Memorial Day Weekend

We made a quick, wonderful trip to Seattle for the holiday weekend. It encompassed all things that are important; family, friends, great seafood, good wine, chocolate ....The only thing missing was the sun, but all the rest made up for that.

My folks picked us up at SeaTac and we enjoyed a delicious Japanese dinner together. Saturday evening we spent with friend Christy and her husband Jerry at their home. Sunday, (almost) my whole family gathered at the beach place to spend the day. My Mom and Dad, brother Chris, wife Joanie, 3 nieces, fiancees/boyfriends, Filipino exchange student, Nor, and my husband John. There was lots of great conversation, boating, pickle ball, salmon grilling, clam steaming, beach fire, fireworks. Nor even went swimming in the frigid waters of Case Inlet. It was really nice to spend time with my family.

Nests are where you find them

We were at Costco the other day looking at all the trees and shrubs for sale. I noticed something hanging out of one of the small Norwegian blue spruces. I lifted the branch, and there was a perfect grass nest with 4 speckled eggs inside. Who knows where this tree came from, but it's amazing that the nest and eggs survived the journey to the Bozeman Costco. I'll bet the little bird who belonged to that nest was not very happy. It would be interesting to know what kind of bird made the nest.

John and I fly to Seattle today for the weekend. I'll get to visit with most of my family, and hopefully eat some seafood. I can't wait!

Happy Memorial Day!

Hiking to Better Health

John has been really good for getting me out walking and hiking almost everyday. One of our favorite hikes is Drinking Horse Trail. It's short, but fairly steep. I find that my stamina isn't very good, so I have to stop a lot. But I persevere, and eventually we reach the top, which has a great view of the Gallatin Valley. Yesterday evening was beautiful, so I asked John to take my picture with the Gallatin Range behind me. I'm hiking my way to better health.

Today was the halfway point in my radiation treatment. Hooray! Only 16 more to go.

Moving Forward

I finished up radiation treatment #14 today. Only 19 to go. I'm starting to have a bit of soreness under my arm, but nothing bad. The nurse gave me some extra special ($$$) cream to use. The fatigue is becoming noticeable, too. It's hard for me to go easy on myself physically. With the nice weather, I want to be outside every moment doing something. I just have to be patient.

I also had lunch with two gals that I met through my acupuncture sessions. We talked about our shared experiences through cancer treatment. All three of us agreed that it will be nice when we get to the point of not waking up every morning and thinking about having cancer. I know that is a ways off for me.

John and I checked some bluebird boxes this afternoon. There were 12 nests with eggs, and one with little nestlings about 4 days old. They are so cute at that age!

Tomorrow, I lead a field trip for my Audubon chapter. The weather forecast isn't so great, but maybe the rain will hold off until after we're done.

VSB - Very Special Bird

After my radiation treatment this morning, I met with birding friend Robin to look for a Rose-breasted Grosbeak that she had seen a few days ago. This is a fairly rare bird for the Gallatin Valley, and I really wanted to see it. We had been walking and looking for about an hour, checking out every singing Black-headed Grosbeak to make sure it wasn't really a Rose-breasted, when....there he was, in all his glory! What a thrill! For those of you that don't know what they look like, I've posted a photo at the top of my blog.

Back in the Saddle

I got myself literally back in the saddle today. Friends Connie, Von and myself went for a horseback ride at one of our favorite places, Hyalite Canyon. The horses were well-behaved, the sun was warm, and a few wildflowers were blooming. Best of all was the quiet and the smell of pine on the breeze. We had the whole place to ourselves, and considering what a popular place Hyalite is, it was really a rare event.

Lou Ann

Good Weekend

I had such a good weekend. First of all, the weather was glorious (finally). Secondly, I was able to spend parts of both Saturday and Sunday doing what I love, birding. Even John was drawn in on Sunday, and helped me conduct a bird census at Missouri Headwaters State Park. Thirdly (is that a word?), the wildflowers are really starting to bloom. On Saturday's Audubon field trip, an entire hillside we were walking up was covered in bunches of pasqueflowers, kittentails, buttercups and yellow bells. It was really awesome. I look forward to this time of year so much, and even more so this year. I'm glad it's finally spring!

Lou Ann

Exhausted!

I had a busy 5 days with Christy. Lots of bird-related activities, of course; a field trip, bluebirding, an Audubon potluck. We also squeezed in two road trips, one to Anaconda to visit with some of Christy's relatives. They were branding calves, which was fun to watch. Even city-girl Christy got in on the action (see photo - she's in the green jacket). The other trip was to Yellowstone Park to look for wildlife. We were not disappointed! Elk, bison with newborn calves, pronghorn, and four grizzly bears (a sow with two older cubs in one location, and a large male in another spot). We finished the day with a burger at Chico Hot Springs. It was a great visit and I'm exhausted!

Radiation treatments are going well. I just had my 7th yesterday. It's becoming a routine, and generally I'm in and out in 15 minutes. I see the radiation oncologist every week and he checks my progress. There haven't been any adverse effects, yet. I'm starting to get some fine baby hair on my head, but my eyebrows are almost gone. I'm hoping to start growing real hair soon.

Lou Ann

Visitor from Bellevue

My good pal Christy is coming for a visit from Bellevue today. I had lots of outdoor activities planned, but since it has snowed everyday for the past week, those plans may change a bit. But no worries, we always have a great time together.

Last night John and I went to hear Arlo Guthrie at the Ellen Theatre. What a great show. It featured Arlo and about 10 members of his family. They sang a lot of Woody Guthrie tunes, plus some of Arlo's well-known songs.

The pansies that I planted a while back are looking a bit sad this morning. They have had a tough week. Snowstorms, high wind and freezing temperatures. But despite their name, they don't give up easily, and I'm counting on them to pull through.

Spring is coming?

Lou Ann

Getting tattooed

I got my radiation tattoos yesterday. It was a somewhat painful procedure. The technician put a dot of india ink on the spot, then pierced my skin with a needle. Luckily, there were only three spots to do. I'm beginning to re-think my idea of getting a real tattoo ....

This morning I went in for my first radiation treatment. They laid me on a hard-surfaced bed (like a CT scan), with my arms stretched over my head. The radiation machine zapped me for about 20 seconds at three different angles. That was it. Not real comfortable, but quick. Now I have to repeat the procedure another 32 times.

Afterwards, I met with my oncologist for a follow-up to the chemotherapy. We talked about how it had affected me, and what to expect next with the drug Tamoxifin, which I'll be taking now for at least 2 years. Tamoxifin is an estrogen inhibitor and has been used in treating breast cancer for about 30 years. The side-effects are minimal, and certainly less than the chemo. So begins Phase 3 of my treatment.

Lou Ann

Lunch out

Yesterday, several of my girlfriends took me out to lunch for a belated 50th birthday celebration. It was a collection of friends old and new, and fun to see them all.

The weather here has been somewhat unsettled the past few days, and not really conducive to being outside, but John and I have gone out walking or hiking nonetheless. On one evening walk, in the snow and wind, we both heard a Great Horned Owl hooting, so we walked toward the sound until I spotted him up in a tree. It's always a treat to watch an owl when it calls. They lean forward, stick their head out, tip their tail up, and then hoot. It seems with all that build up, the sound that comes out would be louder, but it's rather soft in tone. Subtle but compelling at the same time.

Tomorrow, I'm taking a couple of new recruits to check a few bluebird boxes. I hope the birds have survived all the snow and cold.

Springtime in the Rockies....

Lou Ann