My wife and partner Petra B is running in the 5k Race For The Arts later this month. How about supporting her and helping a great charity at the same time? All donations to sponsor her will go to the Women’s Wisdom Project, an art program of Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services.
If you would like to donate make checks payable to “Race for the Arts” and send to Petra B. Wynbrandt, P.O. Box 340564, Sacramento, CA 95834-0564.
Read her statement in her own words after the jump:
Last week was “Go to the Doctor” week here in stevenology world. My wife Petra had four, count ’em, four doctors appointments all related to her breast cancer from back in 2005. Yes, unfortunately, that issue never really leaves your life once it has so rudely forced it’s way in. She is still on medication with at least one (hopefully minor) surgery to go. And she is still seen and monitored by multiple doctors at various intervals. And the appointments all happened to hit last week. We should get a frequent doctor discount! Or maybe, go to ten visits, get the eleventh free.
Anyway, first up was the original surgeon for a follow up exam to make sure everything is still going ok. Then it was the oncologist to discuss the recent blood work and of course an exam. Then the radiation oncologist for a followup and another exam. Then, finally, the reconstructive surgeon for yet another exam and an injection too. Sheesh! The only person missing was Jim-Bob’s cousin Raylene! Just kidding…
But here’s the really good news: 100% of her doctors agree that Petra is “NED”. That’s cancer-speak for No Evidence of Disease. Yahoo! That’s the best you can hope for once you have ever had the Big C diagnosed. And it only holds until the next round of appointments. But still, yahoo again! High fives all around!
Leave me a comment below or else the doctor in this picture will haunt your dreams!
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Good ol’ Uncle Jim. Well, technically, he wasn’t my uncle but he did care about me. He was my wife Petra‘s uncle and he passed away on December 27th in Illinois. Jim always told Petra how lucky she was to have me, and I won’t argue with that. But the bigger truth is that he and Petra were very lucky to have each other.
As you may or may not know, Petra is adopted and adoption records are sealed in all but five or so states so that people, even grown adults, can not know their family or history. That is a wrong that needs to be corrected. But that is another story. In our case, Petra managed to track down, with the help of her (adoptive) parents, information about her birth family. Her birth father is deceased and her birth mother sadly wants nothing to do with her, even after all these years. Petra has had some contact with a couple brothers and their families but none of that compares to the relationship that she had with her birth father’s brother, her beloved Uncle Jim.
OK, so I am almost a week late. We move at a relaxed pace out here on the left coast. But here’s wishing you all the the greatest new year ever possible. As for the past year, well, it’s over and we can say that for it at least. Bygones. There were a lot of highs (too many to recap) and a few lows (losing my mom for instance).
So, the holidays are over for better or for worse, and now on into the new year full speed ahead. Or at a nice, smooth pace. Whatever works for you. And on that note, here’s a video (below) that I have always liked about “A Long December”, by Counting Crows:
Peace to all in the new year.
My wife and partner, Petra B, will be one of the Swell Sister artists included in a Second Saturday art show, titled Gather The Women. This will be her first time to have a piece of art included in a public showing. Way to go, PB! Her piece is a work of fused glass and wire art, entitled “Five Women”.
As you can see from the postcard at right, the showing will be Saturday December 13th, 2008, at the Coffee Garden. This venue is located at 2904 Franklin Blvd in Sacramento, CA. Click on the postcard graphic to see a larger version. One of the pictures on the card is a glass bowl that Petra created a while back (see top row, fourth from right).
The reception for this event will start at 6:00 PM but you can drop by any time that evening to see the art. Food and coffee are available and there will be music by the Jahari Sai Trio. Bring your friends and come by the Coffee Garden on December 13th to see Petra‘s latest and greatest work of art “Five Women”. And check out the rest of the Sisters’ art too, of course!!
Yeah, baby! It’s the President-Elect. And you all know what big Obama fans we are, having already read this and this. So, really, it’s no big surprise that he showed up at our house to thank us personally for voting for him. Hey, pictures don’t lie!
Possible captions for this photo:
Barack: “This is better than the White House”
Us: “No, you can’t give our dog to your kids!”
Us: “RED wine? That’s our favorite too!”
The dog: “Want to watch General Hospital?”
Me: “Too bad you didn’t know Petra before you picked your vice-president!”
Any other ideas? C’mon boys and girls. Just click on the comment link below…
No, I don’t mean that old Robert Palmer song (or was it Moon Martin)? Anyway, long-time readers of this blog will remember on my old web site that I kept a running off-and-on commentary about my wife Petra‘s bout with breast cancer and her subsequent treatments and current period of remision.
It’s been a few years now, but today was her every-six-month check with her oncologist. And, guess what? NED! That’s right, no evidence of disease. Her blood work was clear and good, and the exam went fine too. Ya-hoo! So we are good to go until next May at least. That’s when the next appointment is. In case you were wondering. To health!
A few weeks ago I made a post about how we bought a very special brick for the grandkids. And that was very cool, check it out if you haven’t already. But this is a little different. It’s a garden stone for my mom. She is gone now, passed away this spring, but when she was here she touched a lot of lives and will not soon be forgotten.
My wife Petra B had this great idea. In my Mom’s honor, she suggested making a garden stone in her memory. You can see the final product in the picture on the right. Mom. 2008. Betty Jo.
Petra got the ball (the stone?) rolling and did most of the work including mixing the cement, but I helped some with the lettering and finishing work. The glass (yes, those are glass pieces) inset into the stone is her work, she is the artist. Thank you so much Petra B for the great idea.
We put the stone in our yard, next to some plants (mums, coincidentally) that my co-workers gave me around the time of the funeral.
How do you like our brick? Sort of speaks for itself, don’t you think? We bought it for two reasons: 1) It is a great, semi-permanent way to show our grandkids that we love them and are thinking of them and 2) The money went to a very good cause, the local kids attraction Fairytale Town. We have taken the grandkids there numerous times and they always had a great time on the Crooked Mile, the slides, the rabbit hole, Sherwood Forest playgroud, seeing the animals, drinking out of the Hippo’s mouth, watering the garden, climbing on the train, and eveything else. Next time they go, they will be able to see their names on their brick and hopefully they will come back many times over the years to visit it and smile knowing that we love them.
You can see from the second picture what the completed portion of the Yellow Brick Road looks like. It is right outside the entrance to the theme park, across the street from the Sacramento Zoo. There are still bricks for sale if you are interested in helping this very worthy cause. You can get almost anything you want printed on a brick (within reason, of course). Why not stop by there and check out our brick! It’s fun to look for it and see all the others and what people put on theirs. Check it out, and let us know if you do!
