What could be better.  Just time to write to you.  I’m in the waiting room with other cancer patients, some might be cancer campers, I’m not sure.  I came up with this term a few days ago.  A patient is someone who is just that, defined and situated.  A stump could do that.  A rock could do that.  Campers are those who achieve some sort of peace and are active with copping with the situation.  As a camper maybe sunburned and bugbit but happy and mostly on top of it.  That’s a good place.

Lately I have been chafing at the boundary of this category.  What’s next?  How can I make a difference or how can I cause some trouble or how can I help others?  (Somebody just said something funny and made me laugh, that’s good.)  I came up with the term commando to describe this next level.  I’m liking it, Cancer Commando.   Here is a defination of cammando: a small group of soldiers trained to make quick and often dangerous attacks inside enemy areas, or a member of such a group.   Yea, we could do that.

I have to go for treatment in just a sec and need to do stuff and answer questions, so I’d better wrap this up.  Oh we need our kid’s defination of love for today.

You really shouldn’t say

‘I love you’ unless you mean it.

But if you mean it,

You should say it a lot.  People forget.

Jessica – age 8

Well, that’s really not a defination but we will let her go this time.  OK, have to run.  You guys are the best, love, Felipe.  Did I mention that I love you.

 

 

It just says cancer in big bold black letters on a white background that are slowly washing away with the elements.  It has no subtitle or explanation.  So, maybe the big word CANCER melting away slowly is the message.   OK, I’ll take that.

Got my scan today to see if my cancer is melting away or what?  Results coming tomorrow.  In the mean time, let’s talk about something else.  Ooh, have to go pick some rhubarb for one of the nurses before I forget.  Got to keep my nurses happy, no two ways about it.

Nurses, the forgotten heroes, right?  Man they are really there for me.  Checking and double checking things to make sure everything is right.  There is no way to thank them enough.

OK, it’s that magic time again to bring out one of Annie’s kid definitions of love.  Let me see…

Love is when a girl puts on perfume
And a boy puts on shaving cologne
And they go out and smell each other.’
Karl – age 5

Yea, that’s pretty close Karl.  Why don’t we see how close we can come to the important things around us?  Yup, Felipe.

 

 

Yea, I was going to say some other half way deal but we have Fathers and Sisters reading this quality blog site so…  And why are we so fully baked then?  We are up every single day, rain or shine for one.  Two, we have so many incredibly smart, talented, witty and upright people firing in comments from all around the globe.  Three, we have info and pics direct from the Camino de Santiago.  Four, we have reports about other walks in other places.  Five, we have news from Phil’s Camino on how to have a real live do it yourself Camino experience.  Oh, and six, no gluten, no dead dolphins or high fructose corn syrup either in our ingredients.

Tomorrow I am off to Swedish Hospital in the morning to do a scan.  And then Tuesday along with my treatment I have a meeting with my oncologist to discuss the scan results.    This is always tricky keeping calm for this meeting.  Then Thurday I meet with my other doc to keep my head straight.  I got a big week.

And Annie emailed, what looked like something “cute”, with the disclaimer that she usually doesn’t do this but…  But, this is good and I am going to get it to you a little at a time.  They are definitions of love by four through eight year olds.  So here we go with the first one and you get another tomorrow.  So, maybe not a bad thing to read at tapas.

Touching words from the mouth of babes..
‘When someone loves you , the
Way they say your name is different.
You just know that your name
Is safe in their mouth.’

Billy – age 4

OK, another high quality post.  How do they do it?  Will be with you again tomorrow loves, Felipe.

 

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I am on the red Spanish couch stretched out and maybe will take a nap if I don’t watch it.  The full moon is coming on and I had trouble sleeping last night.  But I have so much to do today that I need to Write to you and then get outside.

And while I am here thinking of what to write I hear a hummingbird’s call because the front door is open right next to me.  It is a very distinctive sound and you can’t mistake it.    It is beautiful in it’s own way.

And thinking about things beautiful I remembered something that I learned on the Camino.  So, if things Godly are good, true and beautiful then it is good to hang around such things.  I can remember in Spain staring at things beautiful and thinking that for instance if I looked upon a beautiful cloud for ten seconds that was better than looking at it for nine seconds.    It had never occured to me before to just savor things in a quantitative way like that.   To soak them in for as long as possible.  Or maybe to be in their presence for as long as possible.

Well, that is enough of a thought for one day.  I am going to get outside and do some soaking of the beauty that is Vashon Island in the sunshine.   Have to water my little sunflower seeds, no letting them dry out!  Ok you all, time to go, beautiful cloud loves, Felipe.

 

Hello Dear Ones,

We are 115 miles from Santiago. What began as a dream has steadily come to pass. We have days still to walk but not many.

After many days crossing big agricultural country with so many rolling hills of grain and skies that went on and on with endless shows of cumulus and light, we climbed up into the mountains. Suddenly we were surrounded by pink and purple blooming heather as tall as we were. Somedays it seems the birds sing just for us. Tomorrow we climb up again and into the Province of Galacia. The influence of the Celts is large in this landscape. Looks more like the west of Ireland than Spain or so we’re told.

We are starving for real vegetables, tired of eating meat and even though we love the bread – we’ve eaten enough of it for a life time. But these are such small complaints, by the time we find food in the evening we’re grateful for whatever it might be.

Thank you for continuing to hold us in your thoughts and prayers – we feel them especially on the long days.

We send our love,
Catherine & Dana

 

Yes, yesterday I got awesome long email from one of Phil’s Angels who hails from the beautiful city of Barcelona.  So, let’s get started.

First she wrote about the holiday on April 23rd and here is some Wilipedia info about Laura’s favorite day of the year: “La diada de Sant Jordi is the most amourous day of the Spanish year. Lovers walk hand in hand and the streets are filled with red roses and stories of love. In Catalonia it is tradition to give men (often family and friends as well as partners) a book and men traditionally give women roses, however today books are oftened exchanged between friends of all sexes. The streets in Barcelona and other cities in the principality are lined with street venders selling bunches of roses and with book stalls. It really is a beautiful sight to behold. It is estimated that on La diada de Sant Jordi, over 4 million roses are sold and almost 800,000 books, which is around half of the annual number of books sold in Catalonia! No wonder it feels like love is in the air…”

Yea, sounds like a plan to me.  Then she went on to say:

In the schools and other associations, the students can present a poem to what is called “Floral Games”. This year my son (18), the middle one, the artist, the camino walker, presented 3. One in english, one in catalan and one in spanish.
He has won the first award in the three of them!!!

I’m gonna share with you the one written in english 🙂

Cosmic embrace of the soul between the golden sheets of the holy skies.

Skulls,

in forgotten meadows.

Dreaming,

of heaven, holy heaven.

Soaring laughs,

high above all roads.

The end.

As beautiful as unholy, my friend.

Who is saying what to whom?

Is it me?

Still the wind blows in vain,

earthly caressing the despair and the pain.

There is no life,

and there is no death.

Was it me who said that?

Was it me?

The punching fists of wisdom leave

corpses scattered all over the streets.

I can fly! I can fly!

Scarce, yet pure voices arise

from the ashes of the unseen world.

From the ashes of the unseen world.

Girls, boys, please keep forever walking carelessly

through the innocent clouds of infancy.

For there shall not be a wall high enough

to prevent children from jumping.

And there is no well deep enough

to keep their feet from falling.

As dim as the light might be,

as far as it might seem,

please walk, walk, and walk.

Now, the trees have lost their leaves.

The bells don’t chime and clocks don’t tick.

With no better light than the dark night

to fight the knights of heaven.

And no other choice than to patiently rest

and patiently wait for a patient star

to come by your side and shine the way

of our future path.

Heaven, heaven again.

Where was I when I was you?

Jules Kors

And then Laura went on to write about a trail that goes around the sea shore of Menorca Island  in the Med off of Barcelona.   Here is Google info: “Camí de Cavalls is an ancient path of 185 km long that surrounds Menorca following its coast. It crosses gullies, rocky zones, valleys, torrents, wetland and farming areas; it connects ancient watchtowers, lighthouses and trenches, and it leads to a great deal of coves and spots of the island. Decidedly, it is the best way to discover the natural wealth and heritage of the island”.   Maybe in our future?

OK, best wishes to our Buddy and Angel, Laura.  She is sending out big hugs for the Caminohead Tribu (Tribe).   OK, have to get ready to walk Phil’s Camino.  Only the best to you The Tribu, Felipe.

 

Yea, last evening when it was starting to get too dark to see I had the corn and the sunflowers IN.   Major event!  I think I beat PFJuan in Iowa.  Not bragging, just reporting.   His crop is a hundred times larger than mine, maybe a thousand,  I ‘m guessing.

I got two long long emails yesterday.  One was from PFJuan and it is on Comments.  He has great stuff.  And the other from Laura in Barcelona with Illa de L’aire.   I don ‘t have time today but tomorrow I want to tell you about that.    What a great gift to be connected with so many great folks around the planet.   They give me energy, things to ponder and all that good stuff, plus I get to tell you about it.

I have to get to work with our son Wiley.   Nice to spend some time with him.   OK, tomorrow, for sure.   Connected love, Felipe.

One man is dead, one is missing, one is in hospice, people off to cancer treatment, heavy duty stories. No lack of drama in this world. I need to pray for all of these friends and friends of friends and myself.

I guess that is why I got it together to cook this morning. Have just been doing something simple breakfast wise and out the door recently. But today I need something substantial to carry me through all this thinking and praying.

Nice pic of my breakfast setup and took that partially for PFJuan’s sake. Just showing off our corn products. I haven’t heard from him for the last few days and he is probably knee deep in planting his crop. I have a couple of hours to go with our planting which I need and hope to accomplish today.

Yea, we are trying to get life going in the midst of death and suffering. It’s all happening and making sense of that situation is our job, it looks like to me. And we have to remember to get some laughs in the middle of all that too. Thanks for hanging out with me today. Planting seeds love, Felipe.

Yea, I’m slowly putting my life together after his visit. Thanks Father Tom, I wouldn’t have it any other way. But get some new boots Padre, will ya?

That’s straight from My Rebecca to me. You know, blogging in bed with a snack sounded like like a good idea to me. It’s actually good to have an adult around to save us from those good ideas.

So, the corn is 2/3rds in. I’m pedal to the metal on this one. Should finish up today or tomorrow. I’m going to put in some sunflowers as a nod to Spain. They will be a big hit in the roadside stand, I’m thinking, hoping.

OK, but here is the big news, the Comments are back up and running!! Annie figured it out, that I had a white fonte on a white background. Who would have thought. The comments were there but you couldn’t see them. Everyone should have an Annie, right? It took me a while to actually get a fix going but check it out, they are there. That is a big one off my list. Excellent!!

I think that I will celebrate by making some cornbread. Get the corn gods all pumped. Pilgrim Farmer John, PFJuan, doesn’t know that we grind meal out of our excess corn. He will be duly impressed and send a comment and we will be able to read it on the new comment fix. See how it works?

OK, how is your day going so far? Wishing you the best with your dreams and challenges. Corny loves, Felipe.