To Knee or Not to Knee......

In April I made my fourth trip up to Virginia to help my oldest daughter with the arrival of a new little soul, an excursion I enjoy.  Newborns are just special little critters.  No pretense, no drama.  They just be what they be!

Part of what I enjoy about Virginia are the lovely rolling hills just waiting to be walked.  And with my son in law starting his work out career with P90X I thought that this trip would be especially productive.  I would help with the kids, take care of kitchen duties AND get a little fitter in the process. 

It started out well.  I woke up early with Shaun and we pulled up, pushed up and kicked out our inertia.  Later on that day I went for a nice brisk walk.  The next day I limped around on a swollen knee.  Ok....that's happened before.  But it just never got a lot better.  A couple weeks ago (nearly 4 months later) I was hobbling around wondering what the heck was going on.  As I stepped backwards to pull a shopping cart out of line, I felt a POP and dropped to the ground, certain someone had shot me through the knee.  And MRI said I had a torn meniscus.  I am grateful it was not a torn ACL.  But still I wondered if I really needed the surgery. 

The answer is yes.  I'm not used to being limited.  I'm told that one day I will be, but 54 is too young to not be able to run through an airport to catch a plane.  It's too young to not be able to chase a grandchild or ride a horse or ride my bike.  So now I have my introduction into the American health care system.  Monday is telephone day.  It is the day that I call my orthopaedist, the surgical center and the aenesthesiologist to see what portion I get to pay.  Wish me luck!!

Getting Out of My Comfort Zone

I have been bored.  I'm tired of this.  I'm tired of eating the same things, of cooking the same things, of buying the same food.  This end, my horizons have shifted.  I am learning to cook things I've never cooked before, to use seasonings I don't normally use. 

For instance, I have discovered the joys and flavors of something unceremoniously called "fish sauce".   If you like the salty quality of soy sauce but not the heaviness of its taste, try fish sauce.  Don't be put off by the initial odor.  It really IS fish extract.  Aaahhh, but the flavor it adds to a basic stir fry is amazing.  I found it tastes best when coupled with shrimp, acceptable with chicken but not so good with beef (though my husband likes it even then). 

Tonight's experiment started with a quick trip to our local meat market where I picked up a pack of boneless skinless chicken breast (no stretch here), a small 7 boned steak (yawn) and a pound of goat.  Yes, GOAT.  My beloved hubby will grill a couple pieces of it tonight along with the chicken and steak, but tomorrow I'm going to braise and curry the rest of it. 

My research says that goat meat, or chevon as us cultured folk call it, is a healthier option than beef.  It's leaner and as goats usually live on grass, hay and roughage rather than so much grain, the fats that are in the meat are better for you. 

I'll keep you posted on the results!

Coming Into the 21st Century

I just spent the last 15 learning, one more time, how to save a picture to a printable file.  The fact that I even know what a printable file is surprises me as I write this.  Still, I'm very grateful to Penny for her patience and humor in teaching her mama this very essential skill. 

The contrast in life skills has shown up in an unexpected junxtiposition.  I sponsor a little girl overseas.  I don't know if she's ever even seen a computer.  But in an effort to connect, I'm printing pictures of my own grandkids to send to her.  Computer skills are expected here.  Knowledge of dirt and weather are essential there.  I used my computer to type the letter, to access the picture files and to print the photos.  And I'm sending them to a place that has no access to any of this.

A (New) Adventure

A few years back I had the opportunity to go to Ireland and mark off something from my Bucket List. After taking a class for massage therapy, I went on a week long horseback tour of the Wicklow Mountains in southeast Ireland. I rode a cob horse most of the time. Very broad across the back and sensible between the ears. I marvelled at how considerate the Irish drivers were when they came across the line of us on their oh so very narrow country roads. It was not uncommon for them to have to wait 100 yards or so before we could exit and allow them to pass. Not once did I hear a horn blow or cursing because of the delay. Most of them smiled and waved and went on their way. And I can't credit it to a laid back driving style either. I rode in from the airport with a driver from a B & B and held my breath more than once as we barreled around a blind curve.

Well, I have the opportunity to do some trail riding here in Florida now. I've leased a horse in Apopka and have almost direct access to some country trails. I wouldn't dream of testing drivers in the States. I have too much experience on the rode with my bike to imagine that my countrymen would think about horses any differently. But I am so looking forward to some nice relaxing rides in the woods and maybe down the West Orange Trail. I'll post pictures soon!

Nothing Exciting But Life is Good!

So as the title says, nothing real exciting has been going on the last month or so but life is WONDERFUL. As you would expect to see in my blog, my garden is doing great. I'm picking a couple pounds of vegetables every day now...cucumbers, tomatoes, green beans, broccoli, chard, kale and the occasional carrot and onion. I'm learning, finally, to stay on top of problems. When I noticed spider mites on my tomatoes, I sprayed them with horticultural oil immediately. Bt works for the worms. Oh, and I've learned that when I pick the secondary florets off the broccoli plants, I break the stalk off where it meets the main plant. I'm getting a much longer harvest that way.

Our baby chickies aren't so small anymore and their voices are starting the crack. Believe me, it's as funny listening to adolescent chickens as teenage boys! I have a suspicion that one of our hens is going to crow in spite of our daily warnings to the girls that "if you crow, you go!" Time will tell on that one.

I had a single car fender bender yesterday at the Sam's parking lot. Just a moment of distraction and, cha ching, the body shop is $3888 richer. Still, no one was hurt, the insurance is covering my rental car and I thank God I hit a post and not a person! I'll take that lesson and be happy for it!

That's been the last month or so.

Next WEEK, life gets exciting as well as wonderful. My baby girl, Carley, is graduating from COLLEGE. I mean, when did THAT happen??? I'm so proud of the progress she's made in dealing with a "challenging" internship. Her maturity and willingness makes me so happy and hopeful for her future. And to celebrate that little walk across the stage, the whole family will be here. That's 4 children, 1 son in law and 5 grandkids in my little bitty house. But seasoned with a lot of courtesy and sprinkles with tolerance, we are going to have a blast!

I can't ask for better!

No Sleep Again

When my babies were little, I remembering wishing they would just sleep through the night and looked forward to the time when 2,4 and 6 am feedings were just a (sweet) memory. Then I got old. Now, there are nights I simply do not sleep. No real reason. My eyes just slam open when I lay my head on the pillow. So I get up, read a boring book, look at Craigslist, (write in my blog) or find a movie that I might be able to fall asleep to. The point is, there IS not point in getting upset about it. Will I be tired in the morning? Yes. Will I function at my best? No. But will worrying about it change a thing? Absolutely not. In fact, worrying about insomnia is, get ready for it.....a CAUSE of insomnia!!! So I keep a supply of 5 Hour Energy drinks in the cupboard for the days I have to go to work. I do the best I can to forget I didn't sleep and I look forward to a GREAT night's sleep at that day's end! Oh, by the way, being the only one awake in the house has it's perks. No one fights you for the computer or the TV controller. And, if you get real quiet and just BE, the early morning hours are the best times for feeling and hearing God!

Florida Winters....No Snow but There ARE Some Avantages!

This is just a small sample of my sugar snap pea crop. It's a shame none of them make it into the house. I figure, if I make the effort to pick, I have the right to EAT!!!!

I spent a few minutes today harvesting my "chicken compost" this morning too. Every spring I fill my chicken run with leaves my neighbors through away. For the next 12 months, my girls scratch, peck, poop and otherwise break down those leaves into a beautiful dark leaf mold that my garden loves. You just can't get better than that!