I’m a Mess

April 28, 2021—The phlebotomy tech begins to poke an IV needle into a vein in my right hand. As part of the little stick portion of the process, he tries to distract me with small talk—a question about why I’m having an echo, questions about my overall health—and I give him a complete rundown of my present and past health woes. He looks at the plastic id cuff on my wrist and says, “You’re only 58.”

I laugh and tell him, yeah, I’m a mess, and my wife tells me I’m a mess, too.

I’m a Mess

I’m at Sutherland Cardiology today for an echocardiogram—there’s a minor concern about my heart function given that I’ve been on a new cancer treatment regimen (immunotherapy) for a while and that my blood pressure is higher than normal (for me). You may recall that I had a heart attack at the end of 2018 (see All I want for Christmas…).

As part of my rundown, I tell the tech that just this week I’ve been to Campbell Clinic for physical therapy, I’m here at Sutherland for my echo, and, tomorrow (Thursday), I’ll be at the West Cancer Center for my 11th infusion. I go on to explain about the last six weeks of PT for a torn rotator cuff and frozen shoulder, and my stage IV cancer diagnosis and treatment.

It’s enough to make your head spin…yeah, I’m a mess.

Delta Blues

Vicki and I took a four-day road trip into the heart of the Mississippi Delta. A great trip that I documented in two parts for StoryBoard Memphis, an online publication about arts, community, and cultural of Memphis and the MidSouth. I’m proud of these pieces (Delta Diaries) along with other articles I’ve written for StoryBoard. 

I’m excited that my writing has improved and is being recognized by others. I also have a short story that will appear in an upcoming local mystery anthology. (A second story is in the works for another anthology.) My long-term goal is to get a book published, and I feel closer to achieving that goal every day.

Number Eleven

Infusion number eleven (11) was the next day (April 29th) at the West Center. While there’s nothing new to report regarding my prognosis, we were excited when the nurse practitioner told us that my lab (blood) work looked great. Liver, kidney, and other internal functions all looked really good. Couple that with how I currently feel—which is also really good—and we’re very happy.

Now, let’s hope the adrenal gland tumor shrinks. We’ll know more on June 10th.

Melanoma Awareness Month

May is Skin Cancer and Melanoma Awareness Month. As an active advocate for prevention, treatment, and, eventually, a cure, I’m involved in a number of activities, initiatives, and fund-raisers—both locally and nationally.

You’ll see a lot of Facebook posts from me about donations, support, and, of course, taking care of your skin. For obvious reasons, this issue is important to me and my family.

While donations and support are special and mean a lot to me, it’s much more important that all of you make the effort to take care of yourselves and your loved ones—especially younger ones. Excessive sun exposure and sun damage when you’re young—even one sunburn—can impact your health years down the road.

Protect your skin!

Final Thoughts

The screen shot below is from the website of Aim at Melanoma, one of the national non profit groups that I work with. You’ll see a dark blue box on the top row (almost in the middle). That’s me and that’s my sincere sentiment. I could not survive or continue on my journey without all of you!

Thanks for everything…and thanks for listening.

Note:  If you want to leave a comment, just choose “Anonymous” from the Profile Selection drop down bar right below the Comment box. (It’s the very last choice.) Sorry for any confusion.

Also, please make sure you leave your name or sign-in somewhere in your comment. Thanks.

Writer’s Note – I’ll continue to update my blog on a periodic basis. No set schedule. So, I want to thank everyone who continues to stop by and check out my blog. Please leave a comment or message; I’d love to hear from you. 

Corona Blues (A Picture of Quarantine) – Part One

March 20, 2020 – After yet another week of self-imposed quarantine at home, I decided to post about our current situation through a series of pictures. I’ll try to keep it light and try to keep out politics and frustration. We all need to smile a little more, right now.

Pretty hyacinths during my
walk. Of course it’s wet outside.

Corona Blues…The Early Days
After the initial shock of Bloody Thursday (March 5th), when it seemed the entire sports world shutdown simultaneously, the reality of what was happening around us began to take hold. No more handshaking, learning to socially distance, constantly washing your hands. All those things now seem quaint, or almost normal.

The New Normal
Long lines at Costco – and just about everywhere else. Toilet paper hoarding. Rumors flying faster than Air Force One. Those midday press conferences, or Coronavirus Briefings, which seemed to be held for both informational purposes and as a form of online entertainment.

Here in Memphis, it continues to rain.

Emily bought us cupcakes from
Muddy’s. Eventually all small
businesses had to close.

Who’ll Stop the Rain
Seriously…will it ever stop raining? Everyone on TV and the internet says go outside, go for a walk, get some fresh air. I’d like to, but it never stops raining. Meanwhile, more events are postponed or cancelled. More states begin to shutdown everyday activities and non-essential services.

And I wonder, still I wonder…who’ll stop the rain!




The Beat Goes On

Germantown horses understand
social distancing.

After almost two weeks of a new normal, we settled into somewhat of a routine. It warmed up outside and, occasionally, stopped raining for a few hours during the day. I began walking a little farther each day, getting a chance to revisit places and sights that I hadn’t seen in a while.

Memories of those spots bring a variety of emotions. Some good, some sad. Seems everyone is having a little corona blues.

At the same time, the outside world seemed to be spinning more and more out-of-control. It’s just surreal, as we seem to repeat every days. Schools closing for two weeks and then indefinitely. Universities on hiatus with distance learning to come. More and more cases of COVID reported in the U.S.

The obligatory Corona beer picture.

Final Thoughts
I continue to be on the mend from my latest skin cancer removal (see Don’t Believe the Gripe). It’s frustrating to be at home – like most everyone else – but I’m thankful to have a place to be.

As my friends continue to say, “Weird, weird times.”

Thanks for listening.

Note:  If you want to leave a comment, just choose “Anonymous” from the Profile Selection drop down bar right below the Comment box. (It’s the very last choice.)  Sorry for any confusion.


Also, please make sure you leave your name or sign-in somewhere in your comment.  Thanks.

Writer’s Note – I’ll continue to update my blog on a periodic basis.  No set schedule.  So, I want to thank everyone who continues to stop by and check out my blog. Please leave a comment or message; I’d love to hear from you.