today, the hammer and I loaded up my echair and went out to Woodward Park. its a large city / regional park with a great , first rate, regional hike and bike trail. We went on the special trail for mobility carts and had a great Brie , prosciutto and French bread pic-nic. We also took a load of some stale bread and other left overs and fed about 800 of the 10,000 wintering Canadian geese.
Recently I’ve been sleeping 16+ hours a day and been couch locked not feeling well. I started a transdermal estrogen patch treatment last Wednesday and it’s started to pick me up. My SEs are diminishing and my sleepiness has reduced dramatically. I’ve experienced a significant attitude improvement as well.
Even crippled by ADT and massive skeletal wide metastasis, you can still get out and enjoy some great outdoors and some family QOL time. It’s so good to get up off your bed / couch and get outdoors, its wonderful . Even screwed up as I am, I can do it, so can you my brothers. Your wife / family will appreciate the outing with you as well.
❤️❤️❤️
Written by
Kaliber
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You are a real inspiration to us all! You continue to amaze me by the positivity in all of your posts here especially what you have gone through (and the gruesome photos it looks like you took down!)
Thank you buddy. Dylan was really kewl. This is a weather “ sweet spot “ right now, … I’ve got the Zen gardens, Zoo, fishing at Millerton, pier fishing at the coast ( Moro Bay ) , the botanical gardens, local tribal casino/s, and others lined up ….while the get’in is good lol. I attribute “ all this “ to the estrogen unlocking me out of that narcoleptic cage. 😂😂😂
Awesome QOL opportunities K. Glad the estrogen add back is helping, and that you are able to get out and enjoy a picnic.
The weather is not quite as inviting here. To quote Steinbeck, "... and it was Sunday and it was raining and it was Oregon." We have moved accross the Columbia to Washington, but the weather is the same on both sides. Our Japanese Garden is closed for the winter, but the lake it sits in is surrounded by beautiful Autumn colors. I took the photo above during my Sunday walk. I didn't include myself in the photo because my long flowing locks all flowed downstream a long time ago. You however, rock a glorious ponytail.
I've been reading "Being Mortal" by Dr. Atul Gawande. Thought provoking reading. I like the questions he poses for us croakers;
- What does a good day look like?
- What is the quality of life that you would live for if you couldn’t do everything you wanted?
Since reading his book, I'm trying to adopt his approach, "Let’s just have a goal, one good day."
Turns out, my standard for a good day at this point of my life is very achievable. Today's goals are:
- Morning stretching followed by meditation and contemplation.
- A simple breakfast with my wife of 45+ years where we will discuss the question, "What am I holding onto that is already gone?" We do this kind of discussion almost every day, and even after this long we are still learning about each other.
- Cuddles
- Alone time (which I'm spending with you right now).
Wow …. Great stuff in your reply buddy. That luscious green wet weather typical for your area is wonderful a lot of the time. Here we pay a lot of money to get over to the coast or up to the northern coast , especially in our mind boggling summers , to enjoy a snippet of your weather.
I “ love “ the part about the “ Being Mortal “ thoughts. I think you should make a QOL post exclusively about this subject …..it’s important enough that it would be very beneficial for guys here on the group. It’s good stuff buddy. No kidding, post it.
Yea but tharze the hammer and I’m the nail ……just say’in rotflol. Then there is the song with the lyrics “:someth’ins got a hold on me “;. On all of us actually, lol
So inspiring, Kaliber! Thanks for posting and glad to hear new patches seem to be doing the trick! More power to your elbow… as we sometimes say over here in the U.K.
Yay for you Bruddah Kal 😃and you're even in the pix too. No helmet with horns on it? LoL
Looks like a QoL bonanza with sun, fowl, food - all are anti-depressants
Imperative for any of us "croakers" to get outta the dark dungeon that engulfs many, both physically and psychologically. That inertia, left to it's own devices, will drive one deeper into the bed or couch, making it even harder to overcome it.
So, bad*ss Big Bro you came up with a wonderful solution with that compact echair and the patches gave you a boost too. As the ad says "better livin thru chemistry"
Btw, I went to the 64 NYC World's Fair with my Ohana and we went to the Carousal of Progress, and we rode in Ford Mustangs. My Dad bought my Mom one the next year
I agree with you buddy …. Sitting around thinking about our unfortunate circumstances never helps anyone. Not us and especially not our families that love us. I know you’ll be out there qol’in bigtime. Enjoying the scenery, that great food and those endorphins from all those runs. lol.
The horns are on my helmet I have to wear when ever I’m out driving on city streets. Like a motorcycle helmet. The echair only goes 3.5 mph max, not safe on street bike lanes. Besides, the echair doesn’t have a place for a soft sides beverage cooler….like my etrike has rotflol.
Great looking family buddy, nice dressers too.
It’ll be fun to see what happens tomorrow, huh , I’ll be glad when it’s all over. This time of the year here where we live is perfect for outdoors activities. Ima going to try to get out there now that I’m better equipped and make the most of it.
Yea, that spiral downward is hard to swim up against, best thing is to not even get close to it. Be grateful everyday that we woke up and are still here, say a lil prayer for those that aren't. Then go about your day.
Life is Beautiful, but finite, so we gotta QoL as much as we can. Make those memories to look back upon.
Make your Camino (Journey) the best it can be especially with Loved Ones
Looks like a wonderful outing and it’s great to see you out there having a good time . Been to Woodward a few times as I’m just down in Tulare county and It’s a lovely park.
lol …. It’s a hairpiece clipped onto the back of that hat ,, 😂😂😂😂😂. No, just kidding …. Yea remnants of my biker …er ah … motorcycle enthusiasts era lol. Now my golden locks flow in the air ( kinda ) sitting in a etrike mobility scooter rotflol. thank you brother.
Thanks buddy, we all … guys on this group ….deserve some upbeat time. I’m hoping that showing that even someone beat to a pulp like I am, can go out for some personal / family QOL time.
Hi Kim, say hi to Clint for me. It’s good to hear that both of you are perking along. Tharze a lot of “ not so perky “ here sometimes. I hope you are enjoying your fall season.
Bonfire night here tonight, lots of great fireworks going off, although our cat is frightened. Its dark at 5pm now, so long nights, but not too cold at the moment.
Sending love and best wishes to you and your good lady wife!xx❤️💜💛💚
Kewl …Guy Fawkes night ( I had to look it up lol ) . Sounds like fun, little fall party ….nice. Tonight is election night, a lot of people holding their breaths hoping their candidate wins. I’m not political , prolly inappropriate here on the group too lol.
We’ve finally had the weather break from the 105f ( 40.46 C ) days and are enjoying some milder weather . The hot season was more intense and longer than usual, this year. Now a milder 74f ( 24.33 C ) days. The lizards living on my banana trees can start coming out in the day time. Rotflol. The cooler weather has brought a lot of baby lizards too.
It’s great to hear from you guys …. Seeing Clint hang in there so well is encouraging . Big fuzzy hugs back to you and Clint , hope you enjoy your holiday tonight.
Hi Kaliber, I was going to write to you, to see how you are getting on with those patches. Looks like I don't need to. My wife and I are so pleased that you are feeling better and able to get about again. From now on in the only way is up.
The wild geese meet in formation in the skies above our home, the gigantic V shape is amazing, there has been several flocks over the past weeks, It's a privilege to be able to watch them gather and circle to gain height before flying south. Usually a couple of weeks after they have flown the weather turns cold, maybe even snow. Guess what the weather is set to change from unseasonal warm sunny days to the colder days and nights, like we should be having.
Everyone is quoting things on here to you, so here's one from me " Patches, I'm depending on you (son) " You know the rest.
Rotflol …. This post has turned trippy + fun. Yea 6 years of super responder ADT had worn me down a lot, I was in a deep dark crevasse , asleep barely able to function. the estrogen has made a dramatic change in me. I’ve been more awake, gone more places / done more things in the last week , than the last 3 months ( except trips to Kaiser, of course ). I’m experiencing a mental attitude lift too …. Now if I can just avoid those blood clots, strokes and heart attacks rotflol.
Those flights of geese are packing up and taking flight , just end up here are the SRA #3 Goose Hilton. Where 100,000 of their best buddies and hundreds of acres of short corn and sorghum seeds are grown ( by the state ) especially for them alone. Vast wetlands, enormous grain fields and sunny warm breezes …. For a goose, or any migrating birds, it doesn’t get better than that .
The geese keep appearing and disappearing in the low fog but you get the idea.
Fantastic. How very uplifting. Just wish we could get those patches over here in the UK. . Our Oncologists are very conservative. Hope you Keep on having fun as and when you can.
As with a lot of things, there is risk with them. Blood clots, heart attacks and strokes are possible. Plus one more powerful ingredient added to the chemical stew we already cook up. The last oncologist I asked said “ are you crazy, you’ll shoot your eye out “ ( movie reference to Christmas Story where the kid gets his red Ryder BB gun. lol ). I guess they figure that I’m so far down the drain, I have little to lose. The patch has messed with my BP already and I haven’t seen a blood workup yet … no tests are ordered, kinda I’m past a lot of “ that “ already. Still it’s helped me with my side effects considerably and I’m just beginning my 2nd week.
PLEASE look up reasons to NOT feed ducks and geese bread……it causes a condition called “angel wing” which ultimately limits the ability of the bird to fly…..ultimately a death sentence……just the messenger.
Roger that, if you expand the picture you can see I’m feeding them oats ( Cheerios lol ) . Most if not all the 1000s of large fowl in the park already do not fly….. much. They stay here year round where the living is paradise and food plentiful. Maybe they already have angel wing , dunno. They fly around the park and visit the many local lakes. Once most migratory birds find this place they never leave. They raise their babies, socialize with their many friends and enjoy a life of non migratory ease. This part of California is an enormous Western Flyway terminus …. We can have as many as 270 different species…. Sandhill, cranes, pelicans, cormorants! Dozens of species of ducks and geese … too much to mention it all. It’s hummingbird heaven as well., all the flowering winter flowers here , really attract hummingbirds.
Birders are in feather heaven here in the winter …lol.
Lovely story but as Tommy above says, please stop feeding birds bread. Please buy grain and feed them with this. The birds will appreciate this more to the fact of them being more healthy for it. Please spread this information as you are actually and unknowingly endangering wildlife. Enjoy your days.
so good to hear you are on a positive note and glad the E2 is helping you. I’m down in Cabo again with my bride. She escorted me up the steepest hill around (800 ft in a mile). So loving, her support. Continuing to recover. I am behind you, supporting you. 👨🦽➡️🚶♂️➡️🏃♂️➡️❤️
Alright buster … fluff up my pillow, I’m coming down there ….pronto. Rotflol. This time of the year Cabo and Fresno have about the same weather. Same temperatures.. we are in the low 70s today. It’s a little windy here this afternoon, but otherwise is beautiful as you would expect it to be. Still it’s not like being on the ocean in Cabo. Rotflol . That has to be pure luxury brother., I’m envious. lol enjoy yourself down there buddy, who deserves it more than guys like us. I’m behind you as well big guy , I hope that surgery heals quickly.Sounds like you are well on the way. Love you guys …
Yayahahahaya no he’s not. He’s learning to walk again after hip surgery. It’s not bad enough ….the cancer … top hip repair on top for ducks lol …. Sounds like me.
I was really moved by this post about your trip to Woodward Park, Kaliber (except for those messy Canadian geese.) It’s so inspiring to hear about your picnic—it sounds like a wonderful day spent with The Hammer. Your resilience and positivity, even in the face of such challenging health issues, are truly remarkable.
I'm also glad to hear that your new treatment is starting to make a positive difference, and that you're experiencing some relief and an improved outlook. Your message about making the most of the outdoors and spending quality time with family really resonates. It’s a beautiful reminder of the simple joys and the importance of living in the moment.
Thank you for sharing your story and encouraging others. Wishing you continued strength and many more uplifting experiences. 🦊
Thank you, I appreciate it. This makes me reevaluate and appreciate the little things in life. Things can get so screwed, even the little things can become important again. Lucky to have those.
Hi Kal, so very happy for you and thank you for sharing. Glad you were able to get out in the beautiful nature and enjoy the fresh air. Keep up the good work.
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