'Tis the Season



Ah, the zucchini: one of nature's most versatile vegies. There are so many things one can do with it. And one MUST, because it is so prolific, it'll take over an entire subdivision if one doesn't hurry up and fry it, bake it, cook it, saute it, or use it for a boat anchor.

Three years ago, I posted a gardening story that included this paragraph:

[My first house] had a large back yard and a big plot of black earth, so I thought I'd give [gardening] another go [after a disastrous first attempt in a rented plot]. Didn't take me long to discover somethin I hadn't known before: that twelve zucchini plants are wayyyyy too many. Did I know the plants grew that big? That they produce enough gargantuan squash to sink the Queen Mary? That they can swallow up Volkswagens and neighbourhood dogs? I made zucchini casserole, zucchini chocolate cake, fried zucchini, zucchini everything. I wouldn't let the meter reader depart until he accepted a big bag of zucchini. One of the guidance counsellors made the mistake of declaring that she liked zucchini, and finally told me to PLEASE STOP, THANK YOU after I dragged two bags of the stuff down the corridor to her office every couple of days.

There's a reason why some call it the Devil's Fruit, you know.

And so, Curtis and I wisely put in only THREE zucchini plants, which are more than enough. Today Curtis helped me grate and chop a couple of big whoppers, and there's a zucchini chocolate cake in the oven right now, as well as a squash parmesan casserole ready to bake for dinner.

Boy, it smells good.

Summer of 69

When I was four years old, I spent 4 months in Holland with my mom. I came home completely fluent in Dutch, and unintelligible to my friends. Ten years later, my mom and I returned to my family's homeland for a 5 week holiday, during which we toured the entire country, as well as edges of Belgium and Germany.

One of the memorable places we visited was Madurodam, a city composed of miniature replicas of buildings from all over Holland. It included several churches (with weddings), a fairground, an airport, a seaport, and huge tulip fields. Here I am, posing amidst some city apartment buildings:



A place that I thoroughly enjoyed was the cheese market at Alkmaar in northern Holland, close to where Herman lives. Herman has included video footage of the activities there, so I chose to post a photo of myself and a couple of friendly girls I met on the tour bus, amidst the klompen (wooden shoes) for sale:



What photo collection of the Netherlands would be complete without windmills? I fell in love with this row of them in lovely Kinderdijk:


The wee figure waving on the other side of the canal is my mom.

We went to Safariland in Tuddern, Germany, where the animals roamed free in their natural habitat, while tourists were confined to buses or trains. There was one area where we could get out, stretch our legs, and mingle with some of the more docile critters. As I posed for the photo below, I was roughly shoved in the shoulder from behind. I turned to see who was being so rude, and found myself much closer than I preferred to be, to a smelly camel. My horror is clearly etched on my face:



In Volendam, my mom and I were photographed in traditional Dutch costume. I've always cherished the old-fashioned look of this picture:



During our holiday, I meticulously kept a detailed journal of our daily activities. I still have it, and it's fun to go back and recall minutiae that would have otherwise been long forgotten.

Happy memories are so precious.

Good News and Bad News



The good news is that some of my tumors have not grown, and others have even shrunk. The bad news is that there are a couple of new tumors, one in my abdomen and one in my pancreas. They're small, but still proof that the cancer is spreading. Let's hope the Sutent keeps them at bay for a while yet.

What I'm not happy about is that they want to try to keep me on the drug constantly, but at the same dosage. I'm worried about the side effects, although they told me not to wait until they get bad, but to call if they start up again so the dosage can be reduced to a more tolerable level.

Because we had such a long wait at CancerCare, Curtis had to postpone his dental surgery for another couple of months. Poor guy will have to endure abscess flare-ups with antibiotics and Tylenol 3's.

Breakin Out



I've been workin hard to free myself from the effects of the Sutent. My tongue is all healed, although my stiff, swollen jaw still makes it difficult for me to open my mouth to shovel food inside. Have to take little bites, and squish my sandwiches flat. At least I can taste things again. My hands and feet are slowly healing, and my voice is back. I still feel fatigued, but generally I am gaining in strength again.

Tomorrow I have to fast for a ct-scan at 1:00. It's a crucial test that will determine whether there has been any growth or shrinkage in the tumors in my lung, abdomen and pancreas; and whether or not any new ones have developed. I'll learn the results on Thursday when I see my oncologist and get my new (hopefully reduced) dosage of Sutent.

Today I cleaned 6 pounds of gooseberries (6 more pounds to go), and baked four pies. We had some for dessert after Thai stirfry for dinner tonight and boy, was it good. There's no better pie, in my opinion.

I'll be posting what I find out from the doctor on Thursday. Wish me luck.

Me Against a Giant



That's just what it feels like sometimes. The past few days, I have been overwhelmed by side effects: painful and itchy blisters on my fingers and other places on my body, sore foot soles, sore mouth and tongue, severe facial swelling (awoke yesterday with my left eye puffed shut), nausea, etc etc. Today my voice is croaky from the pressure that the swelling is exerting on my larynx. I saw my oncologist today and learned that at a convention in Halifax of oncologists with patients on Sutent, every doctor reported on at least one patient who has been experiencing the same kind of problems. A cold consolation. These doctors are petitioning Pfizer to allow patients to remain on a lower dosage of the drug constantly, rather than cycling on and off of it. It remains to be seen whether or not they agree to it, and how well my body will tolerate the toxicity of the drug.

Next week I will have a ct-scan to discover what effect, if any, the Sutent is having on the tumors in my lung, abdomen and pancreas.

And yes, Sue, the lotion you suggested I order online is helping. My nurse took notes on it, in the hopes that the stuff can provide some soothing relief to others suffering skin reactions to chemotherapy and/or radiation.

It's a tough battle, one I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy, if I had one.

A Week on the Creek



We're back, after a week of gorgeous weather, communing with nature, and enjoying our little bass boat. At times, Netley Creek's waters were as calm as glass, at others, made turbulent by the wind. Early one morning we awoke to a thick blanket of mystical fog, which lent a surreal air to our lovely surroundings:



Our boat is run by a whisper-silent electric motor, which provides a serene ride:



It also permits one to get close to waterfowl indigenous to the area:


School might be out for human children, but these young geese were still being primly led to daily class by their elders.


A wonderful bird is the pelican,
Its bill can hold more than its belican,
It takes in its beak
Food enough for a week,
And I'm darned if I see how the helican!

The fishing was fantastic, even from the dock. In all, we caught five different species: silver bass, smallmouth bass, perch, jackfish (northern pike) and catfish. We also observed with fascination, the ballet of fishy love being danced by huge carp caught up in the throes of passion. We hoped to capture their ardour on video, but when we returned to the marshes with our video camera the next day, they demurely refrained from their activity.



We enjoyed roasting marshmallows and weenies over the bonfire pit,



and were spellbound by the beautiful night skies overhead:



Only a half hour away from our home, the creek is amidst huge colourful fields of flax and canola:


canola field

It was a week of joyful and quiet reflection:



I stole the photos above from the album Curtis created on his blog. You can go there to see many more beautiful pictures of our Week on the Creek.