Friday, September 30, 2016

Food Is A Funny Thing...

I am learning that the Food Channel and the Cooking Channel...both ones I am totally addicted to...are not fair to Den.

Recently I watched the Pioneer Woman make these Smothered Pork Chops. It is an easy recipe that Den can easily pull together. She makes smashed potatoes in the microwave to go with them...also easy. We have everything we need to make them but I am not hungry for them any more. I can't imagine eating them. What was I thinking? Den is still hungry for them...sigh. Instead of these Smothered Pork Chops I devoured a lettuce sandwich. My taste for food is slightly skewed lately.

So...yesterday I needed pickles! Really good dill spears from Whole Foods and sweet tiny baby gherkins from Vlasic. I also needed Pumpkin Bread or a Pumpkin Muffin with a streusel topping. I want barbecued wings, too, that are slightly spicy...that I can dip in blue cheese dressing. English Breakfast Tea with cream and sugar has replaced coffee in the mornings. I am also hungry for plain pasta sauce and linguini...twirly pasta! I can't stop drinking milk...and I am off of yogurt this week. And...kind of craving jello and real whipped cream. My poor sweet Den just has to come along on my food craving extravaganza...thank God he loves lettuce sandwiches, too! Oh...I don't drink sodas but I would kill for a coke...a real one! And ginger ale...I crave that, too.
I am almost finished with this book...it was wonderful...
I love reading at a slower pace...no self imposed deadlines...no race to finish...last night I read when I woke up in the middle of the night and after a few chapters I fell back into a sound sleep. I even think I know what I want to read next. I love Overdrive and my subscription to all Delaware libraries. If they don't have a book because it's too new...you can still put a hold on it and they will get it as soon as they can.
Den and Patty and Roxie and Lucy are taking the rest of this Friday off...Den just had a nap...Roxie and I just finished watching Project Runway...and now we are watching Bull...a new show this season that we love.
Hugs,
Patty
 
 
 
 
 

 

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Life...

So...I finished all of the fluffy cozy mystery books that I wanted to finish. Whew! They were fun but I can't read more than one or two of them at a time.

I am reading this by an author that I really enjoyed years ago...sort of stopped enjoying for a while...but this book has me intrigued again.

All of our furniture is here...including my new bedroom chair...which reclines slightly and which is extremely comfortable.
Our reworking of existing pieces was fun. The family room sofa is now in the living room.
The red chair from the family room is in an upstairs bedroom.
The overstuffed chair and ottoman from the family room...now in Den's study...his new reading chair.
Stored in the basement are the small more formal living room sofa, my antique school desk, a rocker, and a wicker chair and ottoman. Whew!
In our bedroom...the kitties have reclaimed my overstuffed pink ticking chair and ottoman as well as a wicker side table for their water dish. So far they are not very accepting of this new arrangement...they continue to hop on the new chair and over to my nightstand where their water used to be...I know...it's ridiculous but these two are demanding and we have to live with them. We try to keep their stuff confined to our room as opposed to scattered all over the house. Their beds used to be on a white wicker chaise which is now back in the sunroom and they know something is different. You would think they would be oblivious to these changes but they also seem to think we need their approval. They have been hopping in and out of beds...trying to determine what is different. They have also refused to drink from their new water placement. Roxie actually drank out of my water glass yesterday.
This morning! Finally! Roxie is deep into the blanket on the green bed. And I saw both of them drink water.
My new chair...or should I say our new chair? Both Lucy and Roxie have spent most of yesterday hopping on and off of the chair. Roxie actually crawled up and into the new chair which totally freaked us out and gave me yet one more cause for worry.
 
 
As I reread this post I sort of smiled thinking that this sounds like the old Patty...but then I remember that I am not the "old" Patty. I wake up every morning wondering how my body will feel. I have this kind of squeezing feeling of tightness around my chest every day. Some days it's easy to ignore...other days it isn't. Moving helps. Tylenol helps. Sometimes crying helps. It's supposed to mean healing but to me it means hurting.
We still can't plan dinners properly...I mean we still eat what we would normally eat ( sort of ) but by the time we think about dinner...we are both too exhausted to do anything about it. Every Monday we discuss easy dinners with little prep...Den wants me to just tell him what to do but again...it just doesn't seem worth it to start cooking something. He does so much that cooking at the end of the day seems wrong. So...we rely on healthy takeout. Soups from local restaurants, sandwiches that are organic and local, the kindnesses of neighbors and friends. Yogurts, cottage cheese, jello and pudding cups...milk...peanut butter, eggs...these are the things we stock up on...yesterday I remembered string cheese and craved that. I am just not that hungry.
And of course every day stuff needs to be done...Den gives me small tasks...folding laundry, dusting...but I sneak in other things if I can. I am sleeping a little better and longer at night as I do more walking but I reach a point of exhaustion every day...actually two points...I wake up tired and I am really tired by late afternoon. My PT...Joanna...tells me I should nap for an hour every day. I try. Right now it's early morning and I just want to close my eyes...
So...that's old/new Patty's life lately!
Take care...
Hugs...
Me

 

 

Monday, September 26, 2016

Who Knew?

Sunday afternoon...

I think I really do have my desire to read back again. Of all the starts and stops I have had I ended up getting quietly engrossed in some cozy mysteries that involve foods, recipes, Hannah the bake shop owner, two dudes she could be romantically involved with and a very spoiled kitty. And after staring at these books for a while...I realized that they were the basis for the Hallmark Channel mysteries...too funny.

Joanna Fluke...wherever you are...thank you! I may work my way through all of her books and TV movies. I think it's a combination of the bright colors and the recipes that drew me in. Either way...I don't care...I am reading...genres that are more my style should come soon!

 

Last night or early Monday morning...

It's 3:07 AM and I just now woke up...I tried falling back to sleep but I couldn't but this is a long stretch of sleep for me! I will read for a bit and I bet I will fall asleep soon! Den and Lucy are sound asleep! Roxie and I are the ones who are up in the night...Roxie is quietly exploring...she just tucked herself next to Den...I should do that, too! This was during Sunday's Bronco game...we are both so excited! Go Broncos!

Have a great Monday!