Hawk!

Last night we had a hawk sitting in the grass in the backyard. He was holding his wing funny and just hopped under our bushes when we entered the yard. We called the wildlife people, but they couldn't find their raptor tech. Eventually the hawk hopped out and sat on a log behind my herb garden. We sat and waited for a call, about an hour, there are neighborhood cats dumb enough to try that bird as a snack. Big as a cat himself! He watched us, and we watched him. We called the raptor rehab, but they don't have the resources to come do a capture. So the lady said she'd walk Larry through catching the hawk. Larry was game, he has experience catching wild owls (long story). He shooed the bird out from behind the flowerbed... hop hop hop and suddenly he flew into the pine trees behind us. The first wildlife gal said sometimes they eat too much and can't fly, but we think he flew into something like our cables and stunned himself or wrenched a wing and needed to rest. Cool that he is okay, but I couldn't get good pictures; I didn't want to get too close in case I spooked him.

Cancer Sucks.

So I had a great time at Burning Man. I wish I could escape back to that dusty utopia, and soon.

My SIL in WV went into surgery on the Friday we drove to the desert. Ovarian cancer, stage three or four. She is home now and will begin chemo soon. She was healthy six months ago. Crap, huh? Not good news. That's a slow death sentence in most cases.

When we came back, there was an email saying my friend who ran the local freecycle group had died of pancreatic cancer. Crap. I knew she'd been in chemo, but she'd told us all things were going well. They may have been. Not well enough.

Just last night, I found out my dad has some type of cancer, found through blood and bone tests. I don't know what stage, much less what type as yet. The SIL will go with him to the doctor on Friday to get the full scoop. I will post then. Maybe. I'm raw from all the cancer in my loved ones. I just lost my favorite brother in Decemeber, toss mom's death in from 2005 (heart disease) and my oldest brother in 2001 from colon cancer, and well, I'm tired of it. No wonder my 86 year old father isn't going to put up with much in the way of treatment. He has lost too many too fast and simply wants to join mom.

Ironiclly, I just had a mammogram and go in a week from Friday for my last oncology visit. If my mammo is clear, I am a five year survivor. I won the cancer lottery. I am living in fear of what my own body may try to kill me with next.

Crap, cancer sucks the big one, sucks it hard. Fuck cancer.