health
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Two months to get rid of Wilbur T. Fred
INDY Children began as a way for me to play Jeopardy with my children. I would supply the answers via blog posts, recipes, old photos and stories. You know, categories. When I am gone and they can’t call their mom and ask, “How do you do that?” The answers would be available digitally. Or at Continue reading
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Harvesting Memories: A Journey of Resilience
It has been quite a year. Here we are approaching fall, speculating on whether winter will be mild or cold and snowy. The gardens are nearly done producing, and the root cellar has been restocked as the pile of empty jars goes down to nearly nothing. An awesome trade-off. Speaking of trade-offs, I have accomplished Continue reading
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Empowered by Faith
Sometimes I think people don’t understand. Doing things, even those that are outside of my comfort zone, is what keeps me going. It normalizes my life between those dreaded CT scans and brain MRIs. I am not immobilized by my disease; I am empowered by it. Which, on a side note, my next CT scan Continue reading
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The gift of cancer
Many illnesses are not outwardly obvious, but dealing with them becomes a part of life, and you do what you have to do. Cancer is one of those things. It may not be easy to understand what feelings run through someone’s head after a cancer diagnosis. Or maybe it is. We all have an opportunity Continue reading
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Celebrating Small Victories
Again, with Tom Petty (he’s a heartbreaker) and the lyrics to another song he produced —Sure as night will follow dayMost things I worry ‘boutNever happen anyway The song “Crawling Back To You,” was probably not written about crawling back to Jesus, but somehow the lyrics could easily mean whomever you trust to be there Continue reading
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Miss Sue goes to Washington
Like Mr. Smith, my first trip to Washington D.C. was an adventure. Who’s Mr. Smith, you are asking? Remember Jimmy Stewart in Frank Capra’s “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.” Mr. Smith’s story opens with the death of a senator. When contemplating a replacement, Hubert Hopper, the governor of some western state, appoints an unknown Boy Continue reading
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Spring Renewal: Gardening and Recovery After Cancer
RSV + pneumonia + Daylight Savings Time + lot of schizophrenic weather = three weeks of “la-la land.” I’m finally beginning to come around and take care of my commitments. I was delighted that I made it through the first quarter of this year without having radiation or additional chemotherapy. Feeling good, naturally, I said Continue reading
breast-cancer, Cancer, Center, chemo, chemotherapy, CT scan, gardens, health, hospital, lung cancer, MRI, PJs, pnemonia, RSV, Women in Ag -
I’ve seen the end and it ain’t pretty
Ever had the wind knocked outta your sails to the point of capsizing the boat? It has been such a couple of weeks. I have spent hours gathering my thoughts to put down in words. I have seen the end and it ain’t pretty. The past two weeks have been colored with grief at the Continue reading
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Embracing Life During Cancer: My Journey Forward
Somehow when you are painfully aware that you are in the winter of your life with a non-curable disease, you think almost daily, “What should I do now?” There are so many things I want to do or be a part of. What do I do? By nature, I am the type of person who Continue reading
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Finding Peace in the Cold: A Personal Health Journey
Creeeaaaaaccccckkkk. My heart skipped a beat at the sound of an unfamiliar crack. A very loud noise. The house at last surrendered to the weight of the cold that blew in overnight. It settled over the area like a weighted blanket. Below zero kind of cold creates a hush. It was quiet, as if Continue reading
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Gamma Knife Surgery: A Milestone in My Health Journey
We passed a couple of major milestones this weekend. I don’t want to be reminded how the past two years changed my life, but my husband did. In face, I would not have remembered January 11 if he had not invited me to lunch to celebrate. “Celebrate, my head in a box?” I asked. I Continue reading
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Early Detection: The Key to Lung Cancer Survival
November is Lung Cancer Awareness month. It will be two years in January since lung cancer derailed my life. I’ve been picking up and rearranging pieces ever since. Once I began the chemo/radiation regime in early 2023 I had no expectations of living out the year. Here I am, a different person, with a wholly Continue reading
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Cancer changes everything. No. Cancer changes me
My mother’s health began to fail at the age of 80. I began to spend as much time as possible with my parents by stopping at their home in Jamestown while taking road trips for my job. My brother lived in the same community and this gave us the opportunity to connect weekly, if not Continue reading
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Overcoming Cancer Doubts: A Journey of Faith and Reminders
Some days I feel so normal, whatever that means. Some days there are moments I can forget I have cancer. My body seems to be working just fine. I can make it through the day without napping every hour. I can weed for hours on my hands and knees on a beautiful August morning. I 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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Witnessing the Power of Prayer and Healing | Encouraging Update on Tumor Progress
SEEING THE FOREST FOR THE TREES It’s true. They say sometimes you cannot see the forest for the tree. It’s very true. Sometimes you cannot see the big picture when surrounded by all the stuff that gets in the way of your view. Details, feelings, other people’s feelings. It’s been one of those weeks. I’m Continue reading
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Another heartbreaking email
It’s been a couple of weeks and I have had something I need to get off my chest. Whether or not this is the platform for such a story remains to be seen. I will write this and then skip on to the happier part of 2023. It’s a painful thing that has to do with cancer and other more important matters of Continue reading
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My new normal
When I saw my doctor last week, I said, “I know my life will never be the way it was before this all started. So I have to find a new life.” However, I didn’t expect this second round of dis-ease to feel like I was pregnant with an alien baby, or worse Rosemary’s. But, Continue reading
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The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds
“After radiation is better understood a day will come when the power from exploding toms will change the whole world we know. Some of the mutations will be good ones – wonderful things beyond our dreams – and I believe I believe this with all my heart, THE DAY WILL COME WHEN MANKIND WILL THANK Continue reading
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Radiation treatment — the gift that keeps on giving
“What ya going to write about now?” My daughter asked after I posted the “Ring My Bell” video and wrote about that final day at the Bismarck Cancer Center in April. Well, my dear, radiation was not the end of my torrid tale of 2023. It was only the beginning. Besides, words circulate in my 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 