Ontario Visit

Just back from trip to southern Ontario - hadn't seen the house where I grew up since my sister Joyce moved in last summer after the renovations were completed. The painting had been done and the floors were being refinished on my last visit. Harvey and I had made some suggestions based on the first set of plans so it was neat to see how it's working now that she's settled in. It looks great - the big eat-in kitchen with access to a new deck is the centre of activity. Joyce with her contractor saved and reused original molding, doors, door hardware, light fixtures, and she's had a lot of old family furniture reupholstered. She's done a lot of work on the landscaping too; with all the rain they've had everything is extremely green and some plants much taller than normal.

I also got a tour of a house just down the road, where a friend grew up - they used the same contractor and are just settling in there, with landscaping still to be done. It looks great too - nice to see these old houses (Joyce's built in 1888/89 as the second home on the farm) get a new life. We also visited a house on Lake Erie which a friend of Joyce's built on the site of the family cottage to see the fabulous landscaping he has done - established parts of his gardens have already appeared in magazines. And another friend who's in the midst of an addition to an old brick house - she's chosen a lovely bright and bold colour scheme including blue kitchen counters and cabinets.

My other sister Diane also came for several days, Harvey's sister Beth drove out from Toronto for a house tour and lunch, as did Kathy, a friend from high school. We ate lots of freshly picked sweet corn, went to Port Dover on a hot sunny Sunday afternoon (I had perch and chips for lunch) and on another hot day Joyce and I had ice cream cones at Hewitts.

I was able to fly in and out of Hamilton, which is really convenient, but unfortunately these flights have been cancelled as part of their recent schedule reductions.

Great trip, and good to be back!

Wendy

On to the Next Step

Yesterday I saw Dr Burnell, my oncologist, who says the results of my scans look fine, and the chemotherapy has reduced the size of the lump, so she's referred me to the surgeon, Dr Scarth, who will decide what's next. I have an appointment with him the week after next.

Last night went to see Mama Mia - it was really fun and Meryl Streep was great. Of course I now have various ABBA songs stuck in my head.

Tomorrow I head to hot and humid southern Ontario for a visit with my sisters - I understand that the sweet corn is ready there, and expect there'll be raspberries to pick here when I get back.

Wendy

Feeding the not so Tender Tummy

With the end of chemo, Wendy's taste buds are rediscovering flavours long forgotten. Why she's even had coffee, a beverage she hasn't drunk in six months. And her tummy isn't quite as sensitive so the door is open to a wider variety of foods. Good timeing too, because we're starting to get veggies from our CSA partners at Chestnut Hill Farm. Lots of salad greens, kale, beet greens and even turnip greens along with carrots, baby carrots, turnips and beets, green onions, and radishes. I've got at least one really great recipe for producing edible cooked greens.

Wendy's hair is slowly growing back. She almost has enough to call it a 'brush cut', but not enough to cover her scalp yet. Her colour has returned and she's getting strong and healthy for her surgery.

We had a wonderful supper with our friends Lynn and Dale a couple of weeks ago in which Lynn produced a table full of summer treats, all cool and perfect for a hot day. One of the salads that caught Wendy's palate was a pasta salad full of Middle Eastern flavours. Thanks to Lynn for sharing the recipe.

HELEN’S ORZO SALAD WITH ROASTED CARROTS, CURRANTS & PINE NUTS

1 C. orzo
½ t. turmeric (for cooking orzo)
4 carrots, peeled
½ t. turmeric (for roasting carrots)
1 t. ground cumin
1 t. ground coriander
1 t. paprika
½ C. currants (or dried cranberries)
½ C. pine nuts, toasted
# T. chopped, fresh corianer
¼ C. olive oil
2 T. spiced vinegar
salt & pepper to taste

1. Cook orzo with plenty of water & ½ t. tumeric, until just tender ( about 10 minutes). Set aside to cool
2. Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Cut carrots in half length-wise, then slice on diagonal into 1 cm. thick pieces.Place in roasting pan, drizzle with a little oil, sprinkle with spices, toss to coat evenly. Roast for 30 min., remove & allow to cool.
3. Mix orzo, carrots, currants, pine nuts, coriander, oil & vinegar together well. Season to taste.

Serves 6

Feeding the more Robust Tummy

With the end of chemo, Wendy's tummy is returning to normal (she has had her first coffee in six months) and she's eating a larger variety of foods. She's got fuzz on her head now and that's quickly becoming a head of hair. She's just got to gain a few pounds to look her best. Here's a recipe that doesn't inlude bacon.



Recently, we had a meal with our friends Lynne and Dale. Lynne made a whole beautiful summer meal of cool salads that was perfect for the weather. One salad Wendy really enjoyed was a pasta salad using orzo and middle eastern spices. Thanks to Lynne for permission to print her recipe.



HELEN’S ORZO SALAD WITH ROASTED CARROTS, CURRANTS & PINE NUTS


1 C. orzo
½ t. tumeric (for cooking orzo)
4 carrots, peeled
½ t. tumeric (for roasting carrots)
1 t. ground cumin
1 t. ground coriander
1 t. paprike
½ C. currants (or dried cranberries)
½ C. pine nuts, toasted
# T. chopped, fresh corianer
¼ C. olive oil
2 T. spiced vinegar
salt & pepper to taste

1. Cook orzo with plenty of water & ½ t. tumeric, until just tender ( about 10 minutes). Set aside to cool
2. Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Cut carrots in half length-wise, then slice on diagonal into 1 cm. thick pieces.Place in roasting pan, drizzle with a little oil, sprinkle with spices, toss to coat evenly. Roast for 30 min., remove & allow to cool.
3. Mix orzo, carrots, currants, pine nuts, coriander, oil & vinegar together well. Season to taste.

Serves 6 (depending on what else you serve)



Harvey

Red Toenails

Awhile back my thoughtful colleagues from Hospitality Saint John presented me with a lovely get well basket which included a gift certificate for a pedicure. This being barefeet season (actually at the time we'd had a week of fog, but I was hoping for barefeet season) I made an appointment for my first-ever pedicure. It was lovely and, at Harvey's suggestion, got my toenails done to match my red sandals. (His suggestion was red, not the matching the sandals part!)

Thanks so much to Willa and Jennifer at Inn on the Cove for this lovely treat.

Wendy

Chemotherapy Completed

Chemotherapy is finished and my hair is starting to come back. I have eyebrows again and there's a visible fuzz of hair on my head, which is very soft. Not sure how quickly it will come back, never having grown a new head of hair before, but I'll still need my hat wardrobe.

Appointments this week for CT and bone scans. My oncologist will have the results of these when I see her the week after next. The CT scan doesn't take long, after drinking a barium liquid in advance and then getting an injection of dye. The bone scan takes longer; there's a 2 hour wait after some sort of radioactive injection. The scan itself takes 20 minutes of staying very still, a good opportunity for meditation.

Wendy

Strawberry Season

We've been enjoying fresh local strawberries for the last week including some in our first delivery from Chestnut Farm. I picked a few wild ones at the edge of Rockwood Park on my walk the other day. That whetted my appetite and on the weekend I went out to a U-pick; should have got going a little earlier because the heat limited my stay. But I did get enough to eat fresh as well as freeze some.

Our first box from the farm also included carrots, lettuce, green onions, beet greens and swiss chard. Harvey found a great recipe for the greens, cooked with onions and a few slices of finely chopped bacon. I'm hoping there'll be peas in this week's assortment.

Wendy

Happy New Month

My blood count was low again so we weren't able to go ahead with chemotherapy on Monday. Just got back from the hospital where they took more samples, so should be able to find out where we're at tomorrow.

On Friday we had a lovely outing, taking the old highway up the river valley, with a stop for lunch in Gagetown. Then on to the Beaverbrook Art Gallery in Fredericton to see the new NB architecture exhibition. Great photographs but not a lot of interpretation or different levels of information.

We celebrated Canada Day with a potluck gathering at friends who live outside the Saint John fog belt. It was warm and sunny so we could sit outside and admire the garden. Fireworks in Saint John were postponed until tonight because of fog, but the fog is persisting today.

This afternoon we'll be receiving our first vegetable delivery from Chestnut Farm, so perhaps more recipes to come.

Wendy