Celebrating Blog’s 19th Anniversary

Nineteen year ago I started this blog as a distraction from my father’s heart attack and slow recovery. It was late 2004 and social media & video streaming apps didn’t exist yet — or at least not widely available to the general public. Blogs were the newest means of communication and I jumped in with both feet. This blog’s popularity peaked in 2006.

A lot has happened over the last 19 years. St. Louis’ population has continued to decline, although it has slowed. The decline now is mainly in predominantly black northside wards. Recently we cut the number of wards in half, from 28 to 14. Many vacant buildings have been renovated — both small & big/historic.

On a personal level my mom died in 2006, my dad on New Years Day 2008. A month later I had a massive hemorrhagic stroke at home…along. Amazingly I was still alive 15-16 hours later when a friend found me on the cold concrete floor of the loft I‘d moved into just a few months earlier — at no point did I ditch my atheism even though I was pretty sure I’d be dead when found. I came home from the 3rd hospital/therapy three months later on April 30, 2008.

Eleven years ago next month (Nov 2012) I met a man 16+ years younger than myself, we got legally married in June 2004 – in East St. Louis, with the Arch & St. Louis skyline as the backdrop. Nearly 5 years ago we moved into an apartment in the mixed-income HOPE VI development that replaced the Cochran Gardens high rise public housing project just north of downtown/central business district.

Four years ago my biggest challenge ever appeared on a routine chest X-Ray: stage four kidney cancer. As I’ve stated before it will eventually kill me. In the meantime life continues — not as a battle, fight, etc. It continues with grocery shopping, laundry, sourdough bread, birthdays, Grand Theft Auto online (recently achieved rank 1,000!), gardening, travel, etc. When I die I don’t want people saying I had a ”long battle.” Instead, I want the narrative to be that I “enjoyed life during the x years since diagnosis.”

Unfortunately I’ve had so much living going on I’ve neglected this blog. I have a long list of subjects to weigh in on, but focusing on getting a post written, edited, and posted is getting harder. We’re still adjusting to my husband’s schedule at his excellent job at Barnes-Jewish Hospital — he just returned to the day shift but will be back on nights in January 2024.

Living as long as I have I’m experiencing things others before me wouldn’t have. First, as of April I’m on my 3rd line of immunotherapy treatment. No more infusions every 4 weeks, just daily pills. Since December 2022 I’ve had a constant pain between my shoulder blades. Now that I’m on a compatible drug combo, targeted radiation to address my pain was an option. Yesterday I had my first of 5 radiation treatments on my largest tumor, my last is Friday.

My hope is the pain will be low enough, or gone, that I can cease taking the opioid Oxycodone — then I won’t be as sleepy.

Despite everything health wise, I’m enjoying the passage of time. I’m looking forward to my 10th wedding anniversary in June, and the 20th annIversary of this blog a year from today.

— Steve
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St. Louis urban planning, policy, and politics @ UrbanReviewSTL since October 31, 2004. For additional content please consider following on Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, Threads, Bluesky, and/or X (Twitter).

Old-ish Blogger Learning New WordPress Editor

If you’ve noticed the number of posts dropped in 2022 compared to prior years this is for two reasons: living with cancer is a full-time job and the latest update to my self-hosted WordPress blog no longer has the editor I’ve used for 17 years. The ”classic” editor has been completely replaced, so this old dog is forced to learn new tricks. The last few posts have been via the new editor, but not by choice — just trying to get something simple published.

When I started this blog on Halloween day 2004 I was using software from Apple. I quickly joined other pioneer St. Louis bloggers using TypePad (I think that was the software). In January 2006 I went solo with my own online server with a self-hosted WordPress installation. Over the years the programmers behind WordPress have continually made changes, improvements. These were very gradual.

The new ”block editor” has been around a few years now, apparently, but I’d always been able to use what I was familiar with — until recently.

Now we’re in a new year and the holiday season is behind us, so I’ve been reviewing tutorials and excited by the ”easy“ new formatting options included, no plug-in required. I’m using this post to try out how this editor works. This practice will allow me to work on regular posts including my annual look at Dr. Martin Luther King Drive, candidates for the Board of Aldermen, recent books, new electric vehicles, etc.

My goal this year is to resume regular posting, move the blog to a shared server, and get a new template. Moving the blog to another server is so this blog will be available after cancer has gotten the best of me, the new template is for a fresh new look. Sorry, not interested in allowing comments again — too time-consuming to moderate.

I’m not old, I’m old-ISH.

— Steve
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St. Louis urban planning, policy, and politics @ UrbanReviewSTL since October 31, 2004. For additional content please consider following on Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, Threads, Bluesky, and/or X (Twitter).

18th Anniversary of UrbanReviewSTL, Stage 4 Kidney Cancer Still “Stable”, Gathering Today Noon-2pm

Eighteen years ago today I registered the domain UrbanReviewSTL.com and began blogging about urban planning in St. Louis. YouTube didn’t exist yet. Facebook was known as The Facebook, still limited to college students at many universities. My husband (m 2014) was barely a year out of high school. Some of you were still in school. I started this blog as a way to clear my head as my father recovered from a heart attack at the start of the month. 

It worked, allowing me to focus my thoughts. Still does.

Now, nearly two decades later, I have more ideas than energy to research, photograph, write, and publish them. Three years ago I disclosed I have cancer, I found out a couple of weeks later it was stage 4 kidney (renal cell carcinoma). I didn’t know what to expect in terms of life expectancy.  I’m very happy to still be alive, and doing well considering.

By well I mean handling the side effects okay. My days are now spent preparing & eating 7 small meals per day, plus 7 glasses of water — 1.5 liters each day. I take medications 4x per day, 5 on Mondays. I get an infusion of Nivolumab (Opdivo in commercials) every four weeks. The cancer medication I take each night, Cabozantinib, costs $22k per month. My Medicare plan covers most, a Siteman Cancer Center social worker gets grants to cover the $1,100 per month co-pay.  Numerous foundations exist solely to help cancer patients with medication co-pays.

I’m not complaining, I have it significantly better than many cancer patients. I’m sharing to explain why I haven’t blogged as much as I used to. But I have reprioritized my life to rest, work on my affairs & bucket list. I know my pricey treatment will eventually stop working, but I don’t know when. There are additional treatments to try at that point.

I hope to be around to celebrate this blog’s 20th anniversary in two years. The 25th anniversary in 2029 would be awesome, but not as likely.

As previously announced I’m going to be available for outdoor gatherings. This afternoon I’ll be at Kaldi’s Coffee at Citygarden, 808 Chestnut, noon-2pm. If you don’t see me outside I may have had to go in to the restroom. Please stop by to chat. 

More will happen, weather permitting. I hope to find more outdoor locations near a restroom. I considered Forest Park, but the elevator at the Forest Park-DeBaliviere station is still out of service after historic flooding in July. Location suggestions welcomed.

— Steve Patterson

Celebrating the Life of Steve Patterson, Part 1: “I Ain’t Dead Yet”

When I was first diagnosed with stage 4 kidney cancer in the fall of 2019 I wasn’t sure what to expect from treatment, life expectancy, etc. While getting my affairs in order I remained as optimistic as possible.

I’m not a fan of solemn funerals so I thought about having a big party to celebrate my life in style. But what good is that after I’m dead?  So then a pre-death party followed by another at some point after I’m gone. Perfect.

Then came the pandemic. Scratch anything indoors. I thought about Citygarden, but Kaldi’s closed temporarily so no snacks or restroom access.

Now, even with vaccines, people are still getting Covid-19.  I’ve seen the blood test results on my immune health, that’s why my oncologist says  I’m immunocompromised. Anything indoors would require someone to check vaccination status. Outdoors it is, but not in brutal heat, cold, rain, etc.

As the months and years have passed I’m less interested in a single big event. Instead I like the idea of a series of small informal outdoor gatherings. I’d like to see each of you in person, whether we know each other or not.

The first such event was going to be this morning, but last week I saw  forecast called for rain. It’s always something…

Once I see an opening in the weather I’ll announce the date & time on social media (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) at least 24 hours  prior.

Right now Wednesday morning (8/31/2022)is looking good, so this is a tentative date, 8am-10am. Unless it rains I’ll be on the terrace outside the recently reopened Kaldi’s in Citygarden, 808 Chestnut, enjoying a smoothie that I ordered online via ToastTab app. Please stop by to say hello, tell me I’m often wrong, or whatever. I’ll be sitting in a regular chair, but my orange wheelchair will be nearby.

For those that haven’t seen me in a long time, I now weigh about half of what I did when I had my stroke in 2008! I have to eat all the time now just to try to maintain my current weight.

I’ll announce additional dates/times/locations  for future gatherings on social media (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) a few days prior. I’m open to suggestions for other outdoor locations, the only requirements are accessible via transit, shade, and nearby restroom. I’d also like to do some evening and weekend gatherings. I’ve also thought about using Zoom, FaceTime, Facebook Live. Suggestions welcome.

Again, I’d love to talk with everyone at some point. Monday is the first of many. I do ask that if you have any Covid-19 symptoms (or positive test) please wait for a future date.

I definitely want to do something on the 18th anniversary of this blog, on Monday October 31, 2022. Maybe I could dress up as the late Jane Jacobs?

My next scans are in two weeks, I anticipate they’ll also show my “numerous tumors” as still stable.  After my 4-night hospitalization last month my kidneys are returning to normal.

Ok, hope to at least see a few of you Monday morning!

— Steve

My Maternal Ancestors Farmed In Ukraine, Russia For A Couple Of Centuries

Few living today have seen war between European nations, until the last few months. Russia President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine is horrific. The whole world is watching, especially neighboring countries. Eventually this may become World War 3.

When Russia invaded Ukraine I began looking at cities on Google’s Streetview, beautiful. Google has since removed this feature, at least from Mariupol. Satellite views are still available — I love how you have a dense city up to a point then rural farmland — none of the auto-centric sprawl visible in every region in the U.S.

But this post isn’t about present cities in Ukraine, or the war. It’s about my familial connection to Ukraine, Crimea, Poland, Russia, other European nations mentioned nightly on the evening news for months. It’s also about religious freedom.

As the headline states, numerous generations of my ancestors lived in Ukraine and South Russia. However, I’m not Ukrainian or Russian. All eight of my maternal great-grandparents were Mennonites living in settlements in Russia & Ukraine before immigrating to the U.S. and Canada in the late 19th century.

Mennonites are members of certain Christian groups belonging to the church communities of Anabaptist denominations named after Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings, Simons articulated and formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders, with the early teachings of the Mennonites founded on the belief in both the mission and ministry of Jesus, which the original Anabaptist followers held with great conviction, despite persecution by various Roman Catholic and Protestant states. An early set of Mennonite beliefs was codified in the Dordrecht Confession of Faith in 1632, but the various groups do not hold to a common confession or creed.

Rather than fight, the majority of the early Mennonite followers survived by fleeing to neighboring states where ruling families were tolerant of their belief in believer’s baptism. Over the years, Mennonites have become known as one of the historic peace churches, due to their commitment to pacifism. (Wikipedia)

In short, Mennonites and other anabaptists don’t believe in baptizing a baby. They believe baptism is something a person should decide for themselves.  This distinction from other Christian religions subjected anabaptists (Mennonite, Amish, etc) to religious intolerance.

All my mom’s ancestors for hundreds of years were Mennonite, but that ended when she married my father, who wasn’t a Mennonite.

My maternal ancestors moved every few generations, trying to find a place to farm and follow their religious beliefs.

Vistula delta Mennonites were a historic Mennonite community, established in the mid-16th century in the Vistula river delta in Poland. It originated from the Netherlands and present-day northern Germany. The Mennonite community played an important role in the drainage and cultivation of the Vistula delta and the trade relations with the Netherlands. In the late 18th century a significant number of Mennonites emigrated further and formed the nucleus of the Mennonite settlements in Russia, while many remained in the region after the annexation of the region by Prussia in the Partitions of Poland. With the end of World War II and the flight and expulsion of Germans (incl. Germanized Dutch settlers) the Mennonite settlements in the Vistula delta ceased to exist.

The Plautdietsch language, a mixture of Dutch and the local Low German dialect, originates from the Vistula delta and is still used by Mennonite communities worldwide. (Wikipedia)

This is the context that prompted my ancestors in the late 1700s and early 1800s to move to Russia, Ukraine, and Crimea — the hope of farming and being left alone. They didn’t attempt to assimilate, they set up rural isolated Mennonite villages in settlements.

My recent research has found my ancestors lived in at least 16 different settlements, but the one with the most was the Molotschna Colony.

Molotschna Colony or Molochna Colony was a Russian Mennonite settlement in what is now Zaporizhzhia Oblast in Ukraine. Today, the central village, known as Molochansk, has a population less than 10,000. The settlement is named after the Molochna River which forms its western boundary. The land falls mostly within the Tokmatskyi and Chernihivskyi Raions. The nearest large city is Melitopol, southwest of Molochansk.

Initially called Halbstadt (Half-city), Molotschna was founded in 1804 by Mennonite settlers from West Prussiaand consisted of 57 villages. Known as the New Colony, it was the second and largest Mennonite settlement in the Russian Empire. In the late 19th century, hundreds of people left this colony to settle in North America. Colonies there had groups that later relocated to Latin America, where Mennonites settled in several countries. After many Mennonites left or were deported during and after the last days of World War II, this area became populated largely by Ukrainians. (Wikipedia)

Some of their surnames included: Klassen, Neufield, Weins, Zacharies, Wall, Kruger, Kroeker, Fast, Thiessen, Bornn, Toews, Loepp, and Loewen. My maternal ancestors all immigrated to the U.S. and Canada in the late 19th century. It’s still unclear to me the proximity of their villages to the Pale of Settlement:

A western region of the Russian Empire with varying borders that existed from 1791 to 1917 in which permanent residency by Jews was allowed and beyond which Jewish residency, permanent or temporary, was mostly forbidden. Most Jews were still excluded from residency in a number of cities within the Pale as well. A few Jews were allowed to live outside the area, including those with university education, the ennobled, members of the most affluent of the merchant guilds and particular artisans, some military personnel and some services associated with them, including their families, and sometimes their servants. The archaic English term pale is derived from the Latin word palus, a stake, extended to mean the area enclosed by a fence or boundary. (Wikipedia)

This coincides with the time frame my maternal ancestors were in that part of Europe. My understanding is Jewish people weren’t allowed to farm, they were in cities doing trades. My ancestors, on the other hand, were farmers in small self-sustained rural villages. Recent pictures (before this war) of these areas were simply gorgeous, very beautiful.

Political changes & religious intolerance is why many Mennonites immigrated to North America in the late 19th century. Many Jewish people also left the Pale in the same period.

It’s weird that prior to this war I had little interest in Ukraine and my familial connection. Now I see news reports of fighting in certain regions so I look to see if my ancestors lived there, or nearby. The answer is usually they did.

It has been nearly 150 years since my ancestors lived there, but I feel a connection. The loss of life, disruption of families, destruction of cities, etc is all very upsetting.

— Steve Patterson