I’m Still Standing… Yeah, yeah, yeah
I celebrate the same Jan. 1 new year as we all do. But for the past 19 years, my personal new year has started on Dec. 10.
That’s because on Dec. 10, 2003, I had prostate cancer surgery. The pre-surgery pathology was plenty scary, and it was humbling to study five-year survival rates when I was 47 years old. But the skilled team at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C. got that bad boy out of there, and just in time before it was likely to spread and do much worse things to me.
And so I’m a lucky guy. I like to say that I’ve been living on borrowed time, but fortunately it’s a long-term loan.
I’ve had ups and downs in the years since 2003. But I’m still here and Barb’s by my side, so it’s all good.
So how did I celebrate this significant life passage? Well, it was Saturday, so…
I started my day chatting with friends and buying beautiful local food at Green City Market’s indoor location. The photo above is the stand of Jacobson Family Farms (Antioch, Illinois), which is growing lots of amazing produce, much of it this time of year in hoop houses.
The indoor market has drawn plenty of customers during its first two weeks. And if you go next Saturday, along with food you have one more opportunity to pick up some beautiful natural decorative items, such as these at the stand of Smits Farms (Chicago Heights, Illinois).
As an added inducement to visit, the winter market is right next door to the innovative Rockwell on the River complex. Sort of a Diagon Alley for food and beverage lovers, its narrow entryway leads to a complex of renovated industrial buildings that are home to Metropolis Coffee, Metropolitan Brewing (a craft beer pioneer in reviving German beer styles in Chicago) and Soul and Smoke, an excellent BBQ place heading by rising star chef D’Andre Carter.
What came home with me: hakurai turnips, with those beautiful greens, from Jacobson Family Farms; spinach, onions, potatoes and rainbow carrots from Nichols Farm and Orchard (Marengo, Illinois); honey and apple cider from Ellis Family Farms (Benton Harbor, Michigan); and tofu salads from Phoenix Bean Tofu.
And when you have an anniversary celebration, a nice dinner is a must. We dined at home because I love to cook and if a restaurant asked if it was a special occasion, this one might be a little hard to explain. So I splurged on a couple of grass-fed ribeye steaks served with mashed potatoes, a sauté of spinach, mushrooms, onion and garlic, and roasted asparagus.
For one night, a steakhouse with a view.
I have goals for Year 20, and a lot of them have to do with this little newsletter and making it less little. I am truly grateful for your support.
A very happy new year to you, sir!