First Update for 2012. Google Ads Pay Out!

I received a check from Google for ad revenue from my blog. $100.95 was sent to me as a result of people reading my blog and clicking on the ads Google places on the right side of the posts. As a result, I am matching the amount and sending $201.90 to the University of Washington care of Dr Nghiem to be used for research into Merkel cell carcinoma.
I was home alone for almost a week as Judy went to the Renaissance meeting in Charlotte mainly to take care of Eva, Sara and Bel. She left last Tuesday and came back yesterday. I worked 4 full days while she was gone, and managed to handle the work well, although I was tired by the end of the day. While at home, I watched a DVD of Season 3 of 24, all 24 episodes, and read a book of 850 pages, 11/22/63, a science fiction thriller by Stephen King.
I am feeling quite well, but there are some symptoms. Apart from the dry mouth, hearing loss and neuropathy, I have gradually been developing discomfort on swallowing, particularly dry foods. There have been episodes of heartburn. I thought this was due to a virus as I was in contact with my contagious grandchildren during our family cruise. However, I now think I am developing a radiation stricture of my esophagus. I will mention this to Dr. Flam when I see him on January 18. I think there is little to do now, unless it gets worse. If it is due to new tumor growth, the area has had a full dose of  radiation and I doubt if any more chemotherapy will be effective. Right now, it is not a quality of life issue.
Treatment, if needed would likely be balloon dilation of the esophagus, which I am reluctant to undergo at this stage.
My shortness of breath and cough have improved but I continue to take a narcotic every morning for the cough. (Just a small dose, I am not addicted.)


Here is a story from my youth. It teaches about life and death.

The Mouse and the Minnow Trap.

When I was about 10 years old, I used to go to the country with my parents and my brothers. My parents would rent a cabin by the side of the lake and there were quite a few children of similar age to me we spent the summer there.

One day, we found a mouse in a minnow trap. We kept the minnow trap and a small locker when it was not in use. There was still some bread inside it, and when in the water, was very efficient at catching small fish. It was somewhat cylindrical in shape, with conical openings at either end. These openings allow the fish to swim in, but then they couldn't find the openings to get out. It worked very well on this little mouse which got caught inside.

We had a long discussion about what to do with this mouse. I think the consensus was that we would submerge the minnow trap in the lake until the mouse drowned and then dissect it. You have to realize that this time, we were young children who had no significant ideas about life and death, pain and torture. At that age, you thought you would live forever. Time subjectively seem to pass much lower. A week off from school was a very long time. All summer away from school was an eternity.

My mother saw this group of children in serious discussion, and decided to intervene. She asked what was going on and we told her. She made the decision. We had to let the mouse go. We argued, but my mother was the boss. So we opened the minnow trap, and the mouse  scurried away. He didn't get very far, as the dog, who was watching this with some interest, pounced on the mouse, and within a heartbeat, the mouse was dead.

There is a lesson to be learned from this. Men may be cruel, but nature can be just as cruel.