Keeping At It

I'm less than a week off Gamma Knife brain radiation. But I'm pushing myself full steam into each and every day like it didn't even happen.

You can still see the holes in my forehead where they screwed the metal frame to my head. So I do have a reminder to take it slow and easy and not push into everything too hard.

With Barb's help I worked well through my daily laundry list yesterday, and it's always good to feel quite accomplished in reaching goals.

For many years now I've been trying to perfect my New Orleans style gumbo, and I just have not been real happy with my results. There used to be a place on Second Street in Harrisburg called the Zephyr who served the best gumbo I've ever had. I've always tried to recreate that taste.

The Zephyr also had a sensational peanut chicken pasta salad that was out of this world. And they also served something that they called "killer bread," which was - of course - killer.

My gumbo yesterday was good, and it was as close to the Zephyr as I had ever gotten before. The taste was dead on. I just needed to get my roux to stock ratio a little better. It could have been just a bit thicker.

I refuse to measure ingredients when I cook. I won't do it. I cook with my nose and by tasting. To me it's an art, not a science. Well I guess that's my approach to life in general too.

When I woke up this morning, unfortunately, my stomach did not seem as fond of the gumbo as my taste buds were last evening. It's been growling and groaning. Ugh. That's what I get for making that spicey stuff I love to eat.

But I'll settle into the morning and get busy again. From now until early April I'm on chemo, but away from doctors and hospitals, so I'm going to take advantage of it as best I can.