Archive | May 2025

These are My Darkest Daylilies

May31

Aren’t they beautiful!

So, after blood draws and such, I’ve been bringing my granddaughter to my house so we can read about Oscar, the 11-year-old boy who survived the 1871 Great Chicago Fire. She was so absorbed in it that she read 3 chapters to me instead of two yesterday. We did an overnighter. We would always do them once a month, and I want to do that before I’m hospitalized, and then the 100 days start with constant care for me after the stem cell transplant. I don’t know when I will be able to see the kids after that.

She’s been reading other books — working on the bingo card for school —and on Monday, we can start the reading challenge at the library. I still want to sign her up for Barnes & Noble like I do every year, and HEB. She also read for her Girl Scout patch. We’ve been doing math, spelling words, and reading comprehension, and then we pick out one movie to watch afterward. We also fed the turtles the day before.

So next week I have 3 grueling days of testing, biopsy, etc, and so for June, I will have her on Tuesday and a sleepover and all day Wednesday.

We ended up going to the library yesterday and picked up 19 books for $15. They’re beautiful books too. I’m having my grandson overnight tonight and then all day Sunday, before the grueling Monday. But I have so much fun with the grandkids, and they love coming to my house, so if we can, he and I will go to the library too.

I’m still working on getting Protecting the White Bear ready for publication, and I’ve managed to write some more on Wolf Heir.

Okay, I’m off to reread Protecting the White Bear before I have dinner with the kids and bring my grandson home to spend the night and all the next day!

Have a super duper fun day!!

Terry

“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”

Connect with Terry Spear:

Website: http://www.terryspear.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/421434.Terry_Spear

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TerrySpearParanormalRomantics

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TerrySpear

Wilde & Woolly Bears http://www.celticbears.com

Playday with my Grandson Today!

May25

In between treatments and such and when I’m feeling well enough, I’m trying to see the grandkids before another hospitalization. I did that with my granddaughter last week and will on Wed and Fri coming up since I have no medical appointments and she’s out of school. We’ll be doing reading and math and having fun. Maybe trips to the pool, though I can’t get in and I need to stay out of the sun because of the chemo.

But my grandson is in daycare now full time, so I’m having him over for the day today. We’ll do fun worksheet activities, a stepping stone game for balance, maybe a kid’s exercise program, a nap, lunch, and an ice cream treat! Oh, and reading tons of books, of course.

I’m off to get some more proofing done on Protecting the White Bear before he’s dropped off.

Have a fun day too!

Terry

“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”

Connect with Terry Spear:

Website: http://www.terryspear.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/421434.Terry_Spear

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TerrySpearParanormalRomantics

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TerrySpear

Wilde & Woolly Bears http://www.celticbears.com

Chives in the Garden

May24

This one flowered. I planted two boxes full and they are doing great. They’re delicious on eggs and mashed or baked potatoes and a variety of other dishes.

I’ve been scheduled for the stem cell transplant for later in June. Yay! But I have to go through all kinds of chemo and get a new biopsy, replace my 2 line picc with a 3 line one (NOT looking forward to either), do all kinds of other rigorous testing, sulfa treatment for 10-12 hours one day and blood draws all day long that day, and then another day of sulfa treatment and then finally be admitted, another week of chemo, then do the stem cell transplant. Then no chemo after that while the stem cells hopefully begin to grow.

But it means constant trips to Houston once I’m released from the hospital for bloodwork and such for 100 days. I have to be with someone 24/7 to make sure I’m okay. So it’s not going to be a picnic.

In the meantime, I’m proofing Protecting the White Bear and hope to publish it before things get tooooooo wild.

Hope your day is filled with joy!

Terry

“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”

Connect with Terry Spear:

Website: http://www.terryspear.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/421434.Terry_Spear

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TerrySpearParanormalRomantics

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TerrySpear

Wilde & Woolly Bears http://www.celticbears.com

Another Giant Daylily in Bloom

May23

I love how they bloom all summer and through the fall.

Another long day at the hospital in Houston yesterday. It throws off the myriad of pills schedule I have to keep up with–can’t eat with these for two hours before or after, have to eat with these. Have to take these 12 hours apart.

I lost another 2 lbs. They say not to. Don’t diet. Don’t lose weight. But it’s impossible not to.

I’m off to run errands, and then I’ll dedicate the rest of the day to proofing Protecting the White Bear.

Hope your day is swell!

Terry

“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”

Connect with Terry Spear:

Website: http://www.terryspear.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/421434.Terry_Spear

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TerrySpearParanormalRomantics

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TerrySpear

Wilde & Woolly Bears http://www.celticbears.com

Fuchsia Salvia

May21

Hummingbirds, butterflies and bees love them!

Well, I’ve had two days of being at the hospital–which means, hours and hours and hours. They gave me an infusion to try to boost my immune system to fight this cold, like normal people have on Monday.

They’re starting me on cycle 3 of chemo on Thursday which means a bunch of more hours at the hospital in Houston. The good news is that the micro cancer cells in the bone marrow from cycle 1 went from 760 to 7 in cycle 2. Woohoo!

Today, my granddaughter is graduating from her 2nd grade. Afterwards, she can be off from school, so we’re doing our grandma-granddaughter special day. They don’t actually get out of school for good until Friday. I’m taking her to get chicken nuggets for lunch, a grocery run, and a trip to the ice cream parlor. Then we’ll go home and play games. I miss doing all the things we usually do together, our once-a-month sleepovers and all the other fun stuff.

Sunday, I’m having my grandson come over for the day, and I’ll take him to have ice cream too. He’s been wanting to stay overnight so bad. But I think we’ll do the day visit. We’ll read books and do fun activity sheets, eat 2nd breakfast, lunch, he can take a nap, I can take a nap, the dogs can take a nap, and then get up and do some more fun stuff. 🙂

Hope your day is going great!!!

Terry

“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”

Connect with Terry Spear:

Website: http://www.terryspear.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/421434.Terry_Spear

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TerrySpearParanormalRomantics

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TerrySpear

Wilde & Woolly Bears http://www.celticbears.com

Which Path Do You Take?

May17

The griffin’s way to the sky? The mole’s way underground? The wolf’s way through the woods?

So I was running fevers for 3 days. Just get them and then they’d go away for the rest of the day. The first time it was 100.6. Since I have Acute Myelogenous Leukemia, also called AML, which is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow, I need to go to the ER if I have a 100.4 temp or higher.

I couldn’t find the paperwork that said what temperature I needed to go in for, so I took a Tylenol for the aches, and it went away. The next day, it was only 100.3, and I saw the nurse for a blood draw. She told me I should have gone in, but then I needed a transfusion. And NOT to take Tylenol if I get a fever or it will mask it. So the next day, I had the transfusion (wrote 2,000 words on Wolf Heir while doing it), went home after lunch, took a nap, and began throwing up when I got up two hours later, and had a temperature of 101.5. It’s all because of the cold I got from the kids.

I didn’t want to go in. My son, DIL, and grandbaby would only be here until Friday morning, and then they’d be back in Okinawa. I figured the fever would go away by the time we had the hour-long drive down to Houston on Tuesday.

Sure enough, I got to the ER, and the prescreen showed no fever. It’s like when you take your car in and it’s not working, but for the mechanic, it won’t show the same issues you’re having with it.

They still took me in. When they took the temperature in the back, it reached 100.9. I explained that the nurse told me I had to come in if it was 100.4 or higher. (I wouldn’t have otherwise.) And they asked me what cancer I have. When I said AML, their eyes widened. Yeah, it’s a very aggressive cancer and if you end up with an infection, you can turn septic really fast and die.

So I ended up in the hospital from Tuesday night through Thursday afternoon. It might not seem long, but it seemed interminable because I wanted to see my son and his family off on Friday. I had wanted to spend the rest of the time with them during the week. The doctor gave me a Get Out of Jail Free Card–her words, Thursday afternoon, and we enjoyed lunch, dinner, playing Baldur’s Gate, watching Andor, and I got to drive them to the airport on Friday.

Monday is more blood work. Tues is more blood work and I see my doctor. Which means the start of cycle 3 of chemo. I feel like I’ve been doing this for years. ugh.

Hope your day is less wild!!

Terry

“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”

Connect with Terry Spear:

Website: http://www.terryspear.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/421434.Terry_Spear

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TerrySpearParanormalRomantics

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TerrySpear

Wilde & Woolly Bears http://www.celticbears.com

I Vant Your Blood

May13

I’ve done so well this whole chemo cycle (2), no blood transfusions, but I ended up getting a respiratory virus and on top of that need blood. So we’re running in to do that this morning.

Hope your day is great! I feel wiped out, but when I get blood, I’ll be rejuvenated. Hopefully.

Terry

“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”

Connect with Terry Spear:

Website: http://www.terryspear.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/421434.Terry_Spear

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TerrySpearParanormalRomantics

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TerrySpear

Wilde & Woolly Bears http://www.celticbears.com

Feeding the Turtles

May10

Yesterday, we walked and fed the turtles fish/turtle food at the pond.

Another long day at the hospital today. We’re off like a herd of turtles.

Have a fun one!

Terry

“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”

Connect with Terry Spear:

Website: http://www.terryspear.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/421434.Terry_Spear

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TerrySpearParanormalRomantics

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TerrySpear

Wilde & Woolly Bears http://www.celticbears.com

Grinning Cheetah or Something Else?

May8

Is she snarling at me? Or smiling? Mom and Dad are relaxing in the background while two of the cubs are in the foreground. Another misses being in the picture. Isn’t that always the way when you’re trying to take family photos?

Well, I’ve just had another bone marrow biopsy. It will be a couple of weeks before we know if there are micro cancer cells in there, but they’ll probably know tomorrow if any others popped up that are larger in size.

I wrote 3,000 words on Wolf Heir yesterday while waiting to do the biopsy, so I did not waste time anyway!

Hope you have a grin-worthy day!

Terry

“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”

Connect with Terry Spear:

Website: http://www.terryspear.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/421434.Terry_Spear

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TerrySpearParanormalRomantics

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TerrySpear

Wilde & Woolly Bears http://www.celticbears.com

May7

When it’s spring, you don’t know whether to have a sun umbrella or one for rain.

I’m off to have a bone marrow biopsy. Ugh.

Have a more fun day than me!

Terry

“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”

Connect with Terry Spear:

Website: http://www.terryspear.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/421434.Terry_Spear

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TerrySpearParanormalRomantics

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TerrySpear

Wilde & Woolly Bears http://www.celticbears.com