Memorial Day/Indy 500

My mom and dad enjoyed a Memorial Day gathering at Ralph and Charla Divine's farm. Sounds like they had a feast and my mom was grateful to have a good appetite.

This weekend we made our annual family pilgrimage to the Indy 500, a race my dad has attended since 1966. My mom insisted we keep the tradition, so we did. Family gathered from Illinois, St. Louis, Wisconsin and Ohio. We raised a glass in Norma's honor. She missed seeing everyone, but was happy to stay back in Ohio with Emily and Paul.

We also had a feast, topped by my Aunt Kathy's homemade peach pie. My mom prepared her famous macaroni salad and sent it with Ralph. She brings it every year. Some things never change.

Mother's Day

A gorgeous Mother's Day in Ohio, and we spent it outside. My parents have two gardens -- a flower bed at their condo and a community vegetable garden at a nearby park, just a short walk from their condo. We planted hosta, astilbe, coral bells, peony, annuals for all of my mom's pots, and tomatoes, cucumbers, beets, and sweet corn. You'd never know my mom has cancer. We all needed a nap afterwards and she kept going strong.

In my previous post, you'll see my dad grilling our Mother's Day lunch. It was delicious.

My mom finished round three of her chemo treatments this week. Except for a little nausea yesterday, she's been able to have a fairly productive week. Productivity is how my mom measure's a day well spent.

Thanks everybody for your powerful healing presence in my mom's life.

Ralph's Famous Ribs

Dad made his famous, secret-recipe ribs for Mother's Day. "The secret's in the sauce," says Ralph. That, along with his special two-step cooking process. The ribs were accompanied by roasted veggies, Aunt Lois' baked beans, cole slaw made Brian's way, a strawberry-rhubarb pie and a 3-layer cake made by Norma and Emily. We had a wonderful Sunday lunch at Lisa and Brian's house.

Looking good. Feeling good.

My mom continues to feel really good. Her oncologist is really pleased with her response to the
chemotherapy treatment. Last Monday, most of her blood counts were where they needed to be,
or at least heading in the right direction. Her white blood cell count was a bit low, but she had no other signs of infection. This suggests that her body is fighting and since she's had no fever, it's most likely fighting the cancer. The intense pain she was experiencing in her right leg has diminished greatly. Chemotherapy round 3 is planned for Monday.

In the mean time, my mom is enjoying watching Paul and Emily's games, playing bridge on Tuesdays, and enjoying visits from her friends. She and my dad take daily walks to the community garden near their condo. Ralph is excited about growing sweet corn this year. Lettuce and radishes are sprouting, and Emily has planted about a dozen other things.

I'll be in Ohio this weekend for not only Mother's Day, but also to celebrate Lisa (pictured) and Ralph's birthdays.

Have a great weekend everybody. Your good wishes, kind thoughts and powerful prayers are much appreciated and making a difference.