I guess another thing about being a ‘grown up’ is the realization that you have to be comfortable in your skin and in your clothes. Now I’m not talking sweats by any means, but there’s a lot to be said for soft things….cashmere, of course, and merino wool, even some  nice fleece can make your day.  L.L. Bean has some really cool fleece blazers that are super comfy, affordable, and totally wearable. Check ‘em out!

If, like me, you sometimes need a high quality ice cream for medicinal purposes – if you’re hormonal, sad, whatever – try this handy trick. Take a pint of the good stuff, like Snoqualmie, preferably in a deep rich chocolate. Nuke it for about 20 seconds or till it’s soft, then swirl in a couple tablespoons chunky peanut butter – Adams is a great choice –  and if you’re feeling particularly down, add chopped nuts, coconut, or even chocolate chips. Refreeze it for about 1/2 hour, while putting on your sweats and getting the heating pad ready. By the time you’re all comfy and have picked a good romantic comedy to watch, your ridiculously fattening and delicious ice cream will be ready to eat. Trust me, this will work. Your jeans might be snug for a day or two, but it’ll be worth it. Mmmmmmmm.

Florence Henderson got the boot from Dancing with The Stars

Kanye West was on Ellen and declared himself a “soldier of culture”!  Yeah, we don’t know what that means either.

Oprah tells Susan Boyle to send an autographed CD to the people who bullied her as a child.

The new show The Talk…talks about Taylor Swift and John Mayer.  Please say it ain’t so!

Tom Bosley, Richie Cunningham’s dad, is dead at 83

In case you missed it coming up soon!  I can’t believe who got kicked off of Dancing with The Stars!

So I got home yesterday after a long day at the radio ranch, starving and pretty much grocery free. What to do? I scrounged around and came up with this salad, which I’m thinkin’ you all might like to share with the family – it was good! For two of us, I drained a can of garbanzo beans, and added a thick chunk of diced ham, about a cup of chopped cauliflower, some chopped cilantro, and splashed on olive oil, some sherry vinegar, a dash of cumin, salt and pepper. I mixed it all up and enjoyed it with a nice slice of toasted bread. Good, cheap, and yummy!

I would have to say that this has been one of the worst months of my life!  A few weeks back Amy and I got THE CALL that no one wants to get.  The one where the doctor says, “I’m sorry but the test results are not good.”

Our dermatologist removed a 1.29 millimeter melanoma from her back.  The next step was to go to The Seattle Cancer Care Alliance.  There we met our doctor and his staff that I must say were beyond incredible.  He explained t0 us that our next step would be surgery to remove more tissue and the removal of a lymph node (ended up being 3).

So we went to surgery the following week at the UW Medical Center where we met more incredible people and received amazing treatment.  The results came back and there was no sign of cancer in the lymph nodes, BUT…there is always a but with cancer it seems.  The BUT was that they found a small cluster of “shallow” cancer cells near the original tumor (aka black mole).  This, in their world, is nothing to be concerned about and more tissue will be removed.

Please don’t take any of this blog to be medical advice or even accurate for that matter, but I am learning a lot about this nasty thing called Melanoma.  And from what I understand there is actually a zero stage of Melanoma, which is nearly 100 percent curable.  I’m assuming that is what it means when they find shallow cells that haven’t started to form a tumor.  So I’m praying that Amy will go in and have a little more tissue removed near the “cluster” and then we will be done.  From what I have gathered, they keep removing tissue until they have a section that is 100 percent clear.  In other words, they rarely say, “we found some bad cells but I think we got em all!”

If you have any moles that are changing colors and look strange then please, please, please get to a dermatologist.  This is especially true for those black moles that bleed…if you have one of those then see a doctor ASAP.   If you catch Melanoma or other skin cancers early then the 5 year prognosis is nearly 100%.

The question is…how can we reduce our chances of getting the big black mole?  Well, dermatologist recommend lots of sunscreen and staying out of tanning beds.  In fact, some research shows that you increase your chances of getting Melanoma by 70% by using tanning beds.  I know it sucks…we love the sun too, but thank God we live in the great northwest where it’s hip to be pale!

I love you and thanks again for your thoughts and prayers.  Keep them coming and we will keep you up to date.

Tony

You know how sometimes it just hits you that you’re a grown up? It happened to me yesterday in Costco and it was one of the most middle aged moments ever. I was standing there in the hair care aisle, calling my significant, and asking him what kind of Rogaine he needs. We went with the mousse formula, but wow – how adult!

So my pal has a bunch of apple trees and made some great hard cider; here’s what we came up with after tasting several bottles…..It’s really just apples sauteed in butter and cooked down with cider, but it’s great with roast pork or chicken.  Use  firm apples so you don’t end up with applesauce, and you’ve got a great side dish. In 2 Tb. butter, saute’ 1 chopped shallot till it’s soft. Then add 3 thinly sliced Fuji or Granny Smith apples, 1 cup of hard cider, 1 tsp. thyme (fresh is best), and 1 or 2 Tb. maple syrup, depending on how tart your apples are. Stir this all around, add salt to taste, and then let it simmer slowly for around 1/2 hour; you should have a nice syrup on the apples and  a lovely smell in your kitchen. If you’ve used the right fruit it can sit on warm for a while as you get the rest of dinner ready, or just keep it on hand for whenever you might need some fruity goodness. Delicious!

My friends, I need help. I’m trying to get to work earlier here at The Wolf, and I need assistance cutting things out of my morning. I mean, 3 AM is kind of tough….I’m trying to not make the bed, which will save 4 minutes, andI’ve cut out eyeliner, which saves another 2 1/2, but these things are important and I already miss ‘em. Even my cat Hugo J. Treadwell is confused when the alarm goes off. So any ideas you all might have to help me save time would be great……thanks darlings!