At least it's sunny and warm

I haven't had a cold in about two to three years. I think I had a minor sore throaty cold last year, but it was so insignificant and short that I don't even remember. Because of my lengthy history of lung troubles, I get a flu shot every year, and I'm pretty much Howard Hughes with the handwashing during cold season or when I'm around people who have been sick.

So of course the one time I don't need a cold more than any other time in my life, I get one on my visit to take care of my sister in chemotherapy. Naturally. I had cough from hell yesterday, and now the throat is so sore I can hardly swallow, and my skin hurts, which always means I am sick. And Sis_r has this panicked look in her eye because she's terrified of getting sick on top of all this, with her reduced immune system. I feel like I should pay the extra money to go home early so she can stop being afraid.

I think outside of that, though, I've been something of a help to her. So much has been left undone, despite help from her friends, and I think it's pretty nice for her to know there's someone who can clean up the cat vomit in the middle of the night or lift heavy things.

We spent the entire day at the clinic for the chemo. They apparently gave her a lower dose the first time, and hit her with a much harder shot this time. We had the nicest possible bonus at the clinic, though. You go into a room with three reclining chairs that the gynecological cancer patients kick back in while they're getting the chemicals. And when we came in, there was a couple already in there, both of whom volunteer for the companion animal training organization down here, and they had a four-month-old golden retriever puppy wth her little blue training jacket on, fast asleep on the floor. It made my sister so much happier, she just lit up. The man let my sister hold her for long periods of time while she slept. One of the things I really do love about Evil Twin is that she is a volunteer for the Humane Society animal rescue group here in San Diego. Last year in the terrible fires she put her life seriously at risk going up into the burning areas to get animals out of danger, and then worked in the holding areas trying to get them back to their owners. She's done this for a few years now; I have a great picture of her rescuing a lama (lamalama!) from a few years ago. So China, the little puppy, made what is really turning out to be a painful experience for her so much better -- if China flunks out of companion animal school, she'll have done one great thing in her life by making a very sad and fearful person feel infinitely better.

Sis_r's hair is coming out like crazy now, and I keep catching her sobbing. The hair loss is the big thing for her, the worst thing, but I also think what it means is that's the obvious aspect of what's happening to her and so it's making this all so much more real and sad. She's really struggling with pain -- sometimes so severe that I'm scared I need to call the hospital. And she looks like a bent-over old woman from the weight loss, the surgery, the way her skin is changing because of the chemicals. It's breaking my heart.

But she's also really trying to keep a positive outlook. Her friends are wonderful to her, and that's making such a difference. I wish I wasn't adding to her stress by being sick. But at least I can make up for it by doing stuff around the house. I have a feeling that the whole weekend is going to be just mostly here, but in the backyard there's a bottlebrush plant in bloom (I want one of those so bad but they say you can't grow them in my area) with gorgeous birds flitting around, all her hibiscus plants are in bloom and they're stunning, the lantana's blooming, and other plants I don't even know. I wish klia was here to tell me what kinds of birds I'm seeing. And it's hot and sunny, which is a nice alternative to the rainy cold we've had in Seattle of late.

On the plane down I got some ideas of ways to handle the next chapter of Measure of a Man, which was good because I didn't know how to do what I wanted and finally realized I'd have to give up that plan, and now have an alternative. And I want to try to write some of that down, and also get more of the F&F fic I've already got 10,000 words on (movies_michelle, did you get that section okay?). Sis_r has a laptop and wi-fi, so I get to sit out back if I want or watch TV and be online and write. Yay! Now, if I could just stop coughing!