MS life – Amy's Axons

September 2023

A Mingling of Grief and Joy

September 17, 2023September 17, 2023by amysaxonsLeave a Comment

Hello, Friend!

Some of you know we lost our beloved Pip suddenly between the time of my last post and this. It was a crushing loss for us, we loved him so much. It’s still very difficult to talk about and the tears flow easily. We are so grateful to God for the 5 years we had with him. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the Name of the Lord!

In loving memory of our Pip. Rest in peace, sweet boy.

For those of you who know us it will come as no surprise that we knew we would open our hearts for another cat at some point. To our astonishment, God intervened and made an opportunity available more quickly than we ever expected. And, in the marvelous way only God can arrange, He took our sorrow and lovingly soothed us with not one but TWO kittens! We drove to Indianapolis Friday night and brought our Cornish Rex kittens home yesterday.

Introducing…

Wally and Clemmy brought us great joy and comfort through the weeks of our sorrow as we grieved our Pip and anticipated holding them in our arms. Now they are here, we are soaking up every moment and feel that Pip would approve. He was the sweetest cat who delighted in nothing more than bringing love and happiness to our lives. He would be glad we are comforted by two kittens who remind us of him in nearly everything they do.

Though there will always be a Pip-size hole in our hearts that nothing and no other cat will ever fill, he taught us that love is always worth taking a chance on. We’re so grateful we took that chance!

May God be with you! ❤️, Amy

June 2023

Loving the Ozarks

June 3, 2023June 3, 2023by amysaxons2 Comments

Hi, Friend!

Hubby has been on break between semesters at the college where he teaches. It’s been so wonderful to have him home with me every day. We took a day trip to Bentonville, Arkansas Thursday and enjoyed the beauty of the Ozarks as well as our time together. If you didn’t know, Sam Walton opened his first Walmart on the square in Bentonville in 1962. The Walton family has greatly and richly (😉) invested in the town turning it into one of the coolest and most happening places in the Midwest.

Ice cream options abound. Hubby got me Milky Chocolate and Strawberry Buttermilk.

Hubby got himself a vanilla cone from this Walmart sponsored truck.

Hubby is a cycling enthusiast and has ridden a couple of the trails. They are building and adding mountain bike trails at the rate of a mile a week! Northwest Arkansas now draws hundreds of national and international cyclists every year.

You can walk all the way up and around the outside of this building on the zigzag walkways.

Compton Gardens had lovely trails for walking and cycling.

Hubby got his exercise pushing me up and down the walkway at Compton Gardens (as shown here) and around downtown Bentonville. It was a hot and sweaty job. It’s a lot easier to get my wheelchair in and out of the car than it is to take apart and reassemble my scooter. However, we agreed it would be worth the effort to take my scooter on all future trips – I’m a bit of a handful 😜.

I wore a new dress I made this week from this beautiful floral and strawberry print jersey 🍓.

It’s starting to get warm and I’ve not been able to sit outside on the patio as much the past couple of weeks.

Our River Birches have fully leafed out. Almost all of the fuzzy seeds have finally fallen, which is a good thing because they are pretty messy.

This Mama dove has been sitting on her nest in our guttering for a solid three weeks. I don’t know if her babies are ever going to hatch.

Sadly, the following bird photos are the last at our feeders that I’ll be able to get for a while. I’ve had so many squirrels and grackles eating the seed that I’ve decided to stop for a while, it’s just too expensive. 😢. I am researching some other options and hope to get something else in place soon. I’ve really missed my feathered friends.

House Finches (male and female pair) and Downy Woodpecker, male

Best snuggle buddies ever, Laudy and Pip

Until next time, may God be with you! ❤️, Amy

April 2023

It’s Blooming Spring!

April 13, 2023April 14, 2023by amysaxons2 Comments

I love how the colors came out in this photo of a Common Grackle.

19 of Hubby’s cycling friends stopped by halfway through one of their rides for a cookie and water break.

Our sweet blue “Laudy” Laudanum Cornish Rex 💙

It’s always a toss-up of who will be first in the sling to help me with my Bible study each morning. Pip won this day.

Behind the scenes when I’m birdwatching on the back patio.

Have a lovely day! God be with you. ❤️, Amy

August 2021

Breath In, Breath Out

August 16, 2021August 16, 2021by amysaxons2 Comments

Sometimes I’m really proud of myself for being able to keep the rhythm of breathing going, such is the joy of MS fatigue.

In my last post I said I would try to write something about my MS, so here it is. Whew, this summer has been a challenge! I have had a smattering of a few good days here and there and even a few strung together in sequence, but more often than not I’ve been under the thumb of pervasive, domineering MS lethargy. Nope, it’s not the kind of tired that needs a nap and sitting to rest for a spell doesn’t shift it at all. Like having a bone dry fuel tank, no matter how hard you try to go, you end up getting absolutely nowhere. The engine won’t start, the wheels won’t go anywhere, the brakes won’t compress, the electric windows won’t budge… technically it’s a car, but it’s good for nothing. I still look like Amy on the outside but there’s no juice to animate me. The electrical wires of my nerves are stripped and the signals my brain tries to send to make my body move either can’t or only partially get through. As a result, I don’t walk right, my hands don’t work the way they’re supposed to, my bladder doesn’t know if it’s holding or letting go, my thoughts struggle to be strung into words, and my balance is all over the place making me stagger around like I’m drunk. Normal things like showering, getting dressed, eating, and even sitting up use inordinate amounts of energy because my nervous system is having to work 1,000 times harder than yours just to get the signals through. Some days, for some inexplicable reason, I spontaneously recharge fairly quickly and I get to do things other than basic human functions – these are my good days. Other days, most days if I’m honest, time passes from my favorite chair or lying in bed. I read, listen to audiobooks, put puzzles together on an app, watch TV, and snuggle with our cats.

MS and heat don’t mix, it makes all symptoms worsen, so I haven’t been on the patio taking pictures much the past few weeks. However, the past couple of days have been milder allowing me to snap a few pics of my feathered friends.

I’ve learned to love bluejays and all the sounds they make.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, cardinals are one of the most beautiful birds of all!

Mourning doves are another personal fav.

The butterfly bushes we planted in the spring have more than doubled in size and smell wonderful!

There have been 5-10 hummingbird moths around the butterfly bushes all summer.

Hubby has just a couple more days before he heads back to work. This chore has been on his list and he’s glad to have it done. It’s still hard to believe God has blessed me with such a perfect guy ❣️

May God be with you! ❤️, Amy

September 2020

Animal House

September 15, 2020September 15, 2020by amysaxons2 Comments

We did a few days of dog sitting for family over Labor Day weekend. I discovered I like dogs better than I thought I did but, WOW, they are a lot more work than cats.

“What are we going to do now? Huh? Huh? Huh?”

This little beauty had a ton of energy and needed to go on walks as well as run around the backyard. I dug deep to find the energy to walk her around the neighborhood a couple times per day for three days in a row. I can see why people with MS might want a dog. Their basic needs trump even the emptiest of MS energy tanks because when they gotta go they gotta go 😁.

Hubby loves dogs and they always seem to gravitate to him. It’s a good thing we kept poochie over a weekend and we could tag team watching her since we had to keep her on a leash when not in her crate. We wanted the cats to still feel like it was their home and they were safe from well-intentioned but unwelcome bouncy-flouncy invitations to “play” chase.

They both used their best manners and no one was traumatized.

After the doggy went home, it took a few days of solid rest to recover. I didn’t do much of anything but enjoy these beautiful, freshly fallen leaves from our River Birches.

As I mentioned in my last blog, I had my third Ocrevus infusion in late August. I self-isolated at home for a couple of weeks both before and after the treatment for a bit of extra assurance that I didn’t get sick. I’m pretty used to staying home a lot but I am certainly glad that is over. During my confinement I practiced various lessons from Dorling Kindersley’s Digital Photography Complete Course: Learn Everything You Need to Know in 20 Weeks. Naturally, I used my two favorite muses 🐈🐈. The photos below were taken as I practiced shooting from various angles.

The big, orange bouncing ball that is MS has been all over the place: up, down, out of bounds, in play, and even deflated. Some days I’ve been able to enjoy a walk, sewing projects, baking, and even a little gardening. Other days I’ve barely been able to step out of bed, take a shower, feed myself, or muster the energy to sit in a chair. It is so bizarre, I can’t describe it. It feels like I am disconnected from myself and am living someone else’s life because it doesn’t feel like me.

I treasure the good days or hours of the day, and sometimes just the minutes of the day, when I am motoring along and feel like I have sovereignty over my body to do the things I want to do. I know God has given me every blessing in Christ so that whether it is a good MS day or not, I can give thanks to Him and live a contented life.

To the praise of His glory!
❤️Amy