Good Friends Make for Good Times

What a week this has been.

Last Thursday we headed out on our annual camping trip with our great friends, Ed and Judy. Although we have tried several different venues for this outing, Door County has become our favorite destination over the past few years.

One of the best things about this venue is that we pass through Green Bay on the way which gives us an opportunity to visit with the family up there. They all came out to Quietwoods South Campground at Dickeyville for hobo dinners and a quick swim in the pool. They were so excited to see us and they had so much fun it was good for the soul. Even Elise greeted us with the same warm fervor we have become accustomed to from Jack and Ella.

On Friday we headed North to Wagon Trail Campground. While we were waiting for the Fulls to arrive, I put together a beautiful dinner to start our celebration. Before dinner we took a short drive to a county park where there is a beautiful bluff overlooking the Bay and hiked a little to stretch our legs after our long treks in the car.
We also put together a pitcher or two of Sangria to ferment for the next day.

On Saturday we went over to Peninsula State Park for a great bike ride from Fish Creek, past the Eagle Cliff Lighthouse, to Nicolette Bay and back. It worked up our appetites. We unwound with a few games of Pinochle and our pitcher of Sangria. After that we headed for Mass followed by our traditional dinner at the English Inn. The Inn is quite pricey, but every month when we play pinochle, we put a few dollars into a kitty which pays for an occasional dinner out. We saved a little longer for this one, so we went overboard and still had some cash left for Sunday breakfast.

Sunday we got started early to catch the ferry to Washington Island. After buying our tickets for the ferry we had a lovely breakfast at Northport Pier Restaurant across the street from the ferry with a great view of Lake Michigan. On the ferry we continued our Pinochle marathon until we reached the Island and looked for a place with picnic tables where we could play a few rounds of Pinochle.

We took off on our bikes (which we took with us on the ferry) in search of a lookout tower which had a picnic table beneath it. So before we sat to play we climbed the tower to a magnificent view. 177 steps plus a hill in the middle. Yes, I counted them all.

Then it was lunch time so we went in search of an Irish Pub only to find out it was closed, so we biked a few miles further and found a bar which sold food. There are not a lot of choices on the island but what there is is usually good.

We got back to the ferry and discovered we were really glad we had our bikes instead of a car. The car line was blocks long and ultimately the end of the line had to wait for the next ferry.

Once home and tired we were so glad that we had a pot roast ready in the crock pot for dinner. Did I mention that we had another pitcher of Sangria waiting also? We discovered that you can make quite a nice Sangria out of Riesling wine. That night we had a campfire and shared more stories.

Monday morning, before out company left we had a reservation to golf at Peninsula State Park. What a beautiful course. Several holes were overlooking the Lake with craggy shores. One hole had such a steep decline that Don lost control of the cart on the downhill. I'm not sure what happened because I closed my eyes when I thought we were going to crash and when I opened them Don was nowhere to be seen and the cart was still moving, albeit slowly. We had a light lunch at Julie's Cafe in Fish Creek before returning to camp. The friends headed for home and we stayed over until Tuesday to avoid putting Bertha back in storage before heading out the next day to meet some other great friends at Marseilles, IL.

Don dropped me off at home so I could golf on Wed. He headed out to our campsite on the Illinois River at Marseilles where I  would drive out with friends the next day to meet up with him.

 The campground is on the Illinois River a short way down from the locks. We always manage to get a sight overlooking the river where we can watch the barges pass by. Don loves to ride our bikes down to the locks and watch the boats go through. I guess he also likes to watch the grass grow and paint to dry.

The neat thing there was a tribute to the service people who have died in Mideast conflict. There is an oak tree planted for each person from Illinois who died. There is a heart wrenching quote which I wish I had copied verbatim. It goes to the effect that these trees stand to protect the ground beneath them just as those who died stood to protect our country.

This campground is on part of the I & M Canal bike trail. We biked from Marseilles to Ottawa. The town of Ottawa is the sight of the first Lincoln Douglas debate and there is a beautiful park in the center of town commemorating the event. Everyone in the town is so welcoming. There was a lady doing the gardening in the park. She gave us the whole story of the park creation and a lot more facts about Ottawa than one needs to know.  We walked down a block to the Beehive restaurant and what do you know?  She was standing there to explain to us the people included in the wall mural on the side of the building. That was spooky. No one saw where she came from.

I was up early in the morning and noticed that the sun was just beginning to rise so I threw on a pair of shoes and walked down to a clearing to try to capture it in a picture.

I also had an opportunity to indulge my newest passion, kayaking on the river. Thank goodness for friends who buy these toys and love to share.

There is no greater joy than to mellow out around a campfire with good friends, good conservation and a few laughs.

The "C" Word

This week Parade Magazine did a piece about Susan B. Komen. All I knew about her was that there was this huge breast cancer research foundation named for her. The article made her a real person to me. I shed a tear as I realized that her horrible death from cancer probably paved the way to make my ordeal so much easier. Thank you Susan and sister Nancy.

I just came from my first visit with my surgeon since my bilateral mastectomy last January. She is pleased with the outcome. I expected to emerge from this visit feeling cured and glad to put this all behind me, but as I should have known, that is never to be the case. Once you are branded with the "C" word, no matter how optimistic the prognosis is, the other "c" word (cured) seems to not exist. The next step is to see an oncologist for recommendations regarding tamoxifen. I have been putting this part off as long as possible because this is the step which brings home the reality of the cancer word.

The doctors like to use the word precancerous in describing DCIS. Some of the literature does also. I believe the official designation is Stage 0 breast cancer. The "C" in DCIS stands for carcinoma and to an old nurse that only means one thing. The treatment is the same as for any other stage cancer - cut it out.

My journey began last November when I went in for a routine mammogram. I was told by my primary care physician that I had this disease which she called the best possible of the worst news. She was right about that. She sent me to a surgeon for a simple lumpectomy then to be on my way happily ever after. I have learned a lot about DCIS since then and it is never that simple.

Two mammograms, an MRI, an Ultrasound, and two separate breast biopsies later it was determined that there was sufficient disease in both breasts to warrant bilateral mastectomies. This was supposed to give me an almost perfect cure. But no one will ever say it can never come back.

I feel healthy now and free of cancer and I will do whatever it takes to keep it that way.

I am not one to share my medical problems with anyone and documenting this record is most difficult for me. I am doing this because I feel I owe it to anyone who is close to me to know how things went and, who knows, maybe someone else just starting on this journey will stumble across my story and gain some comfort from my words.

Here are the things that helped me through what could have been the worst ordeal of my life, but thanks to the abundance of friends and family in my life was really not so bad after all.

1. Share with your friends and family. I went through most of the work-up before I let anyone know what was happening to me. Finally, I told Don he could tell people, but how many people can you call and say "Guess what. I have breast cancer"? Finally I chose to send an e-mail to most of the people we know explaining my medical condition and treatment plan. It was the best move I had made to date. I began to receive cards, notes, and phone calls from important people in my life and some I hardly knew. Most important was the amount of prayers said for me. I am sure this is the number one reason my recovery has been so easy and complete.

2. There was a book written in the 70's I believe that was called "First You Cry". Well I didn't actually cry much until after the surgery. I felt like it plenty though, but tears do not come easily for me. Breasts mean different things to different women - and men. I was not worried about the cosmetics, there are lots of remedies for that. What I was concerned about was irretrievably lost to me. And I cried plenty about that. It wasn't until after the tears and the comfort of my exceptionally patient and understanding spouse that I was able to let go of my loss.

2. Laugh plenty. Many of my friends must have thought I was nuts, but we shared many a belly busting laugh over sick breast humor. They say belly laughing is good for you because it releases endorphins. And what better stress reducers are there.

3. Keep the body and mind active. It quickens the healing process both physically and emotionally. My husband gave me a 2000 word jigsaw puzzle for Christmas knowing that I would need something besides TV to occupy me after surgery.  People think I am amazing because I was in Florida hiking trails, swinging a golf club, and riding my bike 3 weeks after surgery. I am not so amazing. I did these things because it made me feel healthy and free of disease.

4. Take a good girlfriend with you boob shopping, not your spouse. She will tell you the truth about what looks good and bad and share a few more laughs.

5. Most of all, early on, I realized that this was not going to kill me and as the saying goes, what doesn't kill you makes you better.

I don't believe I ever took the love and closeness of our family for granted. Each one has been precious to me since the day I was born. So the experience didn't give me any epiphanies about that.
What I did find out though is that there are so many other people out there who love me and regard my presence as important to them. I have sometimes thought that people come to funerals and say so many great things about the deceased that it is a shame they cannot be there to hear it. So I imagined I might have a wake for myself while I am alive so I can hear what people really think about me. Well this was about as close to that as one can get. The outpouring of love was overwhelming and a true blessing. And the most important thing I will take away from all of this is to try to pay some of those blessings forward, and give to someone else what has meant so much to me.

A Short Trip

It's been an interesting week in my world. It started last when our good friends, Lynn and Becky called that they were in town. They live full time in their motor home and have for about the past 18 years. When they began their journey, there was no Internet or cell phone the way we know it today. There were only these things called pay phones around to help keep in touch when you were on the road. Therefore, every couple of years when they returned home, they would show up on our doorstep and hopefully we would be home. Sometimes we were. Now we are able to keep in touch much more easily. We even meet up with them on the road in the winter. We had a pleasant day with them on Saturday.

Sunday morning after Mass we packed up Bertha once again and headed out for the Grant River Campground in Potosi Wisconsin. This is a Corps of Engineering Campground on the Mississippi River just north of the Illinois border. We met up with our friends the Fox Valley Winnies. Monday was golf outing day. As long as I have my golf clubs and my bike along any trip is okay.

This one proved exceptionally fun. On Monday morning we all went bowling. Bowling is never quite so fun as when you go with a bunch of people who are only out for a few laughs and don't mind making fools of themselves. We had plenty of laughs. This bowling alley was inside a Casino in Dubuque Ia. So after bowling, we had lunch at the elegant and cheap buffet followed by trying to cheat lady luck at the games. I am very disappointed in the way slot machines have changed. They call them penny machines but somehow you bet $.30 to $1.50 each spin and you win pennies with each win. After that machine ate my initial limit, I found the machine I like to play. A plain old quarter slot machine with just one line to watch. I begged an extra buck off of Don and wallah!! I went home with 37 dollars in my pocket.

Yes, this is me in the kayak. It was very hot and humid on the shore and believe it or not it rained all night every night. If you read my other camping stories this year there is a very familiar theme going here. Out on the river it was a pleasant respite from the weather, not to mention the biting flies.

There was an eagle with a child nesting in one of the campground trees whom the experts among us estimated to be about three years old. We spent some time watching them. What a vision when they take to the air.

We had to leave this outing a day early so I could get back to my job at the food pantry on Thursday morning and also because we made another date for dinner with Lynn and Becky. By the time we found the best place to bike, we didn't have time to go. Anyway there was a heat index of 99 so I don't think that was such a bad thing to miss out on this time.

Camping with Jack and Ella

When your eight year old grandson calls up and asks to go camping you set a date. If you don't, the day is going to come when he no longer wants to hang with you and you will have missed the opportunity.

We gave him the option of Yogi Bear or Abe Lincoln and believe it or not he chose Lincoln. His sister, Ella came with him and she was happy just to be going no matter where we went.

We packed up Bertha and headed to Springfield on Thursday afternoon. We got there on time to take a nice dip in the swimming pool before fixing tacos for dinner with grilled sweet corn. We had the best taco sauce ever thanks to Jack's expertise. Grandpa ate left over meat loaf.

Friday morning we headed out to the Lincoln Museum. A terrific interactive experience with something for everyone. Jack and Ella were impressed by the life-like wax figures of the Lincolns and various other figures of their time.

Ella liked the first lady's dresses, especially the pink one. They both liked the ghosts of the library even though Ella freaked out at first and made a flying leap into Grandpa's lap at the first clap of thunder.

They also liked the replica of the log cabin that Abe grew up in.

When we returned to camp, it was cool and cloudy so we deferred the swimming pool for mini golf and shuffleboard. I told them not to let any of my friends know I played shuffleboard.

On Saturday, we spent the morning at New Salem, the town Lincoln spent a few years in as a young man before coming to Springfield. Jack liked the log cabins and is going to convince his mom that they should get one. He especially liked the outdoor toilets. I think that would run thin very soon.

We had a great time in the swimming pool then had chicken nuggets strawberries, and corn on the cob for dinner. Grandpa ate left over meat loaf.

Sunday was our party day - our last day in camp. We went to church at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. It has just been reopened recently after a long renovation. What a beautiful old church. We then had brunch in town at the Cafe Brio. Grandpa chose the restaurant without realizing it was Mexican. They did have regular pancakes on the menu though. Jack ordered Quesadillas which were pretty tasteless, and Ella ordered buttered noodles which they ruined by smothering them in Parmesan cheese and serving cold. Restaurants must either think that kids will eat anything, or that they won't eat anything so why try to make it tasty.

After that we went to the law offices of Herndon and Lincoln and walked the floors that Abe actually walked on. We also went into the rotunda of the Capitol Building and into the Old State Capitol. They were impressed that Lincoln actually worked there for a short time and also debated Steven Douglas. While there, some Madrigal singers came in and sang some of the songs of the era. Ella loves music and Jack seemed to enjoy it even though he pretended not to.

We spent a long time in the pool that day, played a little shuffleboard, then cooked pudgy pies for dinner. Grandpa ate leftover meatloaf. We had a great party. Jack brought the biggest marshmallows you have ever seen to make s'mors. We told some stories over the campfire and then they stayed up late watching a movie.

I think the kids were impressed with Mr. Lincoln over all. We had a great time in the pool even though Grandma's brain is waterlogged. And Grandpa loves left over meat loaf.

Unfortunately there are no pictures to prove any of this because we left the camera at home. So use your imagination.