Some days you just don’t know where you will find yourself.

In a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife or in a piano – needing someone to grab you by the scruff of the neck because your fat butt won’t let you turn around.  Yup.  That’s me.  Or wait, no that’s Precious.

We are home again.  One more three month trip, one more set of tests and results. Before her MRI, we ran into Dr. Cochrane – the big reason we are still here.  He is the best neurosurgeon we could have wished for.  I gave him a big northern hug and wished him a great year.  Ruby did an impromptu skipping and jumping dance.  Without warning.  Without a word.  It was very “mime”.  He clapped for her and with a huge grin went off to save another life.

Another big top to bottom (1.5 hour) scan of Ruby revealed nothing unexpected or maybe I should word that differently.  ALL CLEAR!!!!  YAHOOOO!!!  We didn’t expect to see anything and we were chuffed to have that expectation exceeded.  Nothing.  Nothing that didn’t belong there anyway.  That’s a strange thing to say though.  Maybe cancer did belong there when this all started.   For anyone with a brush or an experience with cancer, either as a survivor or support, there is so much loaded emotion and growth through the experience.  It isn’t fair that it happens to children or to anyone at all for that matter but there is a blessing in the pain.  As a family we are closer and more connected to every moment (except when I’m obsessed with following the Yukon Quest).   In a very exciting way, Ruby continues to change my life.  No offence Ruby but if you could please just start doing these “Mom, you need to straighten up and fly right”s with maybe…..a letter or….a sharp elbow to the ribs.  Needless to say all of this puts me on a path that I’m focusing on rather intently now.  Nutrition, researching people like chrisbeatcancer.com and keeping my spirit clear and positive.   This in turn helps her, helps her little wild brother and their overworked much loved dad.  Obviously it helps me.

This trip we had a 2 hour break to spare between appointments so Ruby and I rushed up the road from the hospital and we ran as far as we could through VanDusen Gardens.  Just as we got to the end of our time and had to start the quick walk back….we landed right at the edge of the Medicine Wheel.  We walked the perimeter and I followed Ruby’s lead  thanking every direction marker. Then we went to the centre where our little rose quartz crystals joined other offerings in the middle.  We both walked back with a lightness and a real sense of blessing.

These crises bring gifts.  So many gifts.  Gifts of new family; a home base in Vancouver with the most amazing couple I could have every hoped to be crashing with; kindred spirits Stan and Barbara and just so many gifts of random kindness.  We work with healers such as Tom Smith, Laura Cook and Susanne the chiropractor in New West; they somehow get our mechanics sorted with light touches here and there, spirit check ins and putting the power back in our hands to heal.

We have friends from up north with a son in BC Childrens walking the path through lymphoma.  Eric Morin and his family are in need of support energy-wise so if you have a spare prayer, please send it on behalf of them.  They are an extraordinary family of great warmth and ready love.

I’m feeling a bit dried out writing wise.  I’ve been working on my first Marigold story for Ruby and my next step is illustrating it all.  Badly of course but it will be….charming?   I’m taking things on slowly again but cautiously, careful not to over-commit and under-deliver.  Hung out with my recording buddies David and Dieter this weekend and had such a laugh working through the next two Blues @ the Junction shows. http://junctionjam.ca/blues-the-junction/introduction/

Ruby is enjoying slow livin’.  That’s like slow food right?  It involves many hours of gluing and cutting and colouring, homeschooling and brother tolerating.  We’ve had a good solid cold snap and we are actually enjoying the challenge to not do each other in on days we can’t run around outside.  Ruby’s sensitivity to cold limits her to nothing below -20 or so.  Once it drops below that, the time it takes to get ready to go out is greater than the time it takes for her to get cold and come back in.  So…..in her words “I like Garfield better.”  She’s such a little bookworm, I’m so grateful she hasn’t had visual impairment from her surgeries and treatment.  As for her hearing, we are all damaged from the supersonic powers of Holling.  It all evens out.  We are trying to teach him to direct his superpower for good.  So far, it’s an effective weapon against things like “no, no more tv” or…..”sit down and eat your food with your hands not your feet” or …”please put the chainsaw down.  We already have too much wood.”.   March 20th can’t come too soon for him.  5 is a big birthday.  Don’t tell him but I got him a skateboard.  If I get a chance I will try to record his impromptu concerts about rainbow bridges and wide ocean crossings on said rainbow bridges.

I suppose that’s about it!  Remember that time in July before the trip south for an MRI and I dropped a paint can on my head and gave myself a concussion?  I thought that was pretty exciting.  This trip, just before I had to get in the car to drive 2 hours to the airport after 2 feet of snow (halfway plowed, the other half forgot),  I poked my eye out with a cactus in the middle of winter in the Yukon.  How’s THAT?!

Here’s a couple of pics for fun, one from Christmas with the GG’s and the Stuffy Flood of 2015.