And the beat goes on

So this is the current state of the kitchen garden. The orchid buds are getting bigger, more defined; and the amaryllis flower bud is almost clear of the bulb.











The winter blahs are upon us. Last night we had a lovely dinner that really required grilled veggies. And so they were grilled. Yum. Went very well with the steak, reduction sauce of wine, dried cranberry and blackberries. Just what one needs to dispel the cold.

Spring is only a few weeks (or months) away!.

Andrew has been sending new blog messages. Must comment, there is much to be commented upon.

Healing and strengthening continue. The gym is being used two days out of three, overtures have been made into the consulting market, the driveway was given a mild sweeping (causing almost instantaneous snow squalls), a neighbourhood wine and cheese party is being planned, and we are in the throes of buying a new fierplace. But mostly, I am being lazy and enjoying it.

Now, if I could only figure out how to thrash Andrew...

Kitchen garden

The new window in the kitchen is a great plant place. We have the annual Xmas Amaryllis started and it is just showing a green bud (or leaf). Not really visible in the picture, but it will be in a couple of days. The other plant is a Moth Orchid.

The Moth Orchid (Phalaenopsis) is kind of an orchid with training wheels. It's the one you see all over the place at a "reasonable" price - not the $150 one. We got the orchid in bloom last March. It was a welcome back present for Penny when she went to the Dominican Republic with Marilen.

With lots of inattention, it continued to flower for several months and even grew a few new leaves. It seems to really like the bright, indirect light and the humidity right over the sink. Anyway, we tried to get it to re-flower on the old stalk, but failed. Now it has got a whole new flower stalk with flower buds starting to swell. Watch for continuing updates ob both flowers!

We're back with a vengance

Today was the long-awaited appointment with the oncologist. I do hope I am spelling that right.

Nice man. Fortunately, I will not be seeing him again. There is no further treatment required, nothing he can add to the positive results. The bullet is officially dodged!!!

Now I have to re-visit the surgeon to make sure all the healing is going according to Hoyle. Feels pretty good to me, maybe even time to start doing some gut exercises. I always have hated those.

And so, on to the next. Must look into new themes for the blog: current readings, new interests, good food and wine sightings, who knows. I will start putting out feelers on the consulting front (money coming in is always conducive to better health I find). A fat bank account leads one to think of travel, which leads to a deflated bank account. And the beat goes on.

Day 19 and I have not yet screwed up the year. A new indoor track record.

Just for Kerry

So, here are pictures of the revised living room. There are 3 areas:

• the more formal chatting area around the sofas, easily augmented with the stacking tables and moving chairs. We are looking for a couple of ottomans (ottomen?) on casters to set below the window to serve as seats and (maybe) serving tables.
• the music area with the piano and new stereo. The family photos are on the wall and the piano will have some of the more recent grandkid shots.
• the reading area with its own lamp and two chairs for talking. Very cozy, best spot for music listening (the speakers are tuned to this area), and our travel photos on the wall. This wall will be in constant flux as we move new pictures in and out. Expect more photos - Greece is now there yet. Also, note the visual divider between this area and the more formal zone.

Now the family room. No real change, just new stuff - the sofa / hide-a-bed, a small matching lamp, the new TV, and Jack-in-the-Green from Bayfield.

Happy New Year! Indeed.

Got a call from the family doctor this morning. The biopsy results show mostly pre-cancerous tissue with a small amount of cancer in situ - meaning it is fully contained within the colon and was removed. We will discuss this and other stuff with the surgeon tomorrow, but the bottom line (so to speak) is the full tumor was removed with no sign of cancer in the lymph nodes or surrounding tissues. This is the best possible outcome.

Hugs to all our family and friends who have been helping us through the past couple of weeks. May your New Year bring health, happines and some modest success. We are focused intently on the first of those.