18 July 2023
I certainly seem to lead an interesting life. In just this year alone, my home flooded on 22 April, I got a cancer diagnosis on 23 April, and today, my Bismarck palm in the front yard was struck by lightning. It was the second palm in the front struck by lightning (August 2020) and the second flood (from my dishwasher that required all new flooring and all new cabinets – August 2020). Certain months seem to be more interesting than others.
I had finished lunch and was relaxing in bed with my iPad when I heard an approaching thunderstorm. It turned out to be an intense electrical storm. I got up to turn off the computer and was heading into the kitchen when a bolt of lightning hit and a millisecond later was a burst of thunder. I knew it had to be very close and in the front yard and the only really tall structure was my Bismarck palm.
It almost died last year and it had finally come back and seemed to be thriving even though there were several holes in the trunk where iguanas and birds had taken up residence.
I peaked out the window and saw some fibers along the trunk.
Fortunately, it didn’t catch fire!
I assume the tree will die. I suspect it’ll cost a pretty penny to remove but fortunately the neighbor across the streets tends to all my palms. He was surprised it survived last year. The real question is did the lightning travel underground and kill the Queen palm next to the front fence? The bolt certainly played with the electronics in the house. My alarm system defaulted to the original setting. Previously, I silenced the beeps when you open or close a door and now it is back to beeping on door openings.
I’ll miss this palm. It provides great shade. I raised it from a 50 gallon container when it was only about 5 feet tall. Tom Green purchased it for me on his license as a palm dealer from a local nursery and he helped me unload it and put it in the ground. Everyone comments on it as they walk pass the house.
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Holy Cross sent me a test result yesterday about the pathology of my lymph nodes. Dr. Burgers sampled three lymph nodes in my arm pit. All three were negative for cancer. I’ll find out more about the test on Thursday when I meet with her about the surgery and when she checks on the drain. I admit that my lymph nodes under the left arm are very sore and tender. I also seem to have some swelling above what was the left breast.
I’m not sure when I became familiar with lymph nodes. I suspect it was as a kid being examined by Dr. Clark, our family physician in Morton. He would often feel up around my throat, under my ears and down my neck and under my arm pits and ask if I were sore. If I replied yes, he would tell me my lymph nodes were infected.
Over the years, I learned to check them myself when I was not feeling well and the nodes most sensitive were the ones in the arm pit region.
You’ve probably heard that humans have a closed circulatory system: the heart pumps blood away from the body via arteries which lead to arterioles which lead to capillaries which lead to venues which lead to veins which lead back to the heart. That’s pretty spot on but it doesn’t address the lymphatic system which drains tissues and then feeds the fluids back into the circulatory system. The lymph system is an open system, not closed. So technically, if you are addressing the circulatory and lymphatic system, we don’t have a closed system of circulation.
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Fortunately for me, prior to the electrical storm I managed to make Mother’s recipe for fudge.
I watched her make this a million times and there’s something comforting about making it, particularly on a rainy day. The yellow you see is the butter that I greased the dish with so you can get the fudge out without it sticking to the pan.
It’s a pretty simple recipe with sugar, chocolate powder, milk, vanilla extract, and I add a little Karo syrup and peanut butter and regular butter. She would remove it from the heat when it reached soft ball stage and let it cool a little then whip it until it began to set up. I’ve tasted better and creamier fudges but this is my preferred texture and taste and probably just because of nostalgia of cooking it with my Mother.
OK, I admit. I’m tired of floods, tired of cancer and tired of lightning strikes. I’d like my excitement in the form of trips to exotic locations in the U.S. I need to get back into the woods and recalibrate. Sadly, I’ll be more than a little constrained for the next 15 weeks with recovery from surgery and the beginning of chemotherapy.
Stay tuned!