Rainy days and Mondays always get me down

Well, it's not rainy here, actually, it's beautiful today, my perfect summer weather, sunny, clear and cool- 80 today. The weekend here was rainy and cool, though, and I noticed I did spend more time in my bed than up and about.

My 'familiar' Max :keeping watch while I battle the
 beasties in the garden

The one thing about the cancer journey is that it isn't ALWAYS about the cancer.   I mean right now, I'm acutely aware of it, because of this damn tissue expander in my chest, which is a constant aggravation and dictator on what I can or cannot do.  Another challenge is that I've been off my rheumatoid arthritis medication: Enbrel, for over two months, and I'm not sure, due to all the surgeries I've had thrown in the mix, but I am definitely feeling more sore, more achy and more tired lately.  Hard to believe that chemo may actually make me feel better in that department, but it will be an interesting experiment.

View of the garden from the West side

So I went out to the garden yesterday in between rain showers and looked at what a summer garden with cancer looked like. Of course the garden doesn't have cancer, but even this spring, before I knew I was ill, I told my hubby, "I'm not feeling up for a big garden this year".   My life at that point was overwhelming me, and I felt like I couldn't handle the additional demands that our garden demands.  So, the seeds got started late, or not at all, the seedlings were neglected....I STILL have spring crop seedlings sitting in my garden waiting to be transplanted, though, I think the cucumbers have claimed them as their own.  

Cukes trellised on some lattice

A few of the garden from the entrance

What you get, though is in what you give, and what I've got now are scabby apples, vine borer infested squash, baby squash bugs galore, and Japanese beetles everywhere!   Still, even with all these impediments, my garden finds ways to grow.  We have sunflowers growing everywhere and never planted one seed.  Ditto for the kohlrabi and turnips and radishes and most of the herbs, they do their own thing year after year, and I am glad for it- even if we don't get what we want, we still get something.  Life goes on, even when you don't necessarily even want it to.

Sunflowers and chives in the 3 sisters bed

Today, like I said, is a beautiful summer day, and unfortunately, I cannot spend it where I would like, out in the yard, or the pool, because this week is all about the cancer: today: MUGA test (or as B calls it, 'the Muggle test"); Tomorrow - Chemo Port insertion; Wednesday - Surgical follow up; Thursday - Plastic Surgeon follow up.  Friday, maybe, I will get a break.  I hope the beans can wait for me!

This is what you get when you neglect the bean patch for 3 days!