A Soup Kind of Day….

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We do get spoiled in the Sunshine State. When we have rain, it generally comes in bands mixed with partial clouds and sun, but we do have days like today with overcast and little break between rain. Although it’s not pounding rain, it is winter and our temperature did drop. No threat of ice or snow of course, which still puts us in far better shape than having to deal with that. Not to mention it will all clear up within a couple of days and return to our “normal”.  We had already decided on the Spicy Mediterranean Seafood Stew for tonight (I’ve posted that recipe before). Chili will be next week naturally as the Superbowl meal.

In continuing to work on lower carb soups, I thought to try a version of cream of vegetable. I was going to do cream of broccoli and saw we had a bag with a mix of broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots. We also had some extra Pecorino cheese since I had accidentally grabbed that instead of Parmasean not long ago. What I hadn’t realized was the silken tofu I was going to sub for cream was past it’s “use by” date. However, it wasn’t too much of an impediment.

So, the bag of vegetable mix (4 cups) into 8 cups of vegetable stock; some salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, cook on medium heat for 20 minutes. Turn to low heat, use the stick blender to “cream” the veggies. Add 1/2 tsp of each: dried red pepper flakes, oregano,basil, thyme. Cover and cook 10 minutes. Stir 1/2 cup (happened to be the amount left in the container) finely grated Pecorina cheese and cook another 5 minutes.

It’s obviously low in fat, although I didn’t do  a calorie count. It comes in at 17 carbs per bowl, which in this case held four ladles full (standard soup ladle). Granted, that’s higher than the turkey and sausage soup I previously posted, but it’s also packed with veggies. It just depends on what you’re in the mood for.

Snuffle and Sigh……

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Our temperate winter weather doesn’t keep cold germs from being transported in. Well, maybe they come plenty of other ways, too. Anyway, Hubby got it first and initially I thought I would escape, but no such luck. Before I continue, let me say I’ve become more cautious about differentiating between a common cold and something worse. A couple of years ago, I ignored what were actually pretty obvious symptoms and went through nearly a month of bronchitis bordering on pneumonia. This go-round, the usual TV ads were on about colds and medications and I decided to give a try to one advertised as helping shorted the severity and length of a cold. Remember, the standard cold lasts 7-10 days. With this method, you can use nasal swabs, a nasal spray, tablets that dissolve, or crystals you put on your tongue to dissolve. The clear warning though is to start treatment the minute you feel the first symptom. In my case, it was pretty close to that. I chose the dissolving tablets and later picked up some of the nasal spray.

The first four days I was very nearly won over, then Day 5 was like going backward. I was also told, however, I shouldn’t have used that product alone, but could have combined it with a standard product as well. Hmm, didn’t think about that. I have swapped back to regular products. At the moment, it seems as if I will come in at the 7-day mark instead of 10, although we’ll see.

Along those lines, what I have been doing when traveling is using another of the products advertised. I start taking it 3 days prior to travel, throughout the trip, then for 2 days after. It’s difficult to know if that has had any impact. All I can say is since I’ve been doing this, I haven’t picked up a cold during travel. On the other hand, I know an older lady who swears a daily dose of apple cider vinegar and honey is the best prevention you can use for a number of things. Thoughts?

Something About the Blues…..

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Despite not being quite myself with battling a cold last night, we’d had tickets for weeks to see Muddy on the Waters, A Blue’s Tribute at the Seminole Theatre. I grabbed a nap and we had dinner at home instead of out as we usually do as part of a theater evening. It was the Nighthawks performing with Muddy Waters’ son, “Muds” Morganfield joining them in the second part. I had debated about going, but I had also booked us a seat on the aisle so that meant I could be on the side and not breathe on anyone other than Hubby and it was his cold that was passed to me anyway. What a fun performance it was and a really talented group. In looking around, there was definitely a preponderance of Baby Boomers. There were some younger people too, but it got us to wondering if the Blues as a music genre is fading. I certainly hope not.

In fact, we sat next to a couple visiting from Iowa.The gentleman is a big National Parks fan and they’d been to the Everglades earlier and will be headed down to Dry Tortugas. They are major Blues enthusiasts and assured us the Davenport, Iowa Blues Festival is well attended every year. It’s actually the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival put on by the Mississippi Valley Blues Society and this past July was their 31st. Having been to the area multiple times during my Army days, summertime is when you want to have an outdoor festival. On the other hand, that’s also peak dive season here, so I doubt we’ll be headed up there. Then again, we haven’t tried the Blues, Beer, and BBQ Festival at Fruit and Spice Park since that first year. I’ll have to see if it’s still an annual event.

A “Modern” Classic…..

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One of the reasons we added Kindles in our household is because like so many people, we cannot bring ourselves to throw away books and there really are limited places to give them to. By the way, for those who might not know, the Homestead Kiwanis have a marvelous “Just One Book” program where they give books away at different events. They mostly need children and young adult books though and we have none of those left around.

Anyway, back to the main point of the post. We have a stationary recumbent bike we both use 2-3 times a week. When Hubby is on it, he watches a lot of webinars. I pop in a DVD and depending on the DVD, may also read. The other day, when I was looking through the numerous filled bookshelves, I saw Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance An Inquiry into Values by Robert M. Pirsig. Published in 1974, it was praised as, “The Fabulous Journey of a Man in Search of Himself”, and sold quite well. Bear with me for another aside because it’s pertinent as to why I didn’t read the book before. Most of you who follow this blog are aware my first husband, my son’s father, was killed in an accident when our son was only four months old. The wonderful man I married eight years later is the one I usually talk about in these blogs and he has been a terrific stepfather. I was a Captain at the time of my first husband’s death and through one of those quirks in Army assignments, I wound up in a special training course several months later. Let’s just say I was still going through emotional adjustment. During a discussion with some friends, as the topic turned to unexpected blows most of us encounter at some point, one guy said, “I suggest you read  Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. I think it would be of interest.” I politely said I would, not particularly planning to. About three months after, I was settling into the new house at my new assignment, and having put off unpacking multiple boxes of books, decided to tackle that task.

And there it was, in the second box I opened, right on top – a copy of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. I certainly hadn’t bought it, so it had to have been one of the many books my first husband had when we merged households. I was startled, but still wasn’t ready to read it. I did, however, keep it all these years and am just getting started on it. We’ll see how it goes and I’ll post later after I finish.

And Four More Days Slip Past…..

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Goodness, gracious, I’ve managed to let four more days elapse without posting. I do try to post every three days and more in between if there’s something extra special. Part of it though is I really did fall behind after almost killing my travel notebook computer. As it turned out, I only killed the keyboard and there is an on-screen one I can use. Well, that’s assuming I can adapt to the keyboard, which happens to be another of the technology things I don’t do well with. Hubby, however, is okay with it and now comes one of the interesting aspects of technology. Please excuse the use of name brands this time, but it’s directly applicable to the subject.

When Hubby was trying to decide if he wanted a Surface like I had or an IPad, he gave it a lot of thought and finally decided on the IPad. When my Surface began to have problems, we took a look and unlike technology that normally falls in price as new generations are released, that hasn’t happened with the Surface. So, for me, we swapped instead to a little notebook computer which I enjoyed all of the ten days I owned it. Getting back to me actually killing only the keyboard. Hubby showed me the on-screen keyboard and it quickly became apparent this was not going to work. Since replacing the keyboard would cost about half as much as buying another notebook, he’ll be getting me a new one. However, he’s fine with the on-screen keyboard and the partially crippled notebook computer allows him to do things he couldn’t with the IPad. So, it hasn’t been a complete loss as he now has his IPad and the notebook in addition to his regular desktop and of course we have IPhones. I’m not going to say the house is beginning to look like an electronics shop, but there certainly are a lot of devices and cables around.

Why We Love Underdogs……

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As I have mentioned before, I’m a morning person and Hubby is a night owl. So, when the College National Championship game was on Monday night, it wasn’t likely I would have stayed up to watch it anyway. It was an all-Southern match-up with South Carolina’s Clemson Tigers going up against University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide. As can happen, this was actually a re-match of the previous year when Alabama won in the fourth quarter of the game. Clemson came into that meeting undefeated so it was not, “the Disney  ending” they were striving for to repeat 1981 when they had been undefeated and went on to win National Champion.

To have the rivals go head-to-head again this year made for a great story. Because Hubby is a GA Tech Alum, that makes us an “ACC Family”, but we both like Alabama even though they are an SEC university. Clemson was not faring well as it was approaching my bedtime and I felt a bit of a twinge they weren’t doing better. Later as Hubby came to bed, I roused enough to ask if things had improved for Clemson. That’s when he told me about the fourth quarter surge and thrilling last second victory over Alabama. Unless you have an emotional or financial interest in a particular team, this is what you want in a game and it always makes for terrific post-game discussions.

Likewise, unless you have an emotional or financial interest, there is a tendency to root for the underdog. Culturally, we appreciate a powerhouse team, but when a “lesser” team scraps their way to a head-to-head challenge and wins, it reminds us we can overcome odds no matter what the experts say. Sometimes, the more highly rated team simply underestimates the opponent and they can’t play catch-up. At other times, there is an extra spirit that rises to a strength that won’t be beat and it’s always exciting to see.

You Really Can’t Always Tell By Appearances……

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Carnivorous alert! It’s funny how your memory is sparked at times. Hubby was prepping rib-eye steaks for dinner last night and it reminded me of Joe Allen’s BBQ in Abilene, TX. That was where I had my ROTC assignment and as always, restaurants were high on my list of places to identify. It didn’t take long to hear about Joe Allen’s, but it wasn’t on a direct route for me getting back and forth to work. One day I drove past at a time when it wasn’t open and sort of shrugged. It was the ramshackle side of rustic and I wondered if maybe the reputation was overblown. Then a friend who was helping me get acquainted with the area took me there for dinner.

As a longtime, multi-generational resident, she explained.  Food was what mattered at Joe Allen’s, not ambience. There was BBQ and steak, and a big galvanized tub of ice for the long-neck beer bottles. The point about the steak though was it was rib-eye with a secret rub then grilled over mesquite. Period. The deal though was the steak was cut according to what you chose – from 1/2 inch to 4 inches thick. You wanted sauteed mushrooms or peppercorn sauce – go to another restaurant. You wanted a nice wine list – go to another restaurant. You wanted one of the best steaks you would ever eat and an icy cold beer – sit down and enjoy yourself. I have no doubt the BBQ was excellent, but I admit I never had anything except the steak – my friend and I usually went for the 1-inch.

Other places with stuccoed walls, timbered ceilings, good steaks, and a larger menu were closer to where I lived and where I usually met with friends. That didn’t prevent me from going to Joe Allen’s though and I was always quick to recommend it to newcomers.

Ah, Computer Woes….

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As I’ve mentioned before, we have become such a connected world (well, many of us anyway), when we lose those connections, it can really upend our schedules. I’ve returned from my trip where I was plagued with multiple computer and electronic issues. Now, in all fairness, most of those were my own fault. The mishap that knocked out my travel computer was totally on me and I’ll see today if it is recoverable. The second issue of not being able to have access on my I-phone while at the hotel was probably my fault. (I haven’t told Hubby about that one yet so he can explain what I was doing wrong.)

Anyway, I returned late last night and did in fact get catfish and hush puppies in during the trip. Th cold snap that descended was only going to last a few days, but 40 degrees and mist was distinctly uncomfortable. I do realize there are plenty of other places where that would be quite welcome at the moment. On the other hand, if you’re planning a ski vacation, lots of snow is on the wish list instead. Today and the weekend will be catch-up for me with multiple tasks. Ah well, it works that way at times.

 

And Another Trip…..

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I am once again in Louisiana on an unexpected trip. Things are okay with my dad from a physical perspective, but there are some administrative things that need to be taken care of. It might be fairly quickly resolved and it might not be. While Daddy is fine with cognitive aspects – you should see him playing dominos – his short term memory is such that he can’t recall from day-to-day many normal things. It makes it impossible for him to manage tasks he used to routinely do and although he has come to grips with it most days, there are other times when he is perplexed. It is still a much more stable level of Alzhiemers than other friends of mine have had to deal with with regard to their parents, so I can’t complain. It’s never easy of course, but it could definitely be far worse.

We had a long delay in leaving Atlanta and some very bumpy weather. On the other hand, the severe thunderstorms were coming from Louisiana (might have been Texas, too) through Mississippi and Alabama. That meant the delay in arriving here allowed that storm system to have moved east and it was actually quite pleasant when we landed instead of the crappy stuff it would have been. I did take the 6:30 a.m. flight out of Miami though so I’ve been up since 3:30. We’ll see what tomorrow brings and somewhere in the mix, there is likely to be catfish.

Bundle of Energy….

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Ah yes, the reason for the gap in postings is not unexpected. Our son, daughter-in-law, and eighteen-month old granddaughter are here for a visit. Their flight Tues was delayed a bit, then there was getting luggage, trekking to the car because I parked in the wrong terminal. I don’t care for either airports parking garage directions and I am not familiar with Fort Lauderdale Airport at night. Anyway, Tuesday was definitely a late night and the idea of flying them in with an evening arrival made much less sense than it did when I booked the tickets. Oh, apparently she was quite good on the airplane and didn’t seem overly distressed with the pressure changes. They did give her a dose of liquid cold medicine and she had her pacifier so that combination seemed to have worked.

At any rate, as always with an eighteen-month old, you are in that stage of minimal ability to communicate. I have no doubt she is fully aware of exactly what she wants to convey to us if only we could speak her language. She probably wonders how it is grown-ups are in charge considering we can’t master something as simple as “baby babble”. She has, however, picked up a couple of words, “stairs” being one. Although they live in  condo where they climb stairs to get up and down, this is her first time to be in a two-story house. She mastered “up” pretty quickly. “Down” is tricky, especially in sock feet on hardwood. So far, she waits for assistance, although I’m not entirely sure how long that will hold. Having a pool in the backyard has been a delight for her and unfortunately, the temperature has plummeted all the way to sixty today and the wind picked up. Definitely not a day for splashing about. That should be interesting to try to deal with.

Anyway, I absolutely do empathize with her nap/sleep patterns being disrupted – it’s a reality of traveling with young ones. On the other hand, it’s something all parents who travel learn to cope with.