Sharp as a Porcupine Quill

 Michelle has been sharp as a porcupine quill this week. She has been on her game for sure. We were on the elevator on the way to the oncologist, I sometimes like to jump up right before the elevator stops. This week she looked at me and said, “Are you ready?” She bent her legs like she was going to jump up. It brought me so much joy to see the old Michelle flinging off her old quills again. Usually, I am the only one joking around like that.

Michelle had Physical Therapy this week. She didn’t make any mistakes except possibly not exercising enough. She also had lab work and a meeting with her oncologist who was impressed with Michelle’s breathing and said everything is looking great. Michelle was hoping to start a round of chemotherapy after the appointment but unfortunately there wasn’t enough time to finish the day 1 treatment. A short period of depression hit. Her mindset was to get it done, now we must wait until Monday. A cookie dough blizzard helped snap her out of the short depression.

Highlight of the week She had her toes in the water, feet in the sand, not a worry in the world, a cold lemonade in her hand, Life was good. Michelle and I went to Corpus Christi this past weekend. It was tremendous to see Michelle sit down in the water and watch the waves splash up against her. She sat there for at least an hour, soaking up the sun. Nothing could take the smile from her face. 

Random Fact of the Week Porcupines are covered in about 30,000 quills. They cannot throw or shoot their quills. Because quills are so lightly attached, they come off easily when a predator encounters them. While porcupines spend most of the time on the ground, they are good climbers and regularly climb trees in search of food and occasionally even build nests in trees. They are also good swimmers. In the wild, they are known to live as long as 18 years.

Did you know? I almost hit Michelle in the head with a backhoe boom before we were engaged, and again last year when I dug Luck Lake out! You’d think I learned my lessons. Luckily, she has quick reflexes.

Throwback Love Story It was September 2018; I had been traveling a lot for work. Michelle was tending to Luck Ranch without issue. There were lambs being born, which was her favorite. We also recently welcomed a calf to the ranch. Finding things to occupy the time was never an issue at Luck Ranch. Spending time alone while your husband was away on a business trip, that was lonely and getting old. I knew this and could sense it when we talked, so I decided it was time for another surprise. I made dinner reservations in downtown Austin. As some of you may know or may have learned within recent months, we don’t go out much, so this was not going to be a trip to Mc Donald’s folks, we were headed to downtown Austin, in the heart of it all.

The restaurant was called “Russian House”. As a Russian linguist, the name alone had me hooked. When I learned Russian, I also learned the culture. You don’t need to learn Russian or study their culture to know, they love their Vodka. Well, “Russian House” was a vodka bar on 5th street. It’s a darn good thing I booked a painting lesson along with our dinner. I like vodka, but Michelle is not a fan. I was amazed by the few hundred vodka varieties infused in-house. They use fruits, herbs, and roots like grapefruit, saffron, rose, horseradish, ginger, and clover, to name a few ingredients in their recipes. I have some infused vodka I will make you try when you visit me.

It didn’t take Michelle long to figure out we weren’t just there for the food (her sigh of relief could be heard for miles). Pinot's Palette is a paint and sip franchise offering step-by-step art lessons accompanied by wine, cocktails, and a meal. We were ushered back to a private room, formerly a patio that was renovated and turned into a spacious, bright room. It has a large window facing 5th Street, a lot of beautiful natural light and, compared to the other rooms, is more minimalistic with long wooden tables and green walls decorated with authentic Russian décor. The tables were set up with painting supplies, wine, and appetizers. We had beef stroganoff and borsch for dinner. What started out looking like it was going to be a failure of a night, turned out to be one of Michelle’s favorite recent memories. We often show our paintings to guests and ask them who they think painted which picture. Most are smart enough to look at the initials painted in the corner. Painting with a twist 2018 – The Russian House.

Deep Thoughts I look back to one year ago at how different my life was. Life will change at any moment, for the good, bad, or indifferent. I have learned something these past 9 months. It's very important for me to live the best possible life I can and to do what I can for others while still being a caretaker for my soul mate. I am trying to not hold on to any regret or anger and move on with love.

Quill TV Daytime “The Challenge” (HULU). “The Rookie” (HULU)

Quill Nighttime “Lincoln Lawyer” (Apple TV) Idealistic lawyer Mickey Haller runs his practice out of the back of his Lincoln Town Car, taking on cases big and small across Los Angeles. I really like the show.

“Secret Chef” (HULU) Ten contestants are isolated in an underground kitchen labyrinth; guided by an animated hat, the chefs are tasked to perform a series of cooking challenges; there are no judges, and the chefs must rate each other's dishes in blind taste tests.

“All Madden” (ESPN)

“Ghost Writer” (Apple TV) TV night with the granddaughters makes for a fun watch of “Ghost Writer”. We all enjoyed watching “our” show together.

“The Porcupine Nest”

The Menu

Quills

Cookie Dough blizzard

Blue Bell Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Blue Bell Mint Chocolate Chip

The Mash

Grilled Chicken Thighs

Italian sausages

Pork Chops

Honey Honey Chicken – too sweet

Taco Salad

Fried Shrimp

Prickly Delights

Mixed Vegetables

Cauliflower rice (Not quinoa)

Tater Tots

Au Gratin Potatoes

Hydration

Lemonade

Water

Love you,

Brian

www.SharpAsToothachePain.owie