Grammy and Poppy on ice skates pulling Makenzie and Connor on sleds on the ice rink in front of our house.

     We had wonderful visits from our kids and grandkids over Christmas time.  Marrie and Michael arrived on Sunday but had to leave after skiing on Wednesday as they both had to work Christmas Day in Grand Junction.  Molly and Barry and the grandkids also arrived on that Sunday and didn’t have to leave until the following Sunday.  Heidi and Jon flew into Durango on Tuesday and out on Sunday.  We had a super time with all of them!  Hope you and yours had a blessed Christmas.

    Joanie and I drove to Albuquerque on Monday for my 3rd round of chemo yesterday – Tuesday.  My CEA level dropped again from 39 to 22.5 after only two rounds of chemo.  The first one produced a drop from 50 to 39.  So it appears that this new regimen is working quite effectively and quickly so far!  We are encouraged!  ( So for the friends we visited in last April’s trip to California in conjunction with our three days in Redding at the Bethel Church- which I intimated was kind of “goodbye trip” – I suppose you now will think I was “hollering wolf”.  We may just have to make another trip some other time in some other year!)

     Joanie and I have rented a place in Anthem, AZ – a pretty new community about 20 miles north of Phoenix for a couple months beginning in mid- January.  It is about an hour from Makenzie and Connor and Barry and Molly and about a half hour in the other direction to my Dad.  It looks like I will be able to receive my next 3 chemo infusions at the Phoeniz VA hospital.  Hopefully I will be able to get back into a little better shape with more outdoor hiking and biking there without risking more pneumonia here with the frigid aair we’ve been having lately ( -12 recently).  It’s snowing again now and it’s hard to believe in less than 3 weeks I may be nearly done with snow shoveling for this winter- although late March early April can still easily show me what I was missing .

     Wishing you all a very Happy New Year ( or as we say in the chemotherapy infusion room – one patient to another – “Have a New Year!”

Love, Jerry                     

P.S.  If you ever wonder when you check the categories in which I post my blogs – when you see 3683 – it just means I forgot to check one of the real categories, which I have to go back and do for each and every post.  I used to edit them when I found that they defaulted into category 3683, but I guess I’ve let a few slip in there and it seems kind of silly to edit old posts now just for that.  I do appreciate comments that people have sent that have corrected information about authors of songs or photo credits and I usually try to edit those to correct or include credits I’ve ommitted.

Good old Paint, the gentle Goswick horse that Makenzie loves to ride.  Barry is putting Connor up too, before Mark Goswick leads dear old Paint around with Makenzie holding the saddle horn and the reins.  We had our Thanksgiving feast at the Goswicks with their family and some friends.

    ” I ride an old Paint, I lead an old Dan; I’m off to Montana to throw the Hoolihan.  They feed in the gullies, water in the draw; their tails are all matted, their backs are all raw. 

Chorus:  Ride around little dogies, ride around slow; ol’ Firey and Snuffy- rarin’ to go.

(Second verse omitted- too sad!)

Chorus

Ah when I die, take my saddle from the stall; put it on my pony, lead him from the stall.  Tie my bones to his back, turn our faces to the west; we’ll ride the prairies we love the best.

Chorus”

This is an old cowboy song with many variations to it sung by many.  The version I like best is one Barry McGuire sang on a old folk record album I have.  ( But then again I like Barry’s version of any song better than any other artist that sings it with the exception of California Dreamin” which was actually written by the Mommas and Pappas for Barry to sing.  He actually recorded it first with them as the background singers.  They asked him if he minded if they recorded it and he said of course not, it’s your song.  Their recording of it, which went near the top of the charts is simply the same recording with Barry’s mike turned off.  A little ancient trivia for you.)

Front Row:  Michael, Marrie, Makenzie, Molly, Connor and Joanie               Back Row: Me, Trevor, Barry and a friend named Bryce.

Makenzie showing how old she is now with Uncle Michael and Aunt Marrie looking on.

Snow on closet roof as actually taken through bathroom window.  Having fun now aren’t we?  Actually we have had both a neighbor from across the street and  good friends clear the snow from our driveway both last night and early this afternoon, so Joanie and I have only had to shovel the walk and decks ( Joanie doing most of it!)

Accumulated snow on woodshed roof (attached to our garage) from yesterday and today.

I went out into the San Juan National Forest last Thursday and cut this white fir Christmas tree after getting my permit from the Forest Service office.  It’s a good thing I didn’t wait because we’ve received 20 inches of new snow in the last 36 hours and now I could not get to where I found this tree, much less drive right up to it.  Joanie and I decorated it this past weekend.  All three daughters, their husbands and our two grandkids will be coming in a couple weeks.  Joanie has been cooking and baking and freezing all kinds of goodies to feed the soon arriving army.

     We had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration in Prescott Valley along with Makenzie’s 3rd birthday party.  We were there almost a week before returning to Pagosa by way of Albuquerque, where I had my second chemotherapy infusion and got the news that the first infusion had lowered my CEA blood level from 50 to 29, even four weeks after receiving it.  I have not been coughing as much and no recurrence of pneumonia since my last 3 week bout with it ended about 6 weeks ago.  So, once again on this emotional roller coaster we’ve been on, there is some encouragement ( just when I’m prepared again to soon enter the heavenly kingdom)!  Thank you for your continued prayers and support.

     Joanie and I would appreciate your prayers fro both her parents, Roger and Geri Langeland in Muskegon, Michigan as her Dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s . 

     We would alos appreciate your prayers for John and Diane Sefton, who live in Dallas.  Diane has just been diagnosed with breast cancer.  John is a Coast Guard buddy of mine, one of three true friends I made in those 4 years while fishing for men in my spare time, ( and the one I am able to maintain the most contact with. ) The Seftons have been faithful prayer warriors for us these past 7 years, so we would covet your prayers for them ( and Joanie’s folks). 

     I’ll post some photos of our time in Arizona over Thanksgiving and one taken out our bedroom window this morning.   Love, Jerry

Taylor, a granddaughter of some friends of ours, caught this grass carp ( white amur) off our dock Friday on a worm and a bobber.  It took me 3 tries to get it in my small net.  Taylor, who will turn 12 in a couple weeks, released the fish after I took the photo.