Keyboard skills.

I learned to type in the 9th grade. Two-handed. Fast. But with the loss of function in my left hand and arm I am relegated to one-handed typing . . . slow and frustrating. Thirty-seven years of experience down the drain. So these various posts not only come to you through the fog of opiates and uncertainty, they are now wrought via unsophisticated technique. Oh well . . . c’est la vie.

Latest on the medical front is that the doctors now seem to feel that the numbness that I’ve been experiencing in my lower left jaw is tumor related rather than a benign cyst as originally diagnosed. And yep, that means that their recommendation is for 14 courses of radiation to my jaw . . . sound familiar? I’ve requested a needle biopsy first, however, as my prior experience with radiation therapy left a lot to be desired. Three spinal surgeries and 14 courses of radiation to my spine have left my central nervous system in total disarray. I awaken every morning to a back that buzzes so hard I can almost hear it. I’ve finally acknowledged that this is a form of pain and am trying to identify a pain killer that will adequately address it.

And in the midst of everything else, it is clear that my reduced work capacity means that I can no longer afford to pay the mortgage on the ranch. I’ve briefly looked at using the property for the formation of a non-profit foundation that would be of assistance to patients suffering from Stage 4 cancer and/or spinal cord injuries as a means of raising funds to bridge the mortgage gap but am not optimistic that such can be accomplished. So the most expedient approach would appear to be listing the property for sale, albeit in a dismal real estate market. C’est la vie. So if any of you are in the market for a premium wine-country property, or know of somebody who is, please let me know!

In the meantime, we continue to stumble down this strange and winding road.