Winter’s Wrath: College, Too Much Snow, and One Stupid Groundhog

Wow! Has it really been over a month since I last posted?! It doesn’t seem that long, and yet, we are already almost halfway through February. So many things have happened since then and there are updates to share…

When we got back from our annual holiday pilgrimage to Tennessee to spend the holidays with Steve and Shana and the kids, we were just in time for winter to pack us with a one-two punch… lots of snow, ice, and very cold weather… Daytona has never looked better! Boudreaux said he agrees. He is not a fan of snow or ice but considering that he hops down the steps on just his front paws, that makes sense.

Before winter had her laughs and kept us hibernating with our milk sandwiches (It’s a Southern thing… my Northern friends wouldn’t understand!), we took off for a short trip over to Norfolk to visit Old Dominion University for Abby’s first real college tour. She enjoyed the tour enough to return this past weekend for their Spring Open House, so we did, even driving through snow for almost three hours on the way Friday night.

Both of our trips were a chance to reconnect with some of Grubby’s old friends – people I haven’t seen much of over the past few years, for one reason or another. We met up with Robbie and Karen for dinner during the first trip, and as we all sat down after the obligatory hugs and “how are yous”, I saw a bit of Grubby in Robbie. For a split second, I could have sworn that Grubby was sitting across the table from me. It’s not that they looked alike, but more so that their mannerisms and facial expressions were the same. We talked about all the dive gear in my shed, and even the fact that some of it is actually Robbie’s, and how I’d love to have them over to take what they want because the rest of it will go to the nearest dump if I haven’t gotten it out of the shed by the time I list the house. Robbie said he had been diving a couple of times at the quarry, but it wasn’t the same without Grubby. I told him I understood, that I don’t think I’ll ever dive again, because Grubby was my first and my last dive buddy…

On this most recent trip, not only did Abby actually get to talk to students and professors from the Biology and Computer Sciences departments at ODU, she got to become reacquainted with Meridie and Mike, who were as close to Grubby as anyone, and Meridie had also been very close to Michelle. I wanted Abby to have that person she could ask about her mother, someone who could answer much more than I can. As she gets older, she may need that. Plus, if she decides to go to ODU, it helps both of us to know that she has people close by to be there for her. She’s still not sure, and although I’ve told her for years that she had to go out and live her own life once she was done with high school, I’m not so sure either. I guess it’s true that I needed her as much as she needed me.

Perhaps the biggest thing since the beginning of January has been my trip to Duke for my radiation treatments. I was lucky because I only had to do five of them, and I stayed in Durham during the treatments, at a place for cancer patients that is partnered with the Duke Cancer Center. While there, I met people in all different stages of treatment with all different types of cancer, and although I’d gone in thinking I would need a lot of things to do alone in my room, that was not the case at all. I took all of the ducks for our upcoming cruise next month, and those things are still in their boxes! It was much more sociable than I had expected, and we spent the snow-filled weekend hanging around: cooking, baking, playing games, and talking, all while cussing that stupid groundhog. I did some painting while I was there, and I left a painting for the house. Everyone was so positive, and that made a huge difference for me. I didn’t feel so alone or scared.

As for the radiation itself, it wasn’t too bad, and side effects have been minimal so far. At the end of my treatments, I did ring the bell, though I felt a little silly after just five treatments, but it’s a rite of passage, so I did it and I am happy I did. Maybe I gave someone in that waiting room a little bit of hope that day.

I’m still waiting to see if I start shooting silk out of my ass and building a web or start feeling the urge to climb up walls, but so far, I don’t think I am the next Spiderwoman. As long as the radiation took care of the cancer, I am good with that. Everyone knows I am deathly afraid of spiders anyway.