August 11, 2007
We returned to Sanctuary last Tuesday, the 7th, and found it to be lush, overgrown, and heavy with humidity. This condition for Nebraska in August is almost unheard of. On the next morning’s walk, fog hung over everything, and spider webs of every kind were outlined in moisture. Some trees looked as though they were anchored to the earth with guy wires. The wrens, orioles, red-winged blackbirds and grackles were gone, as expected, and the only birds still singing at all were song sparrows, meadow larks, rufous-sided towhees, and an occasional cardinal. The paths were almost hidden by the tall grasses leaning in from both sides, and Charles commenced mowing immediately in order to reclaim our space.
Alphie’s joy at our appearance at the kennels was as boundless as a dog can express. He leapt into the car with the absolute intent not to get out of it again until we got back to Sanctuary. Only after checking every room and space in the house did he wish to go for a walk into the woods. Now however, the heat and humidity have slowed him down greatly – rabbits can run very near to him and he doesn’t even pretend to give chase.
Our incredible road trip’s ending with the wedding in San Francisco amidst good friends and family was a perfect conclusion to three weeks of time outside of time. The cancer and the chemotherapy and the blood tests were all put aside and the MDS was like something resting inside a book closed and placed on a side table. My health remained good to the degree that we didn’t talk or think about it. Now the book is lying there, still unopened, but moved closer as a return visit to the oncologist looms ever nearer. It is all “wait and see”. The blood readings will likely influence the actions in the near future; my hope is that they will be normal, or nearly so, and my plan is to request a bone marrow aspiration to see what is happening with the cell formation at this time. Perhaps there is grand improvement, and the chemotherapy treatments can be delayed, or lessened, or given up entirely for a while. “Mind over matter” and miracles might shape the future – whatever the outcome, I have just completed a life experience that stands far above all the other events that have defined my recent past, and the loveliness of that will surely color everything that happens in the days to come.