If you are not familiar with Patrice Lewis' writing on Rural Revolution at blogspot dot com, you're missing out. Recently she posted the following about George and Laura Bush on the subject of class (or the lack thereof). Her post was great but one of the comments left was my inspiration for this post. Please read her post and the comments by clicking on the link below, and then come back here and I'll explain.
http://patricelewis.blogspot.com/2010/02/classy-vs-classless.html
Bet you never guessed it was thedancingmachine's comment that got me worked up, huh? To all the diehard liberal Obama-supporters (defenders is a more appropriate description these days) out there, I would like to hear some specifics ...at least one ...please? What policies exactly did Bush set in place that made this inevitable? Our military and security policies were much more stringent under Bush than they are under the current administration. Worse than that, our current President has made us a laughing stock to the Muslim extremists of the world. Do you think apologizing for past American policies buys us the respect of admiration of anyone ...let alone the Muslim countries of the world? Do you think by suggesting we mirandize and try in civil court the Muslim terrorists from 911 that he is endearing us to the Muslim extremists?
Fort Hood was a TRAGEDY. It was a terrorist attack on our soil by a misguided, sick individual. If Bush didn't sincerely care about the victims of that terrorist, he would not have made the trip. He did so without regard to his personal security and without ambition for personal gain. It was spontaneous and sincere. Obama, on the other hand, was slow in coming and missed the mark. Security is a given when you are the current president, but did he have to turn it into a photo op press release? He turned a tragedy into a grandstanding affair for himself. As an American, I respect the office he holds, but I am finding it more and more difficult to respect the man. I see from Lloyd's comment that was left after mine that I am not alone in my opinion.
Kudos to Patrice Lewis for bringing this article to us to begin with and for not censoring the comments for what this administration would deem political correctness. She titled her post Classy vs Classless and I say it takes one to know one. Rural Revolution is a class act ...as I'm sure Ms Lewis' other writings are as well.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Beans with a Twist
Yeoldfurt doesn't like beans. He grew up on beans. Beans every day, sometimes three times a day and always cooked the same way ...a little salt, a little pepper and pressure cooked until they practically unrecognizable. No wonder he doesn't like beans! But beans are so economical and so nutritious and he trusts me so much after 10 years of marriage (ha!) that he courageously agreed to let me try a few bean recipes on him.
We started with Red Beans & Rice about a year ago. He liked that enough to go back for seconds and even requested it for dinner himself sometimes, so we were off to a good start. A few weeks ago, I found a recipe online for Italian Beans that called for diced canned tomatoes and shredded mozzarella cheese over the beans. I tweaked it (of course) giving a bit of a Southwest flair and came up the following:
Soak 1 cup dried beans overnight in 3 cups water
(I used small red beans, but Anasazi, pintos or navy beans work)
The next day, drain the beans, then add enough water to cover beans plus two inches. Add 1/2 tsp salt and bring them to a hard boil. Reduce the heat, cover and let simmer until the beans are soft.
When the beans are nearly done, cook four strips of bacon until very crisp, reserving drippings. Saute one medium diced onion and one clove minced garlic in the bacon drippings until soft and translucent.
Chop enough link sausage to make two cups and add them to the sauteed onion and garlic. I like to used the Hillshire Farms Beef Lit'l Smokies because I had them in the freezer and cut them each link in thirds. But bulk link sausage would be more economical. Simmer on low until the sausage is well heated.
Add the sauteed vegetables (including the bacon drippings) and sausage to the beans and mix well.
Stir in one small can Rotel Tomatoes and Chilies, well drained. Let simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes.
Pour the beans into a large casserole dish. Combine 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and sprinkle over the top of the casserole dish.
Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes, until cheese is melted and slightly browned.
Serve with a green salad and hot bread or rolls.
This recipe makes about four servings. It is easily doubled or cut in half if you have a larger or smaller family.
Yeoldfurt liked it enough to go back for seconds, so I'm on a roll. : )
Thursday, January 28, 2010
My Blog, MY Rules
Those words were directed at me recently and while I admit, I was a little put off by it at first ...I'm starting to warm up to the idea.
It all began when I decided to read down the list on Yeoldfurt's blogroll. When I read posts, I like to read the comments too because sometimes other people see a different angle that I might have missed. I read the lady's post and then moved on to the comments. The post was about some recent hardships in her family such as her stepdad getting laid off recently. That's a tough break. Since Yeoldfurt has been out of work for nearly 10 months, I can certainly relate.
The first comment was sympathetic and encouraging.
The second comment began the same way but then launched into "It just seems like you were so hoping that 2010 would bring relief and here we are so soon into and you are again back in it. Things will look up - it can't keep going downhill from the backlash of the Bush years - it has to improve eventually and I would like to think sooner than later."
There was much more to the second comment. The words quoted above were neatly tucked into the middle of several less caustic paragraphs. But boy did they stick in my craw. I decided to leave a comment of my own ...first a word of encouragement to the lady whose stepdad was laid off and second to address the 'backlash from the Bush years' comment already posted.
In my comment, I said to the blog owner, "I'm sorry things are rough and getting rougher. Are your folks of a prepper mindset as well?
And, directed at the previous commentor, I added "I just have to ask about your 'backlash from the Bush years' comment. Surely you don't blame this crash and burn economy all on Bush??? Surely not. Bush did some things I didn't like but at what point does Obama get to own the (sad) state of affairs in this country? The man has been in office for a year already. Forgive me if I misinterpreted your 'backlash' comment."
Now I thought at the time that I was being pretty darn polite and diplomatic. If I had said what I was thinking, the fur would have been flying. But I guess both of us got put in our place when the blog owner said "Now now, let's stay away from the politics please. Unless I bring it up, my blog, my rules. I have a bunch of readers from all different walks of life. Thank you for understanding."
I think the tone set by starting off with 'Now, now...' is what rubbed me wrong ...as if we were in grade school and caught arguing on the playground. But after mulling it over for a bit, I decided that 'my blog, my rules' must certainly be universal. So from now on I'll keep my opinions (especially the political ones) on my own blog and limit my comments (and probably my reading) to like-minded bloggers. But I don't mind if my readers choose to disagree with me or even with each other on my blog. I don't want to have my opinions censored and I don't want my readers to feel like they can't say what they think. So keep it clean, keep it polite, but for heaven's sake KEEP IT REAL ...say what you think!
With that in mind, I'd just like to ask ... at what point does Obama get to own the (sad) state of affairs in this country? The man has been in office for a year already!!
It all began when I decided to read down the list on Yeoldfurt's blogroll. When I read posts, I like to read the comments too because sometimes other people see a different angle that I might have missed. I read the lady's post and then moved on to the comments. The post was about some recent hardships in her family such as her stepdad getting laid off recently. That's a tough break. Since Yeoldfurt has been out of work for nearly 10 months, I can certainly relate.
The first comment was sympathetic and encouraging.
The second comment began the same way but then launched into "It just seems like you were so hoping that 2010 would bring relief and here we are so soon into and you are again back in it. Things will look up - it can't keep going downhill from the backlash of the Bush years - it has to improve eventually and I would like to think sooner than later."
There was much more to the second comment. The words quoted above were neatly tucked into the middle of several less caustic paragraphs. But boy did they stick in my craw. I decided to leave a comment of my own ...first a word of encouragement to the lady whose stepdad was laid off and second to address the 'backlash from the Bush years' comment already posted.
In my comment, I said to the blog owner, "I'm sorry things are rough and getting rougher. Are your folks of a prepper mindset as well?
And, directed at the previous commentor, I added "I just have to ask about your 'backlash from the Bush years' comment. Surely you don't blame this crash and burn economy all on Bush??? Surely not. Bush did some things I didn't like but at what point does Obama get to own the (sad) state of affairs in this country? The man has been in office for a year already. Forgive me if I misinterpreted your 'backlash' comment."
Now I thought at the time that I was being pretty darn polite and diplomatic. If I had said what I was thinking, the fur would have been flying. But I guess both of us got put in our place when the blog owner said "Now now, let's stay away from the politics please. Unless I bring it up, my blog, my rules. I have a bunch of readers from all different walks of life. Thank you for understanding."
I think the tone set by starting off with 'Now, now...' is what rubbed me wrong ...as if we were in grade school and caught arguing on the playground. But after mulling it over for a bit, I decided that 'my blog, my rules' must certainly be universal. So from now on I'll keep my opinions (especially the political ones) on my own blog and limit my comments (and probably my reading) to like-minded bloggers. But I don't mind if my readers choose to disagree with me or even with each other on my blog. I don't want to have my opinions censored and I don't want my readers to feel like they can't say what they think. So keep it clean, keep it polite, but for heaven's sake KEEP IT REAL ...say what you think!
With that in mind, I'd just like to ask ... at what point does Obama get to own the (sad) state of affairs in this country? The man has been in office for a year already!!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Defining "Real"
How often do you hear someone say, "A real woman would never do that!" Or, "A real woman would never say that!" That's what feminazism has done for us, ladies. Do you want to be defined, or worse limited, by a standard set by someone else?
I was one of three girls in family, and I was the only tomboy in the bunch. While my two sisters, one older and one younger, were all about dolls and playing house, I was playing with Legos and Erector sets and Tonka toys. For my third birthday I requested a red dragline. How in the world I knew about draglines at the age, I don't know. But I knew and I wanted one ...a red one. My mother did her best to talk to me into a nice 'dolly' or maybe a tea set of my own, but I wanted a red dragline. To my mother's credit she got me one.
We moved a lot when I was growing up and it always seemed to be that there were other little girls in the neighborhood who were my sisters' ages but only boys that were my age. While my sisters went to sleep overs and did girly things, I was playing backyard baseball and wrestling with the boys. I would even scrap with the boys from time to time because one of them would get out of line and call me Rocky. My given name was Roxanna and though I chose to play boy games with boys, I took offense to being called what I considered a BOY name. It never took more than one good scrap to set all the boys straight on that subject. I don't know if I came out on top because I was really capable of holding my own with the boys or because they held back from actually hitting a girl. But I won myself a reputation of one not to mess with among the neighborhood boys.
When I got to junior high, things changed. Other girls gave me a lot of grief for not being all dainty and interested in girly-girl things like they were. I ignored them for the most part and went through school on my own agenda. I joined the Ag class in high school, became a member of FFA (Future Farmers of America) which required me to ride a bus at noon from my own school to one out in the country that offered the Ag classes. Some of the other girls on the bus were riding because they were in office work or marketing co-ops which were also only offered at the other school. The first week of school that year, several of the girls starting chiding me about my choice to be in Ag. "Why would you do THAT" they'd ask, giggling with each other. "Only BOYS take Ag classes." Well, my only motivation was a love for livestock and agronomics, but in a rare moment of inspiration, I promptly replied, "Well, DUH!" The flash of lightbulbs going off in those girls minds was almost visible. By the beginning of the next semester, there were six more girls from my school riding the bus to Ag classes.
I stayed in Ag all through high school but did not get to enjoy a rural lifestyle until I married Yeoldfurt in 1999. A lot of the knowledge I gained in Ag is put to use on a daily basis now. But the values I learned in those classes have been just as important in my life. One of the biggest things those classes did for me is remove my inhibitions and doubts about what I can and cannot do. I am not afraid to tinker with a tractor or repair a fence. I can palpate a cow, assist in birthing most anything, and doctor most any wound. I have never had to, but I also know how to shoot an animal to put it out of it's misery if the situation arises. The classes taught me to have confidence in myself and that is probably more valuable than anything else I could have learned.
To me, a 'real' woman is one who is not bound by anything but her own goals and aspirations. She follows her own heart and shouldn't have to apologize to anyone if her interests lie outside of the stereotypical. I do not believe, however, that being a 'real' woman requires you to verbally trample men who treat you with common courtesy and etiquette. I think Yeoldfurt appreciates the fact that I can help him with the tractoring or wrangling the horses. And I appreciate that he always opens the door for me and carries the heaviest packages and just generally treats me like a lady. I'm all for equal opportunity for women and equal wages for the same job. But I think the feminist movement does women a disservice when they belittle men for simply being GENTLEMEN. I have even seen women criticized for allowing a man to hold the door open or pull out her chair when comes to the table. I think that's ridiculous. And sad.
Men and women should have equal rights, equal opportunities, and equal privileges. But they should respect and celebrate their differences as well. My interest and aptitude for typically male venues does not make me less feminine, and it certainly does not make me less of a lady. As a society, we do our sons and daughters a terrible disservice if we stop teaching them how to be ladies and gentlemen. I, for one, am glad I'm married to a gentleman!
I was one of three girls in family, and I was the only tomboy in the bunch. While my two sisters, one older and one younger, were all about dolls and playing house, I was playing with Legos and Erector sets and Tonka toys. For my third birthday I requested a red dragline. How in the world I knew about draglines at the age, I don't know. But I knew and I wanted one ...a red one. My mother did her best to talk to me into a nice 'dolly' or maybe a tea set of my own, but I wanted a red dragline. To my mother's credit she got me one.
We moved a lot when I was growing up and it always seemed to be that there were other little girls in the neighborhood who were my sisters' ages but only boys that were my age. While my sisters went to sleep overs and did girly things, I was playing backyard baseball and wrestling with the boys. I would even scrap with the boys from time to time because one of them would get out of line and call me Rocky. My given name was Roxanna and though I chose to play boy games with boys, I took offense to being called what I considered a BOY name. It never took more than one good scrap to set all the boys straight on that subject. I don't know if I came out on top because I was really capable of holding my own with the boys or because they held back from actually hitting a girl. But I won myself a reputation of one not to mess with among the neighborhood boys.
When I got to junior high, things changed. Other girls gave me a lot of grief for not being all dainty and interested in girly-girl things like they were. I ignored them for the most part and went through school on my own agenda. I joined the Ag class in high school, became a member of FFA (Future Farmers of America) which required me to ride a bus at noon from my own school to one out in the country that offered the Ag classes. Some of the other girls on the bus were riding because they were in office work or marketing co-ops which were also only offered at the other school. The first week of school that year, several of the girls starting chiding me about my choice to be in Ag. "Why would you do THAT" they'd ask, giggling with each other. "Only BOYS take Ag classes." Well, my only motivation was a love for livestock and agronomics, but in a rare moment of inspiration, I promptly replied, "Well, DUH!" The flash of lightbulbs going off in those girls minds was almost visible. By the beginning of the next semester, there were six more girls from my school riding the bus to Ag classes.
I stayed in Ag all through high school but did not get to enjoy a rural lifestyle until I married Yeoldfurt in 1999. A lot of the knowledge I gained in Ag is put to use on a daily basis now. But the values I learned in those classes have been just as important in my life. One of the biggest things those classes did for me is remove my inhibitions and doubts about what I can and cannot do. I am not afraid to tinker with a tractor or repair a fence. I can palpate a cow, assist in birthing most anything, and doctor most any wound. I have never had to, but I also know how to shoot an animal to put it out of it's misery if the situation arises. The classes taught me to have confidence in myself and that is probably more valuable than anything else I could have learned.
To me, a 'real' woman is one who is not bound by anything but her own goals and aspirations. She follows her own heart and shouldn't have to apologize to anyone if her interests lie outside of the stereotypical. I do not believe, however, that being a 'real' woman requires you to verbally trample men who treat you with common courtesy and etiquette. I think Yeoldfurt appreciates the fact that I can help him with the tractoring or wrangling the horses. And I appreciate that he always opens the door for me and carries the heaviest packages and just generally treats me like a lady. I'm all for equal opportunity for women and equal wages for the same job. But I think the feminist movement does women a disservice when they belittle men for simply being GENTLEMEN. I have even seen women criticized for allowing a man to hold the door open or pull out her chair when comes to the table. I think that's ridiculous. And sad.
Men and women should have equal rights, equal opportunities, and equal privileges. But they should respect and celebrate their differences as well. My interest and aptitude for typically male venues does not make me less feminine, and it certainly does not make me less of a lady. As a society, we do our sons and daughters a terrible disservice if we stop teaching them how to be ladies and gentlemen. I, for one, am glad I'm married to a gentleman!
Soaps for All Purposes
Cleaning supplies and soaps are some of the most expensive products people consume on a regular basis. With that in mind, I'm determined to begin making my own soaps and detergents. In preparation, I have been saving the containers from the store bought versions for several months now and will refill them with my homemade products.
Laundry soap will be my first project. I prefer liquid laundry products because I think they disperse more thoroughly in the washing process which makes them flush away more easily in the rinse cycle. I have been buying the generic brands in the big 64 oz jugs for years. These jugs have a spigot opening and a screw top opening. The inevitable last few drops of soap from the spigot tended to create a mess after just a few loads. So I always refill a smaller quart-size jug and use that to measure my soap into the washer. That allowed me to realize the savings of the 64 oz economy jug but keep the mess to a minimum. When I make my own soap for the first time, I will attempt to make enough to fill one 64 oz jug. When I'm sure I have the formula correct, I will double or triple or quadruple the batch to fill as many of the 64 oz jugs as I have available ...economizing on the time required to make the soap. From what I've read, the cost savings should be significant and homemade products produce great results.
When I've mastered laundry soap, I will attempt liquid dishwashing liquid. Yes, I still use a dishwasher. With only the two of us these days, we only run it once or twice a week ...usually only once. I wash all pots and pans by hand but I think the dishwasher does a very good job and is an efficient use of our resources ...including my time. If I were to stop using the dishwasher, I would have to spend an hour or so per day washing and drying the dishes. I don't know about you, but I don't have a extra hour every day that I've been wondering what to do with. The dishwasher that we have now has a delayed start option on it and I typically have it run between midnight and 3:00am ...off-peak hours for electricity consumption. Power companies charge lower rates during off-peak hours so I'm being as frugal as possible with our resources. I currently buy generic liquid dishwasher soap from Walmart for less than $3 for a quart-sized jug. A jug lasts me at least 3 months so it's not like I spend a great deal on dishwashing liquid as it is. When I find a recipe I like, I will plan to make a gallon and store it in the quart-sized containers I have been saving. I believe I will be able to make a gallon of homemade for approximately $3 which would be great. I would have gone from $12 annual expense to $3 ...wooo-WHOO! The $9 savings can go toward any number of things on our wish list.
I will save my attempts at making shampoo and body wash until I have built my confidence on the laundry and dish soaps. Shampoo is a big deal for me since my hair is long and thick and I'm tender-headed. I have a higher tolerance for pain than most people in almost any other area ...but combing out my hair when it's tangled makes me whimper. So you can bet I'll be doing some research before I attempt shampoo. Body soap shouldn't be too hard. Very basic ingredients and the only real criteria is a soap that lathers easily and rinses well. Yeoldfurt doesn't like to scented soaps that smell too sweet ...like flowers or fruits. But when I find a good recipe for body wash, I can always put some in a small bottle just for me and add few drops of scented oil. It's a Venus thing. : )
When I find the recipes for each of these products that work well for me, I'll post the recipes and welcome comments. In the meantime, if you have a recipe you like for any of these cleaning products, please leave me a comment with the recipe or a link to the recipe. I'd love to try what works for you.
Laundry soap will be my first project. I prefer liquid laundry products because I think they disperse more thoroughly in the washing process which makes them flush away more easily in the rinse cycle. I have been buying the generic brands in the big 64 oz jugs for years. These jugs have a spigot opening and a screw top opening. The inevitable last few drops of soap from the spigot tended to create a mess after just a few loads. So I always refill a smaller quart-size jug and use that to measure my soap into the washer. That allowed me to realize the savings of the 64 oz economy jug but keep the mess to a minimum. When I make my own soap for the first time, I will attempt to make enough to fill one 64 oz jug. When I'm sure I have the formula correct, I will double or triple or quadruple the batch to fill as many of the 64 oz jugs as I have available ...economizing on the time required to make the soap. From what I've read, the cost savings should be significant and homemade products produce great results.
When I've mastered laundry soap, I will attempt liquid dishwashing liquid. Yes, I still use a dishwasher. With only the two of us these days, we only run it once or twice a week ...usually only once. I wash all pots and pans by hand but I think the dishwasher does a very good job and is an efficient use of our resources ...including my time. If I were to stop using the dishwasher, I would have to spend an hour or so per day washing and drying the dishes. I don't know about you, but I don't have a extra hour every day that I've been wondering what to do with. The dishwasher that we have now has a delayed start option on it and I typically have it run between midnight and 3:00am ...off-peak hours for electricity consumption. Power companies charge lower rates during off-peak hours so I'm being as frugal as possible with our resources. I currently buy generic liquid dishwasher soap from Walmart for less than $3 for a quart-sized jug. A jug lasts me at least 3 months so it's not like I spend a great deal on dishwashing liquid as it is. When I find a recipe I like, I will plan to make a gallon and store it in the quart-sized containers I have been saving. I believe I will be able to make a gallon of homemade for approximately $3 which would be great. I would have gone from $12 annual expense to $3 ...wooo-WHOO! The $9 savings can go toward any number of things on our wish list.
I will save my attempts at making shampoo and body wash until I have built my confidence on the laundry and dish soaps. Shampoo is a big deal for me since my hair is long and thick and I'm tender-headed. I have a higher tolerance for pain than most people in almost any other area ...but combing out my hair when it's tangled makes me whimper. So you can bet I'll be doing some research before I attempt shampoo. Body soap shouldn't be too hard. Very basic ingredients and the only real criteria is a soap that lathers easily and rinses well. Yeoldfurt doesn't like to scented soaps that smell too sweet ...like flowers or fruits. But when I find a good recipe for body wash, I can always put some in a small bottle just for me and add few drops of scented oil. It's a Venus thing. : )
When I find the recipes for each of these products that work well for me, I'll post the recipes and welcome comments. In the meantime, if you have a recipe you like for any of these cleaning products, please leave me a comment with the recipe or a link to the recipe. I'd love to try what works for you.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Nothing Like Two Days Away
...to make you appreciate home! I left work Friday and drove straight to San Antonio to spend two days with my kids. It was my daughter's birthday and they just found out they are expecting their first child in September, so the plan was to have a weekend to celebrate. But my daughter is having quite a time with morning sickness, so I mostly just kept her company. I assured her it's all part of the package and will be worth it in the end. When she's a little further along and feeling better, I'll go back for some intense shopping trips.
I loved being able to spend time with the kids, but I missed being home with Yeoldfurt too. He was getting over a cold when I left last week and it seems to have settled in his chest now. I'm off work tomorrow (MLK Day) so I can take care of him all day. I'm off Wednesday too (John Gault Day) so he'll get plenty tired of being doted on this week!
With so much time off this week, I'm hoping to start organizing some of my spring projects too. It's too early to start seeds for the garden but I could start my lemon tree seeds this week since I will keep them in pots for the first year or two. The variety I have is a Ponderosa lemon which bears a huge (grapefruit-sized) fruit. It's not as tart as some of the smaller lemons but has good flavor and should do well here. By growing them in pots until they are two or three years old, I will be able to protect them in cold weather until they are mature enough to withstand our mild Texas winters.
I have decided to start an indoor pantry for our food stores as well. Right now, we keep normal amounts on hand in the kitchen and our stores are out in the shop. Sometimes it isn't convenient to trek down to the shop though so I want to have an indoor pantry as well. The formal dining room in this house serves as my office and includes a good-sized walk-in closet with four deep shelves on all three walls. There are already some prepping items in the closet ...my pressure canner, canning jars, the Foodsaver and a dozen or so empty two-liter bottles that will be used to store dry goods or drinking water. But it also has my craft and sewing projects, several crates of who-knows-what, some board games and miscellaneous office supplies. The crates of who-knows-what will be the first to be purged. The rest of it can surely be organized to better utilize the space. My goal is to use one wall of the shelves for food stores, one wall for equipment and fit everything else on the remaining wall.
We have several projects on the agenda outside too. We will be planting our peach trees next month and I've been looking into some berry bushes as well. Dewberries and blackberries do well in this area. They like full sun and we have some long stretches of chain link fence along the driveway that might be a good place to start them.
I love this time of year. It's not springtime yet, by any means. But spring comes early in Texas and there is much preparation that can and should be done in these last weeks of winter. Maybe I'm just giddy about the prospect of a new grandchild, but I feel more optimistic in general than I have in a long time. I am grateful for my family and my friends and grateful for my husband and the life we share together. It feels good to be smile again.
I loved being able to spend time with the kids, but I missed being home with Yeoldfurt too. He was getting over a cold when I left last week and it seems to have settled in his chest now. I'm off work tomorrow (MLK Day) so I can take care of him all day. I'm off Wednesday too (John Gault Day) so he'll get plenty tired of being doted on this week!
With so much time off this week, I'm hoping to start organizing some of my spring projects too. It's too early to start seeds for the garden but I could start my lemon tree seeds this week since I will keep them in pots for the first year or two. The variety I have is a Ponderosa lemon which bears a huge (grapefruit-sized) fruit. It's not as tart as some of the smaller lemons but has good flavor and should do well here. By growing them in pots until they are two or three years old, I will be able to protect them in cold weather until they are mature enough to withstand our mild Texas winters.
I have decided to start an indoor pantry for our food stores as well. Right now, we keep normal amounts on hand in the kitchen and our stores are out in the shop. Sometimes it isn't convenient to trek down to the shop though so I want to have an indoor pantry as well. The formal dining room in this house serves as my office and includes a good-sized walk-in closet with four deep shelves on all three walls. There are already some prepping items in the closet ...my pressure canner, canning jars, the Foodsaver and a dozen or so empty two-liter bottles that will be used to store dry goods or drinking water. But it also has my craft and sewing projects, several crates of who-knows-what, some board games and miscellaneous office supplies. The crates of who-knows-what will be the first to be purged. The rest of it can surely be organized to better utilize the space. My goal is to use one wall of the shelves for food stores, one wall for equipment and fit everything else on the remaining wall.
We have several projects on the agenda outside too. We will be planting our peach trees next month and I've been looking into some berry bushes as well. Dewberries and blackberries do well in this area. They like full sun and we have some long stretches of chain link fence along the driveway that might be a good place to start them.
I love this time of year. It's not springtime yet, by any means. But spring comes early in Texas and there is much preparation that can and should be done in these last weeks of winter. Maybe I'm just giddy about the prospect of a new grandchild, but I feel more optimistic in general than I have in a long time. I am grateful for my family and my friends and grateful for my husband and the life we share together. It feels good to be smile again.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
A New Lease on Life
I have done quite a bit of complaining lately about the condition of my ankle and the fact that the doctors I had seen were disinterested in doing anything about it. If I'm going to subject you who read my blog to whining when things go wrong in my life, I think it's only fair to let you know when things go right once in a while too.
Other than the fact that I'm starting to fall apart physically, the root of this problem is that my insurance is an HMO. Unfortunately, they are very prone to watching their bottom line when making determinations for 'appropriate' medical care. Buying me a $2500 brace every five years for the rest of my life was much more economical than footing the bill for a $20,000 ankle surgery that might have to be redone a second time before I leave this earth. Had I been willing to accept their decision without argument, my life as I now know it would have been pretty much over. I could not do many of the things I enjoy and be the helpmate Yeoldfurt needs in maintaining this property. He's already had to do 95 percent of the work for the past four months because I've been in the moonboot. The thought of having my activities restricted like that on a permanent basis was devastating to me.
It took some persuasive argument on my part to get my primary physician to refer me to a new surgeon for another opinion. But because I have an HMO, I had to have a referral. I finally convinced my primary and saw the new surgeon on January 5th. I am so glad I argued. The new surgeon does not concur with the diagnosis of the other surgeon that I have necrosis. He sees osteo-arthritis in the foot and ankle and thinks that physical therapy to strengthen the muscles of the ankle will help. I saw the physical therapist the next day and was just as pleased with his attitude. The physical therapist measured my range of motion in both feet and determined that I have lost about 20 percent on the bad foot. He feels that I can regain back at least half of what I've lost over the next six weeks. I'm so encouraged. I go to PT every week for the next five weeks and have flexing exercises to do at home as well. I'm doing the exercise with both feet because stronger is better and maybe I can forestall a similar problem with the other ankle. I was able to wear matching footwear to work on Friday for the first time in four months. It felt so good to walk level!
I've learned a lot from this experience. I've learned to be proactive with the doctors. It's MY life and who better to be my advocate than me, myself? I've learned to appreciate the little things ...like walking and doing chores. Having spent four frustrating months just 'watching life' from the sidelines and then spending nearly two weeks believing my active life was over forever, I am so eager to get back into the fray. I feel like I have a new lease on life. I'm motivated with my PT exercises and optimistic about the final outcome. I am realistic though. My feet hurt when I'm on them too much and that will likely get worse as I age. There will come a time ...maybe when I'm 80 or 90 years old ... that I can't walk around anymore. But, until then, pain or no pain, I'm so very grateful for every step I take.
Other than the fact that I'm starting to fall apart physically, the root of this problem is that my insurance is an HMO. Unfortunately, they are very prone to watching their bottom line when making determinations for 'appropriate' medical care. Buying me a $2500 brace every five years for the rest of my life was much more economical than footing the bill for a $20,000 ankle surgery that might have to be redone a second time before I leave this earth. Had I been willing to accept their decision without argument, my life as I now know it would have been pretty much over. I could not do many of the things I enjoy and be the helpmate Yeoldfurt needs in maintaining this property. He's already had to do 95 percent of the work for the past four months because I've been in the moonboot. The thought of having my activities restricted like that on a permanent basis was devastating to me.
It took some persuasive argument on my part to get my primary physician to refer me to a new surgeon for another opinion. But because I have an HMO, I had to have a referral. I finally convinced my primary and saw the new surgeon on January 5th. I am so glad I argued. The new surgeon does not concur with the diagnosis of the other surgeon that I have necrosis. He sees osteo-arthritis in the foot and ankle and thinks that physical therapy to strengthen the muscles of the ankle will help. I saw the physical therapist the next day and was just as pleased with his attitude. The physical therapist measured my range of motion in both feet and determined that I have lost about 20 percent on the bad foot. He feels that I can regain back at least half of what I've lost over the next six weeks. I'm so encouraged. I go to PT every week for the next five weeks and have flexing exercises to do at home as well. I'm doing the exercise with both feet because stronger is better and maybe I can forestall a similar problem with the other ankle. I was able to wear matching footwear to work on Friday for the first time in four months. It felt so good to walk level!
I've learned a lot from this experience. I've learned to be proactive with the doctors. It's MY life and who better to be my advocate than me, myself? I've learned to appreciate the little things ...like walking and doing chores. Having spent four frustrating months just 'watching life' from the sidelines and then spending nearly two weeks believing my active life was over forever, I am so eager to get back into the fray. I feel like I have a new lease on life. I'm motivated with my PT exercises and optimistic about the final outcome. I am realistic though. My feet hurt when I'm on them too much and that will likely get worse as I age. There will come a time ...maybe when I'm 80 or 90 years old ... that I can't walk around anymore. But, until then, pain or no pain, I'm so very grateful for every step I take.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)