"The Size of a Golf Ball"

Who knew those words would ever have such a sweet ring! His Lordship's PET CT revealed that his tumor in the thigh has shrunk to golf ball size - from baseball size!!! Dr. Tran, his Oncologist, was thrilled with these results after only just two rounds of chemo.

Mist and Big Tom were almost in tears when Nurse Sherry called with the good news this morning. The good Lord has blessed us with a son-in-law with a huge heart and a lot of fight. Thank God for giving all of us the hope we so desperately needed. All the prayers have been heard and answered and we thank all of our family and friends for the many prayers said on his Lordship's behalf.

Mario is currently receiving his 3rd round of chemo at the Piedmont Hilton. His mother, Lady Jane, checked him into his suite this morning after receiving the wonderful PET CT news. He will have 5 days on 24/7 drip to fight off the "bad guys". He will be coming home to the Vining's Mountain Castle on Saturday after another long battle with the enemy.

Mist had an unexpected pleasure this afternoon! Susie, Chaney and little Reagan dropped my the mountain castle bringing gifts for Nurse Sherry and his Lordship. It was so delightful to see them and we spent some time talking and catching up on family news. Reagan (4 months old) even let Mist hold her long enough to snap this photo.....

When Nurse Sherry arrived home from a long day's work and visit to the hospital, she was pleasantly surprised by a big duffle bag full of goodies along with a heartfelt note from the Popes! After reading Chaney's note, she looked inside and found two cute Life is Good shirts, "Half Full" sheets and a comfy pillow. The message was so meaningful and really put a smile on her face.

More thoughtful cards arrived in the mail today. Thanks to Jeff, Bobbie & Brandon-- Ellen & Jim--Matt & Heather for your kind words and encouragement as they mean so much to us.

It's been a memorable day for all of us--a day to give thanks for answered prayers, a day of hope for things to come. A day of celebration, but we know the fight has just begun. It's going to be a long hard battle but the 1st war has just been won-- and for that we are very grateful.

Lots of Love,
Maid of the Mist

AN OSCAR'S WEEKEND

You may remember that this week was supposed to be the “good” one.  The body, ridding itself of chemo poisons and rebuilding blood cells, should be getting to feeling almost near normal.  It was not.  Fortunately, by weekend the “good” arrived, and Saturday and Sunday turned out to be far better than the week. 

The blood transfusion given to the Laird on Monday did not seem to help and he had some minor side effects, but no contraindications.  While not sick, the Laird was not feeling well most of the week.  Finally by Friday the Laird was feeling better.  On Saturday the Laird drove himself, “sans” FOG, to play golf during the day and to play cards with friends in the evening.  On Sunday, there was an Oscars’ party at Vinings Mountain Castle.  

The Duke and Duchess of St. Simons arrived on Sunday loaded down with wedding presents that had been stored at the St. Simon’s Island home.  For Nurse Sherry and the Laird it was like Christmas in February.  Nurse Sherry decided to put the wedding gifts to good use now, rather than leaving them in boxes.  The wedding gifts were enjoyed when first received, re-discovered as boxes are now again opened, and being enjoyed for many years to come as they are used.   The Duchess of St. Simons helped her daughter with the unpacking.  Mr. FOG also thanks you for the wedding gifts.  He especially likes the Calaphon cookware that he has been using.

The Laird ordered that there should be a great feast was to celebrate the Oscars and instructed servants to prepare favorite family foods, and new dishes to link the festivities to the movies being considered.  The Duke and Duchess of St. Simons brought three great crowd pleasers, a black-eye pea salsa with chips, chocolate chip cookies and the famous Tina’s pizzas. 

Nurse Sherry researched movie history and linked foods to recognize the movies being considered.   We had Black and White cookies to recognize the Artist, quiches to honor Midnight in Paris, ect.   It was a clever idea. Mr. FOG decided that a hearty dish was needed and made a nice beef stew, without peas, since the Laird does not like peas.  He added celery instead, to have some green in the dish.

The new wedding gifts arrived just in time. When cooking rice, one should have a lid on the pot  to help keep in the steam in. Mr. FOG has had to use a plate as lid when cooking in  the Vinings Mountain Castle kitchen and neededing medium sized pots.  The lids apparently were lost. 

The Laird outdid himself in the decorations of the great hall of Vinings Mountain Castle.  An escutcheon commemorating 84 years of movie history was hung on the great door to greet guests, silver and gold streamers were hung from the rafters, and fine paper napkins with movie decals were given to the guests.    Sir Phillip of Country Place, Earl Tom the Younger, Dan the Dragon Slayer and his betrothed Lady Anna the Almost a Duffy joined those already at Vinings Mountain Castle.

Nurse Sherry had an Oscars’ evening game to test the guests’ skill and luck in predicting the winning films for each category.   A bottle of fine wine was to be the grand prize.    A near tragedy occurred when the blank bollots could not be found; and apparently Mr. FOG was the culprit.  Mr. FOG had been working and had co-mingled the ballots with his papers which were in his briefcase.  A clever Nurse Sherry thouhgt of where the ballots might be.  She dutifully scored the ballots to assure fairness. 

 Surprisingly, the men took the top three spots, and perhaps more surprisingly Mr. FOG won.  Under Nurse Sherry’s tutelage, he has been watching television shows he would not otherwise watch, such as the Bachelor and the Apprentice.  On last week’s episode he outguessed Nursed Sherry on which bachelorette would stay.    His luck held for the Oscars and he won.    Most of the guests expected Nurse Sherry, who follows the movies and the lives of the rich and famous though her magazine subscriptions to win.    She likely held back so that a guest could have the coveted bottle of wine.  A good time was had by all.

The Duke and Duchess of St. Simons had their St. William church bulletin and he Laird was on the payer list.  The Laird and Nurse Sherry wish to thank all who have them in their prayers.  Judi and Tom, friends of Mr. Fog who are also battling cancer had good news.  The chemo treatments have apparently helped her with her lung cancer.  Please think them in your payer intentions.

Mr. FOG is back in Asheville.  His bottle of wine is hopefully safe at Vinings Mountain Castle. 

Maid of the Mist will keep you up to date on any important cancer news.  Mario goes for chemo treatement #3 tomorrow.

BEHIND THE WHEEL

A protective father wanted to make sure his son was not a risk to himself or others when behind the wheel.  With Mr. FOG riding shotgun, the Laird has driven several times this week .  Mr. FOG opined that his Lordship drives well enough and perhaps better than many in Atlanta. 

Foolishly, Mr. FOG thought that the Laird’s driving would be reminiscent of when a sixteen year old    Lordling Mario first got his learners permit.  At that time, he and FOG practiced shifting gears from a standstill going up a hill.  The young Laird did this until he could do it smoothly.   

Reliving this memorable chapter of Mario’s childhood was not meant to be.   Mario could not drive  as a result of the leg surgery, not a loss of driving skills.  Now that the wound has healed, he can drive himself safely, on most to many days, as long as the cancer symptoms or medications are not acting up. 

Mario did drive leaning to one side to ease the cancer pain on his right hip and leg.  Also there appears to be less sensitivity in his foot/leg in applying the car’s break.  He adjusted for this by allowing more time to stop and going at lower speeds.   His reflexes and motor skills in moving his leg to accelerate and stop the car were perhaps slower but he compensated and kept the foot ready to stop the car, suddenly , if needed.  In short, Mr. FOG found nothing to criticize; and this does not happen often.  Still he would advise that the Laird not drive on days he does not feel well, avoid rush hours, and err on the side of caution until his motor skills are back to normal.

This driving exercise scared Mr. FOG, realizing that the shoe may be on the other foot sooner than one would think.  The Laird may someday tell Mr. FOG that he may be getting too old and feeble to drive and take his car keys away.  Mr. FOG decided that if this happens, then the Laird or Nurse Sherry will have to become Mr. FOG’s chauffeur.  It only seems fair.

On the cancer front, the good week was not as good as last time.  The blood transfusion did not seem to help as much as was promised.  Also, there might have been some reaction to the  transfusion.  Mario has been having a cough, but no fever.  He does not feel bad, but not great. The Laird dilligently worked from home most of the week and went into the office on Friday.  The Laird, Nurse Sherry and Lady Jane had dinner on Wednesday, while Mr. FOG was off doing yoga and having dinner with friends.   

Next week, Mario is back at the Piedmont Hilton for Chemo #3 with Red Devil and his allies and the battle of Leg-ingrad continues.  Our spies have gone behind enemy lines and we should have a report on the casualties that the chemotherapy is inflicting on Ewing's Sarcoma. Maid of the Mist returns to Vinings Mountain Castle and Mr. FOG heads to Asheville for a week or so.  More on these and other topics soon.

CANCER CATCH-UP

Mr. FOG was graciously given the weekend off by the Laird, and is only just getting back to his duties. The needs of the household come first and a weekend off a close second.  Given these priorities, the blog had to wait.   This edition of the blog will get you up to speed on all that has happened in the lives of Lord, Nurse and Butler during the weekend. 

On Saturday, Lord, Nurse and Butler each did their own things.  Togetherness is a wonderful thing, but a little time apart helps us to appreciate our loved ones even more. 

Nurse Sherry was first out the door, a woman on a mission.  Not that she needs beauty treatments, but she got a deep tissue massage at Spa Sydell and her nails done.   Mr. FOG remembers that Lady Jane, the Laird’s mother, also has gone to this spa, which offers, wellness, relaxation, and pampering. Mr. FOG's favorite is Spa Jack Daniels also offering  relaxation and pampering, but perhaps not wellness, at a fraction of the price..

Nurse Sherry also ran various errands, including ordering an armoire. The Laird’s Valentine’s Day gift of the television prompted the need to have something to put it on.  While Vinings Mountain Castle does not have a true dressing room or boudoir  for the new piece of furniture, space was created in the bedroom.    It is funny how one gift can lead to another.  A special thanks to Tom D. the younger, for meeeting the deliver people.

 Nurse Sherry and Lord were lucky to find that their bedroom suite was still available, and the Laird was especially lucky to get two nice Valentine's gifts, or perhaps the armoire is really for both.  Nurse Sherry-Vanna shows our Television Armoire ensemble in the photo.. 

The Laird spent his day off with a long-time friend Jay B. The men went to see a new movie, Safe House, which was only OK.  As an aside, Shelter, seen by Lord, Nurse and Butler was  not liked by the trio.  

The men returned to Vinings Mountain Castle to watch Florida take on Arkansas.

Jay added his signature to the Gator Hope Chest, while Mario looks on. 


There is still room on the chest top for a couple more small signatures, but we may soon have to use the sides. 

Not to be outdone, Mr. FOG had a nice gourmet dinner club evening with long-time friends from a prior life. 

Suzanne, Mr. FOG’s culinary partner, and he were the hosts and the festivities were held at Suzanne’s place.  Suzanne and Mr. FOG  prepared a rack of lamb encrusted with mustard and bread crumbs, and served with a ratatouille and grilled vegetables.  Lois and Dave’ s appetizer was a most excellent mushroom tart with goat cheese. Martha prepared a great salad, with tart Granny Smith apples.The dessert, a Baba au Rhum, was brought by Kate and Dick.Mr. FOG, not a sweets' person but one who enjoys rum, had two servings of the Baba. A proud chef shows his creation which has a 16 ounces of rum.

Mr. FOG made it home well after his curfew, but Lord and Nurse were already asleep.  What they don’t know, won’t hurt FOG.

For the Sabbath, we tried the upscale Roman Catholic Holy Spirit which is close to Vinings Mountain Castle.  It is a Romanesque style church with cream colored plaster walls, carved wood highlights and nice stained glass windows.  We arrived early and partook of the beverages and doughnuts in the parish hall. It was a nice church community with many  families with children, elderly, and normal people.   It seemed like a by-gone piece of Americana.

St. Alphonsus

For those Catholics who like to leave church right after communion to beat the traffic, this strategy would not work well at Holy Spirit Church.  There were so many cars in the parking lot, that double parking was acceptable.  Holy Spirit also had policemen in the parking lot to help things along.  One police woman had the keys to move a double parked Mercedes, allowing a blocked car to leave.  It seemed to Mr. FOG that this church catering to well-heeled Catholics, offers police valet parking. 


Mr. FOG liked the Holy Spirit more because it was a more traditional service, with a good organ, choir and altar boys in red cassocks and surpluses.  It reminded him of the Lithuanian parish, St. Alphonsus, in Baltimore, Maryland where he was an altar boy for many years.  Mr. FOG's church in Asheville is St. Lawrence Basilica in Asheville, pictured on the left.


 

After church, Mr. FOG left the Lord and Nurse alone so that they could enjoy their Sunday with more privacy. They are newlyweds after all and should have their alone time.  Mr. FOG ran some errands, and had dinner with Tom the lawyer.  Mr. FOG made it home much  earlier than the night before, well ahead of his curfew, and the newlyweds were still up.

Monday was back to the cancer grind.  While we hoped to avoid it, Mario needed a blood transfusion to help build his strength back up.  He got two units (pints) of type “O” positive.  This was done at Piedmont West and had a nice view of the Atlanta skyline during the three hours it takes to get this amount of blood. The Laird was able to work from a comfortable reclining chair.  We also got a nice surprise.  Tom and Judi, who are also battling cancer, were at Piedmont West receiving treatment.  The four got a chance to visit a bit.  The Laird treated Mr. FOG to lunch and both went home.

The upcoming week should be a better one for Mario as his energy levels go up.  Mario may start to drive this week, with Mr. FOG riding shotgun.  Mr. FOG has been playing chauffeur since late December.  Certainly after his surgery, Mario could not drive.  Mario’s leg has healed from the surgery, but his motor skills in his right leg and foot are not yet near normal.  Mr. FOG wants to be sure Mario can drive safely given his impaired leg and foot.  Also, given the chemotherapy, some days are not as good as others.  While Mr. FOG  is protective of his son; it is also important for Mario to get back to his normal life.  Mr. FOG riding shotgun will be reminiscent of when Mario was a teenager learning to drive and Mr. Fog or Lady Jane had to ride with him.  Hopefully it will better this time around.  Hopefully the Laird has not gotten too used to having a chauffeur.  

On Tuesday morning Mario had low grade fever, possibly a reaction to the transfusion, and he is taking oral anti-biotics and will work from home to reduce the risk of infection.

CHEMOTHERAPY #2 RECOVERY WEEK

It seems as if no sooner than you finish a chemo battle, lick your wounds, and get back a bit of strength; it is time to do battle again.

We are on Chemo #2 of a 21 day cycle. On days 1 through 5, the Laird is in full armor and at the hospital joined by Red Devil and his generals.   Days one and two are good war days for our warrior, but by days 3 through 5 the hard combat has taken its toll and he is battle weary.  Days 6 through about 12 are the recovery time.  The wounded, on both sides go back behind their lines to recover. Hopefully more of Ewing’s Sarcoma’s cells are dying than the toll this is taking on the Laird. 

Most of the bad symptoms, fatigue, nausea, fever, usually more pain, etc. occur during this recovery week.  Also our combatant, weakened by battle, is more likely to get an infection since his immune system has been weakened by the chemotherapy.  Days 13 through about 21 are the better days of this cycle.  Our cancer warrior is slowly gaining strength, and preparing for the next assault.  All too soon it seems, the Laird is back at Piedmont for another assault; not really fully recovered from the earlier battle(s).   

Recovery week #2 was about the same as for Chemo #1, but better in that we avoided a trip to the emergency room, but the symptoms and their timing were about the same.  The Laird had a fever again.  We kept it under control with ibuprofen, but that may have been the wrong strategy.  Mario’s oncologist said that the low grade fever is likely caused by intestinal bacteria interacting with a weakened intestinal cell lining.  It is not an “infection” as such, but an indication that his defenses are very weak.  Blood work showed that Mario had a very, very, very low white cell count and borderline red blood cell count.  Mario received, much as in the emergency room for Chemo # 1, an intravenous anti-biotic. On a positive note, this time rather than the emergency room.  We had the proceedure at the nice chemotherapy salon at Piedmont West with the wonderful view of the Atlanta skyline.  

For Chemo #3, Butler, Nurse and Laird will get an earlier appointment with the oncologist around Day # 9 to coincide with the start of the fever and get an earlier reading of the blood cell counts.  We are still trying to work out a strategy for the recovery week symptoms which seem to be fever and declining white blood cell counts.

Cards and Well Wishes

Bobbie, Jeff and Brandon; Jim and Ellen; Ann and Fritz, and Jeanne and Bill sent cards and well wishes.  Again we got a wonderful array of images and sentiments.     They included chickens swimming in a chicken soup swimming pool, a Diva complaining about high hospital bills, a tranquil seaside view, and inspirational messages from the Bible. 

Both Laird and Nurse appreciate the words of encouragement, humor and support.

VALENTINE'S DAY THREESOME

His Lordship had a better day today.  He got some work done, had less cancer chemo symptoms and prepared a nice dinner for the Valentine's Day
Threesome. 

 Life may be getting back to normal, but we are still being cautious this week, since infection is still a risk until the white blood cell count goes up.  Mario is still tired, but less cancer treatment symptoms.

Mr. FOG offered to leave the Laird and Nurse Sherry alone for a romantic Valentine's Day evening , but they said he should stay.  It sounds odd, but it worked out OK and a threesome of Lord, Nurse and Butler was not awkward.  The trio has been together off and on now for about 8 weeks.  Anyway, true love probably should be inclusive and not exclusive.

 The Laird cooked a nice pasta fagioli.  It was not this Rachael Ray recipe, but similar.

 http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/pasta-and-beans-pasta-e-fagioli-recipe/index.html

His Lordship prepared the dish in a cast iron skillet, a new wedding present--thanks to whomever gave it--and it was delicious.  Mr. FOG likes cast iron.  It is a heathier to cook in cast iron.   Mr. FOG contributed some Terra Chips, fresh rosemary from his garden and a home made flat bread.  Nurse Sherry had a tapenade and a Coppola wine.  It all made for avery nice meal for the trio.

The Laird gave Nurse Sherry a hand bag from Tory Burch, a designer Mr. FOG never heard of, but that doesn't say much.   Mr. FOG lives in his own world, lucky he knows Vera Wang, so no reason he should know of Tory Burch, across is her picture (not sure how old) , and below a  link to her bio.  It' s a very nice hand bag that should last a long time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tory_Burch

Nurse Sherry gave the Laird paper for Valentine's Day, a very nice card and a piece of paper.  Paper is the traditional gift for the first year one is married, so the gift seemed appropriate.  Perhaps it was a do it yourself origami kit???  The Laird liked the card and seemed happy with the piece of paper. 

 

 

Upon  closer inspection, the paper was a receipt for a 39 inch television set, to be picked up.

RED DEVIL WEIGHT WATCHERS

Mr. FOG made it back to Vinings Mountain Castle late Sunday night and was back at his duties early on Monday morning.  His Lordship went to the oncologist to get a white cell booster injection .  The doctor also took a blood sample and the Laird was near normal levels.  During this second chemo, his Lordship is having a rougher time.  He is experiencing more of the typical cancer treatment ailments and new ones not seen in round #1.  Suffice to say that the cancer war is hard and the battles may not be getting any easier.  We shall see.  Mario  is doing better, but had a rough weekend and is slowly improving.  The Laird was able to work a bit from home today.  A good sign.

Mario thanks all our gentle readers for the gifts, cards and well wishes.  Lady Jane gave his Lordship a fishing lure making kit, so that Mario can craft his own lures with his house's royal colors of orange and blue.  Team Epic gifted him a spiffy Bose headset and Josh B., a U of F travel mug.

Josh B.  also gave Mario a U of F shirt.  Not the be outdone, Jordan went across the pond and presented Mario with a soccer shirt from Manchester United.


To keep the Laird healthy, Chris and Jenn gave him some sweet smelling germ killers to help combat the hospital smells.

Many cards and well wishes arrived while Mr. FOG was away and he has enjoyed these almost as much as the Laird and Nurse Sherry.  Below are the latest round. 

 Both Lord and Nurse also appreciate the gift card from the Stempers and Winters as a First Valentine's Day treat for the newly weds.

Red Devil Weight Loss Program

Mr. FOG has observed  that his Lordship io is losing weight.  Mario's  cancer treatments appear to have the wonderful benefit of also being a weight loss regimen.   His pants fit loosely and the trousers hidden in the back of the closet or in storage boxes, once tight, are making a comeback.  While the Laird's Red Devil cancer weight loss program is not for everyone, it does  achieve results.  It is a simple twenty one day cycle.  You can eat anything you want on any of the days , but for four days of the cycle you have to have a Red Devil intra-venous drip.  You appetite is suppressed, one has funny smells and tastes and you feel like throwing up for many of the 21 days.  No wonder the pounds just magically melt away.   

This triggered the memory that as a little boy  Mr. FOG was over weight and it was due to motherly love, not glutany.  After Boy FOG had his tonsils removed, his mother complained to the doctor about a loss of appetite.  Of course the doctor prescribed an appetite stimulant to please the mother.   It was a  motherly and doctorly thing to do, but horribly misguided.   This "noble" deed caused   Boy FOG to gain  too much weigh, going from normal to fat.  The young FOG went from averrage boy sizes to buying the husky boys sizes for at least a few years. 

You may recall from your own childhood that children are not usually nice to other children, especially those that are different.  They find faults, real or  imagined.  Freckles, crooked teeth, and of course weight are all fair game to tease and make fun of.  Porky Pig FOG lasted for  few years until puberty, when Pre-teen FOG decided that a chubby little boy might be said to be cute.  An overwqeight  pre-teen is not cute, but fat.  Also Young man FOG wanted to play the dating game, and the fat kids weren't allowed to play.  So Young Man FOG lost the weight, and as Scarlett O'Hara, vowed never to be fat again.  Mr. FOG is bald now, but he was never been fat again.  

We need to take the things life gives us with good humor.  Be it weight, cancer or whatever, and deal with it.  Mr. FOG has plenty of good things to offset the bad, and life has a way of balancing things out. 

 

ASHEVILLE NEWS OF THE WEIRD

                                 

While his Lordship is in the hospital, Mr. FOG thought that this was a good time to check on his Asheville home and cat to make sure that all was well . 

Since the Laird is being looked after by Nurse Sherry, Lady Jane the Lordship’s mother, and has a countless entourage of earls, viscounts, duchesses, common folk, plus hospital staff; it was a good time to be away.  Hence, no cancer news except that as of Saturday noon time the Lord and Nurse Sherry are back at Vinings Mountain Castle.  No blood transfusion was needed.  He is tired after all the cancer war-making.  However all is well, and he is glad to be home.  Nurse Sherry is providing TLC, which should help him gather his strength.  When Mr. FOG returns to Vinings Mountain Castle on the morrow,  he will share a fuller cancer update if there something new to report.

Mr. FOG does have Asheville news for our faithful readers.  Mr. FOG's cat was well and on a future slow cancer news day may share a cat story that sure will please the animal lovers.  However the big story today is that Asheville has snow.    Below are some pictures of Mr. FOG's little house built in 1928 and back yard in the snowfall.  Mr.  FOG added the picket fence, roses, rebuilt the stone wall and is working on the slate patio in the back.  Old houses, as old people do require more up keep.  For the houses it is tuck pointing brick work and for the old people it is a heart by-pass.  With some care and luck, both still keep on working for many years.

Besides the house/snow pictures,  Mr. FOG does have a semi- true news story from the Asheville Tattler, that may be of interest or amuse for our readers. 

THE ASHEVILLE TATTLER

(we tell all and what we don't know we make up)

APPLE BAG MYSTERY SOLVED

 by johnny appleseed

A couple of weeks ago The Tattler reported a mysterious attack on a bag of apples at 14 Fulton Street.  Tom Lawyer, an Atlanta resident and visitor, had left a bag of apples unopened in a box on the kitchen floor.  Eager to have an apple upon his return to Atlanta, he discovered the bag of apples had been opened by tearing cuts, such as an animal with sharp teeth would make.  At least one apple was partially consumed.  So disgusted was he, that he threw the entire bag of apples away.

He called Mr. FOG, the resident of 14 Fulton to express his concern and warning that rats had infested the Asheville home.  Although Mr. FOG was at first insulted by the accusation, after much discussion of the physical evidence and time of events, the men surmised that rats could not have perpetrated this daring apple bag caper. 

Tom Lawyer had carelessly left the bag of apples unattended in the back of his minivan while loading the vehicle.  Ample time for a skillful animal criminal to enter the minivan and escape unnoticed.  The minivan was parked in the driveway near an old rotting tree known to be a popular hangout of the neighborhood squirrels.   Also there had been no droppings or other physical evidence in the kitchen to suggest that rats had infested the house.

 



Vincenzo Squirrelini
AKA Don Walnut
Asheville Animal Control  Mug Shot  # 3290786



Suspicion, immediately focused on Vincenzo  Squirrelini, also known as Don Walnut.   A well know nut thief, and a "capo de tutti di capi" , he and his mafia family of squirrels live in the trees in and around Fulton Street.  (file photo).  They have been known to take nuts, scamper on roofs, and show no fear of Fulton Street residents.  Mr. FOG has had on-going feud with these culprits who steal the bird food and eat FOG’s heirloom tomatoes.  Animal wardens questioned Don Walnut and his associates and also searched the mafia family tree lair of, but found no physical evidence linking Don Walnut or his rodent family to the apple crime.

To everyone’s surprise, the apple bag mystery was solved last night, finally exonerating Don Walnut and his rodent gang of the apple bag caper.  Unable to sleep, in the early morning hours of Thursday September 16, Mr. FOG, alone in the house, heard noises on the back porch.  Thinking animals were attacking his Flower of Bethlehem bulbs stored there,  he turned on the back porch light to scare the intruder away, but no animal was there.  Instead he heard noise again and it was in the dark kitchen with him.  His heart seemed to skip a beat; perhaps Tom Lawyer  was right “I do have rats.” , or something worse.  He turned and saw a very long thick  rat-like tail peeking from behind the refrigerator.  He bravely armed himself with a broom and prepared to do battle with the rat-like intruder.  When the intruder turned un-afraid and baring his sharp teeth; Mr. FOG saw that it was not a rat, but Opie O’Possum.



Opie O'Possum
Asheville Animal Control Mug Shot # 7634590



Opie is the teenage son of Ma and Pa O’Possum who live under the porch of the house next to 14 Fulton Street.  Apparently the lithe teenage possum with his sharp claws was able to cling to the partially unsecured window screens and squeeze through a narrow opening in the half-open window and into the kitchen.

After a brief battle of wills, Mr. FOG was able to get the juvenille delinquent animal intruder out of the house.  Mr. FOG plans to better secure the windows and screens of the residence.   Animal wardens warn the public not to take the law into their own hands.  When faced with animal criminals, the public needs to call Animal Control personnel who have both the experience and training in dealing with these situations.  Opie O’Possum was taken into custody, but was later released by Animal Children Family Services to Ma and Pa O’Possum until animal social workers can evaluate the home situation and complete their report.  The O'Possum's tree home had been recently cut down and the family was forced to live under a porch to adapt to an increasingly  urban setting.  Surely this did not contribute to a good home life for the O'Possums.

Mr. FOG is much relieved to have the apple bag mystery solved.   He was scared, but saw that Opie was just a confused teenage opossum.  Hopefully this experience has taught both opossum and man a lesson.  Mr. FOG will keep his yard gates closed if not locked and be more careful with his windows and screens.  He has to remind himself that Fulton Street was theirs first.  The feud however will continue the squirrel mafia gang.

CANCER QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Red Devil and allies began their second offensive against the evil Ewing’s Sarcoma who has taken over Mario’s Leg-ingrad. Mario is back at Piedmont Hospital Hilton, the attack’s command and control center, for the next four days or so.

Before the attack commenced Lord, Nurse and Butler had an office visit with Mario’s oncologist.  Here is what they learned, mostly good news but it is early in what could be a long war.. 

·         Question 1:  Around day 11 of the first chemo treatment, Mario’s white blood cells dropped horribly and he had a high fever.  How can this be avoided in this second chemo?

Answer:  Mario will receive a white cell booster shot earlier than was given last time and  this should avoid a reoccurrence.  Here is a link to the drug. 

http://www.neulasta.com/patient/howcanhelp/chemotherapy-treatment-neulasta.html

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·         Question 2:  Mario’s pain has lessened in his leg/foot.   Is this a positive indication that the tumor is responding to the chemotherapy?

Answer:  Less pain is a good sign.  It probably is a positive indication that the chemotherapy is shrinking the tumor.  An examination of the area disclosed tenderness and less of a hard mass.  This suggests that Red Devil and allies are killing many of Ewing's Sarcoma cells/soldiers.  

·         Question 3:   Would physical therapy now, help me recover my motor skills?

Answer:  Probably it is too early for physical therapy.  Hopefully the shrinking of the tumor will help to improve lost motor skills.  Physical therapy now will probably do little or nothing.  Best to walk and keep active.  This should be good for now.

·         Question 4:  Mario has a work commitment that has become a personal goal around Chemo treatment #4.   Given this, which are our best option(s) in changing chemo treatments  dates to accommodate this?

Answer:  It is always best to keep the treatments on schedule, i.e. 21 days apart.  They certainly can’t be done earlier.  If this commitment is important, the best option is to delay the start of treatment number 4 by two weeks to accommodate your schedule.  The health risk of doing this is probably very low.

·         Question 5:  When and how will we assess if the chemotherapy is working, and if so, how well?  Will we revisit the liver lesions then also? 

Answer:  It makes no sense to continue with chemotherapy if it is not working.  Before Chemo treatment #3 we will run another PET scan.  This should tell us if the tumor has shrunk and perhaps also eradicated the liver lesions.  If working, we will continue with chemotherapy for at least a total of 6 to 8 sessions.

·         Is radiation or perhaps surgery is the best next step:?   When do you think Mario  would need to make this decision?

Answer:  The chemotherapy has to do its job first.  If radiation or surgery is introduced into the treatment, this likely will not occur before June since around this time we will be at treatment number 6.  There is time to consider options and get more information on the results of the chemotherapy.  The results acheived will direct what are the next best steps.