Homemade Sausage Making

Both of you are in our prayers good buddy! Have faith in the Lord my friend. Nancy is a strong woman - she'll be okay. And so will you! This too shall pass.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

Ross, could you bring us up to date? How is Nancy holding up? Hey, how is ROSS holding up? Keep us in the loop pal. We care. Please give our best to your sweet wife.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

Infusion #2 is scheduled for Thursday morning this week. Nancy is quite well recovered from the first and hasn't been very ill from the effects so far. Somewhat less stamina than normal. Nancy still has a good appetite although smaller more frequent meals work better.
I on the other hand have been building a handicap ramp for hire and I am beginning to think the I may be too old for pick and shovel work and carrying wet pressure treated lumber. This job is like a roast goose, too much for one man and not enough for two. Overall we are getting along very well. If the weather cooperates I should finish this before Thursday and have a couple of days to recover.

Well ol' friend, it sounds like you'd better hire Sawhorse Ray for a few days. He can take along a pack-burro for the wet lumber while you have him build the ramp! You can stand by with a little quirt and when Sawhorse starts to slow up... just rap him on the butt a little!
Please tell Nancy to keep up the good work and remember we are all thinking about her.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

I sure wish I could be there to help Ross, and I'm very happy to hear Nancy is holding up well. What used to be a couple hours work now takes a couple of days, if it's to be done at all. Don't carry what you can drag, don't drag whatever can be rolled on a dolly, stop working when you get tired. Last week I attacked some invading tree roots with a spud bar and sawzall, I was played out for the day after ninety minutes, was back at it the next day. Slow and steady wins the race, God bless you. RAY

Today was a bitch about 90°F and the dew point above 70°. I don't carry anything that I can drag. 6 hours and 2 quarts of water and I feel like I am 75 years old. Thank god for pneumatic nailers!!

My hat's off to you Ross! Geez, I doubt I'd last four hours in those conditions these days, I've always hated working in the heat and my back just won't cooperate if I'm on my feet for more than a few hours without a substantial break. The years of working asses and elbows during the week and side jobs on the weekends seem as though they occurred in another lifetime. I'd imagine you are starting work as early as the law allows in your neck of the woods to beat the heat. Don't exhaust yourself, quit for the day when you feel it's time. RAY

I took today off. I am at a good break point on this job and Friday promises to be much cooler. The best part of this effort is that Terri can now make the trip from the house to the car on completely stabile surfaces.

This afternoon I cut up a cantaloupe and took the waste out to the compost pile. On the way back I gathered a handful of garlic chives, parsley, and basil. In the kitchen I chopped them and added an ounce of lemon juice, soy sauce and olive oil and two chicken thighs. I let them marinate for 2 hours and then baked them for an hour at 325°F. They were completely done and Nancy ate a whole one! The most for she has eaten at one sitting in a month.

ssorllih wrote:...the most she has eaten at one sitting in a month.

Sounds like our gal is "on the mend." Great news.

Is a "garlic chive" the same as a "ramp," like they have in western Virginia? That oughta cure ANYBODY of anything. (...especially, eating ramps!)

What a wonderful husband you are, Ross!
Ursula

Garlic chive is flat leaf, mild and very hardy. In the garden it is a thug holding its own against all competition.

What is Nancy doing to pass the time ol' pal? I'm thinkin' about teaching her how to cheat at poker. Then she can beat your pants off! Is she still feeling the effects of the chemicals?

Nancy continues to live and work as she has but just with much less energy. The effects of the chemo are cumulative and she is but half way through the series. She gets another infusion tomorrow and that will knock the props out from under her for 5 or6 days then she will slowly improve for the next 2 weeks and receive her 4th and last infusion.

Two weeks from the last episode means there's light at the end of the tunnel. I can't imagine how difficult this must be to go thru, you are both in our thoughts and prayers. RAY