Things have continued to improve, slowly but noticeably, in the two months since I last wrote. Kate continues on 3mg of steroids and is gaining strength and balance; she is using the walker only part of the time now, and is working with a physical therapist once a week to continue to improve her strength, endurance, and stability. Also weekly: chair yoga and a scheduled walk with a neighbor (a weekly PT session via Skype is on hold due to the other party’s own health issues). She’s also been trying to do her home PT and go for walks every day. If you are in town and able to come over and walk with her, either regularly or one-off, it would be greatly appreciated.

The other steroid symptoms are improving as well: puffiness, tremor, and diabetes are all somewhat better, though she’s still taking insulin once daily and bruises easily. She does have a bit of aphasia, memory problems, and cognitive issues but they are all much better than six months ago. Speaking of which, she had her six-month follow-up appointment from the root canal she had after her fall in August. Everything looks okay, though there’s some discoloration of the tooth and sensitivity to cold.

Kate had another MRI in February and the scan looked very good, continuing to improve from the previous one. There’s no such thing as remission with this type of cancer, but the oncologist is pleased with her progress. The naturopath is also satisfied with how well she’s doing, and we’ve dropped back from monthly meetings with him to once every two months.

In general Kate is much more proactive, energetic, and “present” than before. She’s been cooking, knitting (some), picking out new plants for the garden, and considering new exterior colors for the house (I can’t believe it’s been 22 years since we painted). The weather has been lovely, which makes it easier for her to get out of the house.

In February we saw ten films in the Portland International Film Festival (my faves: “The Wave,” “Liza the Fox-Fairy,” and “April and the Extraordinary World”) and quite a bit of live theatre: “Great Expectations,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “Stupid F*cking Bird,” and “We Are Proud to Present…” plus a Springsteen concert.

As for me, I’m doing well. My short story “Damage” is a nominee for the Nebula Award, and is catching a lot of buzz for the Hugo; we will see in a few weeks what the Hugo ballot looks like this year. I am still plugging away on Arabella volume 2, but hope to have a finished draft very soon. I don’t yet have book tour dates, but will be appearing at Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle next Friday and the Nebula Awards weekend and Wiscon in May. No reviews of Arabella have appeared yet, but review copies have gone out and there’s already a certain amount of buzz.

Thank you to Shannon & Mark, Bo & Don, Arashi, Camille, Mara, Geri, Ulrika, Kate & Glenn, Fran, Sara, Simone, Janna, Melissa, Moria, Kris, Kurt & Lorna, John, Merillee, Ariel, Cynthia, Allan, Marc & Patty, and everyone else who helped out, came for a visit, or shared a meal.

If you are in town, please feel free to stop by for a visit, or just call and say hi.