Untethered, at last

Posted on by Dan

Today I took another step away from cancer and towards being myself again. The hickman catheter, which has been the link between my body and my treatments for the past 5 months, was removed. All that remains is a small hole that will soon heal, leaving all but a small scar (one of the few that have been left in various parts of my body).

We’ve been anticipating this moment for awhile—it being the signal that no more treatments are anticipated. Granted, I’ll still have weekly labs for awhile, but there’s a huge difference between “monitoring” and “treating.” I think making this transition from “treated” to “monitored” requires much celebration (which we’ve been doing), and it also requires another photo of some flowers to show how happy I am.

Dahlias

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Handknit Sweater Destash

Posted on by Dan

As the closets begin to fill with more and more of our handknit stuff, some things have to go. Virginia is letting go of three fabulous vintage handknit sweaters (from Norway) that have hardly been worn. In fact, in the time that I’ve known her (closing in on 10 years), I don’t think I’ve ever seen her wear any of these. They have been carefully stored (in a smoke-free and pet-free environment), are in close-to-new condition, and are for sale in our Etsy shop. Details are all there, including sizes and more photos.

Here is a just glimpse:

Meet Henri

Posted on by Dan

Henri

He likes his bath.

Henri

He likes his tea.

Henri

He’ll talk to you (for hours) about Sartre, de Beauvoir and Camus.

Henri

Yesterday he moved to the big city to live with some friends. Au revoir, Henri! Enjoy your new home.

(Pattern by Rachel Borello. Although, Virginia made the tiny scarf and beret).

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Fairisle Gloves and Beret

Posted on by Dan

Fairisle Gloves and Beret

Fairisle Gloves and Beret

Fairisle Gloves and Beret

Yes, I know there is only one finger left to knit, but the light was fading fast (for a decent photo) and she was was finishing these up to deliver the next day—as a shop model. Pattern by Sarah Dallas from Vintage Knits, and yarn used was Rowan Pure Wool 4-ply.

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Pickles

Posted on by Dan

For obvious reasons our gardening plans this season were thwarted. But, we are super fortunate to live close to a great farmers market. So, we’ve been taking advantage of the people who have been able to farm and garden this year, providing us with access to delicious, local produce.

In previous years, we made the market a regular part of our food buying, going once a week. This year, again for obvious reasons, we’ve only been able to go two or three times. Today was one of those times, and the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. For, you see, we had pickles on our minds, and there were cukes a plenty, dill and garlic, too.

We made a simple, but fantastic recipe last year, but ran out of them about half-way through. This year we hope to not make the same mistake.

Dill Pickles, year 2

Behold, 11 jars filled with over 13 pounds of pickled cucumber goodness. Of course, I should mention that my role in the process was greatly reduced due to low energy (thanks to my slow-to-recover hemoglobin), so I’m very glad Virginia was up to the task of washing, slicing, dicing and canning. (I did help a wee bit, though. I took some pictures.)

Dill Pickles, year 2

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