I’m a little late in posting anything new here – so please forgive me.  It has been a very busy month.  May is normally busy for us anyway – what with Spring yard chores, band practices, work, and birthdays.  But this last May – well it was just a tad bit busier than most.

You see, May is Brain Tumor Awareness Month.  Now if you were like me, this is just one of those little factoids you would probably never know, or ever need to know.  I never would have thought about it either – except – on May 17 – I had to become an instant expert on brain tumors.

My wife was diagnosed with one – a Meningioma to be exact.

It started around the beginning of May – right after my wife’s birthday.  She started experiencing severe headaches – located precisely behind her right eye.  She has had headaches off and on for years, along with fatigue, whooshing noises in her ears, chronic sinusitis, you name it.  Our daughter once said that mom was becoming a Hypochondriac. But it wasn’t until we got a new nurse practitioner who suggested a MRI – that we would finally find out what the problem was.

They say “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me”.  Well I beg to differ.     Because one you hear these 5 little words – trust me – you will hurt.  I remember we were sitting in the Docs office, commenting on how the MRI was a experience neither one of us ever wanted to repeat, and then the Doc came in, closed the door, sat down, and said

“You have a Brain Tumor”.

Unless you have personally sat in that chair – you will never, ever, know how scary those 5 little words are.  I would say it was one of the worst days in my life, but over the next few weeks – I would have quite a few of those.  The shock – I think – was the worst part, that and the fear of the unknown.  I mean were talking Brain Tumors here.  Is she going to die?  Can you operate?  Is there medicine?  What?!

The next week was a slew of medical tests, hospital visits, and meetings with a Nerosurgeon.  There’s that shock again.  I mean who would ever think they would need to meet a Neurosurgeon.  It also turned out that my wife was allergic to the pain meds the doc gave her, so she was in pretty bad shape by the time we met the guy.  He instantly gave her a script for a anti-swelling steroid – which eliminated the pain almost immediately.  The plan was to let the steroids do their thing, and by next week they would be ready to operate.

Operate?  On what?!

Because of the size of my wife’s tumor, radiation and radio surgery were not an option.  Her only option was an attempt to remove the tumor surgically.  The operation is called a Craniotomy.  The Doc explained that basically a piece of skull is removed to provide access to the brain.  You would think there would be more shock by now, but by this time a numbness has set in – words like Brain Tumors, bone flaps, and craniotomys just kind of roll right off you.  There’s just no shock factor left.  Although scared beyond our wits – we both accepted that this Doc knew what he was talking about – and this is just standard operating procedure.  I do remember asking him if he had ever done this before.  I think he laughed at me.

It turns out that this guy DID know what he was doing.  And as luck would have it,  the 2nd nerosurgeon  he chose to assist happened to be the Chief of Nerotrauma at Legacy.  The top dog.  Both of these doctors are amazing guys.  And if any of you ever need a recommendation for a neurosurgeon – well let me know.  I cannot say enough good things about either one of these guys.

On May 27 at 830am my wife was wheeled into the operating room for a 14hr surgery.  On May 29 she had to go back in again due to a blood clot that had formed.  Both the tumor and the clot were successfully removed, and within 3 days my wife was wide awake and wondering what had just happened.  I remember I told her,

“Honey, you’ve been asleep for a week!”.

Once she was awake and everything was beginning to look good for a change, she was transferred to a step down room from ICU called TRACU (Trauma Recovery and Acute Care Unit).  She was monitored for 2 days and then shipped over to Legacy Good Samaritan for Rehab.  Legacy Emanuel is one of 2 Trauma Hospitals for the entire state of Oregon, the other being OSHU.  However, as we soon found out, Emanuel is NOT a rehab hospital.  Although she did get some Physical Therapy, they are just not equipped or staffed to do it efficiently , hence the switch to Good Sam.  And although we expected to just “go home” from TRACU – that was never really an option.  And we soon found out why.

On the top floor of Good Sam is The Rehabilitation Institute of Oregon, or RIO.  I will just say that these folks in RIO are nothing short of AMAZING.  What a wonderful experience.  RIO is almost a Country Club compared to Emanuel – but let me warn you – they will WORK you. Between Physical Therapy, Speech Therapy, and Occupational Therapy – my wife had a full schedule for the next 7 days, from 8am in the morning until 5pm every evening.   Their goal is to determine what effects (or deficits) you may have as a result of brain surgery, and to help you overcome them.   Many of the patients in RIO were Stroke or Aneurysm victims.  Some couldn’t walk, some couldn’t talk, some couldn’t feed themselves.  And these amazing nurses and therapists patiently and lovingly help you regain as much normalcy as possible.

We were in RIO for a week.  Soon my wife was walking again, climbing stairs, riding exercise bikes, playing piano, and even scrambling an egg.  Thursday night, we had a graduation dinner at a nearby Chinese Restaurant (they made us walk  and yesterday – exactly 16 days after this whole ordeal started  (and over 900 miles on my car later) – we came home.

She is home today and still healing wonderfully.  We still have a long road ahead of us, but we’ll get through it, the worst is over.

So what is this Meningioma anyway?

Simply put, a Meningioma is an abnormal growth.  Between your brain and skull are several layers of protective membranes called the Meninges.  When these membranes become inflamed and swell, it can lead to infection, which we call Meningitis.  Sometimes abnormal cells start growing on these layers, and can grow for a very long time, forming a tumor.  These are called Meningiomas.

Although not usually considered cancerous, Meningiomas can be malignant.  Generally though, 90% of all Meningiomas are benign.  Another interesting fact is that Meningiomas usually occur in patients between the ages of 40-70, and in women.  Some studies indicate there may be a connection with hormones.  The treatment is usually radiation or surgery.  And the outcome depends mostly on the size of the tumor and it’s location.  As I said, these are very slow growing tumors, and depending on location, can grow to become quite large before any outward signs or symptoms are noticed.

Typical symptoms include headaches, vision changes, personality changes, wooshing noises in one ear, dizziness, and in some cases numbness, tingling, or even paralysis on one side of the body.  The only way to find these things are by CT Scan or an MRI.

Lessons Learned

This has been a life changing experience for both my wife and myself.  You simply cannot undergo brain surgery and not be changed.  I’m still shocked sometimes – I mean I’m sitting here writing about brain surgery. Who would have thought.  But – we take what life gives us and we move on.

One thing that helped me through this was an online support group for Meningioma victims.  There are thousands of people who go through this each and every year, and are alive to tell us about it.  I am now one of them.  It sounds scary, it IS scary, but – we survive.  My wife is a fighter.  And now, she is a brain tumor survivor.  I am very proud of her.

And if there’s one thing that we’ve both learned throughout this whole adventure  - it is simply this:

We all take so much for granted

…walking, eating, talking, even going to the bathroom.  Once you cannot do these things on your own, you learn to appreciate them so so so much more.  Don’t take anything for granted.  Stop, slow down, take life one step at a time, and enjoy everything, no matter how small or simple.  You truly do not realize what you have – until you lose it.

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What a wild and stormy week!

Last week I went to work to find an entire tree laying on its side in the parking lot, and came home that next morning to a dusting of snow in my driveway.  And we thought that spring had arrived early!  Maybe it did – but it looks like winter isn’t quite done with us yet.  The wind storm yesterday had me wondering if one of my own trees might end up blowing over.  According to PGE there were some 20,000 people across multiple counties without power.  Wind gusts were recorded at over 70 mph.

Storms like the one we had yesterday just remind me how vulnerable we are.  Oregon does have wild weather from time to time.

• Remember the Christmas snow storm we had in 2008?  I had 18″ of the stuff on my deck and was grounded for a week.
• Remember the Vernonia flooding in 2007?  I work with a gal who is still recovering from that one.
• And then there’s the infamous Columbus Day storm of 1962.  That one was comparable to a Category 3 Hurricane – only in Oregon!  Many were without power for several weeks.

It can happen.  And it does happen.

So are you prepared?  Could you live without power for several weeks?

I know many of us take our electricity for granted.  We expect it to always be there.  And – honestly – we don’t quite know how to react when it’s not.  I remember one winter morning right after we had moved here, we had an early morning power outage.  As I was starting a fire in the fireplace, and my wife was lighting candles and our hurricane lantern, I heard my then middle school daughter screaming upstairs, “My hair dryer’s not working!  How am I supposed to go to school?”  Ah – hair dryers – priorities – and expectations.  The power will always be there.

In fact, there are many things that we expect to always be there……hair dryers that turn on at a flip of a switch, toilets that flush, fresh water that comes out of the tap, food shelves fully stocked at our local Safeway, cheap gasoline in our cars to go get it……

Admit it – we are spoiled.  And why not?  Do we not deserve these luxuries of life?  We pay the bills – we are entitled to have these things if we pay for them…..right?

But again – my question – what if we simply don’t have an option.  What if a devestating flood or earthquake (they still say we are due for the big one) hits our area?  What do we do then?  What will we do when Safeway runs out of food during that emergency?  What then?  What will we do when gasoline hits $10/gallon.  What then?  Notice I said ‘when’ and not ‘if’.  Our days of cheap gasoline are over.  Better get used to that.

Life could get a little more difficult in The Grove if disaster ever strikes.  And the only thing we can do about it – is to prepare.

Am I being a bit paranoid?  Maybe.  But isn’t it always better to be safe, than sorry?  One commenter noted how several of her neighbors asked to borrow food during the last snow storm.  She was prepared………..obviously they were not.  So if you take anything at all out of all my ramblings here…..prepare yourselves – just in case.  Hey it can’t hurt, can it?  Next time you buy a roll of TP, buy a spare.  Can of soup?  Make it two.

Here’s a partial list of items everyone should have on hand – just in case.

You may need to survive on your own after an emergency. This means having your own food, water, and other supplies in sufficient quantity to last for at least three days. Local officials and relief workers will be on the scene after a disaster, but they cannot reach everyone immediately. You could get help in hours, or it might take days. In addition, basic services such as electricity, gas, water, sewage treatment, and telephones may be cut off for days, or even a week or longer.

• A good working flashlight.
• Batteries!  Always have extra – all sizes
• Candles
• Matches / Bic Lighter / Zippo
• At the very least – a 3 day supply of extra food – per person.  Peanut Butter, canned tuna, canned fruit and vegetables, crackers.  Anything non-perishable.
• One gallon of water – per person – per day.  Again, at least a 3 day supply
• A first aid kit.
• A hand powered can opener
• Trash bags, twist ties, pre-moistened towels, paper towels, toilet paper
• Cell phone – for as long as the service is available.
• If you’re separated from your loved ones, a plan on where to meet, who is to pick up whom, etc.
• Extra meds  – if it’s important to keep you alive – you may want to stock up on extras.
• A good sleeping bag or thick blanket
• Pet food and extra water (can’t forget Fido)
• An extra change of clothes (in case you’re not home), at the very least an extra rain jacket, sweater, or coat  stashed in the car.
• Maybe an extra pair of tennis shoes.  Ladies – you will not want to walk anywhere in heels.
• Cash – ATMs may not be working.

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Gov. Ted Kulongoski ordered flags at all public institutions to be flown at half-staff Thursday in memory of Pfc. Erin L. McLyman of Eugene.

The 26-year-old died March 13 in Iraq from wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked her base with mortar fire. She was assigned to the 296th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.

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May you always have
Walls for the winds,
A roof for the rain,
Tea beside the fire,
Laughter to cheer you,
Those you love near you,
And all your heart might desire!

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I just finished a long week of work today, and thought I’d splurge a little and go out into the Grove tonight for dinner.  But where to go?  Since I usually make a homeade pizza on my first night off of work, I thought of Papa Murphys.  But you still have to take it home and cook it, whcih means I won’t be eating for awhile – can that idea.  I guess I could have had Godfathers but I just wanted something – well different.

I know  – I’ll pop over to Cornerstone and visit my old buds in the shopping center.  Get a burger and a beer.  Mmmm – sounded good.  Only……….they were closed.  7pm on a Sunday?  Now what?  Keeping with the pup idea – my next choice was Grendals, maybe try their Bangers and Mash with a pint.  Closed.

What’s going on?  Is there anywhere to eat in Forest Grove on a Sunday evening?  Sure Pac Thai was open, but I’m not much of a Thai guy.  La Sierra – um – didn’t exactly agree with me last time I ate there.  I guess I could have gave them another chance – but wasn’t willing to chance it.  What’s left?  Phil’s or Quiznos if you want a sandwich, but I was thinking ‘restaurant’ food, atmosphere,  drinks, etc.

As we were actually leaving Forest Grove – I saw McMenamin’s.

Of course.  Why didn’t I think of that before.  The Grand Lodge.  It’s ALWAYS open, has great atmosphere, decent prices,  and beer – naturally.  And the food’s not too bad either.  Granted – it’s nothing to write home about – but you know what?  They were OPEN!

I’m not faulting anyone for being closed on a Sunday evening.  The recession stinks.  Gotta cut costs.  I understand completely.  In fact, as the recession drags on (or gets worse) I’m afraid it’s just a preview of what’s to come.  The Post Office is alread talking about cancelling Staurday delivery.  What’s next?  No school on Fridays?  The end of all night Taco Bell?

What will we do where stores like  Bi Bart and Safeway start limiting their hours??

Something to think about. 

Nevertheless, thank you McMenamin’s for a very enjoyable evening.  Thanks for being open.  And thanks for allowing me to keep my business local.

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Gov. Ted Kulongoski has ordered flags at all public institutions in Oregon to fly at half-staff beginning at sunrise Wednesday through sunset on Sunday in honor of state Treasurer Ben Westlund.

Westlund died of cancer on Sunday.

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Not sure who this guy is, but I did have a need to recycle some fluorescent bulbs today.  Naturally, all 4 in the laundry room looked shot, so I zipped on over to Home Depot and picked up a few packs.  (sorry Ace/ BiMart – I had to go out that way anyway)

A few hours later, as my laundry room lit up like Qwest Field again, I now faced the problem of what to do with the old tubes.  My natural reaction – toss them in the can, and then toss something on top so they all shatter.  But no – that would not be – well – green like now would it? Let’s see if we can recycle.

My first internet search turned up this wonderful factoid – you can recycle fluorescent tubes at – wait for it – HOME DEPOT!  Now why didn’t I look this up BEFORE I bought the new ones?  Sheesh, back to Home Depot again.  And then I thought – wait a minute – am I really helping the environment, by using even more gas and oil – just to go back to Home Depot – again – just to recycle these silly things?  There’s got to be another way.

There was.  And it was just a phone call away.  Our own Forest Grove Waste Management.  The nice lady behind the phone informed me they DO take fluorescent bulbs.  There’s just a bit of work to get them ready.

1. Do NOT break the bulbs.  They contain mercury, and the glass can be hazardous to our garbage men.
2. If your new bulbs came totally encased in a cardboard package, simply put your old bulbs back in this package and set it out next to your bin on trash day.
3. Do NOT put the bulbs IN your bin.  But rather lay them on the curb beside it.
4. If your new bulbs did NOT come in a cardboard box, but cellophane (like mine), then simply wrap the bulbs in newspaper.  Tape it all shut and then sit it out on trash day.  Either way, use a permanent marker and label the package FLUORESCENT BULBS so the guys know what they are handling.
5. That’s it.  No fuss really.  And no extra trips back to Home Depot either.

Thank you Waste Management !

So if you did not know you could recycle fluorescent bulbs – now you do.  It may not seem like much, but a whole lot of little things (like this) do add up to make our environment a safer place to live.  Resuse.  Reduce.  Recycle.

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As I was coming home from grocery shopping today I saw a few new signs around town…

FOR LEASE signs.

Last month it was Basco’s Burgers in Cornelius.  Thirty years in the business and then gone, just like that.

Today I saw Triple Point Biologics was empty.  They were the protein lab located between Dr Tidwell’s Dental Office and Napa Auto Parts.  I don’t think they closed, but just moved.  According to their website they are now on Douglas, in the old building that used to be Jim’s Automotive.  Cheaper rent maybe?

While discussing this with my wife she noticed another business gone.  Signmesiters.  The entire store located next to OK Floral was empty.  And sadly, I don’t think this business moved, or sold, or anything else but just closed up completely.  No signs in the window, no nothing.  I remember when Tamra and Vern opened this business.  They were located in one of John Hamilton’s buildings over on Main St – pretty close to where The Urban Decanter is now….  They were a nice couple, and hard workers.  Their two dogs were always excited to see me.  And now?  Another sign of the economy?

Good luck  Tamra and Vern, wherever you are.  We will miss you.

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I remember when I first moved to Forest Grove in ‘97.  There were at least 3 video stores.  Video USA was in the Safeway Shopping Center, Movie Madness was in my old strip mall next to Da Boys.  And I think there was a smaller video store next to Scotty’s that rented harder to find movies.

And then came Blockbuster.

It was no surprise when one by one the video stores began closing,  leaving us with just the big blue label.  It’s not that I particularly hated Blockbuster, I was just sad to see another corporate giant move into town and do away with the smaller mom and pop shops.  But I did still give them my business.  In fact, I was just there last night to pick up a couple of movies for “Pizza and Movie Night”. I have never tried Redbox, nor do I have a Netflix account.  But after last night, I’m afraid that will change.

Beginning today, March 1, all movies (new release or older films) will be $5 for 5 days.  If the movies are not returned within 5 days, a late fee of $1 per day will be tacked on, up to 15 days.  Then you automatically buy it with your credit card that just happens to be on file.

Five bucks?  For an older movie?  Are they kidding?

Let’s see, with Netflix I can rent 1 DVD at a time, keep it as long as I want, and exchange it as many times as I want, for $9 a month.  Plus they have a 2 week free trial. Hmmmmmm, tough decision.

I realize Blockbuster is having trouble.  Both Redbox and Netflix have been putting the pressure on Blockbuster and Hollywood Video.  In fact, it’s so bad that Hollywood just closed a bunch of stores last month.  I have a feeling Blockbuster will be next.

Blockbuster plans for its total 2009 store closures to amount to 580 to 685 stores and for 2010, the retailer expects another 230 to 275 store will close. The retailer is avoiding lease termination costs, as many of the stores will close as leases naturally expire. In its January 2009 annual report, Blockbuster said it had 4,585 U.S. stores, so it has already closed 229 this year. During 2008, it closed 270 U.S. stores and during 2007, it closed 339 U.S. stores.

I wonder when our store will be next.

Blockbuster, I will miss you.  I was sad when you came because you closed down the smaller shops.  And I’ll be sad when you leave, because I liked going to a video store and browsing all the titles.  And when you’re gone, we’ll have nobody.

But when you start charging $5 bucks for a movie, even older movies that used to be $.99.  Well, I think it’s time I cut up my card.

Netflix here I come.

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Where do we go from here?

That was the question posed at the Forest Grove Town Meeting last month.  Although I did not have a chance to attend, there has been a lot of discussion on the bulletin boards around town.  Suggestions like turning Forest Grove into a Wine gateway,  adding a Town Center, or bringing in more Arts.

These are all good suggestions – assuming everything is back to normal and our main goal is to attract more people / business to boost our local economy.

But is everything normal?   We are still in the clutches of a major economic recession.  Many people are still out of work.  Job are getting harder and harder to find.  Every day more and more businesses are closing their doors for good.  Hollywood Video closed a dozen Oregon stores just last week.    Basco’s Burgers in Cornelius is closing after 30 years.  Rumor has it that Horton’s Office Supply could be closing soon.

In Colorado Springs, CO the city just turned off a third of its streetlights and has police helicopters for sale on the Internet.  City recreation centers, indoor and outdoor pools, and a handful of museums will close for good in March.  California is near bankruptcy.  Nevada’s budget is so far out of balance that by one account the state could lay off every worker paid from the general fund and still be $300 million in the red.  Prisons may be closed, entire colleges shuttered and thousands left without jobs.  And in Utah, facing massive budget cuts, one school district is considering eliminating the 12th grade altogether.

No, I’m sorry.  This does not sound like everything is back to normal.  And I really doubt if inviting people out for wine tasting will help.

Well then….what should we do?  Where should we focus?  Becoming a better bedroom community?

As I said, encouraging more people and/or businesses to move to Forest Grove is a good idea – assuming the recession is indeed over and our economy will soon be getting back to normal.  But just remember, it has taken us several years to get to this point.  Do you really think it’s going to improve very quickly?  And of course, there is always that possibility….. that it just doesn’t.

Here’s another happy scenario.  Climate change.  The debate could go on for years, but the truth of the matter is this….  our climate IS changing.  Ask Europe who had one of the coldest winters on record.  Ask Washington DC who got hit recently with two, back to back, snowstorms.  Ask Dallas, TX who just got hit with 12.5″ of snow, yes, Dallas.  Google the Iguanas and Manatees in Florida.  It’s happening, whether we are to blame, or not.  What if it happens here?

Remember our little snow storm just two Christmases ago?  I was stuck in my house for 2 weeks!  I had to ask a neighbor to run me down to Safeway for a prescription for my wife.  He had a huge 4 wheel drive truck, with chains, and we still got stuck.  And when we finally made it to Safeway…..(our one and only grocery store in town), many of the shelves were already bare.  You could clearly see panic in many of the faces that were there.

And what would a gloom and doom posting be without mentioning Peak Oil.  Many experts are predicting that worldwide oil production will peak very soon if it hasn’t already.   Remember, we are a bedroom community.  The majority of our residents depend on commuting to work every day.  What happens if oil surged to $147 a barrel again?  Remember what it was like paying $4 a gallon?   What is this time it hits $5?  What about $10?

The town focus?  The future of Forest Grove? We might want to look at communities like Boulder, Colorado for inspiration.

Boulder County Going Local was only named an official transition initiative earlier this month, but it’s getting started with a bang. The organization has already launched a series of talks and workshops to teach residents how to survive with local resources entitled “The Great Reskilling”. Planned events include “High Altitude Gardening”, “Garden Design and Planting A La Permaculture”, “The Bountiful Pantry”, and “Solar Greenhouse Design”.

It is sobering to think about how few survival skills most of us have. Perhaps if more transition initiatives like Boulder’s take off, we can relearn the skills that fossil fuel-based industrialization has rendered useless.

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