Here is the photo of the elk herd crossing Pinon Lake during hunting season for which my link to the Pagosa Sun didn’t seem to work for many of us.  I love the irony of this herd with several bulls in it that was seen along the highway in broad daylight during one of the hunting seasons.  I will just delete the previous post.

     I began my new chemo regimen at the VA hospital in Albuquerque on Wednesday.  It is a combination of 3 drugs, one of which is new to me, but not a new drug, just its use in combination with the other two I’ve been on a few times before.  They expect it to hit my white blood cell count hard, so I am supposed to go get a blood test in Durango next week, but so far I have not felt the effects of this chemo – at least not yet.

     Joanie flew to Boston last weekend to spend  2 days and 3 nights with Heidi for her 28th birthday.  We are looking forward to returning to Prescott for Thanksgiving with the grandchildren and Makenzie’s 3rd birthday.  Marrie and Michael plan to join us, but we won’t all be together until Christmas time when they all plan to come here.

     Joanie’s father is having some health problems in Michigan and they sent him home form the hospital today without a clear diagnosis of what was wrong with him.  They suspected a heart attack a couple days ago and he is experiencing some confusion.  Thank  your continued prayers.  Love, Jerry

Wolf Creek Ski Area opens on Halloween.  Five casts off the dock, no bites!

We had beautiful weather right up until the time we left on our trip.  The trout continued to bite, both in Lake Pagosa and Lake Hatcher.   We caught some pushing 20 inches at Lake Hatcher.  I made 5 casts off my dock on Sunday while putting a few things away, and caught 3 nice fish!

We just arrived back last night from our trip to Albuquerque and Prescott Valley.  We celebrated Connor’s first birthday on Saturday, even though his actual birthday is not until tomorrow.  This way Bill and Chris could drive down from Page, Az and Trevor and his girlfriend, Lisa could fly down from Denver and all get back to work on time. We had a very, very delightful time with everyone, but especially those grandchildren we cherish so much. We visited my Dad in Phoenix, too.  We went to a small farm which had a corn maze and a pumpkin patch and some rides on Sunday after church and Makenzie rode on a camel with Joanie.  The weather was delightful there and when we left Pagosa, but we woke up to snow today and it continues.

     In Albuquerque my scans showed that the tumor they radiated this summer had shrunk back to about 4.5 cm ( it was 6cm in last January’s scans).  so I guess that that concludes the good news.  Other lesions and tumors appeared on the newest scans in 3 or 4 other locations ( not all in just the lungs) and my CEA level was back up to 50.  It looks like I will start taking chemotherapy again on November 4.  Two of the drugs I have had before and a 3rd one is new.  It had been effective on about 45% of those who have tried it and had held their metastatic tumors in check for an average of 8.4 months ( the 45% on whom it was effective).  The treatments will be every 3 weeks and the new drug only given every other time.  I can quit anytime I choose.  I am not looking forward to more chemo, however, I must confess.  I am coughing quite a bit  and have never really felt like I really got over the last round of pneumonia, but they are not wanting to give me more strong antibiotics at this time, and this may just be the effects of the other tumors in my lungs.

     Thank you for your continued prayers!  Love, Jerry

The trout have been rising like crazy the last few days and this a a nice cutbow ( rainbow-cutthroat hybrid) I caught off my dock this morning on my flyrod.  I called my friend Sam Cassidy over and we went out in the boat and caught perhaps a dozen on our flyrods.  But this evening in the setting sun with the alpenglow on the snowcapped mountains, we only managed one each on dryflies.  Ah, but one must take the bad with the good, eh?

We are a moment, you are forever- Lord of the ages, God before time. We are a vapor, You are eternal, love everlasting, reigning on high.

Chorus:  Holy holy, Lord God Almighty; worthy is the Lamb Who was slain.  Highest praises, honor and glory, be unto Your name, be unto Your name.

We are the broken, You are the Healer, Jesus Redeemer, mighty to save.  You are the love song we’ll sing forever, bowing before you. blessing Your name.

Repeat Chorus

(All of these songs I’ve posted that were sung by Robin Mark and some written by him as well, are from the Revival in Belfast – CD.  It is available many place on eBay, as well as other albums he has produced including Revival in Belfast II.  I wore out my first one and recently ordered a new one and two others by him on eBay!  The tunes and music are lovely, too.

Chorus:  When it’s all been said and done, there is just one that one thing matters.  Did I do my best to live for truth; did I live my life for You?  When  it’s all been said and done, all my treasures will mean nothing.  Only what I’ve done for Love’s reward will stand the test of time.

Lord Your mercy is so great, that you look beyond our weakness and find purest gold in miry clay- making sinners into saints.  I will always sing Your praise, here on earth and ever after; for you’ve shown me Heaven’s my true home – when it’s all been said and done.

Repeat chorus – then  “Lord I will live my life for You”