Remember the remarkable lady at Eden Hills who is responsible for the fantastic 'Butt the Hay Out Of Cancer' buttons, and her equally remarkable mother, responsible for that exquisite likeness of myself ? As if that weren't enough, Teresa has now made it possible to get T-shirts with the logo! (And remember, part of the proceeds will go to Cancer Research!) How wonderful is that?! Over in the side bar, you will now find a link to her fabulous store on Zazzle.com, and, by the way, she has some other really nice products including some of the wonderful photos she takes. (Okay. End of shameless promotion.) If you click on the 'Marigold and the Goatmother' T-shirt link, it will show you a variety of styles and prices. One size definitely does not fit all. :) Thank you, Teresa, yet again. I am, however, beginning to wonder if the Goatmother is EVER going to stop crying. Oh, well, I'll just be sure to insinuate myself even MORE up front and center when she passes out the Peanuts. After all, I know how much she enjoys giving me Peanuts, and I do so want to present her with things she enjoys. Aren't I the most thoughtful goat ever???
P.S. - By the way, Zazzle just happens to be having a 20% off Memorial Day sale going on today. So if you are interested, now is the time!
Life goes on amidst change. Finding the laughter one day at a time...
Monday, May 28, 2012
Sunday, May 27, 2012
And The Beat Goes On
I'm sure you've all been wondering what has happened to Marigold and the Goatmother, eh? Well, all I can say is remember that post about life getting in the way? Yep. It still is ... getting in the way, I mean. Come to think of it, there is probably a much better analogy than simply getting in the way. Something more along the lines of 'Slow Moving Vehicle. Be Prepared to Stop!', or 'Bridge Out. Detour!', or maybe my very favorite:
(Source: Austintatious)
Anyway, we managed to add a few more pieces to the puzzle this week. The Goatmother will be starting chemotherapy June 11th. It will consist of 4 treatments, 3 weeks apart, for a total of 12 weeks. Well, that isn't so bad, and honestly, we expected a lot worse. Plus, we are going to get that part out of the way. That has always been the Goatmother's motto: 'Let's just do it and get it out of the way.' This will be followed by radiation, but we aren't absolutely certain about how long that will be yet. That will be discussed in Tuesday's meeting with the Radiation Oncologist.
On the upside, the Cancer Center, here, is a wonderful place. No, really, it is. It is filled with the greatest people, from the receptionists on down, and we feel very lucky. The Goatmother's Medical Oncologist is top notch and her R.N., well, we just can't say enough good about her. (Plus the R.N. likes goats and has already been here to have a look-see. I'd say that is irrefutable proof. Now, if she just likes Peanuts ...).
So, the Goatmother is going to lose her hair. If you ask me, it isn't very good hair in the first place, so no great loss. Besides, I lose hair every summer and, well, it isn't that big a deal. Plus all those goats that go to shows, like my friends over at Herron Hill, get shaved for that event. Maybe we'll just send the Goatmother on over and let the GoatFarmer get her all prepped. She could end up a winner. Stranger things have happened. I wonder if they have an 'Old Broads' class?
And, Oh, goody! We get to have a 'port'! I don't think this is the wine stuff, although the Goatmother could likely use that these days. This is more the 'door' type. Oh! Maybe it is like the Twilight Zone! You know, "You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension— a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You've just crossed over into the Twilight Zone." I hope our beloved surgeon is prepared.
So I think that is where we stand up to now. I think. There certainly is a LOT to assimilate. I may have to go stand on my stump awhile (with a few Peanuts, of course. Brain food, you know.) and try to make some sense out of it. On the other hand, maybe I'll just go have the Peanuts. Stay tuned and thanks for coming along on this wild ride.
" I will take it!
I will take the Ring to Mordor!
... Though... I do not know the way." - Frodo
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Butt the Hay Out Of Cancer Buttons
GoatGirl has asked where to get a button, so I have posted a link in the side bar for anyone interested. This is all thanks to the wonderful Teresa and Millie at Eden Hills, and part of the proceeds will go to Breast Cancer Research. Thank you, Teresa, and thank you GoatGirl for asking!
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
World's Greatest Surgeon!
You will notice she is wearing a 'Butt the Hay Out of Cancer' button. What can we say? We LOVE this woman! 'Nuff said!
Sunday, May 20, 2012
What We've Learned So Far
Well, you know you can't go on a journey such as this one and not learn a few things in the process. As a matter of fact, I suspect by the time all is said and done we'll have learned quite a number of things. It's really good the Goatmother isn't a Nubian. I'm just sayin' ... Anyway, this week is going to be quite a busy one. The first three days are already filled with appointments. What a popular gal that Goatmother is, eh? So, who the hay knows when I might get back here to post. And now that I think of it, let me just say that I am trying to keep up with reading and commenting on blogs, but if, per chance, I miss it somewhere along the way,
please know that I'm still with you in spirit.
Now then, allow me to get on with the title of this post because, after all, it is getting on in the day and soon it will be time for Peanuts. One simply does NOT miss Peanut time. It just isn't done. So, okay. Things we've learned so far:
1) People and goats are friggin' AMAZING! Please pardon my verbiage, although I suppose technically friggin' isn't a bad word. It's just that nothing else even comes close to fitting. You see one reads the newspaper and listens to the news, and all that is presented is the negative stuff. Mostly. Someone robbed a bank, some goat ate the neighbor's topiary, someone murdered someone, some goat butted the postman. It is enough to make one lose faith in the existence of goodness. But let me tell you, those news agencies do everyone an injustice. They sensationalize the few bad Alpine... uh, err ... apples out there until we begin to think that is all that exists. But it isn't true. The truth is that people and goats are kind, generous and giving. Always ready to lend a hand and a good butt. They are willing to go the extra mile, and yes, even give the extra Peanut. Yes, there are a few exceptions, but honestly, contrary to what we are 'fed', those few are just that. The few. The minority. No. 1 is the most awesome of the things we have learned thus far and will likely remain so. I think most of us already know this, we just get duped into forgetting and need to be reminded every once in awhile. Let's hope it doesn't take a ball bat.
2) Life is what happens while you are waiting for your email program to actually send your mail. This one is major. I mean do you actually know how many things you could get done if you weren't waiting on your email to get sent? Or even for your email to get downloaded? Entire corporate take-overs have happened in less time. Grass grows faster. Oy.
3) Imagination can be like fine art on drugs. I mean think about it. Imagination can be a good thing. It can lead you to dream impossible dreams, which in turn can help you achieve impossible tasks. But it can also lead you impossibly astray. Left to its own devices, imagination can paint impossibly horrid scenes worthy of Rodin's Gates of Hell. But most of the time, what it paints is far worse than reality ever thought about being. So why doesn't it ever work the other way? Why doesn't it ever paint you pictures of Wonderland, or Oz, or Peanuts? Oh, wait. Maybe that last one wasn't a very good example, but you understand where I'm going with this, right? Given any 'Problem A' , it soon becomes a case of 'This is your imagination on drugs'. Curb it.
4) Healing is like breathing ... you can't just breathe out. Someone told the Goatmother this a long time ago. Trouble is it has taken her all these years to actually understand what it means. (Did I say, before, it's a good thing the Goatmother isn't a Nubian? Maybe I ought to reconsider that statement.) The Goatmother has always been one to give to others. It's how she is. But when it came to herself, well, I suppose she was often not as kind to herself as she was to others. Plus, somehow, she always seemed to feel as though accepting help was some sort of sign of weakness. Well, you know what? It ain't. And that is how healing is like breathing. If you just keep giving, eventually you run out of air. Life is about balance. It is about giving AND receiving. Breathing in. Anything one-sided is, well, lop-sided. There is no shame or weakness in doing both. It is what keeps life flowing through all things.
5) (And this is likely THE most important thing learned so far) ALWAYS be sure you have at least one presentable pair of underwear. Being a goat, I'm not all that familiar with the reasoning here, but the Goatmother assures me this is highly important. One just never knows. My question is this - why is underwear a 'pair'?
So, okay. We're off and running. Who knows where the road shall lead? But wherever it does, thanks ever so much for coming along. You may be far away and scattered to the ends of the earth, but your presence is felt like a massive stronghold. Thank you.
please know that I'm still with you in spirit.
Now then, allow me to get on with the title of this post because, after all, it is getting on in the day and soon it will be time for Peanuts. One simply does NOT miss Peanut time. It just isn't done. So, okay. Things we've learned so far:
1) People and goats are friggin' AMAZING! Please pardon my verbiage, although I suppose technically friggin' isn't a bad word. It's just that nothing else even comes close to fitting. You see one reads the newspaper and listens to the news, and all that is presented is the negative stuff. Mostly. Someone robbed a bank, some goat ate the neighbor's topiary, someone murdered someone, some goat butted the postman. It is enough to make one lose faith in the existence of goodness. But let me tell you, those news agencies do everyone an injustice. They sensationalize the few bad Alpine... uh, err ... apples out there until we begin to think that is all that exists. But it isn't true. The truth is that people and goats are kind, generous and giving. Always ready to lend a hand and a good butt. They are willing to go the extra mile, and yes, even give the extra Peanut. Yes, there are a few exceptions, but honestly, contrary to what we are 'fed', those few are just that. The few. The minority. No. 1 is the most awesome of the things we have learned thus far and will likely remain so. I think most of us already know this, we just get duped into forgetting and need to be reminded every once in awhile. Let's hope it doesn't take a ball bat.
2) Life is what happens while you are waiting for your email program to actually send your mail. This one is major. I mean do you actually know how many things you could get done if you weren't waiting on your email to get sent? Or even for your email to get downloaded? Entire corporate take-overs have happened in less time. Grass grows faster. Oy.
3) Imagination can be like fine art on drugs. I mean think about it. Imagination can be a good thing. It can lead you to dream impossible dreams, which in turn can help you achieve impossible tasks. But it can also lead you impossibly astray. Left to its own devices, imagination can paint impossibly horrid scenes worthy of Rodin's Gates of Hell. But most of the time, what it paints is far worse than reality ever thought about being. So why doesn't it ever work the other way? Why doesn't it ever paint you pictures of Wonderland, or Oz, or Peanuts? Oh, wait. Maybe that last one wasn't a very good example, but you understand where I'm going with this, right? Given any 'Problem A' , it soon becomes a case of 'This is your imagination on drugs'. Curb it.
4) Healing is like breathing ... you can't just breathe out. Someone told the Goatmother this a long time ago. Trouble is it has taken her all these years to actually understand what it means. (Did I say, before, it's a good thing the Goatmother isn't a Nubian? Maybe I ought to reconsider that statement.) The Goatmother has always been one to give to others. It's how she is. But when it came to herself, well, I suppose she was often not as kind to herself as she was to others. Plus, somehow, she always seemed to feel as though accepting help was some sort of sign of weakness. Well, you know what? It ain't. And that is how healing is like breathing. If you just keep giving, eventually you run out of air. Life is about balance. It is about giving AND receiving. Breathing in. Anything one-sided is, well, lop-sided. There is no shame or weakness in doing both. It is what keeps life flowing through all things.
5) (And this is likely THE most important thing learned so far) ALWAYS be sure you have at least one presentable pair of underwear. Being a goat, I'm not all that familiar with the reasoning here, but the Goatmother assures me this is highly important. One just never knows. My question is this - why is underwear a 'pair'?
So, okay. We're off and running. Who knows where the road shall lead? But wherever it does, thanks ever so much for coming along. You may be far away and scattered to the ends of the earth, but your presence is felt like a massive stronghold. Thank you.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Hurry Up And Wait
What are you going to do? The wheels of Medicine don't really move much faster than the wheels of Justice and we all know how slow those are. So to pass the time, the Universe supplied the Goatmother with a rash in order to occupy her time. As near as we can tell, it seems to have occurred courtesy of the surgical scrub, which just happens to have been the same thing she was given as a pre-surgery wash and to use after surgery. Oh, my, such intense itching. I fully expected to see the Goatmother scraping along the fences like a goat trying to get rid of a winter undercoat. Thankfully the neighbors were spared and she stayed confined to the house. Just let me say this: a rainbow of blessings on the makers of Benadryl. They may never know what they have done for the world.
But today, the surgeon called with the pathology report. There was some very good news and some not so good news. The good news is that the cancer was deemed Stage 1. It was caught early and there was absolutely no sign of cancer cells in the lymph nodes. The bad news is that the cancer was neither estrogen nor progesterone receptive. We aren't exactly sure what that means. I could have already told them the Goatmother ran out of hormones a long time ago. But the surgeon did say this indicates the cancer was very aggressive and thus chemotherapy will likely be required. Oh, shoot. We were hoping to avoid that part, but well, it is what it is, as they say. It's all good, remember?. Or maybe not, but at least it is doable. Bald is beautiful, just ask the Goatfather.
I'd like to quote something that our friend, Mrs. Micawber, wrote to the Goatmother. "In The Return of the King - when Gandalf and Pippin are standing on the balcony at Minas Tirith, looking across at the dark mountains and the smoky sky of Mordor, talking of the battle ahead. Gandalf says, "This is the deep breath before the plunge." (And Pippin replies, "I don’t want to be in a battle. But waiting on the edge of one I can’t escape is even worse.") None of us who haven't been through it can imagine what you're feeling right now, but we're standing on the balcony, taking the deep breath with you. Hang in there, and know that the thoughts and prayers of your friends go with you into the fight." How beautiful is that? (In fact, I couldn't have said it better myself - or maybe I could, but I didn't think of it.)
The fact of the matter is that once you receive that diagnosis; once your ears hear those words, it is with you forever. Your life changes in an instant and you know that even though you make it through the initial battle, the threat of war is ever present from then on. Not a pleasant thought, that, but luckily human beings are pretty resilient. (Goats are better, but that's probably just because we have more legs and better eyesight. Plus there is that ever-present lure of the Peanut ...) And isn't the Goatmother lucky to have such wonderful friends?
Frodo: "I know what I must do, it's just that... I'm afraid to do it."
Galadriel : "Even the smallest person can change the course of the future."
But today, the surgeon called with the pathology report. There was some very good news and some not so good news. The good news is that the cancer was deemed Stage 1. It was caught early and there was absolutely no sign of cancer cells in the lymph nodes. The bad news is that the cancer was neither estrogen nor progesterone receptive. We aren't exactly sure what that means. I could have already told them the Goatmother ran out of hormones a long time ago. But the surgeon did say this indicates the cancer was very aggressive and thus chemotherapy will likely be required. Oh, shoot. We were hoping to avoid that part, but well, it is what it is, as they say. It's all good, remember?. Or maybe not, but at least it is doable. Bald is beautiful, just ask the Goatfather.
I'd like to quote something that our friend, Mrs. Micawber, wrote to the Goatmother. "In The Return of the King - when Gandalf and Pippin are standing on the balcony at Minas Tirith, looking across at the dark mountains and the smoky sky of Mordor, talking of the battle ahead. Gandalf says, "This is the deep breath before the plunge." (And Pippin replies, "I don’t want to be in a battle. But waiting on the edge of one I can’t escape is even worse.") None of us who haven't been through it can imagine what you're feeling right now, but we're standing on the balcony, taking the deep breath with you. Hang in there, and know that the thoughts and prayers of your friends go with you into the fight." How beautiful is that? (In fact, I couldn't have said it better myself - or maybe I could, but I didn't think of it.)
The fact of the matter is that once you receive that diagnosis; once your ears hear those words, it is with you forever. Your life changes in an instant and you know that even though you make it through the initial battle, the threat of war is ever present from then on. Not a pleasant thought, that, but luckily human beings are pretty resilient. (Goats are better, but that's probably just because we have more legs and better eyesight. Plus there is that ever-present lure of the Peanut ...) And isn't the Goatmother lucky to have such wonderful friends?
Frodo: "I know what I must do, it's just that... I'm afraid to do it."
Galadriel : "Even the smallest person can change the course of the future."
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)