Nocks Family

I was supposed to spend yesterday addressing and writing Thank You notes for all the cards, flowers and food Kathy has received since her surgery - instead, I cored, sliced and diced five gallons of crab apples to process into homemade apple sauce.  So my wrists and hands are a bit sore from arthritis this morning, but otherwise, I'm fine.
   The Nocks family has been celebrating a bit, as cousin Sarah set up our own webpage for sharing things - and we are going wild sharing photos and catching up with family that we haven't been in contact with previously. A second cousin that I didn't know existed contacted me by e-mail and wanted to know how to add to the family tree - and that began an explosion of photo sharing.  Hopefully, I 'll have time this afternoon/evening to do some more exploring, and contact another elder in the family and get dates and places to add to the tree.
  Kathy visits the oncologist today at 4, and will learn what she has planned to combat the cancer - radiation, chemo, and/or hormonal therapy.  Once I know that, and Kathy is ready for the knowledge to be public, I'll write about it.  In the meantime, it's still a waiting game - with no paths obvious or designated.  It's very frustrating for both Kathy and Jim.
  Should be able to blog more over the weekend - then I have 4 houses to care for over Thanksgiving, so I don't know when, or if, I'll have time to blog.  We'll see...
 

Sister Kathy

I was disappointed by the Denver Broncos game on Sunday.  At least Kansas City and Green Bay were winners.  Yesterday was a weird day.  Kathy had a mid-afternoon appointment with her surgeon for drain removals and her first follow-up after the surgery.  She also had a pile of paper work from her employing company that both she and the surgeon were supposed to fill and and return.  When she first spoke to the corporate staff, they told her they were sending information and paperwork immediately - that was on 3 November. She was told on the phone that the paperwork needed to be returned to the company by 14 November.  On 14 November she received the paperwork in the mail, and the cover letter was dated 4 November, but the packet wasn't stamped until 12 November.  The paperwork inside said that she had to return all paperwork within 14 days of the dated cover-letter.  - Hunh? -  She managed to work herself into a panic attack about the paperwork, and I sat her down, and we wrote out questions to ask corporate, and she called them We got everything cleared up (supposedly).  Thursday, Kathy and Jim will visit the Care Team leader and then see her oncologist.  That's when we'll find out what is planned for her recovery after the surgery - chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and/or hormonal therapy.   I have the feeling she'll be wiped out physically and emotionally today.  I'll find out pretty soon.
  I'm making their supper for tonight - will cook the main item at their house after walking the doggies today.  I'm making a small portion of homemade marinara sauce and turkey meatballs; they'll have vegetable pasta, a cranberry-walnut-spinach salad, and Parmesan-garlic bread sticks, too.  That ought to fill their tummies on another cold night!
  My kits are still a little bit upset with me - I won't let them roam outside for long periods of time.  It's warmer than it has been, but it's still pretty darn cold.  And I'm keeping a good supply of nuts and seeds out for the squirrels and birds - they definitely won't starve.

Family Surgery - And, Jury Duty, Here I Come

Well, I called the Jury Summons telephone number, and heard a recording telling me that if my assigned juror number was between this and that, then I needed to be at the Courthouse at 8:15 in the morning.  The beginning number was only 25 before my assigned number, and the end number is 110 after my number.  Looks like I'll be there!
  But my thoughts today are with my sister, Kathy.  Being sisters, and having six and a half years of age between us, we haven't always seen eye to eye; and I am frequently upset by her  (in my perception) regal and arbitrary decisions. I am sure that I make decisions that she doesn't like, either.  But she is my flesh and blood, my closest living relative; and I do love her very much.  Kathy checks into Foothills Community Hospital this morning before 7 and will be on an operating table at 8:30.  She is having a double mastectomy; they are also removing the sentinel lymph nodes from each arm pit.  Hopefully, both of them will show no signs of the cancer that is eating her body, and that will mark an end of the removals.  If so, the surgery will last only 3 to 5 hours.
   Kathy has been diagnosed with invasive ductal breast cancer.  The good news is that it's been found early; that it's the most commonly found cancer in women over the age of 50, who have had children; and there is a very high recovery rate without a recurrence of the cancer, if found and treated early.  The worst thing is waiting for the results from the surgery, which will take a few days - waiting to find out if Kathy will need to under go chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and/or hormonal therapy.  As she and Jim lead a very active lifestyle, Kathy has selected not to have reconstructive surgery - to hasten her recovery, to save money, and to be able to run her half-marathons without being stuffed into a Sports Bra.  If all goes well, she should be returning to work soon after the New Year.
   In the meantime, one of Kathy's former co-workers will stay with her in the mornings while Jim runs and takes care of business, and while I'm walking dogs.  After noon, I'll be Kathy's hands and arms, cleaning, doing laundry, washing dishes, cooking, reading to her, and writing for her, while Jim takes care of house-hold items (like shopping).  Connie, Kathy's neighbor, will fill in when neither Bernie nor I are available.  I am scheduled to house-sit the week of Thanksgiving, but I'm only two blocks away from the houses...  so things will be easy to handle.
   Boulder has really dodged winter so far.  However, after some rain tonight,  we're supposed to be sunny and in the 60s Saturday and Sunday.  Monday, however, the temperatures are forecast to fall all day with about 3 inches of snow in the evening, with a low of 17 degrees.  Tuesday (thankfully, it's Veteran's Day, and a Holiday) they say we'll reach a high of 32 and have snow falling all day; Tuesday night's low is forecast at 19.  Looks like Winter is actually on it's way!