83. Saturday, 4 October 2025

Four days into the shutdown.

Today, Owen starts day three of his chemo cycle. He is doing well. He has built up his energy levels to endure a full round of golf and has played two rounds in the last couple of weeks.

Our dear friend from Okinawa is here with us for the next week. She was our cat sitter when we were there and she took good care of us. Owen had found genuine Okinawan art in a store up in Mainland Japan and she brought the piece to get authenticated and stamped by the artist’s family as a legitimate piece made by an individual recognized by the Emperor as an artist of the Nations Treasure. This moved us so much. She’s always known Owen’s love for Japanese and Okinawan art.

Lily is so excited that she is here too! Her play buddy is in the house!

Temperatures are still holding strong in the 90s but I can tell that summer is coming to a close as the mornings are cooler.

Since my last post, I had a scheduled appointment with a counselor. It went better than I had hoped. There is always this fear that you don’t find a connection with a counselor… I’ve experienced being just another number in a factory line. It makes it harder to open up. But this counselor was interesting. She didn’t need to show me her credentials. She picked up so much from me. And it was a conversation… not a “tell me about your childhood” ordeal. I know it’s only been one visit so far, but it was great to speak to someone that understood the military, who understood the government, and who understood world culture and traditions. I see her again next week.

It’s Saturday and I woke up at 4… laid around till 5 and decided it was time to get up.

I have had a hard time getting excited for my favorite time of the year. Maybe we will work on pulling out some decorations to help me push over this hump.