Monday, June 21, 2010

Why I'm Not Thrilled About Summer

Today's the solstice. In my neck of the woods, that means 15 hours and 12 minutes of daylight. Except for early morning and late afternoon, I'm supposed to avoid being outside during that time. But I don't. Someone has to go to the bank and buy groceries. I put sunscreen on and a hat, and try to stay in the shade. Today I'm taking a walk in the park with a friend. It's fairly shaded, but if I wanted to be absolutely safe, I'd wear long sleeves and pants. Since it's supposed to be 90 degrees, that seems excessive.

The sun triggers graft versus host disease which is currently making a scene on my usually unblemished face and neck area. I look like I've either been in a fight or crying for days. A scaly rash paints the side of my face and tattoos my eyes with crescent moons. My lips are cracked and in constant need of petroleum jelly. The upside is that I'm alive and writing to complain about my dermatological demons. Whatever's attacking my face is making it hard for leukemia to gain a foothold. This I can live with.

All three kids are home. Harry starts a job tomorrow. Mariel and Mark have interviews this week. I will be abandoning them on and off for the next couple of weeks. Tomorrow I'm driving up to Rockport, MA to visit friends. Friday I head to NYC for a possible house closing in the Catskills and an anniversary dinner in Manhattan on Saturday. Then I plan to spend several days in our new house getting phone and electric service and finding a painter to so some minor work. We may rent a truck and move in the end of next week.

Then I will be living in three places. Three very nice places.

1 comment:

Ann said...

With today being the Summer Solstice, the last few days have been challenging for those of us with skin GvHD. I can commiserate with you about the facial scaly patches. Enjoy your walk in the park and forget about the rest of it for a bit.