February back at work.

Jody made it through his first week back at work since August. He left here Monday morning thinking he would be out of town until Wednesday night. I called him around 8PM Monday, just to see how he was feeling. He tells me "I'll be home in about two hours." I wasn't surprised.

It wasn't because he was ill or felt bad, it was because he is good at what he does. What takes most people 3 days, he can do in a day. He was tired from all the driving, he doesn't (and hasn't) get out much. He worked out of town Tuesday also, but just for the day. Last night he mentioned to Jeff and I that the days in the office were the hardest.

While he was home all this time being sick, he never slowed down. He was out in the garage building a mandolin, and a strummer and finally a mold for a composite mandolin. He never really took much time being sick. Oh he did have spells of exhaustion from time to time, but he'd just stop what he was doing and go lie down for a bit. This is what worries me, his not being able to take care of those bouts of exhaustion during the day. Now that he's back in the office I'm sure the days just drag by and he is wishing he had something to sand on. (Maybe he could take something to work and share the dust.)

We don't really know how long he'll continue to have a sore throat, being the first to have Hodgkins in the throat we have nothing to go by. I was thinking maybe when his whiskers grow back on his neck and cheeks that would be a good way to tell that everything was getting better. Then someone told me, that after radiation sometimes the hair never grows back! There goes that theory. I think the sore throat annoys him more than anything, that and the dryness in his mouth. He says he has a dry mouth when he's eating! Remember all the pain and discomfort is a result of the CURE not the cancer! Isn't that crazy? Makes you really pay attention to the side effects on medications.

Oh, I just remembered something that happened Thursday night. I was watching The Practice in the bedroom (Jody doesn't enjoy TV much and especially dislikes those hospital shows.... wonder why?) when he walks into the room and asks me about something (I can't even remember what it was now) and I said I didn't know the answer but I bet I could find it on the internet. He says to me, "you have really become the little internet user haven't you? Do you have a blog?"

Remember... he wasn't aware that I have the blog.... it was MY therapy as he was going through the cancer. He's a pretty private guy married to a big mouth. So I'm wondering if someone has slipped..... the family was sworn to secrecy.

I told him yes I did have a blog.... He said "YOU DO??????" I can never tell with him. Is he being sarcastic, genuinely surprised, or just feeding me a line bull? I told him I had a blog where I posted all the funny things that the kids at school say.

Well I do! I'll just wait until he quizzes me for more information before I divulge.

We are supposed to have a high today of 78!!! It was 64 when I woke up this morning with a horrific headache. I think Spring has sprung. Here come the allergies. Normally I'd be out on the deck when it's 64, but the wind is blowing from the South (from the mold zone) at 20mph and it looks like it could pour down raining at any minute. Besides that bush at the end of the deck has taken over during the winter. What kind of plant doesn't go dormant? I'd need a machete to get out there. I wish I knew someone with a chain saw.

Oh by the way... we now have two guest rooms tidied up and ready for guests. So, to my in-laws or brother who probably have a chain saw... come on up. My sister is coming the weekend of the 19th. We are supposed to tear the wall paper off the entryway and re-paint while she's here.

Everything on the cooking shows this morning is chocolate.... I made a chocolate version of the Amish Friendship Bread the other day and sent a loaf to work with Jody. Back in the day when he and Mark (his boss) worked together for Mark's dad, I was always sending treats to work for them. If I'd miss a couple of weeks they'd ask Jody if I was sick or hurt. He said the Chocolate Loaf didn't last very long, he set it down in the break room, went to put his stuff in his office, came back and all that was left was half of the ziploc bag it had been in and the bag looked like someone had eaten the other half. (I guess I need to make more and package his portion separately.) That evening after telling me he didn't get any he said "I think I could eat chocolate cake." I almost laughed at the way he said it... like we were back searching for things he could eat again, he'd just eaten Chicken Fried Steak! It was as if he were being brave, "I'll try... it'll be a stretch.... a true endevor.... but I'll try." Take one for the Gipper and all that crap, I'm making a chocolate cake this weekend.

Nigella just made Cinnamon Rum Hot Chocolate!!! I'll be trying that too. Have a good weekend and if you are in Texas enjoy this weather, take a Zyrtec.