Our Aqua Buddies met for a gargantuan lunch at La Parillos. Sophie, had been on of the greatest instructors I have encountered. She and Tatiana , both born in Russia shared with us their utmost skills. I will miss them both. Claire who is 5 years old and is Sophie's daughter. Good luck to both of them up there in Vermont.

Tatiana and her husband and daughter named Sophie are heading for Vienna. They are very excited as they will be closer to her family.

Thank you both for some memorable aqua sessions over the past six years a week ago. I was amazed at the turnout and the special gifts each of the aqua Buddies presented. Most of themwere hand made and fit the occasion. what a talented group. It was good seeing them as they also have supported me via this blog. It felt good to be on the receiving end of so many hugs and kisses. It was also great to see them with clothes on. swim suits are OK, but dresses an jewelry made these women look radiant.

I am looking foward to the next luncheon.

Carol mentioned previously, that the cool weather, coupled with record rainfall, produced stately lilies. Some of you like Betty and Dee have seen them while visiting and know that the pictures do not do justice.

I will try to keep the blog updated on a weekly or more basis. Enough with my sloth like behavior.

That loud cheering you heard this morning was after Peter swallowed his fifth and final Temodar capsule for the month, meaning that he has 23 days until the next time.  From my observer’s point of view, it went very well this time, even though the dosage was slightly higher.  His activity level has been pretty good and so has his appetite.  If he was nauseated, he didn’t complain about it, only about the metallic taste in his mouth that accompanies every Temodar cycle, I gather.  We’ve started talking about making a trip out to Austin to visit with Hillary and Chris and Margaret, if we can plan it for a time when she has a few days off and can meet us in Austin.   Peter says he’s confident about driving that much, with my help, since he drove for five hours on our return trip from Hilton Head. 

Maybe I can persuade him to send you some photos of our monster lilies, one of which is seven feet tall and has a rigid trunk like that of a small tree so that it can support its head of huge, heavy lilies.  

What a month this has been!  Hillary was with us when June started off, and she occupied the left seat for most of the drive up and back from Duke, giving us moral support at the same time.  Back in Athens, Peter experienced some pain in his abdomen and, thinking that he might have diverticulitis, his doctor sent him for a CT scan, which came back negative.  The pain soon went away on its own.

Peter’s three brothers from Germany had all flown over to visit with us this year, and sister Gerta was the only German sibling who had not, until this month, when she made the trip, accompanied by her 20-year-old granddaughter, Laura.  Gerta’s most recent visit was in ’03, for Hillary and Chris’s wedding and Margaret’s UGa graduation, but Laura hadn’t been to the States yet.  We had a wonderful week with Gerta and Laura, and even managed to drive down to Hilton Head and spend four days at the beach, a real treat for all of us.  Peter was in good form and took a lot of beach walks.  Back in Athens, Gerta took charge of the flower garden and she and Laura worked themselves into a real sweat every day (Gerta:  “I don’t think I could live in this country.  I would have to spend too much time fixing my hair!”) as she tore out heat-blasted pansies and replaced them with other plants she had chosen at the nursery.  Then, yesterday, we all cleaned up and drove out to Marietta for sister Lis’s birthday party, which was also a celebration of her recent engagement to boyfriend Chuck and a going-away party, since Lis and Chuck will relocate out West after they marry.  Peter led off the champagne toast with some well-chosen remarks…a feat which would have seemed impossible just a few months ago.

So, Peter is doing well.  He’s a bit off-schedule with his June chemo session, which has been delayed a couple of weeks; however, he plans to start it up again Tuesday, and if things go as planned, he will take his slightly-higher-than-last-month dose of Temodar for five consecutive days.  The good news is that it will be just one pill instead of the six he had to take in May. 

He will have to have his next MRI in August, but it will be here and not at Duke.  Until then, we are hoping for some quiet time and for the continuation of the beautiful weather and plentiful rain we’ve been having.  Peter’s latest wardrobe addition is a straw Panama hat, which looks good with his Aloha shirts, gives him a jaunty sort of Caribbean panache, and protects his head from the sun. 

I don’t think Peter and I got much sleep last night, but it was because of the horrific storm that parked itself overhead and crashed and boomed at us for hours, leaving four inches of rain in its wake.  Peter was behind the wheel for three hours yesterday and he’s happy to know he can drive that long now.

The news from Duke was encouraging.  The MRI was “stable”, and the blood work didn’t raise any red flags, either.  Dr. Ranjan is going to up his dosage of Temodar slightly, to 250 mg. from 235 mg., but it will all be in one pill this month, not six!  He will need to get an MRI here in Athens in August, but if all goes well, we don’t have to return to Duke until October 1st.  Peter asked Dr. Ranjan how she thinks he’s doing, and she told him that he’s “doing well”, which would seem to indicate that he’s cleared several hurdles.  Peter wants to start thinking about his 70th birthday party in September, so he and I and Hillary talked about that on the way home yesterday.  No one liked my suggestion that we have it at the South Pole.  Peter wants a beach, and I’m sure they have one there, so what’s the problem?  It’s an island with “South” in its name, but No-o-o.  The discussion will have to continue, it seems.

I received numerous comments on my first love is in the air post, consequently i am posing a follow up post.

Hope you enjoy it.

Songwriters: PENNINGTON/LEMAIRE
Love Is In The Air
Love is in the air everywhere I look around
Love is in the air every sight and every sound
And I don't know if I'm being foolish
I don't know if I'm being wise
But it's something that I must believe in
And it's there when I look in your eyes.
Love is in the air, in the whisper of the trees,
Love is in the air in the thunder of the sea,
And I don't know if I'm just dreaming,
I don't know if I feel safe,
But it's something that I must believe in
And it's there when I call out your name.
Love is in the air, love is in the air, oh, oh, oh, oh, uh,
Uh, uh, uh.
Love is in the air, in the rising of the sun,
Love is in the air, when the day is nearly done,
And I don't know if you are illusion,
Don't know if I see truth,
But you are something that I must believe in,
And you are there when I reach out for you.
Love is in the air everywhere I look around
Love is in the air every sight and every sound
And I don't know if I'm being foolish
I don't know if I'm being wise
But it's something that I must believe in
And it's there when I look in your eyes.
Love is in the air, love is in the air, oh, oh, oh, oh, uh,
Uh, uh, uh.

We made it to Durham, thanks to Hillary's safe driving. Finished the MRI and will see the oncologist tomorrow. Ed, we missed your driving and were thinking of you, the whole way, especially this afternoon at the Starbuck's.

Love, me

Wishing you the very best on your special day. What would I have done without you the past few months? For that matter the past 41 years!

Love, Peter

Nina was adopted by Hillary and Chris and resued her from a drab doglife. As you can see she has established her territory already, despite weighing only 12 and a half pounds. I cannot wait to see her in person.

Love, Daddy

This post is long overdue as it bears Happy News.

My sister Lis, who spoiled me when I stayed with her while Carol went to drum camp recently decided to accept her boyfriend's offer of marriage. She and Chuck will be very busy in weddind planning over the coming months.

I am taking this opportunity to welcome Chuck into the Goerig's family and also wish both the very best in their future endeavors.

In addition, Britta my niece who visited me in January found the love of her life, in her words, and like Lis is very happy.

News such as this is very welcome and makes me very happy.

Lis, Chuck, Britta and Bernd, wishing you the very best for your future together.

Love, me

How do you say "Thank You , for the multitude of support I have received? The countlesswell wishes via this blog, the beautiful cards via snail mail, the phone callsand above all the personal visits at our residence. Let me assure you that every contact lifted my spirits in a special way allowing me to forget my predicament for a short time and feel that healing is possible. Without your daily support i am not sure if I had progressed as nicely. Carol and Hillary deserve special praise fo continuing the blog while my brain learned the QWERTY layout again. Forgive me if there are typing mistakes, i am still adjusting.
The knowledge that you are my ever present support gives me the strength to "hang in there"!

The visits from my daughters and brothers were special along with my stays with my sister Lis. It is amazing the amount of strength you receive from a personal visit. The same has to be said from the many meals we received from you. It seemed that at times an additional refrigerator would have come in handy.

For the lack of an eloquent response of gratitude, let me just offer a simple "Thank you!

I will try to keep up the blog myself as good as I can and I am looking forward to your posts as before.

Quick look ahead!

HAPPY MOTHER's DAY to all your mothers amongst us. Hopefully, the people close to you will spoil you beyond belief.
Next week will be busy around here.
Tomorrow, Carol will return fro her drum camp and I will drive myself to Athens again.

Tuesday, it will be dental office as the cancer treatment requires extra cleaning

Wednesday, it will be the oncologist and a return to chemotherapy( something I am not looking forward to. Even though it is only a five day cycle it is a stressful time period.

The first days of June will call for a return to Duke and an array of tests, including MRI

Then my sister Gerta will visit with my grand niece Laura. That should be a lot of fun as we are trying for a short stay at Hilton Head. Somewhere in between we have to schedule a lunch in Athens and a goodbye get together with Tatiana, who will relocate to Vienna, Austria! Lucky girl!

So you can see that there is life after dialysis or even brain cancer