Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday was a great day. In Iowa, four-plus hours working with Mom & Dad outside trimming 10-foot high bushes, transplanting flowers, and cultivating a 20-acre field. This morning, Monday the 9th, I decided yesterday could most definitely count as cross-training in preparation for the Avon Walk, particularly the trimming and digging: my upper body had a great workout. As for cultivating the cornfield, I convinced Dad to let me do it. The cultivating was much easier than the convincing. Inspiration: a pick-up truck, electric hedge trimmers, long-handled trimmers, and a big International tractor.

Two years ago this week, I finished radiation. The things I did yesterday were impossible then. "Every morning is Easter morning from now on... Every morning is Easter morning, the past is over and gone..." Part of a song I remember singing as a teen leading the 6 a.m. sunrise service at church. I found myself humming it most of the day yesterday. Easter Sunday was a celebration of life... His and, selfishly, mine.

Midwest Girl Goes Fish Shopping

... from a summer journal entry ... I was doing a special grocery shop for Bill’s sister and her family who are visiting from England. She had asked me to pick up some frozen cod that was already in a butter sauce. It would be a quick, easy meal for my nephew.

I couldn’t find cod in the frozen section of the local super market. I approached the fish counter. “I’m looking for frozen cod. Where would I find that?”

The look and the pause from the fish counter man was more saying than the words “Why would you want that?” uttered with his Boston accent.

Hmm... Exactly why am I standing ten miles from the Atlantic wondering where to find frozen cod?

“Well, maybe I’ll just take a big fillet, cut it up, and freeze it myself.”

The look. The pause. Followed by, “Why would you want to do that?”

I give. I’m buying a packet of Knorr’s Hollandaise sauce and a big ole fillet. Tonight everyone is having fresh cod brought in from the Atlantic this morning.

... end of journal entry ...

(Then Midwest Girl went fishing! Check out A Reel Hairy Tale...)

My mom

I’m not going to give you her phone number, but you can have her famous recipe for thin crust pizza dough. ½ c. warm water. 1 t. yeast 1 c. flour

Mix water and yeast together and leave a couple minutes for yeast to dissolve. Add flour and mix with fork. Dump out onto sprayed pizza pan and work dough to cover entire pan (HINT: Mom makes this look easy. I order out.)

Per Mom... Cook with love.