Three Beautiful Things 05/16/19: Cancer Cells Killed Off: Goose Update, Sibling Gardening, Unexpected Bicycle Work Out

1.  Late in the afternoon, Janice sent me a text with the following update about Goose:

We got the news about Kirk's 2nd bone marrow biopsy. The cancer cells have been killed off, but we're waiting for the bone marrow to wake up and start working. Once the bone marrow starts to work making cells, he will have another 5 day chemo session. Then after that we will start the process of getting someone who is compatible to donate to him. Then he will have a long recovery period, and hopefully things will be on the up and up. He'll probably be hard to keep up with as he will be golfing, fishing, hunting, and probably anything else he can. Things are going the way the doctors had hoped.

Carol Lee and Jake paid Kirk a visit today (Thursday). Kirk was very sleepy, but woke up long enough to say hi. Carol Lee and Jake only got to see him for a couple of minutes because the doctor arrived to talk with the family -- Janice's report above summarizes what the family learned. 

2.  Christy and Carol came over to my place late this morning and did some planting and planning, focusing on the lone raised bed in the back yard. They did some planting over at Christy's and then came over to my yard.  Christy and Carol completed their work before the rain arrived. With storms in the forecast, Christy and Carol held off on putting plants in the ground -- I think Christy will come over and put them in while I'm away this coming week.

3. With storms forecast, I jumped on my bicycle while the weather was still good and before gardening, and pedaled to The Bean for a bagel and a latte. Nourished, I hit the Trail of the CdAs and whizzed to the outer edge of Smelterville, deluding myself that I was gliding along the trail so effortlessly because I was getting in better shape.

I got my comeuppance when I turned around to bike back to Kellogg. I suddenly became intimately acquainted with the wind that had been at my back pedaling west, but that was now pushing against me pedaling east. I'm not in good shape. My ride back to Kellogg was slow and difficult, as if I were pedaling uphill. I grunted my way to the Silver Mountain trail head and dropped onto a bench and began my recovery.  I got my breath back and my heart rate settled down and I biked on home where I rested for another half an hour or so before launching into today's modest gardening project. I have to say, though, that even though it was embarrassing to struggle so much biking to Kellogg, it really felt good to have put out the effort to work out my ill-conditioned body.