Monday after my morning run I visited the dermatologist for their 'blue light' special. Evidently my days of soaking up the sun's rays in SoCal have caught up to me in the form of facial skin cancer. The doctor told me I had two options: undergo this treatment to remove the skin cancer or wait until it develops into melanoma and then have it surgically removed. Didn't sound like much of an option to me. This procedure involved applying some ointment to the face, waiting for 40 minutes and then having a blue light focused on my face for 16 minutes and 40 seconds. Somehow the light activates the ointment to kill off the cancer. So far I haven't had any adverse reaction other than occasional itching. I return in about four weeks for a repeat of this procedure.
I was cautioned to avoid direct sunlight for a couple of days. This has not been a problem since it rained on Monday. It rained all day Tuesday. It rained all day on Wednesday. It rained Thursday morning. In fact, I did not see the sun all week until Thursday afternoon. The local area received about 8 inches of rain, setting a new record for the month of October.
Wednesday afternoon I attended a funeral for a long time sister in our ward. Born in England in 1936 she survived the bombings of WW2, married an US serviceman and moved to the US, finally settling in Mountain Home. I had an opportunity to reconnect with her five grandchildren since most don't live locally. And before this funeral started, we had word of another 80+ year old passing away; his funeral will be Sunday afternoon.
Thursday after teaching seminary, I headed off to Jonathan's for a few days. I stopped at Menard's to exchange some screws and purchase the last two planks for the deck. The planks are 12 feet long, almost too long to fit in the van. Knowing I only needed them to be about nine feet long, I trimmed two feet off. Even then they stretched from the dash to the back door. Going through Springfield also requires a stop at Andy's Frozen Custard for a hot fudge sundae.
I arrived safely and in plenty of time for dinner. This was basically a no agenda visit for me. Didn't even bring any work clothes. Friday I was the designated adult in the car as Miriam drove to church (she only has a permit) so the girls could prepare things for Saturday's Trunk or Treat. Using chalk we drew halloween scenes in every other parking spot indicating those were non parking spots (for distancing purposes).
Saturday was the Trunk or Treat activity at church. Awards were given for a variety of costume attire, hot dogs were cooked, visiting transpired and then the Trunk or Treat activity. Probably 100 were in attendance and a good time was had by all.
Saturday evening we celebrated Miriam's 16 birthday. She asked for peaches and crème french toast for dinner and crème brulee for dessert. You don't need to ask, it was very tasty!
Their ward meets every other Sunday, and so I was able to attend church with them this week. Maybe 60 or so in attendance. It was nice to be able to meet with other members and enjoy the spirit of the meeting. Was able to talk to a couple that recently retired and moved here from SoCal.
Visiting family, especially the grands, is a treat for me. Tomorrow I will return to Mountain Home and Callie will accompany me. She is looking forward to cooking some new recipes and I am excited that she is willing to do so.
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