So far so good

[BY SUSAN]

Peter's journey has been interesting because after two weeks of treatment (halfway there!) he feels better than he did when he started, and that's not the trajectory that radiation usually takes.  The reason, of course, is that he started treatment just on the heels of having been hospitalized with pneumonia.  So the pneumonia has resolved and the radiation sickness hasn't kicked in.  Here's hoping it just won't.

High on the list of what is helping Peter feel good is the exquisite care he is getting from cousins Lori and Joel.  Lori teaches M-Th at Penn State, so a lot of the weekly care has fallen to Joel who is such a good cook that I wonder if Peter will really want to come home.  Joel has anticipated many of Peter's needs, and has become a good friend as well as cousin-in-law.  Joel and Lori have done double-duty since they also looked after their niece and nephew in their home across-town while Lori's sister Janet and her husband John were away.  Peter has enjoyed getting to know Hannah and Simon better, and we anticipate a summer visit to the farm from Hannah, and maybe we can entice Simon, too.

I think all the walking is doing Peter some good as well.  Most days he walks at least one way (one mile) to the hospital for his noon-time treatment.  He talked of being tired and cold some days, but wouldn't take the trolley.  I knew why...he was afraid to navigate the logistics of getting a ticket, getting on, and getting off (hopefully at the right place).  Finally the weather drove him to ride the rails.  That night I got this message:


I took the trolley both ways today. Am writing from Des Moines--PK

See?  He can still make me laugh after all these years.

My home-organizing efforts have been modest at best, and most can't be seen from a walk-through.  You have to open drawers or cabinets.  But if you do, you might find something like this:



After the successful trolley-ride Peter bought himself a train ticket to visit his mom in NY this weekend, and I am gearing up to go to Philly in about a week.  I've tried to use this time to catch up on repairs and other things here, but the extreme cold that first week took a lot of time just to manage. So far this time has been a good transition from the working-outside-the-home life.

To follow up on the last post, my sister stayed in the hospital far longer than she or anyone else expected.  She got an infection from a cat bite to her wrist that went into the facia and threatened to get into the bone, which could be deadly.  She is home and infection-free now, but tired and weak.  Here's a picture Taz ("that cat").  Once, while visiting them, Taz tried to keep me from leaving my room at night when I needed to visit the loo.  Sweet ferocity.

 

My friend Solita is doing incredible well considering the severity of the wreck and her injuries.  She is awake, talking some, and by now should be out of the ICU and starting physical therapy.  She will have a long recovery, no doubt, but so many things went right for her.  She is fortunate to have wonderful family members in town and her mother is down from CT. 

That's about it for now.  I am bracing for more "wintery mix," but so far it doesn't look too bad.  The Hotwheels Handspinners are meeting here on Sunday for a fiber swap, so if you knit or crochet or spin, come join us!  Email me for details.  Thanks again to everyone who has checked in on us or helped out in one way or another.