...up close & delicious

...salad daze [aka, chopped veggie salad with jicima & cashews]

[note: I use pre-cut veggies when I have no time or hand issues...
one can, of course, cut up everything from scratch...]



you can start with any one of these...
[or really any canned bean you want...
though I prefer those cooked without extra spices, etc...]

I like black beans, drained & rinsed...
[put into a 6 qt container...]



since the jicima is already sliced into stix...
it's easy to chop into cubes...
this size container is about 2 med sized jicima...



then I add a small container of chopped red onion...
and chopped celery [after draining the celery...]



sometimes, they have diced carrots with the onions & celery...
today they didn't...so I adapted...
[ie...diced "matchstick" carrots...]



I think it's always better to buy broccoli crowns or heads...
than "pre-cut"...[they're a lot fresher...]
and not too hard to cut up, even with a weird hand...
but make them small-ish...[bite size...]

sometimes I also use cauliflower...
zucchini & other summer squash work well too...
if you add cucumber or cut tomatoes...
remove the seeds or it will get mushy...

I have NOT had any luck...
with either radishes, mushrooms or green onions...
[they get slimy...]



a 1 lb bag of frozen peas...
[don't thaw, but make sure the peas aren't clumped...]
I suppose edamame, lima beans or corn might work too...
though I really like the peas...

I use a large spoon to mix the veggies...

and then add this...



note that this is the REAL deal...
REAL buttermilk...[homemade is fine...]

I use an entire 16 oz bottle for this amount of veggies...
I think the coating is just right...

after mixing well...
[I have been known to shake to combine...]

you have this...



to serve, add a sprinkle of these...



it gets better as it sets...

it can be stored without dressing...
and each serving dressed as needed...
I never mix the cashews into the salad and store...
they get rubbery...I always add them before serving...

there are an infinite number of variations on this recipe...
the dressing... the nuts... the beans...
the veggies... and you could add meat or even tofu...
and though I never have, one could probably add pasta too...

I discovered this salad at a school potluck years ago...
and have enjoyed it ever since...
I hope now you'll enjoy it too...

...PT ["pain & torture" ...aka "physical therapy"...]

yes, gentle readers...
I have embarked on the road to recovery...
[aka "physical therapy"...]
and it is clearly marked...[see above...]



it brings me here...
Pine Street Physical Therapy in Mudville...
[they also have offices in...
"the sleepy village to the north"...
as well as several other towns in the area...]

my therapist & her smiling assistant are very nice & capable...
on my first visit, she gave me a lengthy interview...
and took all sorts of measurements & administered tests...



one of the tests used this device...
which measures the pressure in your grip...
[right hand 50 lbs, left hand 25 lbs...]



another test measured the "range of motion" in both joints...
both from above & below...

after all the results of the measurements & tests...
carefully recorded...
the therapy session began...

first they had me make as much of a fist as I can...
wrapped it to keep the tendon stretched out...



and had me dip my wrapped hand...
into the melted parafin wax...
5 times... creating a waxy glove...
which was wrapped with plastic wrap...
and then in a fluffy towel...

I then sat for 10 minutes...
trying to let the warm relaxation soothe the soreness...
that came from making a fist and having it wrapped tight...

I learned from this...
& didn't let them wrap it so tight the next visit...



after the waxy glove was removed, the therapist massaged my hand...
which felt pretty good even though she was "exploring" scar tissue...
and swollen joints...[the hot wax is really relaxing...]
she even got my top joint to bend 10˚ farther after the wax...



she gave me these "tendon gliding exercises" & worked me through them...
she told me that if my finger was really swollen, stiff or sore...
after doing 10 reps, to cut back to 5 [which I had to do...]

taking into account the pictures are of a right hand...
and I do them with my left...

check out my progress...







yeah, I know that my injured finger...
doesn't bend as far down...
or go as flat as it should...
what you see is really quite painful...
and is my current limit...

AND I'm discovering some lingering injuries...
to the neighboring fingers...
that I didn't recognize before...
due to the severity of the dislocation...

she also wrote down some isolating exercises...
that I can't photograph since they take both hands...
[not to mention a thumb I don't have...]



this is an example of an isolation exercise...
that is moving only the top joint...

I'm supposed to hold my slightly bent finger...
between my stump right thumb and forefinger...
just below the top joint...moving just the top several times...

then grasp in a similar manner below the middle joint...
to isolate that joint & exercise it likewise...

not easy...

as I have to concentrate on moving the correct muscles, etc...
without cutting off circulation to the finger tip...
not too bad once you get the hang of it...
and these don't hurt like trying to make a fist does...
[have I mentioned that making a fist, of any kind...
really hurts ! ?]

to help combat swelling...
and to encourage my lymphatic system...
to flush out excess fluids...
she decided to wrap my finger...
[light compression helps the healing...]
with the same brownish stuff [Coban]...
that I'd been using to keep the surgical dressing clean...



[wasn't I just here?...]

oh well, 3 times a week for a month...
[2 down & 10 to go...]

this is NOT fun...but it's better than "Frankenfinger"...
it hurt ALL the time...this...I can handle...

...cat tails [aka "SPie Butter"...]

as Herself was "cat in residence"...

during the bathroom reconstruction...
the bathroom, is, in fact, all hers...
[Mz Sneaky Pie's, that is...]

her most, uh, second favorite bathroom game...
[her fave is TP ravaging/unrolling...]
has always been "tail-chasing"...

in the old bathroom, it was in the tub...
now, it's behind the ajar door...
when she can get "in", that is...
since she shreds TP if I put it on so she can't unroll it...
I've been keeping the door closed...

here you have a few minutes of "unfettered" tail chasing...

enjoy...

..."interesting", a euphemism for "strange" ?

[HT to Miz Minka for the link...]

I take these quizzes [just like we all do...]
and am almost always annoyed at either the ?'s...
the results...the grammatical/spelling train wrecks...
but this one is different...

intriguing questions...
[I'm always intrigued if I can't figure out the direction...]
very interesting, complete results...
and only one word misspelled...
[it was probably a typo...I corrected it...
but you already knew that...]


Your Brain Usage Profile:

Auditory : 46%
Visual : 53%
Left : 46%
Right : 53%

catsinger, you possess an interesting balance of hemispheric and sensory characteristics, with a slight right-brain dominance and a slight preference for visual processing.

Since neither of these is completely centered, you lack the indecision and second-guessing associated with other patterns. You have a distinct preference for creativity and intuition with seemingly sufficient verbal skills to be able to translate in any meaningful way to yourself and others.

You tend to see things in "wholes" without surrendering the ability to attend to details. You can give them sufficient notice to be able to utilize and incorporate them as part of an overall pattern.

In the same way, while you are active and process information simultaneously, you demonstrate a capacity for sequencing as well as reflection which allows for some "inner dialogue."

All in all, you are likely to be quite content with yourself and your style although at times it will not necessarily be appreciated by others. You have sufficient confidence to not second-guess yourself, but rather to use your critical faculties in a way that enhances, rather than limits, your creativity.

You can learn in either mode although far more efficiently within the visual mode. It is likely that in listening to conversations or lecture materials you simultaneously translate into pictures which enhance and elaborate on the meaning.

It is most likely that you will gravitate towards those endeavors which are predominantly visual but include some logic or structuring. You may either work particularly hard at cultivating your auditory skills or risk "missing out" on being able to efficiently process what you learn. Your own intuitive skills will at times interfere with your capacity to listen to others, which is something else you may need to take into account.

if you want to take the test, click here...

...Fluff update, 3/23/09

Miss Fluff is doing SOOO much better...
I still put salve in her eye several times a day...
[that is, I'm still allowed to put salve in her eye...]

she looks almost normal in some light...
you have to be looking at the right angle...
to see the opaqueness of her cornea...

she has no sight in it, but has adapted very quickly...
and it's hard to believe just how bad it was...
just a few weeks ago...

the vet is very pleased...
and I think, a bit surprised at her recovery...



so thanks so much to all of you who "thought good thoughts"...
and prayed for Fluff's recovery...
she has even ventured outside on the warmest of days...
making it down & back up the ramp safely...

both she & Piglet are currently not speaking to me...
as I doused them with Advantage earlier today...
fleas were appearing on them & they sleep with me...
so it was that or start wearing a flea collar myself...

they'll get over it...

as soon as I go to bed, they'll forget all about it...
and be right there for the petting & cuddling...
the bed-making, pawing, drooling & eventually, snoring...
a very good time to be flea-free...

...spring garden quiz, 1.1

I opened my 1st spring garden quiz with this...



it looked better before the hailstorm...

no one guessed what it is...yet...



it is on this plant, now leafed-out & blooming...
[# 8 on the first quiz...]

one more clue...



here are the blooms... got it now ?



this was #1... any guesses ?
[people like it's namesake fried, with ketchup...]



these weren't out enough to be on the first quiz...



everyone should know these...



this was #3 & has survived the hail...
[clue : in the song, they're "pink"...]



also much more leafed-out... #4...
[clue: I didn't get them sprayed & they have "leaf curl"...]



these won't really be out until around Easter...
[#5...a Southern favorite...]



also #5, & the blooms are white...



this "furry pawed" plant comes in many colors...



it was #6, and it's marsupial namesake can be "pugilistic"...



#7 has red leaves year round...



I have a number of different varieties...



I'm really surprised that no one got #9...
since it looks exactly like itself...
from the first unfolded "wee" leaf...
[extremely subtle clue...]



this was # 10...this exact cluster...
they eventually have blooms like these...



can you name this variety ?
[I ONLY like pink on roses...& other flowers...]



this one grows next to the lilac...



there can be an upside to NOT pruning your roses...



although I must admit to having cut them back in October...
& this is my reward...



#12 is out farther now...



this was #13, this cluster...



this one is farther along...



this one is "out"...any guesses ?



this was NOT on the first quiz...



it's my biggest plant...
and getting ready to bloom...
and scatter those awful dangle-y things all over...
I'll be sweeping them up for months...



this wasn't on the first quiz either...



it's blooming for only the third year...



it has such a lovely shape...
someday it'll be a mass of blossoms each spring...

I hope you enjoyed the spring garden quiz, 1.1...
leave your guesses in the comments...
and happy gardening !

...missed me by this much

I've been fighting an insidious stomach flu...
for more than a week now...

I have a few moments where the fever goes away...
and I begin to feel almost human again...
but because I live alone, these moments are often filled...
with efforts to clean or cook or do chores...

generally causing a relapse...

and sometimes, because "life goes on"...
I end up trying to get things done...
even when I don't feel good...

Saturday was such a day...

since most of anything I could keep down...
had already been consumed...
I had to go to the store...

by the time I got home, I was sweating...
weak, headachy & queasy...

I had just gotten the last bag inside from the car...

when a sound like marbles hitting a tin roof...
caught my attention...

as the din crescendoed...
I grabbed my camera...& went out on the front porch...

it was a passing hailstorm...



finding a still picture unequal to the occasion...
I switched to the movie mode...

shortly after I stopped filming, it passed on...
not even leaving piles of hailstones...
so I was glad I caught it when I did...

I'm also really grateful that I was home...
& had all my groceries inside when it "hit"...

...what superhero are you quiz...

[note to self: don't do quizzes while in the grip of a fever...]

You Scored as William Wallace The great Scottish warrior William Wallace led his people against their English oppressors in a campaign that won independence for Scotland and immortalized him in the hearts of his countrymen. With his warrior's heart, tactician's mind, and poet's soul, Wallace was a brilliant leader. He just wanted to live a simple life on his farm, but he gave it up to help his country in its time of need. William Wallace 71% Batman, the Dark Knight 63% Neo, the "One" 63% Maximus 58% The Amazing Spider-Man 54% The Terminator 46% El Zorro 42% Lara Croft 38% Indiana Jones 33% Captain Jack Sparrow 25% James Bond, Agent 007 21%

...I hate being sick

I'd been complaining about a headache for several days...
then last Friday, I began to feel achy in my joints...
being a bit "slow" to recognize the onset of some illness...
I soldiered on through Sunday...
[griping all the way & becoming grouchier by the hour...]

by the time I got home Sunday night after a rehearsal...
my stomach felt really weird, so I ate some toast...

BIG MISTAKE...

all night long I had terrible stomach cramps...
and woke up Monday in a feverish sweat...
my head just throbbing and my insides...
twisting around...

so I slept...all day...in a fever dream laced haze...

by early evening, after drinking what felt like gallons of water...
I felt a little better...the fever seemed gone...

so today I dragged myself out of bed...
with almost no real sleep...
'cause just like on Saturday night, I couldn't get to sleep...
and stay that way...

only dozing, waking up after only a few minutes at a time...
being unable to find a comfortable position...
then too hot... then too cold...
and so it went all night...

my stomach upset seemingly over...
I rushed to make my orthopaedist appointment...
[more on that later...]
then the Bible study/mass at church...

I came home, ate something...
finally being assured that my stomach was "normal" again...
and lay down for a nap...

I woke up at 7 PM...ate something else...
and am going back to bed now...

I'm supposed to make soup for the church supper tomorrow...
I don't think I'm contagious anymore, but we'll see...

since I felt so crappy most of last week...
especially from Thursday on...
I'm hoping this is just about over...

I guess it's going around...
and I hope it's out of here...

...kitty cuteness, [aka "sappy cat blogging", part, le deux]

this is how it started...



awww...Lucyfur & Charlie...so cute...
all snuggled -up together...



I crept in closer...



and the little devils just kept posing...
egging me on...



so then, I tried Mattie, snoozing...



he allowed a "close-up"...



then resumed his nap when SPie came to snoop...



along with this shot, I got a lot of "Pie butt"...
"Pie tail" & lots of blurry...



and just when I was about to give up...
the little rascal "posed"...
then she was off...

because...



Thomas, her "arch foe" arrived & gave Mz Sneaky Pie...
the "bum's rush"...

though he was quickly off in pursuit of "Pie" ...



which cleared the way for Lucyfur...



who loves the enigmatic catly pose...

which, of course, was disturbed by the arrival...



of Molly, who needed "face time" too...

my life has definitely gone to the dog...[& cats...]

...happy 20th birthday www

it was 20 years ago today that the www was "born...
for more info, check any news source...

where has the time gone...?

...out of sorts[!?!]

if only we could all be like Macky cat...
get "on top of time"...
and stay there...


[this is one of his favorite perches...cats...go figure...]

I spent much of yesterday...
lost in the shadowy valley...
of financial chaos...

I've down-loaded statements to figure out my debt...
my dwindling assets and it seems, what's left of my sanity...

my Quicken software...
with which I've done online banking since 1996...
has stopped allowing me access...
since Oct. 15, 2008... it will not open...

I have re-loaded, used different browsers...
but something has "corrupted" the files...
and now that I really need ALL my records...
to do the taxes, they are not available...

I did not plan for this...
I have a Mac...it NEVER freezes or crashes...
and except for this glitch, is working fine...
but nothing I've done...
re-installed Quicken, contacted Intuit & Apple...
numerous times, I might add...with NO response...
nothing... seems to work...

so I'm "sorting"...

making copies of checking & savings account statements...
[ie "killing trees"...]
to try & categorize my various earning streams...

Quicken lets me tag deposits & payments...
as to tax impact, etc and prepares me charts & lists...
when I can open it...
and since it "opened on demand"...for 12 years...
I had no reason to think it would crash...
but it has & I'm stuck...

stuck...

trying to track all the money I had to take from my TSA...
my church checks, the music gigs I did...
all neatly identified in Quicken...
and totally inaccessible...

amongst all this chaos, is the attempt, by me...
to put my financial house in order...
by organizing and inventorying the debris field...
[also, neatly locked in Quicken...]

and since I have discontinued "paper" statements...
whenever possible, I'm now killing more trees...
going from website to website...
downloading the latest statements...

which I, as of this moment...
can't even put into the RTN software...
because the Excell spread sheets I downloaded...
had to be translated into Appleworks...
and are cranky & really hard to work with...
[you can't see what you're typing until you click enter...
& some fields are not accessible at all...]

did I mention that I can't even get it...
to print-out more than page 1 ?
so filling-in the blanks is not an option...
but I've signed-up, paid $ & have to do this...

obviously, the Excell spreadsheets would work better..
on their native PC...but...I don't use PC...
don't have one...don't have access to one...
am very inept on them & absolutely HATE using them...

I just seem to be going in circles & treading water...

there must be a dozen things God wants me to learn...
and I must be dumber than a sack of doorknobs...
'cause I'm at a loss as to what they/it are/is...
and why it's taking me so long to learn it...

but I know that things happen best...
in His time & His way...

the fact that I hate "this"...the uncertainty...
the clutter...all the sorting...and the facing of the bottom line...
is a pretty good indication that I have to do this...
I just wish I was a better "student"...

'cause I've had enough already...and there's NO end...
in sight...anywhere I can see...that is...

one good thing did come of this digging today, though...

BRMS, which manages health care for retired teachers...
until they get to 65 & go on Medicare...
is the company that I have to send the monthly "pay-up"...
which is the difference between what my district will pay...
for my health care...and what it costs...
from whichever company we're with...

I've always gone with the least expensive HMO...
[Kaiser is NOT a viable choice for me...]
and am now back with Blue Shield again...
they're great, but expensive...

I originally chose "option D"...
which was about $125 p/mo & had all sorts of deductibles...
but they have a quality network...
and don't "nickle & dime" you about needed care...

then I was informed that the district "wasn't sure"...
about who our choices would be...
the cost or options available...
so they danced around, reset deadlines...
re-did enrollment...
and then did it all over again...

when the dust finally cleared...
I had Blue Shield... at a buy-up of $175 p/mo...
at least $50 more per month than I expected...
so since I hadn't been getting my monthly statement...
from the folks at BRMS, I didn't know...
just how much of the $ I'd sent them in June was left ...

and it's a good thing that I contacted them...

the nice young man[NOT in a 3rd world country..]
that I had to wait through 4 muzac tunes to talk to...
told me that their records showed a statement...
going out to me every month...[which I'm NOT receiving...]

and my balance is now $37.35...
so I have to send them more $ soon...
so as not to lose my health insurance...

he's going to send me a 2008 statement for my taxes...
he's checking on why I'm not getting the statements...
and making sure I get a bill, of course...
[he took my phone number...just in case...]

I'm glad to know this before the insurance lapses...
but $175 p/mo more is the last thing I need...
unfortunately, I also saw today what I would have had to pay...
without the insurance for my finger...

I would still have a crooked, throbbing finger...

I know there's a path...
I keep being told to trust & move ahead...

thank you God, for providing my needs...
and leading me through this mess...

..."THUNK"...[the sound of the "other" shoe, dropping...]

I've been waiting for "the other shoe to drop"...
[ie : the bill for my finger surgery...]
because I was sure that there was a deductible...
and that it was going to burn a hole...
in my rapidly diminishing financial resources...

it came today...

in a fat creamy envelope from Blue Shield...
& unable to bear the suspense any longer...
I opened it and began to read...

2/02/09 office visit $ 102.44 allowed $ 10.00 patient resp.
2/04/09 surgery $ 827.17 allowed $ 0 patient resp.
2/04/09 anesthesia $ 266.88 allowed $ 0 patient resp.
2/04/09 hospital serv. $4858.00 allowed $ 0 patient resp.

that's a total of $6,054.49, allowed...

they billed $ 9,443.46...
but because my doctor & the hospital involved...
were in the "network"...
the costs were $3,388.99 less than the regular price...

and my share... ? a $10 co-pay for the first office visit...

I also owe a $10 co-pay to the first orthopedist...
and $50 [deductible] to the emergency room...

so if you're counting along at home...
that's $70 the dislocation has cost me in medical bills...
[there was also $20.00 co pay for the drugs...
so it's really $90.00....]

it could have been SSSOOOOOO much worse...

if I didn't have insurance, it would be nearly $10,000.00 I'd owe...

I really thought that I'd have to pay at least $500.00...
I guess having to have an "acute" surgery...
may have saved me...

for whatever reason, I'm grateful...
now... if only the IRS would "go away"...

...spring garden quiz

OK, fellow bloggers, we all love to take those quizzes...
you know, the ones with a number of words poorly spelled...
several tragic grammatical train-wrecks...
& we won't even get into syntax...

where we end up being identified about as accurately...
as I was when a career test I took in high school...
said my best career choice was "freelance shepherd"...
[OK...so I rigged the test...but you get the idea...]


so here's a different kind of quiz...

are you a garden wizard with a emerald thumb ?
[who composts their clippings...]
or do you just buy what's "purty"...
and hope it won't up & die on you ?

I took a camera excursion through my gardens...

the quiz...? can you identify what I picture here...
yes, they are just blooming, budding or leafing out...
but if you know your mulch from your compost...
you should be able to identify many, if not most of them...

just leave your guesses in the comments...
[collaboration is allowed...]

this, however...will be the hardest one...



bonus picture...

clue : they are NOT dried blossoms & this plant is pictured, "leafing-out"...
elsewhere in the quiz...
[& yes, the picture is "catty-corner", for better resolution...]

if you can guess what this is, you know your "dirt"...
and what grows in it...

here are the rest...ENJOY !



1.



2.



3.



4.



5.



6.



7.



8.



9.



10.



11.



12.



13.



14.

hope that you enjoyed a stroll through my awakening garden...

just put your guesses in the comments...

...food pørn, 1.1

drooool...



oven roasted red & yellow beets...like candy...
[e.v. olive oil & Kosher salt...]



oven roasted carrots, Brussels sprouts, beets & asparagus...
[e.v.olive oil & Kosher salt..]

and here...in all it's tasty glory...



Mr GT's "to die for" tabbouleh salad...



lots & lots of finely [& rhythmically...] chopped parsley...
green onion, cumin, lemon juice, tomato...
and, of course, Bulgar wheat...



a marvelous treat any time...

as a salad or an entreé, in warmer weather...

and a really fun thing to take macro photos of...

...is that spring in the air ?

ah spring... ah-CHOO...
been doing that all day...
at least today's headache is a bit less nasty...
than the one from yesterday...
but today's is making me dizzy too...
which means it's in my ears...

but there's something else in the air around here...
and it's WAY more insidious than mere nose tickling pollen...

the temperate weather, sunshine...
and the untimely onslaught of daylight savings time...
have combined to open doors...and windows...
and the privacy of colder days is gone on a sunbeam...

I arrived home, turned off my car...
and then I heard...something...

I knew that it was supposed to be music...
but as far as I was concerned, it wasn't making it...
this...from a former jr high instrumental music teacher...
who has been in a room with as many as 150+ jr high "musicians"...
all warming-up at once...

but this wasn't a fledgling saxophonist...
exploring the altissimo register...
a would-be trombonist practicing glissandi...
or an erstwhile percussionist perfecting a paradiddle...

this was noise... pure & simple...
sounds without purpose...
pure experimentation like a 3 year old pounding on a piano...

it was a...banjo...

and not the skillfully executed "pickin's"...
of a Deliverance-esque line...
flowing in & out & around in a game of tag with itself...
this was "strumming"...rhythmic disruption of the strings...
in a very "ukulele" type fashion....

no skillful, artful chording either...

just fingers up & down, back & forth over the strings...

somewhere between "the big finish" on a ukulele solo...
and the frantic, climactic strumming of a flamenco guitar...
nothing even vaguely musical...
just noise...

I located the "noise", across and down the street...

it's a rental, and they're fairly new...

I hope it's just a phase...or that they learn quickly...

I was just enjoying the recent departure...
of the rock band 2 doors up the street...
that rehearsed in their garage until after midnight...
with the doors open & NO sound proofing...

and then there's the 3 brothers that live across the street...
who take turns cranking up their car stereos...
when they're working out side...
and have also "adopted" an old upright piano...
that's horribly out of tune...
a fact that doesn't seem to stop them from playing it...

so now that spring is here...
I'm not sure...
am I allergic to the blooming flora ?
or the blooming, inconsiderate, non-musical neighbors ?

...food pørn

"a proper turkey sandwich..."
[toasted whole grain bread w/butter, turkey...
stuffing, cranberry relish, & cole slaw...]



"a proper piece of toast..."
[homemade multigrain bread & butter...]



"a Greek salad with grilled chicken..."

[romaine lettuce, cucumber, tomato, red onion, Greek olives, feta cheese...
with homemade oil & vinegar dressing & flat bread...]



"homegrown ruby red grapefruit..."



"down-home green beans..."
[green beans, red onion, minced garlic, chicken broth, S & P...]



"homemade lasagna..."



"homemade red 'gravy', with sweet Italian sausage..."



"oven-roasted Brussels sprouts, with Kosher salt..."



"pan-roasted salmon, with cracked pepper & lime juice..."



"fresh asparagus, ready to oven roast..."



"pan-roasted salmon, tabbouleh & home-made red cabbage..."
[aka "last night's supper..."]

is your mouth watering yet ?

...more progress

this was Fluff's eye on March 1...
nasty, angry, oozing...



the ulcer had ruptured & was draining...

today, March 7...



what a difference !

it's also obvious by her demeanor...
that she feels better too...

many thanks to all those of you who prayed for Fluff...



Creamer is also feeling better...
so far...I've found NO evidence of the nasty diarrhea...
that was racking her slinky self...
though her last "one" was a bit loose...

she's been good about choosing the ID food...
though at the moment, she's eating the turkey...
which didn't bother her before...
and since she didn't eat a lot just now...
I hope won't set off the diarrhea again...

so Creamer still needs your continued prayers...



she even tried out a new nest for a while...
now she's back on the floor...
in my way, like any self-respecting feline would be...

and my finger... ?



here how the "hole" was on Thursday...
just after pin removal...
[& yes...that black line around the "hole"...
is probably a cat hair...
Lucyfur, no doubt...]



and today...

it's still "puffy" & quite sore...
as it got torqued a bit when he removed the pin...
and there is some internal healing that needs time...

however...

there appears to be a scab forming on the "hole"...



and that's a very good thing...

...progress

Fluff's eye seems to really be improving...
it was all red and inflamed at one point...
with a pus oozing ulcer...

the ulcer is much smaller, not oozing pus...
and I can tell she's adjusting to being a one-eyed cat..
as she's not stumbling around anymore...

many thanks to all who have been praying for her...
she's doing much better...

on the other hand...



Creamer is a "mixed bag"...
I haven't found a lot of runny stool...
but I have found some...

I'm feeding her/them the ID canned food...
[which I've seen her eat...]
but I also have to feed the Friskies turkey...
and that was not good for her before...

I bought the same dry "kitten food"...
that she successfully ate at the vet's...
but she doesn't seem interested...
she's eating, but needs to eat more...
to regain the weight she lost...

so Creamer could use some prayers & "good thoughts" too...

on the other hand...[sorry, couldn't resist...]

Frankenfinger is gone... allowing the "therapy to begin"...

s-l-o-w-l-y...

here you see my finger, "straight"...



here, you see it bent !



a 45˚ degree angle may not seem like much to you...
but it is 45˚s from the formerly "pinned" joint...
that was held rigidly straight for more than a month...
after being rigidly bent & injured for 5 weeks...

I must say that during this period...
I am in a lot of pain, most of the time...
almost as bad as post-surgery...
and will need to actually use my hand less...
for the next week or so until the "wire hole" heals...
and the tight muscles, repaired tendon & ligaments loosen up...

however, I do have my trusty Excedrin...
and the nice warm & comfy "finger cozy"...
so I'm keeping it warm & that really helps...

I really hope to get better soon...
because all around me, Spring is bursting out...
and, country girl that I am...
I'm getting that "itch" to get my hands in dirt...

cleaning-up & preparing the garden for planting...
then planting flowers & veggies to watch grow as the days warm...
I'm hoping to spend a lot of time out in the garden this year...


to finish cleaning up the back yard...

and maybe...

even tackle the garage...

[now that's a massive undertaking...]

"...alas poor Frankenfinger", it is no more...YEA !!!

this was the last portrait of Frankenfinger...
taken about 9 AM...



here, from behind...
showing why it was named "Frankenfinger"...
[the wire sticking out...? neck bolts...?]



and one last time from "straight on"...
also showing the knuckle closures...

and now... about 10:30 AM...

tah-dah...

no more Frankenfinger...



here, in a close-up, you can see the "hole"...



the doctor used some pliers to remove the wire...
& yes, it hurt when he pulled it out...
but it barely bled at all...

my finger is feeling better for the pin being out...
though it still hurts...
& will for a while as the "hole" fills in...
[a couple of days...]



here you see the pin, "out"...



since I couldn't satisfy my curiosity by seeing an x-ray...
I asked to have the pin so I could imagine how it was in there...
it doesn't look very big next to a tape measure...



but it looks gigantic next to my finger...



so here, I'm amusing myself...
trying to guess how it might have been positioned...



I'm actually kinda glad now...
that I didn't see x-rays of it,"in"...
I think it would have really creeped me out...

the "hole" will close up in a couple of days...
until then, I still have to keep a bandage on it...
and keep it dry to avoid infection...

I'm supposed to think of my finger...
as something that is frozen solid...
and let it gradually defrost by "melting"...
and to not try to hurry it along...

so I'm to slowly & gradually...
start trying to bend it...
and I've already been able to bend it...
just the tiniest bit... but it moved...

my next appointment is on St Patrick's Day...
if there is enough progress & movement...
I won't have to go to physical therapy...
so I'm taking it slowly & gently...

oh...and I am SO glad I have the finger cozy now...
since the current bandage is much smaller...
but at the moment, keeping the entire finger warm...
is very helpful for the management...
of the post pin-removal achy-ness & pain...

...updates : Creamer, Fluff, Molly & musings...

Creamer hasn't reverted to being a "poopy-butt" yet...
she has gained a bit of weight...
and seems happy to be home...
[ie...not growing at everyone, all the time...
especially SPie, her sworn enemy...]

and...

the other kitties have really gotten into eating...
the good quality dry food...
[sensitive stomach variety...]
so they are now eating only about a large can of turkey a day...
[they were eating 3 or 4...]
and since I just bought 10 cases[24cans/case]...
I shouldn't have to buy that again for a while...

the best thing was...
that when I put down the turkey...
Creamer didn't want any...
& waited for me to open the ID can...
["intestinal diet" from the vet...
which is the best for her...]

so I will need to buy the ID...
but only a couple of them are interested in it...
[which is good because it's $$$$]
and the prescription ID/SS dry...
[which is also $$$, but it really fills them up...]

Fluff's eye seems better to me every time I medicate her...
the red angry area has shrunk now...
so that the opaque eyeball is clearly visible all around it...
the ulcer isn't oozing pus anymore & will heal...
[that's what I'm praying for...
and appreciate the prayers of all of you who are too...]

Sneaky Pie just beat a hasty retreat under my chair...
with Molly, who has become more determined to play...
close behind in hot pursuit...

yesterday, I turned my back for too long...
and Molly swiped & cleaned off the cat dish...
so she went right back into the crate...
[aka "jail"...]
along with stern admonishments...

after I got home at 6 PM last night...
I let her out and noticed later...
that after going "outside"...
and eating HER dinner...
she had returned to the crate...
to let me know that she was being good...

the Halti collar and the Easy Walk harness together...
have transformed her from Ididerod trainee...
to well-behaved walking companion...

I'm using both together because of her size...
[she's a "tweener"...]
which allows her to pull out of the Halti...
if she pulls just the right way...
but she can't pull out of the harness...

along with the crate, they have solidified me as "Alpha"...
so I'd like to thank those readers with "dog smarts"...
for not only their support, but their practical advise as well...
[y'all know who you are...THANKS...]

on other fronts...

I was writing something and typed the word, "source"...
and as happens often, the "c" didn't print...
so I erased the "e" to fix it and noticed that I had,"sour"...

considering that I had been trying to write...
"weakness was the source of my bad attitude..."
I thought that tiny bit of insight...
quite apropos...
since my attitude had been quite sour...


hmmmmmm....

I guess I must be doing something correctly[it's about time...]
because my own words have come back to taunt me...
since I'd just said to someone...
"there is no limit in what God will give us...
just a limit to what we will accept..."

if I'd been wiser, or more spirit-filled...
I'd have told the enemy to leave me alone...
[rebuked him with scripture...]
but I was surrounded by people...
church people... & I was concerned with appearing crabby to them...
my old self-loathing[the picture thing really got to me...]
just overwhelmed me...

it was like seeing everything in slow motion...
knowing that you were loosing it...
knowing that you should do something...
but having no ability to think clearly...
or decide what to do...

if I'd been less into myself...
I might have called on the Lord...
who would have ended the problem...
but...I wasn't...& I didn't...

so several people saw the edges of my discomfort...
nowhere near as nasty as it might have been in times past...
but definitely NOT, my comfort zone...
or "finest hour" either...

however, in the spirit that...
"everything happens for a reason..."

it is Lent...

the time for reflection & introspection...

yesterday, a couple who do spiritual healing...
[he's a priest...]
came down to have lunch with the Bishop...
and they were at the Bible study...

the woman has "visions" when she does healing...
and I asked her to pray for me & my financial situation...
after we prayed, she looked at me strangely...
and said, "I see many doors for you..."
I didn't ask for clarification...
but got the impression that those doors were closing...

after the really good, insightful Bible study...
the healing prayer and the mass...
with the Bishop's terrific sermon...
I felt in a state of Grace...

perhaps I should have expected the enemy to attack...
my most vulnerable area, my self-esteem...
and when he did, I knew what to do...
I just didn't do it...

"...for all those things we have done...
and left, undone, we are heartily sorry...
and beg Your forgiveness..."

today is another chance...

..."wandering"...on a busy day

I got to bed late last night...
so getting up was a chore...
especially with the Piglet snuggling sweetly...
and purring...
[she's generally snoring...loudly...
and drooling...in my left ear...]

Fluff's eye seems to look better...



though she's obviously annoyed with the paparazzi here...



though it still looks nasty...
I think the ulcer is shrinking...



she's NOT in any pain...
and is very good about letting me put salve in her eye...



especially...

if that results in petting...
chin skritching...
and general adoration of Herself...

so after getting dressed, etc...
a bit more of a chore than usual...
since I had given in to pressure & agreed...
to have my picture taken for the church directory...
[have I ever mentioned that I detest having my picture taken ?]

anyway, I was off for the Bible study at the church...



I went in the office briefly to drop off something...
and saw our Bishop...



who was visiting us & would celebrate the noon mass...
after the Bible study...
I've always enjoyed his sermons & today's was no different...
preaching on the scripture passage...
where Jesus spends 40 days in the wilderness...

about how the enemy always goes after you...
when you are the most vulnerable or weak...
and how we should follow Christ's example...
& rebuke Satan with scripture...

little did I know that that would be a caveat...
for the rest of my day...

our usual lunch was skipped...
as several people needed to be elsewhere...
and the rest were lunching with the Bishop...

I went out into the rain...



to go to my vet's and retrieve Creamer...
who, of course, had had NO diarrhea while staying there...



she was glad to be home and I hope...
her "poopy-butt" days are gone...

while I was home, I put new batteries in my lablemaker...
it still wouldn't work...hasn't in a while...
that was fine...as long as it's twin at the church was working...
but it disappeared last summer, so this meant I had to get a new one...



since I had still a bunch of the tape cartridges it used...
I decided to look for the same one[that model's only 12 years old..]
and I found one on Amazon...but it was $65.00...ouch...
then I noticed that the newest version of the same model...
[that uses the same size tape !] was $29.95...
AND...it was on sale for $17.95 !!




at that price, I could afford to get 2...
one to replace the dead one at home...
[it had been used at school for years...]
and one to replace the one that vanished from the choir room at the church...
[and still have the same labels on the music storage boxes...]

having done that, I was off through the raindrops to...





in search of "legal sized 3-ring black vinyl binders"...

the Renaissance group is working on some music...
from the choral public domain website...
and the notes & words are too small to be easily read...

so our "bass" enlarged his copy of the songs we're doing...
and put them in a legal sized binder...
that he got at Office Max...

I knew I needed the large print version...
so I volunteered to copy a set for each of the 3 of us...
who wanted one in large print...
also agreeing to make it back-to-back...
and put it into the legal size binders...

so I was at OM to purchase 3 of the legal sized binders for us...
I was going to make the copies at the church...
so I was also going to get a ream of 11" x 17" copy paper...
and donate the remainder to the church...

I also planned to get...
10 smaller offset binders for the church choir [we're out...]
& some dividers to separate the Ren. group selections...

I found the legal binders quickly...
and the church ones were right below them...
the dividers were across the aisle...
and the copy paper was right where I thought it should be...

except...

there was only one package of the size & type I needed...
and it was ripped open...
though nearly all of it seemed to be there...

I took it to the cashier & asked about any more...
the manager said,"that's the last one...
but if you want it, I'll make it half price..."

so I happily paid for my stuff, lugged it to the car...
and made my way back to the church...

unfortunately, it was time for my photo to be taken...
[I really hate having my picture taken...ewwww...]

and I got grumpy with the photographer...
it didn't help that she was trying to be cheery...
but I quickly fell into grouch mode...
[what was that the Bishop had just preached on...?
the enemy goes after us when we are at a weak point...
and I was definitely there...& I paid for it big time...]

and this was the instrument of torture...



I was trying to take the enlarged single side pages...
and make a back-to-back master to use to run the 3 copies...
and since it was 11" x 17" paper...it kept wrinkling...
but only when the other side was being printed...

MzYBee came by for her picture,suffering with a miserable cold...
and seeing my plight...
[it wasn't hard to see, I kept telling the machine that I hated it...]
announced loudly that she'd made a lot of "books" when she taught...
and that it was the "heat"...
[I knew it wasn't...it was the size of the paper...]
but she kept telling me it was the "heat"...
so I gave up "discussing it"...

finally...after messing around for what seemed like eons...
I had a decent "master" set that was back-to-back...
and relatively "wrinkle-free"...
so I made 2 more copies... checked the order...

labled the back of the only piece...
that's just 2 pages, so that it opens in "facing" pages...
[ie is NOT back-to-back...]...
then cut about 3" off the bottoms...
punched holes & put them inside the binders...
which I had labeled, "Festino" on the spines...

I discovered that the dividers I bought were too narrow...
they would be swallowed up by the music...
and be useless...
[making the music narrower, was NOT an option...
due to the need to have holes punched...
and the lack of a viable margin to cut off on the right side...

here you can see the original size on the left...



and the "enlarged" version on the right...



and yes, the right margin does stick out a bit...
but on a music stand, it won't be noticed...



here you see the enlarged version of the facing pages...
on the one piece that was only 2 pages...

finally done...3 enlarged copies secure in the legal sized binders...
I left the office at the same time as Square Peg...
I looked at the clock in my car... it was 6 PM...
I drove home...it had finally stopped raining...

so as I finish writing this...
I'm thinking of the blessings of this morning...
and there were many...

and then the wilderness time in the afternoon...
when I knew what the problem was...
but was too tired, grumpy & sore to really deal with it...

despite all of that...

I got the copies made...
and got some other stuff done...
so now, I'm going to cobble together something to eat...
take some MORE Excedrin...
and go to bed...

for tomorrow is the first...
of our Lenten Soup/Study/Benediction/Taizé evening services...
and Thursday is my doctor's appointment...
where he will probably remove the wire from my finger...
[alas, old Frankenfinger, it's time to go...]
then Friday, I have to get my hair cut...

and so it goes...

...finally, the gardenia gets planted

I bought this gardenia last spring around Easter...
the plan was to replace the dead one in front...

but the creeper was in full grow mode...
and it didn't happen...
so the gardenia summered in the back yard...



the area in the front under the nook bay window...
has become "creeperland"...



causing the iris to ooze onto the leaf litter...
that collects between the prolific runners...
and start growing on the curb & walkway...
[this picture was taken, after I cut back all the runners...
that were growing out onto the walk & driveway...]



by the time fall had caused the creeper leaves to color & drop...
it was quite a mess...iris oozing over the curb...
happily making a home in the leaf litter between the runners...
the old trellis leaning over precariously...
& the dead gardenia bush buried in tangled creeper vines...



with the corpse of the dead gardenia...
shrouded in tangled creeper runners...
that went every which way...
along with now growing iris oozing over the curb...
and onto the walkway & driveway...

something had to be done soon...
as the creeper buds were starting to swell...
and would soon make getting getting the old bush out...
and the new one in, as well as new trellises...
and general creeper containment...
impossible for yet another year...

then...it rained today...
and a kind person came by to help...
[more like, do all the work & I "helped"...]

"we" cut back the creeper...
cleared out the dead rose bush & gardenia stumps...
removed an old, useless soaker hose...
installed 2 large trellises...
one to hold back the old trellis & creeper...
one for the climbing rose to climb...
and tied everything in place...
harvested a bunch of "mulch",which was saved...
rescued a bunch of iris which are resting on the mulch...
planted a small azalea and the gardenia...
and cleaned up...



I may put some iris tubers back here...
as he says, "it's a clean palette"...
or I may put in something colorful...



in cutting back & thinning out the creeper...
we also "organized it"...
making sure it won't just grow right back...
covering up the new gardenia & the rose bush...



it all looks so good, I can't wait to have both hands back...
so I can tackle the south side of the house, next to the driveway...

Thanks, Mr. Greenthumb !

...taking a deep breath, again

I hope I'm heading for the light at the end of the tunnel I'm in...



all indications are that I'm moving in the right direction...



but I can't see the path...

I know it's there...but it's outside my experience...
and very much outside of my comfort zone...

I've spent my entire life, making myself "comfortable"...
and soon, the means for that will all disappear...
so I must change paths...

take the path away from all the stuff I've acquired...
and like the man with many possessions that Jesus told...
"to sell all he owned and follow Him"...
I find myself dreading what He may want me to let go of...

it's not that I love the stuff more than God...
but it is a part of me and not easily shed...
because of the security associated with it...
and I'm nothing, if not "a security junkie"...

I still have several months left at the current rate of decline...
before the economic downturn, it was years...
and have come to the point of recognizing enough guidance...
that I'm sure God will see me through...
but I am, quite frankly, afraid of what He might ask of me...

which is really, quite a silly fear, for God will not require...
that which He will not give the strength, to deal with...

I have been led to several money making opportunities...
some I've explored and had the door shut in my face...
but there are always more things to check out...
and there is one coming up that will be great...
if it works as advertised...
fortunately, going to check it out is free...

I have never been good living with a budget...
I either become completely cheap & spend nothing...
or just do what I want, generally spending too much...

although, occasionally, I've been known to spend money...
like a "drunken sailor on shore leave"...

so as I sat down to figure out just where I stood financially...

I was having trouble concentrating...
especially as the numbers added up until panic began to creep in...

as I looked at the impossible situation in front of me...
that little voice told me to "trust Him"...
for everything...



to not panic & frantically try to sell everything I own...
to follow all "instructions"...
no matter how silly or unrealistic they might seem...

to give away things rather than sell...
to continue on...

not as the "drunken sailor" or the cheapskate...

but to be a good steward, from now on...
which includes "spending money"...
"paying debts", fulfilling obligations...
and expecting an abundance of blessings and needs met...

I keep getting confirmation of this...
so I know that it's the way...

what makes this time different from the other times ?

then, I got pointed in what I thought was the direction...
I then started "doing it" all, myself...
trying to "make it happen"...
"figuring it all out"...

I'm beginning to realize that an instrument is only useful...
when skilled hands can utilize it...

for that, it must be in good order & repair...
all the parts working correctly...

if not, it will not perform properly and must be repaired...
or, replaced...

the instrument cannot repair or restore itself...
even routine maintenance needs to be done by a competent worker...
or the master cannot use the instrument...

and it sits, unused...perhaps it becomes lost or damaged from neglect...

all the potential in the world won't help...
if you're in the wrong place and NOT ready...

I have relied on my Mom, or credit or....myself...
now, the Master CEFO is asking me to rest only in Him...
to love Him enough to let go of my control of my stuff...
and especially, the fear of His path for me...

and let Him truly be, the Lord of my life...

"to boldly go, where I have never gone before..."



to take that "leap of faith"...outside of all reason...

and to just trust Him...for everything...and with everything...

I believe this is the way...
because I have a real deep sense of peace about this...

God is good...all the time...

look out below...

...Fluff update

this was yesterday...



the ulcer hadn't come to a head yet...

today, however...



it has, big time...

I don't know if that's a good or bad thing...

if it's going to heal, it has to drain...
and from the pus collecting in the corner of her eye...
it's doing that...

she doesn't seem to be in pain & lets me medicate her...

as far as I know, the "best case" would be that it heals...
and she has a blind eye for the rest of her life...
but she has an eyeball & doesn't need the surgery...

worst case...would involve surgery to remove the eyeball...
which at her age is very risky...
not to mention another expense I don't need...

so I'm asking anyone who reads this to pray for Fluff...
and her complete recovery...

in any case, God is good...all the time...