Winter Onboard in Annapolis

—Blogpost written by Bob 

Monday, March 1

The rain continued from yesterday, through the night, and into today.  It is expected to end early this afternoon and then the wind will increase to 30+ knots.  (The temperature was in the low 50's.)

We went out for a Starbuck's breakfast sandwich this morning and ate it in our car along Main Street.  We drove the two or three blocks because of the rain plus it was just nice getting out of the boat for a change of scenery.

A Starbuck's coffee on the counter ready for pick up.  
(This is not my photo but rather a stock photo.  
The out-of-focus area in the background
is called "bokeh."  It takes a good lens
to make pretty bokeh like this.)

Just as an indication of how dull our lives have been lately, our big plan for the day is refilling our three fresh water jugs at the grocery store across town, allowing us to reuse the plastic jugs.  (The main reason for our lives being dull right now is the pandemic--not because of spending the winter in Annapolis.)  As I sit in the navigation station writing this I can hear the seagulls outside with their incessant calls, trying to solicit attention to their cause (of gull hunger maybe?).

We stopped by our favorite Mexican restaurant for lunch today and, afterward, shared a delicious flan for dessert.  It rained on and off while we were out and about.  During lunch, I got a personalized call reminding me about my preparation for tomorrow's radiation treatment--it will be my first one of many (about 40).

Tuesday, March 2

(My First Radiation Treatment)

The rain had stopped and the wind picked up during the night.  The sun was shining brightly in the morning and it was still very cool (in the low 30's).

I had my first radiation treatment this morning at 10:40 AM.  The treatment room was rather futuristic in many ways but the ceiling lights were actually translucent panels (like slides) in two groups of four—the overhead panels looked like two skylights, looking at a nice sunny day with scattered clouds and some tree tops along the edges.  This was a nice interaction of nature with technology and it made me feel more at ease.  (Later, I learned that there are four radiation treatment rooms and each room's skylights are of a different season.  Each treatment room deals with 30 patients per day.)

My body was lined up on a movable platform using green lasers that were mounted on the walls on each side of me and one overhead in the ceiling.  The tattoos (one on each hip and one on my pelvis) I got two weeks ago were the alignment points for the lasers.  They took some pictures via x-ray to confirm my body’s alignment and the radiation beam’s path just before my treatment.  The radiation treatment was over before I knew it had started—it took a mere 10 minutes--I thought they were still taking pictures.

After the radiation treatment, the radiation technician told me that my bowels were emptied perfectly but my bladder could have been a bit fuller.  (I drank 14 ounces of water just 45 minutes ahead of my appointment time instead of one hour as instructed.  I did this because there was a half hour delay for my last appointment and I was anticipating it again.)  It was amazing to me that they could see such detail within my body and to do it live.  I was also very impressed with the competence of every individual I encountered.  They talked me through each step of my treatment and seemed to be genuinely interested in my well being.

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You can tell you’re getting old when you take down your pants 

for your treatment and the (young female) radiation 

technician compliments you on your shoes.

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After my radiation treatment Maggie and I had lunch at Italian Market (pizza) and then ran some errands, including some "recreational" grocery shopping at Fresh Market.

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The afternoon was sunny and relatively warm (high 40's) and you could feel a "spring-like" warmth in the air (or was it just my wishful thinking?).

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Late in the day we experimented in making a new type of roll up for our (non-alcoholic) Happy Hour.  We used cream cheese, slices of (not quite ripe) avocado, thin slices of turkey breast, and a generous heaping of clover sprouts.  The clover sprouts and the avocado slices did not allow the roll up to stay tightly rolled and, consequently, the roll ups were little disasters.  (Next time, maybe we'll skip the sprouts, use guacamole instead of the cream cheese, and add some hot sauce.)

Wednesday, March 3

The sun was shining brightly when we woke up.  It was already 41 degrees F at 9 AM and the temperature was headed for a high of 54 degrees in the afternoon.  While the temperature was below freezing last night (and will likely be the same for the coming nights), the afternoon temperatures were predicted to approach 60 degrees throughout next week! (Yeah!!!)

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Last night I had the best sleep I've had in 5 or 6 months!  (Could one radiation treatment have made that much of a difference? The oncologist says not.)  There were only two days on my 8-week schedule of radiation treatments that did not begin at 11:40 AM--today and tomorrow are those two days, they start at 3:40 PM. 

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I just learned of Texas' Governor Abbott ending his mask mandate and declaring all of Texas open for business.  I can't believe the stupidity of this governor eliminating state health controls while the number of COVID cases in his state is increasing.  This is equivalent to removing all the speed limit signs in Texas (including in the cities of Houston and Dallas) and admitting some people will be killed but that's OK.  It's like there is a race for the most stupidity, between the governors of Florida, North Dakota and Mississippi.  Trump made stupidity OK and now everyone flaunts their stupidity!

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Today, like every Wednesday, I was scheduled to meet with my oncologist for a short visit after my radiation treatment.  I had prepared a short list of questions for our meeting: the primary one dealing with a timing conflict with my appointment for a COVID vaccination next Tuesday in Baltimore (I learned I have to take this up with my everyday radiation team).  The next question I had prepared was about the starting of our Keto diets should wait until after my radiation treatments or not--the oncologist advised to wait until after my treatments are over, saying the one fight (against the cancer) is enough at one time. 

Thursday, March 4

It was relatively warm outside overnight (low 40's) and sunny and warm this morning from the get go.  It seems like we've gone from heavy winter coats to shirt sleeves in just a week.

This photograph of Lola is
for my sister, Barbara
(Lola's godmother).

Today was my third radiation treatment.  Except for the time of day (which will change soon) they are almost becoming routine.  They are certainly the easiest of the treatments I've had to date.  I was ill-prepared for today's treatment--I had a full bladder but my bowels were not sufficiently empty.  I had to skip my turn and adjust to the situation.

A basketful of kids socks that were being put
on the shelves in the CVS pharmacy
when we stopped by after my
treatment.  (This pic was
taken with my iPhone.)

I have had a yearning to buy a new pocket knife lately--not because I no longer like my favorite and trusted Gerber pocket knife, but because I just want another one.  I couldn't decide between two knives--so, I bought both and will (probably) return one.

The first of the two knives
is a KUBEY

The second knife is a SOG
with a rosewood handle.

I'll let everyone know which one I keep (or if I keep both).  Whichever one I keep, I will remove the pocket clip.  Stay tuned for my decision...

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