Monkeys, Toucans, and Boas! Oh, my!

First of all, let me say that I'm a slacker. I know. No posts since November. I'll try to redeem myself here.

We've just returned from. . .In February, we took an incredible vacation in Costa Rica. Spending a week with our family in the thick of the rainforest was nothing short of amazing! Here's how it went. . .

Sometime last year, in anticipation of our thirty-fifth wedding anniversary, Al and I started dreaming about a special trip we could make. On our 25th, we did an Alaskan cruise (in June); this time we knew we wanted to make a trip to a warm clime. We had been to Aruba twice and thought it might be a good time to try a new destination --- many friends have been to Costa Rica. Within 24 hours (insert Twilight Zone music here), we got an e-mail from our son, Mike, suggesting that we take an 'all-family' trip to Costa Rica to celebrate our 35th! Our son-in-law Jon had found some intriguing information about a CR resort on the Osa Peninsula called El Remanso. We booked our trip for February 2010 and started the great count-down!

As the time approached for our great adventure, we had to make sure that our inoculations and passports were all updated. Check!

My travel schedule for work had been pretty intense the last few months -- it worked out just PERFECTLY that I was home for the entire week leading up to the trip. Whew! We decided to pack as lightly as we could because we could only each carry 25 lbs of luggage on the domestic flight from San Jose (the capital of CR) to our final destination. As it turns out, we could have packed even lighter than we DID!

El Remanso offered a variety of excursions, many of which we took advantage of! Of course, MY favorite part of the whole trip was spending time with Graham (now 4) and Dean (nearly 2) --- and I offered to watch them as often as need be so that Mike and Laurelyn could enjoy some of the excursions that were not suitable for the little 'uns. It worked out just great!

El Remanso is amazing! The accommodations were simply beautiful. Three meals a day were included and we loved dining in their outdoor dining room. There was no extra charge for huge katydids on the tables or tiny lizards on the ceiling; the boys never knew what we'd see at mealtime. Set in the jungle we were about as close to nature as you can be! When we arrived, we could hear what sounded like packs of loud, barking, howling dogs off in the distance. We quickly learned that these were the howler monkeys! We heard them every morning at about 4 AM -- what an incredible alarm clock.

We hiked all together to a lagoon during our first day---the rainforest was SO dense -- and the hike down to the beach was pretty steep. We weren't prepared for how HOT the sand would feel on our feet. Ouch! We walked the beach in the puddles formed by the lapping waves. The waves were HUGE and STRONG so we kept our distance but the cool, wet sand was the only way to safely make it down to the lagoon. The sun so close to the Equator is intense!

Al and I were able to do some early (5:30 AM!) morning bird-watching with the resident naturalist, Gerardo. To say that Gerardo was an AMAZING part of our trip is such an understatement -- not only was he incredibly endearing and gracious, but he was also one of the most knowledgeable people we've EVER met when it came to all things to do with animals, plants, and trees! Just fabulous! On our first morning out to look for birds, Gerardo hung his head out the jeep's window (we had a different person as the driver) looking for motion in the treetops. "Stop! Stop!" he told the driver. We climbed out of the jeep and were thrilled by a large group of monkeys who came closer and closer to the dirt road we were on, all the while squealing. Within minutes, they began a "conga line" as they swung, one at a time, right over our heads! It was amazing and Gerardo assured us that this NEVER, well . . . rarely, happens; we had brought good luck with us!

I watched Graham and Dean one afternoon so that Jon, Beth, Al, Mike, and Laurelyn could go waterfall rapelling - from all reports they had a SUPER time! And of course they got to cool off in the ocean before heading back to the resort.

We visited a wildlife sanctuary via boat. On our way there, we were thoroughly entertained by a large pod (?) of dolphins who especially enjoyed swimming in the wake of our boat. Can you see them? Each of the colorful animals had a story of abuse and survival. The couple who runs the sanctuary told us of some successful releases but some of the animals would be living out their lives there. It was a beautiful, densely forested spot. As we walked between enclosures, Beth spotted a superhighway of fire ants that frequently criss-crossed the walking path.

On our way back from the sanctuary, our boat driver made a special stop in an inlet that had some great snorkeling opportunities. Having already had the snorkeling experience in Aruba and Hawaii, I offered to stay on the boat with Graham and Dean, and encouraged the others to snorkel. Neither Mike, Beth, Laurelyn nor Jon had ever snorkeled. Al joined them and they had a great time and got a few good shots of colorful fish.

Since we just loved our first early morning birding excursion, we signed on again and brought Mike along with us this time. Well, apparently we brought along good luck once again (maybe everyone does??) and this time we saw monkeys overhead including this beautiful mama with her baby clinging to her back. What a blessing to see them up close!

I decided some time ago (maybe 10 years ago?) that I definitely want to skid into Heaven with a resounding, WOW! What a ride! So I've been known to do what some might consider daring things --- including (a little bit of) white-water rafting, (tethered) hot air ballooning, lots of kayaking, and parasailing (fabulous!!) in Aruba. I wanted to be sure I could add something with a bit of a thrill to my life list. So, in Costa Rica, we had the opportunity to zipline out to a platform near the top of the canopy to watch the monkeys, birds, etc. It was a very early morning activity (6 AM) and I felt a bit jittery as the time approached. Luckily, our dear daughter-in-law Laurelyn was coming along with us (Mike was on kid and camera duty) and she encouraged me to go for it. "You'll be fine! You'll love it!" she nudged.

As we donned our helmets and awaited our harnesses, I got a bit more excited. Gerardo, once again the incredibly sweet and knowledgeable naturalist, got hooked into the cable and zipped out over the jungle below. He then pulled across a huge duffle bag with coffee, fresh fruit, numerous binoculars, and field guides. One at a time, well-harnessed and "clipped in," we zipped across to the wooden platform set into a crotch of a large tree. See all of our harness caribiners lined up on the cable? We were at 127 feet above the jungle floor. Amazing! Gerardo pointed out lots of birds and with his keen eye, spotted a group of Howler monkeys up in the trees across from us. We watched them for quite a while and after some coffee and fresh pineapple, we got ready to head back across the zipline.

Of course, I had to ask Gerardo how long the platform had been there, how it was erected, etc. He told us that it had been there about 6 months and that they'd had several engineers come in to design the structure and its installation. It reassured me especially when I noticed the many huge bolts that secured the platform into the tree. Another young couple was with us that morning (having left their three young children back in the States) and they also hoped to capture the zipline return on their movie camera. As we lined up to zip back, the young mom said she'd like to go first so she could film her husband's return trip (he planned to pull himself across the last half of the trip!). We watched her fly through the treetops and when she was about half-way across, we heard a loud CRACK! I know that sound, I thought to myself. A tree branch somewhere had split and was falling to the jungle floor. Wait a minute! That sounded AWFULLY close, like it's from the. tree. we're. in. Gerardo queried, "OK! Who's next??" "I AM!!" shouted the young father and we all laughed (a combination of fear and nerves). Apparently chivalry is dead. What a ride!

All in all, the trip was a huge success and a wonderful celebration. For me, the best part was having all of our family together -- I would have been quite happy to just play with Graham and Dean all week...anywhere! But being in this idyllic setting with those we love most, was a dream come true. Can our 40th anniversary be too far off? I wonder where we'll all go. . .

Once, Twice, Three Times a Blog Post. . .

There's just no excuse for it. I've started a new entry a couple of times since the last one, and today is THE day that I'll try, try again and actually POST something. It's been a wild fall. Here's what's up (and if I get to it, I'll add some pics later):

1. We attended a wedding on Halloween in Portland, Maine. We met Mike, Laurelyn, Graham, and Dean there and we all went to the wedding IN COSTUME! It was great fun to see some old friends from New Hampshire and of course, any time we can spend ANY time with our grandsons is a BONUS! They greeted us with a pile of books----G'ma IS the reading machine!

2. I have a new job! It's a half-time salaried position where I'm conducting training for teachers throughout the Northeast (so far). It requires being on the road about 2 weeks out of each month except for July and the last two weeks of December when we're basically shut down. I continue to do a little bit of my own private consulting and the two jobs have combined to make for a 3-1/2 week trip that starts tomorrow! Luckily, Thanksgiving break falls in the middle of this trip; Al will meet me and we will celebrate Thanksgiving with our good, good friends.

3. Had the flu. Ugh. The doc is pretty sure that it was H1N1; I'd had the seasonal flu vaccine in September. Anyway, it was THE PITS. I can't remember being in bed for so long (except for when I had that nasty herniated disc). The worst part was the incessant coughing which is now under control and nearly gone. Turns out I was using my inhalers correctly -- who knew that the directions on the flyer in the box are WRONG??

4. Feeling more and more like home all the time. Maybe it has to do with my traveling, or with the days getting shorter, or because we've had an INCREDIBLE fall of GORGEOUS weather, but I've fallen in love with our house. It could also have something to do with the 15 or so spruce trees we had taken down around the house. We have SO much more sunlight streaming into the house now, and we can even enjoy the late afternoon sun now. It's made a huge difference.

5. I've learned to say no...well at least some of the time. I've delicately pulled back from a very big church commitment which was hard to live out what with my boosted travel schedule. It's actually be quite a relief.

That's all for now, I think. Perhaps I'll get inspired while on this upcoming business trip. In the meantime, stay healthy and enjoy the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday with those you love.

Grandma, Grandma!

Last weekend, after my second business trip in several weeks, I had a little bit of heaven in Lake George, NY. Actually....a BIG piece of heaven --- a whole day of 'Grandma duty!'

Mike and Laurelyn had been invited to a wedding but children weren't to be included so I eagerly volunteered to help them out. As it turned out, I was going to be working just two hours south of Lake George so a quick trip north would be a breeze. In fact, I beat them to the hotel on Friday evening. When they arrived at about 10 PM, the boys were both wide awake; apparently, there had been little sleeping and lots of "Mama! Mama!" (see my previous entry) on the way in from Corning. We all fell asleep quickly once they settled into bed in our hotel room.

7:30 AM came soon enough and I offered to take the boys over to the little restaurant to get them settled for breakfast. They were excited! It was a beautiful day and we could already anticipate a day of adventures. We settled into our seats and peeked at the children's menu while we waited for Mike and Laurelyn to join us. I read the choices to Graham (Dean will eat anything put in front of him) and he excitedly announced his choice: he'd have the silver dollar pancakes. Yummy! I pointed out the handy-dandy syrup dispenser; it reminded me of one we'd had when I was a kid.

Papa and Mama joined us in short order and I wanted to crawl under the table as Mike quietly reminded Graham (and me) that he can't have restaurant pancakes; they have wheat in them. I felt terrible. I looked at G and said, "I'm so sorry, Graham. I forgot." Mike quietly reassured me and encouraged G to pick from several other things on the menu. I'd never seen Graham well up with tears. He bit his bottom lip and his little cheeks got red as he held back the tears --- how could I have forgotten? Eggs and bacon it will be!

After breakfast, I asked the boys if they'd like to go for a walk to explore the village and shorefront. First, we all wandered down to the lake, just behind the hotel and restaurant. It was calm and lovely. And a huge lake indeed! We were staying in Lake George Village at the south end of the 32-mile long lake.

After an engineering lesson about how to open, and more importantly, how to CLOSE the super-high-tech stroller (have they gotten more complicated or have I just gotten a bit weak?), we strapped Dean into the stroller, and I was off with the two little guys for a morning walk. We knew there was a park nearby and that there was a walkway along the edge of the lake, but everything else would be a surprise!

Graham held on to the side of the stroller as he strolled along and kept leaning in to Dean every 15-20 paces with "Are you O.K., Dean? Doin' O.K?" A few times, his query was followed by a gentle kiss on Dean's forehead. Just too darned cute for words. And so genuine. Gotta love that kind of brotherly love! (Yeah, I know...they're not always that way. I'm not delusional!)


We passed by several steamboats and headed toward a large paddleboat that was coughing out HUGE plumes of steam. Made me think of "Little Toot"---one of my favorite books as a young child. Several of the large boats were offering 60 to 90 minute rides on the lake. I checked out the schedule and eagerly asked the boys if they'd like to go on a boat ride later. Yes! Yes! (Well, that was G's response; Dean will go along with just about anything!) After a few more minutes of strolling, we found a little bench, where we sat and called Grandpa on my cellphone; G spoke to him briefly but wanted to keep on moving. Bye, Grandpa! I love you!

We discovered a small playground right next to the lakeside and both boys were eager to try it out. It's always fun to explore new playgrounds; Graham lost no time climbing to the upper level and zipping down the slide. Dean followed him but needed a hand to come down the slide. Graham scoped out the fireman's pole on the opposite side, climbed back up to the landing, and asked me to help him down the fireman's pole. It only took two tries with Grandma holding on, and he was on his own! He quickly learned that if he leaned into the pole and swung his leg around it, he could spin coming down the pole. He was so proud of himself. Dean and I kept working with the slide and we all had a ball.

Shortly thereafter we were to meet Mama and Papa back at the hotel room so that Dean could catch his morning nap. After such a late night and early morning, we knew that a nap would be a requirement for Dean. G gave up napping long ago, so once D toddled off with Mama for a nap, G scrambled quickly into the stroller for a little one-on-one time with Grandma! We took a different route down to the water's edge and as soon as G spotted the playground again, he was delighted! He climbed up and slid down the fireman's pole over and over and then announced triumphantly as he settled back into the almost-too-small-stroller, "We're off for another adventure, Grandma! I'm ready to SEE THE WORLD!"

This time we checked out some of the vendor booths (it was the weekend of the Adirondack Hot Air Balloon Festival--big doings!) and strolled by the storefronts on Canada Street. We spotted a Mexican restaurant where we decided we'd go for lunch---tacos have NO wheat - whew! After puttering around a bit more, G and I headed back to the hotel to collect Dean for lunch.

We cut it a little close, arriving (after tacos and homemade nacho chips---yummmmy!) at the boat dock just moments before the scheduled departure. There were only a few people on the boat. We parked the stroller out of the way, and I took the two boys out on deck. The captain narrated as we passed by some of the most amazing mansions I'd ever seen---just beautiful! Mike and Laurelyn would be attending the wedding reception later in the afternoon at one of those mansions; I wondered which one. We could spot a sailboat race up the lake off in the distance. Once it got too cold to be out in the open air, we maneuvered our way back into the enclosed dining room area where there was plenty of room for the boys to run back and forth from one side of the boat to the other. Dean has gotten tall enough that he was able to peer out through the bottom of the plexiglass window to spot passing powerboats and a few majestic sailboats. What a great time we had!

We returned to the dock and decided to head back to the hotel to get ready for the Balloon Festival! More than 90 balloons would take off at 5:30 and we wanted front row seats. The festival was being held at a small airfield in Glens Falls, only about 7 miles from the hotel. We packed up extra clothes and snacks (actually, Laurelyn packed them up before they left for the wedding), and hopped into the car. Off we went! Rather than taking the highway, I decided to follow the signs and head to Glens Falls the "back way." About a mile down the road, Graham had already asked me 2 or 3 times, "When will we be there, Grandma?" I grinned and told him not too much longer. Another half-mile. "Are we almost there, Grandma?" I reassured him that we were getting closer. It was just about 3:30. The traffic started to thicken and no one pulled off to get on the highway. Great minds think alike, I realize. It won't be long now, I call out to Graham.

Dean starts giggling. I check in the rearview mirror. He's giggling about nothing. And then he giggles at his own giggling. Louder and louder. Before long, the little guy is laughing so hysterically that he erupts into hiccups! Graham and I can't help but laugh along. Sure enough, after a few minutes of all-car-giggling, G calls out, "How much longer, Grandma? Are we there yet? How much farther?"

My giggling stops rather abruptly as I look ahead and all I can see as far as a mile or more ahead of us is a single line of cars. Lots of red lights. I grit my teeth. "Well, Graham, there's a lot of traffic. Everyone is going to the balloon festival. We'll be there in a bit!"

The traffic snarl continued for ninety minutes. That's 9 x 10. Ironically, it's the same number of balloons that are scheduled to take off at 5:30. At one point, when three lanes of traffic are attempting to dosey-do into one line, I hear a woman's loud voice. I push the button to roll down G's window so that I can hear her. "Oh! It's not you, lady! You're FINE! It's that idiot in front of me who just cut me off!" She continues screaming on the top of her lungs, at the Marine (he has a decal on the back window of his car) in the car in front of her. She doesn't hold back, and I quickly put G's window back up, and start a 'let's look through the trees for the balloons' distraction. Her voice can still be heard. I turn up the radio a bit. "Are we almost there, Grandma?" Grrrr...

Finally, it's about 5:20 and we round the last turn and approach the gate to the airfield! Hurrah! I point out the flashing blue lights ahead and G cranes his neck to see the policeman directing traffic. He's right ahead of us! Finally! I imagine myself announcing, "We're IN, boys!" and immediately notice the cars approaching from the other direction aren't being directed into the airfield at all. They're rolling straight by us. I roll down my window in time to hear the policeman call out, "It's cancelled! Too much wind! Keep going, please!"

Well, I won't include here what went through my mind at that moment, but it wasn't pretty. Graham asks in a rather subdued voice, "What happened, Grandma?" The pressure is on. How to explain this unexpected change of plans to this little guy. . .Remember: Dean is somewhat oblivious--he's 19 months old!

It's too windy, buddy. They can't put the balloons up because they could catch fire in the wind. We certainly don't want anyone to get hurt, do we?

No, we don't, he answers in a breathy voice. And then looking ahead, at the now-open-road, he asks, Where will we eat dinner? And we'll still get to see the fireworks back at the hotel, right?

I was stunned. What an amazing little man. We brushed ourselves off and headed away from the airfield to scope out restaurants back in the village.

We had dinner at what turned out to be a very popular watering hole. There would be an hour wait unless we were willing to eat in the bar. No problem! (At this point, I would have eaten in the car!) And off we headed to the darkened bar --- the boys tore through a half rack of ribs and a healthy serving from the salad bar. I had a yummy crab cake and a delicious salad.

We arrived back at the hotel at about 7:00, just in time for the opening scenes of "Finding Nemo" --- gotta LOVE the Disney channel. Coincidentally, G had watched the same movie with me back in Maine earlier in the summer. Let's watch the movie, Graham suggests and we all pile onto the queen bed. Within moments, G is mesmerized.





Dean, always the comedian, starts mugging with me. Before long, he's doing gymnastics on the bed and laughing as only he can do!

About an hour into the movie, we heard a huge BOOM! Yup, the fireworks had started. We quickly put on our shoes and ran out to the 300' stretch of lakefront to watch the beautiful display. Another hotel guest quickly grabbed us two chairs (how kind!) and we sat down and gazed upward. Dean stayed on my lap and after a few moments, must have remembered the Bar Harbor fireworks on the 4th of July; he relaxed and enjoyed the fireworks.


After about 15 minutes, there was a wonderful finale and we headed back to try to catch the very end of Finding Nemo.
"Hey, Grandma! The bed is wet!" noticed Graham. "And so is your shirt." Sure enough, in all of the excitement, Dean had sprung a leak --- Bad Grandma! Bad Grandma!

It was time for jammies. Both boys fell asleep within minutes. No fuss, no muss! What a treat! I turned the TV off, nestled in next to them, dozed off, and the next thing I knew it was after 11 PM and Mike and Laurelyn came into the room. They'd had a great time at the wedding and reception.

What a great adventure we had at Lake George Village! Sure hope Mike and Laurelyn have more weddings or other special events to go to---I love to travel and will sign on for ANY amount of "Grandma Time!" And rumor has it that Mike and Laurelyn enjoy occasional non-kid time, too.

Little Men, Limbo, and My Favorite Time of Year

I'm back. H.O.M.E. and here, too. For those of you who actually take the time to read this blog, sorry I've been gone so long. Much has happened. . .

I've been working like mad. Away from home for weeks and weeks. Apparently, the stock market had different ideas than we did when it came to the "when" of retirement. And there's more of that business travel to come. It's all good---except the time away from Al.

Thank goodness for SKYPE -- it's how Al and I can remember what we each looks like while I'm on the road. I won't stay at a hotel that doesn't have wi-fi; most do now. Although I recently learned that the basement rooms (yikes!) at the Four Points Sheraton in Revere don't really get wi-fi. But the hotel redeemed itself when the desk clerk came down to my room an hour after I checked in to tell me that my car's interior lights were on AND that I should probably (!) hide my GPS unless I wanted to find a big hole in my windshield in the morning. Nice hospitable touch, eh?

However, I was VERY clever and arranged a WEEK-LONG visit with our son, Mike, daughter-in-law, Laurelyn, and the two little tykes in my life, Graham (nearly 4!) and Dean (18 months) right after an extended work schedule. After several weeks of hotel living and driving, driving, driving, more hotel living and more driving...not to mention all those dinner meals by myself, a week in Corning was JUST what I needed! More about that in a bit . . .

So, it's my favorite time of year --- I absolutely CRAVE the cool, crisp air of fall --- yeah, I know it isn't technically fall yet, but tell that to the rusting grasses in the Bass Harbor Marsh and to the early red-orange maples that dare to turn early. The crickets have been chirping for a couple of weeks now --- that sound always takes me back to the early September that we moved to Merrimack (from Connecticut) -- we camped in the living room in sleeping bags and there was one single house-warming cricket who sang to us all night.

At the same time that I revel in fall, we're in a state of limbo here --- kinda. Our GP started the wheels rolling three weeks ago now for a second opinion consult at Dana Farber. There were just too many unanswered questions after so many tests and several findings of concern. In the meantime, we've moved on with our busy fall schedule (work, work, and more work!) but are eager to get that phone call from Boston with an appointment or maybe just a second opinion after they've reviewed all of my test results from here. It'll be great to have the real experts weigh in.

I've just realized, however, that I didn't really think much about my health at all while in Corning with Graham and Dean, Inc. No time to worry; we were having WAY too much fun!

Dean has become quite a little comedian --- he's a riot! He knows when he's being a rascal---complete with the twinkle in his eye and the wide-open smile...and OH, those dimples! He rides a variety of wheeled toys now---and the worn toes of his shoes are proof enough. His little feet go a million miles an hour--a 21st Century Fred Flintstone on a country driveway in New York.

This was the visit where all-things-books really *clicked* for Dean --- Grandma is a reading machine! He brought me book after book and crawled up into my lap even if Graham got to me first. Dean loves to point to each thing on the page --- "Where's the truck, Dean?" *points to truck* --- "Where's the horse, Dean?" *points to horse and makes a SUPER horse noise!* "Where's the cow, Dean?" *points to cow and makes a SUPER horse noise* "Where's the goose?" *points to goose and makes a SUPER horse noise* --- OK, you get the idea. By the end of the week though, he was pretty good with the "Mooooooooooo!" (for the cow).

Dean continues to nod enthusiastically (to indicate yes) and shake his head emphatically (usually accompanied by waving of hands) to indicate no! His favorite word is Mama! And if you don't respond he'll just say it louder---MAMA! and louder still MAMA until someone responds. With that one all-purpose word, he can express just about anything including:
1. Where IS Mama and why in the world are YOU here?
2. Where IS Mama and when will she be back?
3. Look at this!
4. I want something to eat!
5. Look at this and where IS Mama?
6. I want something to eat and where IS Mama?
After a week, I could nearly translate each utterance accurately. But my real (and favorite) accomplishment was successfully rocking Dean to sleep twice. It was simply blissful!


Big Brother Graham is now a pre-schooler. He couldn't have been more excited on Wednesday morning, all duded up for his first day of school. I mean really...have you ever SEEN such a big smile on a 3-year old? And he couldn't get to Mom's car quick enough when it was time to go to school. True to form, we played 20-questions when he got home; he only answered a couple: he played with trucks and the blocks were all different colors.

Graham and I played a couple games of Candyland during the week. But my favorite was teaching him to play Go Fish! He has the same version of it (fish-shaped cards, colors only, no suits) that his papa had as a kid. He didn't quite get the hang of don't-show-your-opponent-your-cards, but surely loved saying "Go Fish, Grandma!" every time he didn't have what I asked for. It was precious.

One of G's favorite activities is to "ride bikes" in the newly-paved driveway. He has quite a fleet -- a two-wheeler with training wheels (his favorite -- it's fast!), a John Deere tractor (he loves to collect the grass that Mama's cut with the big riding mower), a couple of nearly-retired tricycles, and a scooter.

G continues his fascination with books, books, books much to my delight. He won't go anywhere in the car without a big fat pile of books on his lap. He diligently "reads" page by page and now subvocalizes as he examines each and every page. He won't read aloud in the car but now loves making connections to other books and real-life experiences when being read to. And predictions come readily now too---such fun!

Oh, there's so much more to tell --- Play-Doh, open-air train ride, Animaland (yikes!), the swingset, our campfire, etc., etc., but suffice it to say, for now, these little men light up my life!

The Power of Prayer

Yesterday we got the best news that we could have from the hematologist-oncologist. "Your bone marrow is absolutely normal. No sign of lymphoma." We heaved a huge sigh of relief and I teetered on the edge of my chair.

It's been nearly three months of tests. Results. Tests. More results. And yet more tests. And feeling pretty darned good all the while. I was a puzzle, a dog (!), a zebra. And yesterday, I was a trail----the doc said, "We've looked under every rock. Nothing's there." I couldn't help but think of the Gorham Trail which Al and I hiked Sunday after church. It is a rocky but lovely path with fantastic views all the way.


I'll vote for that metaphor. I'm a trail, a beautiful trail in Acadia National Park. Along the trails there are cairns, rock formations that direct you along the way. The cairns during this 'wild hike' in the medical world were the prayers of many. They were always there, and sometimes there were many, many prayers coming quickly. Those prayers continue to be reliable and sustain us through even the rockiest path.

On the trail, there is also an occasional 'turn-off' that ends up being nothing but a dead end. This brief interruption can even appear to be a lightly-worn footpath. It can fool you for a minute until you spy the next bright blue blaze straight ahead. The 'turn-offs' and 'dead ends' for me were when I let doubts enter my thinking. The occasional "Oh, I know someone who had lymphoma...and he died," would stun me in my tracks but only momentarily. I'd take in a huge cleansing breath and forge ahead, always following those bright blue blazes.



As you hike, it's a requirement that you stop and take in the majestic views --- the blue ocean peeking through the tall pines. And after you climb a bit farther, maybe even with the help of iron rungs drilled into the rock slabs, the whole sky opens up and you can see oceans, islands, and white triangles gliding effortlessly through the water. Those views, the positive results of my medical tests, are always breath-taking and beautiful.



So, now we continue to monitor. The sarcoidosis seems so easy after all of this scary stuff. When we hike, we always carry a trail map, no matter how many times we've done the same hike. Monitoring my health is kind of like that --- the pulmonologist and our GP will continue to hike with us. We'll be sure to look for those cairns, to avoid those 'dead-ends', and always, always, stop to breathe in the glorious views along the way.

Balance and Trust

We are thoroughly enjoying our visit with Mike, Laurelyn, Graham, and Dean! They arrived late last evening. Overnight we had the most powerful thunderstorm ever --- the thunder rumbled for at least a solid hour and the lightning was pretty much non-stop. A few loud cracks hit nearby the house and I was quite sure we'd have a tree down come morning, but we lucked out.


After sleeping in quite late (such a luxury!), we had breakfast and then Graham and I took a jaunt into SW Harbor to do some errands. We stopped at the farmers' market and picked out some dee-licious strawberries and two small wooden lobster boats, one for G and one for Dean. We also strolled to the SWH Library (a real treasure) and G checked out about 10 books, many about dinosaurs.


We had a light lunch when we returned home (must leave room for lobster dinner...must leave room for lobster dinner) and after a bit, Al, Mike and G headed to the lighthouse for some photos and rock-climbing.

While they were gone, Dean and I had fun playing the piano and playing with Al's giant yellow exercise ball. Dean invented a new game where he took my hands and pulled himself up onto the ball. I'd help him move into a seated position where he'd balance himself while I'd bounce him on the ball. Then, with an amazing sense of trust, he'd throw himself back against the ball, knowing that I'd hang onto his feet. With a little coaching from Grandma, "Put your hands down, Dean! Hands down!" he'd reach over his head until all ten fingertips touched the carpet. Then I'd gently ease him down to the floor. He couldn't scramble back onto the top of the ball quickly enough for another go-round.

Toddlers can have an amazing sense of trust. And this toddler also seems to know something about balance. Trust and balance. Balance and trust. A winning combination. We can probably all learn something from the little prince.

Sunshine on my Shoulders Makes Me Happy

Yeah, it's still cloudy and raining outside. But there is SUNSHINE on my shoulders!

The hematologist-oncologist called yesterday and said, "Preliminarily, your blood is TOTALLY NORMAL!"

I've NEVER been 'accused' of being totally normal before! We'll get the final results of the bloodwork in the next week or two. I am realizing that I'm basically a pretty patient person. And it's a good thing, too.

The prayers, concern, and love sent to us in so many, many ways have been simply overwhelming. It's a very humbling experience to be the recipient of so much love and the beneficiary or so many prayers. God is good! It leaves me speechless. . .

So, in the coming two weeks, I've got lots of wonderful things planned! I'm visiting with two of my sisters in CT and with my in-laws, too. I'm so excited to see them all. Then a visit from our dear son, Mike, his darling wife, Laurelyn, and our two adorable grandsons--Graham and Dean! We'll be gorging on lobster (and picture books!) for sure.

And lots and lots of work for the coming months -- and I'm delighted. I have such fun working, it sometimes feels strange to get paid for it.




Now if we could just see some real sunshine...we've got sandcastles to build and seaglass to find. Come on, sun!