A much needed get away & therapy...

My husband and I just had another semi rough patch just after being released from the hospital on Friday, May 23rd. Another painful blockage, but we got through it together and by Monday, May 26th (Veteran's Day) I was given an Antibiotic for a Bladder infection which enabled me to go to the bathroom each and every day. This was a blessing because I could have been in the hospital once again. It was a pain to go through the diarrhea but for me, it was great and I was OK with it; no really, I was. For me just going to the bathroom is such a blessing even if I have to go 300 times a day, it's much better than the alternative.

For right now, it is about living with Cancer and that I have gotten used to. I don't let it get to me and I certainly won't let it conquer me; I just keep on living.

We went to see my oncologist on Friday, May 30th and we all agreed unanimously that at this point it is all about quality of life. I will have to start chemo somewhat soon, but not right away. We just take it day by day and to cherish each and every day no matter what. I might start a pill form of chemo in August and it may or may not make my hair fall out, but its just hair and I just got it all cut off & donated to Locks of Love. I always wanted to do this and finally did it about 2 weeks ago. So loosing the hair won't be such a big deal.

Now back to my Oncologist follow-up appointment; my scans were not so bad, at least not just yet and my CA125 is climbing slowly (it's at 68 and 3 months before that it was 53). We are not worrying about it just yet and we won't until I face more pain and discomfort. What good does worrying do? Since my oncologist is on the same page as we are with the cancer, the appointment was good news and that we can continue to have fun for right now.

When we got home from the appointment, I made reservations for a small get away in Napa. My husband had recommended a bed and breakfast in Calistoga, "Meadowlark Inn". It is run by a very sweet, kind hearted and a very friendly couple (they are men). The room itself was very colorful and the bed was softt and comfy and just what we needed. It smelled clean and fresh and the bathroom was roomy with a two person jacuzzi. It did take a long time to fill up the tub but once is was full, it felt amazing.

We were initially bummed that the pool was going through some construction and therefore it was closed, but we still got to use the large, powerful jacuzzi and the hot sauna located in the pool area.

We went to see "Old Faithful" just prior to checking in to our hotel because we had about an hour to kill before check-in time at 1pm. Now don't get confused because there is an Old Faithful at Yellowstone national park and it is probably more spectacular to see than the one in Calistoga, CA. Old Faithful is one of three natural geysers in America that erupts every so often. Most probably wouldn't be that impressed with it, but it is one of natures miracles. The hot steam comes out of the earth and every half hour to 45 minutes scalding hot water is sprayed upwards of 60 - 100 feet in the air. This Geyser can even predict earthquakes two days to two weeks before an earthquake instead of every 30 minutes, the eruption is prolonged. During a prolonged interval, small eruptions of no more than two to three feet in height every few minutes and after a long delay a 60 foot column of water and steam shoots upward.

There was even an old wishing well where nearly a hundred years ago people actually bathed in the bath for therapy. I wondered if anyone had ever been scalded to death by it. We also noticed some baby fish in the small pond where Old Faithful seemed to always be steaming while it wasn't erupting. We saw another area with some old pipes that were capped and I guess they have uncap the hot steam every so often to release pressure, but this heat actually helps power the visitor center.

We really wanted to check out the Petrified Forest and almost did, but that will be next time.



My husband and walked around the property at Old Faithful to look at all the animals. There were some Llamas and some some Tennessee Fainting Goats. I had heard about these goats on TV but had never seen any before and they were quite amusing. My husband talked about them and really wanted to see the goats faint but he couldn't just go up and yell or scream at them in order to scare them because the other visitors might think he was a lunatic.

We walked over to the fainting goats with Blue Belle to take a look at them in their pasture. One of the babies got to looking right at Blue Belle and looked like she wanted to make friends with her. It startled Blue Belle just a little bit because she didn't like the goat walking up and staring at her so she started to walk away and the little goat decided that she wanted to play. The little girl goat turned around and bounced away and one of her friends tried to turn around but he fell over stiff legged onto his side. We just cracked up along with the crowd of onlookers. The whole thing happened so fast that I didn't get to snap a photo. You just have to imagine how funny it looked.

We tried to get Blue Belle to take a look at the sheep but she is such a city girl that the sheep just frightened her. She wanted nothing to do with those creatures. These particular sheep are rare in that they have 4 horns. They are called Jacob Sheep and they tend to have black spots and of course the 4 horns. These particular sheep were very friendly and affectionate. It was treat to see these animals and for Blue Belle to experience being around animals that she should normally herd. I think she just wants to stick with herding cats and squirrels.

We went wine tasting at a few of the local wineries hours after we had checked into our hotel. Each of the wineries allowed dogs in the tasting rooms. It was all about being Dog Friendly.

After we finished with the wine tasting, we headed back to the Inn for a nature walk with Blue Belle. We walked over to a horse pasture and thoroughly enjoyed being around the gentle giants. These horses stood over 17 - 18 hands and they completely frightened Blue Belle. They were just like big kitty cats and lovingly enjoyed being petted and rubbed. They seemed to bond with me and didn't want me to leave. One of the horses was particularly curious of Blue Belle.

Being around these friendly creatures was therapy in itself and definitely well worth the stay even though the pool was closed, I did get my horse therapy. I felt as if my soul was being nourished as I pet and loved on these animals. It also reinforced my feelings of missing being around these wonderful animals and I hope my dream does come true and that my husband and I will be able to one day live on a farm where we can have a few rescues all to our selves.