Improvisation

I think I'm on target about the connection of music with life. I've used some musical titles and analogies in here, and related it to what I am experiencing. According to the CNN article that is embedded in the title to this post (just click the title to read) music may promote healing even more than we have ever given it credit.

So, expect the analogies and links to music and song titles to continue.

Yesterday I learned something new. One of the possible side effects of the pending chemotherapy would be to my mouth--the mucous membranes might be affected and my mouth and surrounding tissues could become inflamed or sore. So I called my dentist, David, on Saturday. He's a good guy because he leaves his home phone number on the answering machine for emergencies and I left him a voice mail message. He called back promptly and said in fact his former partner had just spun off a practice that in part consisted of dental hygiene for chemotherapy patients and one thing I should think about is getting a dental exam to rule out any infections because undiagnosed, untreated mouth conditions could compromise my cancer treatment. So he will call his former partner to see if I can be seen this week before the chemo starts.

Then on to the practical preparations. My friend A and I helped each other clean out our refrigerators. I seem to recall that good Jewish households always clean out the pantry in the spring before Passover, and I have to say, after my experience yesterday, that is a good idea. There were a number of chemistry experiments going on under my nose (truly) that ended yesterday with our joint efforts. The fridge has not been that clean since I purchased it 4 years ago. And the dogs got a few not too toxic treats out of it.

The dogs also were treated to a walk around Greenlake today. My dear friend from work, D, called me and said, "Let's meet!" We've been walking around Greenlake for over a year as both exercise and as talk therapy as we try to hash out problems from the personal all the way to the national and international. We don't always get things solved, but it's good to talk them out. I relented and brought all three of my dogs (an aging black lab and two miniature dachshunds) with because I figured I could talk D into holding one leash for me as we rambled around the lake. And I brought the throw toys for the lab and the older dachshund as they both love to fetch in the water. It's a hoot to watch Scooter, the dachshund as he goes after his water toy because his legs are so short, he can't find his balance swimming, without using his tail as an air rudder. So the tail is flailing about madly as he paddles out and brings it back for another throw. He'd spent several years watching Max the black lab do it and get the lion's share of attention, and finally he decided that he could swim too, so now I have to throw for both of them when we go to the lake.

On the drive over to the lake, Truffle, the puppy, apparently could not wait and a huge rancid odor wafted up from the back of my Subaru station wagon. I thought at first it was passing gas but as the smell did not dissipate and in fact grew over time, I realized that I was SOL (so to speak) until I parked the car. It was bad enough to cause me to roll all the windows down and hope that I was not next to someone at an intersection for more than 15 seconds. I found a parking place, and then tied the dogs up while I tried to figure out how to clean out the back end because I was NOT returning to this mess after a 2.7 mile walk. Luckily, I had some windshield cleaner and some dried out cleaning towelettes for the leather upholstery, so with a little ingenuity and a plastic bag, things were good to go. The walk was beautiful with the sun dappling the leaves of the trees and warming the dogs after their vigorous swimming in the lake. D and I once again solved all our problems--if only every one else would do what we said!! I packed the dogs in the car and returned home. Only to find that the puppy had gotten car sick on the ride back!

Figures.