Missing these VIP's today. Today is the last day of second grade for Gracie. Thank the Lord!!!!! The public system in Richmond has taught her well. They have taught her that she is dumb and cannot read. Lord, all of the "educators" in that school should be run out of town. Both kids will go to a nice Catholic School in August and I hope it isn't too late to undo what the Richmond System has managed to do.

After school today they are on their way to New York for a wedding. She is to be the flower girl and he is promising to be the ring bearer, for a supply of gummy worms, that is. I have a feeling that he may not come thru for them. He can pull stubborn like no one I have ever known. She will be great. She is 8 and gets to wear a fancy dress and high heels, no problem. I do hope someone there knows how to do her hair. I look forward to the pictures.

The picture, above, is what happens when you have gone to the beach and then take a bubble bath in grandma's jacuzzi tub. Took 2 gallons of cider vinegar to clear out the tubes, but worth it.

So the cancer thing keeps keeping along. I had my first chemo on the 8th of June. 6 more sessions to go. So far no real ill effects. The first night I had lots of tiny shooting pains all thru my chest and tummy but they went away. I was warned that I would have lots of nausea, so far nothing. But the heart burn, OMG, you could build a foundation on the pain. I am eating Pepcid like popcorn. My appetite is still good but I can't seem to eat much at one seating. I did vomit once, from the heartburn and now I am a bit scared to eat much. That has such an ick factor. At my age, I cannot remember the last time I vomited. Poor kids do it all the time. It was absolutely gross and I don't want to do it again. Thus, mini-meals.

I am still going to physical therapy but getting a bit bored with it now. I haven't been able to add anything new for quite a while.

Guess I forgot the saga of getting the port/cath shoved into my chest. I was to have something called "Twilight Sleep". Now they used that back in the late 70's and 80's and I remember seeing some very beautiful, ginormous butterflies flying around my hospital room. The butterflies were replaced by some very psychedlic worms and other nasty stuff. So I was a bit nervous about having it again. I was told that it is a sedative and that I would "be aware" of what was going on but "wouldn't care". HAH! After 2 doses of it I was "very aware" and "really cared". I felt him make both of the incisions and then it felt like he was trying to mash a brick into my chest. This was after the nurse tried to break all the small bones in my hand getting an IV needle in place. She chose the smallest vein in my hand and, of course, broke the vein. Then in an effort to keep it from bleeding she started to press and press on the back of my hand. I, actually, cried. I had 4 shots in my nipple and never shed a tear and this idiot nurse had me in tears. I will never forgive her.  I will, also, never let her close to me with anything sharp again.

This whole thing has been more painful than anything I have ever gone thru. I have come to expect to be really hurt any time I enter the hospital. I hate that.

So, anyway, Andrew took me to a wig salon in Skokie on Tuesday. Now, if you don't know, Skokie is inhabited mainly by nice Jewish people. But, if you aren't used to that it can be a bit overwhelming. This salon has been in business for almost 50 years. The mother still works there and the daughter handles the money. Nice family business.

We go in and are introduced to Tris. Tris is a hairdresser and wig expert. (I had been advised to look for a wig before I lost my hair so the hairdresser could see my real color and see the texture of my hair.) She ran her fingers thru my hair and wondered at how thick it is. It is fine like baby hair but I have tons of it. Off she went and returned with several boxes. The first one was nice and white but it turned me into my mother. The second one had more color to it, which I don't really have, but it looked more like me. The three of us agreed on that wig.

The plan is to go back this week and she will cut my own hair even shorter and trim the wig to my hairstyle. God, I hate this.

Then she brings out this collection of "caps and scarves" for me to try. Really cute ones, she says. NO ONE except, maybe, women of the orthodox persuasion or the muslim persuasion should EVER have to wear any of those things.

One style is sort of an Amish cap with long tails running down the back. You stuff your baldie in it and then bring the tails around and tie sort of an "Aunt Jemima" thingie on the top. She thought it was darling. I thought I looked like a syrup bottle. Never will I wear that thing. And, can we talk about the fabrics for a minute? Each and every scarf looked as if she had ripped a piece off someone's sofa and stitched a scarf out of it. For me, Mrs. Everything Must Match------- Do Not Show Me Those Pants Unless You Have a Top to Match--------- What Do You Mean Ralph Lauren is on the Ninth Floor--------- Navy Blue, I Don't Think So------It was a freaking nightmare. WHO, WHO would wear something like that??????????

Then she brings out the hats. Hang on to yours! She plops a "darling" blue thing on my head that has a FLOWER----FLOWER----FLOWER right in the center. Now, I am yelling. Get that mess off me I look just like the maid. Suwati would have loved that hat and invented places to wear it. OMG it was gross.

Then came the "ball caps". They were all sort of stuffed and kind of puffy. As if the stuffy and puffy would fool people into thinking that you still had hair. I mean, anyone who is in your life knows that you have cancer and that, likely, your hair is gone so who are you supposed to be fooling? Anybody outside your circle may think what they want, right?

I put the kibosh on the scarves and hats and caps. But, when I left I think that Tris thought I would be back begging her for some of them. I Don't Think So.

So, what to do about scalp  protection? I mean I have never sunburned my scalp and don't want to start. Well, it was off to the good ole internet. And I found.....................Hats in The Belfry.  Great website. I think I can find what I need there. (for those of you "in the know" I had trouble getting the "long blue line" for the website. So just type it in and you will find it)

This company seems to have it all. Everything from turkey hats to cowgirl hats. Something for everyone.

I will report again after the wig trimming. If she thinks she is going to shave my head............

Oh, and Tris's tidbit............Your hair will fall out 14 days after the first chemo. What does that mean? Will I wake up next Saturday morning surrounded by mounds of white hair?????? It does bring pictures to my mind.

Love you all who take the time to read this drivel.