Diversified Interests

Batty!

2025-02-04T21:10:42Z

When we moved in, a goodly sized brown bat, dead, dessicated, all but mummified, was found in a third-floor room. Interesting, but nothing particularly special. They can get in through surprisingly tiny openings in the envelope, even ones that would *seem* to demand that their skull deform.

Yesterday evening, a much smaller one was found, folded up over the drain-grate in a walk-in shower, next to a scrubby glove which *had* been on the highest sholf in the shower. Watching it for a bit, it moved enough to demonstrate that we were sure it was alive, but in some distress.

I went off and found a small cardboard box and another scrap of cardboard to use as a scoop and/or lid. When I opened the shower stall door, the bat was in the midst of shuffling (and shrinking!) itself *into* the scrubby glove, making it much easier for me to gently pick it up, put it in the box, and put the cover piece over it.

Then down to the side door I went, and put the glove, still containing the bat, on the porch floor. I was a dim bulb, and didn't think to snap a picture, nor remember the usual advice to "turn it in to animal control, who'll test for rabies and such". Perhaps I'll remember to check the porch this evening, and see if the bat's still there (far from impossible in these temperatures) and start the glove through the laundry machines.

On the bright side, this reminds me that I want to put some bat houses up around this house and lands. Maybe I'll manage it this year....

comments

Drumpf Georgia Conspiracy

2023-09-01T19:50:34Z

#GeorgiaTrumpConspiracy #headshots aren’t #mugshots. The arrested people should be standing straight, head upright, with #height lines behind, etc. They should also have profiles along with head-on pics, and #weight from an official scale. I’m very disappointed in #GA.

comments

Once more into the breach!

2019-12-31T03:32:31Z

When last we left our hero, he had three new punctures in his belly, but all the pipe within remained, as the surgeons found Bowels of Unusual Size once they started the work to remove the cancerous tumor.

Much has transpired since then. And there's more to come...

All those observation ports have healed up nicely. Three fairly tiny new scars. So what's next?

The big difference between colon cancer and rectal cancer is that the colon is often treated just with surgery, or with surgery followed by chemotherapy, and no radiation.

On the other hand, best outcomes with rectal cancer come from the triple-whammy -- radiation, chemo, *and* surgery. Most often, radiation is interleaved with chemo over some weeks, followed by surgery, but this *can* vary.

As you might expect by now, I'll be doing it differently than most.

So, I'll be getting a heavier dose-per-treatment, but fewer treatments, of radiation -- daily, January 6 to 10. Between now and then, a few more doctor visits for various things, and, oh, the wake and funeral for my mother (about which you can find more info nearby).

Then I get almost a week of recovery, before getting a chemo port installed (January 16), and then, on January 17, the revised surgery to remove the tumor and neighboring pipe.

This is especially terrible timing, because there are multiple events the weekend of January 17-20 which I would ordinarily be trying to attend. On the other hand, that means there are gatherings of people who care about me and whom I care about, who might spend a few minutes together raising and sending energies my way. If you're at one of those events, and are so inclined, I'll be very appreciative.

They will probably send me home from this surgery with a souvenir ostomy bag, which will probably (hopefully) be a temporary accessory.

Then I get the chemo, every other week, for about 6 months.

Meanwhile, a university in Springfield MA has provided my partner with a new teaching position, and we're starting to shop for a house, aiming for a 30-45 minute commute for her, and similar drive times to our existing network of people in the area.

(Blessedly, I shifted to working from home a few years ago, and my job is now mostly portable as long as I have a good internet connection.)

Our goal is to be moved around June/July, to have a month or two to settle in before fall classes commence. That also means it's now time to start staging the current house for sales pictures and showings.

Whee! 2020 had better be a better year!

comments

Mom

2019-12-27T16:30:06Z

Alice Catherine (Kramer) Thibodeau, RN, PNP, MS, passed from this world the evening of December 24, 2019. She is missed and remembered by her husband of 53 years, Theodore “Theo” Thibodeau, DDS; brother in law Philippe “Father Phil” Thibodeau; children Theodore “Ted” Thibodeau Jr of Massachusetts, Christopher Thibodeau of New York, Michael Thibodeau of Massachusetts, and Alice Samantha “Mandy” Dreyer of New York; grandchildren Joshua, Justin, Triston, Alastar, Anastasia, Seraphina, Henry Harrison, and Philippe; a great-grandchild due in January; siblings Karen Enman of Maine and Virginia, Walter “Bud” Kramer, William “Bill” Kramer, and Margaret “Maggy” Evans of Massachusetts; nieces and nephews Janelle, Jill, Kristel, Melanie, Natalie, Luke, Laura, David, John, Clay, Jennifer, Kenneth, Kyle, and Caitlyn; as well as hundreds of informally adopted children, young and old, who needed, wanted, or accepted her care.

Born July 27, 1944 to Alice (Connick) and William P. Kramer, she grew up neighboring her maternal grandparents in the house built by her family on Keslar Ave in Lynn. While at Boston College, before transferring to St Anselm’s, she met “Theo”, whom she married in 1966. Together they joined the Navy, she serving in Charlestown MA until pregnancy cancelled that tour.

They lived briefly in Washington, DC, Collingswood, NJ, and Lynn, MA, before settling in Scituate, MA, in 1970, where their home supported family, friends, and pets of many sorts. “Nurse Alice” spent years working at the Cardinal Cushing School, Meadowcroft Day Camp, and Judge Connolly Youth Center, among other places, always bringing comfort and smiles to places and times that weren’t always happy nor comfortable.

She found joy in singing with the University Chorale of Boston College, as well as the choir of St Mary’s in Scituate; leading Cub Scout dens, and earning her Wood Badge in service to Boy Scout Troop #5; volunteering with and accompanying Scituate’s Special Needs students to their celebrations in Florida; and being an active member of the EarthSpirit Community, whose events she attended from 1991 until travel became a burden.

A life-long learner, she got her Master's Degree shortly before retiring from JJCYC. She also had strong interests in houseplants and gardening, cooking and baking, stock market investing, Gilbert & Sullivan and Rogers & Hammerstein musicals, and Dorothy L. Sayers mysteries. In light of her passion for politics and ardent support of unions, in lieu of flowers, please donate to the Democratic National Committee.

Visitation 4-8pm, Friday, January 3, 2020, at Richardson-Gaffey Funeral Home (382 First Parish Rd, Scituate, MA 02066); and funeral mass 10am, Saturday, January 4, 2020, at Saint Mary of the Nativity (1 Kent Street, Scituate, MA 02066).

comments

The Story So Far... (2019-11-22)

2019-11-22T16:52:26Z

Our hero persists, but the object of his quest is in another castle.

A little background: At the age of 10, our hero's inflamed, near-bursting appendix was removed. The average adult appendix is less than 4" long; his juvenile appendix was about 11" (and would have been longer when fully grown). In other words, while his basic anatomical structures match other humans, the details may vary wildly.

So, when the doctors initially found the current tumor, they measured its location from the most obvious landmark, and said "15cm from point A, that should be a few cm beyond the rectum and into the sigmoid colon".

For me, that's actually only about halfway (!) along the rectum, which they discovered after inserting laparoscopes and other instruments, in preparation for the planned extraction.

That discovery changes the official diagnosis from colon cancer to rectal cancer, and *that* changes the standard treatment regimen, and all *that* means that the surgery-in-progress was stopped before the major action began.

So, I've got a few holes in my belly to heal, and will get a few more before this is done. Congratulations, Hero, bonus scars!

Because of the overall rectal length, he basics of the originally planned surgery -- that is, to remove the tumor along with a section of pipe above and below it, and then connect the remaining pipe ends -- are likely to be the basics of the soon-to-be-planned surgery, just working on a somewhat different kind of pipe.

Next steps can't be planned until more testing is done (primarily, an MRI with contrast), which will be upon availability of the necessary equipment, on or before Dec 6.

For now, I'm at home, recuperating from a smaller but still significant procedure.

Your continued prayers, spells, wishes, etc., are more than welcome and appreciated.

comments

PSA about invisible imported LJ posts

2019-11-19T21:03:34Z

I just found out (thanks, wotw!) -- the DW "reading page" doesn't include posts that were imported from LJ (or other site).

So DW people probably haven't seen any of my previous posts, because I haven't spent the time to figure out and implement the whole cross-posting cross-commenting mess. I've just done an import on DW when a meaty LJ post justified it.

So if you read DW, and not LJ, and you haven't seen my recent posts... you may want to read at least the latest, "joining the club...", which isn't a throw-away, and isn't just a twitter-echo.

comments