Spraying off the equipment that had been in the back yard while the barn was being paved. (Check out that new blacktop!)

June 19, 2013 – Wednesday

36 degrees/clear/calm

Pentoga Road

I received this email from my newest BFF a couple of days ago and promised I would use my blog to help her cause. I hope you will go to the link in the paragraph below and watch the short video. It’s interesting and educational.

Hi there Tom!

Thanks for getting back to me! I am 44 and a mother to a quirky little 7 year old, Lily. She is my only child, and my whole world. When Lily was just 3 1/2 months old, I was diagnosed with mesothelioma; a type of cancer that kills most people within 2 years. As I’m sure you can imagine, the first thing that came to mind when I was diagnosed was my baby girl and how I wasn’t going to be able to watch her grow up.

After intense treatment and recovery, I’m still here 7 years later and cancer free! My journey with cancer was a terrifying one and I'd like to turn my pain into purpose and become someone that other people can look to for guidance, inspiration, and hope in situations like my own. My husband and I recently participated in a short video about my experience with cancer and I contacted you because I feel that your blog would be an excellent place to share. I’m hoping to use this video as a tool to raise awareness of this horrible little known cancer that is such a deadly killer (and sadly, 100% preventable).

I would love it if you would be willing to share my video on your blog with your readers. Here is the link to my video: http://www.mesothelioma.com/heather

Let me know what you think!

Heather

Thanks for allowing me to help, Heather.

Page Two

It’s only because I have too much pride that I don’t turn on the furnace. For cryin’ out loud, it’s the third week of June and I’m sitting here wearing a flannel shirt with a blanket over my lap. We’ve been averaging around nine degrees below the nightly norm. How am I going to grow a 500 lb pumpkin at this rate? The temperatures are to warm up and hopefully, this is the last time this season that I’ll have to cover the garden against frost. A hospital worker in Iron Mountain remarked yesterday that this is her last year to grow a garden. She said that by the time she buys more plants for her garden to replace those that are frozen or killed by frost, it’s cheaper to go to the farmer’s market and purchase veggies.

I had my doctor’s appointment yesterday and learned the cartilage in my left knee is torn both horizontally and vertically. I’m waiting to hear what time I’m to be at the hospital next Monday so I can have it scoped, the damaged repaired, and loose cartilage removed.

The doctor was a completely different sort of fellow this time. He was friendly, polite, and happy to take his time explaining the procedure. In fact, he was downright likeable. Perhaps he was having a bad hair day last week or maybe, other people complained about his lack of bedside manners. Whatever happened, unlike last time, I left his office feeling pretty good about him, personally, and having my knee repaired.

I hobbled to the hospital to have blood drawn. With that completed, I was pronounced ready for Monday’s procedure.

I was given the choice of having a general anesthesia or a spinal block. Of course I’m going to opt for the drugs and a trip to Happy Land. Duh, that’s a no brainer.

So, after five weeks of gimping around, the knee will be repaired and hopefully, I can get back to normal. Other than sitting in my recliner, I’ve not felt like doing very much. I do anything physical in the mornings then when I begin to feel my heart beat in my knee, retire to my recliner for the balance of the day. I’ve put on five pounds this summer (when I usually lose ten or more) due to inactivity. Let’s get this thing fixed. I’m ready!

Brutus was cruisin’ for a bruisin’ on Tuesday. He found something dead in which to roll and came to the house looking and smelling more like a zombie dog from hell than the proud American Bulldog he’s supposed to be. I washed and waxed him thoroughly, then put him on the chain so he could dry off. After, he was treated with tick and flea medication and pronounced clean and tick-free.

I had just finished playing fetch with him when he slipped back into the woods under the pretense of chasing a squirrel, his favorite activity. It was late afternoon and I went to the garden to cover the plants.

I heard the bulldog gallop out of the woods and looked up to see him covered once again in smelly glop. He’d returned and rolled in whatever it is that stinks.

I could have killed the pup. We returned to the hose where he was washed and scrubbed then chained for the remainder of the evening. When the sun set and the temperatures dropped, I brought him in the house and blockaded him in the corner by the back door to finish drying. I didn’t want the house smelling like a wet dog.

One would have thought I beat the dog and he was serving on death row. He put his fat head up to the chair and stared at me… for two hours. I’m certain if he was capable of singing a prison work song and banging a tin cup across the wooden rungs of the rocking chair, he’d have done so.

Sargie arrived home late last night and her first comment was how white Brutus was and after petting him, how very soft his coat was. I swear the mutt turned around and winked at me. Ahhhh, life with Brutus. Mine hasn’t been the same since we adopted him. I’m glad we did.

The paving crew showed up early Tuesday morning and carried the stuff that had been in the back yard into the barn. I scooted some around during the afternoon, but spent most the time planning where I want everything to go. Hopefully, I’ll be building in a shop later this summer and I’d like it if everything didn’t have to be completely moved again.

Sargie’s off today. We’ve talked about going fishing. The girl purchased her fishing license and is eager to go out in search of meat for the table. Other than that, we’ll no doubt take a short afternoon ride and simply enjoy being together. It’s what we do best.

Well, it was sixty-one years ago today that I entered the world. Since my stomach wasn’t fully formed, Mom says all I did was throw up and cry, not necessarily in that order. It’s been quite the ride and hopefully, this next year will be as good as this past.  Other than a beautiful and loving woman, my sons, family, and friends, and a bulldog, all who love me, I have the most wonderful guardian angel who protects and guides me when I’m not smart enough to take care of myself. It's true. God gives us exactly what we need when we need it. I’m the luckiest man I know and want for nothing. For all the above, I’m grateful. 

So here’s to another year on Pentoga Road. But first, I need one more cup of coffee. After all, a man’s work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road…  

Brutus was so offended that he got two baths in one day and put on a leash, he managed to hogtie himself.