use real butter

Recipe: grilled chili-lime corn

I had my last radiation treatment yesterday afternoon (Wednesday)!!! Sweeeet.

Surgery: check.
Chemo-frakking-therapy: check.
Radiation: check.

Unlike chemo, radiation is a big lounge scene. I love my radiation techs and because it’s a daily thing, you really get to know the other radiation patients scheduled around your time slot. Last week, one of my favorite patients, Glenda, finished her treatments and I baked up a batch of cookies for her and everyone else. The waiting room is more like a living room for social visits (except half of us are in gowns – people are so used to stripping down at the drop of a hat for radiation). So when I walked in yesterday afternoon with a batch of baklava, I saw the usual crowd… AND Glenda. “What on Earth are you doing here?” I asked her. She told me she called to find out when my last day was and came just to see me. And she had brought me a rose. What a sweetheart.

small gestures, big heart

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Recipe: grilled chilean sea bass

My energy levels have been wildly sinusoidal this week. After seven weeks of nuking my boob, my radiation treatment seems to have finally caught up with me. I held out for quite a long time, so I’m pretty happy that radiation wasn’t worse. I have sporadic pain which isn’t so bad, and then there is the sudden fatigue which comes on in seconds with no warning. That is more annoying than anything else and it has been forcing me to take full advantage of any time I am feeling good and alert.

The downside of feeling good was yesterday afternoon when I left radiation… I went to Whole Paycheck Foods to have a look at their seafood counter. I should have realized I was setting myself up. I was high energy and the brain began to think of things to eat this weekend. Yummy, delicious, wonderful things to eat. Since we were at Whole Foods, let’s make that yummy, delicious, wonderful, expensive things to eat.

How about those scallops.
Anything else, ma’am?
And some shrimp.
What else can I get for you?
I like that wild Yakutat Sockeye salmon…

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Recipe: grilled marinated flank steak

A yellow dusting of pine pollen appeared on *everything* just two days ago. Pine tree sex has begun in earnest. Before long, nothing that remains outside will be safe from a plastering of yellow pollen – NOTHING! I don’t mind the pollen powder getting all over the place as long as I don’t think of it as a major orgy going on in my yard… But it does wreak havoc on my allergies. It didn’t seem to bother Kaweah much while she sprawled out on the deck this afternoon.

what, is there something on my face?

We were all chilling out on the deck this afternoon because our second visitor P.C. (post chemo) arrived at noon. My dear friend was in the state for a wedding and dropped by our mountain abode for lunch and a short stroll before flying home. Neither of us considers ourself to be an emotional creature, but we could not help a few tears when we greeted and embraced.

a lovely friend on a lovely day

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