Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

Actually it is gone today... as of 10AM this morning, the hair that remained on my head is gone; buzz cut gone, just like the bad parts of a "B" Movie, laying on the cutting room floor. It feels very strange, but looks good, if I do say so myself.

"Food, Glorious Food"

Frank and I prepared a truly wonderful Thanksgiving Eve dinner, as is our long standing tradition. Last nights menu included:

Oysters on the half shell with champagne

Fig, goat cheese and arugula salad

Roasted Cornish game hens

Butternut squash risotto and 

Sauteed Brussels sprouts with pancetta

and a few glasses of St. Supery Elu wine

Cranberry bread pudding

I must say everything came out perfect... what a meal !!! Oink!

And a nice way to share an evening with a special friend.

Thanks

It is Thanksgiving Day morning and as I sit here contemplating the day and the past year, I realize I have a lot to be thankful for. So, just to name a few.

• I am thankful that I sold the cute "Little Bungalow on Suwanee" considering the current state of the real estate market.
• I am thankful that I landed in downtown St. Petersburg; I really enjoy the urban environment and the opportunity to walk to restaurants, shops and museums. This fits me !
• I am  extremely thankful for my health especially considering what I have experienced the past couple of months. It was a scare and a lesson learned for me and hopefully others - don't wait, get any unusual growth evaluated promptly.
• I am thankful that I have two wonderful feline kids, Paolo and Lucia. Every day they do something to make me smile (OK, and occasionally a few things to make me cringe). 
• And most of all (isn't there always a "most of all"): I am very thankful for my friends and family. I am very fortunate to have a close and supportive family and so many caring good friends. THANK YOU ALL

So, for me, every day is a Thanks - giving day!

Beach It!

My friend Bob, introduced me to  Beak's Old Florida, a beach bar-esq place on Central Avenue. The walls and tables are covered with enough beachy knick-knacks to keep a feather duster busy for months. The menu is diverse and very well prepared. From the sandwich menu, I selected the Center Stage Beached Nude, a char grilled fillet of Mahi-Mahi. What made this grilled fish sandwich swim above any other "just your ordinary beach/sports bar grilled fish sandwich" was the toasted multi-grain artisan bread, and the grilled tomato slices. The side of basil mayo was a nice addition. All in all a nice treat and a fun place. And it was great being out and about again after a week of limited activity.

Designer Caps

After my Doctor visit yesterday, I was issued a lovely mesh cap to wear over the non-adhesive bandage that I apply daily to the surgery location. This cap is not fashionable, but could be once I post a picture of it on this blog. However, I haven't reach the point of acceptance of the new item enough to share - but stay tuned, you never know what I might do. I have received a number of requests for pictures of this lovely fashion statement. 

With all that said, the post-op visit went well, although the pathology report had not arrived yet. Everything is healing as expected, and my surgeon was confident that Mel and his little cancer carrying buddies had been eliminated.

I will breathe better once I get the final pathology report, but my doctor's confidence was a big boost for me. I have one more follow-up visit next Wednesday. Until them I will rest, read, do some "work-from-home", and listen to my cats sing with joy that I am home with them all day.

Not all Sunshine in St. Petersburg

It has been a while since my last post, and while I want this blog to have a positive bent, life isn't always that way. And since this blog is about my life I must tell you a little story. 

A few weeks ago, I learned that I had a little "friend" (and that term is used very loosely) who had been tagging along with me where ever I went. I never realized the true intent of this "friend" and when I did, I had to get rid of him. His name was Mel A. Noma, and as of last Friday, he is no longer a part of my life. 

As many of my family and friends already know, I had a melanoma and a few lymph nodes removed on Friday by the great doctors and staff at Moffitt Cancer Center. So, Mel is gone and I am recovering from the surgery and a skin graft. I have my post-op appointment tomorrow (Wednesday) where I will get the pathology results. I expect good news and that I can close this chapter.

I will not dwell on this experience except to encourage everyone to monitor their skin and if you find an unwanted "friend" get the medical attention as soon as possible.

Cultured, I Am

I know this is getting to be repetitive, but it was another lovely day in St. Petersburg. Under another cloudless sky, I wandered down to the Saturday Morning Market for a light lunch, and some wonderful cheese and fresh produce. 

This evening I attended The Florida Orchestra's performance at The Mahaffey Theatre. And, yes, I walked to the theatre. Tonight's program included Debussy's "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun" and "Nocturnes" and Holst's: "The Planets". It was a great program, with "The Planets" being the featured composition. It opened with a rousing "Mars, the Bringer of War" and ended with "Neptune, the Mystic" with the voices of the Women's Chorus of the Master Chorale of Tampa Bay fading into silence. BRAVO !

Oh Yes !

Barack Obama did it,

  make a difference. 

The times they are a changin'... and it is about time!

NYT

I continue to have problems receiving home delivery of the Sunday New York Times. Since I have moved to downtown St. Petersburg, I have only had one successful delivery. Every other week, I had to call and report a missed delivery. Repeated phone calls and emails have not resolved the problem. Hey, NYTimes, I live in "downtown" St. Petersburg, not in "nowhere" USA. How about a paper? So what's up with that, eh?

Saturday in the Park(shore)

But first, another trip back to the Saturday Morning Market, this time with my friend Bob. It was another lovely day in St. Petersburg, with cool temperatures and clear skies as we walked to the market. Bob had to cover some of my purchases as my wallet seemed to be empty of cash. The market was fun as always and yielded some great produce purchases.

Shorty after noon, Mrs. C. (Frank's mother) and Frank arrived for her initial viewing of the loft. Loved it, she did ! We then had lunch at Parkshore Grill on Beach Drive across from the Museum of Fine Arts. Give it a try if ever in downtown St. Petersburg. My hanger steak was very tasty, although it arrived with the fries that I had asked them to hold, (0ne demerit). Frank enjoyed the Tyson Trio (soup, pulled-pork sandwich and salad) and Mrs. C had a "Build-a-burger" with onions and mushrooms. It must have been good since she finished the whole burger, which is unusual for this tiny lady.