Family, Friends and Forests

After the news Thursday, the weekend was packed with activities. It goes without saying, it flew by!

Friday night was a rather quiet night at home. My Dad came over from St. Louis. This was planned before Chemo was postponed, so we figured we would be a good opportunity to celebrate a little since we haven't had much good news lately. We didn't do a whole lot, sometimes just being together is enough. He hasn't said so to me, but I think this is very hard for him. He puts on a good face when we're together but each time we say our good-byes, he gets emotional. One can only imagine if something happened to one's child, how difficult it would be.

Saturday was a "full" day. I worked out, we had breakfast before Dad left, then: grocery shopping, a hair cut, cleaning, a basketball game, Mass, and then guests for dinner. The meal was great, the company was better. The day started around 7:30 and we finally got into bed about 12:30am.

Sleep - a little; Sunday was disc golf at 7:30 followed by a little downtime at home then I was off to "the outdoors". My brother-in-law and I went to meet a good friend at the land he just purchased. It's about 30 minutes from here, half way to Lawrence, KS. The 30 acre piece of property is 100% trees/woods. The southern border is the Union Pacific railroad, with the Kansas River on the other side of the rail line. There are two spring fed creeks that dissect the property and many, many hills and ravines throughout. Deer, turkey, raccoons, squirrels are more than plentiful. Right now there is no direct access but the hike into the property is rather short.

The views of the river and the tens of thousands of farm land on the south side of the river are breathtaking. OK, I realize this is not the coast of California or a beach in Florida, this is Kansas folks. We are accustomed to acres and acres of corn and wheat. Our subdivisions are built on former farm land. There are very few hills and the trees we experience were planted when the house was constructed. So spending three hours planting tulips (500+ bulbs) and traversing all four corners of the property was somewhat therapeutic. We found a great sandy beach along the river bed and began planning the disc golf course the will begin to sprout sometime this spring. It will be a wooded killer!

Before getting cancer this was a dream I shared with Mary many times. I wanted some property, nothing fancy just a place to camp and goof off with my son, friends and family. A place to go, a place to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Now things are different. At the end of our excursion I realized there is no getting away. Cancer is with me everywhere, every minute, everyday. As much as I tried to suppress the thoughts throughout the afternoon, it's there, like always, right at the surface. Perhaps as we make further trips to build the course, to clean up to fish and hang out at the "beach" it will be come easier to "let it go" for periods of time. I can only hope.