December 15
Yesterday’s blood count readings came as a relief; up until now, they have been slowly going down, and not recovering from the chemotherapy as quickly as in the past. Finally, there was a gain rather than a loss, and though still below normal, at least headed in the right direction. I have felt less energy just in the time when sugar plums and such have begun to dance in the head, so the plates of cookies, splendid cards, and other trappings of the season remain in concept only. It is already less than a month until I commence the next round of chemotherapy, and I want my body to hurry, hurry, and come to the beautiful place of normal as it was in August and October.
Sanctuary has been quietly waiting for winter. For the past days, we have had temperatures above the normal chill of December, and no moisture at all. The paths are worn down, dry and dusty, and walking is quite fine in the atypical temperatures. Alphie will be trotting along when suddenly he will bound with great leaps into the grasses of the pastures, and scolding pheasants will fly out in several different directions. They are either cursing the dog for disturbing their rest, or telling each other where to meet. These events result in Alphie’s running about with a dog smile for the rest of the trip and every faint rustle in the grasses causes him to adopt the pointer position of nose forward, left front paw up and hanging just like the depictions in sporting magazines. Meanwhile, the conversations of the old men overheard in the coffee shops are predicting that “Next week it’s all going to be coming. . . snow, wind, and terrible cold”.
Somewhere in the pre-dawn hours of the early December mornings, I concluded that a proper celebration of Charles’ birthday was important this year. On the 18th, he arrives at the venerable age of 70 years, and as he has told me, he feels that finally, he is eligible for a seat on the Supreme Court. I visited with friends who are also wonderful caterers, and miraculously, they were free on Saturday night, the 16th, so plans went forward. The gathering will be family and people who have known Charles professionally and as friends and neighbors over the years. The part that should be grand is to be after the cake, when the guests have been asked to tell a story about some memorable interaction with Charles. There are tales that have been gathering over the years, and their telling should make it a most memorable evening.