The World is Turning as it Should.......

Ever since Miguel arrived back in Vancouver he has been getting stronger every day. He has more energy and is more robust - and has some of his feistiness and grumpiness back (which may or may not be a good thing). We have had almost three weeks of Kansans visiting and although this is a bit tiring for him, he has started making his delicious Mexican breakfasts and pancakes for our guests. All of his teeth (save for two teeth - twooth, as I have named them) were pulled out before radiation started, so he hasn't eaten much real food for 9 months. Because of the cancer, he hasn't really needed teeth as he couldn't swallow because of swelling in his throat, he has no saliva (so can't easily swallow, even now his throat has healed) and his taste buds have been affected so that nothing tastes good. Tomorrow he finally gets his dentures and he will be able to chew - and then he will have to see how the swallowing goes. He definitely is interested in food again - he says his worst craving is for pizza.......

OK - back to my story......... This weekend, good friends from Toronto are in town and they adore his enchiladas. How could he refuse them, even if he hasn't cooked or eaten anything in the last 9 months? So off he went to get all the fixings - and three kinds of enchiladas are in the works........chicken (in flour tortillas), cheese (in corn tortillas) and his own shrimp creation (in flour tortillas). When my children and I first requested that he try and make shrimp enchiladas (this is the west coast after all) he thought that this deviation from his old-fashioned enchiladas might in fact be too risque and new age - certainly too daring for his traditional ways - but the shrimp ones are delicious and a huge favourite of all. So - today was a day of many enchiladas (lots for the freezer) and lots of clean-up (done by me). He was thoroughly exhausted when he was done, and he headed off for a rest (while said clean-up was done by me).... To show you some of his handiwork today, I present shrimp enchiladas.......



I'm not sure that making enchiladas is a milepost in the road to his recovery from many months of chemo and radiation - but I'm regarding his industry and enthusiasm for making enchiladas today as a most wonderful shining sign that the world is turning as it should...........