Fall Garden is Planted

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

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

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

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

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!