News Flash....Cancer Patient Seen Working in the Yard

Once upon a time, prior to October of 2007, I found great pleasure in yardwork. I was committed to doing a little at a time, and never letting it "get ahead of me." I'm not sure that I planned ahead and really got into yard work, like Billy does so well, but it was easy to put aside the ancient past, when working in the yard in Lompoc was such a pain in the young tail. In various homes I've landscaped entire yards, put in patios and redwood patio covers. Although no one would confuse me with a master gardener, the yard wasn't embarrassing, either.

At about the time I was re-diagnosed, however, the yard became a nuisance. Worrying over each year's leaf fall in autumn became a chore. Keeping up with holly plants that grow all over because of friendly birds is a pain. Why do we have New Zealand blackberries in Oregon, anyway...and why do birds seem to transplant them more than a lovely blueberry bush? Mowing and edging the lawn became primary responsibilities, but everything else was work.

Having Nate and Mark in the yard this morning, then, was something of a surprise to all the A Street neighbors. It dawned on me recently that if we didn't do some catch-up, and get a season's bark dust down, we'll have weeds coming up everywhere come April. Planning ahead like that is a positive step, and also a step towards prevention.

Maybe yards are indeed mental therapy. I smile when I think that I want to be positive in April, rather than depressed. And that I've learned from medical tests and treatments that prevention is far better than a treatment that hopes to impact an existing lesion that takes off on its own. Goodness knows that blackberry bushes will take off on their own if we don't do something to prevent that from happening.

And Vickie, here's my apology. Sorry you're going to miss this. You were always the best bark duster in the neighborhood, and a great help. We'll have to get by without your efforts this time, but I know it will take longer and be far less fun without your assistance!

Public Viewing...

Liz and I had a long conversation the other day about public access to blogs like this. She writes on the web, just as I do, and the question arose: "Do you want your students in college to find it, what happens if they do?" It doesn't take much to run a name and a topic through Google to find a blog, so should we be open to the public?

Her answer was different than mine. I've made it a point not to connect to anyone else's blogspaces, and I don't really care if someone finds this one their own. If a client happens upon this site, reads about goofy weekends with golf buddies or wonderful trips out of town with Judy, feedback wouldn't be a big deal. On the other hand, teaching tech-savvy youngsters and learning that they may have "inside information" about their instructor is a different realm entirely.

As odd as it seems to this writer, there are those who might seek out my kids on Facebook after learning their ages and location(s). Others might try to look them up on Google Images. We live in a world far more connected than that which offered privacy we no longer enjoy.

Readership of The Journey is an unknown. There may be only about ten readers for all I know. I've bored enough others to the point that they no longer care to see what happens in Lompoc. As odd as it may sound, at least I don't feel the need to post medical information or test results, because things have gone well recently. And I'm not convinced I can ask truly demanding questions that will give readers pause--and the chance to answer for themselves. Perhaps it would be more thrilling, describing various tests and their results, detailing difficult emotions and and heroic recoveries, but if a little "medical boredom" has set in that may be a good thing.

I don't want to issue challenging questions at all times, nor do I mind sharing those difficult issues surrounding The Journey. But I do enjoy getting phone calls to learn that Bobby Kranseler had a hole-in-one, and life is much better on the outside of this screen than I find it to be inside. If THAT'S what the public learns when they seek out The Journey, then maybe I've taken a step towards making the world a happier place. There are few feelings like standing on the tee box when someone you've known since second grade watches a ball fly into the cup. Trust me. That pure joy rushes over you like a warm bath. Until I experienced the joy, I thought my own hole-in-one was my most joyful golf moment. Not true.

So whether you're a regular reader, or you just found me with the help of Google, I hope you have those joyful moments in your life, too. If you're looking for heroic recoveries and medical information, you'll have to catch me on one of the weeks when test results arrive. In the meantime, I'm going to keep looking for Jake the stick-figure, invented by the bright guys who bring you "Life is Good" t-shirts. I want to be just like him when I grow up!!

Time Flies...

Gee, what a way to kill any readership that remains. Not posting in a month? I can hardly believe that's true, but I'm sure that Google wouldn't choose to lie to me as a way to test out a new system of some sort. Let's see...that really does turn me into a reporter.

Vickie PASSED her national nursing exam. So she gets to list her name as Victoria Noelle Chambers, RN. (She may have some way to add the BS in there, but that's not a terminal degree or a professional designation, so it may have to wait.)

We have our tickets to Chile. I'll be gone a month, beginning the middle of October. Judy will follow about ten days later, so that I can get the lay of the land and visit Los Andes, probably just with Nate. He's still working on his timing.

We have tickets to the Australian Open. Now, we need some success to arise from the Avastin treatments and demonstrate that I'm only a little disabled...but disabled. Not sure why any disability companies would consider that I should return to work, but the option still presents itself and could really goof up the travel schedule. We could also find that the trip to Chile is a little too draining to fly all the way to Australia, too...but Lizzy & Billy will be sitting a few rows up with Roger F opens his defense.

The Fubarian Brotherhood, at least with four members, met up in Lompoc for the annual HS fundraiser, and laughed far more than any of the other groups. We got to see Captain Billy Radford, the first in awhile, and meet his bride-to-be. We did not find time, however, to attend to the functions at one of America's ten worst dive bars, that being Jasper's in Lompoc. Probably the first tournament trip that it has missed the schedule.

Driving down also means we got to do some California wine-tasting, in addition to playing golf. Here's a sample of how wine-tasting goes:

Mark: "How many wineries do we think we can hit this afternoon after we check out the In-n-Out in Atascadero for lunch? After Vina Robles?"

Carrie Ellen: "Well, I'm a member at three others, and I want to check out this other one that is offering the prize I bid on at the last charity dinner." "Let's see if we can get to most of those, and then decide from there..."

Jillian: "I don't get to Paso Robles as much as you, let's get to all of them..."

Dana: "This is my first trip with you guys, I'm just along for the ride."

Actual count: TWO. Vina Robles, where of course the girls fell in love with Martin from Switzerland. Great guy, terrific asset for the winery. He was kind enough to pour us four (generous) sips that weren't on the menu because he wanted feedback from members. Denner Vineyards, where Carrie Ellen is a member. The nice ladies serving us kept asking "is there any wine you'd like to re-visit?" As if we were sitting somewhere in Greece and needed to take the yacht back to a different village. We chose to simply enjoy the glorious sunshine of Paso Robles.

"If we don't head home now we'll have to rent rooms and Jillian might miss her plane in the morning...."

It was a delightful trip. Good friends and lots of family interaction. Laughs, too many to count. Great weather, wonderful Guerra hospitality for both family and all the friends who just showed up on their doorstep.

Oh....and amongst the news briefs, this one last post. No details will be supplied, but it became the talk of Labor Day weekend in Lompoc.

"Chambers siblings asked to depart local Elks Lodge." "Investigation launched...."