I Can Haz Chalupa

Guest post by my beloved.  He hasn't been feeling well this week, but a wrote a short post over the weekend as follows:

Regular readers of this here blog will no doubt know that I’ve been a tad under the weather for some time,and will have some idea of what the circumstances are and have been. If you’re not a regular reader,I suggest that you hie theeself back a few pages and acquaint thyself with the contents of this area of the blogosphere.

Suffice it to say that oxygen is NOT over-rated. I myself receive 3 liters per hour of the stuff,the delivery system being @50 feet of slender plastic hose surmounted by a nasal cannula,which I commonly refer to as a chalupa,which isn’t necessarily the item that is carried by Taco Bell,or a cannoli,a delicious Sicilian dessert.

In any event,I am alive,reasonably well,and busily creating edible treats for our evening repast. Our budget is small,which allows for a great deal of creativity and an endless search for the best bang for the buck.

So thanks for all of the well-wishing and like that. I truly appreciate it. I am pleased to announce that I am still alive and possessed of a variety of humors,which are only exacerbated by my condition. Those of you who wish further elucidation or have a corresponding need to excoriate me may contact me via facebook,via my own corner of cyberspace (see blogzilla aka modblog),or by email at moderanathotmaildotcom.

And speaking of edible treats,here’s one for you folks to try-my version of pineapple/mango salsa:

Pineapple/Mango Salsa

ingredients:

1 fresh pineapple,cored,peeled,coarsely chopped

1 red mango,peeled,seeded,coarsely chopped

1 pickled jalapeno,sliced (jarred is okay)

1 yellow onion,peeled and diced

1/4  each of red and green bell peppers,chopped and seeded

1 tablespoon white sugar

1/4 cup white vinegar

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

chopped cilantro to taste

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 stick butter

preparation:

Over low-medium heat,melt butter. Add chopped onion and peppers. When the onion starts becoming transparent,add the pineapple,mango,and jalapeno.

combine liquid elements,sugar,salt pepper,garlic powder. Stir to dissolve.

When the onion begins to brown,add the liquid to the pan,turn the heat up to medium,and cook until the mixture begins to bubble,stirring occasionally.

Turn off the burner,cover the pan,and let the salsa cool at room temperature.. It will thicken slightly while cooling. Store in refrigerator-it’ll last a week or so. Great over pork,poultry,or fish. We had ours over roast pork with a brown sugar/chipotle rub,with white rice and stir-fried vegetables on the side.

A yellow mango was also sacrificed to the cause,being peeled,seeded,and chopped,placed in the blender,and covered with ice and gin,with a little sugar and half a cup of cold water. Yum.

WIP Wednesday

Not much crafting is happening here.  So much to do, I feel like I'm running in circles.  It's not the patient, it's everything else.

About an inch was added to the tank top, not really interesting enough to take a picture of.  It would probably look the same as last week.  The good news is my daughter told me she has my boxes stored in bathroom.  I know a bit more of the yarn I'm using for the tank top is in one of those boxes.  Bad news, I'm still waiting for her to send me Girl Scout cookies since October.  I'm thinking they got eaten by now.

My spinning wheel sits next to my swivel rocking chair, so it's very easy just to sit, spin for a few minutes, then jump up to do something else.  I've finished the second half of the merino/silk and have now begun plying.

Hopefully 900 + yards of mind numbing plying.  The blue is the merino/silk, the purple is a strand of 6 ply embroidery floss. I think it's funny that when I'm spinning I can't wait to see the yarn plied, then when I get to the plying it's, this so boring.  Those of you who spin, is it like that for you?  I'm hoping it might be done by Friday.  Then I will start on the alpaca.

When my daughter called on Monday to say she's having another girl, I found this fingering weight cotton in the bin I'm going through.  I was going to sell this, but decided to start a top down raglan sweater like I made for my daughter and granddaughter when they were babies.  This is as far as I had gotten, then I was thrown off by thinking about buttonholes or to just leave it and sew on velcro.  Me, I'm totally overcome over the thought of buttonholes or no buttons.  Stressed just a bit??  If you've read my blog, or have seen my past projects, you might find this amusing.

Artfire, I'm thrown off by that one.  They won't let list until I have a banner and a number of other stuff.  I'm just going to put up stuff on my Ravelry page Knittingbunnies. It will be easier that way for me, and I need something to be easy right now.

Amy over at Dyed In The Wool and Carol Knitting Knot have both bought from me in the past.  There have been others, but I can't remember who is still blogging.  In fact, Amy's current project is with yarn she bought from me almost two years ago, I recognized it right off.  How cool is that?

The in-home case manager called and said they would pay me for two hours a day, 14 hours a week.  I think that's a little low, I was hoping for 20.  I got in contact with an agency and they pay 10.00 an hour.  Friday, I have to go for the CPR and first aid class from 9 to 4.  Then a few other places for TB testing, finger printing, state Id.  The cost of which will be taken out of my paycheck at 20.00 a week. Do the math.  14 hours times 10.00 minus 20.00 and taxes.  Not much is it?

She said, they weren't having an orientation for a couple weeks but she will see if she can get one scheduled for next week.  She didn't sound hopeful about me picking up extra hours.  She wanted to send me to Nogales, Phoenix and Three Points. Yikes. Even if I had a car, I wouldn't be driving that far with gas prices as they are.  It's $3.63 a gallon here. I know it's higher other places.

 I asked if she didn't have anything in town. Yes, but the busses are unreliable.  Really?  I've not had much of a problem.  She said in 6 months she might be able to get me 30 hours.  Honey, I need an extra 20- 25 hours now.  Oh well, I'll figure out something.  At least I'll be listed as employed and that makes it easier to find another job.

D called the cable company about our phone and internet, they gave us a whopping extra 3 days.  Not even 30 days past due and they are throwing a fit.  I have until June 2 at midnight to come up with $100.00 to keep the phone and internet on, plus the very basic cable, it's a package deal.  Which is really June 1 to make the payment.

I was going to take more pictures of stuff today, but it was the last day of school and the kids and neighbors were in the pool all afternoon, three feet from my patio.  I didn't feel like the third degree, so I'll sort more tonight, take pictures in the morning.  I have a couple places to go tomorrow, so will add to my Rav page when I get back.  Friday is a lost cause.  Start again on Saturday.  The plumbing here sucks, so dying the yarn  is a slow process,  In a dishpan, in my tub (the only decent plumbing).

For your entertainment, D is almost finished with his guest blog post.  He'll probably be more entertaining as he won't sound like the exasperated housewife. He's posting the recipe of my favorite meal we made together, pork loin with pineapple mango salsa and rice.

On comments about Monday's post.  My children, they are the product of their genetics.  Most of the people in my life since I was very small are self-involved to the point of narcissism.  Both related and in-laws.  The poor kids didn't stand a chance, so I just accept them as they are.  I learned at a young age that to get my emotional needs met, I would have to look outside my inner circle.  Sometimes that leads me to find yet more self-involved people, which I leave where they are because I have enough already.  Which is why I stay with D and was amazed at the lady who took me back and forth these past three months.  Plus all of you who continue to read my blathering.  I don't know why you keep coming, but I'm glad you do. .

Also, Teresa, it's why I moved 3000 miles away from my family.  Actually, 2,750 miles.

 I figured out the person from Lima, NY  is my daughter popping in occasionally, to check on me.  I don't know who the person in Pittsford, NY is.  (waves Hello to the mystery person in Pittsford.)  It's nice to know someone from home reads me.

As an ex-Western NYer, I know all about complaining about the heat.  Yuck, a hot day up there is like having syrup dumped on you.  I'll take this dry heat any day. It's so hot and dry that when you start to sweat, it dries right away.   Though I will complain about the possibility of spontaneously combusting and the heat index of Hell.  When it gets to 110F, I'm going to fry an egg on my patio this year and take video.

Thanks for visiting.  I'm in the transition phase.  Transitioning back to creative endeavors (I hope) and less stressful whining (really hopeful.)   Clicking the button below will lead you to more creative people.

The Tired Chronicles

When I die, if I have to come back, I want to be Bootsie.

We are managing just fine here, though we both fall into bed totally exhausted at night.  Then our muscles wake up and complain.  I'm telling myself this exhaustion all the time will pass.  You'll remember I had these episodes of fatigue a few times before these last couple months.

The patient is pretty easy, 17 animals, and keeping the apartment clean for visitors that show up.  I have to two out three isn't bad.  What am I talking about?  The home case-worker was ok.  Friday, we had our first outing and it wasn't as bad as I had worried about the night before.  His new primary care Dr. is one of the Dr.s from ICU team.  That was a big relief.  Then there was the nurse from Nurse Finders.

He kept talking about advice his Dr. gave him that had nothing to do with D's issues, his whole families health history with hypertension and diabetes.  How much he hates McDonald's.  Twenty percent of red meat has MRSA and you can catch it if you have a cut on your hand while handling it.  We should all just go vegan.

He didn't bother D, whose seemed to have acquired super human amount of patience.  I had to restrain myself from asking him to finish up the Necessary business and leave now.  Especially when he asked where I worked.  Then while watching me spin on my wheel asked if I spin yarn and knit sweaters for sale.  Yeah, right after I open my boutique on Beverly Hills.  D told him, not many people could afford the sweaters I knit.

The link to my Artfire store, Knitting Kitties.  That's as far as I've gotten today.  Monday started with a call from my AWOL daughter at 8:30am and the phone didn't stop ringing all day.  Her internet and laptop is messed up is all the reason I got for her being AWOL for weeks.  She found out she's having a girl due October 13th but will have a C-section the week prior to that.

I don't know if I mentioned this, but last week I woke up, made my coffee, sat down, fired up Facebook.  Just as I was taking my first sip of coffee, up comes a post from my oldest son that he got married that morning.  Daughter informed me that youngest son got married two days before that, and his wife is due in December.  Poor Dot Whooten. (me) (reference to a character in Standing in the Rainbow .)

I found a package of ten skeins of undyed fingering weight merino from Knit Picks that I will dye for sale later this week. I'm thinking tonal colors. Any suggestions?  I looked on their website and they don't sell it any more.  I had bought this to dye for a Fair Isle sweater.  I guess I'll replace it with their merino/silk at some point, maybe.  I'm trying to sort through the confusion that is my stash.

A sneak preview of some things I'm going to list.  This is 2/20 silk 1200 yards that I dyed in pinks, peaches with a touch of violet.  I have a second skein to remake this Shetland Garden Faroese Shawl (my rav page).

Two skeins of merino/silk 70/30 fingering weight 440 yards.  Dyed in shades from medium to light blue.

That's as far as I've gotten.  Pathetically sad, I know.  I need to get busy, the phone/internet is due for shut off on the 29th.  I think if D calls them, they will give an extra week for a small fee.  I'll have him call later today.

Remember those birds that we hatched around Christmas and New Years?  The two on the perch, on the right are lifting the door together.  The one sitting on the food dish is telling them they aren't lifting it high enough.  They lift it just to the top of the dish, the bottom one tries to stick his head out and they let it go trying to follow.  The door drops shut and they have a discussion.  Then they pull the lid off the dish and that's when I get up to put a stop to their antics.

Summer is coming to the desert.  The watch for the first 100F/38C day has started.  The Weather Channel has predicted it will happen this weekend.  Fun times.  Very soon, I'll be whining every post about the heat index of Hell.  Very much like northerners with non-stop snow storms.

WIP Wednesday

I'm very late this week, but if you read yesterday's post, then you'll understand why.  I'm very busy playing personal assistant.  Sorry, for the crappy late night pictures.

Not much progress has been made on the tank top this week.  Most of my knitting was accomplished in the nursing home dining room, while watching the news.  It entertained the other diners how I could stare at the tv and yet still keep knitting.  It's just plain stockinette stitch at this point, not very hard to do.

I finished the first spindle of the merino/silk.  I'm about a quarter of the way through on the second.  Depending on my schedule, I should have this finished in the next week or two.  Then I'll find out how K wants her alpaca spun up.  Afterwards, I'll put it all in the mail to Phoenix, unless of course she and her husband would like to come down for some amazing barbeque or chili.

Bootsie was afraid of D until he went to bed for a rest.  I put up on the bed and once she had a sniff of his Old Spice deodorant, she realized who he was and made herself at home in his armpit.  Strange little cat. Tennessee and Butterscotch are afraid of the wheel chair and the O2 machine.  They are coming around slowly.

Dammit sits up on his back legs when D is in the bedroom and has conversation. Dammit moves his mouth around and looks like he's having quite the silent conversation.  He's the only bunny I've had that I've saw do this. I had a hard enough time trying to read D's lips in the ICU, I'm not even going to try rabbit lips.  I took him out of the cage and they had a huggle fest on the bed.

The past six weeks, D's been watching the Food channel, making plans for when he gets home.  Monday night, I went grocery shopping and found a side of spare ribs on sale.  Today, he rolled up to the dining room table and fixed dinner.  He just told me what he needed and I got all the supplies for him.  He made his favorite ribs, German potato salad and corn on the cob.  I operated the stove and oven.  He said he had a great time fixing dinner together.

Now that I can finally relax, my anxiety from these past months has come rearing it's ugly head full force.  I'm good during a crisis, but afterward I have a bit of freakout. I keep worrying that the Murphy's Law police are going come busting through the door to arrest for not having my daily quota of bullshit to deal with.  We demand that you come with us noisily, maam.

It feels a bid odd for both of us, getting used to a new routine.  I don't think it will last for very long.  Tomorrow I have laundry and a long list of phone calls to make.  The case manager gave me a list of agencies they work with to get my certification.  She said, one will pay for my first aid and CPR card, another will pay for it but take the cost out of my first check.  One agency only works with family, so I won't get that many extra hours, with them.  Once he's not needing my assistance as much, I can pick up hours with other cases.  She took down what assistance he needed and will work out how many hours they will be willing to pay me.  So, I don't know how many or how much, just yet.  Wouldn't it be wonderful, if I can find out an agency or someplace that will help me with the expense of getting my nursing license transferred down here?

All those services that the nurse case manager said that would take her some time to set up? Never happened.  The SW handed D a sheet for Nursefinders and told him to call and set it up himself on his way out.   Their Dr. never wrote an order for those services.  Which made the In Home Caseworker raise an eyebrow to.  We'll have to get the orders from his new Dr. on Friday.

The internet/phone company called and left a message on our answering machine while he was in his office.  He heard the message and is now worrying about the bill.  I told him, he's not to worry.  His job to get better and stronger. For those of you that might be interested, I'll be listing stuff on Artfire this weekend, since I don't know how soon I will get a paycheck coming in.  Now that I'm home, I'll have to time keep up with listing and mailing stuff. With a lot of help from some wonderful friends, I've made it this far, I'm not about to give up now.  It's probably going to be a little while before we here from Social Security for him.

Thanks for stopping by. Thank you for all your wonderful comments on yesterday's post. A special thank you to all of you who have been so supportive through this whole nightmare.  D will be making his guest post in the next couple days.  I think he's still digesting all that read yesterday.  He said it was like reading his biography and he wasn't dead yet.

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