CJ Update - Tissue Alert

First I'll say - you might want to grab some tissues before reading this. I guess if I'm going to use the blog for updating everyone, I have to report on the good, the bad, the ugly and the just plain miserable.

The last time I may have updated you, we were going to try a round of Prednisone, thinking CJ had IVD (Invertebral Disk Disease). So, for the last 6 weeks, CJ has been on the meds along with not being allowed to play - at all.

Last Saturday he had his last Prednisone. By Monday he was down for the count. We went in for another follow up with the vet and she became very concerned and strongly suggested we do the MRI.

We got it scheduled for Thursday (yesterday)... in the meantime, CJ didn't move much all week. He would get up to go out and potty, but that was about it. We tried to do one lap around the perimter of the back yard with him and half way through he laid down. Naturally, we're scared. Still thinking along the lines of IVD, we got ourselves prepared that he'd probably need surgery and we would be nursing him back to health for 6-8 weeks.

I dropped CJ off at the neurologist yesterday morning. Yesterday afternoon our world changed, drastically. The phone call from the doctor came and I just felt like I'd been sucker punched in the gut. Spine cancer, inoperable. It's an unusual tumor because it involves two vertebrae while it usually only involves one. The doctor doesn't know how much time we have.

We're told we can try a surgical biopsy of the tumor to find out what kind it is. Depending on what kind we may have success with chemo or radiation. Or, we can just put him back on Prednisone because it makes him comfortable.

We haven't made up our minds yet. We have a lot to think about. We didn't expect this diagnosis. We still have to gather facts and opinions from the experts. For now - he started the Prednisone again last night and already I can see a change. He is more alert than he has been all week.

He slept right in between us on the bed last night - all night. We didn't sleep much, but it was a great opportunity to pet him and love on him. Click to see the photos larger. They aren't in any particular order. These won't be the last photos you see of him.

We're just a bunch of wino's!

Mom, KJ and Elaine all came in from AZ for a weekend in Washington, arriving on a Wednesday. We had so much fun; and hit the ground running! As soon as we left the airport in Bellingham, we went to the Mt. Baker Winery - hey, we know what's important! This was a cute little vineyard that produces some pretty tasty wine!
Next we went to Samson Estates Winery. They too are a cute little vineyard, but certainly off the beaten path! Here we sampled some very interesting fruit based wines. Our favorites were the raspberry, blueberry and hazelnut. These are dessert wines, but they make great toppings for fresh fruit or even cheesecake! Oh yummmmmm!
Outside of making a few quick stops on the way home, we arrived for the gals to settle in and I was to prepare for an evening of appetizers with the neighbors. I wanted them to meet the girls, and the girls to meet them. I talk about our friends enough it was great for everyone to put faces to names.

Thursday we went to Seattle via boat. It wasn't optimal boating weather, but what the heck - we've got plenty of jackets! The girls were all real troopers in dealing with the cool wind, as they had just left 100 degree weather!
We stopped at Pike Place Chowder for some delicious chowders to warm them up, then headed to our favorite Mexican restaurant on the steps. Everyone loved the food and then hit the market with full bellies. This time around Mom got a 6.5 pound King Salmon to take home. We shopped and sampled, walked and enjoyed the sights. On our way home KJ, Elaine and I each took turns at the helm being Captain of the vessel. We had a great day and each brought home a few treasures. :-)

Friday morning we took off for the ferry landing in Anacortes with the intention of catching the 8:30 ferry to Victoria. Well, it appears that the ferry leaves at 8:15. Since we didn't catch that sailing we decided to head out to the San Juan Islands instead.
Certainly not a bad back up plan; we first hit the lavendar fields, then (of course) the winery and afterwards a picnic lunch at Lime Kiln Point State Park. We were not graced with the presence of whales, but we did see porpoise swimming in the distance.
Going back to the winery on San Juan Island - we had the place to ourselves for most of the visit ... the gal behind the counter was just a gem. She had so much fun right along with us - and I'm sure you can imagine 4 girls at a winery ... well anyway. The gal brings out this HUGE zucchini and since she wasn't going to use it, hands it off to us! I swear this thing must weigh 10 pounds. As you can imagine (go with me here: 4 girls in a winery) we had some fun with that. :-)
After leaving the picnic spot, we headed back to town so we could claim a spot in line for the next ferry. We had an hour to kill before boarding so this was a great chance to walk around town and explore. We found a few more treasures before boarding for a beautiful sunset sail back to Anacortes.

Sadly it was time for them to leave on Saturday morning - but we had a great time with so many laughs. My cheeks were sore. So, until next time bitches - I miss you, love you and can't wait to see you again. And don't be a hater!! :-)

Last Weekend of Summer II

Friends Bill and Crystal took us out in their boat for a day of tubing on Lake Whatcom... wow this place is beautiful!!!!! It's about an hour drive, but certainly worth it. Shortly after leaving the dock, the three girls (Crystal, her daughter and I) hit the tube for a wild ride! We had such a blast! I've never been tubing behind a boat before - I think we'll be buying one for our boat!!!

After tubing for awhile, we got back on board for Crystal's 'Yummy Boat Sandwiches' (Crystal is the one who taught me 'yummy boat sandwiches' a few months ago). We drifted awhile, soaked up sun, let the food settle and the guys listened to the football game on the radio.

Once it was time to go back in for the day, the girls headed back out to the tube. On the way back - guess who took a swim??? I was trying to relax and not hold the handles so tight, we got going on some good bumps and out I went. Daryl (watching from the boat) said I just went straight up out of the tube. Of course it wasn't underneath me anymore when I landed. Crystal said she kept hearing 'oh boy' and then looked over when it got quiet - and I wasn't there! It made for a really great laugh. Thank goodness for life jackets. I'm a good swimmer, but you don't realize how disorienting it is to fall in the water like that.

Last weekend of summer

We had an opportunity to go boating on the final weekend of warm, sunny, perfect boating weather. Cheryl, Keith, Daryl and I headed out to Useless Bay on the West side of Whidbey Island... on our way we spotted the sea lions having a nap on a buoy. We were lucky enough to see porpoise swimming pretty close to the boat as we entered the bay!
After dropping anchor we had 'yummy boat sandwiches' (yes that's the official name). Then Daryl inflated the raft for us and Cheryl and I took off to shore. It was a great beach with very soft sand. We found some beautiful shells and Cheryl even found a sand dollar for me!!!
So, until next year Puddle Jumper... it was a terrific season!

Dorothy Lake

On September 5, Daryl and I took advantage of a nice day so off we went on a hike he had done with his friend Tom. Dorothy Lake is an alpine lake located in the alpine wildnerness. We hiked about 7 miles total and had lunch with a friendly chipmunk. Words just don't do this hike justice, so I'll just post the pictures. It was hard to select them for this blog as it's difficult to take a bad photo of this place. Bear with me, I chose lots of pictures to show off. Click each photo to see it (a bit) larger.

Family Time!

We are so happy to say that my sister Carrie and her two kids, Jared and Alyssa, chose to spend their summer vacation with us again. It was fabulous to see them and we had a great time! You might remember from reading about their visit last year that we packed a lot in to a little time. This vacation we took it a little easier.

They arrived on a Monday morning (8/18) early. Once back at the house they got settled and we went out for a bite of lunch at the Snohomish Pie Company. Afterwards we stopped at a nearby Kohl's (I had a coupon which expired that day) for a quick shopping trip. Once back at the house we spent the rest of the evening catching up, playing Wii and relaxing.

Tuesday morning we headed out to spend the day in Seattle. We parked at Seattle Center and rode the monorail to downtown where we walked Pike's Place and checked out the sights. After taking the monorail back to Seattle Center we had lunch and then spent the rest of the afternoon at the Pacific Science Center. What a neat place this was - we could easily have spent an entire day looking at all the exhibits. That evening we rested and played more Wii.

Wednesday the weather report called for rain all day as the remnants of a typhoon made it's way in so we spent the day at home playing Wii and watching movies. It was really nice to have a day of relaxation!

Thursday Daryl took Alyssa and Jared fishing at our local lake near the house. They had a great time despite not catching anything. Hey, fishing isn't always about the catch! :-) Carrie and I stayed at the house for some much needed sister-catch-up-time. Once Daryl and the kids came back we had a nice afternoon of more Wii and movies before going out to dinner at 'The Flying Pig' in Everett.
Friday we loaded up the fishing boat and 2 kayaks and headed for Deception Pass where we set up camp to spend the day at Cranberry Lake. We all enjoyed a little cruising time on the lake, sun soaking and walks on the beach.
Saturday the weather report called for warm and sunny so off we went in the big boat! We cruised around to the other side of Whidbey Island and on our way over saw a Sea Lion snoozing on a buoy. As soon as we stopped the boat at our destination a small shark came to check us out, but disappeared quick and we didn't see him again the rest of the day. Once anchored in Useless Bay Daryl inflated our 9' raft for Alyssa and Jared to play around in. They both picked up rowing quite fast! Off in the distance for a good part of the day we could see porpoise playing around. After having some lunch we pulled out Uno and Trouble to play while Daryl napped. Both Alyssa and Jared braved the cold ocean water for a swim - Alyssa staying in longer than Jared. I put my feet in!! :-) That evening after getting the boat washed and put away Daryl grilled us up some fabulous cheeseburgers. We lit a fire and had smores before heading off to bed.

Sadly it was time for them to go home on Sunday morning. I always hate this part - I just wish you could stay forever. Until next time - thank you for coming to visit... we love you and miss you!!!!

Oven Toasted Macaroni and Cheese

The stuff in a blue box will never be the same again; it's child's play in comparison. This recipe is just phenomonal - I couldn't get enough of the macaroni. Just try it; you'll see what I mean!

INGREDIENTS: (from Perfect Pasta cookbook by Cuisine at Home)
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 tsp all-purpose flour
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground white pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne
Pinch ground nutmeg
2 cups fontina cheese, shredded and divided
1 cup fresh mozzarella, shredded and divided
1 (14-16oz. box) cooked penne, rigatoni or mostaccioli pasta
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
2 TBSP minced fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 450; coat a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta; cook to package directions, drain and set aside.
Whisk the cream, milk, sour cream, eggs, flour and seasonings together in a large bowl while penne cooks.
Stir 1 cup fontina and 1/2 cup mozzarella into the cream mixture. Add the cooked penne, stir to combine, then transfer to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses.
Combine bread crumbs and parsley in a bowl, sprinkle on top of penne. Bake until cheese is bubbly and crumbs are golden, about 30 minutes. Let casserole rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

NOTES:
* I didn't have the cayenne pepper so I left it out
* I put all the cheese in rather than dividing
* I made my own bread crumbs from homemade croutons: Took whole grain bread that was getting old and brushed italian flavored olive oil on both sides. Sprinkled with italian seasoning on both sides of bread. Cut into small squares with a pizza wheel and placed flat on a cookie sheet. Sprinkled a bit of shredded parmesan and baked until toasty, flipped and repeated; about 5-10 minutes on each side. Check regularly. Put the croutons in a food processor to make bread crumbs.
* I didn't have fresh parsley to add to the bread crumbs, but they were already italian flavored.
* Use only a hollow pasta so the cheese can flow inside and fill the crevices.
* Don't skimp on the bread crumb topping.

Quick Marinara

Daryl and I really do work well together. This started as a quick sauce he would make when it was 'fend-for-yourself-night'. Finally I decided I wanted to give it a try and added a few Tina Touches (TT) to the recipe. The result is a quick sauce, great for weeknight dinners when you don't have the stuff in a jar handy. Because this is one of our creations, I don't usually measure the ingredients.

INGREDIENTS
3 cloves garlic, minced - more or less to taste
Crushed red pepper, to taste
About 1 TBSP Olive Oil
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 TBSP balsamic vinegar, more or less to taste (TT)
1 tsp Italian seasoning, more or less to taste
Pinch or two of white sugar (TT)

Saute the garlic and crushed red pepper in olive oil until the garlic is slightly browned.
Add/Stir in the diced tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, italian seasoning and sugar.
Let cook on a simmer for about 15-20 minutes.
Pour the contents of the skillet into a blender and mix until sauce consistency. (TT)
Serve over your choice of prepared pasta.

NOTES!
Do not seal the lid of the blender, keep the middle plastic piece out of the main cover. Use a paper towel and keep it in place with your hand. The food is too hot to seal that up and could have undesirable results!
Add some chopped onion to the saute step for additional flavor.
The sugar helps to balance out the acidity from the tomatoes and vinegar, you are not using it to sweeten the sauce.
Try using light olive oil instead of extra virgin - extra virgin has a lower smoking temperature so it's not as good for frying/sautes.
Add meatballs (frozen are ok) to the sauce during the simmer stage (set them aside for the blender step). (TT)

Another CJ Update

CJ went to the neurologist, in some ways it felt like we spent money just to have him tell us we should get an MRI. Nice doctor and it was great having CJ get a full neurology exam, but I left with more questions than I went in with. He told us that CJ could have: Meningitis, Spine Cancer or Invertebral Disk Disease (IVD). Nevertheless, he forwarded the report to our regular vet and I followed up with her.

Dr. Gray said she really feels very strongly that CJ has IVD. She said with Meningitis he would have other symptoms and hurt all over, spine cancer is so rare that she's never diagnosed it in 16 years and IVD she sees a lot of.

So, we're going to try treating with medicine (this is called the 'therapy' route). He's back on Prednisone, Methocarbamol and Sucralfate. He gets two 20mg tabs of Prednisone each day for a week and then we start tapering him off over the next 3 weeks. The Methocarbamol is a muscle relaxer and the Sucralfate is to help his tummy.

Please keep your fingers crossed that this works!!!

Zucchini Bread with Blueberries

Ok - so I wouldn't ever think of combining blueberries with zucchini, but the result is OUTSTANDING! A friend/neighbor brought over a huge zucchini from her family's farm. Since Daryl won't eat it I went in search of a quick-bread recipe. I found this one and the timing was right as I had just harvested the majority of my 8 blueberry bushes. I can't stop eating this stuff - enjoy the recipe!

INGREDIENTS (from Allrecipes.com)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup vegetable oil
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups white sugar
2 cups shredded zucchini
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 pint fresh blueberries

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 4 mini-loaf pans.
In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar. Fold in the zucchini. Beat in the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Gently fold in the blueberries. Transfer to the prepared mini-loaf pans.
Bake 50 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted in the center of a loaf comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes in pans, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.

Notes: I made these in two regular sized loaf pans and after 45 minutes I checked them every 10. It ended up taking about 1 hour 15 minutes (though I think my oven cooks slower).

Sunshine Broccoli Salad

This recipe is always a hit whenever I bring it to a gathering or barbecue. I used to buy it from the deli counter at the grocery store, until I found a hair in it. This sent me straight to the internet to find a recipe I can make at home. At least if there's a hair in it here, I'll know where it came from! :-)

INGREDIENTS (from CDKitchen.com)
1 large bunch of broccoli -- cut into florets
1 cup diced red onion
8 slices crisp-fried bacon -- crumbled
1/4 cup sunflower seeds -- shelled
1 cup raisins
1 1/2 cup mayonnaise (lite is okay)
1/2 cup sugar or Splenda
3 tablespoons vinegar

DIRECTIONS
Mix broccoli, onion, sunflower seeds and raisins in a large bowl. Mix mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar in a separate bowl. Pour dressing over vegetables. Just before serving, add bacon.

Some tips I have found to help:
Make sure the broccoli is really dry otherwise it waters down the sauce.
You can also use dried cranberries in place of raisins, or combine them; I like it best with cranberries.
I haven't tried it yet, but I'll bet adding some shredded carrot might be good???

Enjoy!!