4 Weeks in the Books (Pizza Making, Long Walks by the Lake, & Gorgeous Sunsets) - Day 28

My headlines sure make this sound like one hell of a vacation...

Today marks 4 full weeks since the transplant. Despite the beautiful scenery and the fact that this is the view as I write this post....

The time is moving incredibly slow - it honestly feels like we've been here for months already. It is helpful to remember that it is only 4 weeks, and that my expectations of recovery should be tempered! Still feeling quite weak overall, and so excited to wake-up one of these days and feeling like the new person I know is on the horizon!

As the days press on, and I continue to wait for the first real milestone of engraftment - we continue to explore ways to pass the time and keep life interesting. Distractions are critical, especially as this new onslaught of covid engulfs the country. It is a bit overwhelming to be completely unvaccinated and unprotected (as least for many more weeks). We are taking every possible precaution, and really my only exposure is the days I head to the hospital (where I'm masked the entire time). I suppose on the bright side of things - Bone Marrow Transplant or not, as an immune-compromised person I would have had to be so careful during this surge, so in some ways this is the best possible time to be hidden away, growing a BRAND NEW, STRONG immune system :).

A recap of the weekend:

I made it more than 3 miles on a walk to the Bait Shop on the other side of Friess Lake - Wally & Bee's Last Stop Resort.

This was one of the very first establishments on Friess Lake, and has been a bar and bait shop for more than 70 years! It is currently for sale, and has provided lots of fun day dreaming for me - about an alternative life in which I turn Wally and Bee's iton a bed and breakfast and gourmet restaurant on the lake - alongside a Progressive Retreat Center on its 5+ Acres of wooded property. All fun day-dreaming of course. It felt awesome to make it to such a far destination, and thankful Sherry should pick me up so avoid a 3 mile walk back (Raj did run back though!)

The Tolkans & Aggarwal Take on Homemade Pizza Making

A few highlights:

• Jim wins the award for best inaugural home-made pizza

• Adam Ruben gets a shout-out for his on-demand pizza making advice via phone from DC

• We cheated a bit, buying pre-made fresh dough - still tricky to not "over-handle" and get the crust the ride thickness etc

All-in-all quite delicious - and will certainly become a reoccurring activity!

Sunday had Raj and I hopping in the car for a meandering ride on country rides and eventually ending up on the shores of Lake Michigan for a walk to the Milwaukee Art Museum. Crisp and Cold and beautiful to walk along the shores of the lake and feel a little freedom to be out in the world!

Finally as we approach the shortest day of the year, these Midwestern Winter Sunsets do not disappoint.

Fingers crossed once again that tomorrow's Solstice also brings news of Engraftment!!! Detailed Entertainment Report coming from the hospital tomorrow :)