UPDATE: The winner is…Dawn Roberto!
*~*~*

I live with two grumpy old cats. The one above is Pumpkin, who adopted me. The first time I met her she was feral and wandering on the edge of the forest behind our house. I began leaving her food on the other side of the fence because I was worried about her. She was small for a cat and looked rather pathetic. I fed her daily, but she never approached when I was there. I’d watch as she waited for me to disappear inside, then from my window, I’d observe her eating the food I left.

Then one night many years ago, I had set an alarm to get up in the middle of the night to go outside and watch a large red moon. I felt something making figure-eights around my legs. When I glanced down, I was startled to see this cat (and so glad it wasn’t a raccoon!). She’d come to trust me, and slowly, she went from being a skittish outdoor cat to being a cat who refuses to step outside. She now lives in my bedroom, taking up the space on my recliner.

Tessa is the other elderly cat who inhabits my space. The two cats despise each other, and if they meet in the doorway as one comes back from the food bowls and litter box, they howl and spit at each other. Tessa inhabits the pillows at the back of my head when I lay down, and her purring is what puts me to sleep, although her yowls, when she gets mad if I roll to my side and disturb her sleep, are quite grating. If my hands are outside the covers, she nudges them for me to pet her—incessantly. So, I hide them under the covers when I’m done and wait for her to give a grumbling meow before she flops behind my head on the pillow and goes to sleep, snoring.

Right now, they both want to follow me into my office, so they are crouched on the floor, berating each other, waiting for the other to walk away, but that never happens. I have to break them up, picking them up to put them where they belong—one on the chair, one on the pillows.

This has been going on for years now. There is no peaceful resolution. They are sworn enemies who are jealous of the attention I pay the other. They will never be besties although they occupy the space of my bedroom for most of the day and night.

We live together, me being the buffer between them. I don’t know why I’m telling you about them this morning, except that Pumpkin is still trying to jump into my lap as I type. I rarely allow that because she doesn’t stop demanding pets and never settles—and I have work to do!

Betta fish are so much easier to care for. Feed them, keep their water the proper temperature, and enjoy the show. Not so cats.

So, for fun, have you ever had pets who were sworn enemies? How did you manage to keep the peace? Answer in the comments below for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card.

P.S.: I just wanted to let you know that I had no discernable side effects from my immunotherapy infusion last Monday. Not one. I sat for an hour while they dripped the medicine in my IV. Then I went about my life this past week without any nausea or pain. It’s so lovely. I’m still recovering my energy level after so many months of chemo, but I’ll get there!

Report Card

Last week…

1. The most noteworthy thing that happened last week was my meeting with my oncologist on Monday. There, he told me I’m in remission from the cancer that once filled my abdomen. Now, there’s a “smudge” of cancer left in my uterus, and I will be seeing a surgeon soon to remove everything! Halleluiah! That does not mean I’ll be cured. I’ll still have Stage IV endometrial cancer. It just means that, for now, we’ve knocked it back. I’ll take that and celebrate!
2. I also underwent my first every-six-weeks immunotherapy infusion. And guess what? It only took an hour—not an entire day—and the best part? No side effects that knock me on my ass! Glory Halleluiah! 
3. I continued work on one author’s edits and finished them.

This next week…

1. This week, I’ll be diving back into finishing up Ignition! Okay, so I said this last week, but I mean it this time. I want to finish it and put it up for pre-order.
2. I have one author’s edits to work on this week—perhaps a second set if the author gets me her pages.
3. So far as personal goals? I’m not ready to diet. I’m still in celebrate mode. LOL. I also can’t find the drive to up my activity. I need some inspiration.

Open Contests

Be sure to check out these posts and enter to win the prizes that are still up for grabs:

1. Flashback: Saddled (Contest) — This one ends tomorrow! Win a FREE book!
2. Memory Game: Places I would like to go… (Contest) — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
3. 5 Things I’m Thankful For… (Contest) — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
4. Saturday Puzzle-Contest: Dream Dinner Table — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
5. Gabbi Grey: Gay Historical Romances (Contest) — This one ends soon! Win a FREE eBook or audiobook!
6. Report Card & Open Contests (New Contest, too!) — Win a pretty pen!
7. Flashback: Tailgating at the Cedar Inn (Contest–3 Winners!) — Win a FREE story!
8. Word Search: Hot Sauce Day (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
9. Anna Taylor Sweringen/Michal Scott: Ellen F. Eglin — Inventor of the Wringer Washer (Contest) Win an Amazon gift card!
10. Saturday Puzzle-Contest: A Wishing Well — Win an Amazon gift card!

Taking a deep breath….

Last August, after my first PET scan, I remember my oncologist’s expression before he brought up the scan for us to review. He wasn’t smiling. His eyes looked sad. He slowly hit the key to progress the images and pointed out everywhere that was lit up like a freaking Christmas tree to show me where the cancer was. In one image, I could see that it looked like an apron of Christmas tree lights was spread across my abdomen, fully covering it. At that time, I asked him about best case scenarios, and he told me I might have three years if I did well with the chemo, but my cancer was extensive, and he didn’t believe I’d ever be a good candidate for surgery to debulk my tumors. The best I could hope for was some reduction of the size of my tumors to prolong my life a bit.

The first thing I did after getting the news was to make an appointment to update my will.

Today, when he walked into the room, he had the biggest smile on his face. He said, “Let’s pull up the latest scan.” He opened his laptop and brought up the previous picture that was so colorful and beautiful with the intensity of all those awful lights. Then he pulled up last Friday’s scan and slowly hit the key to progress through the screens. There was nothing but gray scale pictures to look at. The ONLY place we could detect some activity was in my uterus, but it was a bare smudge of light.

He said, it was almost funny because the radiologist that read the scan thought I’d had surgery already to remove my omentum. That’s an apron of tissue that covers all the major organs in your abdomen. The reason he thought I’d had surgery was because there was no cancer to be seen whatsover. The “capsule” of cancer on my liver? Gone, too.

He said I’d done amazingly well, and that I am officially in REMISSION! He went on to say that I would be on immunotherapy from here on out and that he had patients who’ve been on it for eight years—so my prognosis is stretching into territory I couldn’t even begin to dream of when I started. Sure, it can come back, but we’ll be doing blood tests and scans to keep on top of it.

I could not have received better news. Now, I’ll wait for the surgeon’s office to contact me because I am getting that dang surgery to have my girlie parts removed for good.

Just thought I’d share the news because I couldn’t wait until tomorrow. We’re in celebration mode at the Devlin house!

UPDATE: The winner is…Carol!
*~*~*

Sorry, I’m so late posting! My website was down this morning, and I had to wait for the hosting site to do whatever they did to fix it. It’s all good now. ~DD

Yesterday, I underwent a PET scan to see how all those rounds of chemo did. I read the radiologist’s report and instantly went into “Google-MD” mode with my daughter, but I’ll wait to see whether my pieced-together diagnosis matches my oncologist’s on Monday. Damn, I hate waiting! I’ll share whatever he tells us. You’ve followed me, supported me, and encouraged me all along the way; you deserve to know the good or bad that comes of all this.

So, onto today’s puzzle!

Maybe you don’t know it, but I love food. I’m a huge foodie. I’ll try anything. Traveling to so many different countries in my younger days, I was game for anything. I remember eating a shared sheep’s head sitting in the middle of a bed of couscous on a huge tray with half a dozen Saudis around me—so delicious. A Greek woman, who I visited in her home, made a lovely Greek salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, olives—and octopus. I tried it, and guess what? I loved it! I have so many fond memories of food adventures.

These days, I’m a bit homebound, but my daughter has my foodie gene and finds exotic things to cook. The kids aren’t always so eager to experiment, but they probably have a more diverse palette than their peers at school.

I am a huge lover of pasta. The photo above? I make ravioletti with sundried tomatoes, onions, spinach, pine nuts, basil, oregano, olive oil, tons of garlic, and it’s so good. It’s one of my dd’s favorite things to eat. I like it with chopped up artichokes, too, but she doesn’t like them. *sigh* In that picture, she made the homemade focaccia bread. So yummy.

Of course, I make a very tasty spaghetti with meatballs. The 11-year-old recently went to the local Italian restaurant and ordered theirs and couldn’t finish it. She said mine was much better. Proud grandma moment there.

I’m always perusing pasta recipes on Pinterest. This looks so incredibly easy. Pasta with spinach, and it looks like bits of walnuts? I’d be all over that.

I digress because I’m hungry, and you’re here for a puzzle and contest…

Today’s puzzle features an aspirational (for me) dinner party. Pasta, seafood, all kinds of sides… For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, tell me your favorite pasta dish that you think belongs on this table. If you have a link to the recipe, it would be much appreciated, but if it sounds good, I’ll Google the heck out it! Have fun!

UPDATE: The winner is…Nicola Sullivan!
*~*~*

I’m off to the city today for a PET Scan. I’m hungry and grumpy. I could only eat protein—no carbs or sugar for the last 24 hours. That sounds easy enough, but dang, I’m craving a burger with a bun with French fries and a soda! In fact, the minute I’m out of the clinic after the scan, that’s where I’m going to insist my daughter take me!

Last night, I attended my local art guild’s meeting. We voted on a new board. I’m VP of programs! My dd and I went in with a long agenda that we whipped through quickly, including ideas for future programs. It’s something to keep me looking forward, so many things to do. I love being part of that community. My mother was one of the founding members of that group and a true artist. I think she’d be pleased.

Anyway, today, I have lots on my mind—the scan, writing projects I need to begin, fun things to do with the art guild. Too many hopeful future-looking things for me to accept any news from my scan that isn’t also hopeful and future-looking.

I made a quick list of 5 Things I’m Thankful For…

👨‍👩‍👧 — My family, who love and take care of me

🏡 — A comfortable home

🗺️ — The many wonderful memories of the adventures I enjoyed while traveling abroad

🥘 — Good food!

⌛ — The time to enjoy all of the above—even if it’s only one year, although I’m hoping for more!

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, tell me the five things you’re thankful for!

Report Card

Last week…

1. I got my white blood cell count booster shot! Woo-hoo. The rest of the week was a bit of blur since I spent most of it resting or outright sleeping. I’m so glad chemo is over so I can try to get back my strength!
2. I started work on one author’s edits! Yay, back in the saddle!
3. I decided on the theme, with readers’ help, for the next Boys Behaving Badly Anthology! It’ll be Burn!
4.  The family and I watched Carry-On on Netflix. If you love Die Hard like I do, you’ll love this little movie, too!
5. When I was up and about, I began slowly putting away things in my art studio. Doesn’t that sound pretentious? It’s just the place all my hoarded art supplies live. With Christmas gifts and all the sales, I have tons of supplies to find homes for. 🙂
6. Oh, one last thing! KDP (Amazon) kindly returned my ability to post pre-orders. They took pity on my excuse for canceling previous pre-orders—cancer! Now, I have to work up the nerve to begin listing a few!

This next week…

1. I have my PET scan scheduled for Friday. All fingers and toes are crossed that the images bear out what the blood work has been hinting at. If the tumors are small enough now, I hope I’m a candidate for some debulking surgeries.
2. I have two authors’ edits to work on this week. One to hopefully complete (depends on whether the author gets me the rest of her book!).
3. I still need to upload Once Upon a Legend to sites other than Amazon since it’s no longer exclusive there. I’m not sure why I’ve been dragging my feet. Oh yeah, fatigue.
4. This week, I’ll be diving back into finishing up Ignition!

Open Contests

Be sure to check out these posts and enter to win the prizes that are still up for grabs:

1. Story Cubes — Tell me a story (Contest) — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
2. Saturday Puzzle-Contest: Hunkering down in the cold… — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
3. Gabbi Grey: Why Representation Matters (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
4. Word Puzzle — Ideas for Next Boys Behaving Badly Anthology (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
5. Karenna Colcroft: Back to Boston (F*R*E*E Read!) — Everyone, get your FREE read!
6. Memory Game: The OG — Montana Bounty Hunters (Contest) — Get an Amazon gift card!
7. Saturday Puzzle-Contest: Movie Night! — Get an Amazon gift card!

Catching up here…

• I’m feeling a little better. Got some rest. I had a white cell count booster shot yesterday. Next, I have an appointment at the end of next week for a PET scan to see how much my cancer has reduced (crossing my fingers it’s a lot!). Then, I have a follow-on appointment the Monday after to get the results and begin my first immunotherapy infusion. Whew! Hopefully, there will be another appointment added to see a surgeon to get my girlie parts removed!
• Amazon very kindly reinstated my pre-order ability, but now I’m afraid to use it in case I don’t finish the next book in time. LOL. I have no confidence, but I guess I’ll go ahead and set one up for a far-away date to give myself some leeway, then change it to a sooner date when the book is done. I’m talking about Ignition, the last of the Delta Heat stories, which is almost all written at this point! Just a chapter or two to go, and I’m done. I’ll attack it next week and see how it goes. I’ll announce here when I set up the pre-order—after I regain my nerve.
• The kids start back to school today, although the severe cold is here, and we might get SNOW on Thursday. This means the kids may get a long weekend out of it! Yay! Although, BOO, we already had a pipe freeze in the pasture. Won’t be able to fix it until it thaws sometime next week.
• We did our grocery shopping after I had my shot yesterday. I was sooooo tired after traipsing around the grocery store. My dd would’ve dropped me at home if I’d asked, but I wanted to do something normal I haven’t done in months. I loved seeing all the FOOD. I know I added a bunch she wouldn’t have bought because…pretty. Who can resist prosciutto and cheese? Or asparagus. (I’m the only person in the house who eats it.)

And that’s all that’s happening here. I’ve set myself some small goals for today and hope I can get that bare minimum done. My desk is buried in stuff! Be sure to check out the list of contests that are still open below! I’d love to hear how you’re doing. Is anyone else getting this freezing weather?

Open Contests

1. Anna Taylor Sweringen/Michal Scott: Susan Smith McKinney Steward – From A Family of Firsts (Contest) — This ends tomorrow! Win an Amazon gift card!
2. Looking Back: 2024 Releases (Contest–2 Winners!) — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
3. Gabbi Grey: The Date I Had to Hit (Contest) — This one ends soon! Win a FREE ebook or audiobook!
4. December Into January (Contest) — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
5. Themes for the Next Boys Behaving Badly Anthology (A Poll & a Contest) — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
6. Story Cubes — Tell me a story (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
7. Saturday Puzzle-Contest: Hunkering down in the cold… — Win an Amazon gift card!
8. Gabbi Grey: Why Representation Matters (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!