Pages

Praetorium Honoris

Monday, April 1, 2024

Progress....is good!

 While I am aware that today is April 1st, AKA April Fool's Day, and all sorts of nonsense is to be expected, I will take the High Ground of the Mature and abstain.

As was taught me at Army Command and Staff College, I will use BLUF as my outline.  Beans, that means Bottom Line Up Front.  Tell them what you're gonna tell them. Tell them, then tell them what you told them.  

ARRRRRMMMMMEEEEE Training Sir!

 
Ok, Now that I've got that Monday Humor out of my system, on with the post.
 
Let's start with the most important thing going on in my life right now.  Mrs. J has completed the Chemo part of her cancer treatment. (Well sort of, she still will be taking Chemo pills while undergoing radiation, but at least she doesn't have to take the drip Chemo.  That's what kicked her pretty hard about four or five days after receiving each treatment.)
 
But, this past week, she got the final treatment report from her Chemo Doctor.  I'll list the Doctor-ese terminology for your entertainment.

See if you can interpret these results.

1. "Tumor has markedly decreased in size."
2. "No convincing evidence of residual viable tumor present."
3. "Near complete response to therapy"
4. "No evidence of regional nodal or distant metastatic disease within the pelvis."
 
I score myself about an 80% on this test.  I got the first three but only the "No Evidence" part of the last one. That having been said, and while this isn't the final exam, Mrs. J "done good" !

Let me just say...Thank You, Lord! And...Thank all y'all for your prayers. It ain't over, but measurable progress is reassuring for a change.

Radiation starts this Thursday.  Hopefully, that will nuke what's left of the little bastiges and She, I and the rest of the family, can get on with life (AKA Being Goofy with Grand Kids).


 



Getting to be goofy with your Grand kids, isn't that pretty much the definition of Life?

Finally, the Pikler update.  (I know that's high on several lists and I am making progress.)

The lighter rungs are actually white, not blue.  Stupid Cell Phone Camera!

 The short leg is finished and turned out fairly well.  Maybe a little paint touch-up is all that's required.

The long leg proved an old wood worker adage.  One can NEVER have too many pipe clamps.  This took all I had and I still could have used a bit more.  Paint is going to need a bit more touching up than the first.  The triangular pieces in the foreground are the parts that keep the thing together.  Need to fairly precisely drill 3 holes going all the way through both pieces.  Screws through one vertical side to secure it, then a nob screwed through the triangle and the short leg to stand it up and allow it to be collapsed for storage as needed.  Accuracy, read careful drilling, will be required.  Once the holes are drilled, the project will be handed over to my graphic artist (AKA Mrs. J) to paint the final logo on it.

This will be that logo.

Source

 

Hopefully, the next picture of this project will have a little Girl on it.

Peace out, y'all and, once again, Thanks for the Prayers!

 

46 comments:

  1. THAT is very good news juvat for Mrs. J, she's still in the prayer rotation sir. That Pikler ain't looking too shabby......... :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Thanks, Nylon, very much appreciated.
      juvat

      Delete
  2. That is delightful news!
    On the pickler front....I have two just like that I can send you for free.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. HMS Defiant,
      Thanks, yeah, I think so too! It ain't over til it's over, but things are looking up!
      I appreciate the offer but completion of this one will fill the requirement for both my dependent's families. Besides, they were/are pretty fun to build and kept me off the streets at night.
      juvat

      Delete
  3. Good news about family health is always welcome. Drip Chemo is harsh. I had to laugh at the games we "Adults" play with our grandkids.

    Keeping yours in prayers. God's in the healing business, you know.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michael,
      Yep, good news is always good to get. Yep, Glad it's over. We'll see about radiation and its side effects, Hopefully, they won't be as bad. Playing silly games? I was a Fighter Pilot, I excel at silly games! ;-)
      I certainly appreciate your (and others) prayers, they're working. Yes, he is and I do.
      juvat

      Delete
  4. Replies
    1. The Badger I sleep with every night agrees.
      juvat

      Delete
    2. Thanks Juvat, I missed this one!

      Delete
  5. Fan-dam-TASTIC news! A great way to start the new month. Thanks.

    Re "Stripes," I think that's my favorite scene in the whole movie.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joe,
      Thanks, yes it is. As a wise person (whom I can't remember) once said "Life is short, live it while you can". That's probably going to be our motto now.
      In the two years I was at Army CGSC and SAMS, I bet I watched that movie 20 times. Just to keep my sanity.
      juvat

      Delete
    2. Sanity is overrated. If we weren't insane, we'd go crazy.

      Delete
  6. Well done, Mrs J and helpers!
    Hair looks good, so apparently that drama was avoided.
    Prayers still up!
    JB

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. JB,
      Yeah, the Chemo Doc said that hair loss was a possibility, but not likely, Both she and the Radiation Doc both said it was more likely in radiation, but the chances were still pretty small. We'll see.
      Prayers are much appreciated. Thanks
      juvat

      Delete
  7. Be careful. Being that it's for a girl, she may see that symbol as "ATM" and look for the slot to insert her debit card.

    Ok, another week for me in purgatory for that joke. Is Mrs. J an alum as well?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tuna,
      No, purgatory isn't a penalty for that joke. If it were, they'd be adding new spaces quite frequently.
      No, not an A&M Alum, but, as insinuated to Scott the Badger in his comment above, she is a University of Wisconsin Alum. Fortunately the one decision I've succeeded in influencing in our marriage is She and I not moving to Wisconsin on USAF retirement. This Texas boy wouldn't be able to survive at least 6 months a year. It wasn't until we'd been here about 20 years that she acknowledged that I'd been right about retiring in Texas. But, she caveated that by reminding me that was a fluke and I shouldn't get to cocky about it.

      Delete
  8. Great news on the "c" front! Being silly with kids is amazing. I think every normal adult has a little child-likeness in them. May be a lot of shell over it, so it won't melt on your hand. ;)

    And don't forget wedges. Cut some very long taper wedges. Clamp one leg to your table, then a 2x4 to the other side of the table such that you can drive the two wedges between the leg and the 2x4 to "clamp" the dowels in. Face the cut side of the wedges toward each other so the sqaure edges push against the rail and the 2x4 fence. Use parchment paper between the wedges and the painted wood to minimize touch up. Some lengths of all thread with nuts and washers can be used with scrap 2x lumber or uni-strut to make good clamps too. Tractor Supply usually has some. Do you still have that Ace hardware on the east side of town? I was impressed with their selection of stuff.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. STxAR,
      Thanks, I agree. I don't think it's made the news yet, but I am a world wide expert on being silly with kids. Been practicing it for years, being a Fighter Pilot (at least on the ground) helped quite a bit.
      THANKS for the hint on wedges. I think I'd seen/heard about that, but it didn't come to mind in time of crisis. Gonna have to have a practice run in prep for the next time I need them. I think that might work a bit better than the pipe clamps even.
      Yeah Biederman's Ace hardware is still in business. He ran for State Rep. His campaign was despicable at the party level. I won't vote for him and am quite satisfied that he lost, badly. Lowe's in Kerrville is closer and more to my liking.
      Just sayin'
      juvat

      Delete
    2. I needed some stuff years ago. Like yesterday and they had it. Any port in a storm. Good think to know. I appreciate the recommendation.

      Delete
    3. STxAR,
      No worries.
      juvat

      Delete
  9. That is fantastic news Juvat! Thanks as always for updating us.

    Thanks for sharing the pictures!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Great news on the juvat front. Prayers will continue!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sarge,
      Yes it is, Thank the Lord!
      Much appreciated!
      juvat





































      Delete
  11. Gald to hear of progress on the "c" front. And...aren't Grandkids what it's about???

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Applegoat9
      As am I (to no ones surprise).
      Why yes they are!
      juvat

      Delete
  12. BLUF has been around a long time. I was schooled in the concept back in AFROTC in 1958! I have used it all my teaching life - air to ground weapons delivery (I have a PhD in that, with a practicum in Hanoi), ACM, staff meetings at the Squadron level ("Master Sergeant McCrary, please be sure most of the airmen are out of the Victorville City Jail by Monday morning."), Bible studies and sermons. It really works. Too bad we need it.
    Answered prayer is sweet to the ear, it fills the heart with joy and lets us know Our Father is here.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lt Fuzz,
      Interesting, I had not heard of BLUF until Army School. However, I did like the technique and used it thereafter to include teaching HS.
      That last sentence is absolute truth. Thanks
      juvat

      Delete
  13. So no cutting and removing at all? If so, very excellent. If not, reducing and stopping growth and spread before cutting very good.

    Positive progress is the only progress you want with the 'C'.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Beans, Mrs J here. Docs are planning on surgery to make sure anything remaining after radiation therapy is removed as a precaution.
      It should be a minor “bump in the road” after the “therapies”.
      Thanks to all for your thoughts and prayers. They continue to work!!

      Delete
  14. Fabulous news, juvat! Prayers DO work. Well, Faith helps, too.....

    I just finished plugging, sanding, filling, and a bit more sanding, on the speaker cabinet holes I drilled wrong. Now I can finally finish those Bad Boyz!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, DrJim,
      As to plugging, sanding filling, and a bit more sanding on the speaker cabinet holes I drilled wrong....
      Dang, I wish I didn't ever have to say that. Yet.....
      I feel your pain!
      Thanks, yes, Prayers and Faith do work.
      juvat

      Delete
  15. Second best news I've head all day!! First was "your Dad can go home today, we are pretty sure there wasn't a second stroke." Spent from Friday noon on in the ER and then they admitted him to the hospital after some kind soul stopped in the road so he wouldn't get hit as he was already on the road. He's is doing better, looks like he lost the bar fight, and gashed his hand pretty well, needed 5 stitches and is a dozen different shades of purple. So much for Easter dinner. After I got him back to his apartment I find he has been out of one of his BP meds for at least 2 weeks...sigh..."don't think the damn pills do any good anyway. Well, no Dad, probably not, especially if ya aren't taking them!! But hey, you've been back on them for the last 4 days, and you did say you were feeling better...so maybe they do do something, just saying..." We are not going to check MY blood pressure after that little conversation. So I am going to set up med boxes for a bit, and he promised to at least use the cane, as he hates the walker that he was sent home with as he gave the last one away to another resident in the apartment complex as he "didn't need it"...there are reasons my hair is all gray...

    Grandkiddos are awesome!! Especially the younger ones who aren't old enough to think they know everything...thank goodness mine are still little.

    Even though that is wonderful news on Mrs J, I'm still keeping up the prayers...my theory is if it aint broke don't fix it...so far they seem to be working, so I'm not stopping now!!

    Suz

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Suz,
      Thanks. I feel your pain. My Dad was very similar in mindset and, well shall we say, stubbornness. All that having been said, losing him still hurts, and that was 12 years ago. Truly appreciate the prayers (from all of you folks). I also truly believe they made the difference.

      Having the middle grandchild living on the property has been fabulous. Lots of fun and watching her grow and overcome a rough start is reassuring. Not sure what I'm gonna do once she and her Mom go to England. Glad they're rejoining Little J, but will miss them a lot.

      Does give us a good excuse to visit "Jolly Old" doesn't it?

      Thanks
      juvat

      Delete
  16. Good news for Mrs. J! Prayers for her continued success in treatment.

    Acting silly with the grandkids is behind us. Our grandsons turn 11 and 13 this year. The oldest is starting to show teenage tendencies.

    A woodworker can never have too many clamps from small to large. I know the quality of Harbor Fright (Frieght) is questionable; however, they have some reasonable bar clamps in various lengths and they are right there at SH16 and IH10 just before you turn into the road to Lowe's.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BillB,
      Thanks, prayers are much appreciated.

      Teenagers...Still a decade away, time to start building a plan. (Not that that's ever worked in the complete history of mankind.

      Thanks for the advice. I generally turn off 16 onto the access road prior to the Interstate. Saves me two stoplights, and several bad words. That having been said, how bad could a bar clamp be?

      juvat

      Delete
  17. Juvat, late again to the blog. Don't want to make it a habit, but the yard was calling and needed significant attention after the rains a week ago. Noticed ya'll were in the bulls eye as that front moved through Monday night. Looked nasty on radar, but hope it went through without leaving a trail of downed limbs, etc. on the way to your home. We only received 0.08" of moisture out of it, no hail or high wind, but the little bit of moisture beats a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.
    Very happy to hear of Mrs. J's report from the Dr., although medi-speak is as difficult for me to understand as lawyer-ese. Always make 'em speak to me in plain everyday Texan dialect pidgin English, which is difficult for either of those two professions. Daughter in law is an MD and over the last 20+ years we've finally learned how to communicate with each other on my level.
    Prayers continue as you two move into the next phase of Mrs. J's treatment.
    Cletus

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cletus, No worries, I always look forward to comments.
      Believe it or not, I slept through the whole adventure last night. Lotta things on my mind as well as old dogs that need to go outside , but can't coordinate a single soiree for the three of them caused a lot of sleep dep recently. Came to fruition last night. Fortunately, Mrs J was feeling ok and picked up the responsibility. I didn't hear a peep. She brought the GP's inside because of the winds and hail. They were very grateful to her. We got about a half inch, but every little bit helps. Spent all day today mowing lawns on the property. Did the same about 5 days ago, but they needed it. Both our cabins are/have been reserved for the Eclipse Festivities on Monday, hope it doesn't get weathered out.
      Appreciate the prayers, Thanks
      juvat

      Delete
    2. Reference the Festivities next Monday (8 April) with all the forecasts of increased traffic and 75000 Eclipse watchers (doesn't include the roughly 25,000 residents), I have a neighbor who is referencing that date as mini-Armeggdon. His vision is empty grocery store shelves, gas stations with Jimmy Carter "No Gas/Diesel" signs on the pumps, and fast food places being out of everything.
      We have family coming in so like you, we're hoping for good weather.
      Cletus

      Delete
    3. Cletus,
      I've already done my food shopping for the menu through a week from Thursday. Hadn't thought of gas however, so thanks. On my way into town to remedy.
      juvat

      Delete

Just be polite... that's all I ask. (For Buck)
Can't be nice, go somewhere else...

NOTE: Comments on posts over 5 days old go into moderation, automatically.