Reconstruction

This is the term that best describes our life at this moment. Our little family is rebuilding after settling back home in Gunter. David’s been back to work, he's healing well, he's had his hernia fixed and (his words) he's feeling more like himself again. A new version of himself, he says, with a newfound sense of self. We are under reconstruction. 

This past week was partially spent in Houston with his follow up and PET scan at MD Anderson. Drum roll, please:

Praise Jesus 

Miracles happen each day, and we were blessed with one of our own this week. David's PET scan shows David as cancer free. The word grateful is not deep enough to express our feelings. I don't think there's a word that fits how we are feeling. I can try with overjoyed, jubilant and thankful. Those feel closest to what this feels like. Mostly though, we are feeling content and rejuvenated with the road ahead. Our eyes met, and without words, we knew what was next. Living life. 

The lens through which we see will never be the same. We are now cancer-jaded. Everything is awesome and things that used to be a big deal will never be a big deal again. Things will never be the same nor do we want them to be the same. This gift we are given every morning of awakening to a new day is met with an audible thank you. Our self awareness is soaring higher than ever, and cancer has gifted us all of this - and more. We receive the most brilliant gold medal every single day - the sun. The sun reminds us of the mountains we've climbed and the valleys we've visited. She's been there with us shining her light and reminding us we are deserving of her magnificent gold light through it all. We bask in her warmth. 

I didn't understand the power of the natural world to heal us and teach us how to live. Yet, each day here on the farm, we are reminded of its healing powers. The animals teach us how to be. They guide me toward my truth. I feel it each moment I am with them, as if they are showing me peace and understanding of the world around us. We are one. I love them all and their uniqueness. Each brings something special to our farm, and is a gentle reminder that everyone does. 

When life breaks you open, jump in

As David and I both attempt to stabilize and find our equilibrium health-wise, we have jumped into a new venture. Kitchen remodel. Yes please, I'd like my kitchen remodeled, but the time and mess that comes with it is trying hard to push me to my personal edge. Fine, challenge accepted. 

Before. Maybe it’s not so bad after all 🧐

What have we done 

My face watching them demo the kitchen 

First up, the demo of the entire kitchen. Wait, first before that, empty your kitchen belongings into your living room. 

What a shit show looks like

Then, try to find the foil. Or a baggie. Or the can opener. It's there somewhere. Breathe and keep looking. David and I had said we would be mindful about the placing all of the kitchen contents in the living room/dining room. But obviously, we were not. That, or too many senior moments happening. At this stage of the game, I can now officially hide my own Easter eggs and never find them all. 

Due to the inability to find some of the things I needed, I did rearrange and now am feeling a little better about it all. Just be careful of what you pick to use (plates, glasses) as the dust from the demo, along with the placing of insulation and new wallboards is like we live in the desert. There's not enough vacuuming that can cure this right now. I quit mopping too. It's just crazy dirty dusty. 

How do I cook, you ask? Let's see, I have the microwave (that will be placed in the new kitchen) set up and plugged in. I can use it. It's so new and quiet that when you turn it on, it doesn't even sound like it's on. That's new. I also have a little toaster oven and a toaster. It's great. I have every excuse in the book why NOT to cook. By the way, I had to move the toaster over and toaster to the guest room as it was getting too crowded in the dining area where I initially placed it. 

I have my coffee maker plugged in. No, it's not in a bedroom, it's near the kitchen area and I realized that makes no sense at all. Nothing in the kitchen works and it's empty, but something deep inside me tells me to put that coffee maker near the kitchen. So I did. Silly me.

Being without a kitchen sink is like being without your phone. You do everything with the kitchen sink. Wash your hands, your small dogs, your dishes, your chicken eggs, your hands again, fill the coffee pot, rinse food and fruit, and fill dog and cat water bowls. Mostly wash hands and wash dishes. I now wash my hands exclusively in the bathroom and wash the dishes in the shower. That's where I keep the Dawn dishwashing detergent and a sponge. You'd think it would be easy to wash the dishes in the bathroom sink, but it's not. Or I don't think so anyway. So I lay a kitchen towel outside the shower and waa-laa, dishes washed and easy to air dry. I mean, it beats washing them in the barn which I tried on Day 1. That's a no go. 

But where’s my food

After the demo, the furr down came down. I never knew it had a name. It's a furr down that holds the AC ducting. For us, they were not able to eliminate this, but they did make it smaller, then boxed it all in again. There's probably a technical name for that. Anyway, the what-was-once the pantry is no longer the pantry and will be cabinets and where the fridge will go now. The pantry will trade places with the fridge. New electrical outlets and plumbing changes happened. And then the drywall guy came and put in all new drywall because we had black mold on the old dry wall due to a (very) old water leak at one time. That's how the story goes, I'm told. 

I likey

David has deemed the black mold as the cause of our rare cancers. That was a moment we paused, to mull this over. Moving on, we can't let our yesterdays get in the way of our tomorrows. That has all been taken care of now, and supposably it's only in the kitchen. 

Things are happening over here 

We are having new cabinets made and they'll be ready next week. After that, they'll paint them. Then, the countertops, backsplash, other misc things that make a kitchen a kitchen. I've only gotten this far down this kitchen remodel road. Currently, I live at the corner of Can't Find Anything St and Wow, It's Dirty Ave. Note to self: Don't turn the ceiling fans on or you'll send it all flying around, again. 

Brookie Boy

Sweet Brooks is growing and learning and growing some more. He's the best. Unfortunately for his mom and dad, he contracted Hand, Foot and Mouth disease at day care. Yep, just when it was go-time for both Ryan and Lauren at work, and they each had work commitments that were extremely difficult to miss. I was then rewarded with watching Brooks for 2 days (last Wed and Thursday) because he could not go to day care with his little sores not yet scabbed over. 

It doesn’t get better than this

What fun! The first day I had him, we hung at home and went on a walk, drank bottles, played while practicing sitting up and reaching for toys. Played some more.

We ate food in a high chair and drank from a sippy cup. Okay, sorta drank from the sippy cup, but tried to, and played with it like a toy, realizing it had tasty juice in it. Yum. Then, played some more, repeat the whole process several times, and them mom and dad were back home jiggity jig. 

I spent the night in Fort Worth with them, and would watch Brooks one more day. This time, Brooks wanted to go to the Fort Worth Zoo. I said, Are you sure? He nodded his head Yes. So of course we went.

Not sure this is safe

Brooks was unsure about it all at first, but quickly adapted to the environment and his eyes took it all in. It was definitely zoo overload.  

We saw the flamingos, Texas Town (farm animals), penguins, monkeys, and more. I had him coated in sunscreen and his little hat, but as the ball of fire rose up higher, we had to take refuge back home. 

The End

It was all of 2 1/2 minutes in the car seat and he was fast asleep. The zoo will do that to you. I hadn't even backed up out of the parking spot yet.

I had so much fun! I would like to say Brooks did too. I bathed in him the kitchen sink (I should add that to my list of things I do in the sink - see above). 

Saving that piece of mac n cheese for later.

It took me a very long time to get the sunscreen off of him to a point that was acceptable. I think Lauren bought the kind of sunscreen with permanent zinc in it. That, or it's supposed to last for about a week, even with showering every day. Thanks, mom. 

Yep, we are this much fun!

I did end up getting Hand, Foot and Mouth as well. So did Lauren. But man, it was so worth it. We had a blast. 

Tula Tot and Suga Suga You So Fly

Tula came back home with me to Gunter, after my stay in Fort Worth. She's a lot. High energy dog barely covers the amount of energy she has. More like infinity amount of energy. So she's here at the farm - and has been many many times. This time, I think we are reevaluating the location of which she's going to stay. It's the farm for the meantime. So we are going to try something new with her. David and I took Tula to a Sheep Herding clinic this past weekend. 

Tula loves her toys. The squeakier the better.

We are going to give Tula a stab at seeing if her 'thing' is sheep herding. I sure used to need that for all those times the sheep or goats escaped through the fencing. Now, we'll see if Tula is a candidate for this new opportunity. Her personal training time starts tomorrow night, Thursday at 7 pm at the Alamar Farm training facility in Van Alstyne. We are told it takes about a month or so to determine if a dog has what it takes to sheep herd. 

Also, at the sheep herding clinic this past weekend, we were gently informed to not bring her in a harness, collar only. No shaving her for summer, let her hair grow. (She was shaved to cut down on the amount of hair in the house). And find her papers. She's AKC, and we are supposed to find her papers "in case she goes to trials in Oct". She'll need to have her registration number as an Australian Shepard. Whoa doggie. I'm just trying to get her there tomorrow night. I'll report back on her progress. 

Sugar, on the other hand, is finding the pant legs of the workers (who come for the kitchen remodel) tasty.  Ugh. She's a tiny dog who thinks it's okay to do that. This little broken girl is not a fan of all these people coming into the house uninvited. Let's just say she stays in my lap more than usual these days. Between Tula and Sugar, things are vibrating on a very high level with the kitchen remodel. They are closely monitored, fo sho. I've got crates for both of them during this busy time of people coming and going in the house. 

Having a waddle fun

The 6 ducklings are growing up. They are wild ducks and do not seem to desire taming of any sort. They are frantic out-of-their minds when you get close to them. They think, for sure, that they are being killed when you pick them up. That's probably best, as we will be reintroducing them to the big wide world once they are big enough. 

Quack’n big

Next up, the 8 chicks are becoming teenagers and are roaming with the big girlz. I'm beginning to see what their feathers are going to look like, and they are beautiful. 

I’ll be right here if you need me. Night night.

Bed Head

Lastly, the 4 little chicks are now separated from the 6 ducklings because we received some complaints that their roommates (ducklings) were too messy. I think the 4 little chicks follow The Home Edit. That messiness can go elsewhere is what I heard one of them say. I have since named 2 of the little chicks Clea and Joanna. 

Clea, Joanna, Marlow and Sutton
#HomeEdit

Alrighty-oh my friends, we did it. Place a big X on the calendar for the completion of cancer treatment and then a clear PET scan received. I'm telling you, it feels good. Will it come back? Maybe. Will we fret about it. The plan is no fretting. We've set our intention to live life. The fun never stops around here. Donut worry. Be happy. 

Be you, because everyone else is already taken,

Cyndi