Good morning, all. A beautiful sunshine morning here. Everybody is up and about. Last night my dad was making plans to head back to his house so he would not be a burden. I had my brothers call him and give their advice and then each family member came up and told him how much they wanted him to stay and why. He broke down into tears and said how much he appreciated it and would not bring it up again. But today is a new day and I would not be surprised to hear it again! I have written down the explanation of how we want him and we all think this is the best place for him as he brings this up regularly. I wrote it down about a month ago and he probably reads it every other day for reassurance. Just needed a bit more last night.
Good morning! Praying, AJ and Janice, for the treatments.
It’s another cold morning in the house, but the heater is cranking away, it should warm up shortly. Abby’s been sleeping in the bedroom more with us lately, using that large, very cushy dog bed I bought for her from chewy.com.
I was so tired last night, I fell asleep almost instantly after going to bed, didn’t even get the light turned out. I woke up at 1:30 and wondered why it was still on. …
Yesterday was stressful, we are all wrapped up in working on follows for the shooting incident that occurred over the weekend. Very sad. And there’s been another shooting now in the northern part of the state, no connection, but strangely similar aspects to that one. Our Bay Area sister papers will be covering that one today.
Meanwhile, our area’s annual homeless count launches today so some of us will be working on that.
Abby is making me laugh this morning, she SO wants to play with the cat she can’t container herself. Annie has escaped to the top of her cat tree and is looking down on Abby.
This is now an all-girl household for the first time, it occurred to me the other day.
Praying, mumsee. There’s no place like home, so the yearning is natural. But you’ve found a good way to deal with that, blessings on all you’re doing.
Now it’s the dog-and-cat game in full swing, as Annie’s sitting under the dining room table & chairs where Abby can’t get to her. The two are dancing and bouncing and playing safely at a distance. I think these two may become pretty good friends.
Wow, the morning is almost gone. I had radiation and then the first PT evaluation. Thankfully, my mobility and grip with my hands look great. Just don’t ask about my grip on life😀 I do have some swelling from accumulated lymph fluid which is not unusual ftom having had some lymph nodes removed along with radiation to the area. I have been given instructions that should help move the fluid into alternatives routes. Art has lymphodema in his legs so we are somewhat familiar with this. It just takes some time, but is treatable and a normal thing. Thankful for this specialozed PT in the same building. I had expected to do exercise, but all I got was massage . . . Spa Day!
Thank you Saints in the Lord, Brothers and Sisters in Christ, for praying. A week and a half to go on this part of the journey. Amazing how quickly it is passing!!!
But taking off on the “he gets us” theme, I’ve ordered a book that looks good and may, in a much more orthodox way, pick up on all that.
It’s not astonishing that Jesus loves people. What is astonishing is the sort of people he was continually drawn to…ie people like me and you. “He Loved Them” will remind you that no matter who you are or what you’ve done, He loves. pic.twitter.com/xv9DLhoIX6
Oh, I feel so self-indulgent with my lunch today . . . to start off, pumpkin pie (missed morning snack), then for appetizer, an avocado, sliced, with blue corn chips, and now half a pan pizza! A few of my favorite things😀
Makes up for having two small (imitator) cheese with peanut butter cracker packs, only four per pack, at the PT office, for breakfast.
When Mason Jones started high school, he was an atheist: “I thought religion was superstition, that religious people ignored the world’s complexity to fit it into a manageable mental box.” What could change the heart of a teenager who’d become jaded against God before he got his driver’s permit? Turns out, it was a doctrine we often assume turns Gen Z away from faith: the exclusivity of Christ.
When he attended his dad’s church and heard the message of the gospel for the first time, Jones was confronted with the reality that only the cross can make moral reasoning sensible. “I realized I’d done to Christianity exactly what I’d accused religion of doing to the world,” wrote Jones. “I oversimplified and misrepresented it because I missed a key piece of data: ‘There is salvation in no one else’ but Jesus (Acts 4:12).”
Jones also met believing teens at the church. “For the first time in my life, I developed deep, meaningful relationships with genuine Christians, and the testimony of their lives validated the Bible’s testimony.”
Isn’t that beautiful? What this skeptical teen needed wasn’t a hyped-up or gimmicky outreach strategy. He needed the kind of discipleship that cultivates godly friendships, doesn’t back away from a rigorous, intellectual conversation, and most importantly, keeps Jesus front and center. That is the sort of discipleship we all need.
I hope it’s okay that I copy and paste this Facebook post from AJ. If not, AJ, you are the one who can take it down!
“Today is a good day. 🙂
My 6th and final immunotherapy is complete.
So thanks are in order.
First, to my wife Cheryl, for being there the whole way, thru everything, every appointment, the chemo, the immunotherapy treatment, surgery, and the after effects that followed. You are the best.
Second, my family, my kids Allen Jr, Elizabeth, and Isaac, my brothers and sisters for being there and being you. Love you guys and gals.
Third, to Meghan, my nurse at St. Lukes Urology. She has the best bedside manor, is fantastic at her job, is very professional and kind. You helped make some of the worst part of my life a little better. Thank you Meghan.
Fourth, Drs. Blasi and Goldsmith. Blasi for catching on to my illness first, and Goldsmith for treating my cancer. You guys are awesome.
Last, but certainly not least, my support group, my rocks. Frank, the Jims, Peter, the Bills, Ron, Lou, Doug, Glenn and the rest of the Wednesday gang. Tim, Doug and Jon, my pastors at FBC Pburg. The prayer groups who always lifted me up, the Men’s, the Thursday nighters, Deb and Phil, and the rest. My blogging buddies aka: The Wanderers. God has blessed me greatly with folks like you all, and any I forgot. Thank you.
In 6 weeks we will see if the treatments worked. I’m confident, and know that even if they didn’t, the fight will go on. And most importantly, that I’m not alone in this fight.
Thank you all from the bottom of my heart, and thanks to God for putting you all in my life. I’m blessed.”
Bless you, AJ! You have been so loved through this! Continuing to lift you up for complete remission and total cancellation of cancer from your body! I just noticed that cancer is only one letter away from cancel. May that be the way of it, in Jesus’ name!
Why Is Everyone Drowning in Their Oversize Blazers?
Super-roomy jackets are hip and have fans, though some customers find them comically large. “It’s literally like Shaq’s blazer.”
~ Jordanna Drazin wasn’t worried about the one-size-fits-all description on the Frankie Shop blazer she saw online. She’d seen the jacket on so many celebrities and influencers of various proportions and figured its boxy silhouette would look fine on her 5-foot-3 frame.
But when the $165 blazer arrived at Ms. Drazin’s apartment in New York City, the 24-year-old social media manager realized the gulf between Instagram and reality. The blazer nearly hit her knees, and the sleeves billowed way past her wrists.
“I looked like I was a little kid playing dress-up in my dad’s closet,” says Ms. Drazin.
The long and short of it is this: Blazers have gotten ginormous, and for some, the effect is more clown school than cool girl. Customers such as Ms. Drazin, who have been influenced by influencers to try the look, are finding their blazers might as well come with a flower on the lapel that shoots water. … ~
Howdy all. Well I finally did it and scheduled with my chiropractor. My back is hurting and it is time.
You should see me get up and slowly stand. Hard to straighten.
Good Evening Everyone. It was nice to read all the good news.
Congratulations AJ.
Janice, I am so glad things are going well with you.
Mumsee you are now the “Old Man Whisperer” taking care of the dads/grandpas.
DJ, so glad Abby is fitting in.
I miss my boy. I got home yestereday and Mr. P had taken care of the water dish. We agreed to leave the mat down and start feeding the cat- Buddy- there. He was going to leave the little wrought iron dog bowl holder that lifted up the bowls. We have a stainless one for Lulabelle. Anyway, I picked it up and put it in the laundry room. When he got home with Little Miss and Buddy he wanted to know where the bowl holder was. I told him several times that I had moved it. He didn’t catch on at first so finally I turned around and said, “Please don’t push me on this”. He didn’t ask again.
This afternoon I sat down and wrote thank you notes to the vetrinary clinic and to the groomer.
I miss my Boy.
Your loss is so great; it is hard when our friends must go through losing their dearest pets. When it happens, we are all reminded we will go through the same difficult time at some point ourselves. I have a little set of water and food bowls on a wire stand for Miss Bosley. I would feel the same as you about that. ❤
Jo, thankful you can get some needed adjustments to get the kinks out. Are you able to do much walking? The walking is really helping me to get through treatments and have energy. For older folks, I think walking is the equivalent to taking medicine, with the added benefit that it is free. I know you have walked a lot in the past.
Kim, it is so hard. Like you, I knew “it” was coming for some time but having 2 to say goodbye to — within 2 weeks of each other — was so heartbreaking, they’d been my constant companions for 15 years.
I left the water dishes as is since Annie the cat also used those bowls. I did take Cowboy’s bed out of the bedroom as it was such a hard reminder to me, he was on that bed every night (and much of the day). It was strange to have that space clear, so I moved a rocking chair in there.
Now I have Abby’s new bed in that spot.
But I still miss sweet Cowboy sleeping there along side me on the dog bed on the floor for so many years.
And Cowboy and Tess are still the pictures on my phone and on my work slack account, and FB …
A couple months after they were gone, following my knee surgery, I finally got around to donating their left-over food to the city animal shelter. I was surprised when I started to cry after leaving it in the office and heading back to my car, it was like it was a final step or something.
Kim, how (and why) did you pick the name Amos? I’m always curious about pet names people pick.
Abby’s the only dog who’s name I haven’t changed from what she came with (rescue group tagged her with that, shelter called her Moonshine and we have no idea what her original name may have been).
But Abby seemed to fit, it was easy and she was used to it.
DJ my father-in-law was named “King” by his nanny. Huey P. Long was a Louisiana politician with red hair named the “Kingfish”. So he became “King” Cotten.
The friends who helped/forced me to get Amos has two black cockpoos named Amos and Andy. Theo Amos died right before “she” forced me into getting a dog for BG. My father was James Isaac so I thought it was funny to name the dog- the one I didn’t want- King Amos Isaac. I had this vision of my father and father in law in heaven saying “She didn’t have us a grandson but she named the danged do after us”.
Friday I whispered to him that if he ended up in heaven to find two grumpy old men. They were waiting for him.
Wandering Views 
Good morning. Praying for you AJ and Janice, as you continue your treatments. Snow here.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good morning to all.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Leaving now. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
And we are praying Aj!
Morning all!!❣️
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good morning, all. A beautiful sunshine morning here. Everybody is up and about. Last night my dad was making plans to head back to his house so he would not be a burden. I had my brothers call him and give their advice and then each family member came up and told him how much they wanted him to stay and why. He broke down into tears and said how much he appreciated it and would not bring it up again. But today is a new day and I would not be surprised to hear it again! I have written down the explanation of how we want him and we all think this is the best place for him as he brings this up regularly. I wrote it down about a month ago and he probably reads it every other day for reassurance. Just needed a bit more last night.
LikeLiked by 5 people
Good morning! Praying, AJ and Janice, for the treatments.
It’s another cold morning in the house, but the heater is cranking away, it should warm up shortly. Abby’s been sleeping in the bedroom more with us lately, using that large, very cushy dog bed I bought for her from chewy.com.
I was so tired last night, I fell asleep almost instantly after going to bed, didn’t even get the light turned out. I woke up at 1:30 and wondered why it was still on. …
Yesterday was stressful, we are all wrapped up in working on follows for the shooting incident that occurred over the weekend. Very sad. And there’s been another shooting now in the northern part of the state, no connection, but strangely similar aspects to that one. Our Bay Area sister papers will be covering that one today.
Meanwhile, our area’s annual homeless count launches today so some of us will be working on that.
Abby is making me laugh this morning, she SO wants to play with the cat she can’t container herself. Annie has escaped to the top of her cat tree and is looking down on Abby.
This is now an all-girl household for the first time, it occurred to me the other day.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Praying, mumsee. There’s no place like home, so the yearning is natural. But you’ve found a good way to deal with that, blessings on all you’re doing.
Now it’s the dog-and-cat game in full swing, as Annie’s sitting under the dining room table & chairs where Abby can’t get to her. The two are dancing and bouncing and playing safely at a distance. I think these two may become pretty good friends.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Very wise, Mumsee. Don’t we all need reassurance like that?
LikeLiked by 2 people
So kind of you, DJ, to get a dog to entertain your cat.
LikeLiked by 3 people
https://natashacrain.com/7-problems-with-the-he-gets-us-campaign/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow, the morning is almost gone. I had radiation and then the first PT evaluation. Thankfully, my mobility and grip with my hands look great. Just don’t ask about my grip on life😀 I do have some swelling from accumulated lymph fluid which is not unusual ftom having had some lymph nodes removed along with radiation to the area. I have been given instructions that should help move the fluid into alternatives routes. Art has lymphodema in his legs so we are somewhat familiar with this. It just takes some time, but is treatable and a normal thing. Thankful for this specialozed PT in the same building. I had expected to do exercise, but all I got was massage . . . Spa Day!
Thank you Saints in the Lord, Brothers and Sisters in Christ, for praying. A week and a half to go on this part of the journey. Amazing how quickly it is passing!!!
LikeLiked by 5 people
But taking off on the “he gets us” theme, I’ve ordered a book that looks good and may, in a much more orthodox way, pick up on all that.
LikeLiked by 3 people
And, yes, the cat is thoroughly entertained (when she’s not annoyed).
LikeLiked by 3 people
Such an upbeat report, Janice.
Onward!
LikeLiked by 3 people
Michelle,
I shared that link a couple weeks back.
It does an excellent job of pointing out the issues with “He gets us”.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Don’t look now, but Pence has been exposed now too. I guess he’s not quite the paragon of virtue folks thought.
Unlike Trump, he also is not permitted to possess these and cannot declassify as Trump could.
https://nypost.com/2023/01/24/around-a-dozen-classified-documents-found-in-mike-pences-indiana-home-report/
LikeLiked by 2 people
Oh, I feel so self-indulgent with my lunch today . . . to start off, pumpkin pie (missed morning snack), then for appetizer, an avocado, sliced, with blue corn chips, and now half a pan pizza! A few of my favorite things😀
Makes up for having two small (imitator) cheese with peanut butter cracker packs, only four per pack, at the PT office, for breakfast.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My dad is up nearly ten pounds from arrival weight.
LikeLiked by 4 people
He is still nearly fifteen pounds under what his other doc told him not to get below.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Read this yesterday which also was good:
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/doctrine-exclusivity-christian/
Intro from the Gospel Coalition:
When Mason Jones started high school, he was an atheist: “I thought religion was superstition, that religious people ignored the world’s complexity to fit it into a manageable mental box.” What could change the heart of a teenager who’d become jaded against God before he got his driver’s permit? Turns out, it was a doctrine we often assume turns Gen Z away from faith: the exclusivity of Christ.
When he attended his dad’s church and heard the message of the gospel for the first time, Jones was confronted with the reality that only the cross can make moral reasoning sensible. “I realized I’d done to Christianity exactly what I’d accused religion of doing to the world,” wrote Jones. “I oversimplified and misrepresented it because I missed a key piece of data: ‘There is salvation in no one else’ but Jesus (Acts 4:12).”
Jones also met believing teens at the church. “For the first time in my life, I developed deep, meaningful relationships with genuine Christians, and the testimony of their lives validated the Bible’s testimony.”
Isn’t that beautiful? What this skeptical teen needed wasn’t a hyped-up or gimmicky outreach strategy. He needed the kind of discipleship that cultivates godly friendships, doesn’t back away from a rigorous, intellectual conversation, and most importantly, keeps Jesus front and center. That is the sort of discipleship we all need.
For his saving Name,
JARED KENNEDY
Editor
LikeLiked by 3 people
I hope it’s okay that I copy and paste this Facebook post from AJ. If not, AJ, you are the one who can take it down!
“Today is a good day. 🙂
My 6th and final immunotherapy is complete.
So thanks are in order.
First, to my wife Cheryl, for being there the whole way, thru everything, every appointment, the chemo, the immunotherapy treatment, surgery, and the after effects that followed. You are the best.
Second, my family, my kids Allen Jr, Elizabeth, and Isaac, my brothers and sisters for being there and being you. Love you guys and gals.
Third, to Meghan, my nurse at St. Lukes Urology. She has the best bedside manor, is fantastic at her job, is very professional and kind. You helped make some of the worst part of my life a little better. Thank you Meghan.
Fourth, Drs. Blasi and Goldsmith. Blasi for catching on to my illness first, and Goldsmith for treating my cancer. You guys are awesome.
Last, but certainly not least, my support group, my rocks. Frank, the Jims, Peter, the Bills, Ron, Lou, Doug, Glenn and the rest of the Wednesday gang. Tim, Doug and Jon, my pastors at FBC Pburg. The prayer groups who always lifted me up, the Men’s, the Thursday nighters, Deb and Phil, and the rest. My blogging buddies aka: The Wanderers. God has blessed me greatly with folks like you all, and any I forgot. Thank you.
In 6 weeks we will see if the treatments worked. I’m confident, and know that even if they didn’t, the fight will go on. And most importantly, that I’m not alone in this fight.
Thank you all from the bottom of my heart, and thanks to God for putting you all in my life. I’m blessed.”
LikeLiked by 4 people
Bless you, AJ! You have been so loved through this! Continuing to lift you up for complete remission and total cancellation of cancer from your body! I just noticed that cancer is only one letter away from cancel. May that be the way of it, in Jesus’ name!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Praying, Aj
LikeLiked by 3 people
Our fashion update for the day:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/oversize-blazer-frankie-shop-style-large-11674573644?st=0vcv59of9lt9iq5&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
Why Is Everyone Drowning in Their Oversize Blazers?
Super-roomy jackets are hip and have fans, though some customers find them comically large. “It’s literally like Shaq’s blazer.”
~ Jordanna Drazin wasn’t worried about the one-size-fits-all description on the Frankie Shop blazer she saw online. She’d seen the jacket on so many celebrities and influencers of various proportions and figured its boxy silhouette would look fine on her 5-foot-3 frame.
But when the $165 blazer arrived at Ms. Drazin’s apartment in New York City, the 24-year-old social media manager realized the gulf between Instagram and reality. The blazer nearly hit her knees, and the sleeves billowed way past her wrists.
“I looked like I was a little kid playing dress-up in my dad’s closet,” says Ms. Drazin.
The long and short of it is this: Blazers have gotten ginormous, and for some, the effect is more clown school than cool girl. Customers such as Ms. Drazin, who have been influenced by influencers to try the look, are finding their blazers might as well come with a flower on the lapel that shoots water. … ~
LikeLiked by 2 people
Howdy all. Well I finally did it and scheduled with my chiropractor. My back is hurting and it is time.
You should see me get up and slowly stand. Hard to straighten.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Good Evening Everyone. It was nice to read all the good news.
Congratulations AJ.
Janice, I am so glad things are going well with you.
Mumsee you are now the “Old Man Whisperer” taking care of the dads/grandpas.
DJ, so glad Abby is fitting in.
I miss my boy. I got home yestereday and Mr. P had taken care of the water dish. We agreed to leave the mat down and start feeding the cat- Buddy- there. He was going to leave the little wrought iron dog bowl holder that lifted up the bowls. We have a stainless one for Lulabelle. Anyway, I picked it up and put it in the laundry room. When he got home with Little Miss and Buddy he wanted to know where the bowl holder was. I told him several times that I had moved it. He didn’t catch on at first so finally I turned around and said, “Please don’t push me on this”. He didn’t ask again.
This afternoon I sat down and wrote thank you notes to the vetrinary clinic and to the groomer.
I miss my Boy.
LikeLiked by 5 people
Thanks, Kim.
Your loss is so great; it is hard when our friends must go through losing their dearest pets. When it happens, we are all reminded we will go through the same difficult time at some point ourselves. I have a little set of water and food bowls on a wire stand for Miss Bosley. I would feel the same as you about that. ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jo, thankful you can get some needed adjustments to get the kinks out. Are you able to do much walking? The walking is really helping me to get through treatments and have energy. For older folks, I think walking is the equivalent to taking medicine, with the added benefit that it is free. I know you have walked a lot in the past.
LikeLike
Dj, those blazers seem so odd! I imagine it is burdensome to do much in them other than stand around and look “cool.”
LikeLike
Kim, it is so hard. Like you, I knew “it” was coming for some time but having 2 to say goodbye to — within 2 weeks of each other — was so heartbreaking, they’d been my constant companions for 15 years.
Cried and cried, I did.
And tears still come when I think about them.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I left the water dishes as is since Annie the cat also used those bowls. I did take Cowboy’s bed out of the bedroom as it was such a hard reminder to me, he was on that bed every night (and much of the day). It was strange to have that space clear, so I moved a rocking chair in there.
Now I have Abby’s new bed in that spot.
But I still miss sweet Cowboy sleeping there along side me on the dog bed on the floor for so many years.
And Cowboy and Tess are still the pictures on my phone and on my work slack account, and FB …
A couple months after they were gone, following my knee surgery, I finally got around to donating their left-over food to the city animal shelter. I was surprised when I started to cry after leaving it in the office and heading back to my car, it was like it was a final step or something.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Kim, how (and why) did you pick the name Amos? I’m always curious about pet names people pick.
Abby’s the only dog who’s name I haven’t changed from what she came with (rescue group tagged her with that, shelter called her Moonshine and we have no idea what her original name may have been).
But Abby seemed to fit, it was easy and she was used to it.
LikeLiked by 2 people
https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/most-popular-dog-cat-names-2022-rover-report
LikeLike
DJ my father-in-law was named “King” by his nanny. Huey P. Long was a Louisiana politician with red hair named the “Kingfish”. So he became “King” Cotten.
The friends who helped/forced me to get Amos has two black cockpoos named Amos and Andy. Theo Amos died right before “she” forced me into getting a dog for BG. My father was James Isaac so I thought it was funny to name the dog- the one I didn’t want- King Amos Isaac. I had this vision of my father and father in law in heaven saying “She didn’t have us a grandson but she named the danged do after us”.
Friday I whispered to him that if he ended up in heaven to find two grumpy old men. They were waiting for him.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Sweet story, Kim❤
LikeLike