Busier than a Nurse Bee

 Michelle has been busier than a nurse bee on a baby bee’s birthday. Michelle started her week with another physical therapy appointment. Upon leaving her therapist suggested plenty of water and ibuprofen for the pain. Michelle smiled and said, “He worked me today”.

Michelle’s left foot decided to get an ingrown toenail. She had a small round red area showing a little infection but not as bad as last time. Different foot and less of an infection. This time after a quick numbing needle, the family foot doctor cut back the ingrown toenail and relieved the agony of defeat. He was so excited to see Michelle and raved about how good she looked and how great her new hair style was.

Michelle had an MRI of the Thoracic and Cervical Spine with and without contrast. The IV was not too painful and the contrast did not hurt this time going in. Finding the correct imaging facility was clutch. Michelle also met with her oncologist. She wants to get a PET scan after the next chemo treatment. We were also told that the chemotherapy medicine she has been getting called carboplatin is currently experiencing a shortage nationwide. I read that there have been manufacturing problems in certain plants. Sometimes even one drug manufacturer having a problem can disrupt the entire market for that drug. Michelle’s therapy will be replaced with a similar drug called oxaliplatin. Hopefully there will be no side effects with the new drug.

Michelle also saw the neurologist this week. She was happy to see Michelle and commented on her progress. She thinks that Michelle is stronger than she has ever seen her since being diagnosed with cancer. There was some growth in one area of the cervical spine, but no changes were seen in the Thoracic images. We will see the neurologist again in 6weeks, this time to examine the MRIs of the brain and Lumbar.

Highlight of the week This week it was a walk down to Luck Lake. The drought has caused the ground to crack, and it is very uneven. Michelle is not very agile on her feet anymore, so assistance was needed. If she starts to fall, I am there for her. Coming back to the house was tougher than getting down to the lake. We went to check on Diesel the duck. He had lost his color, so it was hard to tell if it was him or Salina on the lake.  When the breeding season is over, the colorful plumage of male ducks’ changes into plain plumage like that of the females, as it is more advantageous for them to be inconspicuous, even if just for a short period until fall. I noticed on Monday that unfortunately, he has been alone most of the week, which means we have lost Salina to the beasts of the night.

Random Fact of the Week Young female adult honey bees normally function as nurse bees. Their primary job is the feeding of young brood. Special glands in the head and mouth are well developed to produce the nutritious food needed by growing bee larvae. As the worker ages a bit, her wax glands and alarm pheromone glands starts to mature. This is preparing her for her role as a comb builder, a guard bee, forager and even a scout bee. Nurse bees have a stinger and can sting but they do not normally need to – it is not their job. Bee stings are reserved for hive defense and that is the job of older workers.

Did you know? Michelle’s first car was a ford pinto. She couldn't keep it because it was totaled. She rolled it and walked away with only a bum knee.

Throwback Love Story As I have mentioned before, I like camping. We have made several trips up and down IH35 through Oklahoma to Minnesota. An area that intrigued me as we drove through it was called The Arbuckle Mountains in south-central Oklahoma. It was hilly but definitely not mountainous. As you drive through you see signs for The Arbuckle Wilderness Park and Turner Falls Park. I decided it we needed to go back. I thought I discussed it with Michelle but looking back on it now, it probably went a lot like “we should take a trip to the Arbuckle Mountains” her reply was probably, “ok”. This was enough for me to plan and execute the perfect mountain vacation for this Colorado woman.

We had purchased a popup camper and had it for about a year and I thought this would be a great time to put it to use. It was the summer of 2004. Chris and Stephan stayed home so it was just Michelle, Alanmichael and me who enjoyed the trip. The wilderness was great. We did not get to see any wild animals, but we really enjoyed the campgrounds, surrounding water and swimming areas, trails and random waterfalls here and there. Alanmichael brought me back to my childhood, making friends at every campsite near and far. We hiked to what I thought was Turner Falls, which was not impressive at all. I later learned Turner falls was in a completely different region that we were in, and this unimpressive waterfall was just that, a random waterfall. We never did see Turner Falls that trip.

I remember the temperatures reaching triple digits and finding Michelle under the awning of the camper crocheting. It was about 4pm and Alanmichael and I just got back from exploring the area. I asked Michelle, why are you out here? It is ONE THOUSAND degrees. She smiled and said, “well it’s TWO THOUSAND degrees in YOUR canvas camper”. We didn’t need an air conditioner in Minnesota, so I never gave much thought to owning a canvas camper and trying to keep it cool in the heat of the deep south. Luckily the AC was able to keep up at night, so we stayed comfortable. I look back now and think how naïve I was, not only did my bride hate camping, but she was also miserably hot and crocheting in triple digit heat was not her idea of fun. We made it back to Austin without melting and even better yet still married. The canvas ass camper (my words, not hers) was sold 2 months later.

Deep Thoughts The word determined is defined as to cause (something) to occur in a particular way; be the decisive factor in. It can also mean to ascertain or establish exactly, typically because of calculation. As Michelle and I continue our journey, we are determined to meet each day head on. I learned that she could do anything, but she can't do everything, at least not at the same time. We are making the best of what we have today and living each to the fullest. Timing is everything.

Honeycomb Daytime TV “The Rookie” (HULU), “The Lincoln Lawyer” (Netflix), “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” (Paramount +)

Capped Honey Primetime “Quarterback” (Netflix), “The Unit – Thoughts of the field” (Hulu), “The Cube” (YouTube TV), “America’s Got Talent” (YouTube TV)

“Bees Never Sleep Salon”

The Menu

Dancing Bee Delights

Dilly Bar

Mint Girl scout cookies

Fancy Marshmallows

Ice Cream Sundae

The Nectar

Fried Cod

Fajita Chicken stir fry

Creamy Mushroom Chicken

Italian Sausage

Parmesan Cheese Chicken and Pasta

Jambalaya

Shrimp

Royal Jelly

Carrots

Peas

Mixed veggies

Fries

Tots

Sugar Water

Lemonade

Water

Love you,

Brian

www.1beeMakes-half-teaspoon-HoneyInItsEntireLife.com