My Favorite Dish -- At Least at the Moment!

I seem to be on a recipe roll!  I've been experimenting over the past few months with Thai cuisine, and I've collected a few curry recipes.  We had half a bag of large shrimp in the freezer, and I had a bunch of veggies that needed to be used.  I didn't feel like a stir fry so I made a version of shrimp curry.  I didn't measure anything  --- I tend not to follow recipes exactly anyway.  This is one of those recipes you can adjust to the ingredients you have on hand and your own personal taste buds.  My husband said it was really good but he would suggest a tad more heat.  I opted on a more subtle heat, but it's really up to you!  If you need more heat, add more chili paste and/or serrano chili.

Here's what I did:

Deb's Shrimp Curry

2 medium carrots sliced into thin strips
1/2 large onion diced
1 clove garlic minced
1 TBS green curry paste
1 TBS Thai fish sauce
1 can (14 oz) coconut milk
1 cup (approx) chicken broth
sugar snap peas - about a cup
bok choy, sliced into bite-sized pieces (about 1 cup)
1/2 of a serrano chili diced
1 TBS tomato paste
juice of a lime
fresh basil, roughly torn - 1/4 cup?
fresh cilantro - 1/4 cup?  Reserve some for garnish
1 lb shrimp (16-20 count)

Optional:
siracha
diced ginger (about 1 inch can be added at start with garlic and chili paste if desired)

Saute the chili paste and garlic in a couple of tablespoons of peanut oil for a couple of minutes over medium heat.  Add the onion, chili, and carrots and cook for another minute or two.  Add the coconut milk, chicken broth, fish sauce, and lime juice and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Taste sauce and adjust seasonings (lime juice, chili paste), and you might need to add a tad more chicken broth or fish sauce).  Add the shrimp and the remaining veggies and herbs.  Simmer for 3-4 minutes until shrimp and veggies are heated through.  Don't let the veggies get too limp and soggy.  

Serve over hot rice or noodles.  Garnish with cilantro.


This serves 4-6 people depending on how hungry every one is!

Blueberries!

It's finally blueberry season around here, and we've got plenty.  So it's time to make our favorite blueberry pancakes!
I've been making these pancakes for many, many years.  It's from the Farm Journal Country Cookbook (1972) so that gives you an idea of just how many years!  It's really the only recipe I've ever used from this cookbook, and the book opens right to page 389 where it's located.  I used to have to make a double or triple batch when the kids were home and growing.  Now I just make the original size recipe, and often we have left over batter.  I also almost always substitute yogurt for the sour cream, and sometimes use buttermilk instead of regular milk.    I also use more blueberries than the recipe calls for!  
You can even make the batter ahead of time, and if it seems too thick, just add a bit more milk, and maybe an extra pinch of baking powder.

I just wish the camera battery had been charged!  This gives you the general idea though!

Sour Cream/Blueberry Pancakes


1 cup sifted flour (tho' I never sift it!)
3 tsp baking powder (AKA 1 TB)
1/4 tsp salt
1 TBS sugar
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream
2 TBS melted butter
1/2 cup blueberries

Mix the dry ingredients and set aside.  Lightly beat the egg, and then beat in the milk and sour cream.  Pour liquid ingredients over dry ingredients and blend until batter is just smooth.  Stir in the butter.  Fold in the blueberries.

Drop batter on hot griddle and cook until bottoms are brown and all the bubbles on the surface have popped.  Flip and cook until other side is brown.  Serve hot with butter and *** REAL *** maple syrup!  (We always warm our syrup briefly before serving.)

This makes about 10-12 4 inchish pancakes.

****I'm a maple syrup purist.  I can't abide the fake maple-flavored stuff.  True syrup is not thick and gooey.  It's thin (but very sticky) and runs down the side of your pancakes or waffles, pooling in delicious puddles.  The pancake or waffle also soaks it up like a sponge.  I do not order pancakes or waffles at  a restaurant unless there's a real syrup option and I will pay extra for it.  It helps that we live in maple country, so we can buy it directly from a local sugar house.  It goes a lot further than the fake stuff too, so while it IS more expensive, it goes a lot further than a bottle of Mrs. Butterworth or corn syrup based stuff.  Do I sound biased??  I am!

A Recipe!

We belong to a CSA and I look forward every week to all the great produce.  Sometimes it can be a challenge to use all the bounty, especially when you have a picky husband.  I happen to love eggplant in almost any form, but my husband dislikes most of the eggplant recipes I use.  I'm always on the look out for new recipes that he'll eat since eggplant appears frequently in our basket.  I found and  tried this recipe from the  "back to school" Penzey's spice catalog yesterday.  It's a keeper!   I did have to tweak it due to available ingredients, but we really liked it.  Here's the original recipe.

Sandy's Eggplant Patties

1 medium eggplant (about 1.5 lbs), ends removed, peeled and cubed
1 3/4 c round butter crackers (about 48), crushed and divided
1 1/4 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 TB fresh parsley (or 2 tsp parsley flakes)
2 TB sliced green onion
1 garlic clove, minced (or 1/4 tsp Penzey's minced garlic)
1/2 tsp Kosher flake-style salt
1/4 tsp Penzey's freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil.  Add the eggplant and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.  Drain well.  Place in a mixing bowl and mash until smooth.  Stir in one cup of the cracker crumbs, the cheese, egg, parsleyy, green onion, garlic, salt and pepper.  Shape into patties.  Place the remaining cracker crumbs on a rimmed plate.  Coat the eggplant patties in crumbs on both sides.  Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium  heat until hot.  The oil should sizzle when a small amount of batter is dropped into the skillet.  Add the patties, 3-4 at a time, don't crowd the pan.  Shake the pan a bit to keep the patties from sticking.  Carefully turn after about 2-3 minutes, when the bottoms are golden.  Cook the other sides until golden, about 2-3 minutes.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: About 4-6 minutes per batch
Yield: 8-12 patties depending on size.

Nutritional info:  Servings 12; Serving size 1 patty (54 g)  Calories 160, Calories from fat 110, total fat 12 g, cholestoral 20 mg, sodium 200 mg, carbohydrate 9 g, dietary fiber <1 gram, sugars 1 g, protein 3 gr.


Here's how I tweaked it.

My eggplant was skimpy so I added a small zucchini so that I had about 1.5 lbs of veggie.  I steamed the eggplant and zucchini together, and after draining it, I pureed it in my food processor.  I only had 3/4 of a sleeve of Ritz crackers so I made up the rest of the cracker crumbs with some saltines.  I added extra parsley and green onion (I had an overabundance of both these in our basket).  I made the batter early in the day since I knew dinner was going to be rushed, and didn't mix in the cracker crumbs until I was ready to cook.  I found the batter to be VERY loose, so I added some extra crumbs and used some panko to round out the coating crumbs.  These did fall apart fairly easily.  I might try adding a 2nd egg the next time I make this. I'm guessing the amount of veggie and its moisture varies!.   I used a scant  1/4 cup of olive oil as the frying medium.

I should have taken a picture, but as usual thought of it after the fact!  We ended up eating these as the main course with cukes and tomatoes as a side dish.  My husband loved them.

Socks at Last!

I started these socks way back in March and had to stop knitting on them or anything else too many times to count due my RA symptoms.  I finally did some experimenting and discovered I could knit without additional pain if I followed a pattern of about 20 minutes knitting, a 15 minute or so rest, and alternate that over the course of an evening.  So I finally finished these last night.

It's from Interweave 25 Favorite Socks, Merino Lace socks by Ann Woodbury.  I used Zitron Trekking XXL which I bought at Webs quite a while ago in color 083. I love using this yarn for socks, and I like the blend of color.

They fit perfectly, and I really enjoyed the pattern.

Here they are:

Maybe you can see the pattern more clearly here - well you can see the scallops a bit more clearly on either side of the zigzag yarnovers!

A Tough Start

Boy!  After a spell of feeling good and being able to move with minimal pain and stiffness,  I woke up too early this morning in a great deal of pain.  Trying to get down the stairs this morning was a huge undertaking. My shoulders, knees, ankles, and hands really hurt.  I'd actually been feeling pretty good the past week or so, with only minor reminders that my hands are swollen (like not being able to wear my rings).  I guess it's good that my meds have FINALLY arrived.  I use a mail order prescription service through my insurance company and they are usually very prompt about filling prescriptions.  For some reason however, the new med was delayed almost 2 weeks.  After a phone call to the company, I was told that the delay was highly unusual and that they would put a rush on the order.  They did, and I got it overnight.  So today is the day I start taking it.  The dr told me it would be about 2 months before I started to see(feel) positive effects.  I just hope I don't feel too many of the side effects!  Starting a life long med is scary.  But I know I'll be significantly worse off without it!

One of the realizations I've experienced since my RA diagnosis is just how many people have it!  At a 4th of July picnic, I discovered a friend has been dealing with it for 18 years!  And my teaching partner's mom has it, as do several other people in my circle of acquaintances.  And ever since the diagnosis, all I see on TV are ads for RA medications!!  I guess they were there before, but you really don't pay attention when it's not something that concerns you.

On the agenda today are a trip to the library, two banks, and a meeting with the school district's extended day coordinator.  She's new and she's asked several staff members to meet with her this afternoon to  talk about what we like about the program (which was new last school year) and what we see are needs for the program.  It should be an interesting discussion!    Just hope that this morning's stiffness wears off by noon!

Yarn!

A lovely day, both weather-wise and activity-wise.  We've been blessed with a spell of perfect summer weather.  Hot enough to want to go swimming or to cool down somewhere, but not so hot that you feel like you'll melt.  And no humidity which I hate!  The nights have cooled down to the high 50°s and low 60°s which makes for great sleeping.  It's going to get hot (90°s) and the humidity will make a comeback for the weekend but for now, I'll enjoy the weather!

My best friend and I made a trek to Knitting Heaven today, AKA Webs.  It's a tad over 90 minutes from here, and it's an easy drive - about 45 minutes on a winding state route, and then a straight shot down a pretty section of I-91.  We both went with lists for specific projects and wonder of wonders, we stuck to them!  We oohed and ahhed over lots of luscious fiber but exercised strict portion control!

 I bought this  (Plymouth Encore)

for the Kari baby blanket.  This needs to be finished by Thanksgiving.


I bought  this (Valley Yarns Charlemont Kettle Dye in Whipple Blue).  The picture doesn't catch the tones well.

 for Rustling Leaves Beret.  There's actually enough yardage for 2 of the berets with extra left over!  This will be a Christmas gift (I hope!)

And I bought some Berroco Vintage DK


for this pattern, Kingscot. It's  ruby but I don't actually have it. It's being shipped (for free) from their new warehouse since there were only 3 skeins at the home store.  I seem to be on a red kick lately!


I"ve started knitting again despite my painful fingers, and as long as I stop frequently I'm doing okay.  So. . . I am almost done with a pair of socks I feel like I"ve been knitting forever, and I can't wait to get started on some of the new projects!


We had a pleasant lunch at the Northampton Brewery (minus the brews!) and then headed home.  I like days like today!

Banana Bread

It's finally cool and dry enough to have the oven on.  I've needed (wanted?) to make banana bread since the "dead" bananas were overrunning the freezer.  Whenever we have bananas that get too ripe, I throw them in the freezer, skins and all, to use in banana bread and banana cake.  I just put them in a zip lock bag and take out what I need for the recipes.  I peel them while they're still frozen and plop them right into the mixing bowl.

We have a favorite banana bread recipe from my mother.  Once when I was in 4th or5th grade, my mom came home from the grocery store with a 40 lb crate of overripe bananas.  They were on special and she got the whole crate for $.05 a pound.  Of course, then we had to figure out what to do with 40 lbs of bananas!  We peeled most of them and mashed them into measured cups of banana, and then froze the portions.  Mami also found this recipe which makes the moistest and most banana-y bread ever!

Mami’s  40 Lbs of Banana Bread

3 cups sugar

2 cups chopped nuts

4 egg yolks

4 stiffly beaten egg whites

6 mashed bananas

¼ lb melted butter

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp baking soda

8 tbs buttermilk (can use dry powder – reconstitute per to package directions)

¼ tsp salt

3 cups flour

Mix sugar, nuts, egg yolks,  and bananas.  Add the melted butter and vanilla.  Add the baking soda to the buttermilk.  Stir well, and add to banana mixture.  Add the salt and flour, mix well.  Fold in egg whites.  Pour into 2 greased and floured loaf pans.  Bake for one hour at 350° F. Cool. Freezes well.

The breads are heavy!  Sometimes I've added cranberries or even choc chips, but I like it best just as the recipe is written.  I've also been known to throw in a 7th banana if it's a loner!

Barely got the loaves out of the oven before a certain other person started sampling!

The other really tasty banana recipe comes from Fannie Farmer. My notes are in parentheses.

 Banana Cake - from Fannie Farmer Baking Book

1/2 cup vegetable shortening (I used Crisco)

1 ½  cups sugar

3 eggs, separated

1 cup mashed bananas (about 3 medium bananas)

½ cup buttermilk  (I substituted ½ milk mixed with a tbs of vinegar)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Grease and flour 2 9 inch round cake pans. 

Cream the shortening, then slowly add the sugar and beat until the mixture is smooth.  Beat in the egg yolks, then the mashed bananas and the buttermilk, and mix well.  Stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, add to the banana mixture and beat until smooth.  In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until they are stiff but moist.  Plop the beaten whites on top of the batter and begin folding them in.  When the whites are almost incorporated, sprinkle on the nuts if using, and continue folding until blended.

Spread evenly in prepared cake pans and bake for 30- 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.  Let cool in the pans for about 5 minutes, and then turn out onto a rack to cool.  When completely cooled, fill the cake with a filling of your choice.***

Frost with cream cheese frosting.

*** I spread some frosting on the bottom layer and then spread some jam on top. 

They have a recipe for a banana cream filling, but I didn’t think it sounded good. 

Cream-Cheese Frosting  - don't know where this is from.  It's a frosting I learned as a kid!

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese

1/2 stick (4 tbs) butter

approx 2 cups confectionery sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract.

(Options) zest of lemon or 1/2 tsp ground ginger

Cream the cream cheese and butter and gradually add the sugar.  Mix in the vanilla and beat until smooth.  

This cake is popular at pot luck dinners and I usually bring it to gatherings with friends.

Ten Thoughts for Tuesday

In no particular order:

1.  I've had two "good" days in a row.  By "good" I mean, I've been able to move fairly freely with minimal pain, and only minimal stiffness.  When I get a good day, I realize just how bad the other days have been.  There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason as to why some days are better than others.  I guess that's the nature of RA?  I'm still learning about this disease.

2. I've been working on a tough 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle, since manipulating the pieces doesn't hurt as much as my knitting needles do.  I  do love jigsaw puzzles and it's been quite a while since I did one.  My porch is an ideal place due to the great light.

3. I made some terrific potato salad -- even though I didn't do anything differently than I usually do, it came out better than usual. It almost tasted like my mother's!

4.  I read a great young adult novel called Keeping the Castle, by Patrice Kindl.  Think Georgette Heyer mixed with Jane Austen and you'll have a delightful frothy romantic farce.  I looked for some other books by the author at my public library today, but they don't have anything by her.

5.  Speaking of book reviews,  I haven't been posting many here. I've been doing all my book reviews over at Goodreads.com.  You can find me there under dswgr6, or you can click on the books read link on the left.

6.  The weather has been perfect for the past few days --  even when it hit 90° over the weekend, there was always a breeze, and very little humidity.  Yesterday and today were a bit cooler, and still no humidity.  If summer were like this all the time, I'd be a happy camper!

7.  I really miss knitting!  I have so many projects I want to work on, and my almost finished sock sits on the coffee table mocking me.  The dr says go ahead and knit, but I've had the worst time trying to manipulate the needles.  My right hand is most affected, and the thumb and middle fingers are the most affected fingers.  Makes it hard to hold the needles.

8.  I've been sucked into a period of nostalgia.  For the past week or 2 I've been watching old episodes of The Waltons and Little House on the Prairie at night.  I have no idea why these are so appealing, but I'm wallowing in them.  The Waltons holds up much better than Little House as far as story lines.  They were well-written, simple stories that age well.

9.  While I love fireworks when I purposely go to watch a show, I definitely do not like the fireworks that have been shot off almost every evening since Friday around the neighborhood.  They are sometimes Roman candles or ground fountains, and there are lots of firecrackers being shot off.  Aside from the real risk of fire since the woods are dry (and we live in a wooded area), the blasts are really annoying.  And they set the neighborhood dogs barking too.

10.  My mission of decluttering the house isn't terribly successful - at least not yet.  Partly it's because of my lack of energy and movement, but it's also the fact that I just don't have a place to put the things that I want to keep!  I seem to move things from point A to point B and never make any headway.  I think I'd love to have one of the TV organizers on hand.  I did discard 2 large black trash bags filled with junk, and I did give away several books.  I also have a box of books that I will donate to the church flea market, but that's not till August.  I want the stuff out of my house now!  Anybody have any ideas for what to do with books that are too good to throw out, but aren't really ones most people want?

A Lovely Long Weekend and Some This and That

We left Thursday morning heading towards Pittsford, NY to attend my nephew's high school graduation.  We decided to make it a mini-vacation.  We found ourselves heading to Corning, NY to visit the Museum of Glass. I'd been there over 40 years ago, and I didn't recognize anything!  We drove through some lovely NY state scenery down I-88 which I'd never traveled before and arrived at the museum about 4 pm.  It's open until 8 pm during the summer so we had plenty of time to visit the exhibits and attend a hot glass show.  After the museum we found a great restaurant downtown (Sorge's) where we enjoyed some terrific pasta.  We spent the night at a chain hotel in Corning, and then headed northerly along Seneca Lake.  We had hoped to stop at some wineries, but we were on the road too early.  None of the wineries opened until 10 or 11 am and we were on the road at 8:30.  The lake is beautiful, and the drive up Rt 14 was leisurely.  We got our bearings in Geneva ( a lovely college town) and then headed westerly towards Canandaigua.  After a short drive along the eastern side of the lake, we headed to my sister's town of Pittsford.  We played tourist (since that's what we were!) and took a 90 minute cruise on the Erie Canal on the Sam Patch.  It was a gorgeous afternoon and the canal scenery is really pretty.  Once back on land, we called my sister and headed to her house for family festivities.  The graduation was held in the RIT fieldhouse.  Despite the ceremony being 2 hours long (240 graduates), it never got boring.  The student speeches were excellent.  I was amazed by the poise of the young men and women speaking to an audience of close to 1000.  My sister and her husband hosted a great party for friends, family, and neighbors, and the weather couldn't have been more perfect.
Sunday saw us heading home, and after 8 hours on the road, we arrived back safe and sound. I have to give my husband a lot of credit. He did ALL the driving.  We usually take turns  - 2 hrs on, 2 hrs off, but my hands were so painful, I found it hard to grip the wheel.  We just took it slow, and stopped more frequently than normal.

Monday was laundry, catching up on mail and chores, and grocery shopping.  Today was a bit more of the same, except that I also worked on my ordering for my classroom  and had to head over to school for a bit to take care of some staff development things.  I'm co-chair of the district's staff development committee, and we're in charge of making sure all teachers have completed their requirements for recertification by June 30.  A couple of procrastinators had failed to get their completed paperwork in by the end of school, but had dropped it off on Monday.  I had to go in and check it all and add the "stamp of approval" to their documents.  It didn't take long, but it sometimes bugs me that some people leave it so long!

I managed to knit 6 rows on my socks this afternoon.  The dr said that I could knit as much as my hand could stand, so I'm taking it easy.  I have so many projects I want to knit -- some Christmas presents, a baby gift, and some sweaters.  I'm not sure whether I will succeed.

For the rest of the week:  pick up new glasses tomorrow, bring the business bookkeeping up to date, dentist, visit to the rheumatologist, water aerobics, finish my classroom ordering, and a celebration dinner at a favorite restaurant with a dear friend and his wife.  He's retiring after 36 years as a teacher and principal.  He will be missed by parents, kids, and the community!

Hot + Humid = Unhappy Person

The hot humid weather snuck up on me and I don't like it!  We've had a lovely long spring and for the past week it's been in the 50's at night, and the mid-70's during the day.  And very low humidity. When I woke up yesterday, it was already 67 at 6 am, and very humid.  I had a long morning at the doctor's and when I emerged from the medical center at 11:30 it was almost 90.  Today is day 2 of "Severe Heat Advisory".  The saving grace is that we are heading out on the road to my nephew's high school graduation.  So, while the prospect of a long road trip isn't that appealing, the day spent in the a.c. of the vehicle will make up for it!  And an air-conditioned hotel room will be nice.  Our house has no a.c. so when it gets sultry, it's really hard to sleep!  And of course, I am grateful that school is out.

Getting Some Answers

First of all, school is out!  We've never been out before June 15th since I've been teaching, so June 14 was a  huge blessing.  I did go in on Friday to attend a "Get Acquainted with Your iPad" workshop.  The district bought all the middle school teachers an iPad to use next year so I spent 3.5 hrs playing with it, with expert help available.  I had a terrific year, but it is so wonderful to be out for 9.5 weeks!

I've been having a lot of trouble with my hands (and other parts of my body) and I've been seeing the orthopedics dept as well as occupational therapy to deal with pain and swelling of my fingers.  After some blood work, it was determined that I needed to go see a rheumatologist, and wonders of wonders, I managed to snag a cancellation appt this morning.  Otherwise I would have to wait until September!
I apparently have inflammatory arthritis, probably rheumatoid arthritis, although the tests haven't been definitive.  At the moment it's being called "atypical" RA.  I got sent to the vampires again, and this time they drew 8 vials of blood.  I was also sent for a chest Xray - as a base line, since RA can attack heart and lungs too.  Joy! (not!!)  I really liked the doctor.  He spent over an hour with me, interviewing me as far as symptoms, and lifestyle,  and he of course did a neuro assessment.  I liked the way he made me feel comfortable, and took his time to get to know me.  So, while I'm still waiting for test results, at least I've got a preliminary diagnoses that explains a lot.  Now to learn how to control it.

It's Almost Over!

Three and a half more days to go.  We are getting out earlier than we've gotten out in years.  This was due to only 2 weather days this year.  Usually we have 6-7.  It's been a great year for me.  I finally (after 4 years) got back to teaching 6th grade social studies and language arts.  Although language arts was a challenge this year because I had to give up my reading/writing workshop format to teach a prescribed curriculum, it was such a pleasure to teach 6th graders again.  And after 4 long years I got to teach 6th grade social studies -- ancient civilizations-- which is my passion!  What a difference it makes all around!!  The icing on the cake this year was the great group of kids we had.  They were genuinely caring, kind, and funny.  Yes, they were very young 6th graders (several who still believed in Santa), and they were terrible listeners, but I am having a difficult time saying good bye to them.  And I love that!  If I could have several more years of classes like this one, I could see myself teaching till past 60!

Yesterday two incredible things happened on a walking field trip to a local ice cream stand.  As I placed the order for ice cream for my teaching partner and me (myself?), a gentleman at the next window asked if I was a teacher.  I said yes.  He then insisted I put my money away, and he paid for our orders telling us that we aren't appreciated enough!  Later, as we were getting ready to leave the picnic area, I went back to the order window to get some ice cream for the principal back at school.  A woman commented on how polite, caring, and well-behaved are students were and she wondered what church group we were with.  When I told her we were from the local public school, she was flabbergasted and she told me that she had no idea public schools taught kids how to behave well.   (A sad commentary on public perceptions!)  I thanked her and told her that our school values are respect, responsibility, and integrity, so we try very hard to instill those values in our kids.

So, with only 3 1/2 more days to go, I'm glad to say it's been a terrific year, for a change!

Frustrated and Annoyed

My hands hurt.  The more medical advice I get, the more they hurt.  It started with my left middle finger.  It swelled to twice its size and became very painful to bend and use.  I went to my dr who ordered an Xray which showed that my left hand is missing cartilage between just about all the first knuckles of my fingers . . .but that's not where the pain was located, nor did that joint seem to be the source.  She sent me to the orthopedics dr who diagnosed tendonitis and treated me with an 8 day course of predisone.  That reduced the swelling a bit, and the pain lessened.  About a week after I finished the prednisone, the finger started swelling again, and it became even more painful.   At the same time, several fingers on my right hand started acting up and the right hand side of my wrist (under the little finger) got quite painful. A second visit to the orthopedist resulted in blood tests that show that I may have some sort of inflammatory disease, but the tests weren't precise enough to indicate which of several.  I have to now go see a rheumatologist  once they can find an appointment for.  I've also been referred to occupational therapy.  They've recommended some finger and hand exercises plus contrast baths (hot and cold) several times a day.  I'm also to  relieve pain and swelling with Aleve and Tylenol per dr's orders.

All which goes to say that while I've been given the OK to knit, I can't!  It hurts too much, and I can't grasp the needles well.  I also am having difficulty opening jars, cutting fruit and veggies for meals, opening doors, and even shifting my car into drive and reverse.

Today I'm frustrated because I had a hard time repotting some plants, and so I decided to enjoy the beautiful weather on my screen porch and work on a jigsaw puzzle since I can't knit.  But can I find my puzzle board anywhere????  We had a new heating system put in this past fall, and things got moved. I've always kept my puzzle board (a large felted board that folds up, holding puzzles in progress) behind a large desk in the family room.  The desk and therefore the board was moved during the renovation. Can I find it anywhere??? Nope.  I didn't move the furniture - it was done by the heating people.  Everything else was left in the middle of the rooms they were working in.  Not the board!

Oh well. I just might have to buy a Kindle book since I'm just about finished with the one I'm reading.

Time Flies!

Where did the month go???  It has literally flown by.  It's been busy of course.  When is it not?
So . . . without further ado:

1.  3 pretty intense weeks of school.  Third quarter ended, report cards, and end of year planning begins.  April vacation seemed so far away, and now it's over.  Last day before vacation was crazy with a schoolwide community service day.  All 3 grades (approx 400 students) spent the last 2 hours of the day out and about our town, cleaning up litter, sweeping asphalt playground and sidewalks, raking, weeding, etc.  Thank goodness it was a nice day or that could have been a disaster.

2.  I've been dealing with some hand issues.  I have apparently overused my left middle finger (no, I don't engage in rude gestures!) and after a couple of dr visits, and an x-ray, it appears that not only do I have arthritic joint in my fingers, but I've got an angry tendon.  My middle finger has spent most of the month swollen up to 3 times it's normal size, and it's been very painful.  After a short course of predisone and taping, it's much less swollen, and while there's pain, it's not constant.  I have been banned from knitting for a few weeks too, which is almost as agony-inducing as the finger pain!  I've got arthritis in both hands too, so both are benefiting from rest.

3.  We enjoyed a wonderful vacation in California this past week.  We first went to Los Angeles to visit our son and his girlfriend.  Although the weather was cloudy and downright cold for California (50°'s and 60°s) we managed to have fun.  We went one afternoon to the Kodak Theater to see Cirque de Soleil's Iris.  We had fantastic seats --- 3rd row, center stage--- and the show was wonderful.  We ate well too --- I heartily recommend Rock Sugar at the Westfield Mall which is just around the corner from our son's apartment, Cafe Chez Marie  on Santa Monica, right next to my son's office at CESD, and  The Bazaar.  This last place is where our son's significant other works.  It's very trendy, very high end, and not a place we would ever dream of going on our own.  We received VIP treatment in their bar -- and enjoyed some incredible tapas and adult beverages!  One rainy-ish day we visited the Walt Disney Concert Hall.  What an amazing building.  I wanted to go because in my ELA class we read an article about the architect, Frank Gehry.  I'm always looking for ways to enhance curriculum, so I took lots of pictures of the stainless steel building.

Next we traveled to Catalina for a few days.  We stayed at a lovely boutique hotel The Avalon.  It's the yellow building.  This was very comfortable, and very inviting. Because it was off-season, we were able to get a special deal which included the round trip ferry ride, a sumptuous continental breakfast, and the taxi service to and from the ferry landing.

The first day there was still cloudy and showery, but it eventually cleared away and we enjoyed the island very much.   This is a view from our room balcony on one cloudy morning.

This island is not cheap ---after all everything has to come by water.  Few cars are allowed on the island, but golf carts serve as primary means of transportation.  The unexpected thing was how few of the carts are electric, so there was more noise than I expected.    We took an inland tour which was fun, and we rented a golf cart one morning where I got some great shots of the harbor.

It was very relaxing . . . .we'd walk, sit and watch people fish off the pier, pelican watch, walk some more, etc.   It was tough to return home!

4.  And now it's Sunday afternoon, and tomorrow it's back to school. . . . I need a vacation from vacation!

Put a Sock ON It

I finished a second pair of socks last night.  It was a simple pattern  from Charlene Schurch, the Garter Rib.  I used some Online Supersocke in a variegated green.  Details can be found here.  This was a quick knit - only a couple of weeks, interrupted by Destination Imagination Regionals, some super busy weeks at school, and some difficulty with hand and finger joints.   While I try to knit a bit every night, some nights I am too tired to even pick up the needles!  So here they are.  My photos aren't that great --- it's really hard to take pictures of your feet!!

Phew!

You'd think that everyone would have returned to school this week relaxed and ready to go.  Not so.  I crawled into bed every night this past week by 8:15 and twice fell asleep at the Kindle.  It was a tough week.  The kids were jazzed all week, and it started right from the get-go.  We have 10 minutes of homeroom in the am before classes, and usually, there's some chatter, but they settle down once the announcements start.  Not this week.  Each day it's been taking longer and longer to get them settled down.  It must be a combination of springlike weather, and full moon.  Today about half the class talked through the announcements, so after they ended I started reminding me of the behavior expectations.  As I'm talking to them, one boy continued to chat.  I stopped, and reminded him that he shouldn't be talking while I was.
He argued back, "I'm not talking  when you're talking.  I'm talking in the gaps."  I stood there for a second, dumbfounded.
 "Excuse me?" I responded.
"I"m talking in between your words, so I'm not talking when you are."
"I'll see you at lunch.  We'll review attentive listening then."
"I'm not coming up."

He didn't come up either for lunch detention, so he wound up with a double write-up.  Later I found out that at lunch he punched another student, and had spent the lunch time with the principal, so he was "off the hook" for the detention cut.  He will have to serve it on Monday however.

Another young lady, C, is in our behavior program, and today was being shadowed by the behavior specialist. During one of my classes, C thought it would be funny to steal the specialist's glasses, and she wouldn't give them back.  Then she picked up the glasses and ran out of the room.  She wound up eventually at the time out bench near the office, where she started texting on her cell phone.  The teacher asked her to give her the cell phone ("off and out of sight" is the school rule), and C refused.   C started shouting at the teacher, so the principal came out to see what was going on.  He asked C for the phone, and she refused to give it to him.  Apparently he then got in her face and said, "I'm asking you one more time to give me your phone."  She threw it at him.

I'm also managing a Destination Imagination team again this year after a hiatus of 5 years. We've met 3 days this week, and it's been like herding cats to get them to all sit still long enough to talk to them.  Competition is in a week, and we have no props, no scenery, and they haven't figured out 3 major scoring items.   I've never had such an unfocused team before, and they do not work together as a team.  I'm just hoping that they can pull enough together in the time we have left so that they CAN compete.  I can't let them look like fools . . . .And if one more of them says "I can bring this in," and then doesn't . . . . . .  ARGH!

So I'm looking forward to a relatively relaxing weekend.  I have to do the monthly billing tomorrow, but then we're going to the movies with friends. (To see John Carter, because our friends' son was the assistant film editor).  We'll go out to dinner too.    Sunday I have nothing planned.  I may even (gasp!) skip church to sleep in!

Some Knitting

I finished these 2 projects over last week's vacation.

First is this baby sweater and hat from an old Creative Knitting magazine. The pattern is called "Adorable Baby Cables" from the Nov. 2008 edition.   While I love the color, I wasn't as pleased with the results as I wanted to be.  The hems keep curling despite some crocheted edging.  The hat especially curls in a peculiar manner.  I used Plymouth Encore which is my go-to yarn for baby gifts.  Of course, it wasn't until I'd finished the hat that I discovered (accidentally, while researching something else) that there had been a correction posted for the hat pattern.  I may re-knit it.

The 2nd finished project was this pair of socks.  These are Ann Budd's Undulating Rib socks from Favorite Socks.  The pattern doesn't show up well because of the yarn colors, but they fit really well.  I will use this pattern again with a solid color yarn or a more muted pallet.    The yarn was On-Line Supersocke Sierra 100.  I bought this yarn and the Encore from my favorite yarn supplier WEBS.

More Vacation

Tuesday was more of the same  - Words with Friends,  household chores, a little DVR watching.  Wednesday was busier.  My husband and I had some "quality time" --- going grocery shopping together.  I really dislike grocery shopping and most of the time he does it, but occasionally he asks me to go with him.  The only saving grace is that when I go, I do find different products to try.  He sticks to the list we make at home and rarely deviates, so when I am getting bored with my cooking, I make a grocery store trip to get re-inspired.  I have to admit that nothing inspired me during this last trip, other than I bought some different varieties of canned soup.
Then in the afternoon, he drove me to the eye dr's for my annual appointment.  Since my eyes were scheduled for dilation, I decided a chauffeur would be in order.  The doctor's office is conveniently located at our hospital which also is the home of our "Wellness Center."  While I had my eyes examined, my husband took advantage of the therapy pool to stretch some of his arthritic joints.  The good news from the eye doctor is that my vision hasn't changed and I don't need a new prescription.  The bad news is that she is concerned about a couple areas in my retinas - they have tiny holes-  and she wants me to see a retina specialist.  She told me that "it's probably nothing to worry about" and that it's probably a hereditary issue.  So I'm scheduled to see the specialist at the end of March.  I have to take a whole day off from school to accomplish that, but that's okay.  I ended up the day by heading out into the beginning of a big snowstorm to attend a Chamber of Commerce awards dinner.  My church won the "Non-profit Organization of the Year" award and we were being honored. As the church's moderator it behooved me to attend.  About a dozen members of the church attended and the pastor and I had to go up on stage in front of about 150 people to accept the award.  The tricky part of it was that I had assumed the pastor would make the acceptance speech.  Nope!  That honor fell to me, only nobody told me ahead of time!  Luckily my teaching career has taught me to think on my feet, and I managed to make a  few acceptance remarks.  (Back at my table, one of my companions told me that I definitely improved on the Oscar acceptance speeches!)  No matter, we got a nice plaque, some really good PR, and we had a great meal.  We've also been asked to host the local high school baccalaureate this year, so that's all good!  I got home about 9:30 after a tense, steering wheel clenching ride home -- the snow was coming down heavy, and the roads were slippery.  And thus ended day 5 of vacation.

Vacation Days 2 and 3

Sunday was a quiet relaxing day.  I finished a book, and I played a lot of Words with Friends. I enjoyed an episode of Midsomer Murders (Death in a Chocolate Box), and made a favorite dinner - my version of arroz con pollo.  I sauted chicken thighs in olive oil with thyme, bay leaf, and lots of garlic in my electric skillet.  Then I add long grain rice, chicken broth and real saffron.  I let that simmer a bit, and add a jar of pimentos, a can of mushrooms (or fresh), some frozen shrimp, and frozen peas at the last.  I'd add some minced clams too, but my husband dislikes them.  This is a dish my mom made a lot.  We splurge on buying saffron from Penzeys.com.  It's incredibly expensive but a little goes a long way and there is no substitute.  We make choices --- saffron instead of other treats.  I ended the day with an all-out Oscar marathon and I finished a baby sweater for a friend. I'll try to get pics up later.

Today was a WORK day. I started at 8:30 this morning on the taxes and bookkeeping.  It's 5 pm and while I still have to file all the stuff I pulled out, I've compiled almost all the tax info we will need for the accountant, brought our business books up to date, balanced the January bank statements, and solved at least 3 puzzling bookkeeping problems.  I also figured out a more efficient way to organize all the receipts my husband collects for business cash purchases.  He'd been randomly throwing his cash receipts and credit card receipts into a plastic shoe box, plus he'd also throw in receipts from purchases he'd made with checks.  It takes me forever to sort out all the receipts and match them to credit card bill or check.  I think I've solved the problem without forcing him  to change his ways too much.  I really resent having to spend my vacation working my "other" job, but that's the way it is.  At least tonight I can look forward to staying up late to watch CASTLE during live air time instead of having to record it and watch it another day.

Tomorrow I have to get some house organizing accomplished - like finally getting the rest of the Christmas decorations put away in an ORGANIZED fashion, and maybe tackling a closet or two.  I also have to run a few errands and make a few phone calls.  I did not expect to spend a full day on the bookkeeping, I must admit.

Vacation Day 1

It was a long and busy day, but definitely a pleasant one!
As is usual, I was up early on a day I could sleep late.  We headed southeast down to N.Attleboro, MA to meet up with our 2 sons.  Elder Son lives there, and Younger Son had flown in Friday night from LA on some unexpected business.  Elder Son had picked him up at the airport, and hosted him, so we went down and took them out to lunch at a terrific Indian restaurant in Providence.  We usually get the buffet when we go there, but this time we ordered from the menu.  I'm glad I did.  I had the most delicious mango curry with chicken.  It had just enough heat to warm up the tongue without overpowering the flavors of the mango and cashews and all the other tasty spices.  After lunch we visited for a while and then we had to head back . . .. because we had haddinner plans and theater tickets with some good friends of ours.  We met up with them at the restaurant where everyone chose wisely, and then we headed to Gardner, MA to the Theater at the Mount, at Mt. Wachusetts Community College.  It's an amateur theater but their productions rival the best summer stock I've ever seen.  Last night's offering was an oldie, but goody, "Fiddler on the Roof."  Another good performance, although Tevye was played a little too much for laughs.  We have season tickets so we get 5 plays a year, most of them musicals.  By the time we got back to our little corner of NH, it was after 11 pm.  So, as I said, it was a LONG, busy, and pleasant day!