a brain radiation day off

Good Mornin’, Uncle Remus! Am I hallucinating!

Remus: "Patrick how long we known each other?"

Self: (smiling) as long as I can remember ol' friend.

Remus: "Then I ain’t no hallucination and you just sit down here with that cup of coffee. You got two days off from brain radiation for the weekend and it’s a

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay

My, oh my what a wonderful day!"

Self: no question about that! I guess you saw me standing and smiling at the kitchen wall calendar. With the help of Patti’s parents yesterday I was able to accomplish 3 vists/outings to my wife’s care facility for the week. We all played trivial pursuit in the facility courtyard as a teasing breeze played through the gazebo.  It was also a chance to combine fun and check out any effects on ‘trivial memory’ after radiation.

Remus: "This morning mean anything else to you?"

Self: Come on now, that’s a no brainer. Raised in Maryland the third Saturday of May, it’s the Preakness Stakes.

Remus: "lung cancer is scary, let’s take a walk this Zipadeedoodah morning with your brain back to some memories in your laughing place"

I remember the ‘infield” at the Preakness was the ultimate “people’s party”. In  contrasted to the hoighty-toighty in the stands back in the 70’s it was a seafood version of Woodstock. BYOB, coolers, grills, tents … it was unique, the best party in the state. Amazing the whole era did not already erase itself.

I was there in 1973 and saw Secretariat break from last to first to win; he was the most majestic creature I have ever seen in motion. … Unlike the people in the stands and their field glasses, in the infield you crowd the fence banging on it, banging on each other and yelling and cheering.

Five years later in 1978 I watched one of horse racing’s legendary rivalries, Affirmed vs. Alydar. Though truth be told I had to pee so bad I had snuck behind the portable toilettes and was peeing on the fence when I looked up just as those two thundered by dueling neck to neck. There's a unigue  memory maybe I should have kept to myself. :)

Remus: It's YOUR laughing place, Patrick. “I prefers to think of it as thats the kind of day when you can't open your mouth Without a song jumping right out of it”.  

-- 

Patrick Leer

Health Activist:

Caregivingly Yours, MS Caregiver @ http://caregivinglyyours.blogspot.com/

My Lung Cancer Odyssey @ http://lung-cancer-survivor.blogspot.com/