Thanksgiving Culinary Workshop

Both of my girls were home for Thanksgiving and it was wonderful.  Lauren came in a day early and her help was welcome.  She is such a joy.  And this turned out to be a great time for her to offer help.  The plan was for my family to come for Thanksgiving lunch.  We had our menu planned and delegated.  I would cook the turkey, dressing and gravy.  They would bring the other dishes.

The day before Thanksgiving, Lauren arrived.  John and I were thrilled to have her home for the holidays.  Once she dropped her bags, we started our preparation for dinner the next day.  The turkey was fresh so we didn't have to worry about thawing.  Gravy would be easy to make once the turkey was cooked, so all we had to do was get the dressing ingredients together.

My mother makes the best dressing in the world, at least I think so.  And obviously, others do too cause we are always asked to bring dressing.

I make my dressing like hers and we never have any left over, so that is a good thing.  Lauren asked if she could help, so I directed her to chop up the onions and celery so we would have that part done and ready for the next day.

Thursday morning, we boiled the eggs.  Now these are not just any eggs, they are free range organic eggs produced by my sweet little chicken, Henny Penny.  Her eggs have really bright orange yolks from the diverse diet she has here on the farm.  We were making two large pans of dressing so we boiled a dozen eggs.  Lauren added the celery and onions she had chopped the night before.

To that we add the Pepperidge Farm Herb dressing.  I use two large bags for Thanksgiving cause we will eat a lot of dressing.

I like to add extra sage and that is usually to taste.

To the mix we add a stick of melted butter, a can of Campbell's Cream of Chicken soup (undiluted), juice from the turkey that has been cooked and if additional is needed, Swanson's chicken broth.  (I use part of the turkey juice to make the gravy, so that's what prompts the need for extra broth, it takes more broth than you might think.)  The consistency of the dressing should be a little stiff.  We always taste it just to make sure it is right.  With my taste still compromised from chemo and radiation, I was hesitant to be the official taster, so once the dressing was mixed, we let John check it too.  Yum, perfect!

Here Lauren places the mixture into a large pan that has been sprayed with Pam, to be cooked.  It takes about 45 minutes at 400 degrees to cook but that depends on how thick the dressing is and also how much broth was put into the mix.  Sometimes I add a little too much and I have to cook it a little longer.  We like moist dressing and I take it out when it looks like it may need to be cooked a bit longer, but once it is out of the oven, I let it sit for at least 30 minutes and a lot of moisture evaporates during that time and it is just right.

Lauren's first batch of dressing was wonderful, she did a great job. Nothing but praise from the family.  You know your dressing is good when you see someone eating a piece like it is pie!

And there's nothing any more fun for this mother than sharing good times with her beautiful daughter, especially when it allows me to pass on a recipe that she will hopefully someday pass on to her children.

Life and is good.  And so was the dressing.

PCQ

Leap of Faith

Took a big leap of faith today.  So many things could have gone wrong, but they didn't.  John and I haven't really been able to 'live' since I started feeling bad in July.  Today, we did 'live', and it almost made me feel normal and I know John had fun.

As the effects from the chemo and radiation gradually (and I use that term loosely) diminish, I have been able to do more with less pain, or at least manage it better through chemistry, a.k.a. pain medication.  During this, John has been a concern for me, he's not sick, I am.  It is safe for me to be on the sofa wanting to do nothing because of pain or meds.  But John has gladly helped me pull this wagon.  He has done that because of me, doing what is best for me.... and he has never complained.  How thankful I am to have his support and love during this.

Caroline, being a sweetheart during the game.

Last night, after we dropped our daughter, Lauren, at the PGV airport for her flight back to St. Louis, I told John, we should try to get to the ECU football game Saturday.  We haven't been to a single game this year, a very unusual thing for us.  Sometimes, we don't actually 'go' to the game, we just join the tailgate party before or after the game.  We get to see everyone, have fun, toast our friendship, and then back home.

John and I are NC State alum, that is where we met, so ECU has been a thorn in the side, especially since that deadly Atlanta Peach Bowl loss to ECU back in 1991.  Can you believe that still hurts NC State folks and draws a smile to ECU supporters?  Not to mention a few other games that should have been a 'W' in the Wolfpack's history.  Ahhhh....the joys and emotions of college football.

Anyway, I sent a text to my dear friend, Charlie, and he responded right away. "If you come, I'll have tickets for you."  And he did!  What a grand day for football.  The Pirates were playing Southern Miss and they won, in a down to the last play exciting game, pushing the team into first place eastern division champs and will play next Saturday, luckily in Greenville, for the CSA conference championship.  The ECU coach, Skip Holtz, is the son of Lou Holtz, who has coached at many schools, but he was at NC State years ago and I loved him.  He rode out on a white horse during his first game at NCSU.  You remember things like that.

My friend Paula, a.k.a. Watusi, my redheaded girlfriend, cheering for the Pirates!

Back to my original statement about a leap of faith.  Since having radiation and chemo, my tummy parts have not been happy. Leaving home is leaving my comfort zone.  So, to go to the football game today, I couldn't eat anything, had to up my medication and pray.  The leap of faith worked, I leaped and made the cut.

Thanks to my friend Kathy for ferrying us to the game so I didn't have to walk very far.  Thanks Charlie, for tickets right on the 40 yard line in the shade so we didn't have to squint all day, thanks to all my friends for being so kind and offering/providing, cushions, blankets, hand warmers and anything that I may have remotely needed today to enjoy the game.

Just thankful I felt the need to leap and someone was there to catch me.  I am very tired, but it is a good kind of tired.

BTW - The Wolfpack beat our arch rival  the UNC Tarheels (#24) today!  Never know till you play the game.

GO PIRATES!

PCQ

The Clark Wild Bunch + Jay

The Clark wild ones came today.  What a joy it was.  And, they brought Jay, Caroline's little friend with them.  They came in like a dust devil rushing across a dry field.  Couldn't get everything done fast enough.

Leslie said, when they got ready to leave, Caroline was telling her friend, Jay, about coming to the farm to see the horses, chickens, cows, and the jungle.  Actually, it is the forest, but it was a jungle when she told Jay.  Leslie said his little face wrinkled up and he said, "I would like to go to the farm too."  Leslie told him to jump in, more fun to share.  So he did.

Sarah Ruth, the baby, was asleep, and maybe that was a good thing, Jay and Caroline were in full tilt.  Run to see the horses, run to see the chickens, run to see the pond....just run and run.

I had just returned from retrieving Lauren from the airport.  She barely had her bags dropped when the little gang got here.  Wow, forgot how exciting life can be when you are 4 years old and everything is filled with adventure.

Not to worry, adults were close by just in case.

We fed the fish and Caroline and Jay had a contest to see who could count the most fish.

Time to come in.  The fish need to go to sleep.

Could life be any better for these two?

Caroline was concentrating hard to make sure her little gingerbread man was perfect.

Pretty good for 4 year old kids!  These gingerbread men are wonderful, some happy and some sad.

What a fine visit.  Thanks Leslie for sharing all the little ones with us today.

PCQ

Mel's Chocolate Pie

Mel'S CHOCOLATE PIE

Mel called today. Said she had a pie with my name on it.  There are pies and then there is Mel’s chocolate pie.  She brings her pies to our church dinners and I always get a slice before getting anything else. "Eat dessert first," they say, though I don't eat it first, I do make sure I have some cause her pies go fast.


Mel's pie has a luscious chocolate custard resting on a flaky crust, topped with a huge springy meringue.  La pièce de résistance....yum yum.


I can’t remember a period in my life when chocolate pie wasn’t my favorite dessert. My family has always been pie eaters, but we fall into several camps: there are the sweet potato or pumpkin pie enthusiasts, the pecan pie lovers, a few coconuts, and then there are those of us who prefer the chocolate.


So needless to say, when she called I was stoked.  My appetite has not been good since starting the chemo and radiation therapy, but little by little, I feel it is coming back.  The "pie call" really got me excited.


Mel arrived with pie in hand.  She is a beautiful lady who has always been special to John and me.  Her children are about the same age as us, but she and her husband Ben, have always been so kind to our family.


Many years ago, when John was injured in a farm accident, Mel and her husband always checked on us, especially me.  Ben teased me about being John's monkey, in reference to the trained medical monkeys that help people.  John couldn't move for awhile so I tended to his every need, hence, "the monkey" comment.


Ben died a few years ago from a recurrence of his colon cancer.  Mel and I talked about him today and how well he did with his chemo and radiation, but unfortunately, the cancer won.  I miss him.  He was a handsome man with kind blue eyes.  One of my favorite memories of him occurred years ago when we were singing a hymn in church.  He was standing with his daughter Laura, singing and she put her arm through his, they looked at each other and smiled.  There was a lot of love in that smile.  It still brings tears when I think of it, a daddy and his beautiful daughter.


Mel and I chatted for a bit.  She said she didn't want to stay too long and tire me out. I didn't eat a piece of the pie right then, I placed it in a beautiful glass topped cake plate and put it on the counter.  I was going to save it for after dinner and to tease John.


When he got home, he asked me what I had been doing.  I pointed at the pie and said, "I made a pie for you."  He looked at the pie and then looked at me.  "Mel came didn't she?"  So much for that.


Mel was kind enough to share her recipe.  She said she got it from a cookbook she bought from a door to door salesman when she was very young.  Said she paid $4 for the book and her mother thought she was crazy, but it is a wonderful pie.


Thanks Mel for the visit and the pie.




Mel’s chocolate pie 
Filling ingredients:
4 heaping tablespoons of Hershey's cocoa
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1/4 cup of self rising flour
2 cups of milk warmed
4 egg yolks, beaten slightly
1 tablespoon of butter

Meringue ingredients:
4 egg whites
dash of cream of tartar
8 tablespoons of sugar (2 per egg)
1 tablespoon vanilla

Your favorite  pie crust but I like Pillsbury - you can find them in the refrig section

Method:
Sift flour and cocoa, add sugar, eggs and milk (all except butter) with a whisk.
Cook while stirring on medium heat until it bubbles and thickens, about five to 10 minutes. If it becomes lumpy, just beat out the lumps.
Remove from heat and stir in your butter.
Meanwhile, poke holes in your pie crust with a fork so it won't get bulges and bake it at 350 until it’s brown, about 20 minutes.  Let cool a bit.
Beat your room temp egg whites until stiff and peaking and start to add the sugar and cream of tartar.  Continue beating till all mixed
Pour the chocolate custard into the baked pie shell and top with the beaten egg whites.
Bake at 350 degrees or until the peaks on the meringue are lightly browned, about 12 minutes.

Mel says: “It’s real good hot, wonderful cold and you can put it in the microwave for a few seconds just to warm it up.

Thanks Mel!


PCQ

Tony Bennett...I Love You!

This morning, the local Oldies station, asked "Have you ever met a celebrity and if so, who?"

Well, it set my memory in motion.  Several years ago, my husband, had a meeting in Santa Monica, CA.  Daughter Lauren flew out to meet us as she was considering attending UCLA for graduate work at the time and it was a good opportunity for Mom and Dad to see the school where we may be sending money.

We did all the tourist stuff, Rodeo Drive, Hollywood and Vine, Sunset Blvd. (rode right down the street where the Beverly Hillbillies came in), walked (actually went in to use the bathroom) into the hotel where "Pretty Woman" was filmed, rode the freeway O.J. drove his Bronco on, went to the Getty Museum,  put my hands and feet in a bunch of places at Grauman's Chinese Theatre and Hollywood Blvd, walked on the Santa Monica pier at night, joined a drum circle on Venice Beach at sunset,  and just generally enjoyed life!  How could the trip with this much fun be any better?  Just wait.

Our flight out was early that day and we had to be at the LAX airport by 5 a.m.  As we were walking into the terminal, I saw a man in front of us.  Not any man, TONY BENNETT!  I was speechless, and just pointed.  Serendipity!  Lauren and John laughed at me, obviously not understanding the importance of this moment for me.

There were no other people checking, just us, TONY BENNETT, and the screeners.  I moved right up so I was right beside of him, removing my jacket as he was taking off his fine Italian loafers to put them on the scanner. He was looking fine. I was so excited I could barely move. He IS my favorite singer. I just stared at him trying to make eye contact.  Finally, when we sat down beside each other to put our shoes back on....he looked at me and smiled.  Nothing would come out, but finally I was able to squeak out, "I love you!" He just smiled (and I almost melted) and said, "Thank you, you are very kind."

He gathered his belongings and so did we.  Still shaken and weak, with my husband and daughter still giggling at me, we followed him up the stairs to our departing gate.  He continued on in front of us so I "stalked" him to see where he was going. He stopped the gate for NYC.  I kept walking back from our gate to see if he was still there and to just "look at him" reading the newspaper. It was awesome!

My husband and daughter still howl at how adolescent I acted that day, and that I was so overcome by him I forgot to take a picture.  But you know what, those few minutes are etched in my memory bank and all I have to do is hear a few notes from "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," and the thrill of that day comes right back.

John and Lauren still laugh.  But it was Tony Bennett!  What a day!

PCQ

The Cows Were Moved Today

The cows were moved today. They were sold to a man who lives nearby.  Wasn't sure when they would leave but I miss them already.

There's just something comforting about looking across a big green pasture and seeing Black Angus cattle grazing with their babies romping around nearby.  Sometimes when I walk outside, I can hear them lowing.  Their way of calling their babies or letting me know they see me and would like a bucket of corn.

The babies were all born last summer and they have grown pretty fast.  The mama cows are already bred for next year's crop of babies.  The gestation period is a little over 9 months I think, so the next group would be born about the same time.  Always good for babies to be born when it is warm and there's plenty of green grass for mama to graze on.

Our daughters had heifers (young female cows) as a 4-H project when they were younger.  I worried about how they would handle the selling of the animals at the end of the project, but that concern was squashed when I asked Lauren if she knew what would happen to the cows.  She smiled and said, "Mmmm, yummy hamburgers!"

Cattle prices have fallen quite a bit and that is not good if you want to sell cattle, but very nice if you want to buy.  Luckily, we have had good weather and the pasture has managed to keep green grass but that won't last much longer.  Soon, the cold wind and frost of winter will come and the grass will crumble and disappear.  But the cows will still need to eat and fresh hay must be purchased.  You can see why the decision becomes easier to sell the cows now before pouring more money into upkeep.

Winter can be a tough time, water in their trough freezes and must be monitored daily, fences must be checked and repaired, cows get sick...and sometimes cows just decide they want to go on a walking tour of the neighborhood.  We have been lucky with this group, no jail breakers, but some years back a few got out and ventured into the woods and seemed perfectly happy in there.  We worried about them wandering on the highway at night.  Black cows are even blacker at night and unfortunately not smart enough to get out of the way when a car is headed toward them.  We had to hire some cowboys to go in the woods and hustle them out.  Was exciting, but also expensive.

Yep, the cows left today.  Guess when spring comes and the pasture looks really, really, bare, somebody somewhere will have a few black cows that they want to sell.

PCQ

Two Rowboats and a Helicopter

I know most of you have heard this joke before, but please read it again and I will explain why it's in my missive today....


A man was sitting on his front porch when it started to rain. The rain came down harder and harder and the man realized that it was a flood. So the flood waters were rising and when the water started to spill over the porch, a man in a rowboat comes by. And the man in the rowboat says, "Need any help?"

But the man said, "Nope, the Lord'll take care of me!" A few hours later, the man was standing on a chair on his front porch and another rowboat comes by.

And the man yells, "Need any help?"

But the man smiles and says, "Nope, the Lord'll take care of me!"

A few hours later, the waters continue to rise.  The man is now on his roof and a helicopter comes by.  The pilot yells, "Need any help?!"

But the man just says, "Nope! The Lord'll take care of me!"

A few hours later, the flood gets to be too much for the man and he drowns. When he enters Heaven, he asks the Lord, "Lord, why didn't you take care of me?"

The Lord says, " I sent you two rowboats and a helicopter!"

The first time I heard this joke, it was told by Lewis Grizzard, a southern humorist from Atlanta, who was also one of my favorite writers and performers.  He had a down home southern accent and would say, "God talks like me!"  I loved the joke and the "I sent two rowboats and a helicopter" part.  It has been used on many occasions between John and myself and we both knew what it meant.

Had the opportunity to talk with my pastor, Martin, today.  I was catching him up on my medical situation and some other projects I am involved with at church.  Martin is a very kind and gentle man and  when he came to our church, I instantly felt as if I already knew him.  It wasn't until later when I was watching TV and "M*A*S*H" was on, that I realized his mannerisms reminded me of Father Mulcahy, a principal character on the long running show.  I know Martin reads my blog so I do hope he is flattered by the comparison.  It is certainly intended as such.

But anyway, we talked about support from family and friends and how God's love comes to us through our family, friends and church when we are in need.  I told him some friends had called to check on me.  It was just after getting home from the doctor on Wednesday, and I was still overwhelmed by all the doctor had told me to prepare for.  I couldn't even talk to them...in a teary voice, I told them I would have to call them back.  I looked at Martin and said, "guess they were my two rowboats and helicopter, huh?"

He nodded and told me I need to share my load.  "Your friends want to help," he said.  And I know he is right, but sometimes it is hard to tell people you love difficult things.  If I keep it to myself then I can control some of the hurt and worry, my way of protecting those I love.  But I know, as one of my emails stated, they want so much to help me pull my wagon.

And yes, I will use my rowboats and helicopter and know they were sent with lots of love.  Think I hear one coming now!

PCQ

To Be Continued.....

Been a very long and tiring day.  I was in Dr. Brillant's office well over 2 hours.  The complexity of my surgery requires we bring in two more doctors, so appointments were made and the plan has been set in motion.  Don't know when surgery will be scheduled.  All the doctors must be coordinated and with 5+ doctors involved, and the holidays upon us, it is a monumental task for the scheduler.  "Your people call my people and then my people will get back with you."

Prefer not to go into details tonight.  Plenty of time for that.  Still focusing on all the positives and trying not to dwell on any negatives, but it is hard.....really, really, hard.  They just keep putting too many rocks in my wagon!

To be continued....
PCQ

Big Day

Wednesday could prove to be a big day.  I have an appointment with Dr. Brillant,  the lead surgeon for my upcoming procedure.  On one hand I am hoping to get a date on the calendar so I can get my mind around the timeline for this.  But, on the other hand, given the complexity and serious risks involved with the surgery, I'm afraid too.

Right now, I have physical challenges, but I can handle them.  That may sound strange given the list of problems I have.  But...I don't know what the future holds and the doctors have not held back with their warnings and concerns about this surgery.

But I don't have a choice, the tumor is still lurking there on my sciatic nerve and spine, a parasite sucking its life blood from me.  Yes, it's been beaten down temporarily by the chemo and radiation treatments, but at some point just like me, the growth will recover from all it has endured the past two months, shake the dust off and start growing again.

Yes, tomorrow is a big day, but I'll keep pulling my wagon.

PCQ

PCQ Movie Review

Being at home has allowed me to catch up on my reading and movie watching.  My friend Kay was here last week and we decided to watch a movie.  It was cold, rainy and windy, so it seemed like a good idea.  Get out the fuzzy blankets, popcorn and relax.  We watched "The Proposal", and fixed our own popcorn.  So glad we didn't have to pay movie house prices for that flick, wasn't worth the time to drive to the theatre!


Sunday night, John and I watched "Bride Wars".  Basically, a chick flick but I enjoyed it.  John didn't. You would have thought I was poking a sharp stick in his eye the way he carried on.


"Nights in Rodanthe", was our next watch.  I enjoyed it, (John didn't) though it did take a bit to become in engaged with the characters. (Except for Richard Gere...enjoy watching him...he is almost as handsome as my husband!) Guess they finally got me engaged cause I did shed a few tears at the end.  Scenery of the NC coast was great and it was ironic that we watched the movie at the same time the house on the Outer Banks in Rodanthe used for the film was surrounded by an angry ocean and being ravaged by the nor' easter off our coast. 


DVR "Marley and Me" last night.  Hopefully, we can watch that soon.  I will probably get a kick out of another dog besides Nick that chewed his way to fame.  


Not many 'thumbs up' on the movies. Hollywood...are you listening? Maybe better luck next time.


PCQ

My Friend has Gone!

My friend, Kay, left on Friday.  Headed back to Virginia to her family.  Daughter Mary, was flying in from NYC with husband in tow.  Other friends coming and all gathering for the Univ. of VA football game.

Kay had ordered six dozen tiny biscuits to take with her from Strickland Dail, a local eatery that is divine!  By the way, there is an article on them in the new issue of "The State" magazine.  Check it out!  She was going to cook up country ham and use the biscuits as treats for the pre game festivities.  If you have ever had those tiny biscuits from Strickland-Dail's, then your mouth is probably watering right now and you are wishing you had a few to pop right in.  She took a large tin of the Ginger Crinkles we made too.

But now she's gone....leaving behind a tired but happy friend.  She gave me the most important thing she had to offer, her time, and wow.... did we use it well!

PCQ

P.O.E.T.S. - 359

P.O.E.T.S. Investment met Tuesday night at Paula's house.  My friend, Kay, had arrived so we drove over in the rain and remnants of Hurricane Ida.  We were the first to arrive but Paula was ready.  Soon, the others came and we had a grand time.

We sat outside on the porch, comfortably in the middle of November I might add, catching up and enjoying the sound of the gentle rain.  Paula has a wonderful outdoor area to entertain and we used it well.  So much talking and laughing, it was hard to follow all the conversations.

My friends never cease to amaze!  Karen brought out a bucket filled with sand and shells from Ocracoke Island.  She wanted us to "dig" for island treasures.  We all took turns and found the "treasures" she had hidden.

Paula found an OINC (Ocracoke Island, NC) sticker.  Ocracoke holds a special place in our hearts and always will.  Our friend and POETS partner Jean, who passed away in 2008 was from the island and we have used it as a retreat destination for over 10 years to plan our investment strategies....but mostly to have fun.

There was one final treasure.  Karen had purchased a small vial with Ocracoke Island on the side.  She asked that each of us dip into the bucket of Ocracoke sand and fill it up.  Once filled, she presented it to me with these words, "When you go to the hospital for your surgery or anytime you feel sad, just look at this sand and remember the friends you have and the wonderful times we have had on our special island."

Showing off our treasures!

Another special time with my special friends!

PCQ

Thelma and Louise Bake Cookies

Kay and I have been friends for over 50 years.  We were inseparable in school and played a lot of jokes on unsuspecting classmates.  If the movie, "Thelma and Louise" had been a known entity then, we would probably have been given that as our nickname.

I remember going to our 20th class reunion and of course Kay and I were there together.  As we were scanning the crowd trying to figure out who all the people were, up comes an old classmate, Larry, exploding with excitement as he points his finger at us and says to his wife, "There they are, I told you they would be together!"

Well, we're together again.  My "party in a box" friend, Kay, is visiting and we have been going nonstop since she arrived.

Today, it is raining, windy, and cold so we decided to make homemade vegetable soup and cookies.  Time is flying by cause "Thelma and Louise" is on.  Forgot how funny some parts of the movie are and....that Brad Pitt had such a good part.

Well, Thelma and Louise went grocery shopping in the rain, this morning to get all the good stuff we needed for soup and cookies.  Right now, Kay (Thelma) has mixed, rolled, and cooked, over 400+ ginger crinkle cookies, while I (Louise) rest and watch.  Now that's a good friend.  And we (actually Kay), have been making cookies all afternoon.

Bet you want the recipe don't you?  If you're smart, you'll try it, 'cause I am so full of cookies right now I could jump in a rag top Thunderbird and drive toward the Grand Canyon!

Ginger Crinkles

2/3 cup Wesson Oil (Kay says if you use butter, the cookies are softer...she likes them crunchy, so she uses oil)

1    cup sugar

1    egg

4    tsp  Grandma's molasses

2    cups flour

2    tsp baking soda

1    tsp salt

1    tsp cinnamon

1    tsp ginger

Mix all ingredients and roll into marble sized balls.  Roll in sugar and place on cookie sheet.  Bake 8-12 min at 350 degrees.  When taking out of oven press top down with a fork, hence the crinkle part.  Makes about 75 small cookies.

Kay uses a pumpkin dip for these, but I ate mine straight.  For the dip she uses: 1 can of pumpkin, pkg of cream cheese, cinnamon, ginger and cup of confectioners sugar (to taste). 

Yummmmmmy!

Big pot of soup on the stove, cookies in the oven, and a dear friend in the house.  What could be better?

Hope you enjoy the recipe and can imagine the fun two old friends had at home on a rainy day!

PCQ

Nick

Don't know how many of you have dogs, but all of you that do, know how wonderful, frustrating, and expensive they can be.

My dog Nick, an Australian Shepherd, is about as devoted as a dog can be.  And I mean, my dog, he will not listen to anyone but me.  I cannot move without Nick checking to see what I need.  It's like he has special senses and he senses that I am not well.  If I make a sound or move, he is there beside me.  When I am home alone, Nick sees the bad times I go through and comes to sit by me and put his head on my knee or hand.  He knows when I don't feel well.  And I can say, it is comforting to reach out, rub and pat him on the head.  That's all he asks for.

Of course, he is one lucky dog.  Lucky that he still lives here.  When he was a puppy, he chewed anything that looked "interesting".  Shoes, cups, garden hose, corner of the deck, outdoor lighting fixtures and extension cords, don't know why he wasn't electrocuted.  He pulled flowers out of the ground, chewed my garden gloves, we could not leave ANYTHING out or he would chew it.

One Saturday, John turned on the TV to watch a football game.  The screen kept flashing, "Acquiring Signal".  Any of you that have satellite TV know that normally happens when there is a bad storm and it is raining so hard it blocks the signal....or, the TV is not getting a signal.  Well, it wasn't raining so I thought maybe it was just temporary.  After about 15 minutes, I decided to go check the outside receiver to see if it had been bumped and was out of focus.  When I got outside, I immediately knew what was wrong.  There was Nick, chewing away.  Not only had he chewed the cord apart, he had to dig it up out of the ground.  Why on earth he would dig down 6-8 inches and decide, "Wow, a black cord, let's chew it!"  But he did.

Needless to say, John was not a happy man.  I called the cable folks and they wanted to charge $150 to repair it.  I don't think so...got on the internet and found out there is a repair kit available.  Radio Shack had one and luckily, my live in "satellite repairman" was able to handle the task.

Like I said, he is one lucky dog.  Guess he knows it cause he sure wants to make me happy.  Like the song by Police goes,
Every breath you take and every move you make 
Every bond you break
Every step you take, I'll be watching you
Every single day and every word you say
Every game you play
Every night you stay, I'll be watching you
Oh can't you see you belong to me?

Guess I do belong to Nick, but he sure is one lucky dog.  Good food, free health care, nice big farm to run and play on, plenty of love and all he has to do is make sure he looks after me.  And so far, except for the puppy chewing spree, he has been one fine, dedicated dog.  And all he asks for is a pat on the head.  Good dog.

PCQ

Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

What a beautiful day.  Sundays, the past few weeks, have been the day my body started to feel some better after no treatment on Saturday.  But Sunday is followed by Monday, and I knew what was coming the next day.  Reminds me of when I was little and I was sick.  Medicine, when I was young, didn't taste good at all. I hated to take medicine and was sometimes a little difficult to work with, just ask my mother.

Going for radiation and chemo treatments ranks right up there with taking bad medicine and getting shots. You know you have to do it, you just don't like it one bit.  Well, today, I didn't have to worry about it.  And even though it was a beautiful day, it was even sweeter knowing I didn't have to walk into the radiation chamber the next day.  But I would have walked right in if I had to.

Our minister, Martin, spoke to us on attitude today.  When I heard him speak his words, though focused on our walk with God, reminded me, that my attitude, during this journey is so important as well.  So many times  my mind wants to cross over to the dark side and dwell on feeling sorry for myself.  But I must always remember, as Martin said, "Attitude, attitude, attitude!"

So many good things to enjoy this weekend!  John keeps saying, "The Wolfpack won!"  They have had a little dry spell so he was happy and surprised, though he said the only reason we won was because the time ran out and the other team didn't have time to beat us!

John found a copper pig on Craigslist a few days ago.  It was down near the beach so we called our friend, George, in Atlantic Beach and asked him to pick it up for us.  He brought it by and it is wonderful.

On Saturday, we put in on the top of my Las Vegas bottle tree.  That will be a another blog on bottle trees.

After church, we had BLTs.  My tomato plants have outdone themselves this year.  It's November, and I am still picking red, ripe tomatoes off my vines.  Global warming I guess, thanks Al Gore.

Made cookies this afternoon.  My daughter, Meredith, will be featured in an article on cookie swaps with the top five chefs in the Hampton Roads area, which includes, Va. Bch, Norfolk, Chesapeake, etc. She asked for the recipe we used when she was growing up.  It was my mother's cookie recipe and I went digging through my recipe box to find it.  I had written a date on bottom of November 28, 1978.  That was the year after she was born.  Guess we were at my mom's for Thanksgiving and I asked her to write it down.  It's a wonderful sugar cookie recipe that we always made when I was growing up.  It was a tradition to make them when "The Wizard of Oz" came on.  Remember in the old days, Wiz of Oz only came on once a year, and if you missed it, you had to wait till next year to be scared to death by the flying monkeys.  My how times have changed.   But it got me in the mood for cookies.

I had also emailed Katie, a friend of ours, to ask for her mother's cookie recipe.  Her mom's cookies are to die for and she sends a tin of them to the beach each summer with Katie.  We have to allow limited access to them or they would be gone in a flash, so somebody hides them under my bed.  Katie, was kind enough to share her mother's recipe with me and I sent it on to Meredith too.

Cookies turned out good....not as good as Katie's mom's....but good.  Maybe, it is just me.  My taste is still subdued by the chemotherapy.  John said they were good....but not as good as Katie's mom's.  Guess it will take a little more refining, but as I write this, he has a handful munching.  Don't think they will go to waste.

PCQ

My Done Button Has Popped OUT!

Did I tell you today was my last day?  Wow, how glad to have finished this part of my journey.  Every single person I saw in the radiation office today, I yelled, "Today's my last day!  # 30!"

Just like a turkey at Thanksgiving....cooked....done....my button has popped out....take it out of the oven.  There was no tearful goodbye from me, though I will miss the people that work there.  They have been ever so kind and helpful during this process.

Here are some of the wonderful people that helped me through this by carefully placing me on the treatment table in the "DANGER - HIGH RADIATION" room.  They told me to be still and not move, then turned off the lights, locked the door and turned on the radiation blaster.  But they were very nice while doing it.

I took them a goody bag from the farm and a thank you card.

The card said, "Thank you for being so kind and supportive during this part of my cancer journey.  For all of us that are frightened and don't understand what is happening and how it will make us feel, you have made it easier when we stepped over and entered 'your world'.  


Thank you again for all you do to help people in need."


Of course, they all teared up when they read the note, but I was so excited...all I could think was, LAST DAY!

Did I tell you today was my last day!  Got my tattoos removed! Wow,  I still can't believe I am finished!  Now, if I can just get the healing button cranked up and going so my butt doesn't feel like I'm sitting on a blow torch and food looks and smells good again!  Everyone promises it will come.  And I promise, I will let you know when it does!

Time to park the wagon for a bit to rest and POWER UP!
PCQ

From the Peanut Gallery

ONLY ONE MORE DAY of POISON PILLS AND RADIATION!!!  

(Please know that I certainly appreciate the fact that these medical opportunities were available for me, but also realize I am thrilled that I have successfully pulled my wagon through this maze and mine field!) One foot in front of the other...and stay focused. 


Medical Update: I continue to feel better.  My white cell count is still down but I'm okay. I have worried about getting the flu and been vigilant about being ever so careful about washing my hands, etc.  Didn't need anything to keep me off schedule for finishing my treatments! 


One more day of radiation and chemotherapy and my body...I/me... can begin to repair the collateral damage done by the radiation.  My insides are so sore, my butt so burned, and it will be a relief when the healing can finally start and I can sit/stand/lay/walk, without so much pain.  


The following email came in from a dear friend in Virginia.  I got tired just reading it.


"You know I am always thinking about you and  how you are doing-  I keep up reading the blog although I don’t try to post - so does that make me a blog lurker?  When this is all over, I really think you should put your blogs into a book; your posts are wonderful! 


It has been wild the last couple of weeks. I went to Wisconsin for my great nephew's Bar Mitzvah -  many parties and much food.  My sister cooked dinner one night.  It was fantastic- 12 lbs of Italian sausages cut in half with peppers, onions and mushrooms, 40 chicken breasts wrapped in homemade pesto and baked in a marsala sauce, 10-15 pounds of meatballs in sauce, a caprese salad, two trays of antipasto, a tortellini salad, 10 pounds of Italian cookies, 40 cannolis, plus a chocolate fondue with trays of goodies to dunk.  There were probably 40+ family members to eat. There were cousins from Texas, Long Island, Tennessee, California and Illinois as well as local. Needless to say at the end of the evening there were only 6 cookies left.  There was the main party with a disc jockey and 3 assistants who kept the kids happy while the adults talked.  Of course, my two nieces and my sister’s friend and I were playing with the kids and led the kids in an amazing group dance to Proud Mary(amazing  because I did not fall off the stage). And so it goes.  Came home and worked 2 days and went off to a Convention where as past president I got to walk around and say things like "we did things better in MY day.” Then back here on Friday, hosted a workshop for a Women’s Caucus and then drove down to Greenville to spend night with Kathy which is always good. Saturday I picked up a friend who had surgery in Greenville and drove her home to Hertford.  Then back home and I collapsed.  You would almost think I had a social life.  


Now I am just working and catching up - especially with the important people -YOU.  My love to you and John. You continue to be in my thoughts and prayers.


I will finish with another email devotional sent to me.  The final segment was this:


"God always answers the prayers of His children - but His answer isn't always "Yes". Sometimes His answer is "No", or "Wait".


--Billy Graham

Thanks to all of of my friends that send encouragement to me each day.  You all make me try harder.  Try harder to be strong and brave....and not let you down.  I have so many people that think I am brave and I will do my best. My love to you all....POWER UP! PCQ

Award Winning Muffins

My friend Dorothy, that made the wonderful prayer quilt for me, gave me some muffins the other day.  I had mentioned to her the need to eat breakfast and it was not something I normally do, but I have to take my chemo (poison pills) medication twice a day with food.  "Oh I have some prize winning muffins for you," she said.  


I didn't think too much about it till our local newspaper came today.  Guess who's photo was in the paper?  Dorothy, smiling and holding her prize winning muffins she entered in the North Carolina Sweet Potato Festival cooking contest.  


Wow, I knew they were good....just didn't know I was eating First Place!


Congratulations Dorothy and THANKS!
PCQ

Sunshine

Sun was shining bright when I woke up this morning and what a welcome sight.  Think it even made me feel better.  My first thought was to wonder how everything would go today with Dr. Mahajan, my oncologist.  At some point, we will schedule surgery.


First thing he checked, were the palms of my hands.  I knew immediately what he was looking for.  One of the major side effects of this chemo drug is peeling, black and blue skin on the palms of hand and the soles of feet.  I had been looking for it too, but nothing so far.  He said it was an indication as to how well your body was tolerating the drug.  He said this was the new generation cancer drug and was very effective and with fewer side effects.  I have been very fortunate, I think, regarding side effects. I still have my hair...though, I did go through the thought and grieving process for that. Certainly scary when you read the insert with the medication.  There have been some; digestive problems, loss of appetite, sore throat, smell affected, shedding of hair (similar to after having my babies) sleep problems, and just very tired.  I can hardly pull my wagon at all without huffing and puffing like the big bad wolf! 


My blood pressure was still up and has been since I initially got sick.  I thought it was from the medications I am taking but Dr. Mahajan says it is my body's reaction to the pain.  We reviewed all that has occurred since my last appointment with him.  Today was radiation treatment #27.  Three more to go and he was happy to see I was handling that well also.  He told me the radiation would continue to shrink the growth and he anticipated the growth to be half the size in one month.  An MRI will be done then.  He said if one was done now, it wouldn't show true progress and could even be larger due to the swelling of all the tissues from the radiation.  My smell, taste, and some of the other side effects will lessen over the coming weeks with fatigue being the last to cave.  We set up an appointment in two weeks with Dr. Brillant, the lead surgeon.  He will coordinate with Dr. Sharts, the neurosurgeon to get my wagon rolling.


To add to the angst of all of this, the company I work for is merging and come January 1, 2010, my current insurance plan will disappear.  I am checking all of the current physicians involved to see if they are  "in network" for the new plans.  If not, that complicates life quickly.  Dr. Sharts is not....but his group apparently, are the only neurosurgeons in this area, so they told me the insurance company "may" allow it.  "May" is not what I want to hear, but hopefully, if all goes as planned, we will have the surgery done by then....successfully, I might add!


Considering all that transpired today, I actually feel pretty good...gotta be the sunshine!  Thank you God, I needed that.


PCQ

Final Week!

Met with Dr. Ballenger today for my final week of radiation.  The treatment was shorter today.  More focused and only 5 zaps as opposed to the 10 previously.  Plus, the time for each was shorter.  I had lost 4 lbs. and she was not happy with my radiation burn.  I knew yesterday, it was really hurting but she said hopefully, with the small area being treated it will allow for more healing.


I asked her about the scan I had last week.  She said the tumor was smaller but not significantly.  I asked if that was bad?  She said it had decreased which is what she wanted to see.  The tumor didn't get here overnight and it is not going away overnight.  The radiation kills cells as they divide.  Some divide every day, some every week.  If all the cells divided everyday, then the cancer would take over immediately.  This is a slow growing tumor and it will decrease in size slowly from the radiation because of cell division.  But seeing a decrease in size is good.  Very few tumors disappear completely during radiation, this is just part of the process.  


Still very tired and I asked how soon my energy will return after the end of the radiation and chemo treatments. Hard pulling my wagon when I have to sit down and rest every few minutes!  She said unfortunately, that will be the last thing to return.  Takes a long time for our bodies to recover from the chemo and radiation.  YUCK!  WHINE!  WHINE!


After this week is completed, I will see her again in four weeks.


Tomorrow, I have an appointment with Dr. Mahajan, my oncologist. Hopefully, we can get a surgery schedule in place. 


Stay tuned.


PCQ

All Saints' Day and Homecoming

Today is All Saints' Day, the first Sunday after Pentecost, a day we celebrate in our church.  I have always enjoyed this day because it allows me to remember those that have made a Christian path for me and others, especially those in our church.  Our new pastor, Martin, did a fine job of summarizing the importance of this day and why we, as a church family, acknowledge it.  


As part of the celebration, members of our church are asked to bring flowers and after coming forward for communion, we place our flowers in what will become a large bouquet of love and remembrance.  I took several long stems from my wonderfully fragrant rosemary bush.  You can see one of them in the bottom left corner of the photo.  The rosemary is symbolic, as it not only smells wonderful when touched, it lingers and will be on your hands and in the air long after it has touched you.  Just like people we love.   Then the names of those that died in the past year was read and the bell tolls for them.  The final name read today was my buddy, Jerry Wayne Sandusky.  Tears came soon. (Please read my blog, "The Day the Music Died" for more on Jerry Wayne.)


After our church service, we had our annual Homecoming and the food was wonderful.  As an extra treat, Harold, our dear friend from north Walstonburg, came and sat with us during church and enjoyed the food and fellowship.  John and I took our "recipe", marinated pork.  I always get lots of requests for the ingredients, so I will share them here.  Pork is really inexpensive now and I bought a whole boneless pork loin for $1.88 a pound, only about $9 for the whole thing.  So here's the recipe.


We cut the loin into chops about an inch thick to marinate.


Marinade
1/2 cup Kikkoman soy sauce
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup sherry cooking wine 
1 teaspoon cinnamon (I like Saigon cinnamon)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (not salt) but I like to use 1 TSB fresh minced garlic if I have it


Combine all marinade ingredients, mix well, and pour over pork.  Marinate about 3-4 hours turning occasionally.  Grill over hot coals till done, but don't over cook or it will be tough!  Enjoy!  Oh yeah...the recipe can be doubled or tripled depending on the amount of meat being cooked.


Afterwards, home to rest. It's already November!  Where has the time gone?  


PCQ