Saturday Ramblings . . .

 I should have known that the sore muscles would return.  My friend the governor and his First Lady came over Memorial Day evening.  And he has long referred to me as his Pollyanna.  I admit that I have those tendencies. But when Friday came and went without much pain, I assumed that I had bypassed the painful side effects of the Taxol chemo treatment this time.  Oh well, as I continue to say – this is only temporary, especially since I only have one more chemo treatment left to go.  

Other than the muscle pains, all else is well.  I’ve enjoyed some delicious food from lovely friends and colleagues this week  – Shepherd’s Pie and cantaloupe fruit cups from Paige and Haley, and homemade vegetable soup from Theresa.  How very thoughtful and delicious!  Another big surprise – a longtime high school friend, MaryKay, ships to me a huge box of summer hats from Beijing.  THEY ARE FABULOUS!!!  I’m so excited about wearing them out and about – and such beautiful summer colors!!  MaryKay – you’ve more than doubled my headgear ensemble.  Thank you friend. 

Hats and scarves have certainly become my trademark during this cancer journey.  Janis, another dear friend from high school, brought me a beautiful collection of silk scarves from Asia.  I wear these lovely scarves almost daily as they give me color and make me feel bold!  The scarves and hats will mix nicely together. 

Before I caught cancer, I entered an online contest with Williams-Sonoma, several short essays about your cooking style, how you usually entertain friends, etc.   Winners would receive a new line of Calphalon Cookware, with the caveat that if you win, you have to entertain friends with a pre-set dinner menu provided by Iron Chef Michael Symon.  Well, I was one of the lucky winners and this is the weekend for the dinner party.  I’m so thankful that Tim loves to cook as much as me, and we’ll have it all under control by tomorrow night.  I’m looking very forward to spending time in the kitchen with Tim, and an evening with friends in MY home with food prepared from MY own kitchen by MY own hands.  This will be better than Christmas! 

Enjoy your weekend.  I plan to do the same!