I'm Really Beginning to Hate Wednesdays

I spoke to Dad this morning and we've come to the decision that Mom will go to a nursing home for intermediate care.

I hate nursing homes. They seem so lonely. And sad. And I really hate the thought of my mother being there.

However, I know that she will get therapy she needs and constant care without draining my father physically. Dad is going to make the arrangements today at a facility across the street from the hospital. In my heart, I know that family and friends have spent time there and thrived. And her doctor works there three days a week.

Can you tell that I'm trying to cheer myself up?

That Call You Never Want To Get

Came this morning. Mom was in ICU. She got sick last night and everyone suspected she was having another stroke. They called the paramedics and then took her to the ER where they waited until the wee hours. She seemed much improved so Sis & BIL headed home. Then she crashed. She was moved to ICU at 5 a.m. this morning.

I drove down in record time and arrived in time for the second visitation. She was on a respirator and her hands were restrained. By 5 p.m., she was off the respirator and the restraints came off. We went in at 8 p.m. and she was in such a deep sleep she could not be wakened.

Tomorrow her doctors will all meet to discuss the next steps. Her pulmonary specialist, her cardiologist, her primary care physician, and her neurologist.

In the meantime, there are two other families hunkered down in the ICU waiting room. Huge families. They come with infants, toddlers, and pre-schoolers. Teens with ear-plugs. There is all assortment of Alabama Crimson Tide apparel--from T-shirts to trucker caps. There is one young woman who comes out crying each time she visits her loved one. There is one woman who never stops talking. She talked for four hours solid at one point. Now the sound of her voice makes me cringe.

One observation about the hospital. The waiting room is near the same day surgery entrance, so we pass through fairly often. There is a wheel chair at the entrance that must be four feet wide. Then, there is a sign in the ladies room "Weight Capacity for Toilet is 500 lbs." Is anyone else frightened by this?

Wonder What Prissy Is Doing Right Now?

I often find her asleep on my desk...Could she be doing this?

Comfort Food

I went to visit my folks this week-end. I have two responsibilities while there...take Mom shopping and provide home-cooked meals. Dad will grill and occasionally fix a real meal, but mostly they live off of frozen dinners.

After spending 1 1/2 hours in Tuesday Morning and another 2 hours at Publix with Mom pushing the speed limit on that little cart up to about 100 yards per hour, we made it home.

I made a pantry meatloaf in which I threw into whatever I found in the pantry, fridge and freezer. I served it with the Pioneer Woman's Crash Hot Potatoes and a salad. Dad really liked the meatloaf, and so did I. You never really know with Mom.

Pantry Meatloaf

1 3/4 lbs ground chuck
1 c shredded cheddar cheese
2 eggs
1 pkg onion soup mix
1/2 sleeve Ritz Roasted Vegetable crackers
1/2 c KC Masterpiece BBQ Sauce
2 T A-1 Steak Sauce

1/4 c KC Masterpiece BBQ Sauce
1/4 c catsup

Mix together eggs, BBQ sauce, and steak sauce and set aside. Blend ground beef, cheese, and onion soup mix with crumbled crackers. Add egg mixture and blend well. Form into a loaf in a greased 9 x 13 pan and bake @ 375 for 45-50 minutes. Mix together catsup & BBQ sauce. After 30 minutes, spread on top of loaf and allow to finish cooking. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

After I cleaned the kitchen, Mom wanted to make some cookies. Since she so seldom wants to do anything, we made Paula Deen's Thumbprint cookies. Mom was so proud! She kept insisting that Sis and her hubby have some when they dropped by.

I decided to cook Honey Curry chicken breasts for lunch yesterday, with fresh green beans. Since we had had potatoes the night before, I was reluctant to use more for a starch for lunch. I found some left-over corn that Dad had grilled on Thursday and it became the inspiration for a salad.

Corn & Tomato Salad

4 c roasted corn
2 c diced and seeded tomatoes
1/4 c fine diced onion
1 c shredded cheddar cheese
4 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
1/4 c mayo
Salt & pepper to taste.

Mix and serve.

I brought home two market baskets of tomatoes and am contemplating more tomato basil jam, salsa, and/or tomato pineapple relish.

What to do? What to do?

Ahhhh! Refreshment!

Back when I had a glut of cherries, one of my online buddies suggested I put them in a jar covered with a sweetened vodka (white corn syrup and vodka) and keep them in a dark place. I asked her what to do with them and she said "Eat the cherries and drink the vodka!"

It has been one hellacious week at work, so last night I pulled out that jar of drunken cherries. I poured a little of the juice into glass of ice and topped it off with Diet Coke. Can I tell you just how good it was? It was amazing! Not too sweet, but barely sweet, without the burn of cheap vodka (like I would buy the good stuff!).

The vodka came from the same bottle that I am currently brewing vanilla beans in, before I added the beans.

But I have a little secret...I didn't have any white corn syrup, so I used honey. I added 2-3 Tbs (this is not an exact science) to 1 cup of Vodka. I cut the stems on the cherries about 3/4" long. What a cool thing! I can hardly wait for next summer to try this again.

And what about blueberries? Wonder if I could do the same thing? Hmmmm....