Quick updates first: dentist on Thursday went swimmingly well. The final two cavities were filled sans novocaine and life is good. Cheers to being 100% on the dental health front. I've been keeping busy with cleaning and organizing and cooking. It's surprisingly easy to build upon previous successes, and I do think that we'll finally have a house that we're 100% proud of -- nothing lurking in rooms we don't go in, etc. It just takes a little effort and some thought.
It's exciting to be moving on to a different phase in life. The cleaning and organizing of our living space is just a part of the overall cleansing going on. I know there are some big things on the horizon -- the appointment on 3/17 is going to be stressful -- but I have a more clear vision of where I want us to be going forward. The whole experience of being ill, of having cancer, and dealing with everything that goes along with it, has been a positive overall. There's still some fear, but I lean into the sharp points and life takes care of itself.
There's been some petty drama involving a friend, and I just feel sad for him. I was offended for a moment by some of the things he said that got back around to me, but overall it just seems so small. Maybe someday he'll be in a place where he can have a broader perspective.
In other news, I'm getting excited about spring coming. I'm still trying to figure out if I'm going to garden this summer, and if so, how I'll handle watering while we're traveling. Last year's fiasco in watering when we went to Kentucky was quite demoralizing, but if there's one thing a gardener has in abundance it's hope. I learned a lot from last year's efforts though. This year I'd like to focus on jalapenos and poblanos, a few tomatoes, a tomatillo, more herbs, a bush cucumber, some bush beans, and some shallots. Habaneros are lovely, but I don't use them often enough, maybe one plant this year, not 4. And Bhut Jolokia was just a death pepper (though very pretty); I don't think I'll devote any space to it this year.
If things work out with potential surgery etc, I want to do more canning this year. I have the supplies now, and thankfully, I have the energy now as well to get some nice things going. Freezer jam is a definite, but as far as canning goes, I'd like to make some pickles, watermelon pickles, and some spiced peaches if the tree out back is as prolific this year as last. And come hell or high water, this fall, I'm making apple butter. Spiced apples would also be a nice addition to the pantry. We'll see what shakes out :)
In the more immediate cooking news, I continue to cook like mad, and I'm churning out some good stuff. I have some Artisan Bread In Five Minutes A Day bagel/pretzel/bialy dough in the fridge for tomorrow. I baked two batches of cookies tonight in preparation for sending some treat boxes out Monday morning. I'll make some more stuff tomorrow and decide who's been naughty and who's been nice :)
I'm going to give gardening another go this year, too, even though I wasn't impressed with how things turned out last year. I'll need some topsoil this year, I think...I haven't decided on what I'm going to plant yet, but I do have a bit of time before I need to start making those kinds of decisions!