All About Carrots

An elderly lady who used to have a vegetable garden once told me that carrots are not worth the bother.  I admit that sowing carrots seeds which are very small and light,  almost like a grounded rice hull,  is not the easiest task.    Then there's that labor intensive thinning of the seedlings.  After that though, carrots are relatively easy.  I almost leave them alone.  Maybe pull some weeds around them once in a while.  Pests don't bother them as much.   Once the leaves flourished, they are beautiful.  Then mid-summer to early fall, you are rewarded with wonderful and nutritious harvest.  I know carrots in the grocery  are cheap but I think homegrown carrots are sweeter and more flavorful.  Definitely worth it!

            These are my first harvest for the season.  I planted two 3 feet  x 12 feet beds , so I have more to come.  Most of these will be used for Benji's food.  He loves carrots.                           

Pancreatic Cancer

It started as a nagging pain in the left upper abdomen. He thought he strained a muscle from helping my sister in landscaping project. It did not get better. After about a month of this intermittent but unrelenting pain, he finally went to his doctor. Due to his limited English and stoic personality, the doctor initially thought it was an upper gastrointestinal problem and ordered Upper GI scan. Blood test and the GI scan came out normal. He was relieved but the pain is still there. My sister who's a nurse called the doctor and demanded more tests. Reluctantly, my father agreed to undergo CT scan which suggested a metastatic cancer. After more tests (PET scan, more blood tests and biopsy), he was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer Stage 4.