Absolutely delicious! I slow-cooked the chicken and swapped chopped onion and celery for pearl onions and leeks. The potatoes were white instead of red. I omitted the carrots and mushrooms, and added some leftover peas.
Helen's been talking about Mrs. Clemans' great pot pies, so with a plentiful amount of chicken thighs freezer-burning in the deep freeze, I thought I'd give one a try. I found one in The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook, which has been a reliable and tested set of recipes.
Absolutely delicious! I slow-cooked the chicken and swapped chopped onion and celery for pearl onions and leeks. The potatoes were white instead of red. I omitted the carrots and mushrooms, and added some leftover peas.
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Or, to instead quote Sinead O'Connor, "I went to the doctor / And guess what he told me."
But now I'm ahead of myself. Let's start at the very beginning - a very good place to start. I had a bad night of sleep on Thursday. I'd been a little off-kilter that evening, but worst of all was my restless leg syndrome ("RLS"), which was abnormally difficult, much as I'd expect if I'd had several cocktails, even though I hadn't. As a result, I didn't sleep well. [06:30] When I finally arose in preparation for my work day, I was tired and light-headed. The world wasn't spinning, but my equilibrium was amiss. Much as I'm usually a bit nauseated until breakfast, I assumed I needed to get food in my belly. Food didn't necessarily settle the unease, though. Again, I expected it was due to poor sleep and simply working through the morning would put me to right. I judged the lightheadedness as non-lethal and drove to work without incident. At work, I was still lightheaded, and starting to wonder how much more would trigger a faint. I felt able to continue with my projects, but alerted my co-workers in the event I suddenly became worse. They helpfully suggested I phone the consulting nurse, which I did. [08:32] The nurse had a lovely bedside (phone-side?) manner. She walked me through a progression of of questions about my symptoms and habits. She helped me define my lightheadedness, and discerned that, because the objects in the room weren't seemingly swimming, that I was merely light-headed, as opposed to experiencing vertigo. Among the things I mentioned as out-of-ordinary were the poor sleep, the act-up of my RLS, and that, due to my lapse in refilling, I hadn't taken my daily sertraline (an ongoing anti-anxiety medication) in four nights. She dismissed the latter two experiences as irrelevant to my lightheadedness and strongly suggested that I have someone drive me to be seen by a medical professional. She attempted to make an appointment with the clinic, but due to overbooking she recommended I visit the urgent care associated with my medical plan. I thanked the nurse and decided to proceed with a meeting already in progress. While the meeting was nearby and I sat for the bulk of it, I found I was continuing to feel dizzy, and distracted from the conversations as I sought a comfortable and effect way to keep my head from moving (which, by the way, makes it very difficult to nod my head in agreement). Apparently my distraction was noticed and I was encouraged to go home (my husband was later told that I was looking "glassy-eyed"). [10:00] I packed up my belongings, phoned my husband for a ride, and went to the break room to await him. I was pleased to be able to lie down, though frustrated that it was not easy to read through my symptoms. [10:45] My husband arrived and listened to my timeline of symptoms as we drove to urgent care, wondering if my difficulty with anxiety (and depression) was a culprit. [11:19] Check-in at urgent care seemed to go smoothly - there were few people in the waiting area and my husband was told I was third in line for triage. I was actually triaged (a nurse took my vitals and asked me to list my symptoms) about 15 minutes after check-in. I was hopeful, as this seemed to happen with remarkable speed (everybody can remember an emergency room visit with long waits and ill feelings). [12:21] An hour later I was called into an exam room. While one nurse directed me to the room, another offered me a gown. They left and, as best as I could guess, I was supposed to change to some degree and wait until someone came back. I complied and sat to read my book. [12:45] Awhile later a nurse introduced himself, confirmed that I was feeling dizzy, asked if I'd already had my vitals read, and explained that he was going to hold off on putting me on a IV drip until after I'd been seen by a provider. Um, OK. By this time I had given up trying to sit in a chair and managed to adjust the levers on the exam table to allow me to lie on my side to wait. [13:40] A physician assistant arrived an hour later to confirm my symptoms and walk me through some brief field tests. She determined that I was suffering from benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, caused by a small "crystal" deposit in my ear. She advised me that she would order meclizine and see if that helped. [14:12] Half an hour later, the nurse returned and asked me how I was doing with the meclizine. Upon my informing him that I was still waiting for it to arrive, he expressed surprised and apologized by way of explaining that he thought another nurse was going to take care of it while he was at lunch. Wait? What?! At this point, feeling forgotten and vulnerable (I was still lying down), I phoned a friend and asked her to wait with me. And, if possible, bring me some lunch. Thank goodness for available, generous, and patient friends! [14:18] I was given two pills and a glass of water, shortly after which another nurse ushered in my friend. [14:22] I was feeling better and, while not feeling 100%, responded as such when the nurse came with my discharge papers. He briefed me on my aftercare - that I should go to the clinic pharmacy to pick up meclizine, what signs I should watch for in case I needed further PCP, UCC, or ER care, and exercises I could do at home that might help decrease the vertigo. I was given my after-visit summary and allowed to disrobe to leave. [15:11] I went to the pharmacy window and gave them my ID number. The attendant didn't find any prescriptions on file, so I pulled back out my paperwork to repeat what I had been told. What my nurse failed to tell me was that meclizine is OTC. (Thankfully they stock it in the clinic's pharmacy.) While at the window, I asked if I could speak to a pharmacist on an unrelated matter - that I wanted to determine if I needed to moderate my dosage of sertraline, as I had lapsed in its refill. As she pulled up my record, she asked if I'd experienced any difficulties since my last dosage. I told her that I'd just finished a visit to UCC for lightheadedness (refer to 08:32, above). "Yes, dizziness is normal for missing as many doses. You should resume your usual dosage as soon as possible and you'll likely feel better soon after." [15:23] Arrive home, resume sertraline, lose vertigo, and feel back to normal the following day. I just finished This Book Is Overdue!: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All, by Marilyn Johnson. I chose it because I read Free For All: Oddballs, Geeks, and Gangstas in the Public Library, by Don Borchet, last year, enjoying the behind-the-scenes look at a local library, and wishing I could join the librarian ranks... the fun parts, at least!
While I rolled my eyes at Johnson's liberal leanings in her book, it was nonetheless an interesting layman's perspective of "library 2.0," and all that libraries offer beyond the casual use I personally enjoy. I'm enthused enough to look further into some of her web-based references, which I'll park here for my easy access: Libraries
Library-related blogs (in no particular order)
Other links:
A relative received a Kindle for Christmas and I've had ample opportunity to play with it.
My obstacle is that I am a seasoned library user... I don't pay to read books (well, except through my property taxes, but let's not start into that discussion). While I recognize that most Kindle titles are priced less than new print versions, they're still more costly than "free." That said, there are a few convenience items I recently considered... and ultimately rejected.
Still, the device appeals on a certain level. Of the public domain pieces I own (thank you, Project Gutenberg), it's luxurious to sit in bed with this light, thin piece of hardware and read from any position. I also feel powerful in the knowledge that I could, at a moment's notice, download almost anything from Amazon. And isn't that why yearn for cool personal electronics? For power over our world? I'm passionate about food. I'm not passionate in the foodie way (though I would *love* to live that world!), but rather about ensuring my child appreciates the origin of the meals that arrive on her plate. I was therefore delighted when I heard mention of HarvestFest 2009 on Exit 133. We set aside our morning to reach 2 or 3 farms before an early-afternoon appointment. We chose a region, aimed for the farthest-reach farm on the map, and set out. It was about 24 miles away and just beyond Orting, a town with which we were unfamiliar. Along the way I illustrated for my family the wonder of food production. While our potatoes seem to appear magically in the supermarket, they began their lives months ago as seed potatoes planted in spring soil, watered, weeded, and tended until they were dug up, brushed off, weighed, bagged and distributed. We arrived at Tahoma Farms in good time, ready to explore. We pulled into a driveway, past a house, and into a small dirt parking area. Preceding the farmstand were table displays about local farms. The usual propaganda was there: buy local, eat local, choose organic, etc. Of slightly more interest was how this particular farm was converted from a former dairy farm, and further, was part of a non-profit effort to maintain land for farming. Assuming that this stop was only about buying produce and reading literature, we picked out a small pumpkin for purchase and took it to weigh. At check-out, we noticed a single page scavenger hunt which invited us to roam the fields. I'm not one to venture out on someone's property without invitation, so I was grateful for this worksheet that allowed just such activity. My daughter led the quest, identifying the crops and asking good questions about what she saw. We walked to the north boundary, west to the river, and back through the chicken coops to the parking. For her efforts, she was awarded an additional pie pumpkin of her choosing. She was, of course, thrilled! With this farm adventure done, she was eager to move to the next farm - a larger event just off the main road and featuring hay bales shaped into Halloween creatures, plus the promise of a corn maze. We recognized the name as a large provider of produce available at local stores, and we thought it a good idea. This "farm" couldn't have been more different. Instead of a small driveway, they had two large roped-off parking lots, complete with flag-waving parking attendants and directional arrows. (Throughout, their attention to organization was well done.) We parked and headed for the entrance, where we were greeted by a smiling woman dressed in a pumpkin suit and handing out glow-in-the-dark spider rings. We passed the mini-donut vendor and candy apple case when Helen saw a sign pointing toward pony rides. Who could resist? Imagine, however, her dismay when she found the 6 ponies tethered to a wheel, offering rides for $5. Just beyond that were rows of pumpkins, free from vines and dirt, arranged in tidy rows, and creating backdrop for an interpretation of a scene from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, complete with wardrobe and formica Aslan. Behind that was an assortment of miniature ponies and goats, named and parading up and down an elevated feeding/showing platform. One goat in particular had enlarged udders, so I asked if she recently had kids. No, she was a milking goat. I remarked surprise and asked if this was a dairy farm, too. No, the attendant admitted, she was on loan for the display, as were the other animals. Next we played with pumps set to pull water from a tank and race rubber ducks down drainpipes. We enjoyed several races, dumping duckies down rivers into a vat filled with other duckies. This was next to a "kids' activities" barn. At right was a table for coloring pages. Further down was a house of baby chicks, followed by a bunny barn, then a quail house, a chicken run, and a rooster pen. Given the lack of egg-laying facilities and further fowl, I would guess these were also on loan. We followed signs to the pumpkin patch, where many families were filling wheelbarrows with large carving pumpkins. I was again disappointed to note absence of any sort of vine or other farm-fresh indicators. I recall a friend telling me that pumpkins are often "bussed in" for pumpkin patches, but I assumed that would more likely apply to farms in an urban setting. Finally, we walked up to the corn maze and read the signage. $6pp on weekdays. $8pp for adults on weekends, $6 for kids. While it might have been entertaining , I felt $22 was too steep for the family budget. We left the farm, having made a single purchase of a $1 bag of popcorn. I was disenchanted by the activities offered. Certainly, I understand that such events cost money and are an opportunity to turn a profit. What bothered me, however, was that I was under the impression this county-sponsored event was going to be an educational opportunity; a time when farmers could show the public their operations and further appreciation of the necessities they produce. This particular "farm" could only be described as a carnival, which was not how I intended to spend the morning. Perhaps the foods in our larder do just "magic" themselves onto store shelves... |
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