Grabbing the Bull by the Balls

Michelle grabbed the bull by the balls this week. 2 successful surgeries, 2 MRIs, poking and prodding for labs, an appointment with the neurologist and a spinal tap. That’s enough to put a lot of people in a loony bin, Michelle took it head on. Each day she was tired but mentally strong, weak but not weary. 4 of the past 7 days were filled with appointments, some days she had multiple doctors demanding her attention.  

The results of the MRIs were not as good as we wanted. There was another new cancer “spot” in the brain. The neurologist wasn’t sure if this was something that went undetected because it was microscopic or if it is truly new. It is something she wants to keep an eye on. There have been some other areas that have shown growth in the brain. The lumbar MRI appeared to be unchanged. Dr. Gosling has ordered another brain MRI in 6 weeks instead of waiting 12 and this is when she will see Michelle again. 

The chemotherapy is definitely showing wear and tear on Michelle. She needs assistance walking significant distances. She gets tired quickly and sleeps a lot. She has exercises and stretches she does while not being mobile that help with her strength. Her brain is telling her she can, when she does, she gets tired quickly, then takes a break.

Highlight of the week Michelle has had a rough time getting around lately. We have been using her wheelchair more often than not, it stays in the car instead of the garage like it used to. This week she was throwing away a dead flower arrangement that was on the counter. Instead of throwing them in the trash, she decided to take them outside and throw them in the pasture. I talked her into letting me walk with her and we used the driveway instead of the bumpy pasture. It’s very difficult to describe how this small feat was such a big highlight.

Random Fact of the Week The “Rocky Mountain Oyster” is a bit of misdirection, as the delicacy is actually not an oyster at all, but testicles from sheep, bulls, or pigs that can be prepared in a variety of ways. (Breaded and fried might be the most popular.) Why the oysters label? Because testicles are rather slimy when raw. And probably don't sound as tempting when written on a menu. Many of you know that Bruce’s Bar in Severance, Colorado has carved out a niche as the premier place to try a plate. Michelle’s mom lives about 10 minutes away from Bruce’s bar.

Did you know?  Michelle doesn’t like Sushi. She loves fish and seafood but does not care for Sushi. After digging deeper, I learned that this was not a taste thing for her. The pieces are too big for her to eat, and it is difficult to cut.

Throwback Love Story From 2002 through 2005, Michelle and I lived in the Austin city limits. The raised ranch house was not too close to downtown. The house was built in the late 70’s so we were always doing upgrades it seemed. I added a storage area onto the back of the garage that we used for Christmas decorations and other things you might store in the attic but hate going up there to get. I also removed 2 tall evergreen bushes that grew 20 foot tall. They completely masked the view of the front windows and were starting to mask the view of our bedroom windows upstairs as well. I replaced the bushes with a concrete pad we used as a patio to enjoy cool evenings when we had them. This really brightened the living room up a lot. Michelle learned how to install laminate flooring at this house. I remember us working together on this flooring project and at some point, at the beginning Michelle saying “Ok look, this is not going to work. This is NOT going to be a 2-person job, so one of us must sit this one out” Hearing the passion in her voice, I knew what this meant. She did great! We also remodeled our kitchen. Michelle taught me how to tile floors at this house. She never ceases to amaze me.

After all these upgrades, one sticks out. The master bathroom remodel. We never take baths and have always wanted a walk-in shower. Knowing we could handle this job together; Michelle and I were aggressive with our approach. We tore out the tub and stripped everything down to the studs. We took all the cabinets out and removed the toilet. Starting now with a shell, we slowly pieced together our dream bathroom. One Sunday night, I almost burned the house down, trying to sweat a pipe in the attic leading into the bathroom’s soon to be shower. Needing a copper water fitting 5 minutes AFTER closing time, I snuck in the out door at Lowes, so we could get the water turned back on that night. No showers for the pre-teens before school could prove to be disastrous.

Getting the shower pan perfect was the hardest part of the walk-in shower project. Of course, I left this to Michelle. She did an absolute perfect job – both times. Forming the shower pan with concrete takes patience and great attention to detail. After 45 minutes of the perfectionist working, she finally got it perfect. Now it was my turn. I needed to get the electricity wired properly. The outlet was inside the shower area, so I was reaching around, squeezing wire nuts together, methodically working my electrical magic. One last thing to check I thought, let me look quick and “SPALT” size 10 footprint right in the concrete pan. My heart sank. My face turned red, and I could feel my body temperature rise.  I stood there for a second not believing what I just did. Michelle was not in the room at the time. I slowly removed my shoe, hoping the concrete would magically move back into place. It didn’t. I tried to cover up my mistake. I couldn’t. “MICHELLE” “Yea, um, you know how great of a job you did on that shower pan? Do you think you could do it again?” I slept on the couch for a week after that. Everything turned out okay, but it was never as good as the first time. I never heard the end of it either. 

Deep Thoughts If you had to give a speech detailing all the knowledge you have right now about cancer, how long do you think the speech would be? What would you say? Could you inspire change in “Big Pharma”? There is a shortage in chemotherapy drugs right now and Michelle's treatment was recently changed from carboplatin to cisplatin. We were told the companies that make the drugs do not make a profit on them. Who cares about the cancer patients, right?

Cowbell Daytime “Big Brother” (Paramount +), “The Challenge” (HULU), “Halloween Baking Championship” (Food Network), “The Rookie” (HULU), “Farm Life”

Primetime Heifers “The Challenging” (Apple TV) 4 out of 5 (★★★★) Michelle stars. Apollo and Emma's love story is a fairy tale, until Emma mysteriously vanishes; bereft, Apollo finds himself on a death-defying odyssey through a New York City he didn't know existed.

“The Rental” (Netflix) 2 out of 5 (★★) Michelle stars. Two couples on an oceanside getaway grow suspicious that the host of their seemingly perfect rental house may be spying on them. Before long, what should have been a celebratory weekend trip turns into something far more sinister.

“Jessica Jones” (Disney +), “Bad Sisters” (Apple TV), “The Unit” (Hulu), “Volleyball” (YouTube TV), “NFL Football” (Multiple Channels)  

“Rocky Mountain Café”

The Menu

Delightful Starters

Dark Chocolate Bars

Fruit Slices

Mint Cookies

Kahoonas

Teriyaki Chicken

Honey Garlic Chicken

Casa Garcia Chicken Enchiladas

Jambalaya

Chicken and Rice

Fried Shrimp

Pizza

Mixes

French Fries

Green Beans

Veggie Mix

Cottage Cheese Parfait

Fried Corn

Mac and Cheese

Munchies

Cookie Dough Blizzard

Ice Cream

Fluids

Gatorade

Water

Love you,

Brian

 www.BunchOfBull.com

Keeping the Powder Dry

 Michelle has been keeping the powder dry this week.  Next week there will be surgeries, MRIs, neurology appointments and labs to be done. While the anxiety has been high, most days have been met with calm patience and perseverance. There was a lab appointment followed by an oncology visit. Later in the week it was off to PT. This was the first time she has met with the physical therapist in a few weeks, due to conflicts.  The weather is cooling off, so more time is spent outside on the patio. This unfortunately means more time to think. She told me this week that she missed me but could not explain what she meant by her statement. Some days are better than others.

Michelle was excited when she saw a live goose on Luck Lake. It is not a Canada Goose like you see up north. This is more of a domesticated swan goose. 

Highlight of the week Michelle got her nails done this week. They look beautiful and she always feels better when she has them done, and she should. We bought 2 new hummingbird feeders, so she spent some time watching the hummingbirds and the herons on Luck Lake. She did some garden cleaning as well. There were plenty of dead sunflowers in the raised bed that needed to be pulled up. Gatorade helped with the exhaustion, and she felt accomplished.

Random Fact of the Week The origins of the phrase “dry powder” hearken back to the 17th century when military battles were fought with guns and cannons that utilized loose gunpowder in combat. In order for it to remain effective, the gunpowder had to be kept dry. Consequently, having stores of dry powder readily available was essential to keeping weapons functioning optimally. Hence, equating dry powder with being calm and ready for a possible problem in the future.

Did you know?  Michelle loves roller coasters. I am not a fan, so she always needs a partner if she goes on one while we are together. With my last name, I opt out

Throwback Love Story On our trip to California in 2012 we scheduled a few days in San Francisco. We decided to try this new trend called a Segway. They looked fun and there were plenty of Segway tours to choose from in San Francisco. I loved being outside and exploring. I think Michelle would have rather just stayed in a cocoon somewhere. I knew though, once it was all over, she would have something to talk about and in the end, it would have been a fun day for her. It didn’t start out well. I walked out ready to tour in jeans and a t-shirt, Michelle was smarter and had a decent sized coat on. I was almost late for the tour because I ran back upstairs to grab a windbreaker. I came from Texas where it was 104 in the shade, 70-degree weather was a walk in the park. I would never admit it at the time, but I wish I would have had warmer clothes on.

We got our Segway instructions and we were off. These things were quite simple to operate. San Francisco is a great place to have these machines too, with its proximity to the Pacific Ocean and amazingly steep topography, I was glad I wasn’t walking.  The guy in front of me did not share my sentiment. He did not think they were simple to operate. I don’t remember exactly what happened, all I remember is seeing a Segway without a body, headed down a steep San Francisco Street. A smart tourist would have stopped and helped the poor soul who fell off the Segway. Not Brian Luck, he was thinking, there were 14 other capable people to help that guy, I gotta save this machine! Off I went. I was weaving left and right, flying past light poles and people, slowly catching up to the runaway Segway. I just knew I was going to be the hero after this. Barely escaping danger, I reach out with one hand and stop the Segway. In my head I remember hearing cheers of gratitude. I was proud of my accomplishments, no medal needed, maybe a refund of my tour ticket would be sufficient.

When the tour caught up to me, I knew that I was going to get the hero’s response. Not only did I get the third degree, but I was also escorted back to the hotel and told my tour was over. Apparently risking my life for the machine is not something they encourage. Michelle said that the tour guides were freaking out when I took off and did not know how to handle the situation. She too was not happy with my decision that day.

I asked Michelle this week what love story I should write about. The first thing out of her mouth was “Segway”. I guess sometimes when you make bad choices, they end up being good memories.

Deep Thoughts Michelle was sad this week because she forgot what she was doing when she went outside. She started to cry. I calmed her down by saying it isn't the cancer it is CRS (Can't Remember Shit) We are getting old I told her. We giggled together and hugged; she called me a silly goose. Is it bad to think her happiness is essential to my own?

Daytime Powder “Big Brother” (Paramount +), “The Challenge” (HULU).

Primetime Talc “Jessica Jones” (Disney +) A chronicle of the life of one of the darker Marvel characters, the mysterious Jessica Jones. When a tragedy puts an end to her short-lived career as a superhero, Jessica settles in New York City and opens her own detective agency, called Alias Investigations, which seems to be called into cases involving people who have special abilities. Suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome, Jessica wants to do good, but her primary interest isn't in saving the world, it's saving her apartment and getting through each day. Based on a graphic novel intended for adults, this is not a superhero story for the kids.

“Bad Sisters” (Apple TV), “The Unit” (Hulu), “Volleyball” (YouTube TV) “Thursday Night Football” (Prime),

“It ain't Dry Café”

The Menu

Crispy Delights

Dark Chocolate Bars

Orange Slices

Pears

Baking Powder

Pan seared Salmon

Tenderloin

Chalupas

Philly Cheese Steak Stroganoff

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Cajun Chicken thighs

Potato Casserole

Whites

Mixed Veggies

Green beans

Cauliflower Rice

Cottage cheese parfait

Afterwards

Ice Cream

Chocolate chip Cookies

Drinkies

Gatorade

Water

Love you,

Brian

www.Cornstarch-or-Talc.com

A Sinking Ship without a Lifeboat

This week we felt like we were on a sinking ship without a lifeboat. Michelle’s PET scan results came back, and they did not look good. The cancer is still ever present.  The oncologist seemed a bit surprised at the results, expecting more cancer to be gone. She said that normally after 3 treatments she sees a much clearer PET scan. At the beginning of our journey, we had memories of hearing, “There is no remission”. Now we get the feeling that seeing no cancer in a PET scan is to be expected. We are both still confused by the crossed signals. 

Michelle had another chemotherapy regiment this week. She says it sometimes feels like glue in her veins. No major side effects with this treatment except extreme exhaustion and depression. Her caretaker over medicated her one day, so this didn’t help either. The anti-nausea medication was to be given starting on day one of chemo x4 days not day one of chemo 4x a day. This medication is to be taken at bedtime because it makes you drowsy. Michelle was comfortably numb for a day until the meds wore off. Isn’t this the second week in a row where we’ve had a complaint about the caretaker?

Highlight of the week Some of you have asked why I did not send pictures of “The More Perfect Storm”. The pictures fell off the wall and broke. We brought them to Valerie this week to have her replace the frames and touch up any damage that may have been done when the pictures fell. Michelle was excited to see Val and enjoyed the time spent with her. Michelle bravely made the trek up the steep stairs without issue. It was a great time. The attached picture is of all 3 of us.

Random Fact of the Week The first aquatic lifeboat design was patented in 1785. Mariners before 1785 often couldn’t swim. Better to die quickly, they said. Lifeboats are painted international orange, which is the exact opposite of blue. This is why life jackets are also orange.

Did you know?  Michelle loves to drive. She has owned 7 cars since we have been together. Her favorite was the Solstice convertible. She wished it was faster but loved driving it. It holds a special place in her heart.

Throwback Love Story It was December 2012. Michelle and I were driving up to Minnesota. It was a rare winter appearance for us. Michelle grew up in Colorado, so she was no stranger to the snow or cold weather. She hates it. This was a special family gathering we did not want to miss, so we made the trip without hesitation. 

The worst driving conditions we hit were in Texas believe it or not. We drove the sports car of course, with 303 HP at the front end. I loved my Pontiac, but it probably wasn’t the greatest car for bad road conditions. The snow started falling just as we reached the Dallas metro area. 2 lanes, soon drifted into just one. Eventually it was just 2 tire tracks, most of you can imagine that. Being from Minnesota I know how to drive in these conditions, I fear those around me who do not. Michelle was crocheting next to me, trusting that even though the conditions were rough, I had it under control. 

We were traveling about 40 MPH when the tires lost traction and the car started to slide. I know not to brake and to turn into the slide. We are now sliding perpendicular down the interstate, I have my steering wheel cranked all the way to the right. I am looking directly at the southbound traffic and the ditch as we continue to gently slide forward yet perpendicular. I notice Michelle out of the corner of my eye, still crocheting. Finally coming to a dryer area in the road, the car responds, and we are once again facing forward. My quick sigh of relief was replaced with fear again as we started to spin the other direction this time. Once again, no brakes and turn into the slide. Steering wheel all the way to the left this time. I see the gas stations and hotels directly in my sights. Trying not to panic, I stay calm and hope for another dry patch. Again, Michelle is just crocheting away like nothing is happening. After what seemed like miles but was probably closer to 10 seconds, we hit a dry spot and the car corrected itself and we were back on course. No more issues for the rest of the trip. Once we were well out of the storm and the roads were clear I asked Michelle “How could you just sit there and be so calm, crocheting like you were watching the Vikings win the Superbowl?” Her response? “I stopped my stitch midstream and didn’t move. I was scared to respond, anything I said would not change what you were doing – I gave it up to God.” Classic Michelle.

Deep Thoughts Something I am trying to focus on this week, which has been very hard, happiness is in my heart not in the circumstance. I am happy, I would like to say cheated but truly I have not been cheated. Next month will be 21 years of marriage and we are still going strong. I love you Michelle.

Daytime Floaters “Painkillers” (Netflix), “Big Brother” (Paramount +), “The Lincoln Lawyer” (Netflix)

Primetime Lifers “Bad Sisters” (Apple TV). So far, we are enjoying the series. The Garvey sisters are bound together by the premature deaths of their parents and the promises they made to always protect one another. 

“Special Ops: Lioness” (Paramount +) The season Finale was intense. “Volleyball” (YouTube TV) MN vs TX and TX vs Stan. “Thursday Night Football” (YouTube TV).

“The Orange Vest Inn”

The Menu

Barometer Delights

Dark Chocolate Bars

Cotton Candy

Assorted Fruit Slices

Staples

Pork Skillet

Red Beans and Rice

Turmeric Chicken

Fried Fish

Luck-n-Wings

Italian Sausage

Signal Mirror

Peas

Carrots

Rice

Noodles

Mixed Veggies

First Aid Kit

Cookies

Ice Cream

Sea Water

Lemonade

Water

Fruit Juice

Love you,

Brian

www.WhoIsYourLifeboat.org

Cool as a Lollyfish

Michelle has been as cool as a Lollyfish this week. She went in twice for a PET scan. The first time she was rejected because she had food 5 ½ hours prior. Everything would have been fine if the instructions were read to the fullest. She should fire her caretaker. The second time it went smoothly. She was positive afterwards and said, “It wasn’t that bad”. What is a PET scan? Positron emission tomography (PET) is a functional imaging technique that uses radioactive substances known as radiotracers to visualize and measure changes in metabolic processes, and in other physiological activities including blood flow, regional chemical composition, and absorption. Plain and simple, it is a fancy scanning machine to look for cancer. We will have results next week. 

Michelle also had a meeting with the nutritional oncologist this week. Her last meeting with specialist Brown was in February, so this was a follow-up, and she had some questions on possible future treatments. Michelle is still struggling with balance and makes me nervous when she walks sometimes. 

Highlight of the week This week’s highlight was getting out and walking around Luck Ranch. Michelle enjoys watching the turtles this time of year, so she had the monocular at the ready. She was eye spying on the 20 or so turtles sunbathing on the manmade peninsula. I asked her if she had named them, and she looked at me like I had lost my mind. No response was warranted, I guess. 

Random Fact of the Week The Lollyfish is also known as an Atra Sea Cucumber or a Black Cucumber. Sea cucumbers use Cuvierian tubes as a defense mechanism. When threatened, they thwart attacks by creating a sticky network composed of elongated tubules within which the potential predator is entangled in a matter of seconds and thus immobilized.

Did you know?  Michelle likes to poke bruises. If you are here and she sees you have a bruise, she will poke it. 

Throwback Love Story Michelle’s PET scan was in the Northcross area of Austin. I was told it was going to be 90 minutes giving me plenty of time to stop by the grocery store and the post office. On my way to the post office, I noticed a familiar store front, Petticoat Fair. Some of you may know, this place is famous for it’s renowned for service, fitting expertise of women’s bras and swimwear. Some people say it’s the best in the country. Driving past it reminded me of a time when Michelle asked me to come along to “help” her decide which bras to choose. I was all in. I as thinking half naked women and I am getting a free pass from my wife to tell her what is best for her, man, I was so excited.

30 seconds after being there, I was bored out of my gourd. Michelle disappeared behind a back door somewhere, the parking lot was full, the place seemed to be busy, but nobody was up front with me. The people were nice enough, it was not what I expected professional bra shopping to be. I had to get out of there, I needed some air. Without telling Michelle, I just disappeared. I walked out and looked around and there was nothing but a half empty strip mall. There were 2 shops to explore, a secondhand kid store called “Once upon a child” and an art gallery. I walked into the kids store and looked around, uninterested I decided to check out the art gallery. There was some cool art. One booth intrigued me, so I hung out there and talked with the artist for a long time. Valerie had some great pieces that I fell in love with. She had one that was a 3-part piece, painted like a storm. The first picture was the storm coming in, the second was the storm as it hit, and the 3rd was the storm leaving. I had to have it, that was until I found out how much she wanted for it.

I made my way back to Petticoat Fair just in time to let Michelle know I approve of her selections and yea yea they look wonderful yup uh huh, great, lets go. They really did look nice; she did not need me there after all. It turns out you hire superior people to run a top-class institution. On the way home I told he about Valerie and her art. I begged her for the triptych I saw, which after she heard the price she laughed. 

We went back to the art gallery so Michelle could see the paintings and they were gone. Replaced with other beautiful paintings. Some other Lucky soul got to see those every day. Six years passed and every time she wore one of her bras from Petticoat Fair, I would think of the paintings from the gallery. I knew they were too expensive, but I really wanted them. I would mention them everyone in a while throughout that 6-year time. One day when Michelle and I decided to go to the Austin Art festival in Downtown Austin. Lo and behold one of the vendors was Valerie and on display was “The Perfect Storm”. The price went up $250 of course. I was beside myself. I could not believe it was there and it was still available. Not wanting to be an impulse buyer, we were in need of a discussion about this. We talked about it on the way home. We slept on it. The next morning, over coffee, Michelle gave me “the nod”. I was stoked. I immediately called Valerie. She told me the painting was sold 5 minutes after I left her booth. She had a feeling I was going to call. I told Michelle the news and we were both devastated. Later that evening, Valerie called us back and told us she would paint us a duplicate painting. Now in our living room we have hanging above the French doors leading out to Luck Lake – “The More Perfect Storm”.

Deep Thoughts I made some mashed potatoes this week. I was watching the water boil and I thought that same water that is softening the potatoes, hardens eggs. It’s not the circumstances, it’s what we’re made of that changes it all. 

Daytime Fridge “RED” (Hulu) After surviving an assault from a squad of hit men, retired CIA agent Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) reassembles his old team for an all-out war. Frank reunites with old Joe (Morgan Freeman), crazy Marvin (John Malkovich) and wily Victoria (Helen Mirren) to uncover a massive conspiracy that threatens their lives. Only their expert training will allow them to survive a near-impossible mission -- breaking into CIA headquarters. I love that it stands for retired and extremely dangerous. It was a good show. There is a part 2. We will watch that at some point but decided to wait for the rain to come.

“Big Brother” (Paramount +), “Station 19” (Hulu)

Primetime Cooler “The Diplomat” (Netflix) We Binged the entire season this week! Amid an international crisis, a career diplomat juggles her new high-profile job as ambassador to the United Kingdom and her turbulent marriage to a political star.

“The Wheel of Time” (Prime) We just started this series. The jury is still out. Moiraine, a member of a magical organization, takes five young people on a journey, believing that one of them might be the reincarnation of the Dragon, a powerful individual prophesied to save the world or destroy it.

“Severance” (Apple TV) This was a rewatch. We liked it even better the second time around.

“Special Ops: Lioness” (Paramount +) This is a weekly watch for us.

“Icebox Icehouse”

The Menu

Starters

Dark Chocolate Bars

Cinnamon Bears

Assorted Fruit Slices

The Mains

Chicken Spaghetti

Meatloaf

Filet Mignon

Chicken and Gravy

Spaghetti

Salmon

Classic Chicken Sandwich

The Crispers

Peas

Mixed Veggies

Corn

Tots

Rice

The Freezer 

Ice Cream

Cookie Dough Blizzard

Mint Cookies

Quick-chill zone

Lemonade

Water

Apple Juice

Love you

Brian

www.IsYourFridgeClean.edu