And We're Off!

I told Dr. F about the pain, and he said both were common referral pains from esophageal cancer.  He also said he's changed up my new chemo regimen.  Now, I shall be doing the Camptosar  every two weeks, and take the Xeloda pills for one week, with a week off.  This would be an easier regimen on me.


For my pre-meds, we have once again decadron, but now also atropine and zofran.  No more Herceptin, since it wasn't actually making inroads in the control of the cancer.  And it's not approved for use with Camptosar, anyway.


Atropine makes me a bit woozy, or at least I'm attributing my wooziness to it. :)  I just wish I didn't get so darned anxious about new chemos.  I mean, so far, so good on this one.


Here's a shot of Jane working on the most vicious jigsaw puzzle ever.  By the time we were done with my infusions, there was a volunteer and another chemo patient helping her.

Look at that concentration!


So, now I am home, and I was told to take my first four Xeloda pills with tonight's dinner.  Oh joy. :)


And that means, before I go to bed, I must slather on the emu oil onto both hands and feet.  I predict much sheet washing in my future.


Love to all!

it's chemo time

pardon the lack of capitalization.  i'm typing this on my xoom, and with benadryl on board, capitalization is a pain.

i do like the photo quality on this,though.

well the chemo plan has changed.  we are going back  to taxol and carboplatin, and doing it every three weeks.  of course, that means triple  the dose.  gads.

well, must drink water,and this chemo will be almost five hours long.

ok,will post more later.

Well, Poo

I didn't get my infusion of Herceptin today.  It seems Dr. F only got to look at my PET Scan results today.  The mass on my adrenal gland has doubled in size since February.  Not a good thing, that.  


There was a bit of good news in the mix, though.  One of the lymph nodes in my chest has resolved and is no longer an issue.  However, now there is one behind my airway that is involved.  The main 'evil tumor' is just in limbo at the moment, neither growing nor shrinking.  


Tuesday I begin another round of good old toxic chemo.  I'll be taking taxotere and my herceptin will continue.  I'll lose my hair again, which is no loss; I've despaired of it since it grew back anyway. 


I have a call in to work and I'm waiting for them to call me back.  Dr. F thinks I can work around this.  That's good news, actually.  He would not hesitate to tell me if he thought I should stop working.


And, now, may I say that I am VERY disappointed in Pac Man.  That unreliable bastard.  :)


I'm going to go outside and look at my 'farmland' and smell my verbena, and gaze lovingly at my petunias.

Spring; it's a Killer

With our pollen counts sky-high, and the winds blowing like crazy, it's not surprising that my asthma is being very problematic.  And for some reason, I've been dizzy and a bit nauseated, almost as if I've got vertigo, or something of that ilk.  But, yes, I did just have my Herceptin infusion on Thursday, so it's probably just an off-shoot of that.


The chilies are planted, and the last of the squash, which was butternut, I think.  We still have the spinach and the herbs to go.  I think we'll put the spinach in its own bed.  As for the Dahlias, we have to prepare the old veggie beds.  For instance, I still have mint growing there, and I want to keep that.  Hope the Dahlias like the company. ;)


I just finished watching the first episode of "Game of Thrones" on HBO.  I adore Sean Bean, but I don't think I can watch any more of this.  And I won't say why, in case any of you want to watch, but haven't yet.  Suffice to say, I was perturbed quite a bit by the last five minutes.  That's not to say I wasn't glued to my TV for the whole thing.  It was good, if a bit crude at times.  Perhaps I'll try one more episode and see how it goes.  

This is the lovely hunter, Basmati, flying across Howling Fjord on a flaming harpoon.  Yes, Basmati, and all her pets are named after types of rice:  Arborio the crab, Jasmine the wind serpent, Risotto the Blue and Gold Macaw, and um... Uncle Ben the bear.  :)


Have a safe and happy week, all!

Squash is Our Friend

Yesterday evening, we planted the squash.  I think we started out a little late this year, but it was all in the cause of making sure our soil was prepared.  So we'll have to keep a keen eye on our crops this year.  


Jane was out at one of the home stores today, and came back with Dahlia bulbs, so those are going to be planted in last year's veggie beds.  Later today will see us (I'll supervise) getting the irrigation set up and finishing up the sowing of the remaining crops.  We sound like such farmers. :)


Thursday, I had my Herceptin infusion, and my Medical Oncologist found me in the infusion ward. I told him, happily, that my PET was rescheduled.  He said to make sure I bring my own glucometers, and not to worry, I definitely will!  Yes, my PET scan is scheduled for Wednesday.  I'm going to go into work on Tuesday and Thursday of this coming week.  I am SO very happy with my ability to go places on my own.  Autonomy is a gift; don't take it for granted.


On Monday, I'm going to go work on the GM reimbursement with my Chevy dealer.  Bill Bonham is the best sales person with whom I have ever worked.  He follows up WAY after the sale.  If I live long enough to need another new car, that's the man from whom I'm buying it. :)


So, life is settling down to what's now normal for us, and we're enjoying every day.  Soon we'll have to decide what to do with tons of squash, and isn't that a happy dilemma to have?  I know a local food bank that will probably take whatever we have to spare. 


Love to all!

Jane's OK!

She's on her way home, even as I type.  All tests were passed, but they think she may be getting some acid reflux, and so are trying her on a month's worth of Prilosec.  Gotta watch that acid reflux.  I hear if you don't get it under control, you can get esophageal cancer. :P


I've discovered it's quite a production to get myself ready to go in to the plant to work.  First, and probably most importantly, one must be groomed.  Oh, and of course, wearing something other than one's 'jammies.'  Then you have to make sure you have something to eat for breakfast, and something to eat for lunch.  You must take coffee, and something else to drink during the day.  Then, you have to assemble all your drugs and drug paraphenalia (all prescribed and legal, of course.)  


Eventually, you make your way out to the SUV, where you load up the scooter, put all the stuff you assembled into the 'trunk' that Nancy made for the scooter, worry that you must have forgotten SOMETHING, then climb into the Equinox and head in to work.  But wait.  OH CRUD!  Where is my badge?  It's still in the reader in my laptop.  On my desk.  In my library.  At home. Sigh.


Still, as this becomes a more frequent occurrence, it'll all become rote, normal and progress like clock work.


Jane is home!!!  Even the dogs are excited by her return.  I have given her a very long, heart-felt hug.  Now we get her settled, and life can get back to normal.  And I'll go do my Herceptin infusion tomorrow.  Life really is good.  Enjoy it!

Cultivation Begins

Since we have decided to increase the size of our vegetable garden this year, we have a LOT of soil to prepare.  The two original vegetable patches will, this year, become flower beds.  I adore color in my garden, and that's plenty of room for a plethora of flowers.


I found an electric cultivator at Amazon; Home Depot didn't have any in stock, and I get free shipping from Amazon, so it all evens out.  It's been working like a champ!  We have two sections of the garden ready for planting, but we haven't got the drippers laid out yet.  Sisters have opted to add some moisture control soil to our native soil to help mitigate the loss of said moisture due to our hot desert climate.


I actually did a little of the work; I raked the decomposed granite away from the planting beds.  For about 20 minutes and I was done.  But it felt good to participate  in the readying of our garden.  And it's a glorious day!  There's a nice breeze, puffy little white clouds sailing by, intermittent aircraft heading in to Sky Harbor Airport, birds and butterflies!


Now we have to figure out what kinds of flowers we can actually grow besides Lantana and Verbena, hibiscus and bougainvillea. :)  Maybe we'll take a trip over to Moon Valley Nursery.  They have very high quality plants.  That's where my dwarf lemon tree, Fred, was born.  I had a talk yesterday with Fred.  I told him he'd better get a move on and flower soon.  I'd like to have his lemons before I have to tell him adios. ;)  Since the area where we will plant flowers is relatively shady, we should be able to get something pretty.  I hope. :)


So, I'm very, very excited about what we're planting this year:  

• Basil -- needs watching.. don't let it flower!
• Mexican Grey Squash
• Early White Bush Scallop squash
• Burgess Buttercup squash
• Zucchini!
• Straightneck Early Yellow squash
• Waltham Butternut squash
• Table Queen Acorn squash
• Poblano peppers
• Anaheim Chili
• California Wonder Bell Peppers
• Jalapenos
• Cubanelles
• Serranos
• Thyme
• Tarragon
• Italian Flat-leaf Parsley
• Brussels Sprouts 
• AND... SPINACH!!!!!

So, you see, we'll be in vegetable heaven!

On the agenda for this week; I had better get that damned PET Scan rescheduled before I see Dr. Fastenberg, or he'll yell at me. :D  Car's getting the lift put on it on Tuesday, Nancy will be 54 that day.... old bat...I'll go into the plant on Wednesday, using the new lift for my scooter, and then this week, it's Herceptin Thursday.  A full week ahead.  :)

Live long and prosper, all!

Greetings from Ironwood!

Jane and I have arrived at Ironwood Cancer and Research Center, and we are waiting for my oncology nurse to come by and begin the Benadryl before we hit the Herceptin.  It seems pretty quiet in here today.  But there is a group over here in the corner... one guy getting the chemo and an entourage of twenty-somethings providing encouragement. :)

It's an absolutely beautiful day today.  There is a cool breeze, and the car said it was 69 outside.  Lots of sunshine, although, there are supposed to be clouds coming in again.  We looked, but we don't see any.

So, I got in five and a half hours of work before we had to leave to come here, so I need to do two and a half more when I get home.  I'm so lucky that I can be flexible like this.

Wendy is doing clinicals at nursing school, now, and Kent's school of nursing has their own uniforms that the students must wear.  The problem is that Wendy's so tiny, it was hard for her to get uniform items that fit.  But supposedly, she now has pants that do fit.  So, Deano, I need a picture!  You give me a nice picture of Nurse Wendy in her fitting uniform, and I'll post it here on the blog.  Deal?

Still haven't seen a nurse yet.  But I'm sure one is on the way.  The meds have to come from the pharmacy, and the Herceptin has to be mixed, so that takes some time.  I'll post more later, but that's it for this post.

Love to all!

Last Pred for this Round

Today I took the last of the Methylprednisolone for this go-round.  And that's probably a very good thing, considering my appetite of late.  Ai carumba, it's a good thing my chihuahuas are fast.... ;)


I still have a week or so to go on the antibiotic.  Yes, the cough is still there, but I'm only really goopy in the morning, with some sporadic crud through the day.  I'm staying home until the antibiotics are done.  I don't want a repeat of last Monday.  And of course, this Thursday is my Herceptin treatment, and gods know I don't want to have to delay that.


When I got up this morning, the wind was blowing quite fiercely, and when the sun came up, it wasn't really visible for the clouds.  After a few days of temps in the 90's, today was gloomy, a bit rainy, cold and windy.  Ah the joy of March in the desert.


I have to say, though, my verbena is really scenting the back garden.  It's gorgeous!  But all the wet this winter has brought some gigantic weeds.  Jane's going to work on them tomorrow, as long as it's not raining.  I'm sure Cathy will help.  It's nice to have that big green recycle barrel so that the city gets our green waste to make into compost.  If I was healthy, I think we'd try to tackle our own compost, to add to our vegetable garden.  But right now, we have to get our mesquite trimmed, because it's trying to overtake the veggie garden.


As for the end of the steroids, I should be able to get that PET scan scheduled soon.  My glucose levels are doing pretty well again, for which I am very thankful.


So, have a good night, everyone.  Have peaceful dreams and keep warm or cool, as the case may be. :D

Not Pneumonia!

Apparently, it's a pretty decent asthma episode, with the cancer contributing to my not being able to spring back at all well.


Dr. R called a few minutes ago to tell me that my labs were good, and my Xray showed nice, clear lungs. :)


So, I need to get my meds done and I should be fine for my herceptin infusion next week. 


YAY, ..... and yet I laugh, because I am so happy to be able to have my herceptin treatment, even though it still gives me that dratted ague and some aches and pains.  But, you know, you can't feel pain if you're not still ALIVE!!!! :D

YAY, I love Methylprednisolone....

Nah, not really.  Well kinda.  it's mostly a love/hate relationship.  It abuses me, then makes things better by helping me breathe.  Sounds like a toxic relationship but some things can't be helped. ;)  I'm sure the antibiotic is helping a bit, too.

So, I telecommuted and got lots of numbers arranged into actual facts and some pretty pictures, and life is good again.  Now, I'm pretty sure I will be able to do my Herceptin treatment next Thursday as scheduled.  As for the PET, it's just going to have to wait until my steroids get this thing to run its course.  Because as predicted, my glucose was HORRIBLE this AM, but I had a rather large dose of the steroids yesterday.  We're doing a dose pack, so we're tapering down over six days.  But believe me, I feel SO much better today, it's worth it.

As for the results of the two tests yesterday, they came in today, but doc won't be in until 3pm, and then he'll get to 'em.  I'm pretty sure, feeling as I do, that they won't find pneumonia.  If they do say anything I'll be sure to post later today.

So, love to all, keep smiling and hug someone or something fuzzy... no wait, that didn't come out right.... ;)

Progress...

Got hold of Ironwood today to schedule my next CT to check the progress of my tumor.  I have to go get some lab work tomorrow, and then I report in at 6:30 AM Monday!  Let's get it over with, I say.  Then I can fret until my appointment with Dr. Fastenberg on Thursday, right before my Herceptin treatment.

The head is almost completely clear, now, but I still have to get my chest clear.  Nurse said not to worry, there will be no delay in my Herceptin schedule unless I was running a fever, which I am not.  Took my last Levaquin today, so hopefully, I won't be running a fever any time soon.

Oh my gosh, I got the best thermometer!  It's a temporal thermometer by Exergen. It's so fast, and very accurate, if you actually read the instructions on how to use it. ;)   Go see it here!

So, tomorrow I'm going to have an early night to make up for some lost sleep and next week all the oncologist fun starts again.  This CT on Monday is going to be looking at my entire digestive tract, with contrast which is why I have to be there so early.  I have to drink a lovely barium mocha smoothie, and then have my iodine shot into my port.  Can't wait! :D

I also can't wait to see how my glucose is after a week on the Prednisone, not to mention if that one abnormal on my liver function is still there.  Doctor Ramaswamy said to ditch the statins if I had to, though, so we shall see.

Ok, I'm off to watch Top Chef All-Stars.  Sleep well, my friends.  Love to all!

It IS the Crud!

Home from my visit to the pulmonary doc.  Apparently the virus Du Jour has taken up residence in my respiratory system, giving me a bout of bronchitis.  Dr. S says that although it's viral, we have to do the antibiotics prophylactically, because I'm special that way. :)

So, two weeks on that nasty Prednisone, and Levaquin, and if I'm not better, and he says this one tends to linger, then another two weeks.  Gads.  Just keep me out of The Big House (my code for hospitals), and you will have my undying devotion.

Jane and Nancy, my angels, have headed out to fill those prescriptions for me.  Woo, looking forward to two weeks of insomnia and the appetite from hell, not to mention occasional crying jags.  Love that Pred. :P

I hope I'm better in time for my next round of Herceptin.

Anywho, I've got to get something to eat.  I'm not hungry, but if those two drugs are going to hit my tummy, there'd better be something upon which they can land.

Live long, and prosper!

Have I mentioned...

...how incredibly happy I am to be back at work?  :)

Currently, though, I am in the 'infusion ward' at Ironwoon Cancer and Research Center, starting off with my Benadryl cocktail before I get the main course, Herceptin.

Still not feeling great, but better than yesterday.  Once I get home and the Benadryl has left the building, I'll have an hour of work time to make up.  Not bad.  I got up early and got lots done.

Oh, and if I thought my out of pocket was bad the last time I was here... HAH, it was nothing compared to what I had to pay today.  I believe it involves something nasty called "Out of Pocket."  I don't know about you, but I'd be really happy to have that kind of cash to carry around in my pocket.  Last year it didn't exist.  This makes 2011 a bad year to have cancer, except(!) I'll be maxing out my OoP at the next treatment.

Still, darned better than no insurance at all.  At least I can GET treatment.

Alrighty, I'm past the Benadryl and on to the bag o' Herceptin.  Joy. :)

I'll sign off this post with this wish:
May your days be warm
May your nights be cool
May your year be happy and
May your heart be kind.

Back to Ironwood Tomorrow

Tomorrow is my Herceptin treatment over at Ironwood Cancer and Research Center.  I look forward to seeing the ladies at the front desk, and the oncology nurses.  I've missed them!  That place had become my second home for months.

I've not been feeling very well since the weekend.  In the mornings, I'm having some peripheral neuropathy in my fingers.  I'm checking my glucose and I don't think it's high enough for that.  And I noticed today that  it was much worse in the cold, and once I got into my office, it essentially was gone.  So I definitely have to tell them about that tomorrow. 

I kept dreaming about my nephew last night; just normal dreams, thank the gods.  He wasn't IN them, but they were all about him.  Hard to explain, I know, but it was more about how he affected people.  Or conversations about him, but he never appeared.  This is probably due to the fact that I haven't seen him since my brother's funeral in 2004.

Oh gosh, going back and forth to work has gotten a LOT easier, now that I don't have to lug that laptop around.  Boeing is always so good to me, in the person of my manager, Randy.  He truly does believe in accommodation.  Thank you, boss-person!  :)

As for tomorrow, I'll be telecommuting until it's time to leave for the Cancer Center, and then I'll continue when I get back.  I could TAKE my laptop and theoretically work from there, but I'm thinking it might be dangerous to play with numbers under the influence of that initial bag of Benadryl. :D I should be fine by the time I get home, though, so no worries.

Yesterday my sister and I made a really awesome risotto for dinner.  It was arborio rice and an equal portion of barley. Good carbs! :-0  Talk about a comfort food!  We don't even have childhood memories of it, since it wasn't in my mom's repertoire, but it's still comfort food in that it's warm and creamy and toothsome and delicious!  And it involved Irish Whiskey and Parmesan... 'nuff said.

I'll be taking my netbook with me tomorrow, so I'm sure I'll have more to say then, but for now, my love to all; keep warm and safe and eat some chocolate!

Saturday Night

So, I guess I don't do the triple dose of Herceptin without some backlash.  It's hard to describe how I felt Thursday afternoon.  Mostly, I felt cold, and achy.  Ok, being Winter, I might expect cold, but it wasn't that cold on Thursday.

I normally don't like to read about medication side effects, but yes, Herceptin has some doozies. :D  I especially like the part about the lung side effects.  But I'm hoping that like almost every drug I have ever taken, I won't be one of those affected.  And, as I noted in an earlier post, my MO is having my heart function monitored every three months.

I just don't feel GOOD.  But hey, that's life; good days, bad days.... at least I HAVE days. :D 

Time for a breathing treatment.  Thank goodness for Albuterol via Small Volume Nebulizer, or SVN.  I have a bookshelf in my bedroom that has nothing but boxes full of vials of albuterol.  Now that I'm getting my meds at three months' worth, I get a LOT of boxes.  But talk about a feeling of security.  I guess I don't have to stress about running out any time soon. ;)

I watched a Chefography last night on Nigella Lawson.  Talk about a life affected by cancer!  She lost her mother, her sister and her husband, all very young.  I actually never paid much attention to her shows, but I found the Chefography to be quite interesting.  I think it was on the Food Network.  I wasn't feeling great, and that leads to TV watching because it's easy.

So, that's pretty much why I haven't posted since Thursday.  Wasn't feeling quite up to snuf, and didn't have anything pithy to say. :D

Oh dear gods, I got a summons for Jury Duty in the mail today.  My PC already sent a letter to the Federal court to get me dismissed from the last summons.  But this one is Mesa Superior Court.  That means I have to call Dr. R and go see him for another letter.  You see, I cough, and I have a weakened immune system, and I have to use medical machinery several times a day.  "Pardon me, you honor, but I have to go do a breathing treatment again.  Can we recess for the third time?"

The sad part is that when I was young and healthy, I really enjoyed doing jury duty.  It was interesting to me.  Everyone should experience how the justice system works.  (or sometimes DOES NOT work)  Never pass up an opportunity for new learning experiences, folks.

Anywho, I really would have liked to do it, but... oh well.

I think I'll go play for a while....a little World of Warcraft.  And you all have a great Saturday Night, and ... a SPECTACULAR Sunday. 

Great Horned Owl

We heard him again last night, but it was coming from the front of the house, so we went outside, and finally found him perched on a branch between two palm trees.  At least I thought it was a him, until the real HIM joined HER.  She was huge and he was just a bit smaller.  Here is a fine video of Great Horned Owls in a backyard in Phoenix.

Somehow, and it must be something etched into our subconscious from eons before, their hoots are eerie.  On this page, just below the line of photos, you can hear what we heard last night; the callings of a nesting pair.  So yeah, I don't let my chihuahuas out at night alone.  :)  I'm thinking, too, that these two huge owls may be accounting for the high incidence of feral cat remains in the neighborhood.  The neighbors have been blaming coyotes, but I haven't seen a coyote this far into an established neighborhood in years.  Owls make more sense.

Well, I guess I shall go pop into the shower and then get dressed for Herceptin Thursday.  It should get to about 74ish today.  I'll post later, during my infusion, if only to say HI. :)

Herceptin Thursday!

Oh yes, that's tomorrow.  My triple dose, YAY!  And so far, so good on the heart function front.  Too bad the stuff that's supposed to kill your cancer cells does all kinds of crappy stuff to the rest of you.  Hang in there, body!  We can do this!

I got some play time in today.  My intrepid Orc Hunter, Kauket spent a few days looking for a rare pet, and finally found a Spirit Bear, but I haven't yet taken a picture of her.  Kauket named her new bear companion Ursula.

Here she is earlier this week flying around Sholazar Basin, in search of a couple of rare spawns that never showed.  That must be what makes 'em so rare! :D

Well, I'll post tomorrow from Ironwood Cancer and Research Center whilst I have my exciting infusions.  Keep warm, share love, and dream happy dreams.

Golden Globules, as I like to Call 'Em

Yes, probably a tad irreverent, but hey, if you can't have fun with your native tongue, what good is life?

Anywho, we'll be watching simply for Ricky Gervaise.  Bless the British and their wondrous sense of humor.  Oh, sure, we'll probably laugh uproariously at peoples' ... *cough*... sense of "style," as well.  I'm surely not watching because I care about who or what wins.  The last movie I actually saw in the theatre was "Return of the King."

I abhor what movie theatres have become.  No common courtesy; no parental responsibility; coughing... oh yeah, and that's a big reason why I don't go anymore.  I choose to exercise my personal responsibility and my sense of courtesy by not bothering other theatre-goers with my stupid coughing.

And then I think about it; what movies have I even watched on cable?  Well, I did actually PURCHASE Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland and watched it on Bluray... spectacular.  Being an avid Danny Elfman afficianada, I probably would have at least bought the film score.. and I did that, as well.

I saw "The Book of Eli," only because the bits I had heard on Cinemagic intrigued me enough.  And I did enjoy that movie.  I tried to watch "Wolfman," but it was too violent and gory for my tastes. 

Period pieces I do enjoy, so I've seen "The Duchess," "The Other Boleyn Girl," and "Young Victoria."  So, as you can tell, most of what will be getting awarded this evening, I will not have seen, nor probably care to see, except perhaps the "King's Speech."  I live a sheltered life. :D

Well, nothing is on the agenda, cancer-wise, until Thursday's Herceptin infusion.  So, I will be concentrating on resting and making sure I can be up and at 'em for a whole eight hours at work... oh so soon! 

Be safe, all.  And hug someone everyday!

Saturday Morning

Now this is more like it.  Yes, it's nippy, but not bone-chillingly cold.  Today's high is slated to hit about 73.  Currently it's 55 outside, and our sun is out there shining for all he's worth. :)

My glucose was good this morning, and I had a nice bowl of Aarti's Pumpkin Oatmeal, my version that is.  And now I am here at my blog, sipping a nice cup of hot coffee.  What a great morning!  I've got two sleeping chihuahuas with me; Quito and Cisco.  How they can sleep when we got up an hour or so ago, I'll never know, but they aren't youngsters any more.

And speaking of Aarti Sequiera, I wonder when the next Next Food Network Star will begin?  There are few shows that I watch with any regularity, but that's usually one.  I was happy when Aarti won her season, because I thought her food was exactly the type I would want to eat.  And indeed, when one of my minions was Thomas Rajan, we discussed our two cultures and decided that people of India and latinos are very similar, including how they cook.  Thomas Rajan was one of the most delightful minions that ever graced us with his wit and knowledge.  I expect great things from him.

Today, I think I will work on getting my closet into some kind of more organized chaos.  When you open the doors, it looks like Walt Disney threw up in there.  I love color.  And I love prints, big, bold, crazy. :)  So yes, it looks to be a daunting task, but I should be able to figure out some way to organize my clothes.

That's it for this post; I'm feeling fine, just a little burning and one moment of actual pain upon eating my muesli this morning, but nothing I can't handle, and Thursday is Herceptin Infusion day, so if it gets worse, I'll be sure to let someone know.

Stay warm, all, unless you're my great niece down in Aussie-land.  You stay dry, Lindsay!