January:
My blog was resurrected after a near death experience with an ill-fated WordPress upgrade. I got approached by a stranger and asked if I was Duncan’s owner. I wrote three real letters, with paper and ink and stamps and everything. I sold a piece of art to a mysterious dark-haired stranger. Everybody at work got layoff notices, but we were told to keep it secret because they might be revoked.
February:
The bus strike continued through the coldest of the cold snaps. I hurt my back. GC and I started getting up before dawn each morning to follow the murder of crows.
March:
Barbie turned fifty. I lost the Tofu Challenge. We played board games in public. A lump was found in my breast. My layoff notice was not revoked and my 18-year job came to an end. I made a sock monkey.
April:
I played a lot of Farm Town on Facebook. I became a slightly disgruntled former employee. A single sneeze changed my life. I reflected upon my mercifully short marriage and other romantic bumblings. GC and I got a community garden plot.
May:
The lump in my breast was diagnosed as cancer. It changed everything. It took me awhile to wrap my head around it. People were really kind to me. Debbie and Bonnie and Grace came over and created a garden of hope for me. GC and I planted our vegetable garden. GC was my rock.
June:
I continued to wait to find out if I was going to die. There was good news and bad news. GC and I went to the Naked Bike Ride. I did my last volunteer shift at the Shepherds of Good Hope. My severe back pain got a diagnosis. The cancer surgery got postponed because of it. Then I had the surgery and was very, very happy.
July:
I got tired of waiting. I contemplated my own mortality. I revealed the meaning of life. GC and I celebrated our first anniversary. I started using a wheelchair. I got the cancer pathology report. We saw Astronaut Love Triangle.
August:
I had another operation to remove the rest of the cancer. We took up geocaching. We went to the Folk Festival. I was given a gift I love.
September:
I found out I wouldn’t need chemotherapy. I had spine surgery. I started walking again. My son grew up. My back incision got infected and I was told to lie down for six weeks.
October:
I had radiation treatments every day. We celebrated my birthday at a gorgeous cottage lent to us by kind friends. My great-niece, Chelsea, was born.
November:
I wrote a novel! GC and I adopted two lovebirds – Billie and Lester – from the Humane Society. I bought another new toaster.
December:
I bought a little art. I did a lot of contract work. I met and fell in love with my great niece. I had another MRI, to find out why I was still in pain. I whined. I won some luxury yarn! I got some wonderful Christmas gifts, including a Kindle. I knit and tinked. I dealt with some long overdue family stuff. The year flashed before my eyes. On New Year’s Eve I purchased Astronaut Love Triangle’s first piece of visual art, while celebrating beer’s 8,009th birthday.
Postscript:
Also, while I didn’t blog about it yet, for fear of jinxing it, I’m very happy to report that over the past two weeks I’ve noticed a dramatic improvement in my pain and my ability to walk. I went cross-country skiing yesterday and it felt good. I’ve stopped all the painkillers, and, for the past week, I’ve only been taking one time-release anti-inflammatory a day instead of two. So maybe I did get my wish, which was to wrap up the cancer and the spine problems in 2009!
Happy New Year everybody! Thank you for reading, for commenting, and for being part of my life throughout 2009. As GC said, “For such a bad year, it’s been a pretty good year.”
I have even higher hopes for 2010.
I wish you a wonderful 2010, filled with love, joy and good health!!!
Super about the pain reduction!
I just love your blog!
Lo
Wow. What a year. Here’s to 50 more.
crazy stuff!
I sincerely hope the cancer and pain are a thing of the past. Keep up the good work and Happy 2010!
Wow – so many challenges. How wonderful your pain has subsided and your health is good! I hope 2010 exceeds all your expectations. Thank you for your writing. I enjoy following your blog…it is funny, informative and inspiring. Happy New Year!
Hey, that’s great news about feeling better. I like the format of your year-in-review post. Mine would mostly be full of “told self I wanted to clean the house, but didn’t.” Some day I will…
(I’m assuming there was no Blogger’s Breakfast this morning due to the proximity to new year’s day. We should schedule one soon!)
– RG>
Best wishes for 2010!
I really enjoy reading your blog.
Here’s to a year of good things, like yarn, fixing socks, Duncan snuggles, great music, food, and art, and more!
Wow Zoom , you’ve had the biggest (and really not in a good way) year of anybody I know. And you’ve handled it all with such elegant grace and wit.
Sincerely hope 2010 brings you good health and happiness
Happy New Year Zoom! Thank you for all the wonderful blog entries. Here’s to your health and a pain and stress free 2010.
Yay to feeling better! Yay to good friends! Yay to living your life and not letting it boss you around, no matter what ideas it may have! Yay to the end of 2009!
Looking forward to 2010.
I think GC got it right. Thanks for sharing this in cybertopia. Happy New Year, Zoom!
If 2009 was the year of cataclysm, may 2010 be the year of renewal. All the best to you!
Very perceptive of GC and well-told by you.
You had quite an interesting and challenging, yet amazing and rewarding year! I hope you get everything you could wish for in 2010!
cross-country skiing – WOW, great progress.
All the best to you and yours for 2010
Excellent. I’ve been wondering about the pain killers, but didn’t want to ask. And I just want to send a big old “You Rock” to GC for being such a rock when he’s really such a softie and for being such a fine example of a mensch.
One thing about 2009 it has set the stage for this year to be better
It seems I have been using ‘we set the bar low’ way too much in the last few months.
I look forward to seeing you soar with your renewed mobility and health.
Hey, I just thought of you today, because I noticed there were millions of crows over at Dow’s Lake and CarletonU this evening. In the past I would have thought they were ravens but based on the raven/crow discussions on your blog in past few months I assume they were crows. I was in Lot 6 at the north end of the CU campus near the residences, it was cold and bleak and deserted and the crows were just everywhere, in the trees surrounding the parking lot, walking around in groups, and flying in formation over Dow’s Lake. Awesome sight! Unfortunately I didn’t have a camera with me, otherwise I could have sent you some pics, knowing that you like crows so much.
Anyway, if you want to catch the crows again this winter I think CU Lot 6 around 5 PM may be a good place to be.
Best wishes for a great new year with good health and an interesting job and no back pain!
Zoom . . . I admire you. Thank you for writing this blog. And my warmest wishes for a 2010 filled with health, adventure and love.