Lots To Do..

 There's a ton of things to do....but I am not able to do one..not one at this time.  My back's been out for three weeks now. I thank our Lord that Ted is better and able to help me. Although , last night it took both of us to warm up a can of soup. I started it , had it on the stove and Ted had to take over.  Sad. :)
   Ted is driving himself to his chemo in Noblesville this week. So thankful it is closer to home.  He had help early this week from his brother who took him to Carmel for his heart scan. He will be hearing the results next week when he goes back to his heart doctor.  I , myself have had three chiropractor visits and one late night E.R. trip. When in E.R. I got a morphine  shot and a pain pill to take home. Which proceeded to make me very sick to my stomach. After three days of no sleep, severe pain and taking tylenols and praying for help, I went to our G.P. He ordered an nsaid for inflammation and I now am feeling a bit better . I still can not walk far, lift anything ,or be more than a lump on the sofa, but I am praying I get better. Ted and I can still laugh, that helps us both. We are not ready for the land of misfits yet.  LOL

 Not sure when I will be back. I will try to visit all of you. I miss my blog pals. I am thinking of all of you and do want to wish you a beautiful Christmas.  XO

Cold Days.....

  The wind and cold have really taken the leaves from the trees. I have raked about an acre of leaves into piles. Ted helped me haul them to the woods. I would rake them onto a tarp and he helped me pull them on the trailer and he drove the lawnmower to pull the trailer. Of course he wore his special mask.

 The cold has moved in and seems to be hanging on. Record breaking temperatures...low ones that is.

  Thank goodness there's been glorious sunsets.

Yesterday was Ted's doctor appointment at the bone marrow clinic.  He had good lab numbers. The dr was happy with his progress. He has a week of every other day of one med, then it will be done.Otherwise his meds stayed the same. The dr said he would call the dr that treated Ted with the big chemo , so Ted can get his maintenance chemo at that hospital...it will be closer, Less than half the distance to where we are going now. That will be a blessing in bad weather.
   Oh my goodness, I tried my best to get Ted to reschedule his appointment.  We had icy roads in our county, scary too. But south of us they had less snow and their roads were so much better.
   Thank you to all , for the good wishes, thoughts and prayers. This month it has been a year since Ted 's cancer diagnosis. Almost 7 months since his bone marrow transplant. With the good doctors, nurses and everyone's  kindnesses ,we have made it this far.  Bless you. XO

Good News and Cold Winds....

 You can see a bit of snow on the railing of the porch.  High wind warnings are out for our state today. Possibly 30 to 40 miles an hour or higher. Brr. There is snow in that wind also. I am cold, not ready for this kind of weather.

 You can see the frost on the porch floor from the other morning.  Just hoping it kills off all the bugs. LOL
  Ted and I went to the bone marrow clinic on Tuesday. The  nurse took lots of blood for labs. One will be the "Who's who" that is to see what percentage  of Ted's bone marrow is donor now.  It was 100% in July, then 98 % in August, then 96% in Sept. It needs  to be 100%..
    Ted's hemoglobin is now 13.5 , that is the best it's been since before last November . When he was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, it was 5.5 then.  His white cells are good, his platelets need to be better. But all in all , Dr. Tandra of the bone marrow clinic says Ted is coming along nicely. Getting better with his energy and breathing. He also changed Ted's meds . Lowered the steroid he is taking. It will take about a month to get it lowered and done with, so Ted can get his baby shots.
 I want to thank all of you out there for the prayers and well wishes. You are helping us in so many ways. We are truly grateful. Bless you. XO

Changes Happening....

  The weather is certainly changing. It's cold in the mornings and some nights. The trees are changing colors. Looking so pretty. Sunsets that make me smile.

  Farmers are harvesting like mad...rain due tomorrow.  This Cragill's has trucks lined up at times. Not in this photos, but trust me the farmers are there.

  Our water town south of town.

 Getting those long shadows on the shop in the late afternoons.  I feel winter is near but not looking forward to it at all.
  Ted is doing much better. He did receive a call from the Heart Center , that he will be getting tested to see if his heart has been scarred from the chemo. They are booked till December.  But Ted sees the bone marrow drs. next week. I think they will schedule maintenance chemo again and a breathing treatment.  I am so thankful to all of you who have sent us good wishes and offered prayers for us.  It is working,  thank so much, beautiful people.
   I would like for you to pray for our neighbor please. Gary is the man that has been mowing for us, since Ted is not allowed to mow this year. Too many molds  and fungi.  Gary loves to cut wood and stack it for his fireplace. He was cutting wood today and tripped and broke his hip. He was taken to our local hospital, then transferred to Indianapolis , and they will do a surgery on his hip. Please  pray for him, he is a good man , has been so kind to all. Thank you. XO

Cool & Colorful....

 Our Japanese maple is a pretty little tree . It's red and yet when it's autumn it gets a different shade of red. The setting sun lights it up.

 There's some pretty changes going on in our area.  Not yet peak season for fall color, but getting there.

 Bright and firey skies late in the day.  We have had beautiful clear skies and some cloudy one also. The air is much chillier. Frost in the mornings.

 This is an up date on Ted's doctor visits. We when to the bone marrow dr this week. He lower one of Ted's meds. Took the picc line out, so glad about that. Ted's blood work showed his counts are up again. We do not go back there for two weeks, unless something should change.
  We also went to see Ted's heart doctor. The one that put a stint in Ted's heart almost 20 years ago. He went over Ted's med sheet and cancer/bone marrow records. Thoroughly examined Ted  and set up a Doppler of Ted's heart at the hospital two blocks away. We go get the Doppler and the nurse says it looks very good, and tells us we can leave now.
  We go have some lunch then come home. Once we get home the heart dr's office calls and says we need to go back they did not do the other test the doctor wanted done. Ted tell them I'll come back tomorrow , set it up. then  the heart doctor's office calls and says that another exam will be set up at a totally different Heart Center near Indianapolis, in Carmel.  So we are waiting for that test to be scheduled and then we go from there. The Doppler showed that Ted's heart squeeze is back to where it was before all the chemo  and that is good news. The heart doctor wants the extra tests done to see if there has been any scarring of  Ted's heart muscles. Wish we could get a break from all the doctors and tests .
 Thank you dear blog family and friends for all your kind words and prayers. XO

Autumn Colors......

  The corn across the road is a golden brown now. The farmers are harvesting corn and soybeans. Combines are running up and downs the roads. Wagons pulled by tractors and trucks, even semis hauling the grain to Cargills, the co-op and storage silos.

  Mums  and asters  are bloomed and showing pretty colors.

  Still some flying things around the sedum. This is a hardy plant.

 Catching some wonderful sunsets. Since I still need help with my computer ,plus some schooling for me would surely help, I am posting some old photos....but year after year some of the flowers and the crops never change. :)
  This is an up date on Ted. We left at 8 on Tuesday and got back home at 3:45 , drove directly to CVS.  When we arrived at the hospital,Ted had a pulmonary test in the heart clinic part of Franciscan Hosp. , then we drove to the bone marrow corner of the hospital, Franciscan is a huge medical complex.  Then Ted was checked out by the N.P. , the nurses and  Dr. Akard.  He had vitals taken, lab work, and then had the breathing treatment.
 The doctor ordered new meds and we go back to the clinic next week. The newer meds seem to be helping Ted . He seems to have more pep. ...alertness, I guess. He has no energy to do more than walk or drive.  But then what can he do till he is finished with a few more months of  breathing treatments and chemo maintenance.  It's exhausting, all of it. Thank you all once again for your kind prayers and words. We both appreciate you so much. XO

Bits Of Fall....

  Love catching the setting sun when I can.

  There's been an abundance of these yellow butterflies this year.  I love them all.

  Here's a few things from the Horton's store in town.  I have to tell you this story. I saw a cat in the backyard a month ago. I thought, "Whose cat is that ?" Then it rose up and flew into the back woods. LOL. It was a great horned owl.  At near twilight it looked like a cat on the ground.  Well I have not seen those rabbits any more either. :)

  Throw nothing away, make pumpkins instead.

 Now these metal ones would be a bit of work. :)   I would like some for the porch., but am happy with my cloth pumpkins in a basket.
   Tuesday Ted and I went to the bone marrow clinic in Indy, at the Franciscan hospital.  Dr. Akard, did not say for sure what had happened to Ted to cause the fever. He did say he wanted Ted to got to the heart clinic, in the same building for a breathing test. Then he will be going back to the bone marrow clinic right afterwards. This will take place next Wednesday.  They have a hold on the maintenance chemo for this month. In the mean time  Dr. ordered an inhaler for Ted and a steroid med.
 I do not see much energy in Ted. He seems to be tiring easier. He really isn't doing anything but a little walking. Ted also has an appointment with his heart doctor later this month. I pray that visit will help Ted. I think he needs to be back on some of his original heart meds.
  Please keep praying for Ted. I am so grateful to all of you. XO