Relapsed High-Risk Myeloma - Update - May 18 2013

Slept pretty well last night - five hours in one stretch which was a miracle for me. Haven't slept well for the last 2 years - sleeping only in 2-hour bursts. I took 5 mg of Xanax at bedtime.

Not sure when the CONTEST for Faye's activities will end - but probably by this Friday, 24 May 2013. So, don't get too busy - and ENTER NOW via the comments section.

Had a pretty good Saturday. Drove to the U.S. Post Office to pick up the mail for Paco and I.  Had a nice visit with Gary Lords and Ronnie Hocking outside the Post Office...really nice guys.

Delivered the mail and was going to go to Ivies (grocery store) for Jani's milk and then to get gas for Jonah (1999 Honda Passport) and FORGOT to do either! I guess my brain is not as clear as I think it is.

Jani stayed home and edited the new 2013 Memorial Day Mt. McCaleb Cemetery Book that I finished early this morning. We have 1,495 known graves in the cemetery. There are probably more, but in April 1938, Mackay City Hall burned to the ground taking the cemetery book with it to ashes. The cemetery book was "recreated" but, has ISSUES especially for those graves that did not have headstone markers. City Foreman, Ken Day, has been helping me with the current update.

I made the following plat map of the Mt. McCaleb Cemetery showing the plot burial locations. Just making this document should give me a "lifetime achievement award" somewhere.

Earl Lockie had the plot map enlarge, framed it, and displayed it in the kiosk over by the mower shed. Also in the shed, is the printed Mt. McCaleb Cemetery Book that I typed up this week and Jani edited. Jani is especially conscious to detail - so, I doubt there is missing comma. Someone looking for a grave location first consults my cemetery book to determine which Block and Lot they are looking for and then consults the Plat Map. It is a pretty good system until we get to some of those graves prior to 1938 when the fire burned the original cemetery book - but, we try. I've been doing this yearly Memorial Day Cemetery Book since 2002. I've photographed most of the headstones and entered them on findagrave.com too.

Tomorrow, I will create a version of the cemetery book that shows the location of the VETERAN'S graves so the American Legion members, along with the Cub and Boy Scouts can mark each Veteran's Grave with a flag for Memorial Day. This is a huge task for me, but made easier with XCEL (computer program). I'm hoping my NEW SYSTEM for this Memorial Day works - we are going to do a practice run on Monday.

Had a visit from Vickie Mae and Don which is nice (they live in Arco). Vickie brought cut flowers again and I had to tell her that I'm allergic to flowers in the house - what a bummer. I just cannot do fragrances for any kind - perfumes, flowers, essential oils, etc. So, if anyone visits here at the house - please come fragrance-free.

Jani supervised my lawn care guy and raked the horse poop away from my back fence since our 3 retrievers think horse poop is a BIG TREAT and dig under the fence to get it.

I drove back to Ivies (grocery) and got Jani's milk. Had a good visit with one of my favorite Mackay guys, Kase, who was out for a cruise on his friend's pink bike, in this PJs, and winter red-neck hat. This kid listens to the beat of his own drummer and I LOVE HIM! At least he has shoes on today...he loves barefoot, even in cold ole Mackay!

I napped off and on all afternoon and woke with a SHARP, TREMENDOUS PAIN in my left shoulder area. Back in 2002, I fell off a ladder and badly broke my left shoulder in to 7 pieces (no mention of myeloma was made back then, but maybe I had it). At any rate I had major surgery with the placement of a metal plate and 9 giant screws to patch the fractures back together. One of the top screws in the back on the left side is really bothering me right now. I'm going to have to get it checked when I go to Twin Falls this week. I kept an ice pack on it all night in case it was bleeding in there with my platelets only at 18 (norms 140-440). I don't need this! Oops, whine, whine, whine - SORRY. Jani is always SO GOOD to help me CALM DOWN when I have pain. I took 1/2 Percocet and then the other 1/2 later. I also took, for the first time, 10 mg of Xanax at bedtime.