6.24.2008

Prelude to Summer

I had a phone call at 8:43 a.m. to my cell phone as I was paying my bill at the cancer center downtown before my 9:00 a.m. I.V. M hadn't arrived at school. It looks like J went back to bed after her ham and cheese pannini sandwich and loquats or couldn't manage to roll the others out of their futons. I'd taken a later train than usual to make sure that someone got up...S never came out of his room, probably quietly waiting to see how long they'd all sleep before someone realized the time and raised the alarm. What AM I thinking, leaving my babies to fend for themselves while I take the trash out and traipse off for treatment? How selfish and irresponsible I am! I did explain what I thought had happened, confirm that M was not ill and apologize to the teacher; that's all I could do. All of the sandwiches were gone when I got home at 1:oo p.m. but L and N told me that they didn't eat any breakfast. Sigh.

On an upnote, the two ladies who always get their Herceptin I.V.s on Tuesday morning were already in the lobby when I arrived and one of them told me she's dubbed us the Tenteki Trio. Tenteki is the Japanese word for I.V. so I guess an English equivalent might be the Treatment Trio - One for all and all for one! We wrote our hopes and aspirations on colorful strips of paper to hang on the hospital's star festival bamboo branch of hope (tanabata). Mariko-san, the seniour member of the trio, gave me some rolled sushi she'd made and a can of organic carrot juice which she'd frozen to keep the sushi cool. I had she sushi for lunch at home and it was beautiful and delicous.

N is excited about the 5th grade trip to the mountains tomorrow. She'll walk around with a forest ranger and learn about trees and forest management in the afternoon, have dinner and a bath and gaze at stars with her classmates before bedtime. The next day is a trip to a commercial dairy where the kids will enjoy sampling as much ice cream as they can eat after their tour of the plant. They all come home on Friday afternoon. Older sisters M and J will be grateful for the quiet evenings before their final exams on Thursday and Friday but I'll have to think of some diversion for N and L over the weekend for the Monday exams.

I've been trying to figure out when I can see some friends for coffee or lunch before I get busy with everyone coming and going and needing three meals a day during summer break but the weeks until summer are already looking fairly busy. Last chance before fall...

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