little leroy eats a cookie.

leroy (the physically disabled turkey) runs, gobbles and eats turkey-shaped sugar cookies while his mentally disturbed mother (played by larissa dalle) narrates in this quirky yet inspiring short film. a must see for turkey enthusiasts and cookie bakers alike.

jive turkey cookie.

i got good news. pathology came back. all negative. there was some fibrous & scar tissue that i'm sure would have warranted future biopsies. so i'm glad it's gone for good. went for follow-up today. still have drainage tubes for at least another week. and i'm in more pain than i expected. but otherwise i am healing very well.

and to celebrate.... leroy cookies (courtesy of amber rook). sugar cookies fashioned in the shape of turkeys. we might even feed ol'leroy a few tomorrow. would that be cruel?

11/09/07 note: there was a photo attached yesterday. it has since disappeared. perhaps because we fed cookies to leroy today. i have no idea. but i hate the internet. also been trying to upload a video of leroy eating the cookie. but it is tied up indefinitely in net-land. technology has gone to the birds.

the best christmas ever.

i know i say it every year. but this really was the best christmas ever. and it took me by surprise. i was anticipating a bleak and meager holiday. but thanks to a loving family and a few secret santas, hope was reborn. it is amazing how contagious good cheer is. and once again i was filled with christmas spirit. cookies were baked. ornaments were made. presents were acquired. candles were lit. smiles were flashed. and good tidings were shared. and i am reminded of how blessed i am to be surrounded by so much love.

santa elf & billie holiday.

the ranconteurs on vinyl! oh my!

a bacon and gravy christmas breakfast.

brother in law john and baby rosie.

reindeer in law angie.

rita's in the kitchen with jaybird.

3 generations.

christmas din-din feast.

christmas din-din dogs.

christmas din-din love.

organic fruit, five dogs, and barbeque.

chewy, mutt, mr daniels, and chopper mesmerized by dog treats.

i just discovered that st louis has an organic farmers market every saturday during the summer. yesterday my mom and i went and bought some delicious tomatoes and peaches. the produce was so pretty i just had to display it in this beautiful handmade bowl (courtesy of my sistah nancy). since the weather has been nice (a la, no storms), jason and i decided to barbecue today. our friends sam and kate, and bryan came by and brought their dogs (mutt & chewy, and raven). at one point we had 5 dogs running around our house. it was pandemonium. i really wanted to snap a photo of the madness. it was next to impossible due to mutt's extreme camera phobia. he believes they steal your soul. but alas i possessed the magic holly hobbie cookie (dog-treat) jar which put them in a spell long enough for me to sneak a pic of four of them. sorry, mutt. your soul is now mine. mr d and choppy played hard. they have currently retired to their beds for the evening.

hey loretta.

jason, amber, and i went down south this weekend to see the first lady of country music, loretta lynn perform at her ranch in hurricane mills, tennnessee. we tried to go last year but she canceled due to illness. it was definitely worth the wait. she was amazing. her shows at the ranch are kind of laid back with many of her children joining her on stage for duets. and it's all by request only. the audience calls out tunes and she and her band play 'em even if they don't remember how they go. i was in awe. even though her body is frail, her voice is as strong as ever. and what really got me was the gospel medly she did. she sang, "everybody wants to go to heaven", "who says god is dead" and "how great thow art". when i was going thru chemo, jason got me a copy of loretta lynn's "hymns" and i listened to it religiously (no pun intended). and to hear it live, well... for not being a religious person, i felt truly blessed.

we also visited the lynn family flea market where loretta's daughters betty sue and sissy were working. betty sue was walking around talking to people and making sure people noticed her new husband (a skeleton in a tuxedo that sits in a rocking chair in the back of the shop). she says, "he's the best husband i've ever had". the lynns are all crazy as loons that's why i like 'em so much. i purchased an antique set of squirrel salt n pepper shakers autographed by loretta. and an antique holly hobby cookie jar. i'd been wanting a cookie jar to keep dog treats in. sissy was working the cash register and talking incessantly, admiriing all my purchases. she gave me some free mango candy on the way out. it was surreal.

after that we drove to memphis for the afternoon. we stood outside graceland, went to the elvis mall. then headed to beale street for some live music and barbeque. we purchased essential oils and candles from tater reds and smelled like hippies all the way home. amber even drove some.

choppy turns 5 and celebrates christmas.

porkchop celebrated his 5th birthday. he got a homemade cookie from his uncle john, he played santa, and gave his mom a card that made her cry. now he's curled up with his new pink puppy and baby rabbit. next year he starts kindygarten....