“Keep your butt in the chair.

You do it at the same time every day.

You never wait for inspiration —

it’s ridiculous, it will never come.

No one in your family is going to hope for you to be a writer…

it’s not convenient for anybody for you to write,

and you have to do it badly” (Anne Lamott).

I need this reminder. Daily. Been feeling unmotivated and blocked when it comes to blogging. Wrote a new Christmas song this week, though, so there’s something.

Here’s the Husband helping me create the chart for it, as it’s going to be used for our big, annual Christmas concerts next month.

The chart above means Bristow’s post-chemo med regimen is in full swing. It’s how we keep ourselves on track and make sure, between the 2 of us, we don’t miss (or accidentally double) a dose. CER = Cerenia / ZOF = Zofran / MET = metronidazole / SBWQ = her Chinese herbs and other supplements, including tumeric, glucosamine, and formulas called Stasis Breaker and Wei Qi.

Bristow had her fifth round of chemo this past Tuesday. Was supposed to be the week prior, but she was neutropenic (per usual for her at the 3-week-post-chemo mark). So, once again they had to bump it. She flew through it, unsedated, her chemo cape trailing behind her. This is always a big win because the sedation side-effects are seemingly as tough on her body as the chemo itself.

She has been especially clingy and desiresome of physical proximity the past few days, which we love, though not for the underlying reason. She had a bit of rough night on Wednesday, meaning so did I. Lots of smacking and licking and stirring, meaning she was likely nauseous. She chose to sleep right in between our pillows with her head on my shoulder, and I spent a good part of the darkest hours of the early morning stroking her back and belly, praying for her, soothing her with my coos and “shhhhs.”

As for appetite, again this round she has been able to tolerate her regular diet (Honest Kitchen base mix and eggs), thankfully. A couple weeks ago I transitioned to scrambled eggs instead of boiled ones. No matter what I have tried, how many wikiHow articles I read and YouTube videos I watched about peeling hard-boiled eggs, I could not make it any less laborsome. Or painful: Whenever I finished, it looked like I’d been scrounging around bare-handed in a bowl of  broken glass. (And the pre-peeled ones are a bit pricey.) I am now scrambling 20 eggs at a time, which gives me four days worth. Bristow loves the process and waits patiently at my feet, hoping I drop a morsel or 2, which I often do…sometimes on purpose. I mean, how can I resist that face?

Uncle Cody came to visit the day after her treatment. She was beyond thrilled, as was he since he had yet to spend time with her as a tripawd. Uncle Cody was her Frisbee-throwing buddy, up until he and his lovely fiancé and their pups moved away in May. All of us miss their pack terribly, so getting a bit of time with Cody was a gift.

Lastly, I’ll sign off with photos of my husband “Bob Ross” and a sleepy pineapple.

I made the topper with construction paper, packing tape, and an empty San Pellegrino bottle. Got the dress a few years ago off of a designer clearance rack.

We hit New Parish in Oakland with friends. Cool venue, cool people, cool night (literally). And HOT music: Check out Las Cafeteras. Dare you to sit still.

PS Thanks to our lovely friend KC (Follow her family’s blog here.) for the fantastic Halloween-themed toys that she mailed to Bristow and Jed Bartlet. JB only had fleeting interest…

…but Bristow loved them to pieces, quite literally.