Refrigerator Soup

 Grey skies to the east - morning snow

Wind chime against light snowfall

daily tanka

President's Day

Lincoln and Washington

great men in their time

both saw their people struggling

what struggle would they see now

Soup for a Thrifty President

Leftover meat or tofu chopped small

1-2 Tbsps olive oil

1/2 small onion chopped

1 clove garlic chopped

1 large yellow potato diced

2 large fresh tomatoes skinned and diced

(or as in my case 1/2 can leftover diced tomatoes)

1 can low sodium chicken or vegetable broth 

2 Tbsps chopped basil
1/8 - 1/4 tsp cayenne

Saute the meat in the oil if uncooked.  Remove and set aside.

Saute the onion and garlic in the oil until transparent.

Add meat, diced potatoes, tomatoes, basil and broth.

Bring to simmering point; turn down the heat 

and simmer for an hour.

Serve with toast points or crackers.

Today I woke up to grey skies and snow flurries with a colder day forecast. I slept in and then got a series of phone calls so felt I was behind - then told myself it was alright as it was a national holiday anyway!  

By the time noon rolled around I felt like some homemade soup. So I looked in the refrigerator and made the recipe above with a couple of skinned and diced Italian sausages that I needed to use up.  Ate a late but delicious President's day lunch.

A Gift of Daffodils

An Ex-Patriot Thinks Of Spring

In January snowdrops push

Their sleepy heads through ice and snow,

To shake their white and emerald bells,

While we wait for spring.

On February’s sunny days

The crocus flings its petals wide

In gold and purple majesty,

Then spring is on the way.

Beset by March gusts, pounding rain,

The daffodil on sturdy stalks

Waves cheerful trumpets as we pass

And spring is here again.

On sunny April days we walk

By green and mossy country banks

And gather creamy primroses

And then we know it’s spring.

In May through wood and copse we stroll

To stop and sigh and wonder there,

At bluebells bobbing mile on mile

To celebrate the spring.

When Rose and Lilac scent the lane

We know that spring has yielded now

To summer’s warmth, and buzzy bees

Know spring is on the wane.

© C.Valentine 2009

 

Thawing Out

 Certificate of Completion - Welch Cancer Center

 Gift of quilt from Tongue River Quilters

February Thaw Photos

 Ice from new drain - it works some of the time!

Driveway is a sea of mud

daily haiku

in mid winter sun
snow turns to slush and mud
a joyful mess

A joyful mess indeed! The warmth is appreciated, the mud only as far as it indicates better weather. Cold waves will come in again, but right now it is great to see the sun most days and walk outdoors in the 40's instead of indoors on the treadmill.

It is good to be writing in my blog again; I haven't had the time or inclination to do so over the last few months. It seems a long time mentally and physically since my last blog on November 10th.  

In August last year - my annual mammogram returned a verdict of abnormality. It showed a cluster of calcium crystals that could indicate a malignancy. I had a second opinion which said the same, that a biopsy was needed.  The biopsy showed malignant cells present. I was diagnosed with DCIS (Duct Carcinoma In Situ)  The news was bad, but also good. DCIS stays in the duct and is not invasive - good; I needed a lumpectomy - bad. So in October and November I had two surgeries. The second just to take more tissue because the pathologist felt not enough tissue had been removed on the "edges" of the site the first time. All pathology came back as non-invasive.  After this I was scheduled for 33 radiation sessions.  Surgery plus radiation raises the chances of the malignancy or other malignancies NOT occurring up to the 97% percentile so I felt it was worthwhile. The sessions were daily Mon-Fri at the Welch Cancer Center in Sheridan. I completed last Monday, January 28th 2013, and am at home healing, thankful that it is all over. 

I am so very thankful about many things. The first that I live in the age of the mammogram and it was found even before a lump had formed. The second for the staff and top rate equipment at the Welch Center in Sheridan who have been my friends and encouragement team for the last 5 months. And for my family and many friends who have given me their love and support throughout, especially Thelma who gave me a home and caring friendship throughout the operations and therapy sessions; Owen and Diana who looked after my house while I was away during the week; Aaron who listened to my anger and understood; Art and Kathy who continued to write daily and listened to my occasional whining; and all those friends who prayed for me - I know it makes a difference. 

I did not share what I was going through with my neighbors here, only my close friends. Cancer is a scary condition - many of us have relatives and friends who died from it. But as time elapses more and more therapies are available that are creating a big pool of us "cancer survivors" which is getting larger with each succeeding year. I did not want to be affected by attitudes of negativity, and in that way I could stay positive and involved with my own self-caring a day at a time. If someone we know is diagnosed with a malignancy - we owe it to them most of all to project hope. 


Right now I have hope for my own future and ripe old age - after all my great-grandmother was over 100 yrs old when she died and I use her as a role model!  In the meantime - to all women who read this - don't play with the date for your annual mammogram get it each year and on time. And to the men who love them - make sure they get it - be aware of which month of the year the appointment comes up and don't hesitate to give reminders. Mammograms save lives. I know firsthand.