Basil Cell Carcinoma

Nowadays everyone knows about the sun's ability to cause skin cancer, especially among fair complexion  people like me.  So I visit my dermatologist at least once a year, and immediately if I see something that may be a problem.  I sure don't want skin cancer to be the thing that kills me.

Needless to say, I've had some problems over the years and fortunately for me the were easy to treat, some because I caught them early.

This latest incident was not that unusual but turned out to be a basil cell carcinoma.  As bad as that sounds it is the best kind of skin cancer to have if treated timely.  It is localized, so there is very little chance of it spreading.  But left untreated it can cause some damage to the skin and surrounding area.

During a routine visit to my primary care physician my wife asked him to take a look at a bump on the side of my nose.  It had been there for years and seen by at least two dermatologists.  But it had recently started to grow larger, looking more like a wart than anything.

So the doctor took a look and suggested we schedule a visit to my dermatologist because it looks like a basil cell carcinoma.

Needless to say, we drove straight to the dermatologist's office and made an appointment for the next day.  We're glad we did because the resulting biopsy tested positive for cancer.  An appointment was made with a specialist.  She explained what she would be doing to remove the BSC and a date was scheduled for the surgery two weeks later.

The surgery was yesterday.  And it was actually more boring than painful.  The doctor first cut out a sizable piece of the bump and took it to her lab to see if she managed to get all of the cancer.  It took a while to get the results.  When she returned an hour later she said there were some signs that she didn't get it all and would have to cut deeper.  This is what I looked like while I waited.

She returned and cut again.  And this time it was successful.  I was cancer free - a good feeling.

Here are some more photos to show what I looked like on the table and on the way home.  Yes I drove.

By the time we arrived home the pain started to get worse so I took a Tylenol and went to bed.

The bandage came loose during the night and would not re-stick.  So I left it off and followed their instructions to clean around the area with a Q-tip and hydrogen peroxide, then apply a lite layer of Vaseline. 

I return next week to have the stitches removed, but that's pretty much it.  Meanwhile, I will clean it with the Q-tip and hydrogen peroxide and cover it with a small bandage.  I'm not to do any heavy lifting or strenuous workout for a couple of days.  That's pretty easy to live with in order to be cancer free again.

See your dermatologist...

Update;  I returned today (2-6-18) to get the stitches out.  It looks good and I can return to normal.

The Happy Place - A Great Idea

One of the things we like about Terra Mariae, our little 55 and over community that we now call home, is that it is small (only 70 houses), compact (One long street and two short ones), out of the way of traffic and crime and noise, and there are lots of people who want to get involved.

And it's a perfect place to take a stroll.

So when Neighbor Scott Goodwin decided to build a pergola in one of the large green space areas about half way down the long street, he knew it would be a welcome spot for strollers to get out of the sun or rain.  Not to mention just a nice comfortable place to enjoy a book or just watch the birds.

He decided to pay for it and build it himself.  But that's when a few neighbors jumped in to help.  This was just too good of an idea to NOT be involved in it.

I made a short video showing how the efforts of a few paid off.  Take a look:

The Happy Place

Nice huh?

Not shown in the video is the concrete floor.  He paid for that too.

And he has since built a horseshoe pit.

It Snowed Again

It's hard to believe, but we've already had our second snowfall since moving into our New House on November 1st, only 78 days ago.   And it has only been 38 days since it snowed back on December 8th.  I'm guessing that's some kind of record for here.

Not only did it snow, it got down to 16° with a wind chill of 1° this morning.  And Mother Nature promises even more of the same for today, tonight and tomorrow.

Even so, we sure enjoyed the view this morning.

It's way too cold to work in the garage today so I guess we'll just catch up on something else.  I'm thinking Naps may be the answer.  We sure aren't crazy enough to go somewhere.

Leroy's Elevator

As we get more and more comfortable in New House, there are two large projects that I particularly wanted done. 

The first was to build a new outdoor kitchen, now referred to as New Coop, to not only serve as a place to cook on our Big Green Eggs, but also our Blackstone Grill, while also serving as a gathering spot for entertaining.  I have the plans drawn and approved by the Homeowner's Association, the slab poured, the plumbing, electrical, and natural gas stubbed out, and I'm ready to get on with it as soon as the other major project is finished.

The other project is a freight elevator into the garage attic.  Yes, an elevator - not one of those 'lifts' that work like a motorized 'sling.'  I wanted something that was built strong enough and safe enough for me to ride along on the elevator if necessary.

The elevator project is now almost complete.  Just some tweaking and cosmetic work remains and it will be finished.

It has already delivered its first load into the attic, a very heavy box filled with Mardi Gras beads.  They were much too heavy for me to hand-carry up that flimsy folding attic ladder, so they remained on the garage floor, always in the way until they became the first to ride the Leroy Elevator.

I will make a detailed video of the Leroy Elevator's construction after I finish, but for now I thought I would share this short video of the elevator hoisting its first load into the attic.

Leroy Elevator First Load

Yet Another Nice Surprise Visit

Another Nice Surprise Today

Frank Smith (aka Frank From Houma in Big Green Egg circles) and Maria (aka his bride of nearly 45 years, navigator, and Traveling Companion) drove over from Houma to see New House and its current occupants. That would be us.

It was a wonderful surprise to see them again.

They also brought Poteet and Jolie who quickly discovered my chair.  I like it too Poteet and Jolie.

Judy had some spaghetti and meatballs cooking when they arrived so lunch was served, followed by some good old 'table talk' that included some old times and new times. It was fun.

Naturally, they got the tour of New House, saw the desks we built, where the elevator will go and where New Coop will be built.

But they didn't come empty handed. Frank presented one of his cutting boards to us. It's beautiful and contains four species of wood.

As they drove off into the sunset we were once again reminded that except for the Big Green Egg, we probably would never have met them. But in a way it feels like we've known them all of our lives. Its a real pleasure knowing them.

Y'all come back soon, you hear...