In addition to the meetings, it was good to network with other hand surgeons and to renew friendships.

To season the zucchini, I combined olive oil, chopped garlic, black pepper, and salt; I coated the zucchini spears with this mixture. The mushrooms had the same mixture, but with balsamic vinegar added for a little acid and sweetness. I then placed them on a hot grill until tender.

In olive oil, I sautéed the onion and garlic. Then, I added chopped Kalamata olives and cooked quinoa. Then, I mixed in the roasted pine nuts and shaved Parmesan cheese. Chopped parsley garnished the dish.

Above me is the half-finished gazebo, where I still have to install seats and finish the columns and walls. With my head just above ground level, looking east, the full moon is rising just to the north of San Bernardino Peak. The nearly completed bridge, waiting for railings, snakes across the pond surface. To my surprise, this camera phone (HTC Inspire) shot turns out better than expected.

Last night, Roger and Donna Hadley opened their beautiful home for a Christmas meal, and afterwards, all of us were treated to a dramatic interpretation of It’s a Wonderful Life performed at the Lifehouse Theater as directed by Wayne Scott. The message blessed each of us.

Today, the Medical Center operating room potluck took place at Jolene’s home. The warm afternoon sun made sitting in the newly landscaped backyard very pleasant. With the sushi chef catered by Wayne Cheng, we had plenty of food.

The East Campus peri-operative staff held a Christmas party at the Arrowhead Springs Resort. After dinner, the awards ceremony was meaningful, but the best part were the credits, where they impersonated so many of the doctors. Then, we had a small music program. The angklung and voice choir involved so many people, and it was definitely the highlight. Also, Wayne Shepperd came as a special guest to sing O Holy Night and Go, Tell It on the Mountain. To close the evening, Austin Colohan read an inspirational story.

This is the recipe, adapted from the New York Times article.

2 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup chopped Kalamata olives
1 cup water

Combine flour, yeast, salt, and olives in a large bowl. Slowly add 1 cup water and stir until blended. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for at least 12 hours at warm room temperature. This is best overnight or when started the morning before.

When the dough is ready, place dough on a lightly floured board, sprinkle flour on top and fold it over on itself several times. Then, cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.

Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking, gently shape dough into a ball. Coat a cotton towel with flour and put the dough, seam side down, on the towel. Dust with more flour. Cover with another towel and let rise for 2 hours. Dough is ready when it has more than doubled in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

A half-hour before dough is ready, preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Place a large covered Pyrex pot in the oven as it heats.

When the dough is ready, remove the pot from the oven. Turn dough over into the pot, seam side up, and replace the lid. Bake in the covered pot for 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake for another 30 minutes until perfectly browned. Cool on a rack.

Yield: 1 pound loaf

My morning, though, started in a really lazy way. I had a late breakfast, and afterwards, my dad and I spent some time doing stuff in the yard. After all, it’s fall planting season. We had gotten a lot more trees from the nursery in anticipation for this weekend’s planting activities.

The late lunch and dinner sort of flowed together. There wasn’t one real food theme, but the menu was more like a jumble of all sorts of comfort food. It was good to have everyone over, eating too much, and then napping too long. Now, the girls are off shopping—maybe until tomorrow afternoon.

Nicole Johnson, bestselling author, dramatized three messages for this evening’s event. In between, various musical groups shared uplifting messages for this Thanksgiving season.

About two months ago, Kathy McMillan, who put this wonderful program together, asked me to be the featured photographer for the slideshow. Several weeks later, she wrote me again to see if I had any connections to find her some musicians to accompany the slides. And her request was, “I am looking for an instrumental arrangement of All Things Bright and Beautiful, This is my Father’s World or For the Beauty of the Earth. Hopefully something luscious with an interesting accompaniment or arrangement. Any ideas?” After asking around, Ariana and Karl agreed to play, and we had a nice arrangement of This Is My Father’s World by the SOMA Trio.

Tonight, everything turned out very well. And the whole program served as a beautiful reminder, that there is so much to be thankful for.

Today, I have the chance to take the stroll outside. Patchy clouds meld together to form this impenetrable layer even though a light breeze stirs it. After a somewhat wet several weeks, the leaves actually show some fall color. This seems more apparent than most years. Several of the trident maples and Palo Alto sweetgums boast an intense red. The stands of zelkova trees along the western driveway blaze in orange. But this being southern California, most things turn yellow. This includes the goldenrain trees, tulip trees, and a staccato selection of bamboo leaves. My favorite are the gingko trees, where the leaves are symmetrical fans that droop delicately from the tracery of branches before dropping to blanket the dark earth below.