Summer’s officially over. The girls are back in school (remote learning, at least for the first nine-week grading period) and there’s more early-morning bustle in the house on the weekdays. I wish I’d had the presence of mind to set up my iPhone on a tripod to record the wacky goings-on of the first morning on Monday – some of the stuff coming out of their mouths was HILARIOUS and they were in remarkably good spirits, considering it was the start of the school year. Well, that lasted for maybe the first hour and then things began flying apart at the seams. Apparently one of Leyna’s teachers hadn’t yet communicated the sign-on info for getting into the Zoom class meeting and, given that this kid is one who absolutely HAS to have all her ducks in a row at all times, she was having a complete meltdown. Another problem was that their class schedules weren’t available until about 7:45am. THAT SAME MORNING. This caused more than a bit of consternation and resulted in me stepping in and gently reminding them that none of this was their fault and that they wouldn’t be penalized for showing up late to a class that they couldn’t access.

So, did I say that summer is over? Heh. You certainly wouldn’t know it by the weather, which has been scorching, obnoxious, nasty, stinking hot for the last week. On Friday I had to run over to the high school to pick up art supplies for one of Leyna’s classes and I had to take Rory’s car because he had the Subaru for the weekly market run. Every surface on that little car is either black or chromed and EVERYTHING I touched resulted in much pain and swearing. Ridiculous. Why the hell even make black cars in the first place? Rory bought the damn thing five years ago because it was lightly used, fuel efficient and relatively low mileage, not because of its color. The poor little thing has never seen the inside of the garage (which is home to our two MGs, neither of which is currently in driving condition) and has to sit in our driveway instead, cooking in the blazing Texas sun. The same can be said for our Ruby, the Subaru. I sometimes wish we had some sort of carport attached to the front of the garage that could protect our vehicles a little more. I’ve seen some in the neighborhood that are actually quite attractive and look more like backyard gazebos than utilitarian vehicle shelters. The only caveat to this possible solution would be that the structure would have to be tall enough to enclose a camper trailer, since that’s how my in-laws travel and they need space for their trailer when staying with us. Still, that’s something that can be managed.

Now for the “big” news of the week: I had my second IV chemo infusion on Wednesday and my blood cell counts are now messed up to the point that Dr. Santiago has cut back on my meds. Apparently my liver is being impacted by the constant low-level poison and according to the blood panel, it may be inflamed. I’ve cut out ALL alcohol consumption, even though I wasn’t drinking a whole lot to begin with, and I’m increasing my intake of foods that can help with liver function. I want to make absolutely certain that I’m doing as much as I can to help my body continue its healing process. However, a new wrinkle has emerged: My bones ache. The discomfort isn’t quite as bad as the pain I felt after my Granix shots during my fifth hospitalized cycle but it’s more wide-spread, involving my shoulders, arms, wrists, mid and lower back, and hips. I’m a bit nervous about this new development because I also have a sore throat. Yep, I know… COVID!!!! AAAAHHHHHH!!!!!! That’s where my mind went when I first began having these symptoms a couple days ago but I don’t have any trace of fever or cough. I looked through all the paperwork provided by the doctor’s office to check if this is a fairly common side effect of my prescribed drugs and it may be. Looks like another phone call to the office may be in the cards for me today.🙄