Letters From Second Peninsula

Number 9

I’ve been in family hibernation for this last week as we’ve welcomed our children and grandchildren from Ontario. It’s been a year since we’ve had a visit with our grandsons.  

The old saying, “laughter is the best medicine,” is certainly true for me, but having a visit with my family has proved equally beneficial. We rented a house for them just down the road so we could be as Covid safe as possible. Everyone did a daily rapid test and came inside wearing masks for the first few days, but full disclosure, I told them they could remove their masks as my need to hug them and be with them overpowered my anxiety. Just as the steroids fuel my hunger and rob me of my sleep, my love for my children and grandchildren overwhelms me, and I lose all rational control.

I continued to have many hours when exhaustion overwhelmed me, and I had to sleep, despite not wanting to miss a moment with them. The happy shouts of the boys jumping off the dock or falling off the kayaks into the frigid ocean waters was the most soothing background music I could imagine. I cry whenever I think about their departure tomorrow. A week isn’t long enough, and I hope my daughter’s promise to stay for at least two or three weeks next summer is realized. There is also talk of a visit at Christmas, but I know that’s not a great time to travel. 

After this week, I have only one more weekly treatment before starting a year and a half of immunotherapy. I don’t know all the details yet, but I know that at least three days out of every month will have to be put aside for blood tests and the injection. Unfortunately, I will continue to have steroids before the injections, but at least that’s only once a month and not weekly. 

As much of the world suffers immeasurable loss and distress from an overheated planet and the resulting fires, we have enjoyed magnificent weather here. The days are warm, and the evenings and early mornings are cool. The ocean has been very cold, measuring between 12 and 16 degrees Celcius, but the grandkids have frolicked in it despite the chill.

Fishing for mackerel off the dock has been another favourite activity, and our grandsons managed to catch a great haul. We had so many that we were able to share them with friends. Tony and I were the only ones who ate them as our grandsons watched in fascination and horror. No one else would take a bite. I’m of the opinion that any fish that has just been caught tastes delicious. Fresh mackerel on the bbq for breakfast is a treat for us.