There are a few things that are favourites in my life….one is springtime in the south when all the flowers are in bloom and another is summer in Maine. I have been so fortunate to be able to enjoy the last six weeks here.
On Friday, June 6; after flying from 11:00 the night before from Lima, we landed in Portland at 2:00 in the afternoon. Can you imagine where we were at 4:00 that same afternoon???? The brand new Cabala’s Outdoor Store which had opened in Scarborough while we were in Lima. It is a nice store but much like the several other Cabela stores that we have visited throughout Kansas, Nebraska and Wisconsin.
The days pass so quickly when we are home. We visited with both sets of my parents in the Moosehead Lake region and Augusta. While at Moosehead, David and I saw a cow moose with twin calves just days old. Really cool!! It was nice that we were able to celebrate Father’s day weekend with my dad and stepfather.
We were pleased with the work that our contractor did on our camp that we bought in January. He put on a new metal roof, cleaned out the basement and trimmed all of the hemlocks in the yard. Everything looks great! While David was still here, we picked out vinyl siding – it looks like cedar shakes only in vinyl, a new garage door, cellar door, tub surround and glass door for the bathroom and the field stones for the wood stove hearth. Also, we met with two representatives of different companies to discuss the possibilities of installing a propane furnace.
June 17th David flew to Santiago, Chile to begin his new project. He was in the Santiago office for a couple of weeks before heading to the project site in La Serena. La Serena is six hours north of Santiago on the coast. It is a resort area with five miles of beaches. David said that the old city reminds him of the quaint, small European village. It sounds amazing and a great “tour of duty“. I can hardly wait to join him. David is very excited about this project and also, he is making a great effort to learn Spanish.
Originally, it was planned that I would follow David to Chile after I visited with my parents for a week at Moosehead. Also, I attended my cousin Mark‘s wedding on June 21. It was Mark whom I traveled with to Vietnam with when he adopted his son. June 21 was also David’s 50th birthday. We are still in the planning stages as to how we will celebrate it when we are together.
Anyway, one week has turned into about four weeks at this writing; most of the delay being caused by medical issues. When I first arrived in Maine, I was having stomach problems. Whenever I would eat, my stomach would get rock hard with bloating. Fortunately, it wasn’t painful but just very uncomfortable.
I went to a naturopath who suggested tests for screening for parasites and food sensitivities. I delayed my return as it took two weeks for the test results. What the test showed was that I don’t have parasites – good news, I guess, but I was hoping for some as it would have been easier to deal with. However, the parasite test did show that I have no healthy bacteria in my system due to the fact that I took an antibiotic back in February to rid my body of parasites that I had a bout with in Lima. Also, it was discovered that I am sensitive to several foods….dairy, beef (which I don’t eat anyway), eggs and egg whites (which I lived on in Peru!!), almonds, peanuts, pineapple, wheat, gluten and kidney beans. For a week, I eliminated all the foods that I was sensitive to. That was fun…my diet consisted of fish, fruit and vegetables. After the week, I have introduced one food from the list to see exactly how sensitive I am. So far, eggs are OK…maybe not as many as I was eating. Cereal seems OK as well. I think that with moderation and maybe eating more of a variety of food, I will be OK. I am also hoping that once the good bacteria gets built back up in my system things will improve greatly.
My bags were packed, my ticket was made to fly to La Serena to join David on Saturday, the 19th. On Thursday, the 17th, I received a call from my gynecologist’s office telling me that my mammogram showed a spot of calcification and they needed me to come in on Friday so they could take another, more detailed mammogram. After talking to the Dr, she suggested that I postponed my departure date until the results of the second mammogram come in….it is possible that I may need a biopsy. We will see what Thurs will bring.
I have done a little research on the internet and really believe that there isn’t anything to worry about. Calcifications are very common in women and most women have at least one that can be seen on a mammogram. It is very unusual for the calcifications to be cancerous and if they are, it is usually in a cluster. From what I saw on my mammogram was just one spot and not a cluster. Also, several years ago, my mom was diagnosed with calcifications and had to have a biopsy. My sister has them as well, never has had a biopsy but is checked on with each annual mammogram. It is my hope that all will be well in the report this Thursday and I will be able to join David on Sunday.
The saying from “bad news comes good news” applied to this health situation…I was able to attend my hometown’s annual celebration “Old Hallowell Days”. It was a beautiful sunny, but extremely hot day. It is always a fun time to return and see many of the wonderful people that I knew while growing up. Sunday, I drove back to Moosehead to surprise my stepfather for his 81st birthday. He was greatly surprised and appreciative that I was there for his special day.
Have you seen Mama Mia? I saw it on the opening day. What a fun, fun movie. The plot is a little “hokey” but the music and scenery are great. It is just one of those movies that make you smile!
So, that is the news from Maine…I will report on my mammogram as soon as I get the information….Hope everyone is having a great summer!!