The Blog: Spellbound by our own imperfect lives...

One of the best things about retirement is that it's given me the time to learn a few new things. I've taken lots of classes...ballet, yoga, painting, writing, cooking...which are mostly successful because I have had good teachers. I've bought books (marginally successful) and I've tried to teach myself things from Youtube (epically unsuccessful). I have books on dragonflies, butterflies, and straw bale gardening. I've learned a lot by following groups on Facebook: native pollinators of the midwest, bird and nature photography, and season watch. I have always loved taking pictures but mostly as a way to document things. I have only recently begun to learn that my camera can do a lot more than just point and shoot. Regis is teaching me some things and I have some books. I try to analyze the photos that I like, find out what kind of lens they used, and how the shots were composed. It's a lot for an old head. Here are a few pictures I took the other night. I

I hoard recipes. I used to hoard them on index cards until that got unwieldy but about the same time, the computer came along. Ah, electronic recipe hoarding. I wish I was the kind of person who had favorite recipes and stuck with them. I have favorites, but then I keep adding to the collection. I still make beef stew and tomato soup the way I have for years, but the recipes I keep discovering...now those are special. A few years ago I found a recipe for a Summer Vegetable Gratin in a Cook's Illustrated magazine. I make it at least once every August. Last year, my friend Cheryl, introduced me to Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good . Now that is a must-make in the fall. I found a recipe on Smitten Kitchen for PearTarte Tatin and it's my showiest autumn dessert. You can imagine that things get out of hand. I have recipes in binders: two Christmas binders, a Thanksgiving binder, an Equinox/St. Patrick's Day binder, and a Current Favorites binder. I wind up w

Always wear boots to oncology appointments. It's my rule. The second picture is one I had Regis take during my diagnosis-treatment phase. He didn't want to take it as he said I was posing like a corpse but I added the crown for a little extra zip. All is well so I will try to not over-dramatize the events. I do get some nasty anxiety leading up to the day. I remember I went into this situation three years ago all optimistic and shit. That didn't get me too far. Haha! They called me at 10:30 to tell me the mammogram was "negative normal" and it took me a couple seconds to translate that into regular English. Bloodwork was all within normal limits and exam revealed nothing of concern. I go back in November...trying to get this all on a six-month rotation. I did a couple errands then went down to Tandem Bagels to meet Peter and April for coffee. I strolled down 2nd Street to look at some of the Art Walk. I think this is my favorite piece because you can

Ire at insurance companies is wasted energy, I know. Done with that. I have been using Picmonkey to edit photos this summer. I follow a couple photography sites on FB and have admired their photo editing but wasn't sure how they did it. Now, I am learning. Blue Moon Stained Glass Late Summer

Since my breast cancer surgery, I have experienced lymphedema in my left arm. I think they told me about it right after surgery but my head wasn't in the game then so the information drifted out immediately. When I started having symptoms, a year later, I figured it out fast. Here is a pretty good explanation of lymphedema : Lymphedema is a potential side effect of breast cancer surgery and radiation therapy that can appear in some people during the months or even years after treatment ends.   Lymph  is a thin, clear fluid that circulates throughout the body to remove wastes, bacteria, and other substances from tissues.  Edema  is the buildup of excess fluid.   So  lymphedema  occurs when too much lymph collects in any area of the body. If lymphedema develops in people who’ve been treated for breast cancer, it usually occurs in the arm and hand, but sometimes it affects the breast, underarm, chest, trunk, and/or back. Why does lymphedema happen? As part of their surgery, man

Regis drove the transit a lot this week which left Gus and me on our own. We spent much time outdoors as the evenings were beautiful, coolish, and pretty much bug-free. Our patio is so peaceful. I love to sit out there and visit with passers-by, watch the birds at the feeder, and see the sun go down. You can see Gus scanning the horizon for the transit. He misses the master. In the grand scheme of things, I have gotten a few things done this week. I renewed my supply of cosmetics and made a new spray with my collection of essential oils. I read a couple books and learned a new word game. I made stuffed peppers on the grill. I had lunch and did some shopping with a friend. I finished my ten-week session with my very awesome trainer. (And I don't use the word awesome lightly.) In my strength training world (which I do not for vanity but for osteoporisis and cancer), I got my report card on Thursday. I started leg presses with 50 pounds on each leg and went up 27.5 pounds. T

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Since my bariatric surgery and my cancer treatment, my taste in food has changed. You would expect it from the former but maybe not the latter. I have an aversion to chemicals. I bought a ham sandwich at a grocery store recently. As I ate the first half, I glanced at the ingredient label. The cat got the second half and then I felt bad for subjecting him to that chemical shitstorm. I have a hard time eating in restaurants. I like my portions much smaller than what they serve and I get tired of left-overs. And I hate to throw food away. Sometimes I order something and by the time it comes, I've lost interest. I am not wasting away so I must be getting enough food. (Since my cancer treatments ended, I have maintained my weight within five pounds.) I can't eat grocery store lettuce anymore.I check it over carefully for a sell-by date but if I find one slimy leaf, that's it. I'm investing in a tiny greenhouse so I can grow greens indoors all winter. If I could affor

On June 14th, my mom wrote a story about the construction crews digging up her street. It was so popular that I asked her to write the ending to the story...well, almost the ending! The first part is here if you didn't read it. *********************** Today I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.  A young man knocked on my door yesterday and told me to move my car as they were going to do the curb and gutter and I would not be able to get out of my garage for a week or two.  The cement has to cure!!  He wanted me to park it several blocks away;  he would meet me and I could have a ride home in his truck.  I hurried to the post office to mail a package and meet Mr. Young Guy on Reno Ave.  As I parked and waited for him, I decided to leave my car in the garage,  i did not like the thought of leaving  my trusty little Malibu exposed to the elements and I did not think I could walk that far.  I have good friends whom I am sure would see that I had groceries  could get

I quit my 8 hour a week job a few weeks ago, then unquit when they offered me only daytime hours. One bad thing: now I only work 2-3 hours a week which makes my lifestyle unsustainable. Sigh. Even though I have a visceral aversion to substitute teaching in most places, I considered it again. I looked into applying in two small districts near St. Peter. After three phone calls and directions to the right website, I discovered I had to upload a resume, submit to a background check and an interview, and then they might hire me. Sigh. I think I will have to become an ascetic (a person who practices severe self-discipline and abstention..I had to look it up.) because I am not sure I can go through this soul-sucking process again. A friend of mine stopped to visit with me at the fair. She has a small business proposition in the works and wants me to be a part of it. She couldn't tell me much at this point but I am going to cross my fingers and hope that works out. I can't bel

We had the kids here for pizza last night. After most of them left, Elliot wanted to see the Blue Moon so we took a drive up the hill where we had a better view. Too many trees around our house. We tried to explain why it's called the Blue Moon but I'm not sure a six-year old can take that in. It was beautiful! From Wikipedia:  A blue moon is an additional full moon that appears in a subdivision of a year: either the third of four full moons in a season, or a second full moon in a month of the common calendar. The phrase has nothing to do with the actual color of the moon, although a literal "blue moon" (the moon appearing with a tinge of blue) may occur in certain atmospheric conditions: e.g., when there are volcanic eruptions or when exceptionally large fires leave particles in the atmosphere. Alex and Elliot have both lost so many teeth in the last year that they are sort of comical looking. You can see they like to pose with their big, toothless smiles!