Summer on the Downside

  It's hard to believe but the summer gardening season is on the downside and school starts in 10 days!  We have been harvesting large quantities of produce from the garden. We are giving most of it to family and friends, plus 2 large bags to the chemo doctor's office for doctors and nurses. Dozens of ears of corn, honeydew and cantaloupe, tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, onions, potatoes, sweet peppers and even still gleaning a few blackberries. We don't preserve much anymore, but Rita has frozen some cut corn, blackberries, peppers, onions, and made freezer jam from blackberries and peaches. Wendy and the girls made a 4 day trip to Orlando recently and brought us a box of delicious Georgia peaches.
  Yesterday was lawn mowing day but I was under doctor's orders to lay low, so Wendy and Steve came over and mowed for us and then stayed for some pinochle .
  I had chemo last Wednesday, then returned Friday feeling puny. My electrolytes were low, so got a liter of IV fluid. Also, my hemoglobin was low, on the verge of needing a blood transfusion. I got a shot of Aranesp, which builds hemoglobin, and return Monday for another blood test.
  The chemo has been progressively affecting my feet and legs and some of that can remain permanently, so the doctor thinks it may be time to stop the chemo and start radiation. I have a CT on Wednesday and return on Aug. 6 to see where we go next.
  Please pray that my blood levels will normalize and that I will tolerate the radiation side effects.