A completed project

Thank you to my neighbor Dave Akre for helping me to lay gravel on the parking areas down on 13th St (which used to turn into a muddy mess in the winter) and on Easton Ave (which needed some more gravel). This is a project that I'd had on my to-do list for a long time. Dave had previously put gravel on his parking area on 13th St, so I talked to him yesterday evening about how I'd like to do the same thing for mine sometime. Dave apparently isn't a skilled procrastinator like me, because he called and ordered the gravel for me, a dump truck delivered it this afternoon, and when I got back from my doctor's appointment he was spreading it out! I barely had time to grab a rake and help him spread it out so I could feel like I contributed at least a little bit.

As a partial thanks, I'd like to mention his business (this is my idea, not his), in case anyone needs a contractor: Dave Akre Construction, specializing in new construction and remodeling, (360) 671-2112. I can certify that he is a nice guy (he has also been mowing the areas outside our hedge ever since I got sick).

Between Jane and Gene on one side, and Dave and Julie on another, we couldn't have nicer and more helpful neighbors. I feel very fortunate to have landed among such good and generous people.

In other news, I felt tired today, not the crushing fatigue of my previous round of chemo, which thankfully I have not felt during this round (knock on wood!), but still a little discouraging, as I expect to feel relatively good at this late point in the two-week chemo cycle. It's hard for me to distinguish between what might be side effects of the chemo versus just being a little worn out from being more active lately. In any event, I tried to take it easy today and I feel a little better this evening.

At my appointment with my oncologist Dr. Nestor today, we decided to take a break from one of the chemo drugs that has the most side effects for my next round next week. This wasn't an easy decision for me, as we obviously don't want the cancer to start spreading again, but the next couple weeks are important to me for a number of reasons, so I want to feel OK for them. During the next couple weeks, my best friend Eric is visiting from North Carolina, my older son Seth is returning from 2.5 weeks in Wisconsin and has two weeks before school starts, my younger son Miles has his 3rd birthday, my friend George (who was one of my best friends growing up and who I haven't seen in a while) is visiting from Southern California, and my dad is visiting from Maine and we are going out to Orcas Island for a few days. Plus the existing research, while never perfect to answer questions about an individual case, suggests that taking a break from this drug does not hurt long-term outcomes.

The best news I've heard lately is that our friends Julie and John welcomed their new baby Xavier into the world on Tuesday night, and that mom and baby are doing well. They are great people and I am happy for them and their family!

My friend Ben gave me a gift the other day - the gift of realizing something good. I mentioned that he and I took a hike on Sunday, during which we talked about a lot of things, including living and dying. One question that he asked made me realize that I have no regrets about my life, and that is something that I should appreciate and not take for granted. It would be much harder to contemplate dying if I felt regrets - I wish I'd done this or that differently - but I really don't feel that way. I've been able to do the things I wanted to do, and live the life I wanted to lead, and that's a very good thing, for which I am thankful.

Ethan