With the Russian madman causing mayhem in the world, I am really trying to maintain a positive outlook.
The war news is dominating and it’s difficult to avoid. But am very aware of how my mental health can affect my physical health, so I am attempting (and so far succeeding) to limit my news watching/viewing. I look at just enough to get a very superficial overview but even that is more than I want. I feel so sad for all the people affected by this megalomaniac!
Time flies by, even the chemo treatments. Yesterday was #5 of the planned 6. The results of my blood tests continue to be good. The cancer marker went from 301 to 187 this week. But not low enough to move on to the next stage. Dr. McCleave said they want to see it at around 30 which is quite a long way yet.
When I came back to South Africa in 2019, I naturally gravitated to where I was born and grew up. And actually ended up in the what we used to call the village of Kloof. (It’s no longer a village!) Kloof is about 18 miles/29km from Durban and just on 1600ft/500km above sea level, giving the area a more moderate climate than Durban, usually being a good 10F less which was the case when I took Rodney to the park this afternoon. Plus less humid.
The fourth treatment went as planned. Mick came with me so he was able to meet my doctor. It’s always good to have another set of ears in a consultation but this one was very straightforward because everything is going so well.
November 16 last year is the fateful day I got the definitive news that changed my life.
By then I ‘d been in hospital for 8 days going through tests and everything else that goes along with a cancer diagnosis. I’d just had laparoscopic surgery for a biopsy and the GYN/surgeon came to visit me after I had very gently been given the diagnosis. He’s a lovely man and from reading his bio, a pretty religious one as well. He said to me as he sat at my bedside, “Have you considered end of life?”
Made my flight reservations today and I feel really good about the decision to head back to South Africa. I really don’t do well in limbo, and having made several other decisions in the last week, I was able to decide on my departure date and start getting things set up here - to get things set up there!
I try not to miss the yearly Farm Tour. It's always fun to see the organic farms sprouting up in this area. This past weekend, I went to three farms I haven't been to before. One, Spring Rain, I drive past every time I drive to Port Townsend but have never been in. The second, called Wilderbee, I've watched over the last few years as the owners developed raw land into a thriving little farm. And the third is brand new. I didn't even know Onatrue was there, tucked away off the road, with just a dirt road leading to it.
Wilderbee has something for everyone. They grow lavender and have a custom-made still for creating lavender oils which they use in a nice variety of soaps, lotions and potions. The lavender is over now, but the U-pick flower garden is gorgeous! Beautiful dahlias and a wide variety of other flowers from sunflowers to sweet peas. There is even a pumpkin patch which will also be U-pick when they are ready. Beyond the developed area is an added bonus - a 
certified wild area, with a lovely pond and natural vegetation surrounding it. Several bee hives hum alongside the walking trail. The honey being harvested is going into Wilderbee's latest project - mead, with a mead tasting room coming soon.
Just about a mile away, Onatrue Farm is growing on a 10 acre former hay field. Arriving just a year ago from S. Dakota, this young couple and their kids are living in a couple of trailers, devoting all their time and energy into developing the farm. Several hoop houses and chicken coops dot the land, with in-the-ground plantings of the hardier crops. I was thrilled to see ginger growing in one of the hoops and came away with a very healthy plant that I hope does well in my sunroom.
Spring Rain has been on my radar for a while, but I was completely blown away by the expanse of the farm. Tucked back beyond the tree-lined main drag, 26 acres that span the Chimacum Valley and Chimacum Creek, opens up to vast vegetable gardens and most interestingly, at least to me, are chickens and turkeys! Running wild! This is free-range heaven for all the birds which are housed in a very eclectic selection of ancient old trailers and caravans, most painted by (probably) farm kids. The chickens were everywhere, roaming around, sunbathing in the dust and generally living a life of ease!
The turkeys were also out, ranging around! What bizarre-looking birds they are! and so funny to watch.
One of the sheds had masses of 4-day old chicks. The chicken smell and the warmth of the room was almost overwhelming but after a minute or so it was ok. The tiny birds all huddled and cheeped together. Two batches of little golden ones and two of black, and they reminded me of all the chickens Mum had: how they would arrive by train in boxes and kept warm by a kerosene lamp out in the shed until old enough to go out into the yard.
Spring Rain is far more than just chickens. They raise rabbits and sheep and grow berries, orchard fruits, greenhouse crops, herbs, asparagus, and garlic. They also raise bees on this sustainable organic farm. And being aligned with the Jefferson Land Trust, they care for and protect Chimacum Creek, a salmon stream that runs through the farm.
Wilderbee Farm 223 Cook Ave Ext Port Townsend, WA 98368 (360) 379-2434 Email: farmgeeks@wilderbeefarm.com
Onatrue Farm 220 Jimson Lane, Port Townsend, WA 98368 (360) 621-7479
SpringRain Farm and Orchard 187 Covington Way, Chimacum (425) 218-5675
