Laurie Coleman's Blog

Retiring my blog

2011-06-08T10:17:00.001-07:00

Greetings folks,

As you can see, nothing much happens in Laurie Coleman world. I started this blog when Dave and I were newly married, I was working, and we were building a house and a life together. But, things have slowed way down for me, and there's just not enough to feed this blog. Therefore I am retiring it. Don't worry, I'll still be in touch!!!

Marmalade

2011-04-12T12:17:00.001-07:00

Our Meyer lemon tree had a nice crop of lemons on it, just begging to be made into marmalade. Couple that with our wonderful Navel orange tree. So, this weekend I somehow talked David into helping me prep lemons and oranges for marmalade.

I decided to make Meyer lemon marmalade and also a marmalade made of a mixture of the Meyer lemons and Navel oranges. Half of the jars of Meyer lemon marmalade were infused with a vanilla bean pod.

Here's the proof of all of our efforts:

I think we may have a few to share. :-)

Calorie Deficit Update

2011-04-10T10:54:00.000-07:00

In the last post I told you about my plan to operate on a calorie deficit to lose a few pounds. I'd like to share with you my successes so far. Here is what my Diet Power "dashboard" looks like today:

If you click on the image above it should bring it up bigger so that you can see it better.

What you can see is the trend that my day-to-day weights have been. Every yellow line represents a "new" diet start... what that means is that I may have changed or played around with my goal weight or goal date. I think I modified it from time to time. The original goal may have been about 138, then I changed it to 135. When I was overshooting that goal (projecting a lower weight) the program would allow me to eat more calories each day. I would then change the goal weight lower to keep me on the lower trend. Heck, if I reach my goal sooner, or reach a better goal, then why settle for more calories and a higher goal? So, I've adjusted the goal from time to time to keep the calories at about 1500 per day, give or take some.

My diet actually started on 1/16, at the first yellow line. I have used this program in the past but stopped when something happened, like a surgery or the holidays. It's just so difficult to count calories accurately during the holidays because so much of the food comes from outside of the home. So, the line before the first yellow line is Diet Power's assumption of my weight trend before 1/16.

What I like about this screen today is that my goal weight and my projected weight are exactly the same. What that says is that if I continue to follow the calorie allowance faithfully each day then I'll make my goal weight as planned.

I would also like to point out that I've done this with absolutely no exercise. It's not that I haven't wanted to exercise. OK, maybe I've been a bit lazy. But this does go to prove that what or how much you eat is probably more important for weight control than exercise. Exercise is important for more than just weight control (calorie burning) such as cardio-vascular health or muscle strengthening which is why I plan to start up with it as soon as my foot doctor gives me the green light for high-impact exercise. If I did exercise, my calorie allowance for that day would be increased by the amount of calories that I burned. But if exercise isn't an option, weight control can be accomplished by diet alone. All it takes is some discipline (which I do lack sometimes) and some willpower (ditto). Overall, it all comes down to operating on a calorie deficit, no matter if that's created by eating less food and making better food choices or if it comes from exercising to burn off excess calories.

Counting Calories

2011-03-02T09:29:00.000-08:00

Off and on for just over a year I've been using a program called Diet Power. It's calorie counting software. The premise is that you tell it your goal weight and goal date for that weight. It will tell you if it thinks that goal is reasonable or not by telling you how difficult your daily calorie restrictions will be. Once you settle on a goal that you think you can accomplish then you start entering in every calorie that you eat. If you exercise then you also log calories burned and this, naturally, earns you more calories to eat for the day. The software will dynamically calculate for you every day the calories that you can eat for that day so the number will change from day to day.

If you are faithful about logging your calorie ins-and-outs then you will reach your goal weight on your goal date. Determining calories isn't too hard, unless you eat out a lot. Then you have to try to estimate as best you can. A lot of the restaurants here in California now have the nutritional data available for you (it's state law for the chains) but the mom-and -pop places don't have to. Most items you buy in the store have calorie counts listed on them. I love it when they are listed by weight. I weigh out just about everything. I have a nice kitchen scale on my counter and weigh my cereal every morning. I weigh bread (if slicing it myself). I weigh out my mayonnaise for my sandwich. I find weighing food so much easier than using volumetric measurements. When the food is weighed fewer dishes are dirtied, too. I don't have to dirty a measuring cup or measuring spoon.

Anyway, like I said, I've been using it for a bit over a year now, off and on. I stopped last summer during my abdominal surgery (it's my experience that I lose weight anyway during and after surgeries, yet I gain it all back then afterward.) I also skipped this past November and December. It's just too hard during the holiday season - too much food that I didn't prepare and had no idea how to count.

So, here I am. I started it again on January 20th and have lost 7 pounds so far to date. To reach my goal I will have to lose 10 more, and Diet Power is projecting that I'll actually be 2 pounds under my goal at my current rate. Therefore it is increasing how many calories I can eat each day because it wants me to stay on track. Of course, if I reach my goal sooner then that will be great but it doesn't seem like I can tell Diet Power that.

Oh, and might I add that I've been doing this without any exercise? Sure, having 300 more calories each day to eat would be nice, and last Friday I did spend an hour on my exercise bike to earn a couple of glasses of wine for the evening. But the point is that weight loss (or control) is more about controlling your calorie intake. Or at least balancing it all out. I don't know how many times I've exercised very hard and my weight wouldn't budge. It's because I would eat a lot afterward, canceling out the calories burned. Now I know that to lose weight I have to take in less than I'm expending, whether I'm exercising or not. I'll step up the exercise soon because it's good for things other than just weight management (cardiovascular health, muscle strength and toning) but the key thing that I am learning (and demonstrating) is that you don't have to work your butt off at the gym to lose weight. All you have to do is watch the calorie intake.

Burpee Figured It Out

2011-02-17T18:15:00.000-08:00

Here's the final response from Shelia:

"The diameter from one side of the circle to the other side is 28". We are working on getting this information on our website.

I apologize for the inconvenience."

I wonder if the other two women learned anything from this.

Burpee Pole Bean and Pea Tower

2011-02-16T10:04:00.000-08:00

I'm having a bit of frustrating fun with the Burpee gardening supply company. Here is a product that I am interested in: Pole Bean and Pea Tower. As you can see on the website, the height is 6' and it takes up 5 square feet. But they are missing a useful piece of information: the diameter. I know that the base is a circle and I know that this can be calculated, but I sent a note to the company asking for the diameter because, heck, they should know their own products! Here's a transcript of the responses that I've received from 2 folks (Sharon and Pam) in Customer Service:

My initial query: "Greetings! Could you please tell me the diameter of this product: Pole Bean And Pea Tower (Product number 91439). Thank you, Laurie"

Response from Sharon: "The Pea and pole bean tower pole is 6 foot high. The nylon string comes down to use only 5 square feet."

My response: "Thanks for the reply, but I didn't ask for the height. I asked for the diameter. Do you have this information? I want to determine if it will fit into my raised beds."

Response from Pam: "The pea tower is 5 square feet in diameter."

My latest reply: "I'm disappointed that you are not understanding my question, or basic geometry. "Square feet" is an area. "Diameter" is the length of a straight line that would be from one side of the circle to the other side. You guys should know your products better than this. Can't you have someone measure it if you don't have the product information handy? Which, I might add, should be on the product description page of your website."

In the meantime, I've already used an online calculator to determine the diameter using the known area of the circle, and I've determined that the diameter is about 2 1/2 feet. This will fit into my raised beds, barely. However, I'm going to see if I can get them to eventually understand what a diameter is and correctly answer my question. After all, they are Customer Service and they should be able to answer such a simple question.

I'll post their next response, which will probably be in a day or two. Or maybe their heads will blow up and I won't hear from them.

Back to Being a Normal Brunette

2011-02-15T16:36:00.000-08:00

The red extensions were fun, but they are temporary by nature. I enjoyed the sassiness of them and also the little bit of extra fullness that they provided. However, they started to tangle easily at the ends, requiring frequent brushing, and I got tired of having to comb ever so carefully near my scalp after my showers. So, I decided to go ahead and remove them. I could have made an appointment with the stylist, gone to the salon later this week, spend 1/2 an hour or so there, and paid her about $25 - $40 to take them out. But I didn't. I just took a pair of needle-nose pliers and removed them myself. They are simply held in with crimped metal cylinders (called "beads"). So all I had to do is pinch them the other way to unflatten them and they came right out. It really wasn't very hard. The best thing is that I didn't have to spend my time and money letting someone else remove them.

It is nice running my fingers through my scalp knowing that I'm not going to catch on one of the metal beads.

Planting Onions

2011-01-27T14:26:00.000-08:00

The 2011 garden season has officially started here at the Coleman household. Before I get into the garden itself, I'd like to say a little bit about one of my favorite resources. It's this book:

Following the guidelines in this book, I've learned to steer clear of the traditional method of gardening, the one that my grandparents used: row, path, row, path, row, path. The traditional method dedicated 50% of the space to walking, and that walking in between the rows of vegetables compacts the soil around the roots. A better way is to plant the vegetables in wide rows (beds) that you can reach into from at least one side so that you never have to step into it, compacting the soil. Even better: last year David worked very hard helping me to build raised beds throughout the garden. This provides better drainage and also saves stress and strain on my back.

Now on to what I did this week:
These are onion starts that I purchased from Dixondale Farms. I purchased a sample set of "intermediate day" onions. (According to their website I could grow either intermediate day or short day onions, but it looks like we are more in the intermediate day area.) The sample set consists of a white onion ("Super Star"), a yellow onion ("Candy") , and a red onion ("Red Candy Apple"). I planted 20 of each variety and passed on the extras to my neighbor for her garden. I followed the planting instructions provided by Dixondale. One thing that I didn't notice while I was preparing the soil 2 days ago but certainly did notice while I was planting the seedlings is that the ones near the edge of the bed went into damp, cool soil. That first 3-4 inches of soil doesn't get any sun yet and was noticeably cooler than the rest of the soil in the bed. The seedlings that were planted on the other side of the trench went into soil that was much warmer and drier. The tops of all of the onions are in the sun but it'll be interesting to see if there are any growing differences since the roots of half of them are in much cooler soil.

I set the onions off to one side because I plan to plant some carrots along beside them. They will develop a very nice relationship side-by-side.

This is what my garlic bed looks like today.

These are cabbage plants getting along nicely with cilantro. Sorry about the lighting. The fence casts a mean shadow.

These peas I planted last fall, in September. I've been harvesting peas from them all winter. Come spring, these will still be popping out peas left and right. What a nice head start!

This is a little artichoke starting to form on one of our artichoke plants. Peek-a-boo!

Beautiful Words

2011-01-23T18:28:00.000-08:00

My PET scan report came to me in the mail this weekend. These are always fun to read. With that in mind, I thought I'd post the report here. These are posted as two images. If you click on each one it should bring it up to full screen so that you can read it more easily.

There are some very beautiful words in this report.

PET Scan Report from 1/19/2011

2011-01-21T15:58:00.000-08:00

I just got a call from the (new) oncologist's office to let me know that my PET scan from 2 days ago came back all clear. Whew! I can't help but worry after one of these scans is done. And it's hard not knowing the result for days, knowing that the result is known by someone. So I am grateful that I got a call ahead of my appointment next week. So far, so good with this new oncologist.

I actually meet with him next week and will have some blood work done. The next scan should be in three months, so I can rest easy until then. Let's hope that I can have an unblemished spring and summer this year. The next couple of scans will be key. It's been 6 months since my surgery... getting through a year will be crucial and I am halfway through it. Everyone keep your fingers crossed for the next 6 months for me, please!

My Red Streaks

2011-01-11T17:00:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago while I was at the hair stylist getting my...ahem... distinguishing roots covered up I was flipping through one of those magazines in the rack. I saw a photo of Katy Perry's hair similar to this one:

I showed the photo to the stylist and commented that I thought the colors were very pretty. He told me that those were simply extensions. He said it's better to go with extensions if you want to do something like that because they are completely removable and they don't damage your hair the way a chemical process would. I kept thinking about the streaks and he said we can talk about doing something with my hair that's similar. After learning that I would have to buy a packet of hair for each color if I wanted multiple colors (and exactly how rock-star do I want to look anyway?) I decided to keep it simple and choose one color that would look good with my hair color. We narrowed it down to pink or red. When his wife held up the colors to my hair I immediately went for the red.

Here I am two weeks later:

And here:

And here:

In this photo you can see the streaks and the contrast much more when I lift up the top layers of my hair:

I will have to get used to these, and right now my scalp hurts a bit from the "beads" that are used to attach them to my own hair. But I think they really brighten my look! They will also give my hair a bit more fullness and also help absorb some of the copious oil that my head produces. If I get tired of them or decide I don't like them the extension pieces can actually be dyed my hair color and can be used just to give my hair more volume, if I choose.

My Chariot

2011-01-02T16:49:00.000-08:00

This past week we went to Asilomar for a couple of days with some family and their friends. Asilomar is a bit spread out and you basically park and then walk everywhere. I remembered this from a previous stay there. Plus, there is a nice boardwalk along the beach as well. So, we decided to rent me a little scooter for the week. It comes apart in pieces for easier loading/unloading from the car. The heaviest piece probably weighs about 40 pounds. David developed a system and had it put together for me in no time.

It was a great decision to get it. Our room was very far from the dining hall, and uphill from it too. The walks back & forth from our room to the dining hall would have been very slow & uncomfortable without it. David took advantage of the motorized wheels too - he hopped on for a ride when he could! The scooter was very useful when we went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It was a bit tight and crowded there but if I was patient and assertive then I was able to eventually see the displays that interested me. One thing that I learned is that people really don't see you when you are riding a scooter. Many folks walked right in front of me when I was moving forward, and the scooter stops pretty fast but it takes a few inches. Sometimes I didn't even have that much to spare. One woman actually ran right into the back of the scooter once when I was sitting still.

The scooter gets picked up tomorrow, but it's been fun to ride.

Knitting Scarves

2010-12-26T12:20:00.001-08:00

It took me a couple of months but I finally finished David's "Sharks Scarf". This was knitted using a "shadow knitting" technique. When you look at it head-on it looks like it's striped, like this:

When you look at it from one of the ends then the sharks come out to play. Like this:

Here's David modeling his new scarf:

This is a scarf I knitted just before the Sharks scarf. It was made with a lovely mohair blend yarn that our friend Patrice gave to me:

It is very soft!!

Christmasing Our House

2010-12-22T17:33:00.000-08:00

We started decorating our house the weekend after Thanksgiving. That weekend we got all of the lights on the eaves and the windows. In the following weeks we added the lights on the rails, the inflated puppy, and the lights on the paths.

Here is the whole thing.

This is a close-up view of the front of the house .

Say hello to the cute puppy!!

We added these lights along the paths earlier today.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

In the Garden, 12/21/2010

2010-12-21T15:17:00.000-08:00

Since I have a (temporarily) gimp foot and since it's been pouring rain here for a few days, it's been a while since I was in the garden. Today there's been a break in the weather and I thought it was time for me to go out and pick peas. 3 1/2 hours later I finally came back inside.

Here's how things like a little "pea-picking" task can go here:

1. I head out to the garden to see how the peas are doing. Upon entering, I see that the giant pecan tree has been prolifically dropping leaves all over the place. I walk along the raised beds pulling leaves out. I make a mental note that I also need to clear the blanket of leaves that are on the ground in the garden.

2. I move on to the peas (at this point I'm still on target). I start clearing out pecan tree leaves from around and in the pea tee-pee and discover that the pea vines have been growing very vigorously. The "outer layers" didn't find anything to grip onto before they got too long and were lying flat. One by one I lifted them up and wound them into the trellis. For one side I had to add a supportive piece of wire fencing since there was nothing left of the tee-pee to support the vines. I then commenced picking the mature (and some overly mature) peas.

3. Setting the baskets aside, I decide to move the two cabbage plants that were in the shade to sunny spots in the other beds.

4. I feed everything in the garden a healthy dose of fish emulsion for nitrogen.

5. Then I decide that there's no time like the present to do something about the leaves so I haul out the leaf vacuum and suck up all the leaves, collecting two 30-gallon cans full of shredded leaves. These will become the bulk of my compost for next year along with the grass clippings (when the lawn starts growing again in the spring) and some alfalfa hay that I've got hanging around here.

6. Finally, 3 1/2 hours later I pick up my baskets of peas and head inside for lunch.

Here's how the garden looks now that the leaves have been cleaned up. There will be more. That pecan tree isn't finished de-leafing.

This is my 3rd year attempting Brussels sprouts. Go, Brussels sprouts, go!

That middle bed contains the overly crowded pea tee-pee, a couple of cabbage plants (that are doing very well), some cilantro, and another set of peas. All together there are three varieties of peas growing.

This Navel orange tree is loaded with soon-to-be ripe oranges. The oranges from this tree will keep us in freshly squeezed orange juice for a while and when they run out...

The oranges on this Valencia orange tree will become ripe. These two trees ensure that we very rarely have to buy orange juice. We did have to invest in a sturdy citrus juicer though.

December 6, 2010 Garden Pics

2010-12-06T13:17:00.000-08:00

I was out in the garden for a short time today, looking things over. Here are a few photos that I took:

This is the "overview" shot. The hoops are for frost protection. I have a bunch of old sheets that I drape over the wire supports when I think it's going to drop too cold at night.

This bed is fairly busy. I'm getting peas off the pea trellises. The cabbages look great, as well as the cilantro. I also have some carrots growing in this bed near and amongst the pea tee-pee.

This is my garlic bed. There are 6 varieties in this bed. The lettuce is a welcome companion. That's a cilantro plant tucked in the corner.

This is why I can't spend much time in the garden these days. I had foot surgery last Tuesday. Nothing major... it's the same surgery I had on my right foot last year. It'll heal and be good as new (better!) in no time.

Photos from Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-05T13:54:00.000-08:00

The previous post details our Thanksgiving menu but I forgot that my husband, David, snapped a few photos of the process along the way. Here's what he captured...

This is the pecan pie that I made the night before. I actually took this photo... it's the only one I thought to snap. I also made a pumpkin pie but we didn't get a photo of it. I thought the pecan pie tasted better anyway!

The turkey spent the first 45 minuted of its cooking time on its side with the back towards the fire and the feet towards the back of the oven. It was later turned breast-side up. There's compound butter under the skin on the breasts as you can clearly see.

The big bird is on the oven.

I think this is the same shot with no flash. Enjoy the one you like the best. :-)

Here I am taking the temperature of the thigh. The bird was checked every 30 minutes and the less-done side was positioned towards the fire every time.

Here's the turkey mid-roast.

These drippings were used to make some very rich, dark gravy.

The centerpiece is done!

David did a nice job of setting the table.

Here we are filling up our plates. That's Jerry (David's dad) on the left. Neil is on the right with the gravy boat. Mary's hand is holding the roasted Brussels sprouts.

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and that you enjoyed these photos!

The Pizza Oven Thanksgiving

2010-12-01T17:08:00.000-08:00

We've had our pizza oven for nearly 3 years now and were told that you can even cook a turkey in it. So, we decided to try it this year. A couple of weeks before Thanksgiving I got a small (10-pound) Butterball turkey for a test run and invited a few guinea pigs...er... friends over for the test run. I thought that it would also be a good time to try out some of the side dish recipes that were created for the pizza oven by Andrea Mugnaini, the importer of our pizza oven. The test run worked out fabulously... the turkey was amazingly moist and delicious. The side dishes were fabulous. I also got a sense of the time line and felt confident that I could add in the mashed potatoes (I cheated and used a make-ahead recipe) and dressing (though that was never in doubt) and also a pecan pie to the menu.

For the "real" Thanksgiving dinner I ordered a small heritage turkey from Whole Foods. I've been curious about the heritage turkeys for a while and wanted to try one to see if the price tag could be justified. Since we only had 6 folks in attendance for the real Thanksgiving dinner, I only needed a small turkey and when trying a pricey heritage turkey, small is good. Well... the verdict is thus: As it turns out, heritage turkeys are leaner and therefore don't cook up as moist. While it tasted good, it was dryer than the Butterball. So, lesson learned: I'll stick to regular turkeys from now on. It may not necessarily be a Butterball... it may be a "natural, fresh" turkey but it won't be the expensive heritage.

This was our menu:

Thanksgiving Dinner Menu

Oven Roasted Turkey

Rich Dark Gravy

Roasted Cranberries

Cornbread & Sage Dressing

Roasted Yams

Brussels Sprouts with Garlic and Pancetta

Mashed Potatoes

Pumpkin Pie & Brandy Whipped Cream

Pecan Pie & Whiskey Maple Cream Sauce

Every item on the menu spent some time in one way or another in the pizza oven, except for the mashed potatoes and the desserts. The gravy stock was made from turkey necks and backs that roasted in the oven, then simmered in a stock pot with the usual assortment of herbs and vegetables. Plus, the gravy was finished off with drippings from the roasted turkey. The yams and Brussels sprouts were easy to do in the oven, as well as the cranberry sauce and the dressing. My mother-in-law (Mary) brought over some nice cranberry dinner rolls that she baked up for the meal. Everyone should have brought another person because we were overrun with food (so what's new?) and we had enough for a dozen people.

Overall it was a lovely Thanksgiving with some very wonderful people. It was an honor and a pleasure to host it this year.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-24T18:48:00.000-08:00

Wow... I have really had nothing to post have I? Things here have been pretty routine. My health has been holding up and I have my full strength and energy back. I really hope it stays this way for a while.

Tomorrow's Thanksgiving and I am hosting a small dinner here at our house. My parents-in-law (Mary and Jerry) are coming as well as Mary's cousin and a friend of ours, Neil. Our plan is to make as much of the meal in the pizza oven as possible. The turkey (naturally) will be cooked in there as well as the cranberry sauce, the yams, the dressing, and the Brussels sprouts. I am doing the pies (yes... call me crazy... 2 pies for 6 people) in the regular oven since that kind of baking can be tricky. We did a test run of the turkey and a couple of the sides a couple of weeks ago and it all came out much better than we dared to dream. Today I have spent most of the day prepping so that tomorrow I can sit around a drink wine while the turkey cooks. Then the last 30 minutes will be a mad dash to finish the side dishes and make the gravy.

My garden is doing great. Almost all of the garlic has come up. I have some lettuce out there, some peas, cabbage, some greens, and cilantro. Also Brussels sprouts... we'll see if I get any this year.

Now I have to get back to the kitchen... a pecan pie is waiting to be made.

Happy Thanksgiving!

MRI Result Today

2010-11-04T12:19:00.000-07:00

Last week I had an MRI of my abdomen. This has a limited view of the lungs (just the very bottom of the lungs) and also does not read the intestines very well. For a good image everything has to hold very still and intestines are actually always moving. But, for what it could see, everything is all clear at this time.

The oncologist up at Stanford will run a CT scan in January.

Of course I am thankful for the clear scan and for the times that I'm feeling great, like now. But I want to pass along to you that I've been told (by a couple of oncologists) that the chances for a cure for me right now is 10-12%. Which means that there's a 88-90% chance of it coming back somewhere. Of course, I'd like to beat those odds but it's just something that I have to face. I will cherish the times that I feel great and feel like my old self. That's all I have to say about that at this time.This may not sound positive to you, but I am actually being positive. There's no need to view all of this in a negative light. It's not helpful.

The Fall Garden Continues

2010-11-01T08:26:00.001-07:00

The Fall/Winter garden is coming along nicely. Here in the SF Bay Area we can grow something year-round. We might get a frost day or two but no real freezes. I took these photos just a couple of days ago.

This shot is my usual overview of the garden from the front.

This bed contains a couple of large parsley plants. I just put in some kale, collard greens, mustard greens, celery, and cilantro. That tomato plant is an "Autumn" tomato plant. We'll see...

Hopefully this U-shaped bed will contain a nice variety of garlic later today. Lettuce and garlic get along well so I have some young lettuce plants already in the bed.

This bed holds some very nice lettuce, some peas, cilantro, cabbage, more peas, and some carrots. Very busy bed! The one behind it contains more cabbage and a tomato plant that's still producing, though probably not for much longer.

This shot is from the back of the garden. As you can see, the tomato plants are still going. That bed to the right there will be planted with asparagus this Spring.

These are my baby Brussels sprouts. Some gardening guy here said that you have to start then in September, so I did. It's my 3rd year trying Brussels sprouts and I have yet to have any success with them.

My herb bed is one of my most cherished beds. It is so nice to have such a collection of fresh herbs to pick from. This bed has basil, rosemary, parsley, thyme, oregano, sage, and tarragon. Pretty soon I should harvest some of this and dry it for the winter. I'll also cut back the thyme and rosemary. They will persist through the winter and I'll cut them back to reduce the woody stems inside and allow for some fresh growth next year. Everything in this bed is perennial (except for the basil) and will return next year. The only thing I'm missing here that I'd like to have is chives. I put some in this year but they were an aphid magnet. Next year I'll put some in a separate pot.

Images From This Weekend

2010-10-18T09:43:00.001-07:00

This weekend we hosted a small gathering for a group of friends that hadn't gathered for too long. Our plan was to assemble some very simple pizzas and since we haven't used the pizza oven all year we thought it would be good to pre-heat it on Saturday so that the pizza oven floor wouldn't take too long to absorb and retain all the heat that's necessary for nice, crispy pizza crusts. As it turns out, I also harvested a lot of tomatoes the day before and had planned to roast them in the regular oven and then to freeze them for future uses. I decided that since the pizza oven was fired up, it made sense to roast them in there. Instead of roasting for 45 minutes, they were finished in 10 minutes. Here are the images of the tomatoes roasting:

The tomatoes are halved, seeded (seeds strained through a colander to retain the juices), drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with oregano, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Then they were slid into the oven.

Right away they started to sizzle on the bottom of the pan.

Soon after the tops also started to roast due to the extreme heat coming from the flames above.

I did stir them a few times throughout this process.

When they were completely softened, I gave them a big stir, mushing them up a bit, and added back the stained tomato juice which I had boiled and simmered.

When that was finished, I took a taste and we decided that it looked like tomato soup... so I put a few spoonfuls into a cup, added a touch more salt and some milk and had a yummy snack.

Then I cooled them off in an ice bath and when I was prepared to ladle them into quart-size freezer bags it dawned on me that I could puree this into a sauce to use on the pizzas the next day. So, I got out my Kitchen Aid mixer and attached the fruit/vegetable strainer and ran the chunky sauce through. It removed all of the skins and other solids, leaving me with a silky puree. Sorry, when that was happening we were rushing to wrap things up and I didn't take any photos of the finished product. But it was very tasty on the pizzas.

This is Cassie, being very cute. Dave sneaked up on her to take a few photos.

Oops, she sensed an approaching step.

Then she relaxed onto a contented grin.

Doggie Bath Day

2010-10-03T13:55:00.000-07:00

Today was bath day for the two furry kids. We last bathed them just over a month ago. And they were starting to smell like it.

We have a pretty good system down. After we get a dog on the table (using a ramp) I start in on the toenails, getting them as short as I can with the Dremmel. While I'm doing that, Dave brushes out his or her coat... removing as much loose undercoat as he can. When the nails are trimmed then we wash them using warm water. Recently we finally piped warm water to the back yard so that the dogs and we would be comfortable during bath time.

After two shampoos, we do a conditioning.

Then a final rinse and the dry with a doggie dryer.

Last: A thorough brushing. And they look fabulous!!

Here are a few photos:

This photo of Dave washing Theo is here just for effect. It's from his bath last time. I didn't take a picture of his bath this time, but it looked just like that.

This is where I just had to run inside to grab the camera. We were finished washing Theo and had him almost dry. Cassie came and tried to climb up on the table too. She really wanted a bath.

Here's the baby girl getting all clean.

She does look sad here but you saw it: She tried to climb up on the table to get her bath!

And here she is, all beautiful, clean, and fluffy!!

That lasted about 60 seconds. As soon as she got off the table, she and Theo started running and chasing each other around the yard, kicking up dust. Oh, well, we tried!

A Few Garden Pics

2010-09-30T14:09:00.001-07:00

OK, so I found a couple of things to take pictures of. I have a fairly large pepper harvest coming up. This pepper is called "Sweet Chocolate" and was free seed that was sent to me when I placed an order with Baker Creek. This is the first ripe one that I've pulled off the plant and I haven't tasted it yet.

Here's what the other side of it looks like. I have a LOT of these peppers on my plants so if anyone local would like some let me know. Right now most of them are still green (and I'm sure they are great green) but eventually will ripen to this beautiful brown color.

This next photo is of the jalapeno plants. There are so many peppers on these plants. It's time to start making poppers and have a party!

Let me know if you need some fresh peppers.

Just Truckin' Along

2010-09-30T10:32:00.000-07:00

There's been nothing going on here... I planted some stuff in the garden but it's too early to take pics. Then it got hot for a few days (the garden is a fall/cool weather garden) so time will tell if I ever have anything to take pictures of.

My wonderful cousin Nadine came for a short visit last weekend. To me she's like another sister. She and I met when I was 17 and she was 16 and we instantly hit it off. I wish she lived closer so that we could see each other more often than every 5 years or so. My husband thinks she and I should get away together each year to hang out. I'd like to see about doing The Amazing Race with her. We get along so great and when I'm not recovering from something I have a ton of energy, and I know that she does too. When she stayed with me for a few days in New York City a few years back we were unstoppable.

That's all the randomness I can pull out of my head for now.

I'll try to live a more exciting life. Oh, who am I kidding.

Starting the 2010 Fall Garden

2010-09-13T10:32:00.000-07:00

I am lucky to live in an area where something can be growing year round. Well, maybe I'm unlucky because I don't have any good excuse to take a break. But, let's assume that I wouldn't want to take a break and that I'm lucky to be able to plant year round. :-D

Dave and I filled the newest bed with soil yesterday, and now we (or I) just have to prepare the other beds to receive plants. Right now the soil has settled and luckily we still have a small pile of new soil to put into them. The planting will start very, very soon.

Here are a few vegetable starts that I bought yesterday:

Those are (6) red cabbage, (6) green cabbage, (6) sugar snap peas, and (6) lettuce. Also yesterday I started seeds indoors for (2) celery plants, (2) collard green plants, (2) mustard green plants, two additional kinds of leaf lettuce (2 each), and three kinds of spinach (2 each). I will also direct seed some carrots, beets, another 2 kinds of peas. Finally, a few days ago I also direct seeded Brussels sprouts, 3 plants. That's what the next photo is of. Hopefully in a few weeks I"ll be able to show you some nice, healthy plants.

Below is basically an overview of the garden today. There are some parsley and basil in the near foreground. Then a row of 2 different kinds of eggplants. In the background are the tired tomato plants. They certainly gave me a bounty this year.

The eggplant plants look great but there aren't any eggplants on them. The temperatures have been cool and I didn't do a great job of shaking the plants to help them pollinate. Since I had them under a tunnel all summer long (for bug protection) that's what I was supposed to do since there was no wind or insects to do the job. I went ahead and uncovered them so that they can get some wind and full sun. These guys need heat to do their thing and I think the season will run out on them before anything great happens.

Soon (this week hopefully) I will harvest all of the basil for a big batch of pesto which I will portion and freeze. This will carry us through until next summer, easily.

This is an interesting tomato. Now, why would part of it still be so green?

Near future plans: Next month I will plant a bunch of garlic and it will be harvested next July. Also, we will put in an asparagus bed this coming spring. I already ordered all of the crowns.

Is it OK to let our dog chew on a stick?

Canning Tomatoes

2010-08-24T10:57:00.000-07:00

Not much has been going on lately. I've just been busy everyday doing random things. Like picking tomatoes. I even tried canning them for the first time.

(Question: Why is it called "canning" when we use jars? Shouldn't it be called "jarring"?)

The first time canning went OK but I learned a few things. First: go ahead and really squish the tomatoes in the jar. They can handle it, and more air will be removed. Second: I should have hot-packed them. Raw-packing them allowed them to retain a lot of their air. (Do you see a theme here?) Third: I processed jars of different sizes and took out the pint jars at the allotted times while the quart jars were left in the hot water bath for a few more minutes. There's a reason you are supposed to hang the jar rack on the edge of the pot for 5 minutes. When you remove the jar directly from the water to the counter-top, the sudden pressure change causes the liquid to push out of the jars, leaving a large air space in the top of the jar when things cool down. This causes no problem as long as the lid seals properly but any tomatoes that are above the liquid level could change colors. However, this is not going to be a problem for me since I made the first two mistakes. There is plenty of extra room in the jars for the tomatoes to float in.

Next time I'll know to hot-pack them, pack them in tight, and don't remove them from the heat too quickly. Actually next time I'll "jar" them using a pressure canner. The processing time will be 10 minutes rather than 40 and I won't have to use lemon juice in the jars. Yesterday my brand new super-cool pressure canner arrived (we got it for "free" using credit card reward points) and now I'll just have to wait a few days for more tomatoes to ripen.

8/16/2010 Stanford Oncologist Follow-up

2010-08-16T14:23:00.001-07:00

Today David and I met with Dr. Fisher, the G.I. Oncologist at Stanford University Hospital. We expected to hear nothing new today. And for the most part, we didn't. Firstly, he summarized the working theory that has driven the Tumor Board's decisions thus far. They are banking on the possibility that the tumor cells that were growing in this recent lymph node were "left behind" cells from the original surgery 2 & 1/2 years ago. These cells may have escaped the same time the cells that traveled to my liver previously escaped, and have just been hanging around while unfortunately surviving 2 rounds of chemotherapy. If this is the case, then there's a possibility that they have removed the remaining stragglers and this *could* be the end of things. We are looking on the bright side of things here, which is the right thing to do.

He also repeated that he does not see any reason to resume chemotherapy at this time. He'd rather save those bullets for when and if they may have more benefit. If this surgery has, in fact, removed anything remaining then there's no reason to subject me to poison. And if there are any roaming cells, well, let's face it, 2 round of chemotherapy haven't eradicated them so why should a third. So, we are going to hold tight for now and keep an eye on things. It may be that in the future, chemotherapy may be used to shrink future tumors and so we'll save it for times like that.

So, for now, no chemo and no radiation.

He also then said he'd like to rescan me in January and then in June (if the January scan is clear.) I have to admit that rescanning in 5 months feels strange but I guess that also gives me through the holidays to take it easy. Also, my recurrences have not come back all that quickly after each surgery. The first one was 10 months after the first surgery. This past recurrence was 17 months after the second surgery. (Let's not muddle things with the fact that the first one came back 3 months after chemotherapy ended.)

I will be discussing these recommendations with our original oncologist to see if she's comfortable with this plan. She can always order interim scans if she feels that I can benefit from greater frequency.

8/9/2010 Surgeon Follow-up

2010-08-09T14:50:00.000-07:00

Dave and I rushed to get to our 10:30 appointment on time. Then sat around for nearly 2 hours. But that's beside the point. The real news is that my CT scan looks good. There's nothing on it that shouldn't be there. Also he said that the Tumor Board is not recommending chemotherapy or radiation at this time since all indications are clear. This is just what I wanted him to say. :-)

I have to wait a couple of weeks before I can do any exercise without lifting or impact. So, in a couple of weeks aerobic type exercises should be OK like elliptical trainer or bicycle. A month after that it should be safe to do things with more impact, like jogging.

He told me that the oncologist on the Board (Dr. Fisher) wanted me to follow up with him at this time so I will go see him next week, on Monday. I'm not sure what he can tell me that I don't already know but I will find out next week. After that I will likely make an appointment with the local oncologist who will manage my follow up scans. I'll know more next week.

Mutant Pumpkins

2010-08-03T16:43:00.000-07:00

Last year I grew an heirloom variety of pumpkin called Winter Luxury Pie Pumpkin. It's a very nice, small pumpkin that makes wonderful pumpkin pies. I thought I was being smart when I saved some seeds from one of the pumpkins for this year. What I didn't know is that squashes (pumpkin is a squash) and melons cross-pollinate very easily and create some crazy stuff. I realized this today when I posted a couple of pictures on a gardening forum that I frequent.

Here's what a young Winter Luxury Pie Pumpkin is supposed to look like (this photo is from last year):

Here are two of the weirdos that I have growing on what are supposed to be Winter Luxury Pie Pumpkin vines:

I posted that I'm confused because these two "pumpkins" are on two different plants and they don't look anything like Winter Luxury Pie Pumpkins, nor do they look like each other. I got a reply back that these look like they are crossed with other things. The yellow one perhaps got crossed with a yellow crookneck squash. I was growing that last year. As for the green one, I think it got crossed with something the neighbor grew. I remember last year he brought over a very large green squash - he told us the variety but I don't remember it now - and I bet the same bees visited his plants on the same day they visited my pumpkin plant.

Now, the question is this: How will they taste? And how will I know when they are ripe? I can probably tell by the stem that they are ripe. But as for taste: Will they be like a sweet squash?

Cooking for Two

2010-07-26T14:50:00.000-07:00

I'd like to share one of my favorite recipe resources. A few months ago I purchased the Cook's Illustrated "Cooking for Two 2009" cookbook and I immediately fell in love with it.

All of the recipes are written for servings of two. Well, sort of. We have found that they will often feed three people so it's nice to have another serving leftover for lunch the next day.

And I just found out that they have a 2010 edition!

I've already ordered it and it's on its way.

By the way, if you are inclined to order it, I would advise you to look online for a discount coupon (I usually have luck with http://www.retailmenot.com/) and buy it from Borders or Barnes and Noble. If you buy it directly from Cook's Illustrated they automatically enroll you in their "preview" program where they will automatically send you the next book in the series for you to preview it, and if you don't like it you have to send it back. I don't want the hassle of that and you can't opt out of it when you order a book. And I assume that they send it to you and bill you full price, but I'd rather buy it on discount with a coupon. So, I never buy directly from them. I always buy the cookbooks from a bookstore. I do subscribe to their magazines (which I love) and to the website. Cook's Illustrated is my #1 resource for tested and reliable recipes.

No News is Boring News

2010-07-26T14:34:00.000-07:00

Someone just asked me if there's nothing new in my blog does it mean good things or bad things. Generally anytime there's anything of note to post we will be sure to do so. If I'm unable then David is very good at doing it for me. If there's nothing here for a few days it's because I don't want to bore anyone with posting the same thing every day!! Right now I'm not doing much. I'm resting a lot every day, letting my incision heal. I pretty much eat, sleep, read, watch TV. I've also been practising my knitting, hoping to catch up so that I can attend the final class. I'm not sure I can accomplish that since the final class is 2 weeks away and I still need to make up the class I missed while I was in the hospital. But, it's possible still and we'll see.

Otherwise, that's how my days are going. I get up, eat, read, have lunch, nap, read, watch TV, walk around the garden, rest some more, help make dinner, eat, and then we watch TV each night before heading to bed. Then it starts over again. I have my next CT scan scheduled for August 6th and my follow-up with the surgeon is August 9th. At that time I'll learn what the board's recommendations are for follow up treatments. Perhaps more radiation. Probably not chemotherapy. I hope not. It hasn't shown to be very effective anyway and if I'm destined to have more surgeries to remove lesions I'd rather not make my life more miserable by adding months of chemotherapy in the mix.

I will have my stent removed from my left ureter on August 6th as well. It'll be nice to have that out. Sometimes I feel like something's poking me from inside. Which it probably is.

So, until August 9th I probably won't have anything of note (medically) to post. But soon I'll put up more pictures of the baby pumpkins! We have 5 or 6 growing right now.

A Couple of Garden Pics

2010-07-18T14:53:00.001-07:00

The garden has been taking care of itself nicely. It's on an automatic drip watering system, complete with a timer, so the watering's all done by the time I get up in the morning. It's just plugged into the same timer that runs the rest of the landscape watering.

Here are the tomato plants today:

Here is the pumpkin/squash bed. I may live to regret putting them in the same bed. It's like this: [squash] / [pumpkin] / [squash] / [pumpkin] / [squash]. The squashes on the ends I'll be able to get to, but the one in the middle will be hard to reach past the pumpkin plants. Oh, well, better planning next time. When these had to go into the ground my choices were limited.

This is a pic of a very young pumpkin. I'll be keeping my eye on this one!

Back in the Saddle

2010-07-16T10:23:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody. Today I finally feel clear-headed enough to take the blog over again. I'm not in much pain, thanks to careful use of Percoset. I take one when I go to bed to make my sleep more comfortable and restful. After breakfast I shower and take another one to make the morning more comfortable. If I'm uncomfortable in the afternoon then I may take one after lunch. That's about it - three per day. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with my upper back aching and I'll take some Tylenol - the Percoset shouldn't be taken on an empty stomach. But the last couple of nights I've learned that if I shift to sleeping on my side early I can escape most of the back ache.

Mostly during the day I rest while watching TV or reading. I take a lot of naps. I'm also up quite a bit. Like right now I'm sitting in the living room. I was reading and decided to post this using the handy iPad that Dave got us for my hospital stay. (Did I mention that I have a great husband?) When I get tired of sitting up then I may head upstairs to take a nap.

In the evenings I actually seem to have more energy. I come down for dinner and stay up for a few hours while we eat and watch some TV. Then I go to bed and read some before surrounding myself with pillows and drifting off to sleep.

Overall I'm comfortable and David does all that he can to make sure I have everything that I need. I'm just going to take it easy and let my healing body use all of the resources that it needs.

I'd like to thank everybody for all of the kind words of support and for following my progress on my blog. This really is the easiest way to keep everybody informed. Of course you are welcome to call - this is not meant to completely supplant human contact! But for a quick check-in on me this has proven to be the best and easiest way to keep everyone who is interested up to date.

Stanford Round 2 Day 7.5

2010-07-13T11:49:00.000-07:00

[ David for Laurie ]

I have to type quietly so I don't disturb Laurie. You see, she's upstairs resting and sleeping. She came home last night to a flurry of fur and excitement. We let the dogs greet her at the car so she would be protected from their excitement. After that we got her upstairs and in bed to relax.

She's eating, albeit not a lot, and getting lots of rest. We watched some TV together and she got to sleep around 10. The biggest challenge she has now is that her back is sore from laying in bed for so long. That is probably the source of most of her discomfort.

Tomorrow she'll be able to take a real shower and that will make a big difference. I know that she'll start to perk up after that and feel so much better.

BTW, we've had a great house/dog sitter over the last week. She's stayed at our place and ensured that the "kids" were well cared for. This week would have been absolutely insane if it wasn't for her. Thanks for the referral Barb.

Stanford Round 2 Day 6

2010-07-11T22:01:00.000-07:00

[ David for Laurie ]

The news for today is that the doctor would like to discharge her tomorrow. We're keeping our fingers crossed, but we don't know for sure what will happen. We need to make sure she's comfortable and they are going to try and see if her system will work right without the catheter. If the system doesn't work right they'll put one back in and she'll probably come home with something. Let's hope we don't have to worry about that.

We had 4 different nurses through the course of the day. This is what happens when patients go home and the staffing ratio stays the same.

Laurie was up for a walk 4 times and has transitioned to all oral pain pills. They did add some potassium to her via IV this evening, but the IV was to be removed after that is complete.
She's eating fairly well at this point. Not a lot, but she ate a good amount of her dinner and that's a very good sign.

That's it for now. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be writing this for her while she's upstairs resting.

Other than that, all is good.

Stanford Round 2 Day 5

2010-07-10T21:37:00.000-07:00

[ David for Laurie still ]

Well, we kind of moved sideways today. I think it is probably progress overall though.

Late last night they put the catheter back in. The reason was an explanation for why she constantly felt she needed to pee. It turns out the systems weren't really working right yet. Your bladder starts telling you it's time to go when you have around 600 cc's of urine in there. Laurie was retaining over 500 cc's when she'd pee instead of completely voiding/emptying her bladder. So she'd quickly hit the point where she needed to go. So the system wasn't working right. She'll have to deal with the catheter at least until tomorrow.

On the positive side today she's eating real food. Not much, but she hasn't been eating for 6 days, so what would one really expect? The doctor came in today and said she could eat anything she wanted to eat. He said to treat it like she'd just had a really bad flu for the past 3 days. My parents were coming down to take me to lunch and do a very quick visit, so I asked them to drop by Whole Foods and get some of their refrigerated chicken noodle soup. Laurie ate a 1/2+ cup at lunch and another 1/2+ cup at dinner. The doctors also realized they had the wrong diet going for her. She should have been on a "Post Op 1" meal instead of liquids. That means things like soup and a little bread instead of this jello and broth bit. We think that one of the problems with her appetite is that they gave her beef broth a couple times and it didn't work at all.... Now she's eating a little. That seems to be slowly waking up her system. Tomorrow I'll bring in some instant Cream of Wheat for her breakfast. The other very important thing is that eating means she can start getting off the IV pain meds. The pain medication requires food to take, so this is the first step to getting her off the IV and moving towards home.

One other thing is that they have moved from the standard IV to using her mediport. This was the 4th day on the IV's and they'd have to change them anyway. Yesterday she was beginning to feel discomfort from the IV's and they removed the remaining one early this morning. She woke up with a wet hand, so the IV had stopped working (the valve there was letting out the forced fluid). They usually don't like to use the mediport for some reason during surgery. I think they just don't want to take the risk of something going wrong with it.

When I left this evening she was fairly chipper and in reasonably good spirits.

Stanford Round 2 Day 4

2010-07-09T23:03:00.000-07:00

[ David for Laurie still ]

Today was pretty much like yesterday. Laurie managed to get the chicken broth consumed before I got there this morning. That was pretty much the only food she took in though. Her appetite just isn't there. It may be the beef broth though. She also seems to have something going on that they are saying is just acid reflux. She feels like she has a lump in her throat. They prescribed something for it and now we need to see if it really works. This is just something that happens apparently when the system isn't really restarted yet. Her surgeon was by again today and said to take her time and only eat/drink if she's hungry, let her body drive things.

Not much else to report. She did pass gas, but just a couple of small toots. This is progress, but we really want her system to settle soon. They removed her catheter today, which is good.... but it means she has to get up and pee all the time and that's at least once an hour with the fluids they are/have been putting into her.

Hopefully tomorrow she'll be feeling more normal and be able to eat and get around more comfortably. Right now she's still on the PCA and probably will be until she can eat. Only then will she be able to take the oral pain killers as they need to be taken with food.

That's it for now....

Stanford Round 2 Day 3

2010-07-08T21:08:00.000-07:00

[ David for Laurie ]

Well it's been another eventful day at Stanford. Laurie went on 4 walks around the corridors and everything appears to be going as expected. She's beginning to feel some general discomfort as her body start working normally again. Hopefully that means we'll have an important event occur overnight. We'll see though as last time it was day 4 or 5 before that happened.

I want to thank everyone who's passed along their thoughts and wishes. Laurie asked in particular that I post this picture she took today. Thank you Sandi for the Texas Roses for my Texas Rose.

Stanford Round 2 Day 2

2010-07-07T21:59:00.000-07:00

[ David reporting in for Laurie ]

There's not a lot to report today. Laurie is immensely better than she was after her liver surgery. They've got the right mixture of non-narcotic and narcotic meds working for her. She was up 3 times while I was there and had 2 fairly long walks out of those (the first time out of bed wasn't for long or far). There were plans to get her out later in the evening again, but I left around 7:30 or so.

Everything is going along fine. No real food yet and not much of the liquids yet. I suspect she'll start becoming hungry tomorrow. The next major milestone is for her GI system to demonstrate it is functioning (i.e. she needs to fart).

That's all for today....

Stanford Round two Day One

2010-07-06T20:56:00.000-07:00

[David writing for Laurie...]

We arrived at Stanford right on time for our 10:15 check in. Half an hour later they took Laurie away. Roughly 10 minutes later they came to reunite us. At 11:30 I was told it was time to head to the waiting room. The surgery started at 12:25 right between the original time and the revised time. My parents came down and met me for lunch. I tried to relax and eat the fairly decent cafeteria food.

At 2:45pm Dr. Welton came out to give us a mid point status. Dr. Gonzolvo was working on the uritor, but things were pretty much just what was expected. The mass was as expected and he had to remove some of the small intestine and some of the colon because the blood supply for those areas went through the mass. He also had to peel the mass off of the main artery. All had clear margins except for the artery, which was clean, but not with enough margin to avoid needing inter operative radiation. Dr. Gonzolvo was going to need to resect part of the uritor and the radiation would be done shortly after that. It's going to be another 2 or 3 hours of surgery, but she's doing great and not losing any blood.

Dr. Gonzalvo came out to check in at 4:30. All went well and the plumbing is reconnected. Now I'm just waiting for Dr. Welton to tie the rest of the plumbing together and close up. Dr. Gonzolvo figured that would be no more than an hour. Then it's just a matter of going through recovery.

The volunteer came to me at 5:45 to let me know that Laurie was in the closing stage. Now just to wait for the doctor to return with any last minute information. Dr. Welton was out 5 minutes later to say that nothing changed (which is good news). Now to wait for the recovery to complete and for her to be released to her room.

It's now 8:45 and we are now in Laurie's private room. It appears she got the best room on the floor. It is what she deserves!!

That's all for today. Tomorrow I'll tell you how she's doing and about her first walk. Everything is looking good and it looks like they are going to ensure her pain is well managed. Everyone has been super nice today. It's been a great experience as these things go...

My New/Old Weight Loss Program

2010-07-05T09:39:00.000-07:00

I don't know when I'll be allowed solid food again. And I love food. Today I cannot eat anything more solid than Jello. I can drink "clear" liquids, which do include Coca Cola. Basically I can eat or drink anything that you can pour out of a glass and it leaves nothing behind, coating the glass.

Tomorrow I get no food or drink whatsoever. And I know from experience that I'll not be allowed anything more solid that Jello or a popsicle during my week in the hospital. Maybe towards the end I'll be allowed cream of wheat or some brothy or creamy soup.

Anyway, it's true that you should be careful about what you wish for. If you wish to lose a few pounds it may happen.

Surgery is Scheduled

2010-07-01T12:20:00.001-07:00

I think the nurse up at Stanford has been working in a whirlwind today. She managed to get all of the players to be available for my surgery on next Tuesday, July 6th. The urologist, radiation oncologist, and the surgeon will all come together to play around with my insides for about 5 hours starting at 10:30. So now I am clearing my calendar and wrapping my head around this. I'm glad for the suddenness of this because July 6th will be the last day of life for the growing tumor in my abdomen.

[Edit: As of now (7/1 at 1:54), the surgery will be at 12:30 instead of 10:30. I am not sure of this is set in stone yet, but that's the latest.]

[2nd edit: The surgery is actually going to be at 12:10. Not that 20 minutes matters!]

Stanford GI Tumor Board or "You Had Me at 'No Chemo'"

2010-06-30T19:19:00.000-07:00

I feel like a boomerang.

When we arrived for our appointment we met with Dr. Fisher, an oncologist at Stanford. He said that his first impression would be to leave the tumor where it is and treat it with chemotherapy. His thoughts were that when the first tumor was found it was surgically removed immediately, followed by 6 months of chemotherapy. Then when the lesions on my liver were found they were surgically removed right away and 6 more months of chemo followed that. So, there has actually been nothing to prove that chemo had worked. So, he suggested leaving the tumor in to have something to watch. Then they will know if the chemo is effective. This made sense to me and it also sort of mirrored what we already saw as our path.

Then we went on a break and returned to the room after the board met.

The next doctor to walk into our room was a GI surgeon. He proceeded to tell us that they believe this tumor may not be metastatic in nature but may be original cancer cells from the original event 2 1/2 years ago. He thinks they may have been left behind and stunned everytime we did chemo, but not killed. So, they came to a consensus that there's a better chance for a cure to go in surgically again and remove this node, and other ones around it. Because it seems like the chemo hasn't prevented anything anyway, and maybe if they just go in and take it out it will finally all be removed. There's more of a curative chance this way where with chemotherapy it will start to become more of a maintenance chronic issue. And to top it off, they don't see any reason to do anymore chemotherapy after the surgery. At most they may do some intraoperative radiology while I'm in surgery if they aren't able to get "clean margins". The oncologist did return to the room later and told us that he agrees with this plan.

So, they are thinking that in the next 2 weeks I'll be in the operating room with this GI Surgeon, a Urologist, and an Interventional Radiologist. The urologist will be there to do what's needed for my kidney and the ureter - this may mean relocating the kidney as if it was a transplant. The ureter will have to be "resected" and if the remaining tube isn't long enough to reattach to my bladder then they may have to move my kidney closer to my bladder. Strange, but it makes sense.

I'm told that this is a very complicated, invasive operation and I'll be in the hospital for at least a week. He said it will take many, many weeks to recover, and strongly advised us to postpone our plans for our anniversary party. So, that will be postponed for probably 3 months or so.

Let's hope that they are right and that this is "encapsulated" cancer cells that were left behind and they will be able to remove the last bit of them. While I'm not looking forward to recovering from yet another invasive surgery, I have to say I'm very relieved that it won't be followed by 6 months of chemotherapy.

My Night in the Hospital

2010-06-25T17:18:00.000-07:00

All this past week (since Monday) I had been experiencing low-grade nausea but not enough to throw up or to stop eating. I attributed it to stress even though stress has never affected me in that way before. Also I was constantly thirsty. On Wednesday evening in addition to the nausea I started to feel cramping in my left side which started quite quickly. It started under my ribcage in the back left side and radiated around a bit to the front. It would cramp and throb and would get worse if I sat or lay down. Also I was getting more and more tired each day. I commented to Dave that all I wanted to do was take a nap all day but I had too much to do.

It's easy to put all of these things off as things that are "in your head" because I don't want to come off as a complainer.

Anyway, yesterday (Thursday) my nausea got progressively worse such that I wasn't able to eat normally. When it came to dinnertime I couldn't bear the thought of eating anything and my side was cramping so much. I was so tired but lying down to rest did me no good because I couldn't get comfortable. When Dave got home from walking the dogs I told him how much discomfort I was in and told him I had also called the oncologist to see if I should go to the ER. Shortly afterwards he called back and said yes, go to the ER. So, we did. After an hour wait in the waiting room I was finally taken to an ER room and given some anti-nausea and pain medications. They admitted me overnight (El Camino Hospital's room are something like 80% private) so that they could monitor my nausea and pain and gave me medications as needed. This morning at 7:30 the urologist showed up to place that stent that was scheduled to be installed next Monday. Apparently my kidney just had enough and started to get very angry.

I am home now and the pain and nausea are gone. Looks like the stent is doing its job of opening that tube so that the urine can drain into the bladder as it should instead of backing up into the kidney.

Reasons for Chemo Start Date

2010-06-24T13:06:00.000-07:00

In case some of you are wondering why the chemo isn't starting right away, here are the reasons. I also posted this in a comment to another post but not everyone will look at the comments.

I have 3 main reasons for waiting until the 5th. Firstly, I want to speak with the Stanford folks first to see if they have any newer, better ideas. That appointment is next Wednesday, June 30th. Secondly, I always prefer to have chemo on Mondays because that gives me the best chance of feeling good and energetic every other weekend. Thirdly, starting July 5th makes chemo weeks skip important scheduled events, such as our Anniversary party.

Well, I guess there may be a 4th: I have so much to do and am not mentally ready. I wanted to get through a couple of weeks to finish a couple of projects before I'm unable to. :-)

Pics of Theo and Cassie

2010-06-24T12:46:00.000-07:00

Someone recently requested that I post pictures of Theo and Cassie. I honestly don't remember who that was! But I wanted to fulfill that request... but then I realized that I already had. It's just not obvious. Over on the right, in the list of links, is a link to "Photos of Theo and Cassie". There are lots of photos there, including some that were taken last month. You may click there anytime to see the kids! Here's the link here too: Theo and Cassie pics

Today's Updates

2010-06-24T12:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Dave and I met with the new oncologist to see what he had to say after he met with his tumor board. He said that they agreed that a biopsy was not necessary because of the elevated CEA level. Then he said they also agreed that I should have a stent put in place to open the ureter that's being pressed on by the tumor. We arranged for that to happen this coming Monday. It's an outpatient procedure. I'll be put to sleep during it so I'll be comfortable. Hopefully the stent won't give me any trouble. I'm told it's uncomfortable for some people.

He still likes the plan to leave the nodes in place for now and load me up with every chemotherapy drug possible. Then he would take out the node (surgically, radiologically, or with the Cyberknife, whichever method is appropriate then) either mid-way through chemo or at the end, if anything's left. He expects to see it shrink quickly.

We do still want to speak with the Stanford GI Tumor Board next week. I believe there will be some value in learning what they have to say. Also we can learn if there are any clinical trials that I should consider.

I did ask him how long does he expect me to be able to work in my garden. He said that at this point, statistically speaking, I have a 10-12% chance of this 3rd round of chemo to eradicate everything and cure me. That means most likely it won't cure me. But it could buy me a couple of years at least until new drugs are available and perhaps later on something might be more effective. At the least, he expects that I may have to keep going through this with long breaks in between and I should be able to play in the garden for a few more years. He's hoping that some new advances might turn that into decades. Eventually cancer will be treated like a chronic disease where a person might have to take drugs for the rest of their life but it keeps the cancer from being fatal. I guess we are hoping to buy time until something like that happens. I know that there are researchers all over working on that as fast as they can.

CEA and the GI Tumor Board

2010-06-21T10:22:00.000-07:00

The CEA test stands for Carcinoembryonic Antigen. It’s a blood test to look for cancer markers in your bloodstream. Click here for more information about it: CEA Test

Over the last two years I’ve asked my oncologist if my CEA was elevated. She always told me it was not elevated. Last week I requested a copy of all of my CEA results so that I could make them available to the 2nd opinion oncologist. That was also the first time that I had them in my possession so I got a chance to look through all of them. And it’s true: the result was always in the normal range. However, if you look more closely a pattern can be established. After my 1st surgery and during the 1st chemotherapy rounds the CEA was very low, nearly undetectable. But then immediately after that chemotherapy was finished it started to rise. It was 0.6 on September 2, 2008 which was my final day of chemotherapy. Then on September 26, 2008 it was 1.2. On December 9, 2008 it was 2.2. The CT scan that I had on December 2, 2008 is the one that detected the spots on my liver. So, anyway, I had liver surgery and 12 more rounds of chemotherapy. Right after my surgery my CEA level was 1.0. Shortly after that it had dropped to <0.5, which means it was below the detection level of the test. It remained at <0.5 all throughout the 12 cycles of chemotherapy. My 2nd round of (12 cycles of) chemo was from 2/23/2009 – 8/17-2009. On 8/17/2009 my CEA level was <0.5. On 11/3/2009 it was 1.7. On 1/8/2010 it was 1.5. On 3/11/2010 it was 2.5, its highest level yet. However, at that time my oncologist decided that it was safe to start pushing my scans out to every three months instead of every two months. In the face of a rising CEA I would have expected to be scanned sooner, not later. Now that my new mass is found would you like to know what my CEA level is? 12.8. Now it’s “officially” outside of the normal range. Keep in mind that the normal range for non-smokers is <3.9, so it’s true that all of my CEA levels were not elevated in the official sense. However, I do believe there is some value in noting that it had been rising again. My oncologist did not pay attention to that detail and for that I am highly annoyed. We are going to switch to the new oncologist and I have made him aware of this CEA bit and expressed to him that I do hope he pays better attention to the details.

One last thing about the CEA: Since it is elevated it’s almost guaranteed that this new mass is from the original colon cancer, so the need to do a biopsy is greatly reduced. So, I may not have it biopsied.

Now, about the Stanford GI Tumor Board: Last Friday I got a call that the GI Tumor Board for this week (the 23rd) and been cancelled and that I am now scheduled for the next one on the 30th. This week on the 23rd, however, the new oncologist will present my case to his tumor board and we will return to meet with him directly afterwards. I will see if his plan of attack has changed. I will still want the Stanford Tumor Board’s recommendations as well so I may not know definitively until next week what the whole plan is.

I will post any new findings here of course.

2nd Dr. Appointment Follow-Up

2010-06-16T09:54:00.000-07:00

I originally had an appointment next week (Friday the 25th) with a second oncologist at El Camino Hospital. Yesterday at about 1:00 I got a call that there was a cancellation at 3:00 and I could come in early if I wanted to. So, I hurriedly finished collecting and compiling my records and then Dave and I rushed up there with a small booklet. I think the receptionist was impressed (astonished... amazed...) at the amount of records that I had possession of but was not at all surprised that they were all organized and easy to put into a chart.

So, we met with this 2nd oncologist yesterday and I'm sure we spent more than our allotted time with him. But he never made us feel rushed. He answered all of our questions and thoroughly outlined the course of action that he would recommend. And it goes like this:

1. Since it's been a nice length of time since my last tumor, he'd biopsy the mass to make sure it's still colon cancer and not some other form of cancer such as lymphoma. If it was something else then the treatment would be different.

2. He'd have a urologist place a stent in the partially blocked ureter to decompress the kidney. Right now my kidney is enlarged because it's a bit backed up.

3. Then I would have 12 rounds of chemotherapy. He would choose to give me all of the drugs I've had before. All 4 of them. We would substitute Xeloda pills in place of the 48-hour pump. I've just about had enough of the pump. For the record, he's never given anyone all of the drugs before. He said my case is unique. The other oncologist said I am "interesting". I didn't realize I am so different.

4. After the chemotherapy was finished he would then deal with removing the mass by using radiation or possibly the new Cyberknife. I think he's afraid that if he removes the mass first more will pop up. Plus if he leaves it in place he has something that he can keep an eye on to see if the chemotherapy's being effective.

So, that's his plan. We will still go up to Stanford next Wednesday to meet with the GI tumor board and there a team will come to a consensus and will tell me what they recommend. Then we will start making decisions. I think I will choose to have my treatments up at El Camino no matter what. The infusion area is so much more comfortable and private than where I've been going. Everyone was so nice up there. If only Dr. Chen worked up there because I have no problem with her. But if the treatment's the same then I will choose to go where I'm most comfortable.

Dr. Appt Follow-Up

2010-06-15T12:29:00.001-07:00

I went to see my oncologist today. I already kind of knew what the results were. Officially here is how it reads:

1. There is a new 1.9 cm FDG avid left retroperitoneal mass consistent with metastatic adenopathy. This appears to obstruct the left mid ureter resulting in moderate left hydroureter and left hydronephrosis.

[This means there's a mass in a lymph node that's pressing on a ureter. It's causing the kidney to become inflamed. I've been experiencing lower left back pain for a while now, and this is on my left side. So I'm wondering if this is what's hurting and not my back.]

2. Postoperative left hepatic lobe without evidence for residual or recurrent disease. No evidence for recurrent disease near the sigmoid anastomotic site.

[This means there's nothing suspicious on my liver or my colon.]

And here's the PET scan image:

Do you see that really bright spot in the lower left image? That's the new mass. (By the way, if you click on the image a larger version should pop up.)

Dr. Chen said that she is referring me to the specialist at Stanford and my case will be presented to the GI Tumor Board. We go up there on Wednesday (a week from tomorrow) to meet with them and find out how they suggest we deal with this. It's possible that they may treat it with radiation or a new technology called "Cyberknife". Also she said I'll need to do a short round of chemo. Maybe 6 rounds instead of 12.

We also have an appointment with another oncologist to get a another opinion. We will see him next week as well. I feel like right now I need to at least look into and consider more options. I like Dr. Chen and I know that she is doing all that she can for me. But there is more to this battle than just the oncologist. I'd rather do chemo someplace else if possible, if everything else is all the same.

After we meet with the oncologist and the tumor board next week then we'll know more.

Preliminary PET Scan Results

2010-06-10T18:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday (June 9) I had a PET scan. The follow-up appointment with my oncologist is next Tuesday the 15th. Today, however, I had an appointment with my primary care physician for something completely unrelated. While I was there I asked him if he had the PET scan results (I requested a copy to be sent to him.) He did. And it’s not clear this time. I will get a copy of the report on Tuesday when my oncologist goes over the report with me, but what I got from it is that I have a mass in a lymph node that’s partially obstructing a ureter. This is a tube that connects the kidney to the bladder. There’s also a smaller one in a nearby node.

I will learn on Tuesday what they intend to do about this. I suspect I will have surgery to remove the nodes. I suspect there will be some kind of therapy or treatment to endure. I guess I’ll have to continue to expect this kind of thing. Right now I’m a little bummed out and annoyed. I’m glad I didn’t go back to work. I’m glad I’m being selfish with my time. I’m especially glad for my husband, David. He’s the best thing for me right now.

My Next PET Scan

2010-05-27T11:53:00.000-07:00

My next PET scan is scheduled for Wednesday June 9th. I'll get the results on June 15th. I'll keep you posted...

Something to Brighten Your Day

2010-05-20T14:26:00.000-07:00

Here's a little something I found in the backyard today. I wanted to share it with you to brighten your day. And to let you know that I'm still here. :-)

This rose is called "Legends". It's a Ruby red Hybrid Tea rose with "massive, full, & ruffled blooms". Also, the tag reads, "Monstrous buds & humongous blossoms of rich ruby red hold their durable brilliance from beginning to end. Immense petals (just one can cover a child's palm) lend a classical Hybrid Tea bud shape, slowly spiraling open to a ruffled whopper of a show-stopper. Large lettuce-like leaves of an unusual red-green color gracefully enrobe the long cutting stems - in perfect proportion to the flower. Who needs a bouquet? It only takes one prodigious posy to fill a vase."

Also the tag says that Oprah Winfrey was involved in the multi-year evaluation & final selection of the Legends rose. Woohoo!!

The Garden Today

2010-05-03T16:15:00.001-07:00

Well we have had a rainy season. And I have to take time for my knitting boot camp. I'm not kidding about that. Anyway, I haven't finished sifting all the soil but I'm still working on it. I should be finished shortly so that I can get the other 2 boxes filled and planted.

So, here's the latest on my little garden space. Today I finished putting in the drip lines for the boxes that are up and running. I think the rain has stopped completely until November or so... so I had to get the water in because the hot weather is just around the corner.

Here's an overview of the garden today. I tried to take the best picture I could:
In this photo you can see my 2 baby blueberry plants.
This next photo is of my 2 "stone" boxes. The first one has two kinds of carrots. The 2nd one has lacinato kale (just about ready to use), celery (looking good!) and a nasturtum. The lettuce is done. If I can find a shady spot then I can start some more.
This photo is of my first raised wooden box. It has tomatoes, basil, a parsley plant (I also have a separate herb bed outside the garden), some French marigolds, some borage volunteers. Also there's a small beet patch on the far end. I also added a row of carrots in between each tomato plant. They are just now coming up.I won't be leaving all of those solar lights in the box. I put them in there to keep some plastic sheeting off of the lower plants. It got cold here for a couple of nights last week. Each box will have 4 of the lights for a nice effect.

I just got some 8-manifold bubbler heads today. I really like them because each outlet has an individual control valve. You can shut any one of them off or adjust any of them individually from 0-30 GPH. Very nice.

So, now I either have to go sift some soil or do some knitting homework.

The Most Important Thing An Overnight Guest Can Do For Me

2010-04-29T15:14:00.000-07:00

If you are ever an overnight guest at my house, the single most important thing you can do for me is to strip the bed linens off of the bed, including the pillowcases. I will never understand why guests make the bed. I mean, am I to leave them on there for the next guest? If you do one thing, let this be it. Just toss them on the floor. This will make me smile.

Cleaning the House

2010-04-22T11:48:00.001-07:00

When I met David he had housekeepers who came into his house every two weeks (at that time) to clean it. When I joined him and we got Theo we changed that to every week. And until a few weeks ago we continued to have someone come clean the house. Our latest housekeeper was Lupe. And she did a fabulous job and never complained. While I was working or going through chemo it made sense to keep her on. But I haven't gone back to work yet and haven't been on treatments since August so I decided to try to clean the house myself. This saves us $95.00 per week. That's a good amount of pocket change.

So far so good. For several weeks now I've been doing the dusting, mopping, wiping, scrubbing. I generally set aside a day for it so it just gets done and I can dedicate the rest of the week to everything else. I think I'm doing a pretty good job. Before I met David I always cleaned my own place. Granted they were much smaller but a bathroom is a bathroom... a floor is a floor... it's all the same. Just more of them. So, I take longer. But it's really no big deal. Now I don't have to do the mad rush every Wednesday night to de-clutter the house for Lupe. I know where everything is at every moment. (I don't like for things to get moved.) Overall I don't mind cleaning my own house. If I return to work or if I return to treatments then we will see if Lupe's still available (I hope she is - she did a great job) but for now I'll keep doing it myself. In a way, I'm bonding with my house.

Garden Prep Detours

2010-04-12T22:10:00.001-07:00

I haven't been sifting soil this past week at all. The weather was absolutely perfect for it but I had other obligations. I am in the middle of an 8-month long knitting boot camp which meets once a month. Since the last class I had been working pretty non-stop in the garden, pausing only to clean the house, do laundry, or go to doctors appointments. So I didn't work on my homework until last week (we meet again tomorrow, Tuesday the 13th.) I spent many hours doing the knitting homework and will go upstairs to dedicate the final 30 minutes needed to prepare for tomorrow's class. After tomorrow's class you can again find me in the garden (the rain will be gone - yay!) and I should finally get the remaining soil finished this week. Then I will know how much to purchase and then I can finally get the garden going in earnest.

I will also try to do the knitting homework throughout the next month.

So, that's my boring update (excuse) on why I haven't been posting much lately. Soon I will tell you about Justin, our San Jose Giants baseball player who is living with us for the season.

Still Sifting Soil...

2010-04-05T08:32:00.000-07:00

Not done yet! And it's been raining. This week should be beautiful but I have to work on my knitting homework for my class next week. I'm WAY behind.

Also I will have to tell you about the San Jose Giants baseball player we will have in our home for a few months. Don't let me forget!

Sifting Dirt

2010-03-16T22:48:00.001-07:00

Wow. I wish I had time to sit here and compose something witty. But I'm outside in the garden sifting the rocks out of the dirt in the raised beds. All day. I'll see you in a week or so with pictures.

So, I'm Officially NED for One Year!

2010-03-12T12:19:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

I just want to share my good news. Long story short (to update any new readers)... February 2008 I was diagnosed with colon cancer (at the ripe old age of 37.) I had surgery and 6 months of chemo. Then it was also found in my liver in December 2008. January 2009 (just over a year ago) I had surgery to remove the new tumors and did another 6 months of chemo, which was completed last August. I have had alternating MRIs and PET scans every 2 months since then, the latest being yesterday. The MRI that was done yesterday confirmed that there are no tumors at the moment.

Do you know what a milestone it is to be confirmed disease-free after an entire year? It is something to shout from the rooftops!

(Oh, by the way, NED = "No Evidence of Disease")

Not Much to Update...

2010-03-03T08:47:00.001-08:00

...which is a good thing!

Well, I do have an MRI next week so I'll post those results when I get them.

I have been keeping very busy not getting much done. At least it seems that way, but I know I'm busy every day because my feet tell me so, and I haven't been doing anything leisurely during the days. My foot still hasn't healed from my November 6th surgery so the doctor prescribed a bone growth stimulator machine, for which insurance is paying 90%. Thankfully. It's an ultrasound machine that I use every day for 20 minutes and it's supposed to stimulate the bone to heal using voodoo magic. At least that's what the doctor said.

I never did get the greenhouse, so I have found ways to accomplish what I want inside the house, in my kitchen. Luckily I have a large expanse of counter space behind our sink in a bay window. And I have learned that maybe it's a good thing to start the seedlings in the kitchen where I see them every day. They are coming along wonderfully and I haven't lost any of them. Out in the garden, "out of sight, out of mind" perhaps could have played a role in the demise of some seedlings so it's probably for the best that I can see them every day and tend to them. That window does not let in enough light so I had to put in a grow light to keep things moving along. It looks kind of funny but will be taken out when seed starting is completed.

Here it is:

That's actually a garment hanger that the lights are hanging from. You know, the kind you'd put in your closet or laundry room to hang clothes on. I looked all over for one of those stands that you hang grow lights on. Even the place that sold me the grow light did not sell stands. And anyway they probably would have been pricier than this garment rack. It was only $20.00 or so. I have it on its shortest setting and it works. As the plants grow taller I can raise the lights bit by bit by moving the s-hooks up the chain. We had an extra shelf in the shed that is the exact stain and color of our kitchen cabinetry, and it actually happened to be the right size, so we added it to make a nice little platform for the plants. Otherwise I would have had to deal with the 2 cross bars on the bottom. It looks nice with the cherry shelf.

My knitting is coming along too. At the moment I'm not working on any project, so to speak. I am attending a knitting boot camp and the assignments are to make little swatches using different techniques, and the goal is to expose me to the experience of doing all of the techniques so that when I do make something more complicated than a stockinette scarf I'll have experienced pretty much everything at least a little bit and I won't be intimidated by it.

Speaking of the knitting assignments, I'd better work on some of that today. Our next class is next Tuesday and I have some things to complete. It's a rainy day today so I should be able to get some of it done.

Off I go...!

The Beginning of the 2010 Garden Season

2010-02-10T16:17:00.000-08:00

Well, it has begun. For the rest of the year I will have dirt under my fingernails. Here's what I've done so far: I pulled up all of the irrigation from last year and re-laid out the garden beds. Some of them were OK but some were just too wide. I can comfortably reach 1 1/2' into a bed, so I laid out all of the beds to be 3' wide, leaving 1 1/2' - 2' paths in between. We did set aside some space for a nice 6' x 8' greenhouse but I'm not sure I'll be able to get it. Last year Costco offered a coupon for $300.00 off and I was expecting the same this year, but so far I haven't seen the discount. But I have a plan B, and it may work out even better. What I have done is started my seedlings in my AeroGarden. I was hoping that by the time they were ready to transplant into little pots that I'd have a greenhouse. However, since that didn't work out, I have decided to get a 4' long grow light to put them under, and they will sit in my kitchen behind the sink where there is just enough room for that. What makes this potentially better is that I'll be able to keep an eye on the seedlings every day. In the greenhouse they might dry out but in my kitchen that won't happen. So, the space where the greenhouse was going to go can now become the home of one of those cheap plastic storage shed things that you get from a home improvement store. I just need someplace to keep my bags of soil, gloves, gardening tools, etc. I think this will work out very well.

Here's what my AeroGarden looks like:

So, here's where I am now: A month ago I started some kale, lettuce, mustard greens, spinach, and celery in the AeroGarden. Yesterday I transferred all of the seedlings except for the celery and the smallest 2 kale into little 6-pack seedling pots. Here are the seedlings:For now they are sitting in front of the sunniest window that we have but the truth is they won't get enough sunlight. And they will all grow sideways to reach the light. The grow light has been ordered and hopefully it will arrive soon.

Today I started some more seeds in the AeroGarden: 3 kinds of tomatoes and some beets. For the 3rd year I'm going to try beets. Hopefully this will be my successful year. The last 2 years they have been direct seeded and just never did well. So this year I will grow seedlings and transplant them when they are stronger. I'll see if that makes a difference.

Very soon, hopefully later this week or next week, I need to go and direct seed the carrots into the garden. I have decided to plant some normal orange ones as well as some "Atomic Red" carrots. Plus I'll see if I have any yellow carrot seeds left over from last year but I think I planted them all.

Open Letter to Everyone Who Forwards Viral Email

2010-01-29T09:10:00.000-08:00

Dear Family/Friend/Loved One/Acquaintance,

When you forward an email to me that was forwarded to you, and you include, say, 24 other people, now 24 other people have my email address. And while you may trust those other 24, you don’t know the 25 people they may forward it to, and each of those 25 people may forward to 25 more. At the end of the day, hundreds or thousands of people could have my email address that I don’t know. And perhaps one of those people works for a company that collects emails for spam. Or maybe one has a virus or Trojan horse on their computer that scans emails such as this looking for email addresses to add to a spam database. So, anytime you are sending an email that may get forwarded, you should always use “Blind Carbon Copy” (or BCC). Don’t use the regular “CC” or "To". You have to use the BCC because then all of the email addresses will be hidden from the other people.

That said, I never, ever read emails like these. You never know when one might contain an attached virus. And frankly, I just don’t find them interesting. So, they get deleted right away. My request to you is: no matter what you choose to do in the future regarding forwarding emails that you didn’t write, please don’t include me.

Anytime you want to write a personal note to me, feel free! Those I welcome.

Love,
Laurie

MasterChef Tryouts

2010-01-25T18:43:00.000-08:00

So, last Thursday I was shopping at Sur la Table in Los Gatos for some soufflé cups for Friday night's dessert (a yummy Meyer Lemon Soufflé). So, while I was there, I looked down on the counter and uttered, "you've got to be kidding me." What did I see? A stack of little cards advertising open casting calls for Chef Gordon Ramsay's new TV show called MasterChef. If you want to see the details, follow this link: MasterChef auditions. Well, I immediately thought that I could try out to be on the show, seeing as how I love to cook and am always trying to improve my skills. Also, I have been considering going to culinary school to learn some professional skills and I thought being on the show might be like a crash course in culinary school. I picked up the card and checked out the details when I got home. The requirements were a bit daunting: Bring a dish to plate and serve to one taster, bring a photo of your dish, bring a photo of yourself, and bring the completed application (about 10 pages long). And the casting call was on Sunday in San Francisco.

I mulled it over and decided on Spring Rolls because I felt they would hold and transport well in a cooler for several hours. I was more stressed about the answers to the questions. The hardest ones for me were how my friends would describe my personality, and what would they say are my best and worst qualities. I got some feedback that I'm a bit shy and reserved and sometimes don't know what to say. And this is true. Also, I guess one of my flaws is honesty because I think this is why I was passed up.

Sunday morning I got up and decided to do this for real, so while I went to the store to get the ingredients I needed, David went to Fry's to pick up a printer. Our photo printer had died a few weeks earlier. I rushed home and assembled the Spring Rolls (which, by the way, I had never made before.) :-O

David and I then rushed up to San Francisco in order to stand in line for a few hours in the cold. Luckily it wasn't raining. I finally made it to the front of the line and went along with my group to the "audition" area where I quickly plated my dish for the taster. He came around and asked me, "So, what do we have here?" "Spring Rolls made with shrimp, carrots, cucumber, and avocado. Served with a sauce made of mayonnaise, sesame oil, rice vinegar, wasabi paste, and chopped cilantro." Taster: "So, where did you get your shrimp?" Me: "I got it at 99 Ranch Market this morning." Taster: "How did you cook your shrimp?" Me: "I boiled the water, added the shrimp, turned it down to a simmer for a couple of minutes then took them out of the water. Then I tasted one to make sure it was done." The taster took a swipe of the sauce with his pinkie and took a bite of the Spring Roll and said, "Very fresh. Very good." Then walked away.

After that, a lady whom I assume is a casting person came to ask me questions. That's where I blew it. She asked me why did I decide to come try out for the show, what are my culinary goals, and how would my friends describe my personality. I said I felt the show was made for me because I love to cook and am always trying to improve my skills and gain enough knowledge and experience to stray away from recipes. I said that I considered going to culinary school but not to be a professional chef. Instead I wanted to have professional chef skills when cooking for my family and friends. And I said my friends probably see me as shy and reserved. Hmmm... I guess they don't want shy and reserved people on TV.

Anyway, the taster liked my dish! I am glad that I was able to see a glimpse of the underbelly of a cooking TV show. If it comes around next year I think I'll be better prepared with my answers and tell them of the energetic, adventurous side of me as well.

Totally Random Stuff

2010-01-23T20:18:00.000-08:00

Well, sorry I have been a little silent right now, but to tell you the truth, not much has been going on. I'm still recovering from my foot surgery. That and the rain have been keeping me pretty quiet. I did get to re-arrange the garden before it started raining but now I can't do much until it stops, and it looks like it'll never stop. I have been practicing my knitting. I even enrolled in a knitting boot camp and hope to learn a lot. Cassie is still cute and sweet, and continues to make us happy to have her in our family.

I just passed one milestone: January 21st was my 1-year anniversary since my liver surgery, and that means I'm 1 year into remission. That's actually a big deal. Though they don't really have a "cured" time frame after cancer has spread to your liver, I think most of the return cases are within 2 years. So, I'm halfway there. The last time my remission was for less than a year so it was nice to reach the year mark this time. I'm still living life as if I have lots of it left.

Latest PET Scan

2010-01-11T08:42:00.000-08:00

A short post:

As my Facebook friends already know, last week I had a PET scan. The results: ALL CLEAR. In two months I'll get an MRI. For now I am living life in 2-month increments. I'll take what I can get.

Granny and Grandad

2010-01-08T15:46:00.000-08:00

This post is dedicated to my wonderful grandparents. My grandmother's name was Rosa Mae Haddox, and my grandfather was always called "J.C. Wells", which is short for Joseph Caron Wells. Grandad and Granny got married on March 1, 1932. Granny used her middle name (sort of a common thing for our family to do, I've discovered) and so she went by the name "Mae Wells".

Granny was born on March 22, 1913. She was always very kind, warm, loving. She always, and I mean always, had a smile on her face. You know how most people, when they are relaxed and gazing into the distance, have a neutral look on their face? Granny didn't. Her lips were always curled up in a relaxed smile. This is one thing I remember about her. Granny was also very short, which became worse with her osteoporosis. Her upper back became hunched over, causing her to shrink. She LOVE it when I gave her back massages. Also, she always had a pot of beans on the stove or in the fridge. It's just the way it was done. I also remember that for many, many, many years (since when I was a little girl) she had a sore on her right leg. She scraped it when she was not very old and it never healed. The doctors did many skin grafts on it but could not get it to heal. I always wondered why. She was always cleaning it, changing the dressing, and always had a bandage on it. For the last few years of her life, she suffered from congestive heart failure and was in out of the hospital because of heart problems. She finally passed away, at the age of 96, on April 5, 2009. I am so lucky that she gave me a packet of old photographs a few years ago, which I rediscovered a couple of days ago as I was unpacking one of the final boxes from moving to our current house. In this packet was this photo. She was beautiful, and look at all that hair!

Grandad was born May 5, 1914. To me, he always looked the same, and that's to say: old. When I was a kid I was actually a bit afraid of him. He was gruff, and didn't speak to us kids much. Perhaps he just didn't like kids. I remember that he was ALWAYS working outside in the garden or in his tool shed, planting his garden, building something. He was outside all day, every day from the time he got up to the time he had to come in for dinner. After dinner he'd usually watch TV and relax. He taught me a poem about a wise old owl. I don't remember how it went, but I remember I cherished that poem because he taught it to me. When I grew up into an young adult I noticed something interesting about him: he slowed down, took more time to visit with me, and became very loving. He smiled a lot more, hugged me, and enjoyed conversations with me. When he spent time with me he made me feel like I was his favorite person. I'm very glad that the gruff grandfather I grew up knowing mellowed out and showed me that he loved me. And I loved him very much too. He died at the age of 87 on August 23, 2001. The cause of death was colon cancer which, by the time they discovered it, had spread too far to treat. (Side note: My colon cancer is unrelated to his. I am much younger and I also did a lab test to see if it was genetic. It wasn't.) This is how he looked when he was a young man. Very handsome!

Granny and Grandad were married for 69 years, and loved each other until the end. This is how I remember them:

This is a fun picture of them too, as a young married couple. This was taken in probably 1944. My father is the baby that my grandfather is holding.

Christmas Letter 2009 (penned by David)

2009-12-23T15:49:00.000-08:00

Greetings –

Well, this year started off rather inauspiciously when we discovered just before last Christmas that Laurie’s colon cancer had returned as a metastasis on the left lobe of her liver (the small part often used for donation). We knew one of our first challenges of the year would be surgery. The surgery was done at Stanford by one of the world’s leading liver cancer surgeons. They also took her gall bladder out when they saw a second small lesion above it. After several months of recovery and another 6 months of chemo there has been no recurrence. Laurie continues to alternate between PET and MRI scans every two months. They’re continuing to look clean and we look forward to less frequent and equally clear scans as the years roll by.

Laurie also had the first of 2 bunionectomies done in November. The surgery corrects bone growth in the foot so that the bones are now straight and that will remove a lot of pain that she’s been having. There has to be 3 months between surgeries, so Laurie will have her other foot done in late February.

David’s continuing to work at Cisco. The work isn’t quite the same as he originally signed up for, but it is gainful employment and he feels there’s value in what he’s doing. Most importantly, the job and pay are solid along with great benefits. Now if only they’d stop forcing vacation times on him so that there could be some planned time for him to do stuff with Laurie.

We wouldn’t consider our life normal if it didn’t include a little chaos. Laurie finished her last chemo in August and was looking forward to a little relaxation time before considering a possible return to work. With the previous 19 months of her life pretty chaotic and lost with surgeries, chemo and recovery, it was decided that it was time for Laurie to slow down, relax and start to enjoy life for a while. Well, that was the idea at least. Then Laurie made the mistake of mentioning to Theo’s breeder that he seemed bored at times. Well, 3 weeks later Francee contacted Laurie and said she had a long coated female that was 9 weeks old.

The timing was right for everyone, but we also knew this would pretty much trash any chance of the next 10-12 weeks being quiet and relaxing. Less than 3 weeks later we met Francee and Hollie in Petaluma and returned with the most loving 12 week old ball of fur you’ll ever meet. Cassiopeia (aka Cassie) is gorgeous, loving, affectionate and full of life. Theo hoped she’d leave for the first couple days, then put her in her place for a few days. Now he just lets her do whatever she wants. She is constantly goading him into play and has brought the puppy out of him again.

The conclusion is all is right in our life again. Laurie may decide to return to work in the future, but for now she’s just keeping her license up to date so the options are open. Theo and Cassie are definitely our kids. We are very happy that Laurie is healthy and in the clear.

We wish you all a Happy New Year and Joyous Holiday Season.

Laurie, David, Theo, and Cassie

Poor Cassie :-(

2009-11-28T12:12:00.001-08:00

Well, it was time. Cassie had to go in to the vet to get spayed. I know that some people think a dog needs to go through one heat but for her future we decided it was best not to allow that. For one thing, she isn't allowed to go to daycare after 6 months of age unless she is spayed. And she could have her first heat from 6-8 months old. We feel the socialization she gets from being around other dogs at daycare is very important and we don't want to deny her that socialization for 1-2 months just to have a heat cycle. Plus we don't want to deal with her having a cycle in the house or for Theo (who is altered but can still respond to hormones) to get weird. So, we took advantage of this Thanksgiving break in her training classes, and of the extended time that Dave's at home for the holiday, to go ahead and get her fixed.

She is a little confused, a little wimpery. I don't blame her. Yesterday she woke up, happy as ever, bouncing around, playing, wanting breakfast (which she could not have) and then we took her to the vet. The doctor said that when he was doing an exam on her she was giving him kisses. Then she was sedated and spayed and later Dave and I picked her up. I wonder what's been going through her head. She woke up, different somehow, and now she has to wear a cone on her head. She's not allowed to run, play, or jump for 7-10 days and so she goes outside on a leash. Gone are the free romps in the back yard. For all she knows, it's forever. But it's only for a few days. In a week or two she will be back to her old self, with free roam of the house and back yard and she and Theo can play again. I know that Dave and I can't wait for that to happen.

Here's a picture of her from today:

Did I Tell You I Had Foot Surgery?

2009-11-21T15:39:00.000-08:00

It's not sexy... and it is painful. The bunion. Due to unlucky developmental abnormalities, my feet have always hurt when I wear anything other than tennis shoes. Well, I could wear flip-flops too, but those only get a person so far! Finally a couple of months ago my right foot was hurting after wearing flip-flops all day, prepping for some dinner party or another. So, I scheduled a visit with a foot doctor. He took some x-rays of my feet and declared them to have moderate bunions (coupled with some arthritis) which he could correct with surgery. I've heard of people regretting having had the surgery, and I've heard of people wishing they had done it sooner. I hope I'm one of those people.

So, two weeks ago my right foot was operated on and I have to say, I'm amazed at the "after" x-ray. The foot is still tender and swollen and I have to wear the big black surgical shoe for another week and a half, and then tennis shows only after that for 3 weeks or so. I will go easy on my foot, but when it's ready I can't wait to put on a nice pair of dress shoes and see how it feels!

So far the recovery isn't bad. Not much pain, unless I'm up on my feet too much. I've been keeping it elevated and iced a lot, watching TV, reading, knitting.

In about 3 months I'll do the other foot and go through this whole thing again.

Modern Courtesy

2009-11-11T10:54:00.000-08:00

I'd like to bring attention to the decline of modern courtesy, specifically as it relates to invitations. I was taught that if someone invites you to something then you should respond with an acceptance or a declination. Ignoring the invitation is not an option. If I have decided that I'd like to spend time with someone and don't get any response at all, I don't take it as a "no". Instead, I feel snubbed. And after a couple of these I'll stop asking.

If I ask you if you'd like to do something or if you are available, it's OK to not be available. But I would appreciate it if you'd let me know so that I can either ask someone else or make other adjustments without the fear of a last-minute change. It's not polite to put people on hold in case some better offer comes along.

I find this is a very Californian thing, I think. At least I never experienced this in Texas. Does this happen everywhere else?

My Babies

2009-11-03T16:40:00.000-08:00

I am so happy with my babies! Theo is a 4 year old very good-natured male Akita. Cassie is our new 4 1/2 month old female puppy Akita. Theo is a wonderful adult, very patient and playful with the very energetic Cassie. Cassie is by far the happiest puppy I've every seen. She smiles all the time and is absolutely joyful. She's not fussy - if she's confined she settles down and does not complain. If she's chewing on something she's not supposed to chew on she will accept a substitute if given one. The two dogs are so wonderful to have around, and it's wonderful that they have each other. I had no idea there was so much playfulness left in Theo but Cassie really brings out the puppy in him.

Right now they are tumbling around, chewing on each other. Both are so happy.

MRI Results Are In

2009-11-03T10:18:00.000-08:00

I had an MRI scan last week and got the results today. Here are some snippets from the report:

Findings: Again are noted post-operative changes consistent with left hepatic lobe resection. No new liver lesions are identified. On post-contrast sequences, there is no abnormal enhancing liver lesion. No evidence for restricted diffusion on the DWI sequences. The main and right portal veins demonstrate normal enhancement without evidence for thrombus.

Other visceral organs including the spleen, kidneys, pancreas, and adrenal glands are within normal limits. No ascites is identified. No evidence for retroperitoneal mass or lymphadenopathy.

Impression: No evidence for residual or recurrent mass.

MY Impressions: I like the recurrent use of "no...", "normal...", "no abnormal...".
:-)

My Decision to Leave the Workforce

2009-11-02T13:29:00.000-08:00

Well, I did it. I thought about it and thought about it, tried to make myself look forward to returning to work, but couldn't. The lab where I was working is full of wonderful, caring people who looked forward to my return and to my contributions. Wow, that made the decision even harder. In a way, they are my friends and I don't like to let friends down. But, I do have a habit of making decisions based on what's better for those around me, and then I figure out how to be happy with that decision. Well, this time I put myself first and decided not to return until I feel I can be dedicated to it. It's only fair, to me and to them. I will continue to earn my CEUs and keep my license up-to-date so that when I'm ready to return I will be prepared.

I am so lucky to have a wonderful husband who supports this decision. He knows it is likely not permanent, though there are no guarantees. In life, there are no guarantees. Except for death. And I think that's why he is allowing me this selfish time. Because I was unknowingly walking along death's path before I realized it. Now he is allowing me to walk along life's path and to spend my time being a bit selfish.

I plan to include him in my selfishness, though. Hopefully I'll be doing things that make him happy too.

Fall Garden is Planted

2009-10-26T14:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally got some veggies in for the Fall! I planted seedlings this time around to give them a bit of a head start. Here's what's in the ground now:

6 Brussels Sprouts
2 kinds of lettuce
1 cabbage plant
Spinach
Sugar snap peas

Still in the ground from before:

Tomatoes (these will probably be done soon)
2 Jalapeno pepper plants
1 Fresno pepper plant
1 Leek
5 Asparagus crowns
The herb box (containing parsley, tarragon, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and sage)

I still have to plant the garlic. I have 3 varieties to go in the ground and will try to get this done later this week.

My New Garden Pet

2009-10-23T16:32:00.001-07:00

I found a pet in the backyard today:

These guys are friendly and are bug-eating machines. I'm happy to see him there. I hope the dogs don't get him.

Race Relations

2009-10-23T13:00:00.000-07:00

The other day I was driving and saw a sign at a school that read something like "Latino Night Dinner tonight". And I was thinking that if we are supposed to be color blind, then why are we making that kind of distinction? Can you imagine the uproar if the sign read: "White Caucasian Dinner tonight"?

Just food for thought...

Colonoscopy

2009-10-16T10:15:00.000-07:00

Today I had my second colonoscopy, the first one since my initial one February 13, 2008 when the tumor was found. Everything looks normal, he found no new tumors, polyps, nothing. This is great news. Usually when tumors return they usually do so in the first year, and almost always within the first 2 years. In February it will be 2 years from my initial diagnosis and surgery so if nothing shows back up by that time then I'm looking pretty good. I don't know if the tumors showing up in my liver reset that clock, but I don't think so. I think perhaps each organ gets its own clock, so to speak. My liver still has a little more than a year to go.

The true milestone will be 5 years. If no cancer appears for 5 years then I'll be considered cured. I guess until then I'm officially in remission.

I am scheduled for another MRI October 28th.

My Busy Last Few Weeks

2009-10-08T08:53:00.000-07:00

Wow, I'm sorry that I've been away for so long! It's been very, very busy around here. Cassie has been a source of joy but she does take time to raise properly. We are taking her to 2 (yes, 2) Puppy I classes each week. And because she and Theo play together so much, they both have to be bathed quite frequently. Well, not Theo so much but puppies really know how to get dirty fast.

Also, at the end of last month, Dave and I went to Boston for 4 nights. It was a trip taken to combine visiting with some old friends of mine along with visiting Boston. Dave had never been there and while I have, it was really nice to take some time and explore the city. We were accompanied by Joanne, Tim, and Brian for much of the trip.

Another thing that's been taking my time is the garden, of course. We have some spots prepped for planting Brussels sprouts, cabbage, spinach, kale, peas, and garlic. I need to get these in the ground by this weekend, preferably.

The one thing that might interfere with that is this NASTY cold that I caught a couple of days ago. It's kicking my butt, but I'll hang in there. It'll be over when it's over.

That said, I'm going to go rest up some. I should be harvesting basil for pesto. Perhaps I'll feel like doing that later. For now I'm going to chill out for a while. Get it? Chill out? I have a cold!

Cassie

2009-09-16T09:01:00.000-07:00

In yesterday's post I was so excited to write about our new little girl that I forgot to mention her name. It's Cassiopeia, and we call her "Cassie" for short. In Greek mythology, Cassiopeia was a vain queen who boasted about her unrivaled beauty. We feel that our little Cassie is so gorgeous that if she could speak she would be bragging about it too. But she doesn't brag and she's so loving and sweet. To see her (and get puppy kisses from her) is to love her.

She and Theo are getting along great. The first couple of days Theo wanted to make sure that she knew he was the boss. He was ignoring her (while keeping an eye on her) and wouldn't let her near the toys. And one time she tried to take a treat ball from him and he gave a very strong correction that ended by him doing an "Alpha Rollover" on her, where he rolled her over and held her down with his foot. She got the message, and after that he was satisfied that she knew that he was the boss. If she breaks any more of his rules he will let her know. Now they are playing and offers her toys. They do enjoy each other's company. Sometimes you can see that he is tired of her trying to play all the time so we let him go have some alone time for a while. And Cassie is so easy going that she will play by herself or settle down for a nap.

The first couple of nights we tried to bring her up to our bedroom to sleep in a crate, but she was so restless and fussy. I was thinking she was probably too hot so I took her downstairs to sleep in her pen in the kitchen where it was cooler. She settled right down and slept the rest of the night. She's been sleeping there ever since and goes right into her pen with no fuss. She is so happy to see one of us the next morning and is ready for full-on play and kissing action. But, she has to go pee first!

She's so sweet and smart. I can't wait to see how she is as an adult. Theo is sweet too and has a wonderful temperament, but he is not affectionate. Even as a puppy he didn't want to be held and cuddled. Cassie seems to enjoy this a lot. If I hold her in my arms she quits squirming and rests there, enjoying being close to me. Then she will look up at me and kiss my chin. And I smile really big!

Our New Little Girl

2009-09-15T15:14:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a month since my last chemo treatment. And what a busy month it's been! We've had people here doing work on the house, various things like making the A/C work better, installing cabinetry in the office, installing attic fans, and various other small projects. Finally there aren't people here disturbing my serenity. Oh, except what serenity? We got a puppy a little over a week ago! She's super cute and sweet. Here's a picture of her:

I told you she was cute!!!

So, that's what I've been up to lately. I've been playing with a puppy! I will admit that after we got her we had an "oh, shiesta" moment where we wondered if we were nuts. I mean, after a year and a half of chemo, just when I could relax and have time to myself, we get a puppy. What were we thinking? Anyway, she's here to stay and will be a lovely adult Akita when she's older.

I haven't done much in the garden lately. I need to go out there and clear the spent plants and prepare the ground for a small fall garden. Maybe next week?

So, I had a PET scan last week and went for the results today. It is clear. So, between the MRI and the PET scan it looks like I can relax for a couple of months. I will have another MRI at the end of October.

Time to go get some more puppy kisses...

Our Pondless Waterfall

2009-09-02T10:35:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we decided to hire a professional pondless waterfall company to come and rebuild our original waterfall. We were just never delighted with the waterfall built by our landscaper. I exhausted myself by planting all of the plants around it but think it turned out nice.

Here's a photo of how it looked before:

These photos show how it looks today:

MRI Result

2009-08-31T19:02:00.001-07:00

Last week I had an MRI of the abdomen and got the result today. So far, so good! Here are the findings: "Artifacts along the anterior left hepatic lobe may represent surgical clips. The liver is otherwise homogeneous. The gallbladder is not identified suggesting contraction or resection. [Note: My gallbladder was removed last January during my liver resection.] The pancreas, spleen, adrenal glands and kidneys are normal. No osseous metastasis or lymphadenopathy detected."

Conclusion: Status partial left hepatic lobe resection. No metastasis.

What this means is: There is no detectable cancer in my body at this time!!

Next week I have a PET scan. That will be better at detecting lymphatic involvement and will look for suspicious increased localized metabolic activity which could indicate tumor growth. I'll get that result next Friday, September 11th. Check here for updates.

My Crazy Week

2009-08-28T15:08:00.000-07:00

My goodness, now I have a bit of time to sit still and breathe. So… here’s what I’ve been doing.

Last week was my final chemotherapy treatment. I was fatigued as usual until the weekend. Last week we also had people here rebuilding our pondless waterfall in the back yard. We just were never happy with the first one and should have hired the right people in the first place. The new water feature has lots of planting areas on it so last Friday I went to Summer Winds Nursery and purchased a lot of plants to go around it.

So, the plants were planted on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. In conjunction with that (unrelated, however) Theo got sick on Sunday. From Sunday through Wednesday midnight, we took him to the vet 5 times in 4 days. Here’s a summary of all that:

• Last Sunday he was having bloody diarrhea, so we took him to his regular vet at Adobe. She determined he had “colitis” and sent him home with an antibiotic.
• On Monday he started vomiting and not eating, so we returned with him to Adobe in the evening, around dinnertime. While he was there he started to seem to feel better so we brought him home without any additional treatment.
• On Tuesday he seemed very uncomfortable all day, very restless. When we went to bed he would come sit by our bed, he wouldn’t lie down and go to sleep. He was very restless. Also, his lower abdomen felt firmer than usual so we got out of bed and took him to the emergency vet on Dell Ave to check for early bloat. The vet there took an x-ray and that showed some strange gravelly substance in his stomach plus lots of gas in his intestines. He gave him an injection of a Pepcid AC-like stuff and an injection of a pain medicine. Bad move. When he got home he was even more unsettled, was running from his bed to my side of the bed, over to Dave’s side, back to his bed, to his other bed, looking at us funny, looking for phantom ants on the floor, and started scratching himself like crazy. I called the vet and they said he may be “loopy” because of the narcotic pain medicine. He eventually settled down but kept scratching all night.
• On Wednesday morning we got up and found fur all over the place, upstairs and downstairs, plus he still seemed very uncomfortable. So, Dave took him back up to Adobe. They re-took x-rays. The gas was better but still there. The stuff in his stomach was still there. The vet told Dave that when dogs get uncomfortable pressure in their stomach and intestines they scratch their bellies. He gave him 2 liters of fluids and sent him home. All day Wednesday, though, he was very unsettled, was whimpering and whining, kept scratching himself non-stop. From time to time he would settle down (was probably too exhausted) but when we went to bed he was much worse. So, back up to Adobe at midnight on Wednesday. This vet actually looked at his skin and found it red and blotchy. (We kept assuming his discomfort was his stomach, but it was his skin.) It looks like he was having a severe allergic reaction to one of the injections, probably the narcotic. His breeder said narcotics give HER hives and hallucinations, and it sounds like this was what Theo was going through. Anyway, we told the vet that Theo was just up there that morning and the vet didn’t evaluate the itchiness at all, and if he had we would have been saved the midnight trip, plus Theo wouldn’t have had to suffer all day. She didn’t charge for the office visit Wednesday night, which was the right thing to do. She gave him a steroid injection and sent him home with Tamaril-P (antihistamine + steroid) to treat the allergic reaction for the next few days. When we got home he was no longer scratching and we all actually got some sleep.

So, this all started with a GI issue that was compounded with an allergic reaction. I felt so bad for him. Luckily he’s feeling better now but is exhausted. So am I! He needs to rest a few days.

We don’t know what started the GI thing, or what’s in his stomach. The bloody diarrhea could also have been caused by stress, perhaps, since contractors have been here the last 3 weeks working on the office and various other things. On top of it all he went on a group dog walk last Wednesday and could have picked up a bug from another dog. We will never know but the important thing is: he’s getting better. We hope it stays that way but we will be keeping a close eye on him for a few days.

Two days ago (Wednesday) I went to get an MRI. I will get the report on Monday when I go to see my oncologist. I’ll let you know how that goes. Plus, I have a PET scan in a couple of weeks.

Today I am finally going to pay some attention to the house. Maybe I can get the laundry done, sort through the various piles of papers hanging around the house, trim Theo’s toenails, etc. Luckily this weekend will be quiet so maybe I can get caught up on things. And if I don’t? Well, for the first time in a long time, there’s always next week!

I'm Still Here!

2009-08-26T21:20:00.000-07:00

I know I need to post again - I think about this daily but have been WAY busy. I'll do it next week. Promise! You know why? Because I can! I don't have chemo next week!!!

Hanging In There - 1 More To Go

2009-08-07T11:33:00.001-07:00

I am on the upswing of my 11th chemo round and have only 1 more to go. The oncologist increased the amount of 5-FU these past 2 times which has caused me to throw up, but only on day 1 (Monday). The rest of the week I've just been sleeping a lot. My energy is slowly returning. Luckily my appetite has come back mostly, enough to eat a 1/2 cheeseburger yesterday!

So, last week I went back to my hometown (Wichita Falls, Texas) for my 20-year high school reunion! David and I flew out on Thursday and while we were in the DFW area we met up with my sister Krystal, her mom Fredia (Krystal's really my 1/2 sister but she feels like a full sister to me!) and Krystal's little girl, my niece, Abbye. We had a wonderful Tex-Mex meal and sat around and chatted for a while. I was really impressed with Abbye's patience with all the grown-up talk.

After the dinner with Krystal, David and I drove on up to Wichita Falls and checked into our hotel. It was late so we just went to bed.

The following morning we went over to my mom's to say hello and to grab some towels and a couple of chairs. From there we made a stop at Wal-Mart (woo-hoo!) and then made it to the first social event of the weekend: Risa's party. Risa made it all the way to Texas from Tokyo for the reunion, and her mom offered to host a pre-reunion party for a few friends. Her mom made wonderful food for us and we all lounged around the pool and had a great time.

From there David and I went to the hotel to rest up and change for the first "official" reunion activity: A "Howdy BBQ by the Wichita River". The entertainment was good, the food was great, and I really enjoyed hanging out with old friends. Unfortunately my energy ran out and we left fairly early.

Saturday morning we all met at the "Old High" for a group photo and a chance to walk around the halls. (I still need to order the group photo!!) Then David and I met my mom and my high school best friend Lidia at Stanley's. At Stanley's I was totally in love with my Beanie Burger. That's a Wichita Falls (Stanley's only) local culinary delight that's a combination of hamburger and Frito chili pie. Let me build it for you here: Put the bottom bun on a plate. Spread it with refried beans. Add the meat patty. The the craziness starts: Pile on chopped onions (which I leave off), jalapeno peppers (which I leave on!), Fritos, chili, and cheese whiz. I'm not making this up - I even called them a few minutes ago and asked them. This is yummy! yummy! yummy!!! It has to be eaten with a fork. And the perfect accompaniment: fried okra. I was truly in love.

OK, after my Beanie Burger love fest it was time to go relax for a while. Saturday evening brought another reunion activity: A light dinner and music event in a meeting hall. The music was actually a bit loud in my opinion since it made it hard talk to and hear anyone. So there wasn't much catching up to do there.

Sunday morning David and I met with a very dear friend and mentor, Charles, and his wife Jonell. It was a very nice breakfast catching up with a forever friend. After that we moseyed back to the hotel to pack, then to Schlotzsky's for sandwiches (another favorite of mine!) to take to the lake to visit with the aunts and uncles. From there it was back to DFW to fly back home Sunday evening.

It was an action-packed 4 days and I am so glad I went back to catch up with so many people!

Leaving Home at 17

2009-07-29T15:28:00.000-07:00

This story, 21 years old now, is one that wants to be told. It’s the story of leaving home after midnight, 5 days after my 17th birthday. Why then? Because in Texas a teenager can leave home at the age of 17 without being considered a runaway. Even then I made decisions based on what makes the resulting outcome the least complicated.

Here’s the story:

First of all, why did I leave home? Let’s just keep it simple for now: My childhood was very unfortunate. I was tired of living in daily fear of my stepmother and had to improve the situation that I had been living in for 6 years. I was just barely 17 and a junior in high school. A couple of months before, my father and stepmother moved us into another house. The significance of this is that the new home was in “Rider High School” district while my mother (into whose home I was moving) lived in “Wichita Falls High School” (or more commonly known as “Old High”) district. The counselor at Old High, Mr. Miller, was aware of my home situation and for the time that I was there did what he could to help. This mostly was to listen. Anyway, when I transferred to Rider High School I got to know my counselor there as well and she also came to know of my situation. It was actually a combined conversation between her and Mr. Miller at Old High that hatched our plan, which was for me to sneak away the weekend after I turned 17 and return to Old High the next Monday morning. Explaining this has nothing to do with the high schools, really, but to illuminate how 2 counselors at 2 high schools worked together to help me out of a very bad situation. Reading back on this I think it may be interpreted that I left home to return to the previous high school. That was just coincidental – I would have left home no matter what. But escaping to my mother’s house meant returning to the high school that actually happened to be in walking distance from her home. The two counselors worked together to transfer my enrollment. Also, they gave me moral support and the courage to implement the plan.

As it was, I had to wait until I was 17 to do this, and I didn’t want to delay any more than I had to. I spent Saturday sneaking into my bedroom and bit by bit I packed my clothing, shoes, and personal items into trash bags. I put the trash bags back into the drawers and into the closet, hidden behind other things. I didn’t have much but I took everything I could, including my pillow. I went to bed that night knowing that I would need to stay awake until after midnight when everyone was sure to be asleep. My father and stepmother were in their bedroom with the door closed. My brother and the two older stepbrothers were in the bedroom next to mine. My youngest stepbrother shared my bedroom. I got up very quietly, turned on the central heater fan to help cover sounds, went into the living room and called a taxi. My mother wanted to make sure she couldn’t be accused of kidnapping so the plan was for me to use a cab and arrive on my own. After I called the cab, I very quickly and quietly pulled out my trash bags of clothing, opened the window above my bed (the front door made a noise when it opened), removed the screen, and tossed everything outside. I then climbed out the window, closed it, and waited by the curb for the taxi with all my trash bags. I didn’t have to wait long. When the driver arrived he helped me load the bags into the car and the only comment he made was, “Strange time to be moving.” I agreed that it was and that’s all that was said. We arrived at my mother’s place and she came down and paid for the cab ride. I have to imagine that it set his mind at ease to see that I was being delivered to an adult. I actually don’t remember but I may have told him I was moving in with my mother.

I wonder if the two counselors were wondering if I’d have the courage to actually do this. They set it up to have me transferred to the other school... but it was up to me to pack up and leave. A number of things could have gone wrong, including me losing my nerve or getting caught. All they could do was wait to see where I showed up for school on Monday. How did they know for sure I'd show up at which school on Monday? Anything could have happened to foil the plan. I guess some things were handled by them and administrators and it was just up to me to do my part.

Of course, there are many more stories and maybe I’ll share some of them. They will decide when it’s time for them to be told as this one did.

Mouth Pain

2009-07-25T18:25:00.000-07:00

I am prone to canker sores from time to time and I just deal with them and let them heal when they will - usually in about a week. Well, I developed what I thought was a canker sore behind the backmost molar on the right side, on the inside (tongue side) about 4 weeks ago. I thought it was starting to heal and then I had chemo on July 6th, which set it back. It got painful again but seemed to start to heal again before my last chemo session on July 20th. This week it got so painful that it was even hard to drink water because when you drink, the tongue actually puts pressure on the jaw at that very spot. So, though I had an appointment to see the dentist on Monday, I decided to make an "emergency call" and go see him today. I did feel silly taking his time on a Saturday to deal with what I thought was a canker sore (there's not much they can do about those) but I wanted to make sure there wasn't an infection developing.

I'm glad I went today to see him instead of waiting another couple of days.

At first he thought it was a canker sore too because it was white like a canker sore. Then he touched it with his little metal tool. Then he pressed and tapped on it. Then he announced that it was a little bone fragment sticking partly out, causing all that pain, like a splinter.

Why did I have a bone fragment sticking out of my gum line? It's a mystery. I suppose it could be a remnant from when my wisdom teeth were taken out when I was in high school. It would be unusual for a fragment to sit still for 20 years, though. He said usually they become a problem within a year or two. I am returning to the office on Monday so he can take X-rays to see what else is going on in there. According to him this is highly unusual and it would be good to see if there are any more fragments floating around.

Bummer I didn't think to get a photo of it before I left.

Garden Progression

2009-07-23T12:13:00.000-07:00

I have uploaded some new pics of the garden progress, taken 7/23/09, along with notes in the captions. This link will take you directly to the album.

Enjoy the pics!

Mistake Made This Week

2009-07-21T21:34:00.000-07:00

I was feeling so good last week after my ginger experiment that I forgot to take my anti-nausea drug, Emend, this time. I'm supposed to take the first pill 1 hour before chemo starts. I was halfway through the infusion before I remembered it. So, I asked Dave to bring it to me and I took it as soon as I could. Soon after, I went to the bathroom and while there did a "cough-burp" thing which brought up the pill. I saw it slither down the sink into the drain. Then, I was in full vomit mode, into the toilet.

Unfortunately, I was tossing up bile a few more times through the evening. It's not that I was nauseated. All of a sudden my stomach would start rolling and I'd better move fast. I couple of times I was carrying a trash can. Luckily.

Today I've felt week but no vomiting. I've tried to stay calm, still, and mostly sleep as much as I can. Another contributing factor is that my oncologist increased the 5-FU drug (the 46-hour take-home infusion) 10%. SO, the lack of the Emend coupled with more chemo was not a good combination.

Next time I'll remember the Emend. I only have 2 more of these to go.

Props To Canon

2009-07-18T21:48:00.000-07:00

I've gotta give the Canon Camera corporation props. I had a Canon Power Shot S230, purchased probably 6 years ago. It started having problems with distortion on the LCD a year or so ago, which manifested on the final recorded image. The distortions got worse and worse until it got so annoying that I couldn't use the camera. Since Dave bought a new camera a year ago (which I'm not fond of) I was strongly discouraged from buying myself a new camera. I guess we already had a "family" camera. So, one way around this was to see about getting mine fixed. Granted, it was only 3.2 mega pixels, but it was good enough for me for so many years, so why not keep using it?

So, when I called Canon to see about repairing it, I was told that there was an "advisory" about a faulty chip that was a known issue with my camera model. This defective chip caused distortions such as the ones I was describing. I was advised to send it in and if it was determined to be the problem then they would fix it at no charge.

Well, it wasn't really as easy as that. They sent it back to me after replacing the "optical sensor" but the problem was still there.

Here are where the props come in: I called them again and after explaining that the problem had not been resolved they told me to send it back to them again. Since the camera is a few years old, however, they were not able to get the replacement chip anymore. So, their solution was to send me a replacement: A Power Shot SD790 IS. 10 mega pixels. Image stabilizers. Great camera!

Also, I now know that Canon has a loyalty upgrade program. If you call them and tell them what model you have, they will offer you a choice of several cameras to purchase at a discounted price.
After being treated so well, you bet I'll remain a loyal Canon customer!

A Few Garden Pics

2009-07-15T09:09:00.000-07:00

Hi All!

I wanted to share a few pics of my garden.
These are my cherry tomatoes:
This is looking to be a very large tomato when it's done. The variety is "Copia":

Baby pumpkins are getting bigger!

Jalapeno peppers:

These heart-shaped tomatoes are "Cour di Bue":

What a beautiful rose! I don't know what kind this one is but I love it:

My giant sunflower. This one is probably 7-8 feet tall.

Its head seems too heavy for it. It has plenty of water.

As for me, I'm doing well this week. I finally got smart and decided to take ginger capsules before and during my chemo week this last time. And it really made a difference. No nausea at all, and I seemed to recover a couple of days sooner than usual.

PET Scan last week

2009-07-10T22:09:00.000-07:00

A short note - last week I had a PET scan, and it was completely clear. In summary: "No abnormal metabolic activity… No demonstration metastasis." There is an MRI planned in 2 months. And every 2 months afterwards until who knows when?

By the way, the garden's doing fabulously. I'll take new pics soon. You should see the giant sunflower!

Garden - Photos Taken 6/30/09

2009-07-02T15:44:00.000-07:00

I have uploaded some new pics of the garden progress, taken 6/30/09, along with notes in the captions. This link will take you directly to the album. My favorite pic is of the little baby pumpkin! Actually, here it is:

This week I'm doing pretty good. My stomach was upset until Tuesday. My sinuses were full of crud. That may be an allergy issue - maybe I'm more prone to developing allergic sensitivities while on chemo. Up to now, all my life I've escaped the allergy woes that I hear other people talking about.

There's really nothing new to report. I can keep repeating the other things I've said because this week was basically a repeat of two weeks ago. However, that would be boring. Mostly I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm alive and hanging in there. I know that prolonged silence can start a person to wonder.

Checking In

2009-06-18T09:56:00.000-07:00

It's now Thursday, and I'm finally feeling fairly normal. Each session takes longer to recover from, it seems. I was functional by the weekend, but I was constantly tired. I did stuff, but I had to make myself keep moving. And mentally this is tough. When it's all done I want to take some time and just recover from the harshness of it all, and just chill for a while without the constant knowledge that in a few days I will be dragged down into a well. De-stress, if you will. I have been dealing with this since February of 2008 and I know I will some need decompression time. Luckily, I have pretty good support for that. And I don't think that's unreasonable. I think that most people need some recovery time after such a life-threatening and life-impacting thing such as what I have had to endure. Regarding work, I do intend to return to work. I just hope my co-workers don't take it personally if I don't rush back right away and take a little time to recover. The previous me always wanted to say and do the things that would please everyone else, sometimes to the detriment of what was best for me. But in this case I think that I should put myself first. It'll be better for everyone in the long run.

Garden Pics

2009-06-16T10:43:00.000-07:00

I have uploaded some new pics of the garden progress, taken 6/15/09, along with notes in the captions. This link will take you directly to the album.

Summary For New Readers

2009-06-10T17:47:00.000-07:00

I was thinking that as I direct new people to this blog I don't always tell them how this cancer stuff got started. So, here's a summary of how this all began:

It started out as colon cancer, discovered February 13, 2008. I had surgery to remove the tumor and underwent chemo from March - September. In December 2008 mets were found on my liver during a scan. I had surgery in January 2009 to remove them. I then started chemo again in February 2009. I hope to be finished at the end of August.

So, that's the "quick and dirty" to get everyone up to speed.

Round 7

2009-06-10T17:29:00.000-07:00

OK, here I am in the middle of Round 7. I guess it's good to be more than halfway through this. It'll get easier to see the end though when I get closer to it.

Monday when I came home I just headed to bed as usual. Around 6:00 or so Dave offered me some Jell-O. My stomach felt unsettled but I said OK, I'd try it. Such a sweet husband. I was so tired that I didn't want to open my eyes and the chewing and the swallowing of the Jell-O was as much as I could manage. He spoon fed me the whole thing. What a wonderful guy. Later he brought me an Ensure. Between the Jell-O and the Ensure I was feeling better. Not good enough to get up, but good enough to go to sleep. I actually slept well that night. Actually I was able to go to sleep when I asked Dave to come up and lie down with me for a while. Just lying with my head on his chest, hearing him breathe and hearing his heart beat quietened things down inside my head and allowed me to sleep.

Tuesday morning I got up, drank a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. And then a small glass of chocolate milk. Read the paper, then headed to bed, where I was for most of the day. David brought me another Jell-O and Ensure meal. Later I got up and went downstairs, drank some water, ate 1/2 of a tamale (which I helped make on Saturday!) and watched TV. When I went to bed I was able to sleep well again.

Today I woke up, drank the OJ that was waiting for me beside my bed. Then went downstairs for some chocolate milk. Read the paper, showered and then we went to have my pump removed. I came home, went to bed to watch some TV and took a nap (I also ate a vegetable tamale with some salsa and sour cream). Here I am now updating things and drinking another glass of milk.

Last time I started feeling a bit blue-sy, a little depressed. It's because out of each 2-week cycle I have more bad days than I have good days. The oncologist offered me some anti-depressant pills but for now I will decline them. I don't want to commit to taking chemicals for 6 months when I will be finished with this in 3. And I don't want to even out my mood, so that not only do I not feel "down" I also would not feel "up". I don't want to miss out on feeling happy. So, I'll just see how it goes and resist the drugs.

Everything that I am feeling is normal, I am told.

Trying To Rally

2009-06-04T14:04:00.000-07:00

For some reason I just haven't recovered completely yet after that last round of chemo. Usually I start feeling like my old self by the following Tuesday. I was expecting it to be Wednesday this week since my chemo was delayed a day due to Memorial Day. But here it is, Thursday, and I still feel kind of sluggish. My appetite's not great, especially for breakfast. Sleep's hard to come by so I get up tired already. So, I wake up tired, my stomach fells unsettled, so it's hard to eat breakfast. Therefore my energy's low for the rest of the day. Then I just hope I sleep well the next night and wake up refreshed, like someone hit a "reset" button. But it hasn't happened yet this morning. Maybe tomorrow...

I still cannot neglect the things I have to do. Because even though I feel pretty beat up this week it's nothing compared to next week. So I know I won't get anything done next week. And I've put some things off for several weeks already and just need to get things done. Like today: I'm cleaning up the overgrown lamb's ear in the front. The dead brown leaves have to be removed from the bottom of each plant. If I had done this a few weeks ago it wouldn't have been such a big job. But they got so overgrown it's taking me a few hours just to do this one job. And if I don't do it now then it's just going to look worse and be a bigger job later on. So, I have to muster up the energy and get it done now to avoid a bigger, longer job later.

Also, something I had put off for several weeks finally got done this week. I dedicated 2 days to cleaning the windows in our house. I hosed down the 1st floor windows on the outside and cleaned the class and the window sills. The 2nd floor windows took a little more time since I couldn't reach them with the jet spray and the squeegee. So I opened them up (the open inwards like a door, luckily) and wiped down the sills and the window frames and then cleaned the glass with Windex. It was a lot of work but the windows look so much better.

Now I am working outside, cleaning up the lamb's ears. I have a couple of things I hope to get to in the garden . Which is coming along nicely, by the way! Tomorrow I will gear up for a dinner party we are having on Saturday. Some of our friends are coming over and we are going to try our hands at making tamales. Luckily someone's also making enchiladas, so we are guaranteed to have something to eat. ;-)

Laurie Coleman's Blog

Retiring my blog

Marmalade

Calorie Deficit Update

Counting Calories

Burpee Figured It Out

Burpee Pole Bean and Pea Tower

Back to Being a Normal Brunette

Planting Onions

Beautiful Words

PET Scan Report from 1/19/2011

My Red Streaks

My Chariot

Knitting Scarves

Christmasing Our House

In the Garden, 12/21/2010

December 6, 2010 Garden Pics

Photos from Thanksgiving 2010

The Pizza Oven Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

MRI Result Today

The Fall Garden Continues

Images From This Weekend

Doggie Bath Day

A Few Garden Pics

Just Truckin' Along

Starting the 2010 Fall Garden

Canning Tomatoes

8/16/2010 Stanford Oncologist Follow-up

8/9/2010 Surgeon Follow-up

Mutant Pumpkins

Cooking for Two

No News is Boring News

A Couple of Garden Pics

Back in the Saddle

Stanford Round 2 Day 7.5

Stanford Round 2 Day 6

Stanford Round 2 Day 5

Stanford Round 2 Day 4

Stanford Round 2 Day 3

Stanford Round 2 Day 2

Stanford Round two Day One

My New/Old Weight Loss Program

Surgery is Scheduled

Stanford GI Tumor Board *or* "You Had Me at 'No Chemo'"

My Night in the Hospital

Reasons for Chemo Start Date

Pics of Theo and Cassie

Today's Updates

CEA and the GI Tumor Board

2nd Dr. Appointment Follow-Up

Dr. Appt Follow-Up

Preliminary PET Scan Results

My Next PET Scan

Something to Brighten Your Day

The Garden Today

The Most Important Thing An Overnight Guest Can Do For Me

Cleaning the House

Garden Prep Detours

Still Sifting Soil...

Sifting Dirt

So, I'm Officially NED for One Year!

Not Much to Update...

The Beginning of the 2010 Garden Season

Open Letter to Everyone Who Forwards Viral Email

MasterChef Tryouts

Totally Random Stuff

Latest PET Scan

Granny and Grandad

Christmas Letter 2009 (penned by David)

Poor Cassie :-(

Did I Tell You I Had Foot Surgery?

Modern Courtesy

My Babies

MRI Results Are In

My Decision to Leave the Workforce

Fall Garden is Planted

My New Garden Pet

Race Relations

Colonoscopy

Stanford GI Tumor Board or "You Had Me at 'No Chemo'"