After a long streak of reading Little Mr. Men books, I've been dubbed Little Miss Forgetful by Will. On Wednesday, I made lunches for both boys but only got them to the floor outside the office at school. Will, wise to my ways of weeks ago, found his. I discovered Liam’s when I got to school, just where I left it. He only takes his lunch a couple days so doesn’t know where to look for it if it isn’t in the fridge. Will took me on as if I had planted arsenic in his lunch: “Why did you put ham and butter on MY sandwich?” I didn’t. I made him a peanut butter and jelly – then put it in Liam’s bag.

And that’s the kind of week it’s been.

The port came out fine on Tuesday. I did take an Atavan. In the operating room, as the doctor did his thing, a nurse again established I was from Iowa, had milked cows by hand, have two sons adopted from Korea, and a husband from England. At first I thought, “Not again!” but I didn’t cry this time. One of the nurses, from Texas, had also milked cows. “I’m from Texas! That’s what we do there!” A nurse asked the doctor if he had, unsurprisingly, he had not. “You know,” I said as he maneuvered the stitches, “as long as you do the best you possibly can at your job today, it doesn’t matter to me if you have ever milked a cow!” I could hear him chuckle over the Irish music he had playing in the operating room.

They still use the orange stuff. I came home with one side of my chest orange complimented by the other side that is now the deepest red it will be, or so I hope since the last full blast of radiation was this morning. In the Crayola crayon spectrum, the shade is close to Brick Red. Not Red. Not Wild Strawberry. Not Violet Red. Yes, the boys and I have been coloring this week. Aunt Tina and crew sent a brand new box of 64 crayons to the boys for Easter. Wednesday afternoon after I picked Will up, perhaps knowing I needed coloring therapy, he said I could use his new crayons if I wanted to color with him. What an invitation! I love new crayons!

After getting the port out, well, I’m tired. Stressing over this procedure took a lot of energy. I am moving about as fast as a hot air balloon that’s lost all of its hot air. I’ve not been very productive, other than coloring. I know. That’s OK. I purposely took a day off yesterday, just to be still and to be by myself for a while. Didn’t look at or think about the to-do lists.

As for the immediate future: Taking the boys and friends to the Museum of Science in Boston this afternoon. Finishing taxes this weekend. And going to a good friend’s birthday party Sunday. Next week: the last five “boosts” of radiation, just to the ex-tumor site. One more week. Midnight Red, a shade richer than Brick Red, could be a new Crayola name.

Staying strong,

Linda