GRATITUDES:
1. The love of my family
2. A cool shower on a hot morning
3. Salty peanuts
4. Early morning skies

Not much to report. I probably won’t know the results of the biopsy for another few days and the MRD results won’t be available for two weeks at least. Meanwhile, I’m slowly building a case for getting this stupid PICC line pulled out of my arm. True, if I go into the hospital for another blincyto round I’ll need a second access point for fluids and blood draws but honestly, the nurses can probably do a midline for those. The PICC line that I have now has been pulled out by at least 1.5 inches and the blisters are worse this time. The largest one burst yesterday morning and now I have to be extra careful to keep the surrounding skin disinfected and the open sore covered. Ugh. This seriously sucks bilge water. Anyway, two nurses remarked on Thursday that it seemed daft to have the PICC when I have a perfectly functional port just sitting idly by. I have another dressing change due on Monday, I think, but with no supplies on hand this may not happen until later in the week. The home healthcare nurses don’t carry those things – they’re supplied by another company, which seems a bit wonky to me. I see Dr. Santiago next Friday and I may lobby LOUDLY then for this damn thing to be removed. I don’t want another dressing bandage to go NEAR the open blister area!

Bunch of frickin’ comedians. Annoying bipedal felines, more like. I was attempting to change the sheets on our bed this afternoon when Lauren came drifting in to the room, completely lost in space. When I gently but bodily moved her to one side so I could continue straightening the sheets she plopped her butt down on my nice tidy bed. My loud grumble of consternation attracted the main offender who gleefully galloped in and threw himself down next to his daughter. At this point I was looking for something to throw at both of them and made to grab a pillow but wasn’t quick enough. Rory finally took mercy on me and removed his carcass but Lauren continued to roll from one end of the bed to the other, a sort of giggling long-haired log. It was all I could do to keep from dragging her off the bed by the ankle. Little twerp. I love my family.🙄

I can’t believe that summer’s nearly over and the kids have to return to school in three weeks. I want a do-over. We haven’t had any vacation time as a family in three years due to Covid, my illness, Lauren’s back surgery, and now drivers training, which thankfully is done, at least the classroom portion of it. This will be their last year of high school and then next summer will most likely be a whirlwind of college prep. Basil will be going to Europe in late July-early August and then it’ll be time to pack up their things and launch them off into college life, a dress rehearsal for the real deal. Ugh, I’m getting depressed just writing about it. I’m not ready for this. It’s bad enough getting them behind the wheel of a car, let alone getting them ready for life launch. The kids, however, are more than ready to hit the road. Well, I know Basil is. They’ve been itching to leave home since they were 11, but Lauren is reluctant. She doesn’t even know what she wants to do with her life and has NO clue which colleges to focus on. All she knows is that she wants out of Texas as soon as is humanly possible. Poor kid. The move to this state was especially brutal on her and sent her into a years-long downward spiral that she’s only now beginning to recover from. Basil also wants to wash the Texas dirt from their shoes and never return and I can’t say I blame them. Rory and I will probably remain in Texas for a few more years but then it’s time to seriously consider relocating. To where, I’m not certain, but we’ll probably use the kids’ locations as a rough guide. For now, though, we’re focusing on the day-to-day and trying not to get too ahead of ourselves.❤️