Happy New Year!

That'll do it for my "Best of 2008!"

Happy New Year everybody!

Best Home Improvement and Design Shows of 2008

Of course I have a best of list in this category! Here are the top five home improvement and design shows of 2008.

1. Color Splash - David Bromstad is a genius.

2. Divine Design – Candice Olson's creations are amazing.

3. Desperate Landscapes - While making over front yards, Jason Cameron hands out great pointers.

4. Designed to Sell - Lisa LaPorta's transformations are practical and affordable.

5. Get It Sold - Sabrina Soto suggests simple fixes and creative staging for open houses.

Best American Idol Performance of 2008

Brooke White singing "Love is a battlefied."

Best iTunes Downloads of 2008

I downloaded over 100 songs from iTunes in 2008. I like them all (almost) but these are the five best.

1. Don’t Blink – Kenny Chesney
This is an incredibly poignant song. Get your kleenex out. I heard it on the radio on one my road trips to Michigan and had to download it.

2. So What - Miles Davis
"So What" is on "Kind of Blue," the best jazz album of all time. This is undisputed. I lost my Kind of Blue CD years ago and finally downloaded it on iTunes this year. It is awesome.

3. Proud Mary - Ike and Tina Turner
Rollin'! The fierce and fabulous Tina Turner! If you download Proud Mary be sure to get the original.

4. Jackson - Johnny Cash and June Carter
If you haven't seen the movie, "Walk the Line," you should. The movie and soundtrack are great, but nothing beats the original Johnny Cash and June Carter.

5. I Wonder – Kellie Pickler
I was surprised that I liked this song so much. I don't think I've heard a more heartfelt song in years, if ever. True story: Kellie Pickler's mom abandoned her when she was a young child. The song is about what kids miss out on when their parents are absent.

Best SNL Skit of 2008

Best of 2008

I cannot let 2008 pass without a few "Best of 2008" lists.

So here we go with the first one!

The Best Movies of 2008

1. Wall-E
This film was cute and charming and of course the Pixar animation was spectacular.

2. Transformers
Sure. The idea of cars and trucks turning into high tech fighting machines is out there. But they are from outer space, you know!

3. Enchanted
This movie has all the Disney works - cute, singing animated animals, a princess, her prince, and a wicked witch. Worlds collide when animation turns to live action when the princess (awesomely acted by Amy Adams) is banished from the kingdom to the streets of New York City. Don't miss this funny, engaging, and entertaining top movie of '08.

4. Pan's Labyrinth
This fantasy film is set in 1944 fascist Spain. It is in Spanish with English subtitles, but don't let that turn you off. Every aspect of the movie - from the music to the cinematography to the plot itself - is haunting, spellbinding, and magnificent. Caution though: this is not a movie for kids.

5. Gone Baby Gone
Set in Boston, Gone Baby Gone is gritty and gripping from start to finish. It is a mystery and a thriller, with excellent acting, especially by Amy Ryan, who plays the addicted low life mother of the missing four-year old girl.

On a technical note for those of you who are technical, these may not have been released in 2008. These are movies I watched on DVD in 2008.

Unexpected Visitors

So tonight we were sitting around the table after dinner talking about the day. In the morning we did some cleaning and we exercised. In the afternoon we had a couple of unexpected visitors. Two young people - about college age - stopped by with a care package. They were in town from Wisconsin, volunteering for a congregation of baptist churches.

One of the two, a young fellow is clearly headed for the ministry and might just be the most sincere person you might ever meet. Mom talked to him for a few minutes about her life. He asked if he could pray with Ma and she agreed. It was a very special and moving prayer and we were all grateful for their unexpected visit.

Too Busy

Nancy the therapist came over today for the very last session. Ma is now officially a graduate of the program because of "excellent progress." Nancy said she was really proud of Ma because of all of her hard work the past month.

Nancy did the exercises with Ma as usual. Since it was the last session, she also did an exit interview for the program. She asked questions about what Ma can do around the house, what she needs help with, and she asked her about how she was feeling. Sitting nearby, I heard:

Nancy: "How about anxiety or depression. Are you feeling any anxiety or depression?"

Ma replied, "No."

Nancy: "You're too busy concentrating on living?"

Ma: "Yes that is right. If I were concentrating on the sickness, I would be miserable. I'm too busy concentrating on living."

Therapy

The doctors at Abbott Northwestern coordinated with the social workers there to develop a post-discharge plan for Ma. They recommended strength, balance, and endurance building exercises to help her tolerate the chemo treatments and to help her achieve basic household activities, like navigating stairs. Since Ma's discharge, a physical therapist - who specializes in working with seniors - has been coming over once or twice a week.

Today the therapist, Nancy, came over for a session. She was here for about an hour, doing the exercise regimen with Ma. Together they follow sheets with illustrations of the exercises. The illustrations also help Ma go through all the different exercises on her own.

The regimen starts with leg strength exercises with a two-pound ankle weight, followed by arm, shoulder, and upper back strength exercises. Then there are balance and stability exercises where she stands at the kitchen sink, and finally the exercise plan finishes with "laps" for several minutes around the kitchen, living room, and dining room.

Above is a picture of mom lifting the two-pound dumbbells we bought from Target back in October. The therapist mentioned that these are perfect for these upper body strength building exercises. There are about five different exercises with the dumbbells and they help with activities of daily living, like getting up from her chair, carrying water from the sink to the stove, or pouring water into the coffee machine.

Above is a picture of mom using the versatile "theraband." She can use this with someone holding one end or she can use it herself by putting one end under her foot for example and pulling the other end. The theraband has really helped to build up her shoulder strength so that she can pull herself up along the railing while going upstairs. Before she managed to make it up the stairs but she had to go up on all fours and by the time she reached the top of the stairs, she was pretty wobbly. Now she can climb the stairs upright and be stable once she gets there.

Above is a picture of Ma and the therapist doing one of the several balance and stability exercises.


Finally this picture shows the marching exercise. It was one of the last exercises. This marching exercise really helps with endurance since it's near the end of the session. After this she takes a break and then does her laps. I tried some of these exercises with Ma and the therapist and they are actually kind of fun! Who needs the gym!

Christmas Dinner

Since she was at Abbott on Thanksgiving, mom missed out on turkey, instead having to settle for just a piece of toast with peanut butter for dinner. But today, she finally got to have her turkey dinner!

By the time I arrived from the airport, Ma already had the turkey stuffed and ready to go in the oven. She made mashed potatoes and we later baked a squash and served it with low-sodium margarine and brown sugar. We also had some steamed mixed vegetables and for dessert we had pumpkin pie topped with whipped cream. It was all very delicious!

Surfing

Who says seniors aren't computer savvy?

Mom was on the internet today. In this picture she happens to be checking out the progress and route of my flight from DC to Minneapolis on Ifly.com.

And check out the bandana! She picked out this lavender and paisley bandana at Mayo and she really likes it.

Cannon Falls

For those of you who have made the trip, you know that Cannon Falls is halfway between Rochester and Minneapolis. It is also the only place along the way to stop for gas, use the bathroom, or get some food.

Mavis and Ma left Rochester shortly after the chemo and are in Cannon Falls now at the Country Kitchen.

UPDATE: They arrived back in Minneapolis at 3:55 p.m. CST.

Dispatch from Mayo

Email Subject: We are at Mayo today
From: Mavis
To: Kathleen, Sylvia

Okay Ma just started treatment about 15 minutes ago- 9:35 a.m. CST. Today her platelets were 184 White Blood Cell Count is 3.0 which is borderline, neutrophils are 1.6, and hemoglobin is 9.8 the hemoglobin is the only thing that is down a bit this week ideally it should be 12.5-16.0 To increase hemoglobin levels the nurse suggested eating spinach, broccoli, red meat (lean) eggs and nuts. Thank goodness I cooked Ma that lean steak the other night.

The nurse gave me Ma's next appt sheets. I will photocopy these and mail out a copy to all of you except Kass since she will be here tomorrow. She is scheduled to return to Mayo on January 9th at 8:30 a.m. for venipuncture specimen collection and blood tests, then has an oncology evaluation appt with Dr. Hartmann at 1:30 p.m.the same day and chemo therapy at 2:30 p.m. So after today she'll have a break for a while.

I spoke to the nurse about transferring chemo up to Abbott she said we have to talk to Hartmann or Hartmann's staff about this and have a regular doctor up in the Twin Cities (internist) which I have been working on finding the last two days. I need to check my voice mail here as soon as I am off the phone to see if Dr. Harmala called me back. I also have my cell phone with me today and it is turned on.

Since I am here I will also be attending the Chemotherapy Nutrition Class down in Gonda on 1st floor at 10:15 a.m. They teach about nutrition during, and after chemo treatments so that should be interesting.

Mavis

Mayo

Mavis and Ma are making the 90-mile drive from Minneapolis to Rochester this morning.

Ma has an 8:30 a.m. appointment for blood tests. If all the blood indicators look good, there is a chemo treatment scheduled for 9:00 a.m. central time.

Itinerary Change

I was originally scheduled to fly to Minneapolis on December 27th. However, thanks to a pleasant and unexpected Christmas present, I can fly earlier.

Here is my new itinerary:

Thu, Dec 25, 2008
Flight 557
Booking Class: T/Coach
Depart: DCA at 8:40 AM
Arrive: MSP at 10:33 AM

Inauguration Update

WTOP: 1 toilet for every 6,849 people on Inauguration Day

Washington Post: Inaugural 'Last Call' Moved Up: D.C. Bars Can Stay Open Till 4 a.m.

Washington Examiner: Inauguration Day crowds could push area jails, hospitals beyond their limits

USA Today: DC Braces for Record Inaugural Crowd

FoxNews.com: Seniors, Parents Piqued by Strict Inauguration Parade Rules

NY Times: Amtrak Beefs Up Inauguration Day Service

Office of Personnel Management: Inauguration Day Holiday for DC-Area Federal Employees

The American Indian Society of Washington: Set to host its 11th Inaugural Ball

CFC

The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) is the annual fundraising drive conducted by Federal employees in our workplaces every fall. The CFC has been going on for over 40 years, when President Kennedy initiated a formal national giving program in 1961. Geographically there are over 300 nationwide campaigns and last year Federal employees gave $271 million to charities. No other annual employee-giving program raises as much money for charity.

The CFC of the National Capital Area (CFCNCA) is the biggest among the 300 nationwide campaigns. More than 349,000 military, civilian and postal workers are employed by the Federal government in the National Capital Area. Of those employees, almost 166,000 people (approximately 48 percent) made a gift or pledge to CFCNCA last year. Total 2007 pledges amounted to $60.7 million for CFCNCA and in 2008 the campaign goal is $61 million.

Employees can make donations to one or more organizations of our choosing as a one-time contribution or we can make our donation across pay periods in 2009.

The CFC campaign here is closing down this week and so today I submitted my pledge form. I will donate $500 to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, or about just $19.20 out of each paycheck in 2009.

I encourage you to visit the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund and donate if you can. No donation is too small.

Mayo

Ma, John, and Jim are at the Mayo Clinic today.

Ma had blood tests scheduled for this morning at 9 a.m. central time. All of the blood indicators looked good and so the doctors went ahead with the scheduled chemo treatment.

The pre-treatments started at about 9:30 a.m. and so she should be done at about 12:30 p.m. central.

Subtle Signs

I heard an interview on the radio yesterday about the symptoms of heart attacks and I was surprised by how much I didn't know.

Most of us think of the "hollywood heart attack" where someone suddenly grabs their chest in intense pain and falls over. This is not typical.

True, chest pain is the most common sign of heart attack for both men and women, but chest pain does not "always" occur as a symptom. We often overlook other symptoms because they are not what we expect. And women often have different symptoms than men. Women, for example, might have a "sick to my stomach" feeling, whereas this is less common in men.

Because many of us expect the hollywood heart attack, instead of the sometimes more subtle signs of heart attack, we often delay seeking medical attention.

This video is about the sometimes subtle warning signs of heart attacks and it's message is if you feel something is wrong but you can't quite put your finger on it, seek medical attention right away.

Heart Attack Symptoms in Women

Here is a link to an informative podcast by the Mayo Clinic. It is audio with a transcript that you can read to follow the discussion.

Podcast: Heart attack symptoms in women - are they different?

Rochester

Ma and Sylvia are back in Rochester tonight. Ma has appointments tomorrow, with the first one being at 7 a.m. They thought it best to drive over this evening and get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow could be a long day.

There are blood tests, an evaluation with the Dr. Hartman, and a chemo may be happening. I say "may be happening" because the go ahead on the chemo treatment depends on (1) if all of the blood indicators look okay, and (2) if Dr. Hartman considers the risks of chemo (e.g. infections) to be less than the benefits (mitigating the cancer).

John drove to Rochester as well today and will meet up with Ma and Sylvia for the appointments tomorrow. And he brought along my brother Carl, who hasn't been able to visit with Ma in Minnesota, until now.

UPDATE: Mom did have chemo treatment, though at a lower dosage. If you are a regular reader here, you know that chemo treatments depress immune systems. So the doctors ordered a lower dosage in hopes of not damaging her immune system so much that she is unable to fight off any type of infection. We do not want another hospitalization like at Thanksgiving, but the doctors did say that another infection while she is undergoing chemo treatment is not unlikely. This is why we have to be very careful to avoid any situations whatsoever that put her at risk of infection.

The Great Squirrel Chase of '08

Sylvia in an email to Mavis:

Subject: CALL HOME IMMEDIATELY!...SQUIRREL IN THE HOUSE NO PH NO. TO CONTACT YOU!!

Mavis forwards this to me on Saturday morning, thinking I might be amused. There was no text in the email itself. I was puzzled, thinking it was a forwarded joke, but without the joke. So wondering what happened, I called to find out.

It was Friday evening. All was quiet. It was snowing. Jeopardy had just finished up. Mom and Sylv were sitting and having some relaxing evening tea.

Suddenly they hear a CRASH! BANG! Another BANG!

Sylv rushed into the living room to investigate, and saw a huge “monster” grey squirrel “flying through the air,” then leaping across the fireplace mantle, onto the end table, knocking over the lamp and mom and dad’s wedding picture to the floor. Then it frantically lept to the couch. The chaos quickly escalated with Bebe (Mave’s bishon frise) rushing over, barking her little lungs out, in full chase mode. Bebe chased the squirrel off the couch, to the floor, behind the Christmas tree. Then the squirrel raced across the room, toward the stairs, with Bebe in full pursuit.

After the initial shock of seeing a squirrel racing around the living room, Sylvia did some fast thinking. Get a broom! So Sylvia runs to the kitchen, gets the broom, and starts swinging, joining in on the pursuit with Bebe. The squirrel races back through the living room, into the dining room, around Mom, and right past her. Then when the broom didn’t seem to be helping all that much, Sylvia brings out a bigger weapon. The dustmop!

So there was the squirrel racing around the house, Bebe and Sylvia running behind in full chase mode, barking like mad (Bebe not Sylvia) and Sylvia with the dustmop, swinging.

Bebe was brave. She cornered the squirrel, which appeared to have no intention whatsoever of throwing in the towel. It was taking a time out behind the radiator in the living room. Bebe had it trapped, barking all the while.

So where, you might ask, was Buddy (Mave’s supposedly tough and astute Lhasa Apso) during all this? He was observing the whole thing behind the safety of Mom, who was by this time was standing and watching all this unfold herself. Mom came to Buddy’s defense though. Ma told me that he couldn’t help much because he’s old and has arthritis and can’t run around like he used to. Okay,fine. So he gets a pass on this one.

So back to the story.

Bebe had her eye on the squirrel, standing guard.

When’s mavis going to get home? They wondered aloud. She didn't get the “call home immediately” email?

With Bebe standing guard, mom and Sylvia take a time out. They sit down and strategize on what to do. Someone suggested calling 911. Upon hearing this, I say WHAT? Did you really call 911? Yes, they called 911. Sylvia recalled saying, “This may not be an emergency, but can you do anything to help us get this squirrel out of the house?”

That was a short call.

The dispatcher passed her through to animal control.

Sylvia explained to the animal control officer: “we had a HUGE grey squirrel come down the chimney and the dog has it trapped.” She asked if they could send someone over. He promptly said no.

Sylvia and Mom were on their own. The officer instead suggested this: take a tupperware bowl and catch it by sliding cardboard underneath. Trap it and get it outside. The squirrel was probably afraid but couldn’t get back out through the chimney.

So the new plan was to trap it under a bowl or pot.

In short order though, they realized the squirrel was too fast for that plan to succeed.

Another idea: trap the squirrel in Buddy’s dog kennel. He seemed oblivious to all the chaos anyway.

Yes! Trap it. But how? Create a trail of nuts leading into bud’s kennel!

Brilliant!

Or not.

Mom said, “it didn’t fall for that.”

So next, Sylvia calls Tim, her husband in Michigan, to tell him what was going on.

He laughed.

But then offered this piece of advice: be careful because it could bite or carry some disease.

Great.

Now what?

The plan now was to wait for Mave to get home.

At least the squirrel was trapped.

Or was it?

All had quieted down for a few minutes. Mavis finally walks in the door and queries, "what are these nuts doing on the floor?”

The situation when she got home: Bebe is on guard. The squirrel is still in the house. Buddy is under the table.

All of this came as a surprise to Mave, who had not bothered to check her email.

Mave takes over, in teacher control. “Alright let's look at this. Let’s open the window behind the TV. Barricade the steps so it can’t get upstairs.”

The new strategy (how many strategies does this make now?): The squirrel will jump out the window. It has to have some kind of exit to escape. Open the window. Take off the screen. Mave’s directive to Sylvia: “You stand there and block.” Her role: “I’ll force it out from behind the radiator.”

Good. A gameplan.

So with broom back in hand, Sylvia stood at the ready. Mave pushed it from it’s hiding place. Did it work?

Well the squirrel escaped alright. Right up the stairs.

More strategizing. They had do something. Mave opened the front screen door. Meanwhile Sylvia was in hot pursuit up the stairs. Mavis followed. With Mavis halfway up the stairs, Sylvia had it running and it scurried past Mave's feet and down the stairs.

Mom downstairs yelled out, “it ran under tree!” Back downstairs, Mave and Sylvia searched for it. Mom lost track of it. Mave brought in Bebe to sniff out the sunroom. It was all clear.

They couldn’t find the squirrel. So they made a logical conclusion: it must have ran out.

Another directive from Mavis: “Sylvia go outside and look for squirrel tracks!”

There was fresh snow so any tracks would be clearly visible. With flashlight in hand and going all CSI, Sylv searched thoroughly but found no evidence of squirrel tracks.

They concluded: He must have jumped out the window. They checked everywhere.
Everyone took a sigh of relief.

Was it gone?

Meanwhile, hunger set in. It was dinnertime after all. Nobody felt like cooking after all the crazy events. Mavis drove the three blocks over to pick up three Jucy Lucy’s from Matt’s Bar. It was a treacherous three blocks, according to Mave, and the snow was blinding by this time.

Mavis somehow arrives back home safely. Everybody is sitting at the dining room table, enjoying their Jucy Lucy’s. All is quiet. The squirrel must have jumped out the window.

Right?

An hour later Mom says: “I’m going to bed.” She walked around to the kitchen and back to the dining room table, doing a little cleanup after dinner. Those Jucy Lucy’s can be a little messy.

Mom started poking around the radiator behind the dining table. “Did you check back here?”

Bebe starts sniffing around the dining room radiator. Mom again: “did you check under this radiator?”

Sure enough, the squirrel had climbed up behind the radiator!

Sylvia and Mave flew into action. They had to flesh it out! Corner it!

The squirrel was having none of that. It raced into the kitchen, back upstairs, back to kitchen, back to dining room, underneath a blockade, back to the dining room, through the living room again - all with Mavis, Sylvia, and Bebe in hot pursuit.

It was now midnight.

And in between all the chasing, Mavis opened the entryway door and windows again. The house got cold fast.

Upstairs, Sylvia yelled, “it’s coming down,” with Bebe close behind. In anticipation, Mavis relying on the broom forced it in the direction of the entryway. It ran straight into the entryway and Mave slammed the door shut. Captured! It was trapped between the inside entryway door and outside door.

Mavis went out the backdoor, around the house (in the blinding snow!) and swung open the front door.

The squirrel raced out, and just to be sure, Bebe pursued it across the yard until all was safe.

If she could talk, I bet she would’ve said, “and stay out!”

Discharged

Mom was discharged yesterday. We left the hospital at 1:25 p.m. central time for the ten minute ride back to Mave's house.

Unfortunately I was only able to be home with her for about twenty minutes before having to leave for the airport.

We landed in DC at about 7 p.m. and as I made my way toward baggage claim, I had another "celebrity" sighting. I saw Judy Woodruff collecting herself after having just gone through security.

I fly back to Minneapolis on December 27th.

Seven Hours

The blood transfusion yesterday started at 2:15 p.m. and ended at 9:15 p.m.

There were no problems or complications.

Very early this morning the nurses took another blood sample to check Ma's hemoglobin level.
'
We are waiting for the doctor to stop by this morning and hopefully he says she can go home.

Thank You Janice!

Mom has a wonderful friend named Janice.

In addition to being a great all-around pal and neighbor, Janice has been an absolute godsend for Mom. Among other things, Janice helps Mom around the apartment, takes her for rides shopping, and this is important: Janice ships the L'Anse Sentinel to Minneapolis for Mom to keep up on the latest happenings in Baraga and L'Anse.

The Sentinel, which arrived in the mail just this afternoon, might seem like a small gesture but it is not. As you can see in these pictures, mom really appreciates getting the Sentinel every week!

Thank you Janice!

By the way, these pictures were taken on Monday evening at about 6:30 p.m. You can see in the top picture the bag of hemoglobin being transfused. Her bloodtype, we found out, is AB positive.

Hemoglobin

The doctors have found that Ma's hemoglobin level is very low. Under normal circumstances the level should be at least 12.0 but her level is only 8.4.

In case you don't know, hemoglobin is a protein molecule in blood cells that gives blood its red color and hemoglobin carries oxygen throughout the body.

Low hemoglobin levels can be a side effect of chemotherapy. Dr. Hennum told us earlier today that although chemotherapy depresses the growth of cancer cells the chemotherapy also supresses the body's ability to regenerate other cell types properly, like red blood cells with hemoglobin.

The course of action is a blood transfusion to replenish the hemoglobin. Two pints of blood are being infused now. This is being done in her room so this makes it easier for her to rest during the transfusion. She is sleeping now.

Discharge is unlikely today due to this transfusion of course, but tomorrow is still a possibility.

The intravenous (IV) lines have been removed. She is no longer needing fluids through the IV and the antibiotic has been switched to Levaquin in a pill form.