Faster than a Dog with a Bone

This week went faster than a dog with a bone. Michelle had 2 physical therapy appointments. She has a love hate relationship with these appointments, but they have harvested good results. She loves that they are making her feel stronger and more capable. She hates going, but what sane person likes being forced to exercise? Every time we leave PT, she is bone tired. One appointment was scheduled for 5:30 pm. Neither of us were looking forward to this late day appointment. A call came in offering an earlier slot that we jumped on. Michelle later confessed she would have “called out” if we kept the 5:30 pm slot.

I forgot to give Michelle her bedtime meds once this week. This was the first time I forgot the bedtime meds. Michelle forgot to take her lunch meds once also. I’m surprised this doesn’t happen more often, but we are good about making the medicine go down. Make no bones about it, that dark chocolate has close to a spoonful of sugar in it.

I asked Michelle if she felt stronger. She said she works herself to the bone at physical therapy but can’t really tell if she is stronger. She is sore when she leaves which means she is building endurance. She said she feels much stronger mentally, even though her legs feel like mushy tomatoes.

Here is the feature of the week, Michelle’s first Michelle made her first attempt at crocheting this week. It wasn’t much, just a chain stitch. Making something from nothing has always been her specialty. She said she is looking for an easy pattern to start with. I was as excited as a dog with 2 tails to see her crocheting again. I hope to see more of this soon.

Highlight of the week Michelle helped me bake cookies this week. I decided to make some cookies. I gathered all the fixings and mixed them all up in the kitchen-aid. My computer started to make some noise telling me that work needed my attention. Unfortunately, this meant that the baking would need to wait until work slowed or was done for the day. Michelle stepped up to the task and baked the cookies for me. She only burned herself twice (I learned this the following day).

Random Fact of the Week A dog’s sense of smell is approximately 100,000 times better than a human. Dogs can be trained to detect cancer and other diseases in humans. Cancerous cells release different metabolic waste products than healthy cells in the human body. Dogs may even be able to sniff out cancer cells simply through smelling someone's breath.

Dog Gone Daytime TV Michelle enjoyed watching “Fractured” (Netflix) After his wife and injured daughter disappear from the emergency room, a man becomes convinced the hospital is hiding something. Not buried in the garden either, An appropriate movie for Mental Health awareness month. She also watched “Ford Vs. Ferrari” (YouTube) American automotive designer Carroll Shelby and fearless British race car driver Ken Miles battle corporate interference, the laws of physics and their own personal demons to build a revolutionary vehicle for the Ford Motor Co. Together, they plan to compete against the race cars of Enzo Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France in 1966.

Dog Gone Primetime TV This week’s featured presentation was “A Man Named Otto” (Netflix). When a lively young family moves in next door, grumpy widower Otto Anderson meets his match in a quick-witted, pregnant woman named Marisol, leading to an unlikely friendship that turns his world upside down. The new featured series of the week was “FUBAR” (Netflix) When a father and daughter discover they both secretly work for the CIA, an already dicey undercover mission turns into a dysfunctional family affair. “Ted Lasso” (Apple TV) has just one episode left this season. We finished “Jury Duty” (Freevee). A silly series that followed a fake trial profiling a clueless juror who had no idea he was the only one unaware the entire series was fake.

“3 Dog Night Saloon”

The Menu

Appetizers

Pear & Cottage Cheese parfait

Potato chips

Vanilla Oreo Cookies

Entrees

Smoked Paprika Chicken Thighs

Swiss Steak (the name comes from the "swissing" technique for tenderizing meat, not the country)

Luck Beef Meatloaf

Beef tlaxcalli

Creamy Poblano Cornish Cross (garden fresh poblano peppers)

Boston Butt Shredded Sliders

Philly Cheesesteak Goulash

Sides

Jasmine Rice

Tater Tots

French Fries

Peas

Sweet Corn

Frozen Vegetable Mix

Deserts

Ghirardelli Chocolate Chip Cookies

Dark Chocolate

Drinks

Lemonade

Fenbendazole Lemonade (Otherwise known as chalk)

La Croix (Berry and Razz-Cranberry)

Coffee

Water

https://BarkingUpTheWrongTree.gov

My Castle is my Home

My home is my castle, she softly said, as we backed out of the driveway for her bi-weekly physical therapy (PT) appointment. Every day Michelle is getting stronger and more confident, she just isn’t sold on the idea she had to leave the house. She is liking her PT appointments though; her therapist is challenging her to get stronger and stay motivated.

Michelle had immunotherapy this week. She was nervous this week because it was a new location with new people and unknown expectations. “I’m sick of this bull crap, can we just stay home?” She asked. Chateau de infusion is no Fortress de Luck. Her anxiety was high, but it was calming to see such nice and inviting nurses and nursing assistants. It was more than a job to the nurses; it was like they were taking care of their own family. This was Michelle’s 8th immunotherapy infusion, and it is the first time the lab work was taken from the port. Not getting futile needle sticks is great news. Michelle was excited to hear she could go in the Luck resort hot tub if she wants. The scheduler has scheduled infusions through July already. He was nice enough to schedule more than just one month of infusions, giving us a schedule to plan from. I always wondered why they scheduled her infusions one at a time, scheduling those months in advanced makes so much more sense. We did not see the oncologist. We saw her nurse. We will see the oncologist every 3 weeks, unless there is reason to see her more often.

Back at the Castle von Lüch, I asked Michelle how she was feeling about the new facility and if she was impressed with the staff at the new infusion location. Her response was stoic. For Michelle, virtue and character are all that matter. The approach to this cancer journey isn't about her being a great role model and being strong, because in the end it doesn't really matter. I told her she is an inspiration to all that know her. “You’re too much” she said, then she thanked me for "trying" to encourage her. We both chuckled a bit.

Highlight of the week It never gets old seeing Michelle in her garden. This week she was harvesting peppers. I wasn’t sure what she was up to when I saw her in the garden this week. It didn’t take long for me to see that she had 2 arms full of poblano peppers. I thought to myself, she may have one too many peppers. She turned to shut the portcullis to the garden, dropping peppers as she turned. Latching the gate is unavailing I thought, as I watch another pepper fall to the ground. When Michelle finally made it back to the fortress, she was tired. She said her back hurt. That didn’t stop her from roasting the peppers she just harvested.

Random Fact of the Week At first, castles were built for military and government means. As centuries went on, hostilities subsided, and wealth started to flow during Renaissance, nobility and royalty started to create vanity castles that were used to be summer houses, hunting houses and royal houses. One more interesting fact. The word “dungeon” was derived from the word “"donjon” which described central keep of the castle. Because those keeps were dark, cold, and often housed prisoners, the word dungeon was born.

Fortress Daytime Television Michelle was into watching “The Devil in Ohio” (Netflix) this week. A psychiatrist takes in a young patient who escaped from a cult, putting her family and life in danger. She is also enjoying “Lore” (Prime Video) Lore is an American horror anthology television series developed by the creator of the podcast of the same name, Aaron Mahnke, with Valhalla Entertainment and Propagate Content. She enjoyed watching “BattleBots” this week as well.

Primetime Fortress Television We watched the movie “Burn” (HULU) Melinda is a lonely and unstable gas-station attendant who's tired of being overshadowed by her more confident and outgoing co-worker. When a robber holds up the station at gunpoint, Melinda tries to make a connection with the desperate thief. It was slow in the middle.

Michelle and I started watching a new series called “The Last Thing He Told Me” (Apple TV) The main character Hannah, who is played by Jennifer Garner, must forge a relationship with her 16-year-old stepdaughter, Bailey, to find the truth behind why her husband has mysteriously disappeared.

We finally watched the final episode of “The Night Agent” (Netflix). Great TV. There are scenes that are loud, but it is an exciting series to watch.

“Alcazar De La Suerte”

The Menu

Appetizers

Fruit Cocktail

Pear & Cottage Cheese parfait

Potato chips

Entrees

Chilly Mac

Huevos Rancheros Sandwiches

Biscuits and Gravy (Michelle was not a fan)

Bratwurst

Turkey Peperoni Pizza

Smoked Paprika Chicken thighs

Sweet Garlic Ginger Baked Salmon

Sides

Angel Hair Pasta

Jasmine Rice

Fried Corn

Campesina Blend Frozen Veggie mix

Cauliflower Rice

Deserts

Brownies

Hershey’s Dark Chocolate Squares

Cookies

Drinks

Lemonade

La Croix (Berry and Razz-Cranberry)

Waterloo Sparking Water (Blackberry Lemonade)

Coffee

Water

http://ManorMansionOnSparks.gov

A Hard Nut to Crack

Michelle can be a hard nut to crack sometimes. This week we had an orchard of appointments. We started the week with a Physical Therapy (PT) appointment. She said her legs felt like a stale pistachio, all rubbery. I told her, this means that whatever they are doing, is working. She is not convinced. Honestly, she is just a homebody. I asked her later in the week if she felt physically stronger. She said it feels like things are moving in that direction, but it is too early to tell, which is fair.

Michelle’s neurologist has really come out of her shell. Michelle’s short-term memory has declined in recent weeks, so we expressed this concern with the neurologist. She explained that the brain is like any muscle, with exercise and training it can improve. She was also honest about expectations. The lesion scars in the brain will never go away. Learning the best way to learn and grow from this will be our new way of life. More tears flowed when we heard this. It can be overwhelming. She will take things one step at a time. Michelle has cracked a few games on her phone that specifically target her memory. One is a word search game. Another game she plays is a treasure searching game. They both stimulate the brain. I am not convinced they will help her short term memory. Some studies show that brain training games are not effective, the recollection and work that the brain does during these games does keep her mind fresh and alert.

We had some rough patches early in the week, most of them were memory related. A lot of the feelings are fear. Michelle has had a hard time remembering what she had for lunch for quite some time now. A good work around for her was to say that she had leftovers. This is true 100% of the time. While it does not exercise good memory tactics, I can’t fault her for ingenuity. Recently she started to forget her dinner meal. I know there are things she’s forgetting but choosing not to ask or share them with me. I can’t imagine how scary this would be. It drives me nuts not to be able to make it all better for her.

Here is the feature of the week Michelle disappeared while I was working this week, as she often does. Sometimes it’s a walk out front, or maybe out back to look at the wildflowers. On this day she had been gone for quite some time and I started getting concerned. I first looked outside through my front windows. Not seeing her, I panicked slightly. I went outside and softly called her name. Not hearing her I look around both corners of the house. She was still nowhere in sight. I looked down Sparks Rd to see if she ventured out for a quick walk, no sign of her there. No sign on Bobby Rd either. My heart started to race a bit more, so I quickly walked into the house to do a quick look around before I went into panic overload. Silly Brian. She was in the shower this whole time. She walked out of the bathroom fully dressed and freshly showered and said, “Hi baby”. Excitement and relief filled my heart. This was her first solo shower since October 19th, 2022.

Highlight of the week My favorite Michelle memory this week was watching her in the vegetable garden taking pictures and admiring the spring growth. I miss seeing her in the garden daily. When I do see her there, it’s always a highlight.

Random Fact of the Week One nut you have likely never seen in the shell is the macadamia, and for good reason. Unlike opening a peanut or a pistachio, it takes some serious muscle to extract the edible nut from its shell: 300 pounds of pressure per square inch to be exact, making it the hardest nut in the world to crack!

Daytime NutChele on the Tel Michelle started watching SWAT for the first time this year. She is definitely not watching it for the acting. I think the Shemar Moore eye candy helps move the show along. Station 19 has also been a staple during the day. Michelle is also enjoying the Chicago trilogy, Chicago Med, Chicago Fire and even Chicago PD. She kind of likes Hank Voight. I know some of you have mentioned how much they really dislike this character.

Nighttime NutChele on the Tel Tel We did not watch as much TV together this week. Recent rains bring a lot of maintenance to the ranch. When we did settle in together, we watched “Ted Lasso” (Apple TV), “Schmigadoon” (Apple TV) and “Jeff Dunham – The Bull Calf” with our grandchildren. Vivian’s favorite puppet is “Peanut”.

“Marshall” (Netflix) was the featured movie this week. The movie is based on a true story from the 1940’s. NAACP lawyer, Thurgood Marshall faces one of his greatest challenges while working as a lawyer for the NAACP. Marshall travels to conservative Connecticut when wealthy socialite Eleanor Strubing accuses Black chauffeur Joseph Spell of sexual assault and attempted murder. Thurgood Marshall was born in 1908. Not related to this movie, but interesting to note, Thurgood Marshall was confirmed as the first Black person to serve as a Supreme Court Justice in 1967. This was the hit movie of the week.

“NutChele Cafe”

THE MENU

Appetizers

Hershey’s Chocolate Bar

Potato Chips

Mandarin Oranges

Entrees

Mexican Enchiladas

Taco Salad

Turkey Pepperoni Pizza

Honey Garlic salmon with sweet homemade sriracha sauce

Philly Cheese Steak Goulash

Potato Hamburger Hash

Garlic Roasted Chicken

Sides

Pan Seared Mixed Vegetables

Jasmine Rice

Fresh Green Beans

Peas

Cauliflower Rice

Deserts

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Dark Heavenly Brownies

Vanilla Ice Cream

Baskin Robbins Mint Chocolate Chip

Drinks

Lemonade

La Croix (Berry, Lemon and Razz-Cranberry)

Waterloo Sparking Water (Blackberry Lemonade)

Coffee

Water

http://DeliciouslyNutso.edu

Not a Happy Camper

Being from Minnesota, I love camping. Michelle hates it, she always has. Michelle had her first, outside the house physical therapy (PT) appointment this week. She was not a happy camper. There are many things Michelle likes, on the top of the list is sleep. Her appointment was first thing in the morning, and I needed to wake her up, so we would not be late. Luckily, we are only 10 minutes away from the PT facility. We had some bagels and cream cheese for breakfast (I snuck some bran under the cream cheese) then we headed out to her appointment. I thought it went well. She was the only person in the room. It was her first appointment, so she was being evaluated for her needs and strengths. The therapist, asked her what her goals were. Michelle initially shrugged and said “nothing”. Then she thought about it and said she would like to drive again one day.

After the appointment, we discussed the positives and negatives of PT. Michelle seemed down about the whole experience. I asked her if someone stole her tent and made her sleep in the open air? If you think she wasn’t a happy camper because of a lack of sleep, you should have seen the look I got after that comment. After pulling some teeth and tent poles, the truth finally surfaced. She didn’t like the mask. We decided to talk to the staff at the PT facility and let them know that we are hyper aware of germs and infection. We asked that they try to keep Michelle at least 6 feet from other patrons. The therapist suggested they may just disappear behind a closed door if things get too busy in the PT room. Loaded with this information, Michelle had a great second appointment. She came home tired from the exercises but satisfied she did not have the constriction of a mask. Michelle has been seen exercising around the kitchen island with an exercise band being used for resistance.

Here is the feature of the week Michelle planted her first plant this week. I bought an annual from Home Depot to replace one that died due to lack of sun. I took it out front and I was going to start repotting it when Michelle appeared on my right shoulder. “I’ll do it” she said soft and sweet. That’s my happy camper. My sweet ladybug.

Highlights of the week My highlight this week was watching Michelle out on the back patio every morning, enjoying the view of Luck Lake. Listening to the birds sing and the chirp and chit sounds of the hummingbirds warbling. You can tell this always puts her in a happy place.

Minutes passed at Luck Simulcast This week “The Exorcist” was the featured series to pass the daytime hours. Michelle sure does know how to pick out the horror. Michelle also watched “Survivor” and “Next Level Chef”. She seems to be enjoying the throwback series “Third Watch”.

Simulcast Nightly Michelle has spent a few nights alone this week. Recent rains mean our 20 acres needs my attention after work. I’ve been given the nickname “ADHD kid” for some reason. It's also the "Ole white dude on the corner." But who keeps track of nicknames? 

When we did watch simulcasts together, we watched “Ted Lasso” (Apple TV) “Jeff Dunham Unhinged in Hollywood” (Netflix). Jeff Dunham is Michelle’s top comedian. We had tickets to go see him in Las Vegas in October. Unfortunately, that trip was canceled. 

Throwback Story We watched “Whose line is it anyway?” (HBO). When Michelle and I were dating, we used to call each other every night. We would watch whose line together, on the phone. That was 22 years ago, before internet streaming was big. It still makes us giggle.

Random Fact of the Week Sometimes given the nickname of flying jewels, Hummingbirds cannot walk. Hummingbirds can only perch or scoot sideways. They belong to the bird order Apodiformes (meaning “footless”), which also includes other great aerialists with tiny feet, the swifts. Small feet are an asset both for swifts and hummingbirds because they reduce drag in flight, making these birds more aerodynamic.

“Luck Ranch Potted Planter”

THE MENU

Appetizers

Pear & Cottage Cheese parfait

Mint girl scout cookies

Hershey’s Chocolate Bar

Entrees

Mexican Gorditas

Cheesy Mac with hamburger

Sweet Italian sausage

Angel hair Spaghetti and 3 meat meatballs

Sous Vide Chicken Breast

Wings-n-Luck

Fried Shrimp

Sides

Mezcla Frozen Veggie Mix

Cauliflower Rice

Corn

Broccoli

Rice and pasta blend in Cheddar sauce

Deserts

Chocolate chip cookies

Michelle’s Brownies

Chocolate

Drinks

Lemonade

La Croix (Berry and Razz-Cranberry)

Coffee with homemade creamer

Water

http://PottePlantFever.edu