Squirrel or the Nut?

Some days you’re the squirrel, some days you’re the nut. This week Michelle was the nut. Emotions from last week, blended into this week. Her rheumatoid arthritis calmed down a lot by day 6 of the 7 days of steroid regimen. I was beginning to wonder if her body was immune to the steroids but was elated to hear the burning, sharp pain and sustained pressure from swelling was finally decreased to a manageable level.

Michelle showed up with her best squirrel face on for immunotherapy this week. I could see her face melt slowly and knew it was the nut, not the squirrel she was feeling when they told her they needed to get blood drawn again. She told me the lab sticks are hurting more and more each week. Her oncologist did not mention labs last week, so we assumed there would not be any. I knew we were not in for a good morning when I saw her sweet blue eyes swell with tears. It was going to be a long day. We saw the original oncologist for our last time and of course I had more questions. This time I asked why the labs? This is when I learned that since December, they could have been taking the blood samples from her port. Why isn’t this standard procedure? Why are we just learning this now? These will be questions we hope will be answered by her new oncologist. 

After seeing her original oncologist, Michelle was called back for her Immunotherapy. She was fortunate that her favorite administration nurse helping her with the infusion. I decided that she needed my moral support on this day and that the post COVID rules of no visitors in the infusion room would need an exception. I squirreled my way in back with her. The 30-minute infusion took 60 because her pump wasn’t working properly. I was glad I was there with her.

The original oncologist prescribed a lesser dose of steroids (5mg) that she can take in conjunction with the immunotherapy. We are hoping this will lessen the swelling of her rheumatoid arthritis.

Michelle’s general practitioner (GP) 4-month follow-up appointment was this week. We are not going out on a limb for this nut when we say that we both love her doctor. She treats Michelle like a special confidant, and even called her a “good friend” during the appointment. It was a telemed appointment so having the comfort of our couch was nice. Michelle will start physical therapy to rehab her rubber legs. We also talked about mental health. We are hoping to get on the schedule for an evaluation soon in that area as well.

An update from last week. We were not sure about a studded bra in a shadow box on the wall at  new oncologist's office. I learned that one of her many specializations is breast cancer. Being a strong advocate, she would naturally support the charities that support breast cancer.  I was sent this link by a close friend of ours last week, after she read the update. https://rachelkbelkin.com/breast-cancer-survivors-model-bras-in-runway-event/

Here is the feature of the week, Michelle’s firsts Michelle walked down to the barn this week. She helped with an animal wellness check. She helped gather eggs and start the preliminary investigations of where’s Olaf? By the time we got home she was walking sideways because she was so tired. I am grateful she recovers quickly and the rubbery legs feeling disappeared, but it scares me when she gets so uneasy on her feet. Rarely does one see a squirrel tremble.

Highlights of the week Michelle ventured out to the apiary this week. Our apiarists and friend helped us check our apiary this week and Michelle was there for a few minutes when we started. Michelle has always loved taking care of the “ladies” and really misses the interaction of being an apiarist. I could see she was feeling excitement but also a little trepidation because she did not want to get stung. After about 5 minutes at the apiary, I brought her back home. Her smile was wide and large as I guided her back to the couch. Keeping with the squirrel theme of the week, I told her I was nuts about her and I went back down to finish the apiary check.

Random Fact of the Week Do you ever wonder why your eyes get puffy after crying? It's because emotional tears are waterier, they're less salty than basic tear secretions and the tissue in your eye. So, through the process of osmosis, the water moves into the saltier ocular tissues, which makes them swell up.

Luck Ranch Picture Palace Daytime All eyes were on “Station 19” this week, as this was the fire and rescue procedural series. Practically raised at Seattle's Station 19, Andy Herrera is a confident firefighter who is also the daughter of Pruitt Herrera, the formidable head of the firehouse. “Survivor”, “Next Level Chef” and “Fire Country” were also kept up to date.

Primetime at Luck Ranch Picture Palace Hockey once again was a nightly scene, as we watched the Minnesota Wild’s dreams of a Stanley cup slowly fade. I may or may not have been following the NFL draft live on my phone while we watched other things on the TV. “Mayor of Kingston” (Paramount +) has been the thriller series of choice this week. We re-watched the movie “CODA” (Apple TV) this week. Ruby is the only hearing member of a deaf family from Gloucester, Massachusetts. At 17, she works mornings before school to help her parents and brother keep their fishing business afloat. We watched the finale of “Schmigadoon” (Apple TV). It ended just the way we expected. It was a fun “musical” to watch for us. We can’t wait to start watching season 2 to find out what happens next, both him and her.

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Appetizers

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Ham and Cheese loaf

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Angel hair pasta and chopped sirloin

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Unicorns Aren't Real

I promised rainbows and unicorns, as this journey rages on, you will have to settle for just the rainbow. Sorry folks, unicorns aren’t real. I find myself picking days and weeks I like better. This past week was a week that I liked. There were only two appointments. The first was the original oncologist. She was once again very impressed with Michelle’s progress. She has suggested that she be put in for some experimental cancer studies. It is interesting that we went from “Chemo or hospice” to now exploring the idea of experimental cancer studies. The oncologist talked positively about Michelle’s TCFL2 numbers. These are HMG proteins that play important roles in remodeling the assembly of cells. During the meeting prior to the immunotherapy infusion, Michelle asked if she could start her hydroxychloroquine, which she takes for rheumatoid arthritis pain. The oncologist explained that the immunotherapy was probably the culprit of the rheumatoid inflammation. She made the decision to push the infusion for 7 days and put her on 20mg of the steroid prednisone. Prednisone, a glucocorticoid steroid, is a very potent anti-inflammatory. She is scheduled for her infusion next Wednesday, same bat time, same bat channel. As I edit and finish typing this Sunday morning, I can update you all that the prednisone has not helped with the arthritis pain unfortunately. She has an appointment with the rheumatologist on Monday.

The new oncologist’s office called to schedule an appointment for 5:45pm Friday evening. Asking for more options, the scheduler said how about Monday May 1st at 5:30pm?  Michelle’s comment was, “Does this oncologist not have a personal life?” We packed a picnic dinner and headed out for our late appointment Friday evening at 4pm. The staff leaves the building at 5pm, so we needed to be there at 4:30 to get checked in. We enjoyed the new oncologist's openness, and she seems to have a great knowledge in her field. We are excited to start down this new path.

Pluses include her willingness to listen and share information. Her openness to new and experimental testing. Liking quiet and quaint meetings, private and to herself. She knows all of Michelle’s other doctors. She knew by name the doctors and surgeons that have seen and are currently seeing Michelle.

Not sure about Waiting over an hour to see the doctor and having to bring dinner with us, because it was at dinner time. There was a shadow box on the wall with a studded bra inside, neither of us knew what to think of that.

Here is the feature of the week Michelle’s firsts. We gave our dog Izzie a shower. This is not an easy task for anyone. Izzie rolled in cow manure. It's instinctual behavior, harkening back to the days when a dog's wild ancestors would mask their scent to help them sneak up on their prey. Wolves, for example, have been observed rolling in animal carcasses or the droppings of plant-eating animals, to cover up their own smell during the hunt. Concerned about Izzie’s scent, we brought her to a dog whisperer and later found out she was trying to help Michelle. The immune system is known to be stimulated by the inhalation of bacterial cell wall components called "endotoxin" that become airborne as cow manure dries up. Exposure to cow manure may explain why dairy farmers have substantially lower rates of lung cancer despite smoking. Who'd thunk it? We all felt much better after she was all clean.

Highlights of the week Michelle ventured out to an Asian Market for coffee and muffins with the ladies. She had a great time getting out and spending time without her overprotective husband hovering over her constantly. She also got her makeup done and manicured this week!

Daytime Ranch at the Multiplex Michelle started a new series called “From” (Amazon Prime). The residents of a small-town struggle to find a way out when mysterious unknown forces keep them from leaving. She continues to enjoy “East New York” (Paramount +). She stays current with “Survivor” and “Fire Country”. Her guilty pleasures are “911”, “FBI: Most Wanted”, and recently went old school with “Third Watch” a 1999 drama with Firefighters, paramedics and cops that rush around during the 3 p.m.-to-midnight shift, saving lives while squabbling over personal differences.

Luck Primetime Multiplex It is prime Stanley Cup season and the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche are both in the playoffs – this week. We are actively watching both teams play. We normally only get to watch just one period before bedtime, then watch the rest of the game the next day.

At the request of Michelle’s cousin, we started watching a new series on (Freevee) called “Jury Duty” It follows the workings of an American jury trial through the eyes of Ronald Gladden, a juror who is unaware the entire case is fake. It's a good comedy.

We are still watching “The Night Agent” and “Schmigadoon”.

We finished the finale of “Truth be Told” (Apple TV) . It had a great twist at the end. It is worth a watch.

This week at “The Promiscuous Knife”  Where not everything here makes the cut.

Luck Ranch tomahawk pork chops made a debut. Fresh off the grill at 130 degrees. Rested then cut up for consumption.

 Luck Ranch Honey garlic with a Cornish cross chicken made for a great dinner over white jasmine rice and fried corn and maybe some hidden bran sprinkled intermittently.

Rancho de la suerte Pollo Cremoso, made in a roux broth with cream and condensed milk, soy sauce and Worcester sauce. Served with cheesy rice and steamed carrots.

Classic stovetop salmon was the perfect message that Michelle was feeling great. Michelle made it taste delicious as usual.

I made Shrimp fried in avocado oil accompanied with French fries and cauliflower rice. Made with love

Chopped meat raspberry marinade with bowtie pasta was on the menu this week. It was the brainchild of Brian Luck. Probably not for you and not a make again.

BLT sandwiches – picnic style, accompanied with a bag of Lays potato chips and some fresh fruit. This was served up at the doctor’s office. We ate while we text and played games on our phones.

Random Fact of the Week Fire ant bites burn like fire. A single ant stings an average of three times before removing its stinger. Ask me how I know. Stings are most common and most painful during the summer when ants have the largest amount of stored venom (saved up just for you). The most common reaction to a fire ant sting you will find is intense itching and a burning sensation (fire-like) at the site of stings. A common site is in vegetable and flower gardens, next to or in the weeds. You will scratch it.

http://www.TalkingAboutCancerMakesHerCry.edu

Rainbows and Unicorns

If you think everything here at the Luck Ranch is always rainbows and unicorns, you’d best stop reading this update and move onto the next. Michelle’s week was full. It started on Monday at the foot doctor. She has an ingrown toenail that has been bothering her for a few weeks. The earliest we could get her in was this past Monday morning. After a quick visit with the doc, she decided to get the toenail cut back. When we told our family foot doctor of 22 years about Michelle's cancer diagnosis, she got emotional. After the podiatrist left the examination room, I climbed up on the one-person Podiatry examination chair with her and held her close. The nurse came in and caught us hugging on the chair with four legs but definitely built for one body. The nurse smiled feebly. I didn’t move, I held Michelle tightly while the mean nurse stuck her with the huge needle. (It wasn’t that big, it just felt big to Michelle) Her soft squeal was adorable yet cacophonic to listen to. I knew I couldn’t help her; all I could do was hold her. I climbed down off the podiatrist chair because it was uncomfortable for both of us.  When The doctor came back in, he started slowly cutting away at her toenail, he soon realized she was not numb enough. He had to stick her yet again. She’s a living pincushion I’m telling you. The podiatrist was finally able to get her toe numb enough to cut away the irritation and hopefully prevent it from causing a future nuisance. In our small talk, we mentioned that we were not happy with the oncologist at Texas oncology. He suggested that we try to do a transfer of care due to location and gave us the name of a friend and colleague of his. We didn't know this was a thing. So, a new chapter begins.

We wasted a trip to the oncologist this week. I set a reminder for 1 week out for some reason, then misread it thinking it was this week instead of next. When we got home, I saw Michelle was not in a good place. It is so hard to comfort her because I am not a counselor, and I am not sure what she needs.

I contacted the “LifeLine Lung Cancer Support” center hoping they could help. They assigned Michelle a mentor named Heidi who currently is struggling with small cell lung cancer as well. She talked to Michelle a lot about her own diagnosis, I suppose it may have been good therapy for Heidi. Michelle was not impressed.

Still struggling after hanging up with her “mentor”, I did my best to understand what was going on inside her head. Michelle finally opened up to me and explained that she was feeling like she was taking too many medications. Michelle is a visual person, so I put all her meds on the counter and showed her that all the medication that she is currently taking except for 3 were supplements. This eased her mind. I think she was feeling like she was an old lady with a medicine cabinet full of prescription pills that she needed to take. Once I made her understand this was not the case, she seemed to calm down a lot. Taking daily vitamins (& supplements) is not the same as taking prescription pills.

I logged into the patient portal at Texas oncology and started a transfer request through Michelle’s oncology nurse. While logged in, I looked at the cat scan results from April 4th. The results showed that the mass in her LIVER has slightly increased into a conglomerate mass measuring 48 x 35 mm previously 39 x 30 mm. She is not getting chemotherapy, so this is probably why this is growing/metastasizing. In her LUNGS, the right lower lobe nodule increased from 16 x 10 mm to 16 x 11 mm. There is an increase in the size of a right hilar/infrahilar LYMPH NODE metastasis measuring 36 x 30 mm, previously 21 x 20 mm (.5 in x .4 in difference). This is not a lot but it does mean that the cancer is still active and is still growing. This was compared to a previous scan on February 2nd.  There were a lot of numbers that stayed the same, these were just the ones that changed.

Michelle's current oncologist called on Saturday morning to tell me she approved the transfer of care. She explained there were some minor changes seen on the MRI results from 23 March.

There is positive therapeutic treatment response of previously identified intradural metastasis in the lower neck area (C5-6 level cord surface). This means that they are seeing positive results from immunotherapy.

There is new metastatic focus in the upper neck or the second vertebra of the spine. (Left C2 inferior articular process). In layman's terms, this means new cancer growth from metastasis in the spine.

The immunotherapy appears to be helping and has been approved for this coming Wednesday. We will see this oncologist one last time before we move to a new oncologist in Round Rock. I have discussed the option of chemotherapy with Michelle, and she is thinking about it.

Michelle had an MRI this week. They stuck her only once and besides the 90-minute wait for a 45-minute scan, it was the best MRI experience she has had to date!

Here is the feature of the week, Michelle’s firsts. Michelle was able to walk down to the creek on Bobby Road. She did this pre-clot last December, but this is the first time since December that she has made it that far. She described her legs as if they were rubber when she got home. "Jelly legs" is a common feeling for someone in her condition. I was excited to see she made it as far as she did.

Highlights of the week: Taking Michelle to the barn with me to feed the bees. She didn’t go into the apiary, but it was nice to have her there. She helped me make the sugar water to feed them, then she offered to come with me to the apiary while I fed them. We made a trip to Stephan’s house. It was nice getting out of the house again this week. We watched the movie “Tetris” (Apple TV) together. Henk Rogers discovers Tetris in 1988, and then risks everything by travelling to the Soviet Union, where he joins forces with inventor Alexey Pajitnov to bring the game to the masses.

Random Fact of the Week: There is no copper in a one cent piece. If you wash a penny, you will rub the magnesium alloy off and ruin the penny. (I wonder how I learned this?)

Luckatorium during the day: “Ice Road Truckers”, “Survivor”, “Fire Country”, “Chicago Med”, “So Help Me Todd”.

“The River Murders” (Amazon Prime) A homicide detective (Ray Liotta) investigating a series of murders becomes the prime suspect when the FBI uncovers his close ties to all the victims.

 “The Invitation” (Peacock) After the death of her mother and having no other known relatives, Evie takes a DNA test and discovers a long-lost cousin she never knew she had. Michelle loves a good vampire movie.

Luck Ranch Coliseum: “The Night Agent” (Netflix), “Yellow Jackets” 

“Schmigadoon”(Apple TV) . On a backpacking trip designed to reinvigorate their relationship, a couple discovers a magical town living in a 1940s musical and learn that they can't leave until they find true love. I really liked this one. Michelle is still on the fence with it. It has one of my favorite actresses in it, “Cecily Strong”. I also really like Keegan-Michael Key who plays her boyfriend. It is just the 30-minute show that I have been looking for.

“Zodiac” (Showtime). In the late 1960s and 1970s, fear grips the city of San Francisco as a serial killer called Zodiac stalks its residents. I was not feeling well, so I watched it in a mask, and found myself drifting off frequently throughout the movie. (I had already seen the movie before and liked it) One thing I learned was, the zodiac killer case is still unsolved!

This week “Persnickety’s Pub and Grill” Where she wants everything just so.

Once again, I tried to mix things up a bit. I had a failed attempt at an over cooked pork roast that I pawned off on Brandy and her kids. What should have been cooked for 5 minutes in the Instapot, I cooked for 20! Michelle opted for a hotdog with ketchup.

I thought a potato hotdish would be good too. It wasn’t too bad. Michelle said it was great, but I was a little more critical. I am not sure I will make it the same way again. Maybe next time I will use a recipe rather than just gather a bunch of things I think might be good.

I made a taco salad which is always a hit. It is not always great for leftovers. I still have some leftover taco meat that will probably go to waste.

We enjoyed some more pizza from Grazie! Pizzeria. Where the pizza is just as good on the second day.

One morning I made oatmeal and didn’t realize that our milk ad expired – 10 days earlier. She couldn’t eat oatmeal without milk, so down the drain went to oatmeal and out came the toaster. A cinnamon and raisin bagel with whipped mixed berry cream cheese was a perfect way to make up for a bad start.

We had Turkey and mashed potatoes for our Eater feast. It was a nice change. I am not sure why turkey seems to be a once-a-year meal in our house. I am going to try to change that.

We had a late lunch one day, so we skipped dinner. I made Michelle some corn bread so she didn’t take her pills without food but there was no main course for the evening.

We had a buffalo wings night this week. Deep-fried chicken wings have long been a staple of Southern cooking. We enjoyed them with some French fries and a couple of pieces of fried shrimp and some veggies.

Love, Brian

http://www.ItTastesLikeHerLegsFelt.eww

Given' the Dogs a Bone

We had one appointment this week for a cat scan. It was a morning appointment, and she could not eat or drink prior to the scan. I brought her morning pills and a breakfast donut for her enjoyment on the way home. Missing the vein in one arm and going to the second to get the IV in, took more time than the actual cat scan did.

I got more bills in the mail this week. The first immunotherapy bill made my heart stop. I was dumbfounded when I learned that 1 immunotherapy infusion is $25,440.00. She’s had 5 total infusions, 4 this year. We have only been billed once. Insurance covered all but $1,480.72 from this 1 bill. I spent 30 minutes on a call researching charges. The only charge found was from February. It was for immunotherapy and chemotherapy, which was only $707 interesting enough. I guess poison is cheap. Being she did not have chemotherapy in February, the Texas Oncology billing department will open an investigation into my case and call me back. I called ARA radiology about the out-of-network charges for MRIs while Michelle was in the hospital. It looks like the patient responsibility was released, so no charges are currently noted on my account.

We made it out and about again this week. We went to Lauren’s house again for a visit. This time We brought her some hummingbird food.

We also visited Melinda at Voelker construction. We needed to get something notarized, and Melinda does notarizations. It was great catching up with her. Stan was there to give Michelle a hug of course.

We also went to the post office to drop our taxes off and mail off our notarized paperwork. We stopped for some pizza that we brought home to eat.

Here is the feature of the week Michelle’s firsts After doing chores one evening, I returned to the house and immediately realized that Michelle had washed the dishes while I was gone. I teared up. This is the first time in 5 months that she has hand washed the dishes. This used to be a shared chore, having Michelle help with this now is not just monumental it is a sign of healing and remedial therapy.

Michelle gave the dogs their morning dog bones. Again, not something that sounds too spectacular, but indeed something she has not done since October.

Michelle made her own lunch. This was a first. I was on a call working with a medical billing agent and started her lunch but did not finish it. She got up and finished it. I later asked if she was hungry and she said, “No, I was just trying to be helpful.” These are great strides. I forgot her pills that day because my routine was out of whack, but I was so proud of her.

Highlights of the week: Watching Michelle in the kitchen making sugar water. Michelle made 2 batches of sugar water for the hummingbirds, one for us and one for Lauren. She also made some bee food for the apiary. It was really cool to see her in the kitchen, just like the old days, cooking up some sugar water.

Daytime theater this week was Judy Justice, Survivor, Fire Country and MASH (she finally watched the finale)

Primetime at Luck Ranch “Night agent” (Netflix), “Tell me your Secrets” (Amazon Prime), “Ted Lasso” (Apple TV)

“Finch” (Apple TV) This was a story about a robot that lives on a post-apocalyptic earth which was built to protect the life of his dying creator's beloved dog, it learns about love, friendship, and the meaning of human life. Great story. It even made Michelle emotional. The old Michelle never got emotional at TV shows.

“The Mule” (HBO) Clint Eastwood plays a Broke and alone 90-year-old horticulturist who is facing foreclosure on his business and home. He takes a job as a drug courier for a Mexican cartel.

Minnesota Gopher Hockey. We watched the Gophers lose the national championship in overtime this week. I had to google their opponent Quinnipiac, to find out where it was located.

This week at “What the Truck?” diner: 

Your food might be greasy, but it does wonders for the soul. The menu, cuisine, concept and even the name change constantly at this restaurant.

Fried Chicken sliders with French fries were a hit. There were too many buns prepared, so the hogs ate well on this night.

Bratwurst with a smile were a delicious delight. I usually compliment them with some veggies, but not on this night, just the simple sausage on a bun. Michelle likes hers solo with BBQ sauce.

T-bone steak and Filet Mignon were the birthday feast I made for myself and Michelle. I also made a cake with strawberry cream cheese frosting.

We also enjoyed a pepperoni pizza from “Grazie Pizzeria!” In Manor. “There’s no better feeling in the world than a warm pizza box in your lap.” Michelle said on the way home. We ate it for Medicinal purposes only, I promise.

Michelle was my sous chef when we prepared the sloppy joes one evening. She did great but her legs got tired and felt rubbery towards the end of the task.

We also had some fried fish. It was nasty. Neither one of us finished it. I served some veggies with it, so we filled up on veggies and threw the fish in the trash. We will not be buying that brand of tilapia again.

Frankenstein Stroganoff. What is that you ask? It is a tweaked recipe of Beef Stroganoff. Michelle doesn’t like the texture of onions, so I caramelize them for her. I caramelize the onions using 1/8 tsp of baking soda with some butter in a pan on medium heat. Once the onions are soft and caramelized, I start browning the beef. I add green peppers then a can of chicken soup. Michelle doesn’t like the texture or taste of mushrooms either, so I substitute the cream of mushroom with cream of chicken. I add a little bit of milk and let it cook. Stephan coined it as Frankenstein Stroganoff because of the added tweaks modifications.

Love, Brian

http://www.egocentricass.org

Wild RIde

Buckle your seatbelts, it was a wild ride this week. Michelle had a full day of appointments on Wednesday, which means dealing with Texas Oncology. My confidence in them is getting less and less. Michelle’s appointment with the oncologist was the first appointment of the day. Knowing that Michelle had asked not to hear the results of her MRI, Michelle's oncologist decided it was still in her best interest to tell Michelle anyway. I interrupted her immediately. She looked at Michelle and said “You don’t want to hear this? It is good.” Michelle said NO! She acts like we are not intelligent and would not understand what she is talking about. I think she is not telling the truth when she tells us things about insurance. She told us on our last visit that insurance would only approve immunotherapy every 4 weeks. I found this to be false. After checking with my benefits pro, no insurance procedure code was denied. I questioned her on this during my visit this week and she said she doesn’t know anything about procedure codes and doesn’t mess with this side of the insurance. I have a hard time believing this. When it came time to talk about future treatment, we were told that a brain cat scan must be completed for insurance to approve further immunotherapy maintenance. The oncologist explained that if she is seeing a progression in the cancer, this would indicate to her that the immunotherapy is not working. This is what she says less than 5 minutes after she tries to tell Michelle that her MRI results look great! Something is wrong here. The oncologist just wants Michelle to be on chemotherapy for some reason.

The next appointment was the neurologist. I said in the past that I did not like her, but she has grown on me. She remembered that Michelle did not want to hear the results of the MRI and was willing to speak without Michelle present. The neurologist tested Michelle’s agility and mental state. She was again impressed with her memory and strength. She got an A+ grade and the appointment went by relatively quickly. After Michelle returned to the waiting room, the neurologist and I talked about the MRI results. We decided to set up new MRIs every 6 weeks with contrast. The neurologist said that all the tumors have either disappeared or reduced significantly. She explained that some lesions could be inactive but there are still lesions present. There is no way of telling at this point if things are inactive or if they are slowly growing. It is a waiting game. Microscopically, we do not know what is happening. She talked about the lesions in the brain, even though this is more what the oncologist should have explained to me, not the neurologist. She said that the brain will always remember that the lesions were there. The scarring from the lesions in the brain will never go away.  This was interesting. It doesn’t mean a lot. There is no negative, just that there is scarring, and the brain remembers everything.

A supervisor from Capitol home health came by the house for a final visit. She evaluated Michelle and decided she was best fit to start a physical therapy regimen outside of the home. There is no longer a need for home health care. We are both happy with this.   

The neighbors had a healthy baby boy this week. Hayden Walker Moran. Michelle and I went to their house and spent about an hour with them. Michelle spent the entire time holding the 3-day old baby.

We also made a stop at a different neighbor’s house this week. Lauren Stauss was interested in Michelle’s hummingbird food recipe. We visited for about an hour then we ventured back home. 

Here is the feature of the week, Michelle’s firsts: This might not sound like much, but Michelle answered the door. This can be a daunting task at Luck Ranch. When the doorbell rings at our house, all hell breaks loose. Our beagle Izzie thinks that whoever is at the door, has come to see her and only her. Nothing stops Izzie. She will jump up on whoever came to see her, then roll onto her back and tinkle a little. Titan doesn’t know how big he is and doesn't know that he is in the way. He just wants to make sure whoever you are and that you are safe to enter the house. Unless you just enter the house while we aren’t there, and you know his name. Then he will buddy right up to you. As you can tell by the description above, answering the door could be a challenge. Michelle accepted it! For those curious, it was the home health nurse, and I was on a work call. Another first this week, Michelle made her own doctors appointment. Michelle’s rheumatoid arthritis has returned. She scheduled an appointment to see the rheumatologist. 

There was a time early on in our cancer journey where Michelle was not interested in little ones. Seeing Chele hold Hayden brought joy to my heart, it was the old Michelle. Some advice from me is, enjoy the little things in life because one day you`ll look back and realize these may have been big things. 

Highlights of the week: A stop to the nursery for a few bushes to plant out front. Michelle was excited to get out to the nursery.

Round Rock Donuts is always a highlight, if we get a chance to go, it will be included as a highlight. She loves the early morning drive there and the delicious Crème Bismarck.  

Watching Michelle with Hayden. 

Small Screen Daytime: Judy Justice was the main feature on the  this week. Chicago fire, 911, Survivor and CSI would have also gotten the Michelle’s Emmy awards of the week. 

Primetime Feature: “Yellowjackets” (Showtime). Yellowjackets tells the narrative of a team of high-school girls soccer players who survive a plane crash deep in the Ontario wilderness. This is a dramatization of a Christians Club rugby union plane that crashed in the Andes mountains in 1972. Yellowjackets is nowhere even close to a true story, but it is entertaining! 

Runners up for Michelle’s Primetime Emmy award were: “Ted Lasso”  (Apple TV), “Your Honor” (Paramount +), “Truth be Told” (Apple TV), “Tell me your Secrets” (Amazon Prime Video)

"On the Rocks" (Apple TV). The story of a young mother who reconnects with her larger-than-life playboy father on an adventure through New York. The father is played by Bill Murray, which is what drew us to watch the movie in the first place. 

This week at “Luck’s OptimaBoost Bisto” 

We highlighted Creamy Chicken and Broccoli Divan. This featured dish was presented on a bed of Jasmine rice with a dash of shredded Monterey Jack cheese. 

Also on the menu this week was Beef and Bean Burritos 

Italian sausage 

Hamburgers

Pizza

Beef ranch style skillet

Sous vide chicken breast with rice a roni 

Roasted dark meat chicken with brown gravy, served on a bed of rice with ranch style beans.

Love, Brian

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