more football, professional this time.  And we watched the latest Mission Impossible film with Tom Cruise from the redbox.  Other than the ever-more-spectacular special effects, it was more of the same---but longer and more confusing. I didn't care for it; Becky thought it was OK.

Monday we returned to Flagstaff so Becky cold get her hair cut at the Tirzah Salon.  I also stopped at Ace Automotive to have them see if they could get our new bed cover to work properly.  (I couldn't get it to close.)  All they had to do was show me the proper way to close it.  Duh!  I also picked up a pair of gloves from Peace Surplus

and two paper towel holders at Home Depot, for our garage and laundry.  And we got a tutorial on our snow blower from Jay, our next door neighbor.  It seems easy enough;  we're expecting snow for Christmas so maybe I'll get to use it.

Tuesday was Becky's day to make "home made" cookies for our neighbors.  It's our joke that Becky's cookies are home made.  Actually, she just buys premade cookie dough and pretends.  It's a lot easier that way.  And the cookies are spectacular.  She also got a pedicure on Tuesday.  That's not related to the cookie adventure, I hope.

We returned to Flagstaff on Wednesday, primarily to see Dr. Boettcher, my surgeon.  While Becky walked the dogs, he took a look and said my scalp looked good and to just keep plugging away.  Since this surgery involved a larger and deeper area than the previous two, it will simply take longer to heal.

We decided to have lunch at Busters in Flagstaff.  It had been highly recommended by Danielle Worthington, our Realtor, and lived up to its billing.  (I had a delicious Reuben sandwich.) 

We also ran a few errands and picked up dinner at Pato Thai.  We'll use any excuse to eat their food.  It's great.  So another week ended on a placid note. 

Thursday, December 10, through Wednesday, December 16, 2015: The Recovery Week:

Thursday morning, I talked my way out of the hospital. 

My third nurse named Rachel (from Ohio, she worked for Xanterra at the Grand Canyon during the summer of 2005 and fell in love with northern Arizona) fell for my pleading and allowed me to escape.  After Becky picked me up, we ran a couple of errands and headed back to Williams.  I felt pretty good, though I was tired, and we had a good day---finished off with dinner from Panda Express.

On Friday, I laid low, and just relaxed.  The pain was virtually non-existent.  Becky bought a dog fence at the hardware store, and we installed it in our hallway Friday evening. 

It's designed to allow us to keep the dogs away from the bedrooms (ours is their favorite) when we want to avoid being disturbed.  It will also allow us to put them in their crates at night without first having to convince them to get off our bed.

Saturday was more of the same.  It snowed lightly most of the day, and Becky shoveled our driveway. 

Since the county street maintenance department is only two blocks away, the street in front of our house had already been cleared.  The blanket of snow in our yard is beautiful, of course.

We watched Trainwreck from the redbox on Saturday.  It was an unusual film, with very crude (raunchy?) language, but very well done and very funny in parts.  I can see why Amy Schumer is popular suddenly.  One surprise was that LeBron James, who was in it a lot, is a very good actor.

Sunday was a little football and dog-tending for me while Becky went to the city's annual Community Holiday Dinner to help out with serving the free food.  It's a charitable event, put on by a number of local groups (Kiwanis, Lions Club, etc.) and Becky ran into some of the very few people we know here.  They served about 600 people on Sunday.  Our dinner was turkey, etc., that she brought home with her. 

This morning, Monday, we woke to a nice snowfall.  It lasted much of the day, and totaled about five inches.  It's beautiful.  While our need for it is a bit questionable, Becky ordered a snow blower this morning.  It should arrive near the end of this week.

Tuesday was a normal day of puttering, reading, etc.  Wednesday will be important because we are going to Flagstaff on Wednesday to see doctors and get our truck's bed cover replaced.  The old one had a fatal breakdown last Wednesday.  It's seven years old and has had a lot of use, so we were not surprised that it finally failed.

We left at 8:30 AM on Wednesday, heading for Flagstaff.  We needed to drop off Ramsey and Kelsey at the GC Railway kennel, pick up our rental car at Enterprise, drop off the truck at Ace Automotive, and arrive at the Arizona Cancer Center by 10:00.  We were a bit early and Dr. Mathern took us fairly quickly.  He's so thorough that he's always late for an appointment and the later in the day you arrive, the longer you will have to wait to see him. 

The overall news was good.  The tissue that was removed during the surgery was clear of melanoma except one spot that was on the border between the new surgery and the old one.  It was explained that this tissue might be giving off a false positive for that reason.  We will keep an eye on it and, after the most recent surgery heals a bit, Dr. Boettcher will test that spot with a tiny probe that does not require actual surgery.  We also will schedule a PET scan for some time in January to see if the cancer has spread to any other parts of my body.

We then had a three-hour wait for our appointment with Dr. Boettcher.  We stopped at the Peace outdoor store to buy boots to wear in the snow (our first pairs of Sorels!), then at the O'Reillys auto parts store to buy a gas can for our snow blower, then at Northland Optical to pick up Becky's new reading glasses, then at Hiro's Sushi for lunch, then at Home Depot for some accessory concoctions Becky had ordered for the snow blower, then at Ace Automotive to pick up our truck,

then back to Enterprise to drop off the rental car, then, finally, to Dr. Boettcher's office.  Whew!

Dr. Boettcher spent an hour (plus!) removing the "turban" from my head, analyzing the surgery (and deciding it was successful), treating my leg where the skin graft came from, and discussing future plans.  Basically, we will see him every week for several weeks to monitor my progress and play everything else by ear.  It was determined that radiology on my very tender skin grafts was not recommended. 

We then returned to Peace to buy two more knitted caps to cover my head, then headed for home and to pick up two very hungry dogs and eat leftover sushi for dinner.  It had been a very long day.   

Becky had taken a picture of the part of my head where the surgery took place, and I saw the wound for the first time.  Wow!  It's a lot bigger then either of the first two surgery sites.  It scared me a little, and I spent the rest of the day in a bit of  a shock.  I finally decided to hit the "sack" which, for the next week or so, is actually a living room recliner that will allow me to sleep without resting the left side of my head against anything, and slept soundly and peacefully for the entire night.  All is well. 

Wednesday, December 2, through Wednesday, December 9, 2015: The Next Surgery:

Wednesday morning, bright and not too early, Becky took off for the morning walk with Ramsey and Kelsey, and I had a long phone conversation with Bill Wheeler about the problems they're having with their motor home.  It's possible they will have to replace the engine, which would be at a ridiculous cost.  They may know more this afternoon.  The rest of the day involved a lot of puttering around.

Wednesday night, I slipped and fell in the bathroom---and landed on my nose.  I now have two slightly black eyes and one very red and swollen nose.  Becky says I look like Robert DeNiro in Raging Bull.

On Thursday, Becky decided it was time to get serious about Christmas.  We brought in the boxes of decorations we've been carrying around or storing for 13 years.  Since we had such limited room in our trailer, we couldn't use more than a few of the items in the boxes.  With our house, we have virtually unlimited space. Becky started the task; it was fun seeing some of the items for the first time in many years.  She's had a few of them for more than 40 years. 

On Friday, we bought a decorated (fake) tree at the hardware store and installed it outside the front door since we have no usable corners in the living room.  It's better outside anyway, so it can be seen and enjoyed by passersby.

Through the hardware store I found a local guy, Jim Winbourn, to put lights on one of the pine trees in our front yard.  He came on Saturday.  The lights look great!  We'll keep them on (about 6 hours a day) through the whole holiday season. 

Saturday was the day for conference champions to be determined in college football.  I was particularly looking forward to the Big-10 game (Michigan State/Iowa) and the Pac-12 game (Stanford/USC).  Everything turned out as I had hoped.  Michigan State beat Iowa and Stanford beat USC.  I had no eyeballs left at the end of the day.

Sunday was another football day.  At this point, all I care about is the Arizona Cardinals.  They won, and that's great.  We also put a few more Christmas decorations up around the house.

We also watched The Man From U.N.C.L.E., based on the old TV series.  I didn't much like it and walked away to putter.  Becky hung in there and watched the whole thing, and enjoyed it.

Monday was an ordinary day of Becky's walking dogs and my killing time reading and doing crossword puzzles.  Tuesday involved a trip to Flagstaff for a haircut for me and a little shopping.  We also picked up dinner at our favorite Thai restaurant there, Pato Thai.  Yum!  The elephant in the room is my surgery taking place on Wednesday.  Although I've been through the same surgery twice this year already, it's still a little unnerving to have to do it again---so soon.

On Wednesday I arrived at the Flagstaff Medical Center at 10:30 and started the three-hour pre-op procedure. 

I'm used to it, and it's boring, so I just did crossword puzzles while Becky and the dogs ran errands.  Promptly at 1:30, the designated time for the surgery, they wheeled me into the operating room and the anesthesiologist informed me that I would soon go to sleep.  I did.  The next thing I remember, of course, was waking up.  I was in no particular pain but I was a little disoriented.  The nurses were a little concerned about my oxygen level, not realizing that it's always a bit low.  After a bit of conversation about pain levels, it was decided (not by me) that I should spend the night at the hospital, rather than go home which was the original plan. 

I spent an uncomfortable night, for to reasons:  1) Because they woke me every 15 minutes for the first four hours, and then every 30 minutes,to check my vital signs, and 2) Because somewhere along the way I got a bruise on my butt.           




 

Wednesday, November 18, through Tuesday, December 1, 2015: Back to Reality:

Wednesday morning was the day set aside by me for the official post-cruise weigh-in.  I had gained 17 pounds!!!  I assumed (hoped) that most of it was just bloat that would disappear shortly. (By the following Wednesday, I had actually lost 11 of the 17 pounds.)  Moments later,  the Buffalo Fence people showed up to begin the process of replacing our two driveway fence/gate installations. 

They were very efficient and were gone by noon, leaving a temporary fence to keep our dogs in place pending installation of the gates a few days later, after the concrete holding the new posts had set.  That afternoon the Summit Spa person arrived to winterize our spa.  I had earlier started to drain the spa, so it was nearly empty when the fellow got here, saving him a lot of time.  We got a small discount on the charge for the service.

Thursday was the day for a follow-up visit to Dr. Boettcher to check on my recent surgery.  He thought everything looked fine.  I pointed out that I had noticed a small bump on my scalp, next to the most recent surgery site.  Without knowing what it was, he decided to take out the material causing the bump as a precaution.  It was a simple in-office surgery.  I’ll return in twelve days to have the stitches removed.

The next day, Jonathan, the man from Century Security, arrived to deal with some alarm issues we had.  We had not been able to set the alarm when we left for the cruise, and we needed some help.  He was able to get the system working, but there were some parts he needed to get the system fully operational.  He noted, without being pushy, that the system was 15 years old and there had been a lot of technological improvements in the industry in the meantime.  We didn’t bite.  Becky headed for Flagstaff to get a facial as a reward.

Saturday and Sunday were mostly watching football, finishing unpacking, and doing laundry from the trip.  Very relaxing.  Monday, while Becky got a haircut, I saw Dr. Benson, who pronounced my prostate gland still OK.  While we were in Flagstaff, the Buffalo Fence people returned to install our new gates.  When we got home, we were appalled.  The gates were ugly, and too tall, and not at all what we had envisioned. 

They were completely out of sync with our neighbors’ gates.  I emailed a complaint, with pictures, to Emily, my contact at Buffalo Fence.  The next morning, Tuesday, she called to say they would replace the gates by Friday.  In fact, the new gates (which are perfect) were installed on Tuesday afternoon, while we were in Flagstaff seeing Dr. David, my radiologist.  

Dr. David hit us with the news that the bump Dr. Boettcher had removed on Thursday was malignant, and another surgery---similar to the two I have already had this year---was recommended.  Becky and I were shocked, and it took a while for us to process the information.  We realized this would completely change our plans for the winter. 

We would have to stay in Williams for at least the next three months instead of heading for California.  Since it’s Thanksgiving week and nearly everything is closed for the long weekend, we cannot see Dr. Boettcher until next Tuesday to plan the next steps.

Wednesday was a typical day of small projects.  We received an early Christmas gift from Donna and Rick and their families---a large oil painting of a Dalmatian with his spots being blown off by a nearby fan.  It’s apparently a well-known painting, and is  really cute.  We hung it in our bedroom, which is a favorite spot for Ramsey and Kelsey to hang out.  It was sent early so we could hang it before we left for the winter.  Of course, that was before yesterday’s change of plans.  

Thursday was Thanksgiving, of course, and we celebrated accordingly.   The football on TV was excellent.  The Cowboys lost, which is always good, and Chicago surprised Green Bay, which is rare, and heart-warming to this Chicago native.  We had an early dinner at the local Best Western Hotel.  We had turkey, naturally.  The portions were so big we took a lot home, which became our dinner on Friday. 

Also on Friday we bought a wreath at the hardware store, thus beginning our Christmas decorating.  That night we watched more of House of Cards.  We've had the CD set for last season for some time, but we never seem to get through very much of it at any one time.

Saturday is such a big day for football, I had planned to spend much of the day in front of the TV set.  As I could have predicted, UCLA lost to USC, and my friend Bill Wheeler's team, Michigan, lost to Ohio State.  So we were both bummed out.  The football highlight of the day was, though, that Stanford beat Notre Dame in the most exciting game of the year so far.  (Notre Dame is the only team against which I root for USC.)  The field goal at the end of the game, which gave Stanford the win, was kicked by Conrad Ukropina, whose parents (pictured with him after the game, below) have been friends of ours for a zillion years.  Very exciting.

Late in the afternoon on Saturday, we went to Bearizona for a special light and music show.  It was nice.

In addition to a few projects around the house, cleaning gutters, raking pine needles, and such,

Sunday was another football day, the highlight of which was Denver beating previously undefeated New England.  When we lived in Denver, I became a big fan of the Broncos.

Monday morning we headed for Flagstaff and Dr. Knutson, my dermatologist.  We made the appointment several weeks ago on the theory that I should have her take a last look at my body before we headed for Californian for the winter.  It turned out that the appointment was devoted to looking at the spot on my head that Dr. Boettcher had incised nearly two weeks ago.  It had become infected, which was the reason I had been popping Tylenols for the past several days to ease the pain. 

Dr. Knutson drained the site, wrapped my head in some gauze, prescribed some antibiotics, and sent me on my way.  We filled the prescription, ran some errands, and returned to Williams---secure in the knowledge that we were going to spend the winter here, not far from my doctors.

Tuesday afternoon, we saw Dr. Boettcher again, this time to remove the stitches and to plan the next step.  The most viable option was another surgery, much like the most recent on in October, but extending down my neck a bit more.  This will happen on Wednesday, December 9. 

He didn't bother removing the stitches because that site will be removed with the new surgery.  He also mentioned that there is a new chemotherapy regimen that has just been approved that is quick and apparently very effective against melanomas.  Since mine seem to keep returning, we will discuss that with Dr. Mathern when we see him after the next surgery.

When we arrived home, we discovered that we had no water.  Thinking it was just a temporary glitch, I ignored it.  When 5:00 PM came and it had not been restored, I called the city.  The city office was closed and any "utility emergencies" could be referred to the police department.  I called the police and explained the situation.  The dispatcher was not aware of any water problems, so promised to contact the emergency contact at the water department. That man called in two minutes and told me they had turned off our water pursuant to an order relating to our having notified the city that we were intending to spend the winter elsewhere.  It turned out that the city had never processed Becky's notification to the effect that we were not leaving after all.  He authorized me to turn our water back on at the street, which I did.  All's well.     

We are vey upbeat about my health situation, and decided to celebrate by having the worst dinner possible for our diets---cheese fondue.  We haven't had that for several years, and it was wonderful.  So, we're on to the next phase of our odyssey.