Today is the Be The Match run in Charlotte.  Henry, as many of you know, was the recipient of two bone marrow transplants, the second one bringing him back to health after a very scary time.  Team Thome, consisting of Henry and his parents, Emily and Adam, ran this morning.  Henry ran the "Tot Trot" and also raised a good pile of money for this incredibly important organization.

 

All farmers are my heroes.  If you stop to think about it, just imagine how hard it is to make any sort of living from growing food, especially when you are being a conscientious farmer who does not use poisons.

 

Firefly is a small farm in Celo and we are delighted that they said yes to being our featured farm this coming Thursday, October 4th for our next Dinner and Conversation with farmers.

 

I do hope you come.  We're making Beef Bourguignon with their beef and will fill the meal out with roasted vegetables of theirs.  Dessert is a fresh fig tart.  Yum!

 

Monday, October 1  Spinach and Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken 8.75 (GF)

 

Tuesday, October 2  Grilled Portabella with Winter Squash Gratin  7.95

 

Wednesday, October 3  Apple stuffed Pork Chop with Bavaian Red Cabbage  8.75

 

Thursday, October 4  Crabcakes - Laurey's-style  10.25

 

Friday, October 5 Pan-fried Catfish, Hushpuppies, and Greens 8.95

 

 

Casserole to go:

Wednesday, October 3

Polenta and Roasted Vegetable Ragout

Whole: 30  Half: 15

 

Lasagna to go:

Friday, October 5

Roasted Red Pepper and Prosciutto lasagna

Whole: 60  Half: 30

 

This is Lauren Tamayo - a Silver Medal winner at the London Olympics!  She lives here in Asheville (did you know that?) and stopped in for lunch the other day.  She is a part of an effort here to help children be healthier by riding bikes. 

 

I got to hold her medal and gush over her accomplishments.  Meeting a real Olympic champion was surprisingly touching to me.  She competed in track cycling, a three kilometer full-out race to catch up to and pass competing riders who start at a point halfway around an indoor track.  The teams ride like crazy to catch their opponent. 

 

This bouquet of baby carrots were featured in a photo that will be in my book.  Cutie pie babies, the nicest bouquet I can imagine.

 

Tomorrow is another photo shoot.  We're making our way through the list of photos that will be in The Fresh Honey Cookbook. 

 

I didn't have room for this picture last week but it is certainly worth sharing.  In New York on Columbus Circle there is a stature of Christopher Columbus which perches on top of a high pillar - about 6 or 7 stories up in the air.  A Japanese artist named Tatzu Nishi created a Living Room around the 13' high statue.  Climb up the six floors and enter a hilarious scene: people sitting, talking, reading the NY Times, all in the presence of this huge statue who quietly surveys the scene. 

 

Hiya,

 

Here it is, the last Saturday of the month. Zip Zip Zip. It’s almost October.

 

These days are odd for me. One week I am in treatment and go to an alternate universe, swimming in and out of being in the present. I try to meditate, try to accept the infusions as a Golden Elixir that will cleanse my body of the unwanted cells. I sleep, dream, watch stupid tv (want to know anything about anyone that is trashy? Just ask me!)

 

The next week I emerge, do laundry, vacuum, pay attention to my pup, read real books, and recover from the onslaught of the previous week. I am now on the countdown, I’ve had more than half of the treatments and I am beginning to look forward to the end of this treatment regime with anticipation. I used to think that I had done the hardest things possible: riding across the country on my bike, for example. Now I see that this is the hardest thing. There is nothing to compare to this.

 

And while I go on this particular journey, I am still working on my book. We’re doing photo shoots every other week. Tomorrow I will cook a bunch of recipes and Charlotte and Johnny will style them and photograph them and on we’ll go. It is truly a parallel universe to me – one day feeling so lethargic and then, the next, rising to the occasion of the book. I am grateful for this project to keep me focused on something other than my body, and am also grateful that the pace we have set is slow enough that I can participate. It’s different to feel so much less than my 100%, but that’s what I have right now.

 

I’ve been reading and thinking about the Camino de Santiago de Compostela that runs across the top of Spain. I am drawn to do this walk and find myself pouring over books and web sites and notes from friends that are doing the walk. At the moment, this walk tops my list of things I want to do at some point. And also, right now there is no way I could do this. BUT, I trust I will get better and will regain my physical fitness and will undertake the walk at some point. And as I dream about that Camino, I realize that I am, right now, on my own Camino. It is a day to day thing. And though I am not dealing with blisters or trail fatigue, I am very much dealing with other very physical obstacles that force me to rise to the day’s challenge.

 

Friends and other survivors tell me that attitude is key in getting through this sort of challenge. Attitude is key in all sorts of things, and I am not always up to that, finding myself retreating to a nap or more stupid tv. But I am trying to be patient with myself too, trying to support sleep and retreat. And when I do that, I do seem to emerge and come back to myself a bit. It’s quite the ride, my friends.

 

Anyway – that’s what’s up right now. In a couple of weeks I get to go to Austin to meet Lance Armstrong. He is my hero and I am very much looking forward to meeting him and being in his circle for a couple of days. I am looking forward to being with a whole lot of people who really know what this trip is like, people who have gone into this darkness and have emerged. I need to meet some of these people to keep me up. When I was there before I heard him say that there are days when you just can’t do anything. And I heard him talk about getting back on his feet when it was time. I needed to hear that from him. And I need to just be around the inspiration that I’ll find there. It is an important step for me on this Camino.

 

I’ll be in touch next week.

I have a group of adventurous friends who took a canoe trip way up North this summer.  Here's their greeting on their way out to their adventure.

 

Nice.