Christmas
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The Power of the Pencil: Embracing Your Inner Writer at Christmas
This is the first year I can remember not sending Christmas cards to everyone by the day after Thanksgiving. In past years, I designed many Christmas cards and had them ready to mail by the time the Advent season began. Not this year. This has become my year of wandering in the desert, waiting for Continue reading
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The Real Meaning of Christmas: Anticipation and Reflection
This year, Christmas arrived before winter did. Retail stores began selling Christmas decorations before Halloween was in the rear view mirror. Black Friday and Cyber Monday emails drowned out any important messages we might have received over the past few days. It’s already overwhelming. And it’s just begun. Today, it seems that Christmas has become Continue reading
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Brief update ‘cause it’s almost Friday
One day of packing, two days of moving, three days at Mayo and the time change have been exhausting this past week. Not to mention, scanxiety at yet one more CT scan on Monday. Yes, scanxiety is something we all experience with upcoming tests. The most difficult part is waiting for results. The good news Continue reading
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I’m worried about my worry worms
Before leaving for Estonia, we had a farewell lunch together. Nancy and I were flying to Estonia soon, and Shelley was praying for us. There was a lot of laughter, well wishes, and, of course, Shelley brought gifts. Then I shared my worry worms. The camp theme was based on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Continue reading
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From Seeds to Serenity
Many families spent Memorial Day weekend on a lake, cooking out, eating watermelon, and relaxing. The rest of us, well everybody knows at least one, worked frantically planting our gardens. After the most welcome rain and ever-warming nighttime temperatures, gardening has begun in earnest. Overnight, the trees have greened, the grass lushed up and will Continue reading
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The Emotional Journey of Medical Appointments
Well, it’s not Monday, but I thought I had better stick to my schedule and get a post out. It was a wonderful Easter Saturday, followed by the dreaded CT scan and MRI on Easter Monday. It’s Tuesday evening, and this Tom Petty song keeps going around my head. “The waiting is the hardest partEvery Continue reading
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Christmas: Past, Presence, the Future
Christmas Past Two years have passed since December 2022 and the cough that changed my life. Forever. My darling granddaughter, Audenia, was born on December 30. I went to see her, came back, saw my doctor, and by January 2023 began a journey that I didn’t expect to last this long. Yet, here I am, living in three-month increments with lung cancer. Continue reading
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A Kaseman Carol: A Family Christmas Reflection
A few years back instead of sending a regular Christmas card to my family, I wrote a short story and created a Christmas Card booklet. I think it was before the advent of Shutterfly and Blurb because I printed, folded, and stapled a cover on it myself. It’s not a New York Times bestseller, but Continue reading
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Christmas bells. Cancer bells
Sometimes, reality sets in. None of my doctors have ever given me a timeline for my cancer’s course. I have never asked. It’s between God and me. I’m trying to move forward without dwelling on what happens next. So far, it’s been excellent news. We share that news at a group I zoom in on Continue reading
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Finding Joy in December: Reflections on Life and Love
It’s Sunday, December 8, and there’s rain in the forecast. Very little snow and no cold makes it difficult to believe it’s December in North Dakota. Cold is relative, of course. When we say it’s not freezing in North Dakota in December, we mean it’s not below zero with no wind chill. Preparations are underway Continue reading
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Believe it or not, I’m at a loss for words this week.
My journey began in January of 2023. As fall slowly creeps into our overnight temperatures, I’m coming up on two years since the day my doctor called and told me the news. She sounded apologetic. It was after 5 p.m. She called a surgeon she worked with to please review the chest X-ray. He followed Continue reading
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Fulfilling My Longtime Dream: A Journey to Alaska Amidst Cancer
Here is a scan of a yearbook photo from 1973 of my science teacher, Mr. Bryan Dinkins. I wish I had paid more attention to my studies back then; of course, I didn’t realize how much I used math and science in baking, sewing, weaving and almost everything else I do. If you can see… Continue reading
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Living with Lung Cancer: Navigating Memory Loss and Hope through Poetry and Puzzles
Tumors in the brain make you painfully aware of the memory loss associated with chemo and cancer. I’m always reading, writing, and playing word games to hopefully use up some unused portions of my brain that aren’t under attack at this time in my life. I feel like I am doing fairly well memory-wise, but Continue reading
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There’s no such thing as 15 minutes in McIntosh County
Last week was a week of loss. First, my Aunt Alma went to sleep Saturday evening and woke up Sunday morning in heaven close to one month before her 96th birthday. Then my old neighbor, Jerry Serhienko, followed her two days later. There have been two new cancer diagnoses since then also.It must be my Continue reading
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Cancer, Courage, and Cenotes: A Journey of Facing Fears and Finding Strength
The author reflects on a summer filled with normalcy, enjoyable farmer’s markets, and a trip to Mexico despite cancer. The vacation included confronting fears by snorkeling and exploring Mayan ruins. The experience taught that cancer can give courage and the support of loved ones is essential for moving forward positively. Continue reading
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Overcoming Loss: The Story of ‘Dan’, a Resilient Tree and Symbol of Hope
I love plants. My house is full of plants. If a leaf drops and you leave it lying on top of the soil it becomes another plant and they continue to grow and reproduce until you have a houseful of plants. The front of our house has a long porch with lots of windows. Those plants love it out Continue reading
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Remember Aunt Alice?
A lightbulb moment. Everyone has one or two or three. It happens when your brain’s receptors are wide open, and something you have heard your whole life suddenly makes a whole lot of sense. Like how could you have missed it? And then there are six degrees of separation. In North Dakota, if you were born and raised here, we are Continue reading
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Uncle Ed
Uncle Ed is my father’s youngest brother. Shortly, way too shortly after my brother passed unexpectedly, and for unknown causes, there went Uncle Ed on June 3. I was heartbroken. You see, every uncle and each aunt contributed something to the person I am today. Every loss affects me differently, but this one was particularly Continue reading
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Life is short and then your taxes are due
I’m caught somewhere between spring 2023 and spring 2024 at the moment. With the medical benefit, Easter, my birthday, and the stomach flu, somehow I lost my bearings. I do, however, feel like I should have thanked everyone for the countless well wishes, cards, donations, love, prayer, and support that I don’t think I deserve Continue reading
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Coming out
By now, you may have heard the news about Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s cancer. There was quite a hullabaloo regarding the fact he hadn’t disclosed any information about his cancer before his recent hospitalization. Granted, I am not a VIP, and my cancer did not make headlines, but I know why he did what he Continue reading
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Easter came and I missed it
Pretty funny the things we remember and how we remember them. I have had to ask my daughter several times how long she was here. It was four weeks, or was it five? Before she relocated to Mandan for my treatment, she was looking at Pinterest haircuts for me. Not ever being shy of being Continue reading
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Happy New Year, but 2023 is not over yet
It took me some time after I told my family and closest friends about my cancer to decide to let my church know what was going on in my life. If I said it once, I would say it again, “When I want to feel loved, I go to church. They accept me for who Continue reading
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The end is near…
The end of the year is near, but the story of 2023 continues. I could not write about the year while living it. I’m not sure why I need to record the events that transpired, one after another, but I think it is imperative to “get 2023 out of my system.” Writing affords me a Continue reading
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Backing up to begin the story of 2023
The year I became my mother This post is the beginning of the year 2023 with roots in 2022. Some of you may have read this post as I planned on using it for my Christmas letter. Be warned, it’s rather long. Christmas 2022, I became my mother. It wasn’t planned. I’m not sure it Continue reading
About Me
I love to write. My background is graphic arts and journalism. My roots are German-Russian from McIntosh County, North Dakota.
My time is spent reading, writing, gardening, cooking, blogging, fiber arts – you name it, we try it.
INDYchildrendotme 