Fr. Tony Update: Welcome to our new world

What a gloriously beautiful day. There's a wonderful cool breeze blowing in the windows, the sun is shining, birds are filling the air with a cacophony of chirps, squeaks, peeps and song, while spring is springing into life. Ohhh, if the weather would stay like this through the summer!

Welcome to our New World.....

Tony and I have spent the past couple of days getting used to his new mobility accessories. He's able to get around the house with the aid of a walker (though ankles are still quite painful), and sits contentedly in a wheelchair in front of his computer, checking email, blogging, saying morning and evening prayer, etc.

Fortunately, there's enough room in the house for him to get around where he needs to go. Unfortunately, the house isn't quite big enough for him to scoot around in the wheelchair. The biggest challenge is coming and going from the house. Our main obstacle lies just outside the front door... 3 large steps to level ground.

Though we had dreamt of having a back porch to enjoy the nice weather on, it looks like we'll need to somehow get a deck and ramp built off the front of the house. This is a bit of a pickle, since we "rent" the home we're in. So, must get approval from the powers that be. During some down time (in the wee hours of an RLS night) I drew up an idea. All being well, once we get the "OK", I'll begin to attempt raising funds to have new deck and ramp put in place, otherwise I'm going to have to move in a massive mud wrestler to carry Tony down the steps... or he's doomed to never leave the house. grin.

Image below is idea for deck and ramp. The goal is to provide a functional and investment worthy addition to the house. The deck would provide a nice place for Tony to actually spend some time outside, soaking up some Vitamin D, while I putter around in the yard.

The secondary problem is the lack of driveway on the south end of the house. As a result of snow and rain, we've got an unsightly set of tire tracks in the grass. Finding an "affordable" solution to this issue is proving problematic.

Last fall we had a massive American Sycamore in our front yard. It was methodically cut into pieces and removed by a local tree company. This week the tree guys will return to grind down the stump. We'll have ooooodles of "chips" from the grinding process, and our dear landlords plan to plant a lovely ornamental plum tree in the resulting hole. I'm looking forward to continuing my landscaping projects, with the help of all that mulch!

Though I swore I would not get carried away with any more landscaping, this lovely weather is proving to be a challenge for my green thumb. I can't help daydreaming about herbs, perennials, veges, and so much more!

Hmmmm. I think I got sidetracked.

This Wednesday afternoon we have a followup appointment with Dr. Craig. Aside from the ankle/bone pain, thrush (thanks to all the antibiotics), occasional ankle swelling and allergic rash, Tony seems to be managing all this wretched stuff pretty well. He's keeping his spirits up, and doing his level best not to be a burden.

Next week he'll undergo his next round of chemo. We're never quite sure if we will look forward to the chemo, or dread it.

MEGABROAD: Our Megan continues her work with the children in the safe house at SAW, along with teaching the adults English. She's spent the past several months applying to Universities (Oregon State, Univ. of Oslo, Univ. for Peace in Costa Rica, and several others) around the globe, to get a masters in Public Health. So far the applications have not yielded any future plans, but we remain hopeful.

One of the universities she applied to is in Oslo, Norway, reported to have an excellent program in Public Health, and the tuition is unbelievably affordable! Though she has housing/transportation/utilities provided, thanks to a close friend in Oslo, the Norwegian government is going to want to see $12,000 parked in an account somewhere, so they're assured they won't be responsible for her upkeep. Megan will be paying the small amount for her schooling and minor expenses, out of financial aid, scholarships, loans, etc. and does not actually need the required funds!

As you can imagine, this is not something we can provide for our Megan. So, if there are any kind and generous souls out there who would like to park some money in a savings account, to be untouched while the Norwegian govt. gets the proof they need, we'd be OH so grateful!

No school this week! YAY! But, the most wonderful thing is my math mid-term test is right here with me! Gotta love those "take home" tests!

THAI BOUND: Abbey and Lee are getting more and more excited as their departure date draws near. They've planned a trip to Thailand, and will spend several days with Megan.