Today is Good Friday, March 21.
Last night I went to the Maundy Thursday service at my home church, where I was baptized in 1972. It was a joint service of the four United Methodist churches in my town. My minister, from the "large downtown" church I now attend, did the homily. It made me weepy, knowing that he will be leaving the ministry in a couple of months.
We had a joint choir as well, in which I sang. It has been about 35 years since I last sang in that choir loft but it felt like home. The song was a medley of "Be Still My Soul" with "You Raise Me Up."
Tonight I returned for the Tenebrae service. I felt so much love in this old church -- so many people still there whom I knew in my late teen years. There was a young family sitting behind me with two toddlers who were noisy -- obviously a distraction for many of the old folks there. I was trying hard to ride it out and was doing pretty good. All of a sudden one of the little ones was crawling beneath me, pushing through my legs! Mom slipped up behind me and whispered "I am SO SORRY." I just turned and told her not to worry. Jesus himself wanted the little children to come to Him, so tonight of all nights was not the time to be sending them away. Sure, the service is always "very nice" when it is observed in the intended silence and solemnity. But life is messy and loud and unplanned, despite our planning. Later, at the end of the service, Dad came to me also to apologize. I took his arm, looked him in the eye, and told him it was OK. They belonged there too. I know many of the older people wish the nursery had been open, but you know, we all survived fine.
Last night, there was a man in the mixed choir that I immediately recognized. Balding, with a white goatee, but I still knew him and asked him to tell me his name to make certain. It was a man who is on a waiting list for a heart transplant. The last time I saw him, I was in high school and he was one of the kids in the children's choir that I taught. I taught him the song he sang as his first solo in church. When I heard about his heart condition after moving back to town, that song immediately flooded my soul and I have sung it often as a prayer of intervention for him.
Tonight we walked into church at the same time and he asked me what the name of that song was. I told him, and then sang it to him. (This is soooo totally unlike me to just start singing to someone I hadn't seen in 35 years. I can't remember ever doing it before.)
Here are the words:
He Held Out His Hand to Me
Like a child in the dark,
I was so afraid
Looking over the mess
in the life that I've made.
But the Lord saw my fear
and He heard my faint plea,
And He held out His hand to me.
Who am I that a King holds His hand out to me?
Who am I that He gave up His life for me?
But the Lord saw my fear
And He heard my faint plea,
And He held out His hand to me.
*************************************
He started smiling and singing with me on the second line. We were both smiling, but had tears in our eyes. I knew he hadn't quite remembered me last night, since I am a few years older, but tonight -- tonight I know he knew me.
**************************************
My car is still in the shop being repaired. I now expect it to be finished on Monday. There have been delays in getting a door that will work and then in getting the trim pieces. So I still have the new rental car. I miss my car. I will be glad to get it back.
May God bless each of you this Easter as we celebrate His resurrection!
Friday, March 21, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
I must have been gone too long
It seems I've lost my readers. That's OK. I'll just keep writing and you can catch up when you check back. Boy, will you be surprised when you get here and see how much reading you have waiting for you!
Sorry I was gone so long. But I like surprising you every now and then by just popping back into the blogosphere.
I played hooky for a few hours this afternoon. I had to get a haircut and could only get an appointment this afternoon. And while I was at the salon, I impulsively decided to get my ears repierced.
The first time I got my ears pierced, I was 29 years old and was spending the summer in New York City while I was on a fellowship at United Features. One day I was walking past a luggage shop and they had a sign in the window that said "Ear Piercing." So I walked in, stood in the middle of the store, and they pierced my ears. It was one of the boldest things I had done to that point in my life, if you don't count spending two months in New York City alone, with no place to stay. But it opened the door to a barrage of other adventures. Permed hair. Shopping. Spending the Fourth of July on Long Island, at the beach, with strangers. Getting burned to a crisp. Watching the fireworks from the East River that night. Lunching with New York Mayor Mario Cuomo and the 1984 U.S. Olympic Team at Tavern on the Green. Going to the release party of a new analgesic called "Advil." Writing about the 1984 presidential campaign. Serializing a book for Shari Lewis. Writing about acid rain. Writing trivia quizzes for the first "videotext" services, to introduce people to the idea of reading and shopping on computers, through this thing called "the internet." I didn't invent it, but I did provide some of the first content for it!
Anyway, that's what was happening the first time I got my ears pierced. Over time, I became lax about wearing earrings. Life wasn't nearly as exciting as it was in 1984 after I came back home to Oklahoma.
And things are even less exciting now that I'm living back in my hometown. So I needed to shake things up again. I wanted to be able to wear those earrings! And who knows, there may still be some interesting encounters and some choice work for me to do again.
Universe, I'm ready! Just let me get my earrings in!
(Oh yea! I also wrote a section in the 1985 World Almanac on the environment. A former coworker sniffed and said "just one?" I said "YEAH! ONE! How many did YOU write?")
Sorry I was gone so long. But I like surprising you every now and then by just popping back into the blogosphere.
I played hooky for a few hours this afternoon. I had to get a haircut and could only get an appointment this afternoon. And while I was at the salon, I impulsively decided to get my ears repierced.
The first time I got my ears pierced, I was 29 years old and was spending the summer in New York City while I was on a fellowship at United Features. One day I was walking past a luggage shop and they had a sign in the window that said "Ear Piercing." So I walked in, stood in the middle of the store, and they pierced my ears. It was one of the boldest things I had done to that point in my life, if you don't count spending two months in New York City alone, with no place to stay. But it opened the door to a barrage of other adventures. Permed hair. Shopping. Spending the Fourth of July on Long Island, at the beach, with strangers. Getting burned to a crisp. Watching the fireworks from the East River that night. Lunching with New York Mayor Mario Cuomo and the 1984 U.S. Olympic Team at Tavern on the Green. Going to the release party of a new analgesic called "Advil." Writing about the 1984 presidential campaign. Serializing a book for Shari Lewis. Writing about acid rain. Writing trivia quizzes for the first "videotext" services, to introduce people to the idea of reading and shopping on computers, through this thing called "the internet." I didn't invent it, but I did provide some of the first content for it!
Anyway, that's what was happening the first time I got my ears pierced. Over time, I became lax about wearing earrings. Life wasn't nearly as exciting as it was in 1984 after I came back home to Oklahoma.
And things are even less exciting now that I'm living back in my hometown. So I needed to shake things up again. I wanted to be able to wear those earrings! And who knows, there may still be some interesting encounters and some choice work for me to do again.
Universe, I'm ready! Just let me get my earrings in!
(Oh yea! I also wrote a section in the 1985 World Almanac on the environment. A former coworker sniffed and said "just one?" I said "YEAH! ONE! How many did YOU write?")
Monday, March 17, 2008
It's Official!
Now I can tell you about the great new project I'm involved in! I've just spoken with the project's founder and finalized our agreement.
I'm the new chairman for the Oklahoma Chapter of ConKerr Cancer: A Case for Smiles. This is a project that provides cheerful pillowcases for children with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.
Even before getting the last details in place, I have received a stack of pillowcases from women here who have already taken on the sewing with gusto! There is also a school int he Oklahoma Panhandle where each student is making a pillowcase for another child, and I'll be receiving those as well! This network is springing up almost without effort -- a sign that this is a good project that will do well.
There will be photos coming soon, and more information. Here is a link to the National ConKerr Cancer site: ConKerr Cancer. The site explains more about the project, how it came about, and how large it is growing across America.
Any Oklahoma sewists who would like to contact me about this state project may e-mail me at ConKerrCancerOK at gmail.com (address split to prevent spambots from harvesting this address. I need to keep it spam-free, please!)
This is a project that takes little effort for the great benefit it provides -- a lot of bang for the buck, so to speak. Imagine being a child who has to go to the hospital frequently. It might be a small thing, but wouldn't it make you happy to receive a bright, colorful new pillowcase every time you had to go in? Some kids, unfortunately, get quite a collection. But isn't it a small investment for us to make to ease their discomfort just a bit?
Expect to hear more from me on this... I'm very excited about getting it going!
I'm the new chairman for the Oklahoma Chapter of ConKerr Cancer: A Case for Smiles. This is a project that provides cheerful pillowcases for children with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.
Even before getting the last details in place, I have received a stack of pillowcases from women here who have already taken on the sewing with gusto! There is also a school int he Oklahoma Panhandle where each student is making a pillowcase for another child, and I'll be receiving those as well! This network is springing up almost without effort -- a sign that this is a good project that will do well.
There will be photos coming soon, and more information. Here is a link to the National ConKerr Cancer site: ConKerr Cancer. The site explains more about the project, how it came about, and how large it is growing across America.
Any Oklahoma sewists who would like to contact me about this state project may e-mail me at ConKerrCancerOK at gmail.com (address split to prevent spambots from harvesting this address. I need to keep it spam-free, please!)
This is a project that takes little effort for the great benefit it provides -- a lot of bang for the buck, so to speak. Imagine being a child who has to go to the hospital frequently. It might be a small thing, but wouldn't it make you happy to receive a bright, colorful new pillowcase every time you had to go in? Some kids, unfortunately, get quite a collection. But isn't it a small investment for us to make to ease their discomfort just a bit?
Expect to hear more from me on this... I'm very excited about getting it going!
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Very Cool Discovery
Man, I wish I could tell you how I stumbled across this great find. It was through a blog connected to another blog ... you know how that goes when you go snooping through peoples' links to find new sites.
ANYWAY, it's a great discovery for those of us who appreciate the history of the domestic arts. The University of California Libraries digitized The Chicago Evening American Cookbook for Microsoft. It is alternately titled "A Book of Practical Recipes for the Housewife."
The whole book is available, free, to anyone on the internet. I'm sure there are other such treasures so shared, but this is my first encounter with one that I cared about.
I am a collector of old cookbooks. I have more than 150 of them and precious little space for my collection. I need to thin the herd, but I cannot part with the REALLY old ones -- the one my grandmother got as a wedding present nearly 100 years ago, the World War II vintage books that include sections on cooking with rationing coupons, my great-aunt's World War I vintage ledger with her recipes written in pencil in her own hand.
This Chicago Evening American is such a cookbook, written with the assistance of 13,000 women. Here, from the acknowledgments:
I'm trying to find some publication date, but have not yet succeeded. I know this has to be a later publication than some of my older books -- I'm guessing c. WWII perhaps, because it does have actual oven temperatures included in SOME of the recipes, rather than just references to "hot" or "moderate" oven. An online newsletter from the Culinary Historians of Chicago suggests the book was published in or before 1948. Perhaps. There are instructions for pasteurizing milk and the like, but still plenty of recipes that include raw eggs. Ah the good old days! And there are several butter substitutes included that no longer are available.
If you have an interest in the history of domestic arts, take a look at this online book and enjoy! Maybe it will help you remember what it felt like to visit Grandma's house, or the activity that went on in ladies' homes just before the bridge club arrived for cards and treats.
Here's the link:
Chicago Evening American Cookbook
ANYWAY, it's a great discovery for those of us who appreciate the history of the domestic arts. The University of California Libraries digitized The Chicago Evening American Cookbook for Microsoft. It is alternately titled "A Book of Practical Recipes for the Housewife."
The whole book is available, free, to anyone on the internet. I'm sure there are other such treasures so shared, but this is my first encounter with one that I cared about.
I am a collector of old cookbooks. I have more than 150 of them and precious little space for my collection. I need to thin the herd, but I cannot part with the REALLY old ones -- the one my grandmother got as a wedding present nearly 100 years ago, the World War II vintage books that include sections on cooking with rationing coupons, my great-aunt's World War I vintage ledger with her recipes written in pencil in her own hand.
This Chicago Evening American is such a cookbook, written with the assistance of 13,000 women. Here, from the acknowledgments:
The pages which follow were compiled
with a view to supplying dependable
recipes.
Grateful acknowledgment is hereby
made to more than 13,000 housewives,
ready and willing to contribute their
favorite recipes and thereby help to
make this Cook Book possible.
-- Chicago Evening American
I'm trying to find some publication date, but have not yet succeeded. I know this has to be a later publication than some of my older books -- I'm guessing c. WWII perhaps, because it does have actual oven temperatures included in SOME of the recipes, rather than just references to "hot" or "moderate" oven. An online newsletter from the Culinary Historians of Chicago suggests the book was published in or before 1948. Perhaps. There are instructions for pasteurizing milk and the like, but still plenty of recipes that include raw eggs. Ah the good old days! And there are several butter substitutes included that no longer are available.
If you have an interest in the history of domestic arts, take a look at this online book and enjoy! Maybe it will help you remember what it felt like to visit Grandma's house, or the activity that went on in ladies' homes just before the bridge club arrived for cards and treats.
Here's the link:
Chicago Evening American Cookbook
Saturday, March 15, 2008
This and That
OK, it's been a while. I know you have all missed me terribly!
So here's a catch-up post. I'll try to do better at posting more often.
First, my car is still in the body shop. I called just before closing time yesterday (Friday) after taking it in on Monday. The guy had just gotten the driver's door. Apparently he checked out four salvage doors, none of which was acceptable, so he got me a new door. Let's all say "woot!"
This was supposed to be a six-day repair. When I took it in, he said he hoped he might get it to me by the end of the week. Obviously that did not happen. They'll install and paint it Monday. I'll just be patient until they let me know it's ready. I've got a Chevy Cobalt as a rental. It's a 2008 --it's OK, but I will be very happy to have my own 13-year-old car back. The Cobalt is bright red but doesn't have much in the way of accessories. I miss my car, with its power locks and windows. And it's MY car.
OK, so that's the car.
I had company last night. My best friends from the OKC area (rural Jones) came up for a wedding at the Marland Mansion. Cliff was in the band for the reception (the wedding was for the daughter of a fellow band member). While they were setting up, Anne and I were able to go to dinner. Service was INCREDIBLY SLOW. Good thing she just got a salad and I just got a quesadilla. No telling how late she would have been to the wedding if we'd ordered something that took any time at all to cook!
They had discussed spending the night with me so I made my bedroom guest-ready. The rest of the house was decidedly NOT company ready. I still struggle with this house. Anyway, after the wedding, they came by and had decided to go ahead and drive home because her mother was coming to visit this morning and they thought it would be easier on all of them if she awoke them when she arrived, rather than them rushing to get back this morning to meet her. We had time for a good visit before they hit the road, but I worried about how tired they were. I'm glad they were traveling together so they could make sure they stayed awake on the way home.
And of course, that meant I got to enjoy the company-ready bedroom myself! I guess it was a fair trade for not having their company for longer. Now that spring is here I hope to see more of them, either here or there. I've missed them and all my other Oklahoma City friends a LOT.
I wound up working today for a few hours. Working six days a week IS NOT FUN. I hate not having much of a life. GROWL. I took a long nap when I got home to help my lousy attitude. It only helped some.
Someone on one of my message boards raised an interesting question which I pondered for several hours today. The question is: Do you think that modern life is faster, more stressful, and expensive than it used to be in your life?
The immediate response is "Duh. Yeah!" But as I am wont to do, I took off on a tangent with this, turning over a lot of thoughts. I even took off and went to the cemetery to "visit" my mother and brother. I also stopped by to "see" my friend J.T.'s mom, nearby. While looking for her, I literally stumbled upon my next door neighbor from my childhood, who, coincidentally, is next to J.T.'s grandparents. (Weird, huh?) Anyway, a lot of thoughts came to me while I visited with her.
I'd say that I now understand that I have immense choice in how I live my life. Although I feel more like a "big city" woman than this "small town" girl now, I understand that here I can have the best blend of things -- for now. It does not have to be forever. When I am ready, I can choose changes.
But here I have the technological advantages of being connected to the world, combined with relative peace (at least outside of work. I can't control the office.) I have the ability to live a simpler life using fewer of the earth's resources. I can continue to make my contributions to the Greater Good in valuable ways. My circle of influence is not defined by the city limits.
What I worry about here is not so much the worship of abundance, but the decay that comes with reduced incomes, drug use and loss of hope in a community. Yes, the desire to "have everything" does still exist here, but drug use, domestic violence and child abuse are the big factors I see at play. Those are the things I would change if I had an hour with the Magic Wand.
In my time this afternoon with Mrs. Reinking at her grave, I knew that some things remain the same in value -- time spent with family and neighbors, the importance of a sense of home and a high-quality domestic life. It became ever clearer to me that a lot of those values were instilled in me by her -- cooking, sewing, quilting, baking, hosting friends. Those are not throw-away values as some might think.
I'll continue to do more pondering. But one of the practical things I have to deal with now is a mess in the garage. While I was doing laundry last night waiting for company, a huge bottle of the high-efficiency laundry detergent fell off the washer. The lid came out and I now have a lovely blue lake on the floor of my garage. I can't get to the washer OR the dryer without cleaning this up first. I guess I'm going to have to take my tea towels out there to mop it up, then use them in my next several loads of laundry so it doesn't all go to waste entirely. GROWL.
Hey, one good thing this afternoon: I went to Blockbuster and got a card so I can rent movies. I still don't have television, but at least maybe I can watch SOMETHING for entertainment!
In other news: I am sadly disappointed and angry about events at my church. The staff-parish relations committee has asked that a new minister be appointed at my church at the end of this church year, which will be June 1. This is a record in my experience in the United Methodist Church, since he and I arrived at this church at the same time, in June, just nine months ago. I have admired him and found him to be an exceptional minister who was tossed into a difficult assignment. He walked into a church that was in the midst of a massive rebuilding project, which contributed to declining attendance and finances. These were issues that were not of his making.
I have walked out of several gatherings over the past several months when church members started gossiping about "setting that man straight" on this or that imagined slight. One of the hot buttons that I found totally ridiculous was a raging complaint about changes in the church bulletin. Lord, help us.
There is a good chance that I will find it necessary to move my membership to another congregation, but I plan to stay as long as the current pastor is still here.
More next time on a new project I'm taking on. It's a good one... so come back soon!
So here's a catch-up post. I'll try to do better at posting more often.
First, my car is still in the body shop. I called just before closing time yesterday (Friday) after taking it in on Monday. The guy had just gotten the driver's door. Apparently he checked out four salvage doors, none of which was acceptable, so he got me a new door. Let's all say "woot!"
This was supposed to be a six-day repair. When I took it in, he said he hoped he might get it to me by the end of the week. Obviously that did not happen. They'll install and paint it Monday. I'll just be patient until they let me know it's ready. I've got a Chevy Cobalt as a rental. It's a 2008 --it's OK, but I will be very happy to have my own 13-year-old car back. The Cobalt is bright red but doesn't have much in the way of accessories. I miss my car, with its power locks and windows. And it's MY car.
OK, so that's the car.
I had company last night. My best friends from the OKC area (rural Jones) came up for a wedding at the Marland Mansion. Cliff was in the band for the reception (the wedding was for the daughter of a fellow band member). While they were setting up, Anne and I were able to go to dinner. Service was INCREDIBLY SLOW. Good thing she just got a salad and I just got a quesadilla. No telling how late she would have been to the wedding if we'd ordered something that took any time at all to cook!
They had discussed spending the night with me so I made my bedroom guest-ready. The rest of the house was decidedly NOT company ready. I still struggle with this house. Anyway, after the wedding, they came by and had decided to go ahead and drive home because her mother was coming to visit this morning and they thought it would be easier on all of them if she awoke them when she arrived, rather than them rushing to get back this morning to meet her. We had time for a good visit before they hit the road, but I worried about how tired they were. I'm glad they were traveling together so they could make sure they stayed awake on the way home.
And of course, that meant I got to enjoy the company-ready bedroom myself! I guess it was a fair trade for not having their company for longer. Now that spring is here I hope to see more of them, either here or there. I've missed them and all my other Oklahoma City friends a LOT.
I wound up working today for a few hours. Working six days a week IS NOT FUN. I hate not having much of a life. GROWL. I took a long nap when I got home to help my lousy attitude. It only helped some.
Someone on one of my message boards raised an interesting question which I pondered for several hours today. The question is: Do you think that modern life is faster, more stressful, and expensive than it used to be in your life?
The immediate response is "Duh. Yeah!" But as I am wont to do, I took off on a tangent with this, turning over a lot of thoughts. I even took off and went to the cemetery to "visit" my mother and brother. I also stopped by to "see" my friend J.T.'s mom, nearby. While looking for her, I literally stumbled upon my next door neighbor from my childhood, who, coincidentally, is next to J.T.'s grandparents. (Weird, huh?) Anyway, a lot of thoughts came to me while I visited with her.
I'd say that I now understand that I have immense choice in how I live my life. Although I feel more like a "big city" woman than this "small town" girl now, I understand that here I can have the best blend of things -- for now. It does not have to be forever. When I am ready, I can choose changes.
But here I have the technological advantages of being connected to the world, combined with relative peace (at least outside of work. I can't control the office.) I have the ability to live a simpler life using fewer of the earth's resources. I can continue to make my contributions to the Greater Good in valuable ways. My circle of influence is not defined by the city limits.
What I worry about here is not so much the worship of abundance, but the decay that comes with reduced incomes, drug use and loss of hope in a community. Yes, the desire to "have everything" does still exist here, but drug use, domestic violence and child abuse are the big factors I see at play. Those are the things I would change if I had an hour with the Magic Wand.
In my time this afternoon with Mrs. Reinking at her grave, I knew that some things remain the same in value -- time spent with family and neighbors, the importance of a sense of home and a high-quality domestic life. It became ever clearer to me that a lot of those values were instilled in me by her -- cooking, sewing, quilting, baking, hosting friends. Those are not throw-away values as some might think.
I'll continue to do more pondering. But one of the practical things I have to deal with now is a mess in the garage. While I was doing laundry last night waiting for company, a huge bottle of the high-efficiency laundry detergent fell off the washer. The lid came out and I now have a lovely blue lake on the floor of my garage. I can't get to the washer OR the dryer without cleaning this up first. I guess I'm going to have to take my tea towels out there to mop it up, then use them in my next several loads of laundry so it doesn't all go to waste entirely. GROWL.
Hey, one good thing this afternoon: I went to Blockbuster and got a card so I can rent movies. I still don't have television, but at least maybe I can watch SOMETHING for entertainment!
In other news: I am sadly disappointed and angry about events at my church. The staff-parish relations committee has asked that a new minister be appointed at my church at the end of this church year, which will be June 1. This is a record in my experience in the United Methodist Church, since he and I arrived at this church at the same time, in June, just nine months ago. I have admired him and found him to be an exceptional minister who was tossed into a difficult assignment. He walked into a church that was in the midst of a massive rebuilding project, which contributed to declining attendance and finances. These were issues that were not of his making.
I have walked out of several gatherings over the past several months when church members started gossiping about "setting that man straight" on this or that imagined slight. One of the hot buttons that I found totally ridiculous was a raging complaint about changes in the church bulletin. Lord, help us.
There is a good chance that I will find it necessary to move my membership to another congregation, but I plan to stay as long as the current pastor is still here.
More next time on a new project I'm taking on. It's a good one... so come back soon!
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Congratulations, E.R.!
Congratulations to blogging buddy E.R., on his first-place award in a professional awards contest. He and the other winners celebrated in fine style at a newly restored hotel in the downtown metro area last night. Way to go!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Hanging in there -- kind of
Thanks for your notes. It's been about five days since I've felt really well. I am guessing I've been plowed by the Norovirus -- the fancy official name of the stomach bug. Some days I'll start feeling better, and I'll take a chance and eat something. And that can be a serious error in judgment!
I've not gotten much sleep -- this thing seems to like to attack me in the wee hours of the morning, and with a vengeance. So, interrupted sleep, lack of food, lack of appetite, lack of energy -- makes daily life a little more difficult.
There's nothing that can be done medically, so I guess in a day or so this will have run its course and I can start recovering. I left work early today to try to get some rest, and it was nice actually getting to sleep for a couple of hours this afternoon.
One thing I worry about is how it all affects my blood sugar. I've tried to keep some sick day supplies on hand as recommended in the diabetes education classes, just to keep from going completely haywire.
Last night I covered a police department appreciation dinner -- the chief had invited me and gave me a free ticket for the dinner. I have a lot of respect for the department and was happy to cover the dinner. It was a great meal, too, but I could only eat a small portion and still paid for it all night. They had ham -- one of my favorites. And it was a HUGE portion. Oh well, can't win them all. I was happy with what I could manage, for a while. LOL.
Anyway, enough of that. I still haven't gotten my car in to get it repaired. I'm making myself a note to get started on that tomorrow. The insurance company part is all taken care of. I just need to take the car in to have them see what work they have to do, then schedule a time for them to do it and a rental car during that time.
I'm also planning to go to Tulsa on Saturday to meet up with some old friends from my previous handbell choir at a bell festival. And I'm thinking of renting a car over the weekend for safety's sake -- don't want to risk having some hidden damage become suddenly apparent on that trip. Ideally, of course, my car would be in for repairs and I could just have the car over the weekend while the insurance covers it. Is my luck that good? We'll see... But weekend rentals are not horrible at any rate, in my experience.
I'm happy to report my schedule this week has not been as heavy as last week, when I worked 55.5 hours (another half hour would have made 7 work days!) I guess I picked the right time to be down sick.
I'll be very happy when the weather starts to get milder. In another month, we should be getting our first hints of springtime weather. I have great memories of flying kites on St. Patrick's Day. Boy, would that be fun!
OH! Speaking of fun -- my fun assignment yesterday was covering the opening of a new playground at one of the elementary schools, built by the PTA parents and community volunteers! Wow! Talk about excited kids! I was up taking pictures from the top of the fort, and a preschool girl grabbed my hand and said "Teacher, you need to slide too!" So down we went, together, on the double-wide slide. Wow, was it fast! I think I aggravated an old tailbone injury though, as we came to the end. I didn't realize it until I was trying to get out of bed in the middle of the night.
Here are the kids saluting the volunteers who built their playground:
I've not gotten much sleep -- this thing seems to like to attack me in the wee hours of the morning, and with a vengeance. So, interrupted sleep, lack of food, lack of appetite, lack of energy -- makes daily life a little more difficult.
There's nothing that can be done medically, so I guess in a day or so this will have run its course and I can start recovering. I left work early today to try to get some rest, and it was nice actually getting to sleep for a couple of hours this afternoon.
One thing I worry about is how it all affects my blood sugar. I've tried to keep some sick day supplies on hand as recommended in the diabetes education classes, just to keep from going completely haywire.
Last night I covered a police department appreciation dinner -- the chief had invited me and gave me a free ticket for the dinner. I have a lot of respect for the department and was happy to cover the dinner. It was a great meal, too, but I could only eat a small portion and still paid for it all night. They had ham -- one of my favorites. And it was a HUGE portion. Oh well, can't win them all. I was happy with what I could manage, for a while. LOL.
Anyway, enough of that. I still haven't gotten my car in to get it repaired. I'm making myself a note to get started on that tomorrow. The insurance company part is all taken care of. I just need to take the car in to have them see what work they have to do, then schedule a time for them to do it and a rental car during that time.
I'm also planning to go to Tulsa on Saturday to meet up with some old friends from my previous handbell choir at a bell festival. And I'm thinking of renting a car over the weekend for safety's sake -- don't want to risk having some hidden damage become suddenly apparent on that trip. Ideally, of course, my car would be in for repairs and I could just have the car over the weekend while the insurance covers it. Is my luck that good? We'll see... But weekend rentals are not horrible at any rate, in my experience.
I'm happy to report my schedule this week has not been as heavy as last week, when I worked 55.5 hours (another half hour would have made 7 work days!) I guess I picked the right time to be down sick.
I'll be very happy when the weather starts to get milder. In another month, we should be getting our first hints of springtime weather. I have great memories of flying kites on St. Patrick's Day. Boy, would that be fun!
OH! Speaking of fun -- my fun assignment yesterday was covering the opening of a new playground at one of the elementary schools, built by the PTA parents and community volunteers! Wow! Talk about excited kids! I was up taking pictures from the top of the fort, and a preschool girl grabbed my hand and said "Teacher, you need to slide too!" So down we went, together, on the double-wide slide. Wow, was it fast! I think I aggravated an old tailbone injury though, as we came to the end. I didn't realize it until I was trying to get out of bed in the middle of the night.
Here are the kids saluting the volunteers who built their playground:
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Dropped Out
Today was a drop-out day for me. I have not left the house and don't plan to this evening.
I've been hit with a stomach virus the past couple of days and have lost most of my energy. I had to work yesterday, and I was able to have dinner with JT last night, which was very enjoyable. But that's all I can manage until I start feeling better.
I've slept late; I've read a little. I heated up a frozen box of something or other just so I could say I tried eating something. And I'm trying to get some laundry done.
My house is a pigsty, and so it will stay for a while, despite my best intentions. I can't even believe it's almost 6 p.m. on Sunday. I wish I could just jump up, do a load of dishes, vacuum and dust and scrub and pronounce the house clean. Yeah. I'd need Samantha Stevens' nose to do any of that, nice as it may sound.
Guess I'll head out to the garage to see if it's time to do the laundry flip-flop yet.
I hope you all are feeling better and more energetic than this. I'm just glad it's not what I'd call the full-fledged flu. I keep saying I refuse to get it -- no matter that 2 of the 9 people in my office have already succumbed and a third is likely down for the count too.
I've been hit with a stomach virus the past couple of days and have lost most of my energy. I had to work yesterday, and I was able to have dinner with JT last night, which was very enjoyable. But that's all I can manage until I start feeling better.
I've slept late; I've read a little. I heated up a frozen box of something or other just so I could say I tried eating something. And I'm trying to get some laundry done.
My house is a pigsty, and so it will stay for a while, despite my best intentions. I can't even believe it's almost 6 p.m. on Sunday. I wish I could just jump up, do a load of dishes, vacuum and dust and scrub and pronounce the house clean. Yeah. I'd need Samantha Stevens' nose to do any of that, nice as it may sound.
Guess I'll head out to the garage to see if it's time to do the laundry flip-flop yet.
I hope you all are feeling better and more energetic than this. I'm just glad it's not what I'd call the full-fledged flu. I keep saying I refuse to get it -- no matter that 2 of the 9 people in my office have already succumbed and a third is likely down for the count too.
Monday, February 11, 2008
A prayer
Make us what you will, Lord, and send us where we are to go. Let us be vessels of silver or gold, or vessels of wood or stone; as long as we are vessels of honor we are content.
If we are not the head, or the eye, or the ear, one of the nobler and more honorable instruments, then let us be the hands, or the feet, as one of the lowest and least esteemed of all the servants of our Lord.
Lord, place us in your kingdom in the roles you have designed for us.
Lord, make all of us your servants.
In exalted places, or humble places.
Let us be full; let us be empty.
Let us have all things; let us have nothing.
We freely and gladly embrace our places in your kingdom.
(from the Wesley Covenant Service)
If we are not the head, or the eye, or the ear, one of the nobler and more honorable instruments, then let us be the hands, or the feet, as one of the lowest and least esteemed of all the servants of our Lord.
Lord, place us in your kingdom in the roles you have designed for us.
Lord, make all of us your servants.
In exalted places, or humble places.
Let us be full; let us be empty.
Let us have all things; let us have nothing.
We freely and gladly embrace our places in your kingdom.
(from the Wesley Covenant Service)
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Bad night
I think I totaled my car tonight.
It was about 9:30 p.m., and I was driving home after a meeting in the university town about 40 miles south of where I'm living. I got within about 10 miles of home when I hit an icy bridge and lost control.
I think I hit (or probably nearly hit) the left side of the bridge. Then I spun and hit the right side of the bridge squarely with the front of my car. I bounced off it, and was facing the left side again when I stopped, only to see the SUV that was behind me spinning out and basically repeating my path. I knew it was going to hit me, so I turned my head to keep from tensing up as it approached. No sense inviting pain, I figured (or not. I didn't have time for conscious thought, but I know I didn't want glass in my face if the window broke.)
In a few seconds I felt the collision. When I looked back I saw that she had hit me with the butt-end of her car. She had made a 180 in the few seconds I wasn't watching. When she hit me, we both wound up facing the way we had just come, and somehow or other I was in front of her at this point, off on the far shoulder.
I grabbed my cell phone and reached a police department in another town; I was able to give the dispatcher enough info about our location that she was able to get the Highway Patrol there in just a few short minutes.
The trooper had me get in his car with my license and insurance. He wanted to know if I wanted him to work the accident or just do a report for insurance. I didn't know what the "right" thing was. He said, Well, if I work it, you'll probably be the one to get a ticket." I asked why, since it was caused by ice that wasn't apparent to any of us. He said "Because none of these other cars is having a problem driving across the bridge." OK, right after we collided, a third car also hit the bridge but kept driving. And lo, as soon as the words were out of his mouth, two more cars collided right in the same place. When I got back in my car, just as he was returning my papers to me, two more cars collided. He told me I could go, and I said I would, just as soon as it was clear for me to turn around. He said "I thought you were southbound." NO, trooper, I was northbound. That's what I've been telling you. The ice -- the spinning.... He corrected the report. And crash, two more cars collided.
I headed north, and at the far end of the bridge (the end I hadn't made it to yet) there were two more cars down in the ditch with big hunks of bumpers or fenders or something on the road. And here came another car which promptly bounced off the bridge right as it passed me.
( got another quarter of a mile and there was ... you guessed it, two more cars that had collided.
It was NOT a good night. I felt blessed that I was alive and that my car was still driveable.
It is a 13-year old car with 153,000 miles on it. I expect the insurance company will total it. Just at first glance, though, most of the damage seems to be confined to the driver's side door and the front bumper. I'll have to have it checked for other damage, of course.
The SUV had a broken tail light. And that driver's license was suspended.
I'm fine. I feel no pain at this point and the adrenaline shake has stopped. It's nearly midnight, and I might be able to sleep in another 30 minutes or so.
Funny. On the drive down I was just thinking that I'm sure not in a position to get a different car just now. Guess I might have to rethink that, like it or not. I sure have loved this car. I got it for my 40th birthday and it has served me so well.
It was about 9:30 p.m., and I was driving home after a meeting in the university town about 40 miles south of where I'm living. I got within about 10 miles of home when I hit an icy bridge and lost control.
I think I hit (or probably nearly hit) the left side of the bridge. Then I spun and hit the right side of the bridge squarely with the front of my car. I bounced off it, and was facing the left side again when I stopped, only to see the SUV that was behind me spinning out and basically repeating my path. I knew it was going to hit me, so I turned my head to keep from tensing up as it approached. No sense inviting pain, I figured (or not. I didn't have time for conscious thought, but I know I didn't want glass in my face if the window broke.)
In a few seconds I felt the collision. When I looked back I saw that she had hit me with the butt-end of her car. She had made a 180 in the few seconds I wasn't watching. When she hit me, we both wound up facing the way we had just come, and somehow or other I was in front of her at this point, off on the far shoulder.
I grabbed my cell phone and reached a police department in another town; I was able to give the dispatcher enough info about our location that she was able to get the Highway Patrol there in just a few short minutes.
The trooper had me get in his car with my license and insurance. He wanted to know if I wanted him to work the accident or just do a report for insurance. I didn't know what the "right" thing was. He said, Well, if I work it, you'll probably be the one to get a ticket." I asked why, since it was caused by ice that wasn't apparent to any of us. He said "Because none of these other cars is having a problem driving across the bridge." OK, right after we collided, a third car also hit the bridge but kept driving. And lo, as soon as the words were out of his mouth, two more cars collided right in the same place. When I got back in my car, just as he was returning my papers to me, two more cars collided. He told me I could go, and I said I would, just as soon as it was clear for me to turn around. He said "I thought you were southbound." NO, trooper, I was northbound. That's what I've been telling you. The ice -- the spinning.... He corrected the report. And crash, two more cars collided.
I headed north, and at the far end of the bridge (the end I hadn't made it to yet) there were two more cars down in the ditch with big hunks of bumpers or fenders or something on the road. And here came another car which promptly bounced off the bridge right as it passed me.
( got another quarter of a mile and there was ... you guessed it, two more cars that had collided.
It was NOT a good night. I felt blessed that I was alive and that my car was still driveable.
It is a 13-year old car with 153,000 miles on it. I expect the insurance company will total it. Just at first glance, though, most of the damage seems to be confined to the driver's side door and the front bumper. I'll have to have it checked for other damage, of course.
The SUV had a broken tail light. And that driver's license was suspended.
I'm fine. I feel no pain at this point and the adrenaline shake has stopped. It's nearly midnight, and I might be able to sleep in another 30 minutes or so.
Funny. On the drive down I was just thinking that I'm sure not in a position to get a different car just now. Guess I might have to rethink that, like it or not. I sure have loved this car. I got it for my 40th birthday and it has served me so well.
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Yahoo!!!
I just found two big plastic bags filled with my favorite winter clothes -- one bag of just sweatshirts and sweat pants; the other my very favorite sweaters! I've been wondering where they were. Turns out they were "hiding" in my "spare" room/office/reading room/Lord help me! space.
I'm so happy! This is better than Christmas or going shopping, because I already know I like all these things! Yahoo!!!
I'm so happy! This is better than Christmas or going shopping, because I already know I like all these things! Yahoo!!!
Friday, February 01, 2008
I Am Diabetic
I had been planning to do this essay about being diabetic, but hadn't had time to set up and shoot the photos. In response to Tech's comment on my bread-making post, however, I've gone ahead and gotten it together.
Tech's post about diabetics limiting bread was not mean-spirited. We're in this battle together, so it was definitely a thoughtful question. Of course I promptly told him to shush it, because, well ... I like bread.
However, I don't want to imply that I'm careless enough in my diabetes management to disregard sound nutritional advice. Quite the contrary. Tech and I have both gone through diabetes education classes which are very intense and cover a huge range of information. One of those areas is nutrition, of course, and we learn how important it is to control (not eliminate) carbohydrate intake.
I am allowed seven servings of carbohydrates each day. Each serving is equivalent to 15 grams of carbs. Learning what a "serving" is is an ongoing education. I learn to read food labels. Other people may be watching fat intake; I have to watch that AND carbohydrates.
So, no, I don't want to give you the impression that I ate the whole thing last weekend when I made that great loaf of bread. I did not. Granted, I did not treat it with scientific precision when I did eat it. I guesstimated, and I knowingly overdid it, a bit. I enjoyed a splurge.
It would be one thing if I splurged on candy bars. Or potatoes. (Potatoes REALLY can send my blood sugar sky-high faster than candy!) But this was good-quality, whole grain, fresh bread with no preservatives, which I made myself. I did eat it with some moderation. I even have some left, if you can believe it.
OK, so what DOES being diabetic mean in practical terms in my daily life?
The biggest thing is that I test my blood sugar every day. Or nearly every day. There are times when the day is over before I get it done. That's OK. I still keep track of it several days a week, and I try to test at different times so I can see what might cause my numbers to be off track.
Here's what this new health routine looks like. Don't worry, I'll warn you before we get to anything that might make you queasy.
This is my testing kit. It includes my meter, a bottle of testing strips and what I call my "poke 'em stick." Other people call it a lancet. There's also a pocket that holds a log book so I can write my numbers down and study them over time.
Here's the meter. You can see it fits nicely in the palm of my hand.
Here is a test strip. It's some sort of a hard plastic which has a capillary channel through which the blood activates an electric signal. Somehow there's some hocus pocus built into this thing which lets the meter know how much glucose is floating around in my blood. Cool, huh, that a little thing like this can tell us so much.
The test strip goes into the top of the meter, turning the meter on.
Now comes the poke 'em stick -- er, lancet. It is spring loaded -- I draw back the trigger, and when I place it against the heel of my hand, I push the trigger and it launches the lancet. You big burly types that get faint at the notion of b-l-o-o-d may want to put your head between your knees right now and scroll past the next couple of photos.
I use alternate site testing -- what's that? It just means I do not stick my fingers! I'm so lucky to live in a time when finger-sticking is just one option for diabetic testing. I test on the heel of my hand, where there are lots of capillaries, and it does not hurt one bit. I promise you, I hardly feel it. No pain. This is good.
See? It was done in less than a second. Now I have a teeeeeeny tiny drop of blood on my hand, and I take the meter and the test strip to the drop and let the test strip siphon it into the meter. (Actually, the blood stays right in a tiny area of the test strip, probably less than 1/8th of an inch long, where all the electronic wizardry happens.
See? Not bad.
OK, guys, we're through with that. The machine counts down, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and then it tells me what my blood sugar level is.
LOOK!! It's good tonight. My level is 122, before I eat supper. I like that number.
I really like it because it was "eat like a Barbarian day." I had a huge and nutritionally improper breakfast, but it was cold and I was whiny and we ordered out at the office and I went to pick it up out in the cold.
And then at lunch we had submarine sandwiches. I ate mine without the bread, just snacking on the protein fillers. Plenty of yum, zero carbs.
Here's another component of my health care. I take a diabetes drug called Metformin. One pill, twice a day. It's a $4 prescription at Wal-Mart, for which I am truly grateful.
So there you have it in a nutshell:
1. Count carbs and eat a well-balanced, studied diet.
2. Don't eat the whole loaf of bread, even if you really like it.
3. Test blood sugar daily.
4. Take medication as prescribed.
In addition: Drink lots of water. This is really important for diabetics and is really good advice for everyone who is a human. Get exercise. It helps control the release of glucose into the blood stream. Get plenty of quality sleep. It's good for you and it feels really, really good.
And if you have diabetes, be grateful. It is definitely a manageable disease and you could wind up being healthier for it. Take a good diabetes education class and learn how to manage it and take good care of yourself.
Tech's post about diabetics limiting bread was not mean-spirited. We're in this battle together, so it was definitely a thoughtful question. Of course I promptly told him to shush it, because, well ... I like bread.
However, I don't want to imply that I'm careless enough in my diabetes management to disregard sound nutritional advice. Quite the contrary. Tech and I have both gone through diabetes education classes which are very intense and cover a huge range of information. One of those areas is nutrition, of course, and we learn how important it is to control (not eliminate) carbohydrate intake.
I am allowed seven servings of carbohydrates each day. Each serving is equivalent to 15 grams of carbs. Learning what a "serving" is is an ongoing education. I learn to read food labels. Other people may be watching fat intake; I have to watch that AND carbohydrates.
So, no, I don't want to give you the impression that I ate the whole thing last weekend when I made that great loaf of bread. I did not. Granted, I did not treat it with scientific precision when I did eat it. I guesstimated, and I knowingly overdid it, a bit. I enjoyed a splurge.
It would be one thing if I splurged on candy bars. Or potatoes. (Potatoes REALLY can send my blood sugar sky-high faster than candy!) But this was good-quality, whole grain, fresh bread with no preservatives, which I made myself. I did eat it with some moderation. I even have some left, if you can believe it.
OK, so what DOES being diabetic mean in practical terms in my daily life?
The biggest thing is that I test my blood sugar every day. Or nearly every day. There are times when the day is over before I get it done. That's OK. I still keep track of it several days a week, and I try to test at different times so I can see what might cause my numbers to be off track.
Here's what this new health routine looks like. Don't worry, I'll warn you before we get to anything that might make you queasy.
This is my testing kit. It includes my meter, a bottle of testing strips and what I call my "poke 'em stick." Other people call it a lancet. There's also a pocket that holds a log book so I can write my numbers down and study them over time.
Here's the meter. You can see it fits nicely in the palm of my hand.
Here is a test strip. It's some sort of a hard plastic which has a capillary channel through which the blood activates an electric signal. Somehow there's some hocus pocus built into this thing which lets the meter know how much glucose is floating around in my blood. Cool, huh, that a little thing like this can tell us so much.
The test strip goes into the top of the meter, turning the meter on.
Now comes the poke 'em stick -- er, lancet. It is spring loaded -- I draw back the trigger, and when I place it against the heel of my hand, I push the trigger and it launches the lancet. You big burly types that get faint at the notion of b-l-o-o-d may want to put your head between your knees right now and scroll past the next couple of photos.
I use alternate site testing -- what's that? It just means I do not stick my fingers! I'm so lucky to live in a time when finger-sticking is just one option for diabetic testing. I test on the heel of my hand, where there are lots of capillaries, and it does not hurt one bit. I promise you, I hardly feel it. No pain. This is good.
See? It was done in less than a second. Now I have a teeeeeeny tiny drop of blood on my hand, and I take the meter and the test strip to the drop and let the test strip siphon it into the meter. (Actually, the blood stays right in a tiny area of the test strip, probably less than 1/8th of an inch long, where all the electronic wizardry happens.
See? Not bad.
OK, guys, we're through with that. The machine counts down, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and then it tells me what my blood sugar level is.
LOOK!! It's good tonight. My level is 122, before I eat supper. I like that number.
I really like it because it was "eat like a Barbarian day." I had a huge and nutritionally improper breakfast, but it was cold and I was whiny and we ordered out at the office and I went to pick it up out in the cold.
And then at lunch we had submarine sandwiches. I ate mine without the bread, just snacking on the protein fillers. Plenty of yum, zero carbs.
Here's another component of my health care. I take a diabetes drug called Metformin. One pill, twice a day. It's a $4 prescription at Wal-Mart, for which I am truly grateful.
So there you have it in a nutshell:
1. Count carbs and eat a well-balanced, studied diet.
2. Don't eat the whole loaf of bread, even if you really like it.
3. Test blood sugar daily.
4. Take medication as prescribed.
In addition: Drink lots of water. This is really important for diabetics and is really good advice for everyone who is a human. Get exercise. It helps control the release of glucose into the blood stream. Get plenty of quality sleep. It's good for you and it feels really, really good.
And if you have diabetes, be grateful. It is definitely a manageable disease and you could wind up being healthier for it. Take a good diabetes education class and learn how to manage it and take good care of yourself.
The e-mail meme making the rounds
I'll jump on this bandwagon, too, since it seems to be getting around so quickly.
1. What is your occupation? City government and education reporter. Also domestic diva in my own mind.
2. What color are your socks right now? Oh thank goodness, those ARE socks! They are black. For a second I thought I had gangrene.
3. What are you listening to right now? The pinging of the floor furnace as it cools down.
4. What was the last thing that you ate? A cube of cheddar cheese.
5. Can you drive a stick shift? Oh yeah, baby.
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Plaid.
7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Indirectly, it was the police PIO. I actually had my co-worker call for me because I was closer to her desk than mine. Yeah, lazy.
8. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Yes. Only I had to pick it up off of Tech's blog.
9. How old are you today? 52 years, 10 months.
10. Favorite drink? Diet Coke. Or, as my co-worker calls it, "FAKE SUGAR!"
11. What is your favorite sport to watch? Do I hafta?
12. Have you ever dyed your hair? Oh, yes, yes. But that's all behind me now. I've been the gamut from blonde to burgundy. Now I embrace the gray.
13. Pets? Are nice. Wish I had a doggie.
14. Favorite food? Is there only one favorite? Because I sure seem to like a whole bunch of it.
15. Last movie you watched? Can't remember, it has been so long.
16. Favorite Day of the year? Oct. 15. No reason.
17. What do you do to vent anger? I mouth off a lot. I try to keep it in the shower, but oops, sometimes I slip up and say things at inappropriate moments.
18. What was your favorite toy as a child? My dolly Mary.
19. What is your favorite season? Fall!
20. Hugs or kisses? KISSES!!! (because it's hard to kiss without getting a hug in there too. I like both and will steal if necessary.)
21. Cherry or Blueberry? Cherry.
22. When was the last time you cried? Probably in the past few months, missing my old house and friends.
23. What is on the floor of your closet? Hmm. You know, I'm not sure. I haven't unpacked that stuff in the laundry basket to see what it is.
24. Who is the friend you have had the longest? Juan, since grade school.
25. Favorite smells? Sheesh, can't we narrow this down a little? Puppy breath, a baby's neck, food in the smoker, Picasso Paloma perfume on a hot summer night, Yankee candles on a cold winter night, pot roast cooking with rosemary and thyme....
26. Who inspires you? Mo Anderson, who went from being my grade school music teacher to the CEO of Keller Williams Realty.
27. What are you afraid of? Spending my life lonely.
28. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? Cheeboogie, cheeboogie, cheeboogie, Pepsi.
29. Favorite car? My 1995 Honda Civic, duh. That's why I've kept it so long!
30. Favorite cat breed? Someone else's.
31. Number of keys on your key ring? Dunno, and it's in the other room. Only three that matter any more.
32. How many years at your current job? Let's see, what is 8/12ths - three quarters of a year.
33. Favorite day of the week? Saturdays and Sundays, on weekends when I do not have to work. Working 6-day weeks sucks.
34. How many states have you lived in? 1, unless you count a two-month stint in Manhattan.
35. Do you think you're funny? I'm freakin' hilarious! Trust me on this if you can't tell.
1. What is your occupation? City government and education reporter. Also domestic diva in my own mind.
2. What color are your socks right now? Oh thank goodness, those ARE socks! They are black. For a second I thought I had gangrene.
3. What are you listening to right now? The pinging of the floor furnace as it cools down.
4. What was the last thing that you ate? A cube of cheddar cheese.
5. Can you drive a stick shift? Oh yeah, baby.
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Plaid.
7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Indirectly, it was the police PIO. I actually had my co-worker call for me because I was closer to her desk than mine. Yeah, lazy.
8. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Yes. Only I had to pick it up off of Tech's blog.
9. How old are you today? 52 years, 10 months.
10. Favorite drink? Diet Coke. Or, as my co-worker calls it, "FAKE SUGAR!"
11. What is your favorite sport to watch? Do I hafta?
12. Have you ever dyed your hair? Oh, yes, yes. But that's all behind me now. I've been the gamut from blonde to burgundy. Now I embrace the gray.
13. Pets? Are nice. Wish I had a doggie.
14. Favorite food? Is there only one favorite? Because I sure seem to like a whole bunch of it.
15. Last movie you watched? Can't remember, it has been so long.
16. Favorite Day of the year? Oct. 15. No reason.
17. What do you do to vent anger? I mouth off a lot. I try to keep it in the shower, but oops, sometimes I slip up and say things at inappropriate moments.
18. What was your favorite toy as a child? My dolly Mary.
19. What is your favorite season? Fall!
20. Hugs or kisses? KISSES!!! (because it's hard to kiss without getting a hug in there too. I like both and will steal if necessary.)
21. Cherry or Blueberry? Cherry.
22. When was the last time you cried? Probably in the past few months, missing my old house and friends.
23. What is on the floor of your closet? Hmm. You know, I'm not sure. I haven't unpacked that stuff in the laundry basket to see what it is.
24. Who is the friend you have had the longest? Juan, since grade school.
25. Favorite smells? Sheesh, can't we narrow this down a little? Puppy breath, a baby's neck, food in the smoker, Picasso Paloma perfume on a hot summer night, Yankee candles on a cold winter night, pot roast cooking with rosemary and thyme....
26. Who inspires you? Mo Anderson, who went from being my grade school music teacher to the CEO of Keller Williams Realty.
27. What are you afraid of? Spending my life lonely.
28. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? Cheeboogie, cheeboogie, cheeboogie, Pepsi.
29. Favorite car? My 1995 Honda Civic, duh. That's why I've kept it so long!
30. Favorite cat breed? Someone else's.
31. Number of keys on your key ring? Dunno, and it's in the other room. Only three that matter any more.
32. How many years at your current job? Let's see, what is 8/12ths - three quarters of a year.
33. Favorite day of the week? Saturdays and Sundays, on weekends when I do not have to work. Working 6-day weeks sucks.
34. How many states have you lived in? 1, unless you count a two-month stint in Manhattan.
35. Do you think you're funny? I'm freakin' hilarious! Trust me on this if you can't tell.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Home-made bread
I tried a new bread recipe this weekend. It was interesting in both ingredients and method -- some new twists and turns I'd not seen or tried before.
This is in the EXTREMELY EASY category. The trick is having enough time to commit to being present with this bread at a few critical moments. I'll do it again, now that I'm a little more familiar with its timing -- but I would consider this a "free weekend" project when you're housebound because of weather or sheer desire.
I'll go through some photos of the steps first, then will share the odd little recipe at the end:
First, all the things we need. Unbleached all-purpose flour; whole wheat flour, instant yeast, salt, water, BEER, vinegar.
Dry ingredients:
Wet ingredients. Mmm. Ingredients.
Stirred together to form a "shaggy ball."
All tucked in for the next 8 to 18 hours.
First rising:
Ready to knead:
Smooth as a baby's bottom:
Preparing a parchment lined skillet for the second rising:
Spraying the top with no-stick spray:
It took another two-hour nap at this point.
Now, I see if it's awake and finished rising the second time. Close enough.
The oven has been heated to 500 degrees, with the dutch oven inside. HOT.
I flour the top of the loaf:
And then cut a 6-inch slit in the top
Using the parchment sling, the loaf now gets popped into the very extremely hot *ouch* dutch oven. The lid is put on top.
Then the heat is turned down to 425 and the loaf bakes, covered, for 30 minutes. Then the lid comes off and it bakes for another 20 to 30 minutes untiil it is dark brown and an instant-read thermometer reads 210. (I'll check to see how it sounds.)
Then it cools for two hours on a wire rack while I run off to play handbells.
When I took the lid off the pot, the parchment had already turned brown. This will be interesting!
The Verdict: The bread is GREAT. Good, crusty, flavorful. Definitely a peasant type bread. Would make a great soup bowl type bread.
Straight out of the oven. Too hot to touch!
Back from bells -- about an hour and a half cooling time on the rack. Cut and ready for butter!
It's soooo good.
The regular bread recipe calls for 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour. The version I made substitutes 1 cup whole wheat flour for one cup of the unbleached.
I would make this again, now that I've got the hang of the timing. It would have to be on a weekend when I knew I would be home at the key times without being too stressed. Total time to do: 5 minutes for the mixing step. Lots of waiting. 5 minutes for the little bit of kneading before the second rise. 5 minutes to super-heat the oven and dutch oven. 5 minutes to get it ready to bake. An hour of time while it's in the oven.
There are other options in the recipe as well. I like this well enough to forego store bread. I just have to be careful not to devour the whole loaf when it comes out of the oven!
This is in the EXTREMELY EASY category. The trick is having enough time to commit to being present with this bread at a few critical moments. I'll do it again, now that I'm a little more familiar with its timing -- but I would consider this a "free weekend" project when you're housebound because of weather or sheer desire.
I'll go through some photos of the steps first, then will share the odd little recipe at the end:
First, all the things we need. Unbleached all-purpose flour; whole wheat flour, instant yeast, salt, water, BEER, vinegar.
Dry ingredients:
Wet ingredients. Mmm. Ingredients.
Stirred together to form a "shaggy ball."
All tucked in for the next 8 to 18 hours.
First rising:
Ready to knead:
Smooth as a baby's bottom:
Preparing a parchment lined skillet for the second rising:
Spraying the top with no-stick spray:
It took another two-hour nap at this point.
Now, I see if it's awake and finished rising the second time. Close enough.
The oven has been heated to 500 degrees, with the dutch oven inside. HOT.
I flour the top of the loaf:
And then cut a 6-inch slit in the top
Using the parchment sling, the loaf now gets popped into the very extremely hot *ouch* dutch oven. The lid is put on top.
Then the heat is turned down to 425 and the loaf bakes, covered, for 30 minutes. Then the lid comes off and it bakes for another 20 to 30 minutes untiil it is dark brown and an instant-read thermometer reads 210. (I'll check to see how it sounds.)
Then it cools for two hours on a wire rack while I run off to play handbells.
When I took the lid off the pot, the parchment had already turned brown. This will be interesting!
The Verdict: The bread is GREAT. Good, crusty, flavorful. Definitely a peasant type bread. Would make a great soup bowl type bread.
Straight out of the oven. Too hot to touch!
Back from bells -- about an hour and a half cooling time on the rack. Cut and ready for butter!
It's soooo good.
The regular bread recipe calls for 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour. The version I made substitutes 1 cup whole wheat flour for one cup of the unbleached.
I would make this again, now that I've got the hang of the timing. It would have to be on a weekend when I knew I would be home at the key times without being too stressed. Total time to do: 5 minutes for the mixing step. Lots of waiting. 5 minutes for the little bit of kneading before the second rise. 5 minutes to super-heat the oven and dutch oven. 5 minutes to get it ready to bake. An hour of time while it's in the oven.
There are other options in the recipe as well. I like this well enough to forego store bread. I just have to be careful not to devour the whole loaf when it comes out of the oven!
Friday, January 25, 2008
Oh, the traffic!
For a couple of weeks now, I've had a routine of counting the number of cars that cross my path in the morning on my drive to work -- specifically, I count how many cars I have to wait on in order to cross the street at each intersection.
Now, you might want to know that I drive down one street, Chestnut, from Thirteenth to Third (and yes, the formal names of the streets are spelled out here.) The main north-south street along my path is Fifth Street. Seventh Street is the heaviest secondary north-south street.
This morning I didn't have to wait on a single car! Not one! I thought for a minute the cable truck at Fourth Street was going to snag me, but sure enough, he cleared the intersection before I completed my stop at the stop sign.
One morning I hit it at the wrong time on Fifth Street. Cars were piled up everywhere. I had to wait for 10 (yes! Ten!) cars to cross before I could go.
I guess that's the hazard of crossing a four-lane road in the morning in the big town.
Most days the commute takes me two or three minutes. I think it took FOUR MINUTES to get to work that day. What's cool is that I have time to look at the drivers, and most days I know those people crossing my path. I see teachers, librarians, city office workers and others that I talk with regularly.
It's also fun in a voyeuristic sort of way driving through the one historic neighborhood in our town. It's pure coincidence that these are the people I've gotten to know best here. The old houses are charming, especially in the early-morning light. And there's a bit of something incongruent seeing these people leave their stately, well-ordered and preserved homes and rushing off in their SUVs and mom-mobiles. I like that. I like seeing them scurry off to jobs where they have to pretend that they weren't running behind trying to get there.
It's also fun watching the city manager's secretary, a tall, dour woman, walking towards city hall dressed in jeans, a blazer and high-heeled boots with little fur cuffs.
What sort of dichotomous observations have you had about the people you see in the mornings?
Now, you might want to know that I drive down one street, Chestnut, from Thirteenth to Third (and yes, the formal names of the streets are spelled out here.) The main north-south street along my path is Fifth Street. Seventh Street is the heaviest secondary north-south street.
This morning I didn't have to wait on a single car! Not one! I thought for a minute the cable truck at Fourth Street was going to snag me, but sure enough, he cleared the intersection before I completed my stop at the stop sign.
One morning I hit it at the wrong time on Fifth Street. Cars were piled up everywhere. I had to wait for 10 (yes! Ten!) cars to cross before I could go.
I guess that's the hazard of crossing a four-lane road in the morning in the big town.
Most days the commute takes me two or three minutes. I think it took FOUR MINUTES to get to work that day. What's cool is that I have time to look at the drivers, and most days I know those people crossing my path. I see teachers, librarians, city office workers and others that I talk with regularly.
It's also fun in a voyeuristic sort of way driving through the one historic neighborhood in our town. It's pure coincidence that these are the people I've gotten to know best here. The old houses are charming, especially in the early-morning light. And there's a bit of something incongruent seeing these people leave their stately, well-ordered and preserved homes and rushing off in their SUVs and mom-mobiles. I like that. I like seeing them scurry off to jobs where they have to pretend that they weren't running behind trying to get there.
It's also fun watching the city manager's secretary, a tall, dour woman, walking towards city hall dressed in jeans, a blazer and high-heeled boots with little fur cuffs.
What sort of dichotomous observations have you had about the people you see in the mornings?
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Happy Happy Unbirthday to me!
This is weird and funny and slightly strange and kooky....
Someone just had a fancy decorated cake delivered to "Trixie" at my office. There was a nice birthday card and also two small sugar-free cakes included. The bakery delivered it twice because no one here knows who Trixie is.
The cake wishes "Happy 50th UNbirthday, Trixie".
Obviously this is someone who knows me pretty well, if they went to this elaborate length. First, it has to be someone who knows I use the name Trixie online, who knows I am diabetic, probably someone who knows my real birthday is April Fool's day and is pulling a prank. And someone who likes me well enough to go to the trouble!
Whoever it is, they have me smiling all day!
Someone just had a fancy decorated cake delivered to "Trixie" at my office. There was a nice birthday card and also two small sugar-free cakes included. The bakery delivered it twice because no one here knows who Trixie is.
The cake wishes "Happy 50th UNbirthday, Trixie".
Obviously this is someone who knows me pretty well, if they went to this elaborate length. First, it has to be someone who knows I use the name Trixie online, who knows I am diabetic, probably someone who knows my real birthday is April Fool's day and is pulling a prank. And someone who likes me well enough to go to the trouble!
Whoever it is, they have me smiling all day!
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Shy Longhorn
This guy will never make it to Detroit to introduce a new truck like the longhorns featured on Erudite Redneck's blog.
He's just a little too shy.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Cheating Death Left and Right
Earlier this week my guardian angel managed to keep me from getting bashed in the face by a skateboard. Yay guardian angel!
Today I had a followup visit with my doctor about my diabetes. I was diagnosed in September and my blood sugar numbers were astronomical: Fasting blood sugar was 270 and my A1C, which is a measure of blood sugar over a three-month period, was 10.8. At the time I saw her in October when she gave me these results, she told me the scale only went to 11. In my classes, I think they said the scale went to 13. In any event, 10.8 is like, right up there in the deadly range. You never, ever want to be told you have a 10.8 A1C score.
And just for grins, my cholesterol was 268, HDL was 49, LDL was 189, triglycerides were 151. I also had some wacked-out liver enzyme numbers.
Doctor had told me that I needed to get serious because "death is grabbing for you, girl." We started aggressive therapies and I took a series of diabetes education classes. I swore off sweets and radically monitored all my carbohydrate intake. I started some power walking on my lunch hour and some other things. I did what I had to do.
And today, I got the TA-DA Gold Star Award (well, she said I deserved a gold star. She really didn't give me one, but wouldn't that have been cool?)
Forgive me, but I don't have the sheet in front of me with all the numbers. I was busy showing it off at work and left it there this afternoon. I'll tell you what I know for sure.
Fasting blood sugar dropped from 270 to 170. Yay me!
My A1C level dropped from 10.8 to 7.0!!!! YAYAYAYAYA ME! (Normal is about 6. I'm almost normal!!! I'm certainly in a good range for someone with diabetes.)
Cholesterol dropped to 184. YES. Rarely in my life have I gotten it below 200. This is amazing. Good cholesterol is up. Bad is down. Triglycerides are down. All are in a very good range right now. YAY me!
Blood pressure? Oh, you want to know about my blood pressure too? Well, lissen up my friends! I had a blood pressure of 222/121. Yes, I did. How I didn't have a stroke - I can only credit my guardian angel and good luck for that.
TODAY my blood pressure was 124/68.
I can live with that. Thanks, Doc.
YAY ME!
Today I had a followup visit with my doctor about my diabetes. I was diagnosed in September and my blood sugar numbers were astronomical: Fasting blood sugar was 270 and my A1C, which is a measure of blood sugar over a three-month period, was 10.8. At the time I saw her in October when she gave me these results, she told me the scale only went to 11. In my classes, I think they said the scale went to 13. In any event, 10.8 is like, right up there in the deadly range. You never, ever want to be told you have a 10.8 A1C score.
And just for grins, my cholesterol was 268, HDL was 49, LDL was 189, triglycerides were 151. I also had some wacked-out liver enzyme numbers.
Doctor had told me that I needed to get serious because "death is grabbing for you, girl." We started aggressive therapies and I took a series of diabetes education classes. I swore off sweets and radically monitored all my carbohydrate intake. I started some power walking on my lunch hour and some other things. I did what I had to do.
And today, I got the TA-DA Gold Star Award (well, she said I deserved a gold star. She really didn't give me one, but wouldn't that have been cool?)
Forgive me, but I don't have the sheet in front of me with all the numbers. I was busy showing it off at work and left it there this afternoon. I'll tell you what I know for sure.
Fasting blood sugar dropped from 270 to 170. Yay me!
My A1C level dropped from 10.8 to 7.0!!!! YAYAYAYAYA ME! (Normal is about 6. I'm almost normal!!! I'm certainly in a good range for someone with diabetes.)
Cholesterol dropped to 184. YES. Rarely in my life have I gotten it below 200. This is amazing. Good cholesterol is up. Bad is down. Triglycerides are down. All are in a very good range right now. YAY me!
Blood pressure? Oh, you want to know about my blood pressure too? Well, lissen up my friends! I had a blood pressure of 222/121. Yes, I did. How I didn't have a stroke - I can only credit my guardian angel and good luck for that.
TODAY my blood pressure was 124/68.
I can live with that. Thanks, Doc.
YAY ME!
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
To Anyone Who Has Loved a Dog
Recommended Reading:
Good Dog. Stay by Anna Quindlen (Random House; 1 edition November 20, 2007)
This is a quick little read that will fill up the heart of any dog lover and just as quickly drive them to tears. I stopped by the library on my lunch hour to return some books and picked this up just to have something to read across the street as I ate lunch.
More than half the book is photographs of all kinds of loving dogs. Most made me smile; several made me laugh out loud, which surprised me. It also surprised me to find myself weeping over the words as I ate my pulled-pork sandwich.
Anyone who has lived through a dog's life cycle with them will know the struggle Quindlen describes about making decisions for their loved pet. And anyone who has done that will know about the tears.
Just a side note: I finished the book and my sandwich about the same time and was able to return it to the library before heading back to the office. Take an hour for yourself and give this one a look. You'll be glad you did.
Monday, January 07, 2008
A close call this evening
My town just built a cool skate park for the skateboarders and others who like alternative sports. It's a project I have supported and am very proud of.
The ribbon-cutting was this evening and I was there to take pictures of the first official day of the park. It was a BLAST. If I had been able to swipe a skateboard from one of the kids, I would have. I swear I will be skating there before I die, somehow.
Anyway, I was taking shots from all over the park. These preadolescent boys were all coming up and calling me "picture lady" or "newspaper woman". It was so sweet, really. They are good kids and I'm thrilled they have a place for this park in the old neighborhood where I grew up.
There was another lady who was over in one corner of the pad trying out a Razr scooter and the city manager asked me to go get a photo of her.
I sent one of the boys over to her to tell her to come towards me. She said no. I told the boy to tell her G.M. sent me. She laughed, but still said no. She was just learning.
So I'm standing next to the side of one of the half pipes and I bent over to set my pen on top of my camera bag, and just as I started to straighten up, I saw a flash of red out of the corner of my eye and felt something brush the top of my hair. I was thinking "Boy, I hope that wasn't a bird pooping on me."
Well, it wasn't a bird pooping on me. It was a loose skateboard that one of the kids lost control of at the other side of the half-pipe that came flying straight at me. If I had been standing fully upright, it would have smashed full force into my face.
All these new young friends of mine were shocked and stunned into silence at the top of the ramp. When they could finally breathe again, the kid who lost the board was nearly crying when he said "I am SO GLAD you are OK!"
Me too!
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