A Walk Back From Lunch on the University of Minnesota Campus

Lunch was delicious at Sally's today.

The heat and humidity didn't deter people from enjoying the meals served there.

Sally's is a short walk from the hospital.

Rather than take the car,

we walked back to the hospital.

Like most concrete structures,

the sidewalk was cool in the shade and very warm in the sun.  This was one of our hottest days of the year!

Yes!

There were gardens that had just been planted.

See the dorm room behind this tree?  I wonder what secrets this old tree has seen.

 The sun was beating down on our part of the earth today, but it's heat was welcome, at least, to me.

 This was a cool place to sit and rest.

 

And, even though, the students are mostly gone for the summer, the bike rack still bragged of its bikes.

Look at this great tree near the hospital.  Can you imagine the students who have sit here and dreamed?

Studied and cried?  Met and broke up? 

Oh, what this tree has seen.

It's also seen its share of construction in the summer.   Note the orange cones in the distance.

 Then, it's back to the hospital.  I wish I knew all the stories this hospital can tell.  So many would be sad, but so many would be stories of joy and hope.

For me, right now, it's lemons and lemonaide.

I hope you enjoyed the walk.

A Little Time for Jewelry - That and a Preview!

This is the necklace I made to honor my daughter who has a blood cancer called

multiple myeloma.

I love this necklace, and I wear it almost everyday.

Jenny can't wear jewelry in the transplant ward,

but I don't think she'd want to with the way she has been feeling anyway.

I made all the glass beads.

This red is Lauscha transparent red medium.

It's my favorite red.

It's also the color that reminded me of healthy red blood cells.

Lori Anderson, of 

Pretty Things,

suggested making a bracelet to remember this event.

Since her suggestion,

I have been looking for found objects to make a charm bracelet.

I have not been very successful with that endeavor.

To date, I have found.......

NONE.

I probably just need to think out of the box more, 

but,

my brain being what it is right now,

just doesn't want to go there!

So,

for now,

exit found objects

enter, again,

needle felting.

Here's a preview.

I have an idea, but, whether or not I can make it work,

well, we'll just have to see.

Check back later.

We both might be surprised!

Six Word Story Sunday - Stress Relief

Cutting

Up

Tin

Equals

Stress 

Relief!

More has to be said here.

Cutting tin,

is very physical for me.

By the time I am finished,

the blood is flowing,

my heart is beating faster,

and stress is being flushed out of my 

system.

Sometimes I think,

"Who needs a treadmill?"

I just know

that the endorphins flow,

and I feel

better!

The Stem Cell Transplant in a very simple NutShell

You might remember that in January.

Jenny and I were at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, so that her stem cells could be collected for a future

stem cell transplant.

That was then.

This is now.

On Thursday of this week,

Jenny had her stem cells returned to her body.

This is how it went.

With the chemo having been given on Tuesday

and a Day of rest on Wednesday,

Thursday morning, the nurse brought in the first of 4 packages that contained Jenny's stem cells.

This was package #1.

The stem cells were then hooked up to the IV Pole.

The nurse did this.

Jenny's identity was checked against the name and numbers on the bar code of the bag of cells.

The nurse then hooked the line up to Jenny's port,

and 

the stem cells were then infused back into Jenny's body.

All four bags of cells were returned to her.

Now,

we wait.

Three Beautiful Things This Week

Three Beautiful Things This Week was inspired by a wonderful blog that Clare writes called Three Beautiful Things. Everyday, Clare writes about 3 Beautiful Things that happen each day in her life. It's a wonderful blog! I can only hope to imitate her in a very small way.

1) Not everyone would think that this is a beautiful photo, but I do.  This small bag is one of 4 that were administered to Jenny during her stem cell transplant.
These small bags contain her stem cells that were collected in January at Mayo Clinic.  We are now hoping that these cells will put Jenny into remission for many years to come! 

2)   I have a wonderful son!  He has been a rock throughout this ordeal!  He has come to stay and help, disrupting his life.  I've learned so much more about him as an adult!  What an amazing man he has become!

3)  In this short time of transplant, we have met many wonderful people who are amazing caretakers at the hospital.  These people have helped with education and being ready and able to meet our needs.  I don't know how I can even begin to thank them as they work this most difficult job.