>Bad things come in threes – we’re done now, right?

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Daisy

La Petite has been having major tummy troubles. She had tests done last week. They took two biopsies of inflamed areas and noted bile in the colon, too. She needs to add an ulcer medication and a second antacid to her daily routine. She’s 25, for heaven’s sake.

Chuck fell on the ice last weekend. He hit his elbow pretty hard. He took care of it with ice and anti-inflammatory meds, but it got worse instead of better. The results? See below. I suggested renaming him Chip, but he didn’t like the idea.

Amigo had it easiest: he came home with an ear plugged with wax. No infection, thank goodness, but on the advice of his school nurses, he went in to have the ear flushed out. He’s blind; we don’t take chances with his ears.

Wondering about Chip, er, Chuck’s photo opportunity? Here it is. Now remember, we’re done. Bad things come in threes.

>Flu shots: there’s still time!

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Daisy

Amigo visited our family doctor last week to get his ear checked out and flushed out. The nurse asked him if he’d had a flu shot. He replied in the affirmative, that he’d got it at school, from the school nurses that serve the residential school for the blind. We didn’t have an exact date, but we estimated late October.

Amigo is wise beyond his 20 years when it comes to flu. He knows how miserable a case of influenza can be. He’s always been one who doesn’t get sick often, but when he does, he gets really, really sick. He signed up for the flu shot at school registration, got our signatures on the approval sheet (even though he’s old enough that he didn’t need them), and willingly got his flu shot. He knows what the Center for Disease Control (CDC) says: The flu vaccine is your best protection against the flu.

Timing of influenza outbreaks is unpredictable. I will always remember the impact of H1N1 on my fourth grade students. My class had at least five and as many as ten students out each day for a time period of three to four weeks. That outbreak came in October, but outbreaks can occur as late as May.

Flu vaccines are usually available in early autumn and remain available for several months. Last year, the flu peaked in February. A January flu shot isn’t too late.

Not all families have good coverage and a family doctor, and not everyone has access to a school nurse, either. If you’d like to find a location near you, look here.

Learn about Who Needs A Flu Vaccine. http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/whoshouldvax.htm

Information and web links from the Center for Disease Control: I received no monetary compensation for writing this post. I wrote it to bring valuable information to my readers.

>The ground is white, and I’m still green.

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Daisy

>Alternate title: I am Daisy,the Compostermom, and I won’t let snow stop me!

I sold a crate of cookbooks to a Used Book store for $20.

I walked to work during a snowstorm. It was fun, to tell you the truth.

Compost continues, despite the cold. We have a bin within reach of the garage.

Chuck used pieces of the Christmas wreath to provide bramble, a little bit of shelter, for the neighborhood rabbits.

My lunchbag is re-usable, and I usually bring a cloth napkin along.

On Soup Day at work, most of us bring our own bowls instead of using plastic.

Litter box remnants (to put it delicately) still end up outside on what will be a berm next spring.

We’re pulling out frozen vegetables from last summer to make a delicious beef stew.

Is that only eight? Our lives are infused with eco-conscious behaviors. I’m sure there’s more. Let’s see:

– shopped at consignment store recently for a new jacket and purse

– donated another box to Goodwill

– taught Amigo to use anti-static dryer balls when he does laundry

– gave Amigo a crank-powered radio for his birthday. No batteries to change!

Yep. I think we’re still green, even though the ground is covered with white. Or ice.

>Dutch Babies, updated

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Daisy

>I made the basic Dutch Baby, an egg and flour pancake, a year or two ago. I saw two recipes for Dutch Babies plus in our Sunday paper, so Amigo and I hit the kitchen during break and made them for brunch. We made the orange-cranberry variation; the ham and cheese option looks good, too.

Dutch Baby with Cranberry Orange Syrup

1 cup milk

4 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup orange marmalade

1/4 cup dried cranberries

2 Tablespoons butter

1 Tablespoon sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. I don’t always preheat; this time, it’s important.

Whisk milk, eggs, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl. Vigorously whick in flour until smooth. Bring marmalade, cranberries, and 1/4 cup water to a simmer over medium heat. Continue to simmer to the consistency of light syrup. Cover; keep warm.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, heat butter in a heavy bottom 10 inch skillet (cast iron suggested; I used my stainless steel). Heat until light golden brown. Pour milk mixture into skillet. Transfer to the oven and bake until puffed and golden, about 15 minutes. Without removing pan from oven, sprinkle with sugar. Turn oven to broil; broil until very puffy and golden brown, a few minutes longer.

Serve immediately from the skillet, drizzled with orange-cranberry sauce.

This recipe serves four. Amigo and I had our share and had extra left over. Next time I make this, it’ll be on a weekend when we have at least three people at home for brunch. Or maybe I’ll cut the recipe in half.

The cheddar & ham option uses the same basic Dutch Baby (eggs, milk, flour, salt, butter) and then adds 1/2 cup green onions and 1/2 cup diced ham to the melted butter. When the onions are soft and the ham heated through, add the egg/milk mixture to the pan and continue.

After 15 minutes in the oven, sprinkle with 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese. Continue with broiler as above.

Sound good? I thought so. Enjoy!

>What a difference – a year makes

Posted on December 31, 2011 by Daisy

One year ago, it was the end of a year and the beginning of a long winter’s nap. Rest. Healing period. I took a leave of absence from my teaching job after the winter break to rest and seek treatment for the worst depression of my life. Now — well, I’ve come a long, long way.

In 2011:

I learned that it was possible to love my work, but hate my job.

I used my writing skill to procure grant money, buying books for struggling readers. No one at school seemed to care.

My physical and mental health were at the lowest I’ve ever experienced.

I struggled to get through Christmas, a holiday I usually love.

“My” Green Bay Packers had one more season game left. To make the playoffs as a wild card team, they had to beat their arch rivals (and division champions) Da Bears. They beat them – and more.

I was preparing to visit doctors, counselors, and the pharmacy often. Very often.

As 2012 begins:

I can say I love my work. I found a position that utilizes my teaching strengths and my interests in technology.

I use my writing skill for blogging, and I have a workable rough draft of a non-fiction book.

I also use my writing skill to communicate with parents of my students. This skill was useful last September when I recruited families to attend a field trip that had been poorly attended in the past. My coworkers were thrilled.

Both my physical and mental health have improved significantly. No, they’ve improved greatly. I’m not out of the woods yet, I haven’t reached full strength emotionally and physically, but I’m doing very, very well overall.

Christmas was as it should be – a time to gather with family and friends to enjoy the traditions that make the holiday special.

My Green Bay Packers clinched the division title weeks ago, a first round bye and home field advantage last week, and head into the playoffs with an impressive win-loss record. Did you notice that absence of quotation marks around the word my? Check it out here.

Doctors and other medical professionals? I value those who helped treat me through the toughest and darkest hours last year. I’m in their offices much less often now, and that’s a good feeling.

What a difference a year makes – in so many ways. I still have flashbacks, usually in the form of nightmares or insomnia. I still tire easily, or at least more easily that I feel I should. However, this happens much less often now than it did just twelve months ago. But thanks to family, friends, and medical professionals, the marathon that is recovery continues.

I won’t even bother to go into the political climate in the past year – yet. It’ll show up in another post or posts.

>Taking Stock of Christmas

Posted on December 26, 2011 by Daisy

>What can I give you this Christmas?
Something sparkling to go with your eyes?
I’ll give you the light of a Yuletide star
from the cold December sky.
What can I give you this Christmas?
Something soft like the sound of your name?
I’ll give you the hush of the falling snow
as it settles on the ground.
There isn’t much that a boy like me can give to a girl like you.
I’ve searched the Christmas shop windows and now I know it’s true.
What can I give you this Christmas?
Not a thing that I’ve seen will do.
So I’ll give you my heart and my own true love
that will last the whole year through.

Something sparkling, to go with my eyes?

I’m not much of a jewelry person; I’m a casual dresser. No tiaras here, just fingerless gloves to keep my hands warm at my desk before the office heat kicks in But my eyes – I’m hearing impaired, so my eyesight is precious. My sweet husband saw me through cataract surgeries in both eyes. He even agreed to the expensive and not-one-cent-covered by insurance multi-focal replacement lens. Now, the world sparkles a lot more brightly than it ever did.

Something soft? My new Snuggie in a Green Bay Packers print is very warm and snuggly, soft and sweet. And since my ever-patient husband, a.k.a. Chuck, has a whole different outlook on the football season, it’s really sweet of him to buy this for me.

But his heart and his own true love – my supremely wonderful spouse outdid himself this time. When I mentioned my desire, he called it “…a worthless piece of paper.” He wasn’t far off. It doesn’t pay dividends, I can’t sell it, it’s so non-transferable that I can’t even leave it in my will. But in spirit, it’s worth a million, and when I opened the box, I had a lump in my throat.

Readers, I received a share of Green Bay Packers stock for Christmas. I am officially – literally, not figuratively – an NFL owner, an investor in the Green Bay Packers.

Lyrics to ‘What can I give you this Christmas?’ were hard to find, and I still can’t find the songwriter’s name to give credit where credit is due. It’s a lovely song, and it fits the true sentiments of gift giving at this time of year.

>When nothing is going right…the Worry Monster

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Daisy

>Heard on Twitter – “When nothing in life is going right, go left.”

I lean pretty far to the left as it is, so I find other ways to cope. The hardest part of coping with life in general is facing the Worry Monster.

The Worry Monster invades my thoughts when something unpredictable or uncontrollable is coming up, something I need to face but can’t really change. The Worry Monster enters through the side door, suggesting I worry about something coming up – a routine medical procedure, perhaps. As I’m consciously deciding not to worry about it, the Monster will suggest something else that deserves worry. By the time the Monster leaves, laughing its evil laugh, I’ve probably worried about a number of upcoming dates or vague future events.

I fight the Worry Monster by staying active. Politically, the Worry Monster thinks I should worry about all that’s going on in Madison. In place of worry, I choose concern. I write letters and emails. I blog. I volunteer with Organizing for America (OFA) by entering data after phone banks and canvass days. I make an occasional donation, but my main contribution is time.

I fought the Worry Monster before the frost came by working in the garden. Simple and mindless tasks such as weeding and watering provided think time. Think time isn’t worry; it’s work-things-through time. As long as I remembered the mosquito repellent, I could stay in the garden for hours, weeding, watering, and processing thoughts. The garden really does nourish the soul.

Now, when the garden lies sleeping the winter away under a blanket of leaves, I play in the kitchen. Cooking is work; baking is play. It’s productive, fun, and a great creative outlet. I’ve considered attempting sourdough bread; maybe it’s time to get serious and create a sourdough starter. Maybe – after the holiday cookies are done.

So take that, Worry Monster. If not much is going right in life, I just turn to the left and get busy.

>Green Bay Packers fans

Posted on December 18, 2011 by Daisy

You know you’re a Green Bay Packers fan if:

Your favorite starting quarterback has a streak of incomplete passes – 3 in all.
You buy Christmas gifts at the Packer Pro Shop for out-of-state relatives.
You imagine the visiting teams saying, “We came, we saw, we lost” on their way out of Lambeau.
Your favorite field goal kicker is considered in a slump if he misses. That’s misses one field goal.
Your weekly superstitions continue, even though you know the team doesn’t need your help.
You have a cheesehead that sports the words “NFL Owner.”
Your decorative ceramic seagull wears a Barbie-doll size cheesehead.
Instead of rushing into laundry to prepare for game day, you just take out another piece of Packer-wear because you own enough to last through the playoffs — and indeed, the Super Bowl.

>Worry is still my middle name

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Daisy

>They do grow up, our children. Do they ever really outgrow us? Or it may be us, the parental units left behind in the empty or almost-empty nest, who feel the pain as the apron strings snap.

Amigo sent me the following email while he was away at school.

Hello all

What a night we’ve had here in the LIFEhouse! It all started when I was cooking a frozen pizza in the oven. All of a sudden when my pizza was done, I started to smell smoke. I opened the oven door and sure enough, the whole room literally filled with smoke.

It turns out that a towel that was hanging on the oven door somehow got in there and almost caught on fire. Anyway, Ms. A, our supervisor, pulled it out using a pot holder, ran it under the sink, and opened the windows to try and let out the smoke. Wouldn’t you know it, the fire alarm went off and we got a visit from the fire department. The moral of this story is, never let anything besides food fall into a hot oven!

The next day he sent this one.

I am cobbing dowd with a head code. All mording I hab been blowig by dose like a trubet. I’b wondering if I should dake sobe psudifed or somethig to help be get over this?

That night he called. That tug on my heart? Apron strings stretching, stretching until they’re taut. Everyone survived the adventures without injury, Amigo didn’t freak out or melt down, and his pizza was still edible, with a slight smokey flavor. He called it a “learning experience.” His cold is improving after a long weekend at home. TLC and a chance to sleep in each day must have been good for him.

Good for him, maybe. For me? I still worry. Maybe not the same worry I felt when he was little, but it’s worry nevertheless. When these apron strings get cut for good, I hope it’s a clean cut, the kind that heal quickly and easily. I’ll need all the help I can get.

The Fabled Fairies of Thanksgiving – Reprise

Posted on November 24, 2011 by Daisy

What are you doing reading blogs on Thanksgiving Day? Go spend time with friends and family!

But if you must, here’s my classic Thanksgiving post, The Fabled Fairies of Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Dinner? No problem! I’ll call in the fairies. They’ll do everything.

The laundry fairy washes, dries, and presses the table linens, including the cloth napkins. If she’s feeling generous, the sheets and towels might get folded, too.
The turkey fairy will practice her specialty and make sure the bird is cooked and carved just in time for dinner. White meat and dark, it’ll all be moist and savory and leave just enough leftovers for sandwiches and a turkey noodle soup.
The baker fairy will take care of pies, pumpkin and otherwise. He’s an expert on flaky crust, selected spices, and the perfect portion of whipped cream. Don’t let that Simple Simon guy get in the way; the kitchen’s too small for anyone who begs to taste the wares.
The brownie — the cunning little house elf — will clean the home thoroughly, put the leaf in the big table, and get the extra chairs out of the basement.
I wouldn’t dream of neglecting the wine fairy: the sommelier so tiny she only recommends, never lifts, a bottle. Her taste is impeccable. Now if we could stop her before she over-imbibes and falls asleep on top of the piano…
Did I mention the decorator fairy? She’ll fix the fireplace mantel with something tasteful and seasonal before she makes sure the couch and rocker are properly arranged for the annual holiday gladiator contests known as NFL football.
The ambiance fairy keeps the wood fire crackling in the fireplace, the aromas wafting deliciously through the home, and the family discussions neutral and unpolitical.
The kitchen fairies: really, there must be a whole crew of these talented sprites. One to do the shopping early and avoid the crowds, another to make sure the cranberries are perfect (and local, of course), and a magical maestro with the potato masher. Then we’ll need a feisty fairy, one with attitude — yes, you, Tinkerbell, you can make the coffees.

Mom, you can send the fairies over to my house now that we’re hosting the annual family Thanksgiving dinner. Let them know that I’ll have their room ready and their favorite cookies baked. If they arrive on Sunday there should be enough time to get everything done.

Wait. What do you mean…they’re…not….real?

Compost Happens

Taking care of family, garden, and coffee and sharing it with the online world

Category Archives: family life

>Bad things come in threes – we’re done now, right?

>Flu shots: there’s still time!

>The ground is white, and I’m still green.

>Dutch Babies, updated

>What a difference – a year makes

>Taking Stock of Christmas

>When nothing is going right…the Worry Monster

>Green Bay Packers fans

>Worry is still my middle name

The Fabled Fairies of Thanksgiving – Reprise

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