12/22/2010, Later

Hi all!

We're leaving in the morning, so this will be my last message from the Morro Bay Public Library. They've been very generous...sharing with an out-of-towner.

We had a good visit with Tank at lunch time. Sally made a salami sandwich for him, and we chilled some milk. He was eager for us to sort through the box of greeting cards and letters, so we did that. So fun! People from Utah, from San Pedro, from Morro Bay, and some surprises. Someone sent a gift certificate for See's Candies, and Sally and I had seen a store in the Madonna shopping complex, so we offered to go there, if he wanted to present someone a gift of chocolate. He chose a young man (Scott) who works the morning shift at a particular gas station/scratcher outlet. We scored the chocolates, and will deliver them in the morning. Not sure how Scott got so lucky.

Tank asked if we had plans for lunch, and we did not, and he thought for a minute before making a suggestion. I was willing to go anywhere. :) We're at that stage, where we want to please him. Kind of cute, and kind of pathetic, maybe. He suggested Dockside Two, on the Embarcadaro, for seafood taquitos. Sounded good to me, and it was. He was drinking a can of Orange Crush that we'd brought him a few days ago, and I wandered down memory lane, remembering when we were kids, and we'd go to Tom's for a hamburger, but Nola and Tank would let the kids (maybe not Kelly) walk next door to Taco Bell for a 25-cent taco and a 10-cent Orange Crush. I always connect those flavors in my head. So, he suggested we get Orange Crush with our taquitos, so we did. :) I also bought Dan a T-shirt.

It's been an exciting week in Morro Bay! One reporter said that we got a year's worth of rain in one week. Also--because of the storm--a tree fell onto an above-ground sewer pipe near the prison, and sewage spilled out for a while. They closed Terry's college (Cuesta) for a day, and advised us not to wander into the estuary, or to swim in Morro Bay at all. Darn! 'Cause today was the day I was going to swim! Also, the dead body of a woman was found near Morro Rock yesterday morning at 6:30. So far, she remains unidentified. I've seen both Sally and Terry since the incident. :) Really. I have.

So, now we're headed over to Bayside to see Tank. This morning, he said he was uncertain when he'd begin chemotherapy. I asked if it was IV or pill, and he seemed to think it would be in pill form. He liked his salami sandwich, and--as we were leaving--he began eating his Danish. A nurse took his blood sugar while we were there, and it was good.

It's been fun being here. We'll probably just take it easy tonight...watch Criminal Minds or What Not to Wear. It's going to be hard to leave tomorrow.

It was fun going through the cards this morning. Tank would sometimes describe a relationship he had with the sender of the card. :) Thanks, Sadie, for having a tree planted in Tank's name. He liked that a lot. :) He had the time, energy, and interest to look closely at every photo that had been sent, so feel free to send more. :) I bet he'd like a copy of that picture of Charlie in the special hat, Kelly.

He's a good man. He doesn't whine or complain. He's very appreciative. He asks about others. He laughs easily. I've noticed that he asks about men...men that Tank considers young and strong, like Kelly, Curtis, Jack Nelson. He asked about Dan's life plan, or something like that. He seemed to approve of my version of Dan's life plan. :) He's full of love and concern for others, with clear memories of good times he's spent with others. It seems to me that the more he talks, the more CLEARLY he talks...you know? I think stimulation is very important right now. I don't know if it's medically important, but it seems like it is.

Thanks to all. :) Love, Polly.