St. Paddy's Day Pickling

sunrise on Mountain Island Lake

Our community pickleball club held a St. Patrick's Day round robin yesterday. The day began with a beautiful sunrise, as shown above. But right after the volunteers got the two tennis courts striped with painters tape so that we could have a total of six courts for the day, it began to rain. The luck of the Irish was with us, though, as the storm quickly passed. We ended up with sunny, blue skies for the day.

Around 70 of our club members participated in the games, so with the limited number of courts each person only got to play 3 or 4 games in the scheduled time period. But some matches ended early, so I did get in an extra game at the end before it was time to go eat.

Some of the guys grilled up hamburgers and hot dogs, and there was a selection of chips, candy and cookies to go along with those. It was nice to be able to sit around the pool deck, which overlooks the lake, and catch up with friends. My pickleball companions who don't live here were a bit green with envy 💚💚💚

St. Paddy's Day social

Another ED&C

squamous cell carcinoma

Yesterday I had another Electrodesiccation and Curettage (ED&C) performed to remove the squamous cell carcinoma from my left arm. Basically the dermatologist scrapes off the top layer of cells with a curette until healthy cells are revealed. Then an electrocautery device is used to apply small amounts of electricity to the treated surface to burn away any remaining cancer cells. I believe this also helps to stop the bleeding.

ED&Cs are used instead of Mohs surgery when the basal or squamous cells are smaller, newer growths. The procedure has a 96% success rate. It only took my doctor about fifteen minutes, and because no stitches are needed I don't have to go back until my next regular checkup, which is in four months. The downside of having no stitches, though, is that it will not heal as quickly. 

While I do not have to keep a bandage on it, obviously I don't want to get the vaseline and/or any drainage on my clothes or sheets. However, I am allergic to every bandage out there, and they make me itch and break out in red dots. The paper tape does the same thing, so I can't even cover it with gauze and use tape. I am compromising by keeping a bandage off while I am in the house and wearing a short-sleeved top. Hopefully this one will heal quicker than the ones on my neck did so I can forgo the bandages. 

Making Whoopie (Pies)

The other day I was invited to dinner at a friend's house and was asked to bring dessert. As there would only be a few of us, I searched for single-serving recipes. I came across several whoopie pies recipes, and was intrigued by them. I don't think I have ever eaten a whoopie pie, much less made them. What are they, you might ask. Believed to have originated in America on the east coast, several states claim to be the birthplace of whoopie pies. They might be considered a cake, cookie, pie or sandwich. They are baked in a round shape, and two are then combined together with a smear of filling.

Most of the pies are chocolate, but I found a recipe that called for strawberries which sounded good, so that's what I made. The batter for the pies was very easy to make, but I will say the filling was quite a bit of work. The end result was very good, and my friends and neighbors enjoyed them. But if I were to make whoopie pies again, I think I would just use a container of whipped frosting, adding the strawberries into that. It would be a lot simpler, and I think the consistency and flavor would be good. Whoopie!

whoopie pies