Excuse me! Was that a whistle? What do you mean? Nice legs?

Now I know what Greta Garbo and the rest of Hollywood’s old superstars felt like. My new stockings have not only provided a curative function! Now! I also have beautiful “gams” with no fear of them turning into elephant legs.

Kristen/Chloe had her own uniquely bad week. Few of us realize how difficult it is to be a care giver and especially when you love the patient. Kris slipped and fell on a scatter rug in our main entranceway while trying to do multiple chores at the same time. The result was broken wrist, nose and bone above one eye. Only the wrist was able to be put into a cast. Pain and discomfort have not prevented her from continuing multiple tasks. The cancer is less painful than trying to get Kris to slow up. There is no doubt in my mind that I would now be dead if it were not for Kris and Dr. Cox. On this past Saturday she sat in our van all day while I took a full day’s class in PhotoShopElements at Pierce Education Center. I have not been nor evidently will not be allowed to be out of her sight for the rest of my life. At times she will relinquish this to other intimate family members only after they have passed all tests to be Certified Frank Kabisch Care Givers and believe me passing that test is not easy. For more than thirty years I don’t think I have ever met anyone who doesn’t know how much I love Kris, but maybe like many men I haven’t always been that gifted in letting her know the same thing. For that, I have many, many regrets as I persist in that same fault. Not only Kris, but my kids deserve better than that.

I’ve been able to manipulate and enjoy the hills and streets of Madera with new chair. I hope to get out soon and capture the trees as they once again change colors. We have lived in Madera for over twenty years and each time I venture out I enjoy its beauty in ways I never did before. Kris and I had a good trip recently to Nisqually. I was able to join the crowd one afternoon on the roads of the new local Golf Course. Again capturing the beauty of Puget Sound in an entirely new way. The vistas are magnificent and always different. We’ll have to go back for lunch some afternoon. We understand the food is good and the prices reasonable. Also escaped the family at the end of a meal on Rustin Way and while they sat and BS’d, I did the entire stretch of Ruston at my own pace. I’ve spent more time at the Zoo than some of the animals and have the photos to prove it. Each trip leaves me totally exhausted but so thankful for escaping my bed which has been my prisoner for almost two years now. God has been so very good to me. My book remains unfinished but progress continues.

In the midst of so much I have also learned to live with the exhaustion, tolerate the pain, fill in a huge amount of time with all the different aspects of care and medications, learn more and more with each transition of medications the different patterns of change that rage through my body and leave me open to the toughest of all which is depression. I love all my medical team and may be one of only a few who know more about staffing personal problems (not sought after) than most. I can’t tell you the number of “second efforts” provided to me over these past few years. Although turnover has been minimal, each one has been like losing a good friend. I still try to stay ahead on my personal goals but find little time to meet the demand. I’m really disappointed in not keeping up with my painting and photography but hope this winter will allow some peace and quiet for this. I have returned to saying Mass privately and that has meant an awful lot to me. One of my best priest friends from Seminary days has just had his cause for Sainthood officially moved ahead. He was shot to death in the early eighties in Guatemala after three hit men tried to make him into one of the missing. It was their goal to remove him from his rectory and kill him somewhere and become one of the missing. He was strong as an ox and able to resist them enough that they had to shoot him and leave him to die alone because it had taken so much time and caused such a ruckus. I’ve always considered Stan a special friend who continues that friendship from a place I long to share with him. A politician he never was, a loving priest of the native people he always was.

Yesterday, I got the final word on second cataract removal. The first was better than twenty so cross your toes. More medications coming my way. It looks like they are beginning to cut up different parts of the old body – want to put in an order?

My grand children from CO will soon be here for a quick visit. Kris will be making a quick trip to change babysitting assignments from me to the kids. Mike will assume duties here with me. He will live in fear of his life until Kris returns and gives him a heads up on a job well done. The kids have come and gone. We had nothing less than a magnificent time. The laughter and fun were fantastic. I just listened and laughed and laughed and laughed with them. They make quite the team – they really enjoy one another.

My congratulations to one in our midst who has recently became a grandfather. I couldn’t be happier for him. God bless the entire family. We all need each other so much. Let’s make it a better world.

Although I have not written of late about Laura my Pediatric Cat so as not to bore you to death with the wonders of my life, she has truly been one of the wonders of the world for me. She has done so much for both Kris and my morale. In fact I would extend that to the entire family. Bad Girl is so easily translated to – okay you won again and you can only get away with this for another thousand times or more. A friend was over one night to show his spouse how she retrieves and of course that night SHE DID NOT RETRIEVE. I guess I was just too tired.

If you ever get a pet from a pound the one thing I would like to know about and to meet if possible would be the family that volunteered for the Faster Care Program to keep and train before she/he was put up for adoption. The woman who had Laura was marvelous and even had a say in screening potential adopters – that’s why we got Laura – she put the jinx on a previous family who she thought was a mismatch. She did everything with her.

Again, I pray for you what I pray for myself and my family – peace. No matter what – may you have peace. Thanks for hanging in there with me. You have been wonderful friends.