Saturday, June 30, 2012

Bell's Palsy: Day 6 - Let's Eat!

Let's talk about food...one of my favorite subjects! Unfortunately, since I have almost constant jaw pain on the paralyzed (left) side of my face and a tongue that refuses to behave as it should, I won't be doing much talking...so let me get this down in text, ok?

Here's what I desperately want to eat. It's a picture of the bountiful harvest from our High Point garden that Mr. T brought with him. Beans, potatoes, peppers, onions, carrots, cukes, squash, and the first tomatoes of the season. Isn't it beautiful?



Yes, all those lovely veggies are tempting...and treacherous. For the past two days, I have struggled with eating. Even cutting things into teensy bites hasn't helped. I almost choked on a piece of a chicken nugget last night. Not the whole nugget, mind you...a baby bite of one. And, when we were blanching the green beans, I couldn't swallow the "test" bean that I popped in my mouth without thinking. Wouldn't go down...felt like I was trying to swallow a mouthful of seaweed. 

Not good. Not good at all. As if anything about Bell's Palsy has been "good" so far, right?

Well, after trying to alleviate the jaw pain with aspirin and with an NSAID gel that I've used for back pain, I was beginning to despair when Missy M suggested that I take one of her Advil 800 tablets that her foot doctor has prescribed.  At that point, I could have shouted, "YES!" Except of course, I can't open my mouth wide enough to shout...and I'm trying to avoid loud noises anyway...:~\

Now, I have taken Advil 800's in the past...when I had a root canal...so, I knew I could tolerate them. They work much better than taking 4 Advil 200s probably because your stomach doesn't have to process all of the extra outer coatings that four capsules have. I took one before bedtime last night and slept all night without waking for the jaw pain. Hooray!

Unfortunately, the pain returned this morning, making me ask for another Boost for breakfast...and a straw for my coffee. Sigh. For lunch I managed cottage cheese without choking, but it was a struggle. 

Still I am determined to have a bowl of beef-vegetable soup today...even if I have to run it through a blender and sip it through a straw! As I said in my Facebook post, determination counts, right?

Wish me luck!

==================UPDATE======>

Ok. I managed 1/2 bowl of lukecool soup...with a spoon and not a straw, thank heavens! I had to wait for it to cool under the ceiling fan as I have little ability to distinguish whether a food is too hot until it is too late. Plus, I just learned that if you can't pucker your lips, you can't blow on hot foods! Who knew? I saved enough strength for a small bowl of teensy watermelon chunks. That wore my jaw out...but, oh was it ever good!

Yeah. It's way too hot (102 at 6:00, with a heat index of 105!) for soup, as Missy M reminded me...and even quoting Nana's "hot liquids make you feel cooler" didn't convince (nah, I never believed it either...:~\). But have you ever just craved something...and nothing else will do? Of course, the ice cold watermelon was the perfect Summer's-day ending!

No worries. I'll figure this out. One day at a time, as they say. And as we all know, "they" are always right.

Friday, June 29, 2012

Bell's Palsy Update: Day 5

Ever heard the expression blind in one eye, can't see out of the other? One of Big Daddy's favorites...along with if it had been a snake, it'd bit ya. Well folks, I'm living it.

One of the main concerns about Bell's Palsy is dealing with the eye on the paralyzed side of your face, in my case the left. I have no blink response, so the eye doesn't have the benefit of protection from tears or from the eyelid, which normally serves as a protective barrier to wind, dust, and debris. Hence the reason BP patients are warned repeatedly about using artificial tears (eye drops and eye gels) and keeping the eye covered with tape or a patch...or both. The faintest breeze is painful, as is a bright light. And since we are now a 5-dog household...in summertime when the shedding is significant...well, I probably don't have to go into detail about the debris part. As painful as it is, though, it's not really about the immediate pain. No, it's all about the potential of scratching the vulnerable cornea. So, I wear tape and an eyepatch almost constantly. The eyepatch seems obvious...to provide outer protection. The tape, because my eye muscle is determined to lock in the open position, and I need extra help in forcing it closed, under the eyepatch. So that would describe the blind eye.

I've shared this in earlier posts, but I've been living with a developing cataract in my right eye for over a year now, just biding time until it gets "ripe," as the ophthalmologist said. Yeah. Makes it sound more palatable that way, I suppose. I am due to see him for my annual exam in July, and he was to make a recommendation about my next step then. Well. That would now be the "other" eye.

To step beyond the hyperbole and speak with perfect honesty, I do have some limited vision in my right eye. It's a bit like looking at the world through a sheer window curtain. And, for tasks like posting on my blog or updating my Facebook status, I am forever grateful that I got stuck with the so-called blind typewriter in Mrs. Curry's typing class in good ol' RHS. (It was an IBM Selectric, if I remember correctly...a coveted electric model in the olden days of manual typewriters, but one with NO letters or characters on any of the keys. It didn't improve my typing speed any, but it forced me out of the hunt and peck group...:). Fortunately, on almost all aps on my iPad, I can increase the text size on my screen and accept all the help I can get from autocorrect. So, you will be kind if you find errors, won't you? And, if you are a game-buddy, you will bear with me on Words with Friends and Scramble...I'm a little slower on the uptake at the moment.

Reading? Well, thank heaven for large print...and the ability to adjust the type on my both the iPad and my Nook reader. Check out the screen capture shot of my latest P. D. James' Adam Dalgleish novel ebook...type big enough, you think?! I don't know what I would do if I couldn't read...


Knit, maybe? True, I can knit and purl by "muscle memory," as they say...not having to look at the needles and stitches as I knit. But...and this is the game-changer...I'm struggling with reading patterns and/or counting stitches. Have to work on this a bit.

Outdoor activities? Well, the sun is my enemy at the moment, more so than usual. We are going through a spell of scorching-hot, not-a-cloud-in-sight, Summer weather...more like August than June. Who would believe it could register 113 degrees in Louisville, KY, on June 28...or that today is supposed to be even hotter? (Below is the photographic evidence, taken by Mr T, should you be skeptical.)



KD, my sweet suitemate from college, who has had Bell's and lived to tell about it, has shared so many helpful hints and bits of advice, one gem being: WEAR SUNGLASSES, even inside to protect against bright, blinding light. And I find they help with protection from gusts of air, since I have totally unfashioanble, large, wrap-around shades.

But driving Missy M back and forth to work and to appointments? Now that's a whole nother subject. Not only is the vision in my right eye blurry, but covering my left eye means loss of depth perception. How far is that car bumper in front of me? Hmmm. Your guess is as good as mine! Talk about your flying blind...as Big Daddy used to tell us about simulator exercises when he was in pilot-training in the Army Air Corps, where he had to learn instrument flying. "Congratulations Cadet Lunn, you have just landed your plane 6 feet under the ground," was one of the memorable quotes from his flight instructor. One of the few fit to print. Ahem.

So you will understand how relieved Missy M and I were when Mr. T got here late Wednesday night. Hooray! The cavalry to the rescue! He is now shouldering almost the entire workload for the family: bread-winner as well as chief cook and bottle-washer, to quote another one of Big Daddy's favorites.

He drove her to work yesterday, and then later to her doctor's appointment. I wish I could report good news from that trip, but it isn't what Missy M had hoped. She had her heart set on getting a walking boot, so she could put weight on her foot. Ah well, after reviewing her X-ray, her dr. said she just wasn't ready for it. Three more weeks in a Fiberglas cast...no weight...no walking...no driving...continue with the work restrictions of 4 hours a day with her foot elevated at all times. Of course, that last part is impossible to achieve, with her dr. visit as a prime example: by the time she finally got in last night with her new Kelly green cast, her toes were bluish-purple and swollen. I guess he knows whereof he speaks (another Big Daddy-ism...:). Here's a shot of the newest cast in the making. I said I thought it was the prettiest so far. Missy M said she sure hoped I like it, 'cause we'll be looking at it for three more weeks. Sigh.


And so, we carry on. We count on each other, we count on you for messages of love and support, ...and we count our blessings to remind us it could be worse.

Repeat after me: it could be worse...it could be worse...it could be worse.



Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Bell's Palsy Update: Day 4

Woke up this morning thinking "what's that on my eye?!" Oh yeah...eyepatch. And that must mean I still have Bell's Palsy. Sigh.

I'll take a short cut on this post and reprint what I sent to a couple of Facebook friends who messaged me this morning, asking how I was doing:

I wish I could say it was getting better, but unfortunately, today seems a little worse. Eye is drooping more, even though I'm now wearing an eyepatch almost constantly. And because i have a cataract developing in my non-droopy eye (right), i have difficulty seeing clearly with the eyepatch on the left. Speech seems a little better (or maybe I'm just getting used to speaking out of one side of my mouth...:), but jaw pain is worse. Sounds...especially the dogs barking...are downright painful, bringing tears to my eye(s). Very, very tired...but having some sleep problems, probably due to the steroid. Eating and drinking are tough...everything through a straw, even hot coffee. Sigh. I could feel down if I let myself, you know? Keep those thoughts and prayers coming!

It isn't all doom and gloom, though. Mr. T will be here tonight, and that thought brings a smile to my face. Granted, that would be half of a smile to half of my face...but you get my drift, right.

Since we use FaceTime on our iPads to talk to each other, he shouldn't be too shocked at my appearance. Well, I hope not. I hate the way I look, especially when trying to talk (since the iPad has both a front and a back camera, I can see a thumbnail shot of myself when we are FaceTiming...and it ain't pretty, folks), but what is my alternative? Hide under a veil for the duration? Nope. Not me. "It is what it is"...to quote one of my fav NCIS characters, Ziva. And we will work through it...together.

Another positive point? I have heard from so many people...you who read my blog regularly, family, and Facebook friends, several of whom I knew in school. Many had never heard of Bell's Palsy; many knew a friend or family member who had had BP. One in that last category, KD, my college suitemate, shared her own story about having had Bell's Palsy...as well as a lot of helpful information from her experiences and on a fantastic website. Follow this link to check it out:

http://www.bellspalsy.ws/

So, even though I'll probably be having a pity party for one sooner than later, I know I am not alone in this journey. I just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other, and move forward.

==========================

I would be remiss if I didn't give a little update on Missy M's recovery. She's trying very hard to stick to the recommended 4-hour work day, and to keeping that broken foot elevated at all times. So far, so good this week...right on target. As you can imagine, she is so ready for this to be over. Next dr. appt. for her is on Thursday. I'm not sure who will be happier that her Daddy will be stepping in to the Driving Miss Maredith role: me, because driving is now one of the most difficult and painful things I do with my eye issues...or she, because she has to ride with me...in her car...:)?

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Living with Bell's Palsy: What I Have Learned So Far

Day 3 with Bell's Palsy. So how's it going?

(Recap: While visiting my daughter 400 miles from home...to care for her during her recovery from a broken foot...and after a couple of days with deadened taste buds, I awoke on Sunday with a numb sensation on my lip and the top of my tongue. I became paralyzed on the left side of my face rather rapidly, and by late afternoon, I gave all appearances of having suffered a stroke. With fear and trepidation, I went to Immediate Care where I received a diagnosis of Bell's Palsy...and prescriptions for a 15-day supply of a corticosteroid called prednisone and an antiviral called acyclovir. The doctor told me that this could last 15 days...a month...or the rest of my life. With that in mind, I will be posting periodic updates on my latest er, adventure.)

Let me begin with the bright spots...before I forget that there are any. Having the left side of one's face paralyzed may be the pits, but there are worse things that could befall one. Here is my list of bright spots as of today:

1. Bell's Palsy isn't cancer. It isn't life-threatening. It isn't even terribly painful (unless you count the headaches or the stinging dry-eye issues...minor annoyances).
2. I haven't lost a body part (even if it feels like I have lost an eye...more on that in a minute).
3. I have a terrific support system: spouse, daughter, brothers, friends, and medical professionals. Counting my blessings helps me face the uncertainty with a positive outlook.
4. I can use my experiences to inform others who are facing this same issue. (If you found this post looking for some answers about your own battle with Bell'm Palsy, I hope I can be of some assistance. Leave me a comment or send me an email. PANIC YE NOT! You are not in this alone.)
5. I can adapt as needed, given enough information...and time.

Adaptations? So, what are we talking about here?

Can't drink from a cup without dribbling because the left side of your lips are numb? Use a straw. Granted, sipping hot coffee from a mug through a plastic straw, held on the right side of your mouth is odd, but it is doable.

Affected eye waters constantly, then dries out when even a little air blows in your direction, creating a painful, stinging sensation? Use artificial tears...a lot. Get an eyepatch. If you run into me around town, you can just call me Cap'n Pat! Arrrggghhh!! (This one has some consequences for me. My affected eye is the left one...which prior to Bell's was known as my "good" eye, because my right eye has a developing cataract.)

Difficulty eating, chewing, swallowing? Pick soft foods and take very small bites. And, if I have to live on scrambled eggs, macaroni and cheese, Palmetto Cheese sandwiches ripped into teensy bites, grapes and tiny watermelon chunks, and milk shakes for the duration...well, worse things have happened.

Difficulty speaking and making yourself understood? Talking taking such an effort that your jaw aches and your head hurts from the stress and strain? Don't talk. [This one is possibly the toughest one for me to manage. I try to limit my talking, but since I was "vaccinated with a phonograph needle" (as I was told as a child...back in the last century when we actually HAD phonograph needles...:), I pay the price for this one.]

Sounds, especially the dogs barking, are so intensified as to be painful? Use ear protection. Cotton balls are handy, easy to carry, and give some protection. If it gets too painful, switch to ear plugs.

Since my mouth has relaxed a bit, making it a little easier to understand me, especially if I speak slowly when pronouncing words with P, F, B, and S sounds, I spoke with my NC doctor's nurse this morning. I told her what was happening with me and what the Immediate Care doctors here in KY had said. I just needed some reassurance and a bit more information about HOW LONG, since that seems to be the hardest thing for me to wrap my head around now.

She was very supportive of the treatment I had received here, saying that's what Dr. K would have done, too. She encouraged me to use an eyepatch as much as possible. She OK'd the use of aspirin for the head aches. Continue facial massages with the warm washcloths. And, she backed up the "open-ended" recovery period, saying that "most" patients recover "most" of their nerve functions between 1 and 3 months. She did add that it may take a year "or more" to get back to normal.

Back to normal. Hmmm. Or, as a friend wrote me, back to my "new normal." As in, I may have to redefine "normal" by whatever state I find myself when all this is behind me.

So what have I learned so far? That I need to follow drs orders. Take my meds. Use aids for comfort like the warm washcloth massages, eyedrops, eyepatch, and hearing protection. Rest. And be flexible and open to recovery when, where, and how it happens.

Flexible? Sure! Just call me Gumby. Make that Cap'n Gumby! Arrrggghhh!!


Monday, June 25, 2012

There's Good News and Bad News

Well, I suppose that title sets the tone for this post, doesn't it? Without further ado...let us begin with The Good!


Lookie! Mr. T sent this photo of the first potato harvest from two of the six potato Grow Bags, which we got at Gardener's Supply...and which we are trialing for 2012. We also have a "regular row" of spuds, but he didn't raid it. I had suggested that he see if the potatoes were developing inside those bags..."just poke your hand in there to see if you can find a few 'new potatoes'" to go with the huge mess of beans he harvested. Well, he found more than a few, didn't he? "We're having potato soup," he wrote. I cannot wait to taste them!! And based on how easy these babies were to harvest, I'm already giving the Grow Bags two thumbs-up and 5 stars!

Wait. "I can't wait to taste them"? So that means either I'm going to them or the potatoes are coming to me, right? Right. They are coming to me, sooner rather than later. Mr. T is headed this way. And there's a good reason for this change in plan.

So, here comes the Bad News part...

For the past few days, I had noticed that I had lost my sense of taste...like my taste buds had all gone to sleep on my tongue. Then, yesterday morning, my lip felt numb...like I had been to the dentist for a filling and a shot of Novocain..but only on the left side. By noon, Missy M decided my face looked swollen and said "have you developed an allergy to strawberries?"

No.

"Well, maybe you have."

No. I refuse to be allergic to strawberries...one of my favorite foods in the world. Not gonna happen. No way, no how.

"Uh, Mom. I don't think you get a choice."

No, no, no. Period. Hey, I can be just as childish as the next adult.

"Well, you'd better take a Benadryl because you look like you are allergic to something."

OK. I'll take a Benadryl. And that means I'll go take a nap. It'll be better when I get up.

Afraid not. Worse. Much, much worse. By the time I got up at 5:00, the whole left side of my face was numb and appeared to be sliding off my skull. "Drooping" doesn't quite do justice to my appearance at this point. And, my left eye, which wasn't blinking as it should, was constantly tearing up, making it difficult for me to see properly.

"Mom. The Urgent Care is open until 9:00 tonight. You'd better go, don't you think?"

Great. Now I have to set a good example for my daughter. Just 5 weeks ago, we had a similar conversation on a Sunday night, when I repeatedly begged her to go to the ER about her foot. So, I didn't have much room for protest, did I? Plus, by now, I was getting more than a wee bit concerned.

So, she gets the address to the Immediate Care and maps it on my phone...and I head out the door. I know the general area I am going, and she has given me great verbal instructions: "it's on the same side as the Chinese take-out place, only several more blocks toward the interstate...and it's easier to access if you turn at the light."

Did I mention I was driving her car...and that I can't see very well at this point? Right.

Well, I am here to tell you that you get very speedy service if you present at a medical facility with all the appearances of suffering a stroke. I was ushered back and seeing a doctor even before they had completed the paperwork! (But not before having my insurance card verified and paying my co-pay...:)

The Good News inside this Bad News: I definitely did NOT have a stroke. After what he called a neurological check, the Junior Dr. (hey, he looked like Doogie Howser's twin brother, OK?) tells me he believes I have Bell's Palsy. He then asks if I have ever taken prednisone and had any adverse reaction to it? Yes, I took prednisone earlier this year during a Bad Back episode, and No, no adverse reaction. Then he excused himself for a minute.

Soon, he returns with the Senior Dr. He, too, asks all the same questions (remember, it is difficult for me to speak clearly, as I am slurring my words pretty badly by this time), and he does all the same neurological function checks as Doogie had done. They nod to each other, and Senior says, "I agree...looks like you have Bell's Palsy." Doogie smiles, and they both leave the room...without closing the door completely. So I can hear the following exchange out in the hall...went something like this:

Senior: The drooping facial appearance, the slurred speech, the lack of blink reflex, the inability to raise her eyebrow or smile on the left side...what led you to Bell's Palsy and away from a stroke diagnosis?
Doogie: She doesnt appear to have diminished hand or arm strength on the left side, and she gave good answers to all my questions. There appears to be no diminished capacity in her brain function.
Senior: Good call! She appears to have a classic case of Bell's.
Doogie: Cool! I've never seen one in person!

I kid you not. He said "cool," and sounded pretty happy about it. Then what sounded like two of the nurses joined into the discussion, and my trip to the Urgent Care became a teachable moment. Hurrah!

I am glad that I have known one person who had Bell's Palsy...back in the 80's when I was the Training Manager at Leader Federal, one of my trainers had it. She was out 3 months on disability, so I knew that I might be in for a long ride.

When Doogie returned, he gave me scrips for prednisone (a corticosteroid to act as an antiinflammatory and relieve some of the pressure on the facial nerve) and the antiviral drug, acyclovir. While there isn't a definitive known cause for Bell's, there is some link to the same virus that causes chicken pox and shingles. He then says, "I'm writing these for 15 days and we'll see how that works for you. This could last 15 days...or a month...or the rest of your life."

I pick 15 days. 'Cause just like I refuse to be allergic to strawberries, I refuse to believe my face is going to be frozen on the left side for the rest of my life.

Wanna hear some more good news? If all this happened yesterday, that means it may only be 14 more days of this silliness. You know me...gotta seek the silver lining. Always looking for the Good in the Bad.


Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Welcome to Summer!


Holy mackerel! One Hundred and Five Degrees?! That's what Missy M's car registered when I got in it yesterday at 5:00 p.m. That's the outside temperature, not the inside temp...which was probably approaching "fry an egg." Her car had been sitting in the sunshine on the driveway on the west side of her brick house all afternoon, so I imagine we are talking a true reading here. Of course, the weather wonk said on the 11:00 news that the official high yesterday was 92, but that was at the airport...probably out of direct sunlight. And then you have to factor in the humidity...that's a whole other chapter.

Today...the first full day of Summer...is predicted to be 96, so we are in for another scorcher. If this be June, what the heck is August going to be like?!

I spend upwards of an hour each afternoon watering the garden and all the containers. Now, I know that it's better to water early in the day, but that isn't usually possible, given our present schedule. And watering in the late afternoon is preferable to the alternative of NOT watering, any day. And, I usually pull weeds in the raised bed gardens in the afternoon, as that's when it's coolest on that side of the house. Not yesterday...it wasn't cool anywhere...even at 8:30 in the evening!

One of the first things Missy M was told about living in Louisville was how late sunset was in the Summer. You see, Derby Town sits on the furthermost edge of its time zone. Check the map: Nashville, which is in the Central Time Zone, is farther east than Louisville...which is in the Eastern TZ!

Well, we are making our way through the first week of Take Your Daughter to Work Days. So far, so good. Missy M has done remarkably well getting to-and-from her office on her crutches...and with using her knee-walker while at work. She has doctor's orders, limiting her to 4 hours at work each day, but even her Disability Counselor recognizes being that precise just isn't always possible with some jobs...and hers is one of them. So, they have agreed to "more or less" take an average of 4 hours per day (basically 20 per week)...and call it close enough. Monday and Tuesday were more...today was less. She sees her doctor next week, so we'll see how the healing process is being affected by this new routine. Fingers crossed...toes, too!

Since I've been here, I've tried to fix some of M's favorite foods...you know, for comfort. It's terribly hot tonight, the new AC is working hard to keep it cool inside, and it's probably not the best night to heat up the kitchen for this one, but I'm making about the only casserole she has ever eaten. She has always called it Chicken with Sloppy Rice, although I believe the original recipe I got from a Lauderdale County cookbook was called Easy Chicken and Rice...or something along those lines. I've been making it for over 30 years, so I know it by heart...thank goodness. Plus it's a forgiving recipe, not requiring you to be so precise about measurements or ingredients. I can add some chunky veggies like carrots and celery, without offending my no-veg-shall-pass-these-lips daughter, so I can have a one-dish meal (protein, starch, & veg), and she can push the offenders aside. Of course, I can secretly hope that there might be some small transference of the veggies' vitamins into the sloppy rice...but that's a topic for another discussion. (Recipe shared below.)

M was so beat last night when she came home, that she took her meds and went straight to bed...and probably would have stayed there for the rest of the night if the peace hadn't been disturbed by fireworks after the sun finally set after 9:08.

Fireworks? On June 19? All we could figure was someone was celebrating an early arrival of the Summer Solstice. Wonder if there are any practicing Druids in the neighborhood?

Druid or not, Happy First Day of Summer (in the Northern Hemisphere...:)! If today is any indication, we are in for a long, hot one this year.

======================
Chicken and Sloppy Rice

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, whole/cut in half
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can of cream of celery soup
2 cans-ful water
2 cans-ful rice (uncooked)
2 Tblsp melted butter
1 tsp seasoned salt or poultry seasoning, more or less
1 tsp ground black pepper, more or less
8-10 baby carrots, whole (opt.)
Celery slices (opt.)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray inside a covered casserole dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing cup, blend the soups, the water, the rice, the melted butter, and the seasonings together. Pour into prepared baking dish. Place chicken breasts on top of the rice mixture and sprinkle with more seasonings, especially cracked pepper. If you like cooked veggies, push a few whole baby carrots and/or celery slices into the rice mixture. Cover with tight-fitting lid and put in oven for an hour.
3. After 60 minutes, stir to distribute the liquid. If the rice seems to be drying too rapidly, add some hot water. Return to oven for 30-40 more minutes, covered, until the chicken breasts are done and no longer pink. Stir and allow to rest for a few minutes before serving.
4. Great served with a salad and some warm Italian bread. Enjoy!

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Hold That Thought

Have you ever gone through a period of time when you felt like you were standing still...no forward motion? Like the Universe had pressed some mondo HOLD PLEASE button?

Yeah. Me, too.

I'm currently in limbo with my life, so I'm feeling like an expert in this matter. I will be here to help out as long as I am needed, and that's as it should be. But it means delaying gratification in so many ways. And we all know I hate to wait!

To deal with any related stress, I'm focusing my psychic energy on my happy place: THE BEACH. I've changed my avatar on Facebook to my Shells and Waves beach scene, which was snapped a few years ago on Litchfield Beach, in the Pawleys Island area of South Carolina.


And, I'm using this Litchfield Beach Resort coffee mug in the mornings. It's huge...requiring 2 packets of sweetener for the 16 ounce capacity, but it's a tactile and visual cue.



The problem with super-sizing your coffee is that it gets cold before you reach The End. And for me to say coffee is too cold is the same as saying something is too salty! Oh well, I'll just have to deal with it, right?

And, of course, that's the answer: deal with it. Find a way to go over, under, around, or through your problem...or, learn to live with it. Make adjustments. As someone recently posted in response to a Facebook friend's empty-nester angst: "put on your big girl panties and deal with it." Ahem!

So, here I am with my big girl panties on, sipping lukecool (that was Missy M's word as a child...we've used it ever since...:) coffee from a big Beach scene mug...dealing with it. (Now that's probably more than you wanted to picture at this time, right? No worries; I also have my gardening duds on too, silly geese...)

One thing I have learned is that in dealing with anything, it certainly helps to spread the wealth, so to speak. And that would be why I'm here with Daughter With The Broken Foot and the Dog Pack while Mr. T is spending his Father's Day weekend at home.

Remember a while back when I posted about getting new countertops? About how I have wanted to replace the ugliest Formica countertops in the USA with granite since we first set eyes on this house a little over three years ago? Did I also tell you how we had arranged for thr project, signed the papers, and chosen a Brazilian stone called White Spring, which is mainly white with black and burgundy-red veins throughout...which matched the dark cherry-stained (maple) cabinets and also lightened up a rather gloomy kitchen? I may have posted all of that on Facebook...or possibly just forgot to mention it here when all that happened.

Anyway...

They are installing those beautiful granite countertops as I type this post. Mr. T is leading the charge on this one...and I have to say it's the best experience I've had with home improvement...ever!

I sit in another state, sipping ever-cooling coffee, and occasionally stepping-and-fetching for either Daughter or a Dog, while the washer and dryer do their things respectively...and he deals with the noise and the dust and the challenge of having a team of installers in your home for a day. Oh yeah, I'm loving it, to quote Mickey D.

[Funny aside: We wanted a new faucet for the kitchen sink (although we are reusing the faucet on the bar sink). I had already selected new undermount sinks from a catalog at HD, and they were in the hands of the installers via the templater who had come out to measure. Well, it was crunch-time last week, and still no faucet.

I had looked online at seemingly thousands...but I was feeling a little gun-shy about making the purchase online without knowing whether it would fit properly (I had done this once before, 3 years ago after the home inspector found the old faucet was leaking, and we made "repairing or replacing" a contingency. I bought one online while we were still in MO, but the plumber for the sellers said "that one won't fit; I'll just fix the old one." End of sentence.) So that meant actually having to go into a store and select this one. Arrgh! Like I can just zip on over to the local HD. Not presently.

So, that To Do moved onto Mr. T's list. And he made several stops this past work week to scope out the selections, take photos for my benefit...and buy the thing. He was in an HD in Pennsylvania, and he runs into a couple in the faucet aisle (if there is such a thing, HD would have one...:). While chatting with them, he tells them what he's there to buy. And the Wife asks: "is your wife OK with you selecting and buying a faucet?"

OK? H3ll, I'm ecstatic! Over the moon!! Thrilled!!! I can give him a list of my requirements (high-arched faucet, pull-out attached sprayer, stainless, with soap dispenser; plus a separate heated water dispenser), and he can handle the hundreds of options that just befuddle and confuse both me and the issue. We make a great team!]

Back to the present...and a hot mug of coffee.

As I write this post, I am getting regular text updates from HPNC, complete with photos. It's almost like I'm watching a really good episode of This Old House...only the house isn't all that old...:). But when it's all said and done, it will be all ours!

Maybe I'll make that my new happy place. My own kitchen! Hold that thought...

=========UPDATE!========>

The installers are finished with the countertops! Now, I know there's still a way to go before we can put a The End on this adventure...i.e., installing the faucets; wiring and installing the undercabinet lighting; and installing the subway tile backsplash...you didn't think it would end with new countertops, did you? But, I wanted to share with you the "ta da" photos of the breakfast peninsula and the kitchen counter that Mr. T just messaged me:




Oh yes...my new happy place indeed!



Thursday, June 14, 2012

Summer Reading

I love a good book, don't you? And what better time to read than Summer? A cold glass of iced tea...lotsa lemon...and a slice of this warm banana bread I just took outta the oven (recipe below). It's still pleasant enough to park myself under the umbrella at the table on Missy M's deck, where I can enjoy all those container gardens I planted last week...and still be accessible to her if she needs anything. Her wifi is strong enough to give good service, even outside, so my iPad and I are connected...know what I mean?

Of course, I used to swear that I'd NEVER read an ebook. No. It had to be hardback or paperback, or nothing! Not even a papyrus scroll was considered good enough to qualify as a "real" book in my book.

Well...it all happened so gradually, you know.

First I started with audiobooks. I detest any long drive by myself, and the drives I was making to and from Atlanta for work were l-o-n-g. So, I borrowed from the library one or two classic Agatha Christie mysteries, on CDs, read by favs David Suchet and Hugh Frasier (the definitive Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings, in the TV versions of Poirot, respectively...in my humble opinion). And, then I fell down the rabbit hole, I suppose.

When I got an iPod, I began to download new audiobooks as well as classics. And when I got my iPad, well it was just one small step to downloading ebooks. Of course, by this time, it wasn't about listening to books while driving. It was all about easy access...whenever and wherever...and there has been no turning back.

Now, don't get me wrong. I haven't abandoned "real" books. Since I've been at Missy M's, I have ordered two large boxes of books, delivered to our front door by a very overworked UPS person (he has also had to deliver our dog food, which comes in 40-pound bags...:) and M's quilting and knitting orders...which seem to arrive every other day like clockwork. Here's the evidence:


Most of these books are gardening-related, I must admit. And I will be reviewing several of them over on my gardening-related blog in the next post. I have downloaded gardening ebooks, but I find them to be few-and-far between, shall we say? Gardeners as a group are not known to be early...or even mid-to-late...adopters of new technology. So publishers don't seem to be in a real rush to get gardening titles on their ebook lists.

Two of my favorite fiction authors have hit those lists lately, though: Margaret Maron and P.D. James. And I have followed up on recent e-mails about their e-book titles with e-nthusiasm. Ahem.

Via ebooks, I have caught up with Maron's fictional Lieutenant Sigrid Harald, NYPD series, and I am working my way through James' series starring Adam Dalgleish, rereading many but this time in series-order. I have downloaded and utilized the free Nook reader ap from Barnes and Noble, as I like it a little better than the iPad's iBook reader (although I like the way iBook allows me to organize my bookshelf).

And just as I am about to get weary of London (where the current James' book is set), I came across the Summer of 2012 Reading List from Deep South magazine:

http://deepsouthmag.com/2012/05/2012-summer-reading-list/#comment-7223

Hooboy howdy. Where in the world do I begin?! I was instantly attracted to several of the authors (John Grisham and Dorothea Benton Franks, to name a couple), and I feel a strong pull to read the book about Helen Keller, whose biography I read as a child...although it now appears that not everything was mentioned in that version.

A couple of the selections mention that they are second or more in a series...and I am tempted to locate the first books before I read them. I like reading things in order, don't you? Of course, that just means the list just got longer.

So, how will I decide? Believe it or not, it will probably be "which one(s) can I get as an ebook/download?" I'm sorta in neutral at the moment, not able to hop in the car on a whim and head to the bookstore. And I don't have a library card locally, so I can't reserve and checkout any of the listed titles while still here in KY.

Decisions, decisions.

As I am currently using my Shells & Waves avatar on Facebook...and concentrating on the beach when needing to relax and go to my happy place...and looking so forward to our SC beach vacation later this summer...I think my first read from the Summer Reading List will be...

Dorothea Benton Franks' Porch Lights, which just came out a couple of days ago. Believe it or not, I've just purchased it, downloaded it into my Nook Library, and sneaked a peak at the first few pages.

I "discovered" DBF one summer vacation in Litchfield, SC...read all her books to that date in one week, and even got an autographed copy of her Pawleys Island book at the local bookstore. She really brings the Low Country alive! And since that is one of my favorite places on Earth, why not be transported there in words and story?

Now, let me see if Commander Dalgleish can get these two murders in the Little Vestry solved, so I can pack my figurative bags and hop a literary flight outta Heathrow...and touch down in Charleston, near my destination of Sullivan's Island. I can almost hear the sea gulls calling, can't you?

==================================

Thursday's Banana Bread

3-4 over-ripened bananas, mashed
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup oil
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup nuts, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with Pam. Set aside.
2. Mix together the wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the sugar and mix well.
3. Sift together the dry ingredients. Add to the wet ingredients. Stir batter until moistened. Stir in nuts. Do not overbeat.
4. Pour batter into prepared pan. Place in oven on middle rack. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes, tenting the top of the loaf with foil during the last 20 minutes to prevent overbrowning. Test for doneness.
5. Remove to cooling rack to cool before slicing. Enjoy warm or cold, with butter or softened cream cheese!



Tuesday, June 12, 2012

And the Answer Is..

The toilet broke. Of course, it's now considered all my fault because I laughed in fate's face in that last post and asked "what's the next thing that's going to happen around here?" Now we know...

Fortunately, Mr. T had kept the business card of the guy who had installed the new hot water heater "just in case." So see...being prepared for whatever is going to happen next IS a good idea, right? Not that we could have imagined needing a plumber again so soon...but regardless, we were ready.

Missy M is currently holed up in the guest room (aka: my bedroom), propped up with multiple pillows, keeping her foot elevated per Dr's orders, and securing her two dogs. I managed to herd my three houndz out the back door and lock the doggie door when I saw the utility van backing into her driveway at 7:58. The plumber had said "between 8:00 and 9:00 a.m.", but I knew I had to be ready before that. I set my alarm for 6:45 so I could be showered and dressed early...and so I could have the dogs fed. Unfortunately, my first cup of coffee was only halfway finished when I saw them arriving. Sigh.

Can you count it as your second cup if you never had a chance to finish the first? Ahem.

Anyway...

Just to prove to you that we are making some positive progress around here, let me show you a picture of the brand, spanking new central AC unit. Ta da!


She's a beaut...and after a little hitch on Day Two that can only be attributed to a poltergeist in the basement (don't ask...do not even ask...:), she's humming along like a dream.

Ok. Time to release the houndz! Less than an hour into the house call, and the diagnosis has been made and the surgery performed on the wax ring of the toilet. Don't know what that is? Don't ask! It's done...write the check...and try to get the house back to normal. Whatever the heck that is these days.

"Normal" is normally difficult to achieve, especially when so many things are going awry. But I have latched onto my lifeline, here just like at home, and my answer is: a garden. Missy M has the nicest area on the east side of her house...all fenced and protected...that we call her Secret Garden. And there, you will find two lovely raised beds, one 8 x 4, the second 8 x 5. She had drawn up her planting plan for 2012...and then she fell, of course. Well, I took her fabulous plan...and tried my best to bring it to life.

The Right Garden, which Mr. T prepped a couple of weekends ago, is, in general, tomatoes and peppers...with onions, carrots, basil...and four watermelons at the very end, so they can run toward the fence. I got it planted last week, and things are growing right along.

The Left Garden needed a bit more prep work, which Mr. T did this past weekend, and it is now hosting strawberries, squash, cucumbers, eggplants, melons...and the tuteur that her Daddy built for her a few years ago. It will support the pole beans planted at its base...Kentucky Wonder, of course. There are also bush beans next to the strawberry bed. I put the final seeds in the ground as the sun went down on Sunday. And per plan, there are marigolds everywhere.

See what you think...the first picture is of the planted Right Garden; the middle pic is showing the Left Garden au naturel with the planted Right Garden in the background; and the last shot is of the planted Left Garden.




Everybody say "ahhhhh..."

OK. Back to the present. Now that we've settled down a bit, I have begun making a pasta salad. Since I got the plants in containers a week or so ago, Missy M's cherry tomatoes are producing up a storm here on her deck. I've been harvesting the ripe ones, two or three each day, and I now have enough to work with.

I have a Pasta Salad recipe I really like that I got from a Mount Carmel Auxiliary cookbook, when I worked in Columbus, OH. How many years ago was that, you ask? Let's see...I worked at Mt. Carmel '91-'93. Wow! Nearly 20 years I've been using this recipe! Amazing!!

Anyway...again...

I did my best on the recipe...more or less from memory, and using what I had on hand and from the gardens. One of the banana peppers came with a pepper already on it, so I harvested it. And, I raided the Salad Garden (which is on the west side of the house, nearer the kitchen door) for fresh oregano and basil, since Missy M had already gotten her herbs, salad greens, carrots, and onions in before The Fall.

The question now is...what should I do while the Pasta Salad is chilling? Missy M is back in bed, enjoying a needed rest on fresh linens. The dogs are all, more or less, napping...in between barking at noises that might mean a return of the plumbers. Should I go pull weeds in the garden, or do a load of clothes in the basement...or, (as our pediatrician told me long, long ago) "sleep when the baby sleeps."

And the answer is...




=================================

More-or-Less Mount Carmel Pasta Salad

1/2 box Penne Rigate pasta, prepared per box instructions
Packet of Italian Dressing mix, prepared (or 1 cup bottled dressing)
Fresh oregano
Fresh basil
1 pint cherry tomatoes (more or less), sliced in half
1/4 large onion, finely diced
1/4 large green pepper, finely diced
1 hot banana pepper, finely diced (opt.)
1 small can sliced black olives, drained
4-5 small carrots, finely diced
Fresh broccoli, steamed and washed with cool water
1/2 package turkey pepperoni, quartered rounds
4 oz. provolone cheese, small cubes
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup Dijon mustard, more or less (I like more...you may prefer less...:)
Fresh ground pepper to taste

1. Prepare pasta per package directions. Drain, then wash under cold water to cool.
2. Prepare Italian dressing per package instructions, adding as much fresh oregano and fresh basil as you like.
3. In a large bowl, combine all other ingredients. Add cooled pasta, Italian dressing, mayo, and Dijon mustard.
4. After mixing thoroughly, chill for several hours.
5. If a bit dry (since the pasta will absorb the dressings), add more dressing(s) to taste. Enjoy!







Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Little Black Raincloud

What's next?

Officially I have been banned from asking that question, but seriously... what's the next storm on our horizon? I need to ask so that I can be prepared. As if...

To recap: I was just getting to where I didn't cry at every passing thought of Momma when I took that unplanned shortcut down the stairs in January. Finally, finally...come mid-May, and I was feeling much better and on top of both my back problems and my positional vertigo nemesis. Getting back in my garden brought joy to my sore soul. Hooray! Then...

Missy M fell and broke her foot and possibly damaged the tendon, putting her on crutches and out of commission for a minimum of 6-8 weeks. So we throw a few things in the Endeavor...including the 3 dogs...and head to KY for the duration. Well, the dogs and I are here for the long-haul; Mr. T has to keep the pedal to the metal, driving back and forth, to and fro, hither and yon.

And then...

Major rainstorm gathered and dumped gallons of water...flowing right into her basement. Two dehumidifiers, a rather large squeegee, and a box fan eventually helped handle that problem.

And then...

The hot water heater here gave up the ghost. Lots of research via the Internet pointed us in the right direction, but Mr. T still had to go to Lowe's to purchase and sign the forms. It seems that Jefferson County is one of the few places on Earth that requires a permit to install a hot water heater, broken foot or not. Sigh.

OK. So got that taken care of. New one installed last Monday. Ain't she a beaut? And churning out lots of lovely hot water. Ahhhh...


And then...

The central AC stopped conditioning any air. Of course this happened on a very warm day...and Missy M is uncomfortable enough dealing with that heavy (warm) cast. Thank goodness, she had two window units from Bro T and SIL LaD stored in her basement. Yea, Bro T!!! Mr. T installed these jewels before he left, and the weather cooperated by turning a tad cooler.

And then...

Gus got sick. He's probably the oldest of the 5 dogs...possibly nearing 14 or 15; not sure of his age when we adopted him 9 years ago yesterday. He has severe arthritis and congestive heart problems, but he keeps on keeping on. But then he kept on throwing up. For a whole day. Possibly a bad stomach reaction to his meds? Not sure, but he seems better now. Still, Missy M was trying to care for him while I was out getting her prescription refilled when she took a tumble off her crutches and onto the floor. She's OK...a bit battered for her efforts...and permanently banned from helping again.

And then...

Duche$$ got sick. She's got more of those cysts that she's had surgery for in the past...and of course, one has opened. Got her on antibiotics. Fingers crossed.

And then...

The guy who came out yesterday to repair the AC says the fan motor is shot ($750...for the second time in 5 years), and she's probably better off buying a whole new central unit. He's sending an estimator to check it out and give us the bad news today.

Any bets on what happens next? It's a bright and shiny...and warm...day here in Derby Town, but is that little black Raincloud still hovering above? We shall see.

[Thank you for allowing me to vent. I know that these are not major problems, only life's little annoyances...well, except for Missy M's foot...and we will deal with them, each in its own fashion. I just needed to capture all that was happening, because we'll need a good laugh in the future...:)]


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