The pace of life for me here is very agreeable, and I find I have adjusted quite well to slowing down, stopping to smell the flowers, and gazing at the beautiful mountains in Western NC.

My friend Julie arrived Saturday, and on my trip to the Greenville, SC, airport I pulled off in the little town of Saluda to fill up my thirsty gas tank. As I pulled up, a friendly brown dog wandered up and plopped down right next to my car, making me feel like one of the locals. An open store next to the gas station featured fresh mountain apple cider and I grabbed two small jugs, paused to talk to the clerk with a drawl, and climbed back into my car. On that trip through the mountains, I must have seen 5 brilliant butterflys crossing the road on a lazy September day. This is the life....at least for two weeks. The slower pace and friendly Southern charm suits me just fine.

Julie and I visited a great restaurant downtown Asheville called the Laughing Seed, a wonderful place that serves international vegetarian dishes. They served me the best vegetables I've had in ages, with a wonderful ginger-sesame sauce.

Sunday we headed up to Mount Mitchell (highest point in the east) and were amazed at the scenery and how long it takes my little Mercury to climb up a really, really tall mountain. The drive down took less than 1/2 the time, I think!

Treatment 6

Good treatment today with Peter. He said that I am now so relaxed that I feel like jelly. I don't remember not having any tension in my body like this! It really is amazing. My foot decreased a bit over the weekend (not quite sure why), but mostly things stayed the same. More castor oil packs today and hopefully I will keep the bandages on tonight.

Have been taking the enzymes to help break up that scar tissue for 4-5 days, but they could take months to work, so I'll have to be patient.

Before I came, Peter had a male lymphedema patient in his 30s who had swelling in his foot and leg that didn't show up until 3 years ago. He is now being treated and should do well. It is oddly reassuring to know that others face the same challenges I do.

More tomorrow...