Merry Christmas to Me!

Last week I had labs drawn, and I got the results yesterday.  My MELD score has gone from 15 to 14.  Yay!  As "the Martha" would say, it's a good thing.  Not much else to report.  Just looking forward to Christmas.  Have a happy holiday!

What is that noise?

I had to run home at noon to grab a pan of stuffing.  While I was there I heard the oddest sound.  Much like "The Night Before Christmas," I sprang to the window to see what was the matter!  Trucks.  Pickups, not construction in variety.  SUVs, and cars!  How, when, what?  It couldn't be!!  The street was open.  I looked further.  All the bypass lines were gone.  No silent generator.  No road blocks.  Totally and completely open.  My Christmas wish had come true!  Oh joy!  Oh happy day!

Ok, enough exclamation points.  Time for another recipe.  Last week we got a meat and cheese tray from SDN Communications for the holidays.  One of the dips on it was good.  Zesty.  Zingy.  I couldn't immediately identify the taste.  I asked if it was horseradish.  Yes!  What--I don't like horseradish.  Well, in some forms I apparently do.  It was so tasty that I had to try recreating it.  And I did pretty darn good at it.  So here it is:

Horseradish Spread

2 (8 ounce) package. cream cheese, softened

1 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing

1 teaspoon brown mustard

3 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

2 teaspoon minced garlic

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1 small jar Inglehoffer’s Extra Creamy Prepared Horseradish

1/4 teaspoon ground sea salt

1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper

3 Tablespoons chopped chives

Mix all ingredients and beat together until smooth.  Make at least one day ahead.  Store in a covered container in refrigerator.  Serve with crackers, vegetables, or your favorite dippable!

Goose Day!

It is an unseasonably warm day here in Pierre for being mid-December.  Still, sunny, and in the mid-50's.  The huge population of Canadian geese has taken advantage of that and is spending the day at the river.  Usually they are up on the  Capital Lake by the state capitol building enjoying their circulated, heated water.  But it was warm enough to take flight today.

As the sun begins to set, large flocks of them burst suddenly from the grass to take flight against a western twilight sky.  It is beautiful!  If I thought my camera would be able to capture that, I'd sit in wait for the next flock.  But it's a bit too dark already to see their silhouettes against the fading azure and orange sky.  But I did get out this morning and took a few pictures of them ambling through the neighborhood and flying away as I ran toward them.  My grandmother once told me that geese will bite.  That must be the flocks of domesticated white geese on farms.  These giant Canadians would have Paula Deen in fits.  Instead of Turducken, she'd have to figure out Duturken. Those geese would never fit into any turkey I've ever seen at the market. And as I talk about roasting them, the geese have begun honking in protest.  "Cook me?  Why don't you come out here now and think that, girlie!"

Anyway, here are a couple of shots (ah ha ha I crack me up) of the geese earlier today.

Across the street at the Farm Credit building.

Lift off!

Flying away on the wings of a goose!

Ok, time to go dunk the mint Oreos in the melted white peppermint chocolate now.  And the dip the butterfinger bars into some melted chocolate.  It's a merry almond bark Christmas! 

Happy 1/2 Birthday 'Little Stinky!'

Yesterday was the 6 month anniversary (1/2 birthday) of the discovery of the sinkhole on Missouri Avenue in front of my apartment.  It you go to the post with the flood photos, you'll see the sinkhole from discovery to excavation.  Well, I was tired of the constant noise from the bypass pump's generator.  I'd been told it would be finished several times a week, beginning with the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.  After a month of getting nothing but the runaround, and a complete lack of sleep, I told the City to get it done or put me up in a nice hotel since my health couldn't take much more of that.

The generator was still running yesterday morning.  I ordered a 1/2 birthday cake from Wal-Mart.  Yes, to answer your question, they did think I was crazy.  But it was yummy and much enjoyed by my co-workers.  Although the horseradish spread on the meat and cheese tray from SDN wasn't the best accompaniment ever.  I took the cake's picture.  I sent it to the City.  They called to tell me the generator was shut off at 4 PM.  I couldn't comprehend the silence when I got home.  I kept nodding off.  Had to schlep back to work to reset some dialing.  Went home, ate dinner, went to bed.  Even having to get up several times during the night didn't keep me awake because there was no noise.  Just blessed silence!  So, here is 'Little Stinky' the sewer cake (yeah, not the best name for sure):

Little Stinky is 6 months old!

For Dr. A.

I saw my local doctor today, and we had a couple of laughs.  When I was in the hospital in September, Dr. A. assured me that they did not use monkey livers or other parts for transplants after I was a bit out of it with the encephalopathy.  Well, Dr. P. made a comment about transplants coming down to getting the right parts when they need them.  I reminded him that they could always try the monkey parts.  He said one of his patients having neck work done wanted to know if he'd be able to play the piano after surgery.  Sure Dr. P. told him.  The patient said good--he'd always wanted to be able to.  Maybe if they tried an organ grinder monkey part he could!  Wrong organ, said Dr. P.

And just as an FYI--I've now allowed that sock monkeys are cute.  But they are the ONLY monkeys I want to see or hear about.  Still hate all other monkeys.  I don't care if monkey DNA is only about 2% different than human DNA (thanks, Dr. P.).  My wish for the holidays is that anyone tormenting me with monkeys grows a monkey tail.  A long, ugly, smelly one!  That itches.  A lot.

Had some blood work done, so I should have the results in a few days.  But everything seems to be going well.  The reduction in the dosage of lactulose seems to be working just fine, and I'm not so yucky feeling from it now.  Here's hoping that I'm still about a 15 on the MELD score.  I'll have to check with Milwaukee after they get the fax.

Pierre Still Filling Sinkholes

Here is the sinkhole in front of my apartment building.  (Just click the link below).  You can see the corner of a cedar building in a couple of shots.  It's already much smaller than it was, but still not filled. I was guaranteed the bypass pump would be gone yesterday.  It's still pumping noisily away out there!  And the city doesn't bother to return calls for updates.  According to the news story, they hope to have it filled by next week.  I've already been boiling water since the 5th!  Ok, I don't actually drink the nasty Pierre water, but I use it for cooking, and I have laundry to do.  I don't want murky brown whiles!  And I had to rinse my grapes with bottled water on Wednesday.  They have until Thursday next week--otherwise I'm getting out the Christmas lights to cover everything out there.

Pierre Still Filling Sinkholes

Christmas Baking Interuptus

I love to bake!  Yes, I like to cook, but baking has always been my relaxation, my creativity.  I was talking to Brandy at my doctor's office last week about how much I was looking forward to baking.  I have bags of flour, sugar, chocolate chips, tons of butter and margarine, peppermint candies and fruit to do my baking.  I was supposed to start last week, but couldn't seem to get motivated to do it.  It happened again this weekend.  And Monday is my treat day at work.  Good thing I bought meat,cheese, olives, chips and salsa.  The only thing I''ve made is my "polar bear crunch," which is popcorn and pretzels drizzled with fudge.

Why can't I get motivated to do my baking?  I think it's Dr. B's fault here in Pierre.  When he removed my gall bladder last year, he accidentally removed my love of sweets.  I don't care if I eat candy, cookies, or even chocolate.  I just have no taste for it now.  How could that be?  I've always been a big fan of those things.  Now? Not so much. I'd rather make some cards, watch a movie, read a book, or even take a nap.  Choosing napping over chocolate?  How crazy is that?!  It could also be that I'm very tired.  I haven't slept well in nearly a month thanks to the pump in the manhole out in front of my place.  I've been assured by the City that is would be gone and those hole closed up the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.  Then this past Friday--they would call me if it wasn't going to be done.  Guess what?  Not done, and no call!  Color me surprised.  I guess I shouldn't expect too much when I had to provide them with the date of discovery of the sink hole since they forgot to write it down to include on the FEMA paperwork.  This is the oversight provided by our wonderful mayor.  I'm thinking I'll vote vote anyone that runs against her.  She and I have had out issues anyway, so it's not much of a shock that I feel this way.

I did make a big pot of chili today.  The old-fashioned way even--simmering half the day on the stove rather than in the crock pot.  It sure was good!  Well, I'm finally feeling tired and finding it hard to keep my eyes open, so I'd best head off to bed.  G'night!

Finally . . . the flood.

The other event of great import this past summer  was, of course, the flooding of the Missouri River.  I am still quite convinced that this is what started my crash course of liver issues over the summer.  I was stressed beyond belief, both at home and at work.  I was out of my home, not eating well, not drinking enough liquids, and basically just neglecting my health.  I have taken pictures of most of the flood issues, although not many of the high water marks since that was when I was gone for my transplant evaluation. So, finally, here they are:

The stilling basin near the Oahe Dam.  Normally a nice, smooth flow, this picture was taken on May 22, 2011. At that time, we were only at about 60,000 CFS (cubic feet per second) in flow.  The previous record for release was 53,900 CFS in 1997.  By mid-June, the releases had risen to over 110,000 CFS, reaching a maximum of 160,000 CFS at the peak of the summer's flooding.  To put that in perspective, Niagra Falls runs at about 100,000 CFS.  So at the height of flooding, Both the Oahe and Gavin's Point (near Yankton) were much more powerful than the Niagra Falls.  And where was our national news coverage?  ZIP!

It looks so peaceful.  Not like a flooding, angry river.  I guess you could call it "the widening calm" at this point (May 25, 2011).  This is the Missouri River just across the street from my home.  My beautiful view.  Before the construction of the levee, the ripping up of my street, the sound of pumps running around the clock to prevent backup or flooding.  As the lyrics to one of my mom's favorite songs go, "Away, I'm bound away, 'cross the wide Missouri."

Four days later, on May 29, 2011.  How many dump trucks does it take to build a levee?  The lights of the trucks are mixing with the lights in Ft. Pierre and on buildings, but my beautiful view is being blocked by the construction of a levee.  Special traffic rules were put into place giving any construction equipment the right of way, and many intersections and corners were controlled by law enforcement.  At this time, there were eleven regular and side dump trucks lined up to drop their loads for the smaller equipment to form the levee. The work went on around the clock.  Wake up at 3 AM, you'd hear the construction equipment, the reverse indicators, and the constant drone of passing police and military vehicles patrolling the area to keep the "lookey-lou's" away.  They still found their way in--one of them even taking a picture of me climbing into the building since I had intended to be a hold out and stay.  I had my flood zone resident card, so I was good.

The completed levee.  No Trespassing.  Anyone climbing on a levee was subject to a fine and arrest.  Even the sandbag barricades throughout town carried the same warning.  Every law enforcement agency you can think of was here enforcing those bans (Border Patrol in South Dakota--huh?). National Guard Humvees roamed the city as well.

June 1, 2011 The pumps on the side on my building, nearly blocking all access.  They ran 24 hours a day for months.  

Evacuation day.  June 2, 2011, I packed up in two and a half hours to get out.  My supervisor stored my belongings at her property outside of town.  All that was left was a clock.  My things would not come back until mid August when I was finally able to return to work, although only for about three and a half weeks before another episode sent me to Sioux Falls by ambulance.

The corner of Pierre Street and Dakota Avenue.  The entire area was inaccessible due to sandbag barricades, so you had to go to the corners or mid-block and climb the little bridges.  All had cute signs like "Water Taxi," "No Skinny Dipping," and "Shark-Free Zone."

Pierre Street, looking north from Dakota to Sioux.  "Welcome, Shoppers!"  Everyone stayed open for business.

Cousin Mike, recently deployed to Afghanistan, was unable to help with the construction of protective measures around his home.  The National Guard stepped in and took care of it.  His wife and daughters were left to deal with the backup in the lower level, and eventually getting rid of all the sandbags.  Lori and the girls (ages 13 and 14) hauled away every one of those sandbags!  Mike is due home for leave near Christmas. 

On June 15, 2011, I was greeted with a sink hole out in front of my home.  The ground water had caused settling, which in turn caused the street to collapse.  This was just the first of several sink holes that would be discovered in the coming weeks.

Also on June 15, 2011, I returned to the hospital for the second time in a week.  To raise money for flood relief, these shirts were sold in stores downtown.  Unfortunately, no one proofread, so apparently a corporation sandbagged us, rather than the Army Corps of Engineers.  It made me laugh as I laid in the hospital bed, unsure of what day it was, how to use my cell phone, and unable to attend my family reunion.  A week later, I was released to my parents to go to Sioux Falls for the transplant evaluation.  Who knows--if I had gone through with the evaluation last summer like I was supposed to, maybe I would have gotten a new liver this summer.

The Ruler of the House at my parents.  This is Shiloh.  He was not happy I was there so long, as it took attention away from him.  The furry bone up on the pillow behind him?  He took it everywhere with him, so I couldn't have it.  He's such a scary beast that they have signs on the doors warning visitors not to open the door due to the dog.  Expecting a Rottweiler or Pit Bull, they don't.  Instead they get a fluffy white egomaniac!

Upon returning to Pierre on August 10, I discovered that the sink hole had grown wider and deeper.  Within a couple days, the first of three sewer lines would break.  No water for us.  We spent one weekend with water supplied from a fire hydrant by a garden hose.  For eight apartments!  Oh, yeah, that was a nice shower.  No water pressure at all.

August 10, 2011 A summer off cool, rainy days, and city crews occupied on more pressing matters leads to what has to be the most derelict looking slum of a levee anywhere.  Within a few days, equipment would arrive to start removing the levee.  That disturbed all the grasshoppers, which fled to the sides of buildings with brick and stucco textures.  First National Bank was covered--even the pneumatic tubes at the drive-up were covered.  The back of my office building was covered, so they sprayed it for days.  The parking lot had to be swept to remove the grasshopper graveyard.  It also made all the spiders move.  I got a spider bite, and had several large spiders in my apartment.  I caught all but George.  Dr. A. made me have my apartment sprayed while I was in the hospital in September to help assure I got no further spider bites.

The Corps estimated that the maximum flood elevation would be 1,434 feet, with a possible rise to 1,436.  Apparently my apartment is at 1,437 feet 7 inches above sea level.  So now ya know!

Ok, it has absolutely nothing to do with the flood, but I had to include it.  This is the baumtorte I made for my cousin Jory's confirmation dessert.  Fifteen layers of alternating white and chocolate cake, topped with a sour cream custard, chocolate sour cream frosting, and some beautiful late season strawberries.  I love to cook and bake, so this was fun.  I made jumbo cupcakes for work with the leftover batter, frosting, and berries.

November 1, 2011 Working on the sink hole--now a giant pit.  I hope they get that closed up before it snows!

November 15, 2011  Sink hole?  Now it's a complete excavation of the street to repair three broken sewer lines.  The new manhole cover is on it's way, and I'm told by the city it will be closed up within a week.  They hope.  As of today, it's still open, a huge pile of dirt in front of my building, the holiday Parade of Lights rerouted, and the pump still running. I swear, if that equipment is still here at Christmas, I'm stringing it with lights!  Just have to do it when the neighbor that is a cop is gone . . .

So there are the highlights and lowlights.  If I get ambitious, I may put up a few more pictures of it later.  But now, it's nap time!



Thanksgiving Wrap

Well, Thanksgiving is over after MUCH cooking.  I wish I could have just pigged out, but I don't seem to be able to anymore.  I did have a little of everything, including lefse, but I just get full so much faster than I used to.  I guess that isn't a bad thing, but please, just one day!  I did enjoy a little salt, since potatoes and gravy just seem to require a bit.  I didn't put any in the soup I made today from the leftovers.

I did enjoy the broccoli-cheese casserole I made.  And had to freeze a pan of it since it made way more than the four of us could eat.  I'd never had it until I went to South Carolina at Easter to visit my friends Michael 1 and Michael 2.  M2 requested that I make it, since it was something his mother made for holiday.  So I gave it a shot based on some recipes I found online.  I tweaked it a bit now and I think it turned out better yesterday.  So, here it is:

Broccoli Cheese Casserole
2 one pound packages frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
1 can cheddar broccoli soup (Campbell's)
1/3 cup milk or half and half
1 1/2 cups crushed Club crackers
1 cup fancy shredded cheddar cheese

Put everything in a bowl and stir to combine.  Pour into a greased casserole (a big one, about 9"x13").  Sprinkle top with another cup of crushed club crackers.  Pour 1/4 cup melted butter over the top.  Sprinkle with another cup of the shredded cheddar.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  Let cool about 5 minutes before serving.

I filled my casserole dish (not a very big one), and had enough to fill an 8"x8" foil pan.  I let it cool, refrigerated it covered with foil, then tossed it in the freezer for a quick sidedish in the future.  It now lives there with all the frozen meals and soup.

Went out Friday morning to take advantage of a whole ONE Black Friday special.  No heading out at midnight or 4 AM.  I grabbed a cup of hot cocoa at Pier 347 (it was only lukewarm--for $3.73 with a shot of peppermint in it) at 7:45.  Walked across the street to Scrappin' Ladies to buy one of my Christmas presents to me.  A ten drawer rolling scrapbook paper organizer.  On sale for 25% off!  My former friend "A" was at the store.  Parked right next to me, so she knew I was there.  Yet she hid in the back of the store for the entire time I was there.  She can't handle having a friend with serious health problems, so she said we can't be friends anymore.  And she hid.  Talk about juvenile.  Grow up!  I think she has more problems than I ever realized.  Who needs her?  I have plenty of friends who are more fun, and are very supportive of me.  And they know I appreciate them.

So today I made the soup, organized all the bags of scrapbook stuff into the cart, and now I'm relaxing listening to Christmas music.  I love listening to it. Soothing, calming, and it makes you feel good.  I was going to start my holiday baking today, but didn't get around to it with the organizing.  So I guess that means I have no excuse not to finish making Christmas cards now.  Dang, I knew there'd be a catch!  Oh well.  My other present to me will be her Monday.  A heated throw so that when I sit on the couch, I can be comfy-cozy warm.  Oh, one more thing.  Junior Mints Peppermint Crunch are awesome!  (Or 'Big Brown Mints' as my nephew Taylor used to call them!)

These are the Michaels!  Bet you can't tell which is M1 and which is M2.  Come on, try real hard.

Gobble, Gobble!

Yep, it's almost Thanksgiving and the annual turkey binge.  Norbert de la Norbest is currently thawing in the refrigerator, all the ingredients for the sides have been purchased, and the lefse has been made!  No store-bought lefse here.  Just 100% authentic Norwegian lefse rolled with the funky rolling pin and fried on the old-school Bethany Heritage grill.  Not the teflon one, the real one!  On Sunday I made 32 rounds (think rolling out 32 pie crusts--total insanity).  Some for Thanksgiving, some got frozen for Christmas and New Years, one package so cousin Mike and his family can enjoy some when he gets leave over the holidays from duty in Afghanistan, and some for a co-worker.  The co-worker's children were required to take the lefse quiz before they could get their lefse.  They call it rolly bread.  They thought it would be ok to put peanut butter on it, to roll it out with a regular smooth rolling pin, and that sprinkling sugar on the buttered lefse was optional.  I asked if they were Polish or something, not realizing that those answers were like driving a stake into the heart of any good Norwegian.  Why, they might as well just use instant potatoes!

After Thanksgiving dinner, it's time for my own personal tradition to get in the holiday spirit.  Watching the DVD of the Radio City Rockettes holiday show.  Some day I'd like to see that in person.  But for now, I stick closer to home in the event that my health would suddenly change.  As of tomorrow, I've been back home for two months.  And not a single problem more serious than a scratchy throat for a couple of days.  I think that is pretty good.  Slept like a baby the last three nights, snuggled under the enormous pile of blankets on my bed.  Eating regular meals with little or no salt, and watching the types of protein that I eat.  This is South Dakota, and I would give just about anything for a nice steak--maybe a filet mignon.  But, alas, it's chicken again.  I think for New Year's I'm going to do a pork loin.  Maybe go wild and do the herb roasted, bacon-wrapped loin.  It's a light pork, not dark, so I should be ok.  And it's SOOOO good.  I'll have to try some of my new herbs on it.  I found another place that has some great salt-free blends.  Their service is amazingly fast, and their prices are very reasonable.  Most items are $4.79 for a HUGE bottle.  So check out Marshall Creek Spices.  They sometimes have problems with the payment processor on their Website, so I would recommend checking out with PayPal, or calling to place your order.

Ok, time to head for bed.  I still have to work tomorrow, at least most of the day.  Have to work on a proposal, then get a little jiggy with our calling software so we can try to wrap up the calling for November by tomorrow.  It will be hard, since we're missing one of our callers.  Thoughts go out to you, Shirley.  You scared us on Friday, but I know you'll be better soon!  Hope you were able to catch the finale of Dancing with the Stars.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

It started snowing last night, and kept up for about 12 hours.  We're guessing about 6" total.  So what did I do after getting up this morning?  Make snow angels?  Throw some snow balls?  Nope! I shoveled.  Cleared a path to the alley so I could walk in the tire tracks, then went to the office to clear some parking areas for the staff to park this morning.  I got quite a bit of help, though.  Thanks April, Junior, Corwin, and Blake!

And how do I feel after shoveling?  Hungry and invigorated!  Love the endorphins from the exertion.  I made sure not to overdo, then took some time to rest and drink some water.  Now I'm going to go peel, cook, and mash five pounds of potatoes to make lefse for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  It is a Norwegian thing--kind of like a potato tortilla.  Just spread some butter on it, sprinkle with a little white sugar, roll up, and eat!  There IS no other way to  eat lefse.  No brown sugar, cinnamon, or jam.  That's almost a crime against lefsedom!  It is a bit of work, but definitely worth it.  The holidays just aren't the holidays without lefse.  Kind of like Thanksgiving with no turkey or canned cranberry sauce.

But for now, it's time for a bit of a nap piled under my big bunch of blankets.  It's COLD outside.  Thank goodness for tie dyed long johns to keep me warm outside!

Soup is a wonderous thing!

You’ve probably gathered that I’m feeling better lately.  What is the secret?  Well, obviously medications, a good diet, and a normal and regular schedule.  Most nights I sleep ok, but not always.  So I try to take a nap at lunch or right after work, and I definitely sleep as much as I can on the weekends.  And now that I know what to look for with symptoms of problems, I take steps to take care of them right away.  I’ve decided, though, that there must be one secret I haven’t previously identified.  It’s ONIONS!  I’m sure of it.

I eat onions in almost every meal.  I put them in my chicken salad, my chili, my soup, my pasta, my casseroles, my meat entrees.  I’ve been told I have a “too liberal” hand with the onions sometimes.  How can that be?  One of my favorite foods is a good bowl of French onion soup!  Must work on de-salting that.  I go through at least an onion a week.  And onion rings (breaded—never battered)?  A definite treat now and again, since I need to avoid the fat for several reasons.  If I lived close to a Fuddrucker's Burgers, I'd be eating huge rings of them on a burger, and even munching one or two raw.  Their onions are that good!

What exactly do the onions do?  Research has shown, along with centuries of observation, that onions can aid in everything from helping to get rid of the common cold and mucus, to treatment of asthma, cardiac conditions, low bone density (nature’s Fosamax!), help regulate blood sugar, provide a source of healthy bifidobacteria in the colon, reduce the risk of tumor growth in the colon and stomach, and to reduce the risk of certain forms of cancer.  Although to gain the most benefits, you would need to eat about half a raw onion every day.  But consumption of even some onion will provide some benefit.  For more complete information, see Health Benefits of Onions.  I also use a lot of minced garlic and add leeks frequently.  Same family, same benefits.

Tonight I’m chopping up the veggies for a batch of beef barley vegetable soup.  I made some about a month ago, and had a bowl from the freezer for lunch yesterday.  I immediately wanted more!  It’s warm, filling, yummy, and hearty.  And it’s darn cold here!  It is supposed to be 18 degrees F in the morning.  Brrrrrrrr!  It’s cocoa wheats for breakfast.

FYI:  The soup turned out great, and was oh so tasty and warming after walking home in the wind and cold.  But before you feel too sorry for me about walking to and from work—it takes me about 58 seconds to make the walk.  I live across a parking lot and alley from my office!

Soup Heaven

Although today was Veteran's Day, our office was open so we can take off the Friday after Thanksgiving. When I ask my staff to work those minor holidays, I usually provide some kind of lunch.  No more Subway--you have NO idea how much sodium is in those sandwiches!  Last month for Native American Day (in South Dakota, Columbus Day everywhere else), we had scalloped potatoes and ham that were delicious.  I know the ham has a lot of sodium, so I did try to eat mostly the potatoes.  But for today with the cold weather here (how was I supposed to know it would hit 60 on one of the last glorious days of fall), I decided weeks ago to make soup. Originally it was going to be chili.  But Tina and Ryan informed me that chili isn't soup.  Chili is chili.  So think.

While wandering through the grocery store, I started seeing things on sale.  Hmm, that could be could with that.  And a little of that.  Boxes of stock, can of tomatoes, and piles of veggies later, we had an idea.  How about vegetable soup with chicken rather than beef, maybe with a "Tuscan" flair.  So last night, I got started.  It's a rather LARGE batch, so feel free to cut it down, or email me to ask me to do that for you.

GROUP SOUP
8 chicken breasts, thawed
Italian seasoning
5 large carrots, peeled
4 stalks celery
1 yellow onion
4 small or 1 large leek
4 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup hot water
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
2 regular cans petite diced tomates with juice
1 - 12 ounce can tomato juice
2 regular cans cannellini beans (white kidney), rinsed
3 quarts chicken stock
1 quart vegetable stock
1 cup beef stock
1 cup pearl barley
3 cups cooked ditalini or other small pasta
1 bay leaf
1 Tablespoon dried basil
1 Tablespoon dried cilantro
Ground black pepper to taste

Sprinkle Italian seasoning on chicken breasts and bake at 350 degrees until done.  Cool and chop into small pieces.

Cut carrots, celery and leeks into thin slices; dice onion.  Saute in butter, garlic and 1/4 cup water until tender.

In a very large stock pot (I used an electric roaster), combine stocks, tomato juice and seasonings.  Add tomatoes, canellini, and chicken.  Bring up to a simmer.  Add barley.  Simmer about two more hours.  Add cooked pasta about 1 hour before serving.  All together, about 4 hours to cook.

Top bowls of soup with your favorite crackers, shredded cheese, sliced green onions, or whatever you like.  (TIP:  Whenever cooking in a crockpot or electric roaster, use the liner bags found by the aluminum foil to make cleaning up a breeze.  It takes less than 5 minutes!)  Serves about 16.

It was a pretty good day today, have to work tomorrow, then off to the holiday craft fair with some cousins on Sunday.  And my wish for Christmas?  Continued good health and an end to the street work in front of my house!  From the levee construction for my birthday at the end of May, until now, it has been constant.  My beautiful river view is currently a 10 foot pile of dirt and asphalt chunks.  If the equipment is still parked here at Christmas, I'm stringing lights on it!

Still a 15!

Can you spell P-A-N-I-C?  Apparently, Mom and I spell it the same way.  Early morning phone calls from the transplant center in Milwaukee.  Why are they calling?  Is it a liver?  What do they need?  What’s going on?  Why isn’t my regular doctor calling?  Is something wrong when I thought I was ok?  Calm down.  Just answer the phone.  Oh, I just need to do labs to update my MELD score with them.  Whew!  That’s a relief.  Hopefully just a quick needle poke, and not the 40 vials again.  I’d need a nap after that!

It is cold in South Dakota!  I was sitting on the sofa last night shaking (which again causes mom to panic).  I was just so cold that I needed to go to bed and roast under all of my blankies.  I did—starting at 9 PM.  Got up a few times during the night, but right back to sleep.  Finally got up at 6:50.  Showered, made a bowl of chicken salad for my yummy wheat pitas, ate my breakfast, and scrambled to work.  It isn’t so cold that things in the car freeze yet, so I’m storing the bottled water for work in my trunk.  Nice and chilly to drink.

Time to sort digital documents again—thank goodness my glasses finally came.  And they aren’t bad for free.  The lab kept goofing up and it was taking longer and longer.  Got my money refunded.  Another week passed.  Got a $20 Wal-Mart gift card on top.  Free, plus $20 to spend.  Can’t beat that!

Didn't even have to go in for labs--they said those done last week were sufficient, and my MELD is still a 15.  That's a good day.  More than a year with no change (longer than a day anyway).  Treating myself to a cherry squeezee (any Simpson's fans know about the squeezee).

Good Week, Good Food, Good Fun

This has been a busy week!  Last weekend I made an amazing cake for my cousin's confirmation.  No one can ever figure out how it's made, and won't believe me when I say it's actually easy.  The leftover batter became jumbo two-tone cupcakes for work.  I cooked a dozen and a half eggs and made deviled eggs for treat day on Monday.  What could be more fitting for Halloween?

Monday afternoon I had a tele-med appointment with Dr E.  No swelling, no abdominal tenderness, and I assume my numbers must have been good since he agreed to a three-month run until my next appointment.  A couple days later, his office called to give me the next appointment time  Four months!  I'm thrilled.  And doing absolutely everything I need to do to stay healthy.  Good color, clear eyes, sharp mind.  Tonight I remembered something from about 1977 or 1978.  Amazing!  A couple months ago I couldn't figure out how to work my cell phone!

I've made some soap.  Yes, real soap only with none of the nasty detergents that commercial soaps have.  They dry my skin so terribly, as do the shower gels.  So I have goats' milk and shea butter soap.  I thought the fragrance I got smelled kind of like warm snow, and used the silver coloring to make some of it silver.  Sprinkled the silver into the white so it looks like falling snow.  It's amazing what you can teach yourself to do just by watching YouTube!

I've also made more soup and a loaf of bread.  Yum.  I love to cook.  My cousin is deployed in Afghanistan right now, so I invited his wife and kids to come over for Thanksgiving.  Now I have an excuse to cook up the big meal.  I've already arranged for guest lodging for the turkey in a friend's freezer until Thanksgiving, since my freezer is full of my meals (both those prepared and the makings of more meals).

The holidy baking list has been written; the grocery shopping begins soon.  I'll start with the cookies that freeze well, then just before Christmas, I think I'm going to make baklava again.  But the lefse will be first, so we can have that for Thanksgiving.  Yum!!!!

Checking In

Yes, it's been a while since I updated the blog.  I've been busy getting re-situated after coming home.  Still doing great.  No  swelling.  All the weight it staying off.  My color and eyes are good.  And I have a normal appetite.  Which is good, because I've come down with a raging case of cooking.  Thanks to the world of divided Ziploc trays and assorted containers, I've got 18 meals up in  the freezer.  I'll try to post a picture of the freezer later.  Very well organized, but I'm running out of room.  I'm making chili in the crock pot today, so that will put in another two meals or so.  Now when I get home from work, I can just pick out whatever I'm hungry for and toss it in the super nuker!

And it is now officially cold out.  I've been warm enough from the insulated heat in the building that I haven't had to turn on the heat.  After cooking in the oven last night, I was very warm.  I almost sweat even!  But I've been waking up and couldn't figure out why until I had one of the sleep spasms I get when I'm cold.  Dug out a few more blankets to top the comforter, and I should be good.  I'm getting really tired now, so maybe it's time to go back to bed.  Got a late start to sleep due to the city doing some street repairs around 11 PM.  Perfect time for that, right:?  Weirdness abounds in the public works department here in getting flood repairs done.  Going to take the diuretics now, so I'll be sleeping for a few hours before I start getting up every few hours again.

Night for now!

The start of the prepared meals . . . it would eventually double!  Inside out chicken pot pie, luau pork, ham loaf, chicken a couple ways, scalloped potatoes, two kinds of soup.  Too obsessive?  Nah--just easy to grab a quick dinner.

Organizing Your Medications

Whether you have a liver condition like I do, or some other health issue for which you need to take multiple medications, there is a website that makes it a snap to keep track of your meds.  You just need an email address and a password to create a sign-in.  Then choose your medications (name brand and generic options are all listed).  If you want them in a certain order, you can drag them around (alphabetical or by prescription vs. over-the-counter for example).  Go to the next step following the super-easy navigation and your list is there!  Click the drop-downs for the number of times you take it per day or what time and you're done.  Save it with whatever name you want (My Meds, Sue's Meds, etc.).  Then you can print the list, print a schedule, or even a little wallet card.  Get rushed and forget to take your meds?  Click to set up a reminder and you'll get an email or text message reminding you to take them.  I love the reminders, and trust me--your doctor's office will appreciate the printed list when you hand it to them at your next appointment.

My Med Schedule

The website is sponsored by a company that manufactures anti-rejection medication for transplant recipients, but they do not restrict others from using the site.  I got information on the site from the company when they sent a big box of resources to me when I was put on the transplant waiting list.  The pill box alone is a great freebie!

Salt-Free Cooking

Cooking with little or no salt can be a challenge.  Last year I stumbled upon a website that sells many different seasoning blends with no salt (sodium cloride) or potassium cloride (check the label on Lawry's salt-free seasonings and many of the Mrs. Dash blends--they contain potassium cloride).  I ordered a couple of them, and they are DELICIOUS!  I don't have to keep tons of other herbs and spices in my cabinet.  Mostly I just grab my bottles of Benson's.  Whether it's a replacement for salt at the table, or if you're into hunting fowl or big game, they've got something for everyone.  Ordering a combo-pack can save a few dollars, too.  Their service is great, and they have a recipes section on their website.  My parents love them, too (Mom is salt-restricted due to a heart condition).  Check them out in your favorite recipes and enjoy the results!

Benson's Gourmet Seasonings

They're so good, I've even cooked salt-free and taken it to work.  No one knew until I told them!  Try using the Bravada with a little Gusto in Stuffed Peppers.  Super yummy!

Good Appointment at the Doctor

I went to see Dr. E., my hepatologist, yesterday, and it was a good day.  All of my numbers were stable, and my albumin was finally normal.  It hasn't been since I don't know when.  So that was all great!  I'm going back home to Pierre tomorrow, and will be back at work on Monday.  My brain can't wait.  Of course, I'll have to go through Young and the Restless withdrawal again.

Even got to do a little shopping yesterday.  So now I'll have some sweaters and such that not everyone else in Pierre has.  With only four stores that sell clothes (Wal-Mart, K-Mart, JC Penney, and Christopher and Banks), it gets a little touchy not showing up in something that someone else wears.  No, I'm not including the teeny-bopper stores or the "couture" store since that's not my thing anyway.  I rarely even do Christopher and Banks since they apparently think that women are never taller than 5'6".  I don't like short pants, or tops that don't come to my waist.  I know there is online shopping, but for some reason, I just don't really get into buying things without trying them on first.

So today, I get to pack everything back into my bags and load it into the van so we can head home early.  I really hope they still have a Black Diamond watermelon at the stand in Forestburg.  Yum!  But only a little bit of that.  A nice small squash would be good, too.  Or maybe a smaller muskmelon.  Not one of those basketball sized ones again (although that was amazingly good).  And I have a pint of refrigerator dill pickles waiting for me when I get home.  My sweet neighbor Helen wanted a recipe for them, so I looked up a couple online and she said they turned out great.  Of course, I'll have to share those since I can't eat a lot of sodium.  Maybe home canned are better and have less sodium?  Can't wait to find out.

I may not be able to post for a few days after I get back home, since I had them suspend my online service at home while I was gone.  They should be able to just reactivate it since it was already paid for.  I'll have to check on Monday.  And I have to make the pecan pie cake next week as well.  The callers did an awesome job and hit their goal, so I guess they were motivated by a little baking.

It's still cold . . .

Ok, I'll admit I'm always cold.  But today, even mom broke out the sweater--and she's usually warm.  Very glad we have leftover potato leek soup from yesterday for dinner tonight.  It kept me warm for a little while.  Supposedly it will be in the 70's tomorrow.  I'll believe it when I see it.

I did make a couple of changes to the blog today.  I added a search box so you can search for anything on the blog, and I also added links to additional pages so that you can go right to the recipes or the resources if you're looking for something in particular.

As for me, I'm still doing really well.  It feels great to  feel like myself again.  Now I just have to remember not to overdo and to eat the right way (no more taco salad binges!).

100.5

So, what is 100.5?  Nope, not running a temperature.  Not listening to KIKN Country radio, either.  The temperature outside?  Not likely, since it's an unbelievable 45 degrees this morning!  It was 90 on Sunday and Monday.  Half that temp now?  Brrrrrr . . .

Nope, the significance of 100.5 is that before my gall bladder was removed not quite a year and a half ago, I had puffed up in weight.  Nothing I did diet-wise helped.  I just kept ballooning.  I lost about 80 pounds from the time the gall bladder was removed until I got sick in June.  Then I started puffing up again.  Put back on 20 pounds.  Well, as of this morning, that old 20 pounds plus another 20.5 pounds are gone!  I feel great today, and had a couple of good days.  Yesterday I did quite a bit and still felt good and slept well.  Except for that hour I spent at 1 AM watching Overhaulin'.  Chip Foose is kind of a short guy, but he's pretty funny.

Today we go to Sioux Falls so mom can pick up her special shoes (not brown shoos like they wear on the colony) but white sneaker kind.  I have to go to the bank, and then we're off to Super Waldo's to pick up a few things.  Maybe I'll get lucky and find a pair of cheap jeans that will stay up without suspenders.  It's bad when you have your cell phone on vibrate in your pocket, but your jeans are so baggy that you don't even realize that it went off.  Even my sweats are baggy!

Off in search of a cup of hot cocoa or something warm (maybe just some fuzzy socks on my feet).  Definitely wearing lots of fleece today!

Welcome!

I had to find something to keep my brain occupied (other than thinking about getting a transplant of a monkey liver--more on that another time!), so I figured I'd blog.  Probably a totally worthless activity, but at least it gives me a place to jot down things I'm thinking about, experiences, resources for other transplant or liver disease patients, and to keep in touch with friends I'm away from during all of this.  So here goes . . .

Today I'm tired.  I couldn't get to sleep.  Once I finally did fall asleep, it was good.  But I wake up several times during the night to use the restroom.  I slept really well Saturday night--nice and warm.  Thursday and Friday nights I slept little and was cold and uncomfortable due to "liver flats" or myoclonus spasms that cause my leg and hand/arm to jerk.  There are many reasons for this to happen--mine is tied to the cold.  Not that it was cold yesterday.  I would call 90 degrees pretty warm for mid-September.  But I get cold.  All the time.  When I could work, I would wear a fleece jacket and still be cold.  So I'd drag out the fleece blanket for extra warmth while sitting at my desk.  I figured I needed to be warmer at night to stop the spasms.  So I have one sheet, one thermal blanket, one bedspread, two purloined Delta airlines blankets (they owed me for having to sleep in the airport last October), and a fuzzy fleece Christmas blanket.  No fans or ceiling fans.  I actually have to roll the covers to move them off.  But to sleep, I roll back on the blankets, then forward, creating a cocoon for extra warmth.  It worked.

I suppose I'd better figure out how to save this thing before lunch time.  Egg salad on a whole wheat pita.  Good protein, not too many carbs.  And made with little or no salt, good for me.  I may even post some of my healthy recipes on here from time to time.  And maybe some not-so-healthy things that I wish I could eat or that friends keep asking for.  The pecan pie cake recipe?  Not likely gonna be here--sorry Paula, James, April and Juanita!  So, bye for now!