WARNING: A FOODIE EXPERIMENT POST

 Now and then I like to talk about the food I am trying or going to try.  The reason for this one is I am experimenting with low carb but delicious meals....a complete meal.  Not easy!!!  You would maybe think we diabetics can just chow down on vegetables and meat.  How exciting does that sound?  So now and then when I have a brilliant idea...even if it turns out to be a junker in the end I will be posting about it.

I decided to buy a massive heavy giant bone in ham.  After the initial dinner I cut the meat off and then make pea soup with that bone.  I will still maybe make pea soup for Monte and Ange.  I won't be eating it.  Too many carbs.  But I can snack on the leftover meat.

I looked up keto glazes and lo and behold I have all that I need according to the recipes I found.  Every one of them was the same.  Low carb brown sugar, dijaun mustard, vinegar.  Thats the base.  Add spices and what you like.  You boil it and in pictures it thickens.  We'll see.

Fifteen minutes a pound for the ham.  My ham is about eight pounds so two hours.  There will be yummy pan juices...especially with the glaze mixing in with the meat juices.  So...how to utilize that....

Well I happen to have two, not one but two purple cabbages.  I have got to that stage of life where I forget tiny details like I bought a cabbage already.  And they I bought purple ones because they are only four bucks to green cabbage's eight!  Ridiculous.  And don't forget, as I have mentioned before, cabbage is PIG FOOD.  That is what we fed our pigs when we were kids!  We rarely ate it ourselves.  Now it has become an elite expensive side dish.  And I know why. 

I totally blame it on the popularity of pulled pork.  Pulled pork, which I hate, has caused two sad things.  Firstly pork shoulder.  Pork shoulder roasts or steaks were welfare people's go to meat.  I was on welfare for years once upon a time and we ate a lot of it with shake and bake.  Then along came pulled pork and shoulder, or butt as it is also called for some unknown reason, was the only choice of pork that works.  And you guessed it...because that cheap ass cut of pork gained a desirable identity....stores put the prices up.  Way up...for junk meat.  (shovel list). And what mandatorily goes with pulled pork?  Why that would be coleslaw.  All of a sudden pig food also gained an identity.  And...up goes the price of cabbage..the lowest of low vegetable.  Enough said!

But cabbage's one redeeming factor other than it is delicious, it is low carb.  So due to two taking space in my fridge (actually the top of my outdoor freezer, it's cold enough now) and us all trying to low carb to some level or another it will be cabbage with the ham.

I am going to cut them in half and roast them in another pan at the same time as the ham.  But when the ham is finished I will remove it to a cutting board, ready for my kitchen chainsaw, and I shall transfer the cabbage wedges to the drippings pan, use a little glaze on the cabbage and finish roasting it.

And...this is the exciting  part.  I am going to make us each keto mug cheese muffins.  I might not use mugs and make a triple recipe and make them in the oven in my silicone muffin pan.  Haven't decided yet.

So sliced ham with glaze, roasted pan juices cabbage and cheesy keto muffins.    They only have 3 carbs per muffin.  Cabbage has five carbs per cup of cabbage and ham has zero.

My hopes are high.  But recently I saw continuous comments and pics for 'chaffles' on low carb sites.  Cheese waffles that use almond flour, cheese and eggs.  One day I made them and hated them.  I really don't like almond flour so I am not holding out too much hope about the muffins.  We'll see.

Anyway I am going to take pics as I go and I shall try to attach them to this post in a sensible order.  But it IS blogspot.  No control.

Speaking of control that is what prompted me to once a week try to come up with low carb ideas.  So instead of sitting here moaning about it and scrambling around in my brain for a medium carb eating plan, I am going to actively make up a proper low carb dinner once a week that generates left overs!

So as usual I almost forgot to take pics.  I get so involved in the process I forget that part.  But I got a couple so here goes.  I will attribute a number between 1 and 10 on each of the four things involved with this dinner under the picture.  By the way...the glaze worked beautifully and it didn't spike our blood sugar.  TFL & TTYL

AS USUAL ALL OUT OF ORDER.  THIS GROSS MESS IS THE PIG FOOD...PURPLE CABBAGE.  IT WAS AWFUL.  0 OUT OF TEN.  IT WAS LIKE SHOE LEATHER AND WE WOULD NEED MUCH NEWER SHARPER FALSE TEETH TO EAT IT.  BAD!!!

THE GLAZED HAM.  I WOULD GIVE THIS ONE 8.  FOR MY TASTE IT WAS WAAAAY TOO SMOKED.  THE SMELL PERMEATED THE HOUSE TO THE POINT THAT BY TWO IN THE MORNING I HAD TO TAKE AN INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH GRAVOL....IT SUPER MADE ME SICK.

THESE WERE SUCCESSFUL.  I MYSELF WOULD GIVE THEM A 6.  ANGE LOVED THEM, SHE EVEN WANTS THE RECIPE.  I FOUND THEM TO GRAINY OR SOMETHING.

IGNORE..STUPID BLOGSPOT

THE GLAZE IS THE ONLY ONE THAT GOT A TEN.  IT WAS DELICIOUS AND THICK AND GOOEY.

THE FINAL BEAST.  ALL GLAZED AND ROASTED.  IF YOU LOOK CAREFULLY YOU CAN SEE WHERE I SNUCK A TASTE.  THAT WAS WHEN I REMEMBERED TO TAKE PICS!!!

I HATE LOW CARBING

 Seriously!!!  Low carbing and being diabetic sucks the fun right out of life.  It's expensive, it's meat forward...not my favourite and it's boring as hell.  I am an all or nothing person and I can't find a happy medium.  I am either stuffing my gob with very inappropriate food (muffins, potatoes, rice, sloppy casseroles, muffins etc...) or I am measuring crumbles of carrot, four peas, ten pieces of rice etc (shovel list).  How does one find a happy doable medium?

  And people that tell ya that one bite is enough are full of crap.  You know I was looking at a raggedy hunched over homeless soul who had been going through the dumpster behind the store.  He started eating a baguette end...and I totally envied him.  Seriously!!!  I envied him, this poor downtrodden, raggedy fellow. I felt like crying...and not for him...for me!!!!  I was freaking jealous of him and his freakin piece of dirty mouldy bread.

  The upside?  I have lost almost eight pounds and my blood sugar is bang on!!!!  I just have to get jiggy with this way of eating.  No choice.

Small towns are funny.  People are way too involved in every decision the mayor and councillors make.  Every little traffic change thats made causes a shit storm on our local fb page.  Every little improvement done gets endless ridiculous criticism.  In big cities, we the public generally have no clue what's going on in city hall.

Well here it's the public indoor pool.  A place I want to partake of.  I think swimming is about the only exercise I can do now with my issues.  And I love swimming (as long as I don't get my hair wet).

That being said the second year I was here they closed the pool for renovations.  Well holy bejeepers you'd think the powers that be had decided to paint all the streets pink for berjillians of dollars.  The hue and cry (lol..I checked with AI if it was hue or hew) was crazy, mostly against.  The bros in this town are bullies and buffoons and the pool is predominantly used by women and women with kids.  Bros don't give a rat's ass what we want.  So the pool sits idle waiting for a miracle.  Have you ever heard of a town without a pool?  Sigh.

Okay this has turned into one big whine.  My apologies.  I think I spend way too much time by myself listening to my tinnitus.  Right now it's screaming in my ears. I am trying to figure out what key it's in.  I can hum it.  Maybe I will go to the piano and find out.  And maybe I won't.  Maybe I will be smart and just say good bye.  I promise I won't post again til I smarten up.  TFL & TTYL

                  A BLAST TO THE PAST

IN OUR KITCHEN IN OUR LOG HOUSE WE BUILT IN BAMFIELD.  THAT IS MOLLY IN THE PLAYPEN.  WE COULDN'T TAKE A CHANCE OF HER GETTING OUTSIDE....EAGLES HAVE ACTUALLY EATEN LITTLE DOGS UP THERE.

WHEN WE REBUILT THE HOUSE AFTER THE FIRE, WE GOT OUR MOOSE BACK.  THE RESTORATION PEOPLE FIXED HIS BURNT NOSE. HE CAME WITH THE HOUSE.  AND FOR THE LIFE OF ME I CAN'T REMEMBER HIS NAME.

I DO BELIEVE THIS IS THE STRANGEST PIC I HAVE IN ALL MY THOUSANDS OF PICS.  SOME OF YOU HAVE PROBABLY SEEN IT BEFORE.  WHILE WE WERE BUILDING THE LOG HOUSE IN BAMFIELD, WE LIVED IN THIS DECREPIT BROKEN DOWN HOLES IN THE FLOOR TRAILER.  IT WAS THE HAPPIEST PLACE I HAVE EVER LIVED.  VERY LOW MAINTENANCE.  ARYN IN THE PINK/RED JACKET IS CARRYING AN UPSIDE DOWN MONTE.  I AM NOT SURE WHAT APRIL IS DOING.  POOR JENIFER IS TRYING TO WATCH THE 13' TV WAY OVER ACROSS THE ROOM.  THE TRAILER CAME WITH A CRAZY MURAL ON THE WALL.

NOTHING NEW

 Jeez!!!  I lead the most boring life.  The most exciting thing I did since talking to you guys is...let's see.....NOTHING.  We were going to be going to Nanaimo today but the place Monte needs to go to is actually in Parksville and closed Mondays.  So we will go tomorrow to Parksville and then for something different we head to Courtenay/Comox to the Costco there.  It isn't much farther distance than Nanaimo, just the opposite direction.

Stores in the smaller, and sometimes bigger, towns on the this here island close for three days a week.  Sunday Monday and Tuesday.  Go figure.  It is so annoying!!!  And I know they say unemployment numbers are super high but so many places are closing or closing part time because of employee shortages.  How does that work? 

 Our I.C.U. just closed indefinitely at the hospital.  So we are in a town with all the old doctors  retiring and the one clinic with the one overworked doctor is only open intermittently.  If you have 3-4 hours to go and try to get one of the fifteen  chairs in the hallway and hopefully he doesn't get called to the hospital and the clinic closes...after you have sat there forever...you may get to see a doctor.  Most of us do telephone doctors but they can be a real pain in the butt.  They don't seem to understand that it's either you renew my prescriptions  or I just go without.  The pharmacists can only give extras now and then.

  And god help you if you are travelling.  It's almost impossible to get enough pills to cover the end of your three months prescription, all they can give.  I hate it.  Poor Kamloops.  At least we are only 18,000 people.  Kamloops is in the same boat with one clinic and they have over a hundred thousand people.  I really want to see where my kidneys are at (they aren't so good) but you have to see a doctor.  Anyway enough of that crap.

On the lighter side I just bought a ton of battery operated pillar candles.  They are all on remote controls so I can line them up in my front window (hopefully making up for no tree) and on the piano and on the mantel.  I love lights!!!!  I also got two plug it ins with apple cinnamon smelly wax thingies.  That is my nod to xmas.  I am sure we will get good old Hey Google to play Elvis's xmas album.  And I bought Ange a big cat xmas puzzle the first year she was here.  We never put it together.  So maybe Xmas day we will clear the table and do a puzzle.

I am glad my kids don't feel I have reached that age where they must spend xmas with mom...it might be her last.  My experience with that is we have spent many a xmas with old gramma who never dies.  I don't want to be that person.  Nope. (shovel list). Plus all those grammas were shoved in a corner and totally ignored.  I am actually thinking of inviting some of our familyless peoples for xmas or xmas eve.  I shall consult the household about that.

Not to belabour it but....the hardest thing to come up with is decent between meal snacks on this woe.  So I took a page from April.  One summer in Bamfield the whole family low carbed it.  When we got back to town in summer she had to go back to school. And she did something I have never forgotten.  

I used to buy fat little chubs of liver sausage.  It is a zero carb perfect snack for us low carbers.  No crackers mind you.  Well (she was in grade ten) she would put one of those with the end cut off in a zip lock bag in her back pack and every now and then stick her finger in there and scoop out a gob and surreptitiously eat it! So I keep one handy with a small hole poked in the end and every now and then I squeeze a squirt into my mouth.  Keeps the hungries away!!!!

Well enough of that.  Gotta clean the house.  Housekeeper comes next Wednesday and I am gone all day tomorrow.  Take care and TFL & TTYL

1. “Keto is not about depriving yourself; it’s about finding new and creative ways to enjoy your favorite foods in a healthier way.” ― Martina Slajerova. (I call total bullshit on this quote)

 

HUNGRY HUNGRY HIPPO

 Grooooaaaaaannnnn!  Back on the low carb train.  It would be so much easier if I could shop in the states.  They have the most amazing plethora of keto low carb foods.  Go Trader Joe's!!!  But that is actually just being lazy.  If you are willing to spend a little time and money you can cook keto all day long.  Literally!  lol!!!!

Unfortunately I don't like almond flour.  It's grainy and falls apart in your mouth and it reminds me of when I accidentally get sand in my mouth.  And coconut flour, the only alternative, is difficult to deal with.  When I am low carbing all I want and all I can think about are muffins. But making muffins keto is not an option.  Here is why....I can't help but compare and thats the downfall.

 We have a coffee shop here called Steampunk. They sell the most amazing incredible muffins on the planet.  They are huge, heavy, loaded with goodies and an awesome array of kinds.  Apple spice, Pina colada, carrot cake, banana chocolate chip, oatmeal peach, all with a buttery crunchy crumble top.  OMG!!!!  I have no real idea of the carb count on them but at a pretty experienced guess here I would say around a thousand.  I want one RIGHT NOW!!!  Keto muffins are a very sad replacement.

In preparation for this 'back to it' way of eating, I stocked up on some snack things.  One of them is cheap 2 carb per piece, Walmart brand cheap wieners.  I also buy a carton of apple segments.  So I get a dish and get three wieners and four segments of apple.  I cut them up in smaller pieces and eat a piece of wiener then a piece of apple then a piece of wiener and then a piece of apple....raw wiener...I don't like them cooked.  It's no muffin but it's low carb and pretty tasty!!!  (when you are desperate)

Tomorrow we will hopefully be making a trip to Nanaimo to Costco.  There are just things that should be bought there.  Turlett paper, meat, olive oil, buckets of mayo, lox, cheese, cookies, cakes, breads, bagels, buns, brioche, muffins, dam!!!!!  I am also not going to be able to partake of our usual treat of fries and gravy and hot dog.  When you go to Costco only four times a year you can indulge guilt free, except when you are low carbing it.  Maybe I will take the wiener out of the bun and eat that, without the apple part.  Sigh.  (shovel list...I am going back to shovel....penguin just couldn't cut it, either that or I am way more a shovel person than a penguin one).

Well enough complaining for one post.  The upside of all this is the feeling of accomplishment when I choose to not eat crap.  I taught myself back when I first low carbed when I was 24 that when I feel hunger that is a sign of accomplishment.  And of course my lower a1c is a really big bonus.  So right now I am feeling extremely over the top accomplished and I need to check that my blood sugar number isn't too low.  Lol!!!  Gotta bounce!!

TFL & TTYL

I RAN OUT OF APPLE!!!!!!  I HAD TO SUBSTITUTE CELERY CHUNKS.  SO I ADDED MAYO.  IT IS BASICALLY CARB FREE SO A NECESSITY ON MY LOW CARBING.  SADLY DOESN'T IT LOOK LIKE MASHED POTATOES?

 

IF YOU ARE HAVING A LOVELY DAY, DON'T READ THIS NEGATIVE RANT!

 You know that old cliche...'you can put a man on the moon but.....'. Well I have a rant that I need to get off my chest. And like I said please feel free to skip this post.

A couple of months ago Aryn installed roku on both of my tv's.  My monthly Telus bill for optic tv went from 200 plus different amounts every month (which included internet) to 124.  Most of that is the internet.

It took me a while to get used to the Roku.  It has its drawbacks. The actual change in the programming is great, it's the instrument you have to use that is the nightmare.  My rant is about their  unbelievably ridiculous extremely badly designed clicker. It's so bad I googled who was the idiot that designed the piece of crap.

Bould Design from San Francisco is the culprit.  The opening statement on their site is all untruths according to me.  And as I have pointed out before...this blog always seems to end up about moi!  I am going to try to post a copy of their little statement that starts their site.  It probably won't go properly as I feel that whoever designed blogspot are cousins of Bould design.  Here goes:

BOULD DESIGN is a strategic partner for bringing highly functional, beautiful and successful products to life through a professional, user-centric design process. Our focus on function, simplicity, quality and character has achieved outstanding results for clients ranging from stealth mode startups to diversified multi-nationals.

Well guess what?  I am a client and I have a total opposite view of their clicker.

1.  Function?....the little buttons are....LITTLE!...My fingers are not big.  They don't overflow onto neighbouring buttons on anything else...like my other clickers I have.  But this little piece of crap?  Why yes they do.  One is forever hitting two buttons at once and always the wrong one is the one that will operate not the correct button.

2.  Beautiful?...it is about four inches by 2-3 inches, all black with teeny tiny faded white printing or symbols on the buttons.  Plus it is not a sharp square edge that sits on the arms of chairs or edges of overcrowded side tables.  Noooo.  It is rounded so it falls off EVERYTHING.

3.  Successful?...  it freaking well is NOT.  It is so tiny you keep dropping it.  And to push buttons from the top of it to the bottom you actually have to hold it with one hand to poke buttons with the other.  Thats just plain stupid.

Clearly young people with dexterous hands that still have max feeling in their finger tips and good, really good, eyesight so they can actually see what the buttons are and good memories so they can whip around that stupid control with no problem, designed this.  Plus they are from San Fran.

Well I am a fat cranky old half blind desensitized broad.  Who the hell do they think are the tv watchers in this world?  It sure as hell are not any people under 55ish.  Those youngsters are all watching YouTube or insta or tick Tok  on their phones.  They don't need weenie pieces of crap to operate a tv.  But us old dinosaurs need big huge buttoned, well marked, bright remote controls that don't fall off arm chairs and side tables.  It takes five minutes to get out of that chair to pick it up and if we bend over too far we either fall or can't get back up.  And by then when we finally get back into our chairs we have to find the damned rewind button and the stop button and the go button and.....well you get the point.  Shame on BOULD DESIGNS.  (I hope they have a roaming bot that finds their name when it's used.  If you did find it and you are reading this...SHAME ON YOU!!!). That does happen doesn't it?

Well if you are still with me I don't have anything to report.  My house is so clean.  The cleaner came yesterday for the first time in a month.  Boy did it ever need cleaning!!!  And now I sit here feeling nervous.  Clean houses always make me feel nervous.  Today I am determined to find all my jeans (totally missing) and throw out half my shirts.  Wish me luck!!!

TFL & TTYL

YOU KNOW UNTIL THE LIGHT FROM THE CAMERA WAS ON IT I HAD NO IDEA THAT THE ARROW BUTTONS WAS PURPLE

NOT ECHOING YET BUT GETTING THERE

 There is something very addictive about junking stuff.  I do have to admit though I don't throw out unused unopened packages and boxes of food.  That Monte takes down to the Bread of Life and donates.  But I am having trouble with one bunch of stuff.  I am truly understanding hoarders a little more.  And that is with my shirts.

I have about forty shirts, most existing since 2003.  And because of my upper back deformity (nice way of saying hump due to double scoliosis) my shirts ride up at the back.  And I really hate that.  So I am constantly reaching back and tugging my shirts down.  And because my right arm is gibbled I only use my left arm.  Now a great portion of my shirts have thumb holes on the bottom at the left back side.

I remember many years ago when my sister and family lived in our Monte Creek house for a while.  They were looking for a house to buy.  One evening there was a showing and she asked me to go along.  I said I would love to and as we were about to leave she gently says, 'were you going to change?'  I wasn't, hadn't even thought of it.  But when I took a look at what I was wearing....well let's say rag bags looked stellar compared to what I was sporting.  I just never noticed or really cared if I am honest.  But I happily went and changed...probably not much better.  

I will put a pic on here somewhere.  Preferably at the bottom but this blogspot has a mind of its own.

Yesterday Monte and Ange were at the dollar store.  I was buzzing around the house working away and I thought I heard Ange come upstairs but she didn't find me and say anything and when I went to sit for the five minutes I need to sit cuz of my back there was an awesome surprise on the chair.  A mars bar!!!!  I passionately love those things and once a year at halloween I allow myself one mars bar.  But this year whilst I was in Vancouver Monte got into the halloween candy and there were no mars bars left when I got home.  I lamented to Ange.

Well I guess she bought me one at the dollar store!!!!!!  And there it was!!!  I pounced on it and gobbled it down!  Soooooo ooooey gooey good.  I took a selfie of me eating and sent the pic to Ange with a giant heart!!!

But then I took an actual look at that picture.  I was wearing a pair of dirty black jeans, big pink slippers and a black sweatshirt that I didn't remember but what the heck.  Down the arm was written 'I draw the knife'. Huh???

When Monte saw it he says hey!!!  that is my Wolf Parade shirt.  Ooooops!!!!  But holy hell you can't see those clothes in the pic but Jesus Murphy my hair, my fat neck, my big brown sun spots!!!!  Egads!!!!  I don't remember looking in the mirror since I got home and boy does it show!!!  So if shirts are that unimportant to me it's time to do a massive cull.  That will be my goal for tomorrow.

Well as usual this post is ALL ABOUT ME!!!!  Again.  I mean I could be writing about politics or other news or crap that happens in town here or......but no.  I write about me.

So before I launch into another all about me story I shall hang 'er up here.  Have a wonderful time til next time....TFL & TTYL

I CLEARLY HAVE NO PRIDE

but it is a picture of happiness!!!!

RAIN RAIN RAIN

Well folks, yet again I am in the clearing out and disposing of goods....purging you might say, mood.  And due to the crappiness of dealing with  FB marketplace I am just chucking it all out.  Our thrift stores here are very hard to please thus I am not considering them either except for clothing....clothing seems to go no problem.

  I try really hard to feel bad about the waste and throwing out perfectly good, sometimes new, stuff.  But I don't.  Those feelings are what totally complicates a good massive clearing out.  Thank god for black non transparent garbage bags.  And thank god for the van and the garbage dump.  I really don't want my kids to have to do it after I am gone.  I am not stopping this time til my voice echos in here.

No xmas tree this year.  As much as I love staring at the lights I have decided there will be no tree, not even that tiny one.  I will let Biscuit shine for us.  Biscuit is the flowering hibiscus and right now she has three massive flowers glowing on her.

Ange showed me the most awesome app the other day.   It's called Freeprint.  Every thirty days you send them up to 45 pictures and for the cost of shipping...6.99 they send 4x6 prints to you.  They are beautiful!!!  So I got onto Amazon and bought four little albums and I have sent my first batch off.  I am sending them in groups that make sense.  The batch I sent off this first time was the pics of our Vietnam trip and the pics of us all at Hullcar burying Mom's ashes with Dad at the cemetery there.  I will label  each album for quick finding.

I apologize if I am missing words or saying things in a screwy way.  I have a really interesting show on tv going, my phone is blowing up for some reason and I keep getting bleeps on my laptop.  Busy techy day today!  I like doing three things at once and my brain just happens to be in the kitchen.  I made an order super early this morning at Walmart site for a ten o'clock delivery.  Two 2 pound sirloin tip roasts and sourdough.  

Back when I first went on the dr. Atkins way of eating, one thing I subsisted on was cooked roast beef, cheap cut, put through a meat grinder.  You also put through a piece of bread for every 2-4 pounds of roast and a little onion.  You then add mayonnaise and salt, pepper and whatever spices and herbs you want.  Zero carbs in that and it is delicious to snack on.

The last time I made this was yonks ago in Bamfield.  Cookie and I made a big batch with the old crank handle stainless steel grinder that you clamp onto some overhang ledge.  I have a picture of her and I cranking away!  I think we were in pjs. 

Well this is getting me nowhere!  Gotta go and get the roasts ready.  Not sure if I can figure out how to work the stupid thermometer.  I have always had Monte do it!  But alas...he has left home.  He hasn't slept at home even once since I got back.  Hope he doesn't get caught.  You aren't allowed to live in those places.  I have told him but you know.....

So have a great week or few days or whatever and TFL&TTYL

'Out of clutter, find simplicity.'  Albert Einstein 

HOME AGAIN HOME AGAIN JIGGETY JIG!!!!!

 Okay!  The actual physical trip home was a complete nightmare.  And I am on a mission to get rid of that tiny piece of shit car.  Honestly it is very rare that I take the time and energy in my life to regret my actions or decisions but here is one I am really regretting.  Selling the jeeps.  Oh we have totally saved enough money in gas to be happy but....what is the point in having a vehicle with so many negatives.

Don't buy Corollas people.  First of all they are so low to the ground even spry young people have a hell of a time getting in and out of them.  The seats are so low I can't see out of the stupid thing.  I have asked other people  to tell me if they can see the hood of the car when they are seated and no matter how much they strain up they can't.  Like how do you drive onto ferries and tight parking spaces when you can't see the front of the car?

The giant screen with your life story written on it sticks up so high it blocks your vision when driving.  The bottom of the car scrapes when you go over speed bumps.  The only thing this car can do really well is corner.  And that ain't enough to entice me into kind thought about that assy little piece of crap.

It was raining hard all the way home.  Really hard.  And every puddle, no matter how small sent the car sailing sideways.  What the hell is that???  So even going only 70 it was happening.  So scary.  And on the freeway it was easy to go really slow cuz everyone could pass me but when I hit the two way road it was whilst all the working bros in big pickups were heading back to Port from their respective jobs.  

Not happy about doing 70 or 80 they would ride up right on my backside and flash their lights and honk their horns.  I would have pulled over but it was raining so hard I couldn't tell when there was a pull off.  I finally made it to Cathedral Grove and pulled over.  I am NEVER EVER driving that car in the snow.

But the real drawback to all this is Monte.  He absolutely loves that dumb car.  And he owns one third of it.  I am not sure how I am going to solve this problem.  In a year I am going to have to do the DMV tests to renew my license and because of my eyesight in short distances (long distance is perfect) I may end up  having to be chauffeured around and it will become a moot point.  I need a shovel, not a penguin.

I had a fantastic time at Myles and April's.  I spent a lot of time alone while they worked and played at previous plans so I had awesome time to think, rethink and write.  

I think I mentioned I belong to a writing group and I get twelve essays per day.  Most I don't read as they aren't interesting to me.  But the ones I do have taught me so much.  Sometimes I write comments to the authors.  One of them wrote me back.  I had mentioned in my comment how I was raised in a pretty severe iconoclastic religious lifestyle that has been likened to a cult.  She suggested I write about being raised that way.  Well, it sparked something in me!  So I started to write and it is rolling out pretty easily.  I really love writing and I am quite happy if anyone reads it or if no one does.  It's not a requirement for me.  My mother was similar!  She always told me to burn all her writings after she died.

It is good to be home.  Now it is time to get ready for my most disliked holiday of the year.  I hate halloween.  It wasn't fun when I was a kid and it isn't fun now as an adult.  I hate fireworks and running up and down the stairs to answer the door a thousand times.  With any luck it will be raining and cut down on the amount kids.  The part I do enjoy though is seeing all the little ones in their costumes.  I even enjoy seeing the older ones, especially the ones with homemade costumes.  Normally I would have one box of large chocolate bars for the teens that are proud and brave enough to come to the door at ten o'clock at night.  They are the most fun.

Well thats it for today.  I apologize for the negative overtone.  I am actually feeling very happy and content.  I gave Monte some money and sent him off to Pete's Mountain Meats to buy a dozen lanjagger sausages.  Myles bought some from his butcher and gave me half of one and I have been jonesing for lanjagger ever since.    TFL & TTYL

Nutritional Value of Landjaeger

Landjaeger is not just tasty; it also offers several nutritional benefits, making it a practical choice for those needing a quick energy boost.

16. 16

    High in protein. Each serving provides a significant amount of protein, essential for muscle repair and growth.

17. 17

    Rich in fats. The fat content helps to provide long-lasting energy, which is particularly useful for outdoor activities.

18. 18

    Contains essential vitamins and minerals. These include B vitamins, iron, and zinc, which are important for overall health.

19. 19

    Low in carbohydrates. This makes it suitable for low-carb and ketogenic diets.

BEST BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!

 What a wonderful day!!!!  It started with many many happy bd messages from family and friends.  Then the phone started to ring and my family called as well.  I was happy!

Then I spent the day doing something I have never done before.  Through a very convoluted process I found the month and year of Bill's and my trip through Viet Nam.  I then went to the right spot on my blog and found all the entries for that trip.

Like I said I have never reread my blog.  And as I started...I couldn't stop!  It totally refreshed my memory for sure but more importantly after reading on past the trip for quite a ways, after finishing, for the rest of the day I felt like I had spent it with Bill!  That was a true bonus.  (penguin list).

Then at six we got all duded up and headed to a Greek restaurant for a most delicious wonderful dinner.  I love Greek Food!!!!  It was such a delicious dinner and so huge an amount we had enough left overs for dinner tonight. I had the roast lamb so on the way home, knowing it was on the menu for the next night, we stopped at Safeway and I bought mint jelly.  The only reason to eat lamb, in my book, is to have that lovely vicious green jelly with it. (penguin list)  And the Caesar (double, tall glass)  I started with was one of the best I have ever had.  Mind you I don't drink...it maybe could have been the worst...I don't know!  lol!!  Right Kathy?

Earlier when Myles came home he brought me the most beautiful bunch of flowers...a huge bunch with accompanying greenery and baby's breath.  I will attempt to put a pic down below.  Sigh...it could end up way up there at the start.  Who knows?

Tonight Eithne came over with Noah.  What a hoot he was.  At three he is most engaging.  He and I played poop games that occasionally morphed into peepee games.  What a kid!  It doesn't take much to entertain a three year old, let me tell ya!!!!  And he called me Gramma!  I felt so special for about two minutes. Eithne told me he calls everybody that! I had a great visit and catch up with her.

Tomorrow afternoon Graeme, otherwise known as Toonykoot (much to his chagrin) is coming over.  I am going to see if he will walk with me to Kin's for vegetables and salad.  He can carry it back for me!  I really have to start bringing my walker.  

I am finding I am limiting my distance mobility because I don't have it with me.  I think I am going to sell it and get a much lighter easi

SELF EXPLANATORY

NOAH AND LEELOO COMMUNING

MY DEAD HALF A LAMB FOR DINNER

MYLES AND APRIL

SCRAGGLE MUFF

er and hopefully taller one.  I need one I can throw into the car.  The brute I have now cannot fit in that stupid wee car.

Anywhooo all in all it has been a fantastic time so far.  They look after me so well here.  I am definitely spoiled!

I will try to put some pictures on here.  Wish me luck!!!  TFL & TTYL

TURKEY IS AWESOME....TIL IT ISN'T!!!

 Well turkey day went off awesomely!!! Set the table with cute turkey napkin rings and new trivets.  I will try to put a pic here but blogspot totally sucks majorly.  We will see.  I miss putting pictures here but I never know where they are going to show up.

A couple of boys, Mont's friends joined us.  One of them drives for Door Dash.  I was digging into him for information.  It sounds like a good side hustle for Monte.  Monte loves to drive, can listen to music and not talk to anyone.  Apparently they pay well, pay mileage and they get to keep their tips.

Dinner was delicious.  Ange and Monte helped out so it made it easier.  Turkey, gravy, peas and carrots, candied yams, mashed potatoes, stuffing....sooo good...at first.  But for some reason the next day eating the left overs I get an uneasy unpleasant stomach.  Too rich I think.

One odd thing...we opened four cans of cranberry whole berry ocean spray sauce.  Three of the cans were liquid.  The liquid tasted good but where were the berries and why so runny?  It was the strangest thing!

Well I have some pretty good news right now.  The mental health headquarters here in town phoned Monte the other day and told him he had an appointment yesterday at ten am.  Probably it was a follow up from the hospital.  We aren't sure about that but....I went with him and long story short the gal that we met with said that they were a short term goal setting program for mentally affected people.  Jobs, health, connections in the community etc.  We were there for over one and a half hours.  When we left we had access to a psychiatrist (penguin list), a resource for help with taxes, tax credits etc....and they will help get him on the two yearsish list for subsidized housing.  Suddenly life is looking so much better...maybe not better so much as hopeful!!!

Monte man took the shower contraption that Myles so kindly removed in our old decrepit bathroom, up to Home Hardware and is now installing it...not too successfully at the moment by the sounds of it. Oh!! he got it going perfectly!  Yay!!!!!  So here are a few pics!

AS USUAL, NOT IN ORDER...THE OBLIGATORY NEXT DAY TURKEY SAMMICH

MY TURKEY NAPKIN RING

EVERYONE READY TO DIG IN

THE UNBESMIRCHED TABLE SETTING

A VERY LARGE MOON OUT MY FRONT WINDOW

GOING DOWN

GOING UP...LOOK AT JENI'S FACE!!!!

Well there are the pictures right in the middle of the text.  Oh well.  Have a lovely (ahem) traditional thanksgiving folks.  TFL & TTYL

CLEAN HOUSES MAKE ME NERVOUS

As I sit on my laptop, phone handy, tv going, all the chores I am ignoring are running through my head.

My house is uber clean at the moment.  I am not making dinner tonight.  I only do that now and then.  the lists and shopping are done for the turkey dinner we are having on Wednesday.  There's a thousand things I could be doing but they aren't dire.  I work best when things are dire.

We cancelled our trip to Kamloops and Penticton.  I may have already mentioned that.  I am still going to April's on the 18th.  So we are going to have a turkey dinner on a date that suits us.  Which happens to be next Wed. the eighth.  We have two people coming.  And this year I requested some help...mostly with the clean up afterwards.  By the time dinner is on the table my tail bone and back are done.  I hate to even mention it but they are.  Monte always puts the food away and Ange will help with the dishes.  Thank goodness!!

We don't have the van at the moment.  It turns out the back brakes seized up.  Another 1300 out the window.  It is endless. 

 I remember back when it seemed like 20 dollars was constantly being needed somewhere and heading out of my purse to where ever.  Then it moved up to fifty then I started noticing it was a hundred going away.  Now it's a thousand.  A thousand to rev can.  A thousand for the van.  Two thousand for house insurance. A thousand plus x 2 for vehicle insurance, 1500 for a hot water tank, probably a thousand for all the plumbing that is needed.  Of course that increase  is over fifty years lol!!!

Monte is a putoffsky.  Well so am I but when the rubber hits the road I get it done.  But I have been asking him repeatedly to take a giant frozen turkey, (purposely bought two) and a ten pound bag of russet potatoes and a massive  giant bag of staple food down to The Bread of Life. As long as we are able to eat I feel we should feed another family or two.

  But he keeps saying he is going to but it just doesn't happen.  Normally if I have asked seven times for him to do something I just do it myself.  But he has the car right now so I can't.  Plus we are donating a hundred (not a thousand lol I wish we could) bucks for carrots and yams and peas etc...which means a stop at the bank.  I just texted him, (he is at his office composing electronic music)  I had asked him hours ago...again and he said 'sure!!  I just texted him and I said " guess I should put the turkey back in the freezer then."  And he responded with a ?.  Hahahaha!!!  It wasn't even on his radar.

Well I will get this posted.  Have a wonderful life til next time.  TFL & TTYL

"Don't wait.  The time will never be right." Napoleon Hill

 

 I have had a lot of, I guess I will call it sympathy and support, for my circumstances with Monte.  Due to certain issues lately and the ups and downs I know people are sympathetic about those circumstances.  And yes it can be hard and painful and scary and even hurtful at times.

But I want to clear something up.  Those issues are secondary, not the biggest pain I go through.  Those I find relatively easy to deal with for the simple reason of how much I love him. No, it's seeing him struggle.  Life is very very hard for him and it almost kills my heart to see him going through this..knowing it will never go away. 

 It's very similar I feel to parents with very sick children that with all the right treatments will eventually get better.  But while they are suffering, as a parent, I don't think there is anything more awful than to watch your kid go through that painful experience. 

And when I see Monte's frustration, humiliation and dashed dreams (if he dared to have them to begin with) it's the real pain for me.  It isn't the day to day difficulties or the consequences of his autism (inability to converse easily, extremely messy room, personal hygiene...all the things that go with mental illness), its HIS pain that hurts the most.  And unlike some sick kids, his is not going to get better or go away. I truly appreciate the care and concern people have shown towards me, but the real care and concern and understanding is more important for him.  He'd probably be pretty upset if he read this.  Lol!!!  He doesn't like sympathy. 

Well, on a different note, it's autumn...my fave time of the year.  I love fall.  By far, when asked, the majority of people say spring is their fave.  You know all that fresh sunshine, baby plants and animals growing, birds singing lalalalalala....so predictable! 

 Yes that is all lovely (I think it has more to do with no more snow and shovelling than birdies singing) but I love the getting ready to hunker down, baking cookies time now that we can actually turn the stove on again, inventing new soups, crispy aired walks in gorgeous coloured forests, smelling stinky dying fish in the spawning creeks, bears going to bed and leaving us alone finally, no more weeding the stupid garden, digging up potatoes like finding gold nuggets, hearing the honking clouds of geese abandoning us for another season....so many things to love!!! And I am now sitting in my beloved recliner watching the massive dogwood tree across the street, all gorgeous white in the spring, all gorgeous green in summer and now turning all gorgeous red.  Ahhhhh...I love it.

Right now at this moment I am in my chair, Leeloo (here for a couple of weeks) is sleeping between my knees under my laptop as I type, my music quietly playing.  A few minutes ago my damned nose started to whistle as I breathed.  So I started the usual routine we all use when that happens.  First I start snorting in and out.  Still happening.  Then I plug one nostril after the other and snort individually.  Nope.  Still happening.  Finally I capitulate and get a Kleenex and blow.  Nope.  Blow again just harder.  Nope.  Dang it!!!  I contemplated using a finger to fix it but I don't want to risk Alzheimers.  So I sit there for a moment, hold my breath and turn the music off. It still whistled.  What the heck???  I then realized it was the darn dog, nose breathing.  Jeez!!!  She also sometimes makes little groaning sounds but so does my stomach.  And they sound exactly the same.  Gets confusing.

Last night I wasn't making dinner.  On those nights I often eat raw wieners and chopped tomatoes in home made thousand islands dressing.  Something low carb and easy and won't spike my blood sugar.

Sitting in my fridge was a fairly large eggplant.  I love eggplant.  So I sliced it thickly.  Fried it in olive oil and Montreal Grille vegetable spice.  Oh my Ohm!!!  It was so delicious I ate the whole damned thing and thats all I ate!!!!

Okay this is getting too long and rambley.  Gotta go make a coffee and go do my writing.  Have a wonderful day or two and I shall be back. TFL & TTYL

okay the quote today has nothing to do with anything but it made me laugh out loud.  so I am putting it here.

'Dating after 40 is like trying to find the least damaged item in a thrift store that doesn't smell."

anonymous

HAD TO LAUGH THEN HAD TO THINK ABOUT IT

 I have subscribed to an essay site.  I get about twelve a day in my email.  I don't read them all.  I just skim through the titles and click on ones that pique my interest.

So today one of the essays caught my attention for some reason.  It basically listed the five things people on their death bed most regret.  Well I was going to whip right past it but then it caught me in my brain.  About six essays down I kept going back to the article.  I finally clicked on it.

  I don't like being told what to do...no one does.  So these essays on self help nine times out of ten just piss me off.  I expected this one to as well.  This is what it suggested (just the short heading and my quick take on the advice)

1.  I WISH I'D HAD THE COURAGE TO LIVE A LIFE TRUE TO MYSELF, NOT THE LIFE OTHERS EXPECTED OF ME.

Well I have definitely lived true to myself.  I have never listened to anyone on how I should be.  My philosophy is if you don't like me then go away.

2.  I WISH I HADN'T WORKED SO HARD.

Are you kidding?  I worked damned hard as a mother and loved every single moment of it.  I am still living that life by choice.  I loved working with Bill as a mortgage broker.  Every day was awesome. And now I am sitting in my beloved recliner taking retirement by storm....easily!!!!

3.  I WISH I'D HAD THE COURAGE TO  EXPRESS MY FEELINGS.

This one made me sad!!!  Just recently expressing my feelings got me into serious trouble with my awesome nephew and through him his wife.  I love both of them so dearly and would never in the world would I hurt them.  But hey!  I was expressing my feelings.  So this one should be the opposite for me.  I should learn to keep my more extreme feelings to myself!  This one is going to be a hard one to not regret on my deathbed.

4.  I WISH I HAD STAYED IN TOUCH WITH MY FRIENDS.

Well I am not sure about this one.  All you readers are my friends and I think about you a lot as I blog.  I have a few dear friends in Kamloops and I am about to go to Kamloops and will be seeing them all.  I think I have been pretty good at keeping in touch. 

5.  I WISH I HAD LET MYSELF BE HAPPIER.

Well holy cow!!!  If wishes were horses we would all be riding into the sunset.  I learned at a very tender age that the one thing people could not do in my life was to control two things....my thoughts and my happiness.  If something is controlling either of those then I do something about it!!!!  My awesome mother had a tendency to want us kids to think the way she did.  I remember at four years old I became aware that just because she got mad at me for expressing an opposite opinion to hers, I could still think that way in spite of her.  Seriously... at four.  It saved our relationship in the end.

So there it is.  Obviously I am ready to die happy.  Lol!!!  I am glad I went back and read it just to end up feeling kind of smug.  I think most of us when we get older in this day and age...post hippie time, we are all more advanced than we used to be.  Thank goodness!!!  Gotta bounce...be happy...TFL & TTYL

'When it's my time I hope to go with a smile on my face and fried bologna sammiches in both hands!'  Helen Price

WELL WHAT CAN I SAY???

 A few days in the hospital psyche ward, some pretty good food, awesome new drugs to help sleep and untangle thought waves, and out you come all refreshed and happy.

He isn't talking about what happened initially, a few hints here and there but he doesn't want to talk about it.  So I am afraid I won't talk about it here either.

He does seem to be a bit calmer and more extroverted but that could be my imagination.  He is being very pleasant overall.

He saw his old psychiatrist, the one he had originally.  This particular doctor is pretty amazing.  Monte has a lot of respect for him.  But he resigned his position here to treat geriatric patients only and to be the hospital emergency psychiatrist.  I am going to tell Monte that in the future act up, get taken to emergency, get admitted to the psyche ward and get an appointment with Dr. Smit. Thats one way to get an appointment with a psychiatrist in a town completely devoid of one.  Lol!!!

Anyway Smit phoned me and asked my opinion of Monte's current status.  I asked him to convince him to go on some new to him drugs.  It would be great if he could take something that would help untangle his thoughts a little.  And he came home happy, new pills in hand and willing to take them.  I hope it lasts.  I am not sure how he gets refills.  He absolutely loathes his current doctor and doesn't go to him anymore.

So now the dust has settled and on to the next thing.  I need to prepare for our road trip.  We are leaving either the fourth or fifth of October.  I have had both girls and their significant others visiting over the last few days.  It has been hugely awesome.  I love spending time with them.

One activity of note....Jeni is in town and the four of us, April, Myles, Jeni and myself decided to take a picnic out to a most beautiful spot about forty minutes up the highway towards Ukey and Tofino.  It's the Taylor River.  She drove us out this little rough road to a little rough parking spot.  There was a not too long a walk to an incredibly steep rocky rooty path straight down a long steep path.  Now this old hefty blister has basically not really moved much out of her old recliner for the past six years.  I take a fist full of pills that make me dizzy and off balance and I do have a penchant for falling.  One of these times something under layers of fat will break.  And I can just see the rescue people being called to help me up and out.

So grabbing foliage at the side of the path, bent right over, hands on the ground, grabbing the nearest person....I slid and stepped and rolled all the way to the bottom.  It was quite a ways..for me!  Then I sat on a blanketed (thank you Jeni) rock for the next 2-3 hours.  It was stunningly beautiful down there on that river rocky beach.

Now it was time to go back up.  UP^^^!!!  I don't generally do up...up anything!  But off we go!  I planted hands on the ground, used rocks and roots as steps, and away we went.  At the top I had to sit on a log, my heart was pounding...in my ears!!!  Tandy taught me a long long time ago that if something is tired on the body, feed it oxygen.  So long deep breaths and I recovered a lot faster than I deserved.  I thought for sure the next day I wouldn't be able to move but not a pain anywhere.  In fact I felt fantastic!!!

So now it's list making, house regulating, laundry, packing, checking the spare tire in the van, buying a looooong extension cord for Monte's gasper.....plus tomorrow we need to pick up his new twin mattress for the van after taking a mountain of cardboard to the recycling to empty out the van.  Every time we think of selling the van... something comes up and we thank goodness we didn't.

Well thats it for today.  I hope this finds you all fat and happy!!!!!  TFL & TTYL

“I’m at a place in my life when errands are starting to count as going out.”
– Unknown.   this is exactly what my life is!!!!  When I read this quote it totally resonated with me.  Lol!!!