9 Moons Ago

Just a brief entry to express my enormous gratitude to my family and friends who have helped make this whole week, before my surgery tomorrow morning, less stressful and so much fun! Thanks for the overwhelming support I’ve gotten from everyone, since my diagnosis of breast cancer in early June, while we are at it!

I’ve been getting emails, letters, flowers, cards and phone calls from all over. To those of you who’ve written or tried to contact me in the past months, I have been sketchy with staying in touch, but I am thinking of you for sure, and glad for your continued thoughts and prayers. There will be plenty of time for me to use my new stationery in November! He he.

This past Sunday, I thought my Mother and Dad & I were going out to eat with my Sister and her boys at a favorite restaurant. When we got there, I saw Kathy inside right away, standing up and holding Blaine, and then I noticed EVERYONE. They shouted “Surprise!” and I definitely was surprised! Two tables full of family and friends, almost 30 people all wearing pink in some way or another, with candy, balloons, gifts and a cake!
Thought it was great when my Uncle Barry came over and said, “Well, I’m wearing red, which is related to pink” and he pointed out the “Oklahoma” logo across the front, saying “I also wore Oklahoma, because you’re going to be O.K.!”
I received cards, some lovely journals, a beautiful drawing from my cousin’s daughters, Lexie and Abby, the softest cozy pink socks and a box of gummy bears, which I shared with the kids till their food was ready. Other friends who couldn’t be there helped in planning it, and because it was short notice and a small place, not everyone was invited, but we’ll have to have another party, down the line!

I was not expecting this in the least! You got me good, guys! Such a big thanks to my Sister, who thought of it and organized everything, as a spur of the moment thought just a week beforehand! Our crew took up two thirds of the small dining room!

As for the surgery, I’ve only been anxious in the last couple of day, but mostly have been distracted with all the emails, letters, cards and visits from the people who make my life wonderful! Thank you ALL, near and far, for such incredible fun, joy and love!

So, yep, tomorrow at 6am I’ll be in the hospital, but knowing just how many people are supporting me (multiply the number from my party, oh, about ten thousand or so! :-D) will make things that much easier! And, as I told my Mother, couldn’t have planned a better month for this, October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Some pictures from the party, taken by family and friends:

Thanks everybody! Lots and lots of love, Amy

Of Radish Tops on a Plate

There you are
4 buttons of purple-y red and pinky-white
Little disks of salad enhancement
Feathery green remnants on top
So simple, yet
Enough to make a meal just that
much hotter.
Like when I took your hand in mine
and you thought I was about to be sweet
But I slid your fingers
between my own just-washed, but not dried
gentle fingertips, and opened my
pretty mouth.
And popped you in, sucking a little with a shy smile.
It was unexpected
And a little bit, just a little bit, naughty.
Your hands are one of my favorite delicacies.
(I never did hear you object to such
playfulness.)
So, after that came a more spicy advance,
And that salad never did get made properly.
We ate greens with radishes anyway.
And I threw in black olives for good measure.
You threw in the dish towel and succumbed to my wicked game.
Thank God for that.

A. M. Lehr June 2008

Found on naturalnews.com:

“High-fructose corn syrup, unlike natural table sugar -which is produced from sugar cane or sugar beets – is manufactured through an industrial chemical process that turns starch molecules into fructose and glucose molecules, according to the CSPI’s release.

A highly refined, extracted sweetener like high-fructose corn syrup is not natural.”

Have you noticed, it’s in EVERYTHING?!

Just look.
Even in yogurt and bread.

“If refined sugar is so dangerous, even in small amounts, what can diabetics and obese people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes do to avoid it? First, turn to natural sweets like fruit. The natural sugar found in fruit and honey is fructose, which is much healthier than refined white sugar. However, commercially sold fructose, better known as high-fructose corn syrup, should be avoided, as it can contain up to 55 percent sucrose, which requires insulin to metabolize.”

This is not breaking news, I learned about it three years ago, but I think industry is doing it’s best to keep most people pleasantly in the dark about it. Ignorance is bliss. I am looking at the labels more closely these days. Sometimes it’s unavoidable for me to eat this stuff, that is how sneaky it is…. the lousy bastages! :-D They’ll pay for it one day when they eat enough of their own product.

Me? I’m going to look for sugar or honey when I need sweetness.

Link: Natural News

I haven’t watched the Simpsons in a while…in fact, I haven’t watched much TV in recent months. But when I turn on the tv here at home and can not find a single music video to make me feel better when I am recovering, then I know this WORLD is CRAZY.
Music Television helped me recover from my first hospitalization when I was 21, in 1995. I sat and soaked up the inspiration and healed just by listening to the music and watching the great film footage. I felt inspired and whole.

I don’t want to sit and watch the computer screen to watch videos..that takes energy. I want my MTV back. Why is there nothing but game show after game show? It’s been like this for YEARS. I used to watch 120 minutes with my Mom (cause she is cool like that) and then they killed that off.

It SUCKS and it’s pissing me off..and I can’t afford M2 in a cable package so they can sod off.
But …new bands keep requesting me on MySpace and that’s cool. At least I can find stuff without having to look for it too hard. It’s just not as relaxing.

Does anyone agree with me here? I’m not so sure I’ll get a response, but if you live in Australia, you won’t relate anyway… they actually show and play a lot of good music there. THAT is what I’ll miss: music is my “chocolate husband”. I NEED it…it sweeps me off my feet.