MELANOMA

SATURDAY, JULY 17, 2010 Well, my ‘puter’s been in the shop for a physical and virus removal and as stated above, I did the same. I had an appointment with my NP Shelly Ebert on Wednesday the 14 for a physical, blood work etc. I had her look at the mole on my left lower leg/shin. She said she thought it was just hardened skin but asked if I would like to have it removed. I said why not so she gave me a local which numbed my whole lower leg and dug down rather deep. Today I got the results in the mail. It began with: Comment by: EBERT, SHELLY 07/15/10 14:15:15 Fred, Turns out a little melanoma. We need to do a deeper biopsy. You can come to me to (or) go see a plastic surgeon. Your choice. Shelly. Somewhere else on the multiple sheet lab report she said I should make an appointment to see her about the results. Anyway, I have skin cancer. Guess I will make a phone call Monday.

STUCK LIKE A PIG

Wednesday, July 14, 2010 Today I didn’t eat until after my 11:00 Dr. appointment with Shelly Ebert NP, which, of course being that late In the day I didn’t get in to see her until 11:30 or so and then I saw a NP in training named Greg, I think. He seemed to be really on top of things. He asked a million questions and make several recommendations including taking one of my medicines in the morning instead of at night. It has a pep me upper as a side benefit. No wonder I have trouble getting to sleep until 4:00 in the morning and am so tired when I should be waking up. I showed them a dark round purple hard spot above my left ankle. Shelly thought it was a derma…something or rather which amounts to “hard skin”. She asked if I wanted it off and I said OK. I was somewhat indifferent then thought why not be sure. She gave me a local that numbed my whole lower leg good and dug it out, and deep to make sure she got it all. I bled like a stuck pig. She finally thought she had it under control well enough that a band aid would be good enough and sent be to the lab. When I sat down in their chair I looked down and pant leg was soaked in blood and it was running down into my shoe. They did what they could then gave up and sent me in to Shantel, Shelly’s nurse who bandaged me up good. They too six vials of blood plus a urine sample.

HCG and BEST BUY

MONDAY, JULY 12, 2010 This is a test more than anything. It is the first document I have made on my WordPad and I want to see how it is and figure out copying it to my main computer except my main/old computer is in the shop so that part I will figure out later. In the meantime I am going to e-mail it to myself just to be on the safe side. This morning when I tried to get on the Internet, I got an error message/a note saying I have a virus and need to buy “their” product. There was no way I could get around it. I tried rebooting and everything. I was suspicious so I took it into Best Buy. They laughed and said, “Does it say such and such?” I said yes. They laughed and said they had another one just this morning and that “it” was around and getting everybody – exaggeration on my part. Long story short it will be in the shop for up to three days and is costing me $320.?? I may also get an external hard drive or some such to back up my files. More money yet and if they do it, it will be $99.00 though if I use their featured hard drive they will throw it in for the same price. Maybe it was just half off. I can’t remember. W e got two bottles of HCG so wish us luck!

WHERE the DEERS and the CANTELOPES PLAY

WEDNESDAY, JULY07, 2010 For I think the forth day in a row there was a herd of 15-20 Antelope (I think) in the fields on the east side of Redwood Road. It has always been an afterthought to check to see if they are indeed antelope or deer. About half of them are tiny, probably this years “crop”. I guess it is a good thing that I am paying more attention to traffic than them.

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

Monday, July 05, 2010 The last few days I have been to the pool three times. The first time must have been Friday; maybe Saturday when Judy asked if I wanted to go. Because of the 4th of July holiday she got off work at noon on Friday and doesn’t have to be back until tomorrow; Tuesday. Sunday, Molly who has been here since Friday, asked me if I would go to the pool with her, and I obliged. We were there for only forty-five minutes and she was ready to go “home”. Today, Bailey, who was over to the house, asked me to go with her. Again I obliged. Bailey is an interesting case study. She is the ultimate socialite. Not only can she stay in the pool for hours, she also makes friends super quick. Today when we got there, she jumped into the corner of the shallow end next to the stairs. I could she her looking over the hoard of kids playing and calculating where to make her move. Soon she chose her prey and starting interacting with three or four kids about her age and right away she was in the midst of them talking and having a gay old time. In a while that group had to get out and go home so Bailey went through the routine again and again was gaily having fun with “friends”. This scenario went on at least five times in the two hours we were there. She is the pro. We took an inflatable raft to the pool with us and she used it as a ploy in inducing kids to play with her. At one point she got in a race with a girl half again as big as her who was wearing flippers. They were doing the back stroke and little Bailey almost kept up with her, flippers and all. She really is a good swimmer and she is best on her back. I remember after the last summer Olympics there was a story about Michael Phelps who won eight swimming medals and breaking many of the old world records. They talked about how his body is proportioned and how it was ideal for swimming. Bailey is built the same way. Earlier today, Judy, Molly and I met Niki, Alexa and Gavin and, Chris and Sierra at the deli at Thanksgiving Point where we ate lunch. Corey dropped Bailey off with us. He went on with Jayden to Stacey’s work. She had to open today and was by herself since the girl who was supposed to help her called in and said she was in California with a broken down car. (Corey doubts the validity of her story.) I started feeling sick and went home while the rest of them walked the gardens. At her request, Bailey came home with “Grandma” and that is how we ended up going to the pool. Later, after Stacey dragged us out of the pool, the four of them and I went to Café El Lago for dinner while Judy and Jim went to a benefit play at the Orem Hale Theater. I forget where Molly went; home to her mother’s I suppose.

DREAM - EVERYTHING IN THREES

SATURDAY, JULY 03, 2010 – Last night/this morning, I had a strange dream. Everything came in threes including three white grand pianos. Another weird part of it is that “we” were witling them down to one of each, for instance, “we” (I think Judy was in it too.) were deciding which piano to remove and after removing it, which of the other two to remove. It seemed that everything was prioritized, good, better, best or whatever. I wish I could remember it better.

VISITING WITH “PAPA”

THURSDAY, JULY 01, 2010 - Last night I took both of my goofy pills—a prescription pain killer and a prescription muscle relaxant. At noon I was still feeling the effects so I laid back down for a nap. At about two I woke up from a wonderful dream. I was the age I am now, sixty-six, yet younger somehow. I was in an old house with my parents, my children and at least one little one, a boy younger than my grandson Gavin I think, but walking, mostly holding onto my finger. My grandpa James “Anthony” Jepson had come for a visit. We talked on and on about many things especially the past. The two of us were as close as any grandpa and grandson could possible get. He mentioned at one point that he was well pleased that I had named one of my sons, James Anthony in honor of him. After a long interaction, perhaps over several days, “Papa” announced he had an appointment with someone somewhere. I assumed he would return. I offered to escort him there. He gladly accepted my offer and off the three of us went. We had the toddler in toe with us. We ambled down the street still talking. He was wearing a light two tone brown suite and a brown brimmed hat. He was wearing rimmed glasses; the same ones he always wore. I mentioned that I had bought the old house I grew up in but that the previous owners had torn it down and build a new modern one in its stead so it really isn’t the old house after all. We didn’t bother to go see it though it was only a couple of blocks away. Grandpa wanted to visit the old drugstore, the one “I used to take you to when you were little.” When we got there we had to climb four or five brick steps up to the door. I carefully held his arm and assisted him up. When we got inside, it had changed little from “the old days”. Grandpa soon was happily engaged in conversation with the shop owner and his wife about "way back then". There were a few other customers in there too. The store was small, maybe 10X30 though there were two doors, the one in the center of the long wall, the one we entered and another at the far right end as you are facing the shop. There was an old cash register and old scales to measure candy etc in. I recognized the back wall from when I was a toddler and told them so. They were pleased. Finally Grandpa said it was time to go. This time we passed the other door/stairs and left through the end door. On the right side of these stairs which were longer than the stairs we had used to enter the store, was a wide brick banister which bowed up slightly in the middle. It curved at the bottom to be horizontal with the street. It had been worn smooth by endless kids sliding down it over the decades. Grandpa got on this banister, laid down and slid to the bottom arriving in a sitting position. I knew though he didn’t say so that he used to do that “way back when”. I, in a semi-panic hurried down the steps to help him at the bottom. I arrived there at the same time he did but he was fine and pleased he could still do it. A woman, dressed in light blue if I remember correctly appeared at that time. I instinctively new she was the person or one of the people he was going to see. She took his arm. I was planning to continue on with them but I turned to help the toddler down the stairs and when I turned around again Grandpa and the lady in blue were nowhere to be seen. I looked all over trying to find them but I knew immediately it was all in vain. Something told me this was the last I would see "Papa" in this life. For sometime now I have been anxious to again be with my ancestors. I was Grandpa’s favorite and want to renew our relationship and tell him how sorry I was that we didn’t get to be together much after my toddler years. He was always gone to Mesa, Arizona doing temple work or living in a bedroom apartment with a bathroom down the hall near the Utah State Capitol. I only remember seeing him there once. As all of you that know me well, know, I am now in tears.