Friday was the day of our regular six-week trip to the KU Cancer Center, this time for blood work and CT scans.  The first tests were scheduled for 7:15 a.m., which meant we had to get up at 5 and leave a little before 6.  It didn't seem like an ideal time to me, but it worked out well as I was first or second for each test.  Unfortunately, I got my nemesis, the incompetent Marci, for the blood work.  But she was on her game Friday, and found the vein and even put in the right-sized IV connection.  (She sometimes puts in one that's too small, so the CT people have to take it out and start over again.)  Next came the scans, after my drinking the two large cups of water.  There was only one person ahead of me.  They do three or four scans without contrast, and then they use the port to introduce the contrast, which sends a warm feeling throughout the body.  After that there was a two-hour break, when I could finally have some coffee and a bagel.

Dr. Van was even on time for the 10:20 consultation.  Everything, once again, was hunky-dory.  For the second visit it a row, I had actually put on weight.  The primary tumor had grown a paltry .1 centimeter, and none of the other tumors had grown at all.  So we'll continue on the same regime, since it has been working so well.  The ride home was uneventful.  We stopped at our go-to restaurant for lunch, during which I had a serious bout of stomach problems, which continued for the next 24 hours. 

Friday Michele Obama was in Topeka to speak to the graduating seniors from the three Topeka public high schools.  She had originally been scheduled to speak at a joint commencement the next day, which was the 60th anniversary of the Brown v. Board decision.  But there were protests, ostensibly because the individual traditions of the three high schools would be lost, so the speech, bland, but well-received, was rescheduled.

And Friday was also good in that the two robin eggs in a nest on our back deck hatched.  Three years ago, robins built a nest in the same place.  Mohamed took wonderful pictures of the nest, of the four beautiful eggs, and of the baby birds, constantly demanding to be fed.  Just as the fledglings were ready to leave the nest, I had to go to KU Med for nine days for the new titanium femur and hip joint.  When we returned, the nest had been destroyed and the young birds were gone--or at least three of them were.  One had not fared well.  This year, Mohamed is again photographing the progress of the two birds.  I sit on the deck and watch the mother bird, who watches me back.  I hope this time we'll be around to see the two young birds fly successfully away.