Halloween, Plimouth Plantation and health updates

The girls had a great time on Halloween collecting more candy than they could ever eat. (Seriously, I think I found old candy from last Halloween at the back of my cupboard - Ew). Melanie posed as a veterinarian (her future career choice), wearing scrubs made by Beach Grammy, my old OT lab coat and Janet's old stethoscope. Kylie was a little kitty with a broken paw Dr. Mel was taking care of. They came up with the idea completely on their own.


This week, I accompanied Melanie's 3rd grade on a field trip to the Mayflower II and Plimouth Plantation. It was a beautiful fall day and we all had a good time. We've been a couple of times before, so most of the information we had learned in the past, but it was good to have a refresher. Melanie enjoyed listening to the Wampanoag woman tell stories inside the long house the best out of the whole trip (picture of the woman below holding the tomahawk).

Sitting on one of the beds aboard the Mayflower. Looks like comfy sleeping for 67 days

Listening to one of the "sailors"

Captain Jones' quarters

The bow of the Mayflower II

Melanie and some friends inside a Wetu (Wampanoag summer home)

Above: All the girls inside a mishoon - a hollowed out canoe (had to ask Melanie how to spell it) Below: Watching a member of the Wampanoag nation making a mishoon

Hearing about real tomahawks

An overview of Plimouth Plantation from the fort. That is Plymouth Bay out beyond the village


The girls sitting on a cannon inside the fort

Melanie had a bout of walking pneumonia that has seemed to go away after a dose of antibiotics. She felt fine, slept fine, ate fine, normal energy level, but just had a nasty cough. She ended the antibiotics yesterday, but I heard her cough this morning. Hope it was just the dry air.

My dad has had a setback with his cancer fight. They found some nodules on the outside of his lungs and now has to have more intense chemo (although the area in his abdomen looked better). The good thing about this round of chemo is he can take it orally, so no more weekly trips to KC for awhile. But it has way more side effects than he had before and now feels awful. He has the chemo one week on, one week off and just finished the first week. I hope this week off he is able to regain some of his strength and energy and get out of the house a little. He has a follow up appointment with his oncologist this week.

Mom has been doing ok, but unfortunately has a weak, hoarse voice. She has been to her doctor and an ENT and has had repeat MRIs. One of the MRIs shows an increase in the syrinx size and she has a neurosurgeon appointment this week to follow up on that. I wonder if the syrinx could be causing the hoarseness (pressing on a nerve), but the ENT seemed to think it was just reflux and she needed to rest her voice.

That's it for now. It's been a busy fall and we finally have a day without birthday parties or other social events to go to for the first time in several weeks. Time to start Christmas/birthday shopping!