Day 72 - Daytime Boredom

I missed writing on my blog yesterday due to the bum back. It was impossible to sit for any length of time, so typing in front of a computer was out of the question. Today I feel like I am on the road to recovery, however, truth be told I do think this is going to be a slow process. And what can you do when you are flat on your back? My choices are to (1) to read or (2) to watch the boob tube. What I have noticed is that daytime TV is a black hole. I end up watching designers create new kitchens and bathrooms for either outrageous sums of money, or for next to nothing. I watch people trying to buy houses and complain when their $800,000 doesn't buy what it used to. I also find myself watching people pawning stuff, people picking for antiques and people trying to lose exorbitant amounts of weight via gastric by-pass surgery. To be truthful, mostly, I turn the TV on, put the recliner all the way back and doze. Could be the combination of the drugs I'm taking coupled with the oh so boring daytime TV that makes me so sleepy. I must have a GA-zillion channels, and there is nothing to watch. I cannot wait until this back feels better and there is no need for my arse to be planted in this recliner. On the other hand, I have been able to catch up on my reading... I have already finished one book, and most likely will go through about 4 more before I am up and about.

Day 71 - Oh My Aching Back !

I hurt my back today. Not by doing something exotic like bunging jumping from an incredibly high bridge, or slalom skiing down a steep mountain, nope the oh so exotic way I chose to throw out my back was to simply step out of the shower. I slipped, caught myself before I could fall, and immediately felt the pull in my right hip couipled with the ever so lovely tingle that ran down the length of my leg culminating at the tip of my big toe. This has happened to me before, once when leaning across a desk to close a window, and the other time I simply bent to my right to load the dishwasher.
I am always surprised when something like this happens, and really do not appreciate the pain and the carefulness that I must go through waiting for everything to return to normal. Very easy to feel sorry for myself. I am taking medication, I have an icy cold patch on my derriere and I have been in the recliner with the heating pad propped against my back as I am attacking this with all my might to avoid the shot in the buttocks that was needed the last time my back decided to go out. And I am remembering the sage advice the ever so young Dr. Doogie Howser gave me, at your age, if this happened once, chances are that it will happen again. I hate that he prefaced his statement with the phrase, at your age. At least this time I know what to do.
How do athletes continue to play with bad backs? Years ago I remember Larry Bird laying on the sidelines trying to stretch out his back so he could get back into the game. I am doing  a similar thing, except it's not the sidelines, it's a leather couch, and there is no game - just want to get my pain free life back. Yet once again I am being waited on by Hubby. I am gong to owe him big once I get back onto my feet. Looks like there might be brownies or some other sweet delight coming his way.

Day 70 - Wow, I was Skinny & Hubby had Hair

I think one of the niftiest inventions of the digital age is the digital frame. I received one as a gift for Christmas this year, and I am becoming obsessed with it. I love that I can load photos and watch a slide show.
I am going through boxes and boxes and album after album to find photos that could be deemed digital frame worthy.
Today I found a photo of my 3 kids with their paternal grandmother and great grandmother which I can hardly wait to show their children. I found pictures from my college days, when I was much thinner and my hubby still had hair. I'm wondering if the grand kids will know who these folks are. I found pictures taken at family gatherings and weddings of relatives who are no longer with us. It's nice to have those photos, taken at a happy time.
I am slowly assembling a group of photos that need to be scanned, named and then added to the flash drive. I need to make sure to identify the people and the year of the photo in the name of the actual photo file, as time passes and people no longer remember who was who. So this does take time. The best thing about this process, is once I am done, I will no longer need to worry about them fading, or sticking to the plastic in ancient albums. And with today's "saving to the cloud", even if we suffer a disaster, all my pictures will still be safely stored there. This week, after loading the initial photos to the frame, I stood at the end of my kitchen counter and watched the show, I thought I was standing there for about 5 minutes, in actuality it was more like 30. I totally got caught up in watching and remembering, an easy thing to do. Once this project is complete, I probably will be standing at the end of my counter for hours.

Day 69 - Wagga Wagga - So Sorry

A tree is completely hidden by hundreds of webs/spiders

If it isn't bad enough that you happen to live in a city in Australia with the name of Wagga Wagga, these days it seems you have to share your pristine countryside with millions of invading Wolf spiders. What appears to be snow covered fields (see photo) in actuality is thousands of spider webs.


photo by Daniel Munoz - Reuters

The explanation for all of this is that flooding in other sectiosn of Australia has caused a mass migration, and it appears the arachnid's travel agent said that Wagga Wagga was the place to be this time of the year.
I cannot even begin to comprehend what the residents of Wagga Wagga (makes me giggle every time I type it) are going through as I freak out if I find one of these critters invading any part of my house. I have been known to utter a colorful phrase or two when encountering one of the little buggers. 
If I ever awoke to something like this, I would immediately think that I was being punked. And once realizing I wasn't, I would wait for the National Guard to arrive, as this definitely would
be considered an invasion and I would want them to rid the nation of the marauding mites! All I can say is I will never again complain when it snows, at least it won't be snowing spiders, ewwwwwwwwwn- gross!

Day 68 - Yum - Corned Beef & Cabbage

I am of Irish heritage, and it occurred to me today, that we as a people are not renown for our culinary skills when  compared with other cultures. The Italians are superb with their delights such as lasagna, spaghetti, manicotti, and so many kinds of sauces and pastas that it would take forever to sample all of them. And the French, well they have Julia Child promoting them, and their sauces and exquisite pastries. Even Asian cultures have enough of a distinctive collection of culinary delights to open restaurants dedicated solely to their recipes. But the Irish, not so much. Sure there are plenty of Irish pubs, but between you and me, I think the emphasis has always been more on the pints and the whiskeys than it has been on the menus. However, there is one meal that the Irish do well, corned beef and cabbage. It has to be simmered slowly, loaded with pickling spices and the veggies must be cooked in the same pot as the meat so they have time to absorb some of the flavor. I do like a good corned beef, and today hubby and I went to a local pub and I totally enjoyed the huge plate of perfectly cooked corned beef and cabbage served with non-mushy carrots and potatoes that still had the skin on them. I relished every single bite. This pub makes the absolute best Reuben, but only serve corned beef and cabbage on 2 days. They serve it on a a pre-St.Paddy's Day celebration, which was today, and then again on Saint Patrick's Day. We went today so as to avoid the more boisterous crowd that tends to show up on the Day itself. I have to praise the Irish, they may not have an extensive menu, but what they do have is outstanding! And not for nothing, I need to give a shout out to Irish coffee, which when it is made well - just a wee bit of heaven.

Day 67 - Love the Must-Have Gadgets

Now tell me who hasn't had the need for something just like this when attending a cocktail party? Trying to hold a Tapas plate, dip into that salsa or just shake hands with somebody while trying not to lose a drop of your favorite adult beverage can be one helluva challenge.  Wouldn't you want to spend a quick $24.95 to have your favorite vin du jour hanging on a lanyard from around your neck, there when you need it, right? They show this nifty gadget pictured with a male, I am thinking that perhaps this clever item may be more challenging for an overly endowed female.
I admire the ingenuity of the person who came up with this idea, and the salesmanship of the person who talked the editor into featuring it. Must be one great sales guy, or one dumb editor.

Day - 66 Happy Birthday to Oreo Cookies

Happy Birthday to the Oreo cookie, it turns 100 years old today. I remember my Uncle Jimmy, also my Godfather, showing me the correct way to separate the cookies so you could get to the creamy filling. He taught me that you should never try to pull them apart, instead try a little twist, then lift - and voila the one cookie is suddenly two, and just prime for licking off  all the luscious deliciousness of the center, or better yet, scraping it across your front teeth and depositing what seemed to be a giant glop of center sweetness right onto your tongue. I remember taking those cookies, sans center, and dunking them into milk and stuffing them into my mouth while trying not to drip milk down my chin.
I don't know when I outgrew Oreos, but I did. I cannot remember the last time I ate one. This past holiday season, I made truffles and mint Oreo cookies was one of the main ingredients and I did not eat one of them, not even tempted. But they did make the best chocolate dipped mint chocolate truffle. Quite a hit this past season.
Congratulations to the Oreo, as it has survived 100 years and is going strong. Not too many brands can say that. I think Oreos and Hershey bars (something else I outgrew) bring back nothing but fond memories for me. Not too often a brand can do that. Long live both!