The Long Saga is Over

In late June my family and I looked forward with great anticipation to moving my mother into a new care home. We felt it was going to be very good for her since it was "state of the art" facility and brand new staff. Boy were we ever wrong!  It has been a virtual nightmare for mother and I and a very tiring and stressful one at that.  We have now moved mom back to her former facility and the difference is like night and day in a good way.  The move went smoothly though it took long as most of her things needed to go into storage.  She no longer has a private room. That was the only way to get her moved quickly.  There was only one hiccup which wasn't of the facility's making and that issue has since been resolved.

I had a couple of not very nice surprises about mom's condition.  One of them was the state of her pressure wounds.  Right after moving mother was assessed by her new nurse as having stage 3 pressure wounds, rather than the stage 1 which she was told by staff at the former facility. The new nursing team is working around the clock to treat and pack the wounds.  Part of the treatment is keeping mom in bed for much longer stretches of time so they can turn her on her side and relieve the pressure. In between lying in bed she gets up and motors around.  This keeps her happy.  The other problem is the terrible state of her oral health. I have to locate a dentist as soon as possible and make an appointment to address several problems, not the least of which is pain.

The good news is that though mom is now sharing a room, the things I packed for her fit nicely into the space.  We have retained her television and dvd player for her use but had to store the portable cd player, fridge, bookshelves, books etc.  She doesn't use any of this anyway but if you've ever dealt with an elderly person you know they like to have their things around them.   The only thing that helps deal with this situation is that mom is the one who decided over my objections, that she wanted a shared room.  That means she has to adjust to the situation. There are a number of positives about where she lives now.  Too many to itemize but a big one is that she is now she is able to "drive" all over the place without worrying about getting through doors by herself.

The new facility is located all on one level unlike her last residence. That alone really brightens her day.  Plus she was also welcomed back by so many people, staff and residents alike, and that can only lift one's spirits.  Since mother last lived at the "new" facility, there has been a change of management and I observe that things are much more organized and running better all around.  There is also a lot better communication with the family.  This is wonderful!  The long saga of dealing with the former facility is over. I'm so relieved. Now I can start to focus on some of mom's other pressing care needs like dental and eye care.

A huge snowfall was forecast for our journey.  In my city, the snow quickly turned to torrential rains but as we got an hour or two out of the city, the snow was coming down heavily.  These photos (above and below) show the early stages of snow fall.

 

By the time we got up the mountain, the snow was considerably heavier.  One hour from our final destination we passed one terrible accident on the highway due to the icy conditions.  The weather was significantly warmer and sunnier when we returned south a few days later.

I've been home for a few days and am slowly trying to get back into a normal routine. I am quite tired but have managed to do a few errands, lots of laundry and stock up on food for the weeks ahead.  This weekend I am taking it easy. I'm exhausted from the stresses and moves of the last 7 months.  We've moved mom 5 times in total (4 times within the former facility and once last week) and dealt with endless issues.  We may have to move her again if she gets a private room but have been told the wait is very long.  In the meantime I hope to get some rest.

It is a cold, rainy and windy night tonight.  As I sit here I am smelling the comforting aroma of a ham roasting in the oven and scalloped potatoes baking.  This kind of dinner is rare since I only roast ham about once a year at New Year's and make scalloped potatoes even less frequently.

It smells good!

Here is the recipe for the scalloped potatoes.

Ingredients: 

4 cups thinly sliced potatoes
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 dash cayenne pepper
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated cheese, to sprinkle on top
paprika

Directions:

1.   In a small sauce pan, melt butter and blend in flour.
2.   Let sit for a minute.
3.   Add all of cold milk, stirring with a whisk.
4.   Season with salt and cayenne.
5.   Cook sauce on low until smooth and boiling, stirring occasionally with a whisk.
6.   Reduce heat and stir in cheese.
7.   Place a half of the sliced potatoes in a lightly greased one quart casserole dish.
8.   Pour half of cheese sauce over potatoes.
9.   Repeat with second layer of potatoes and cheese sauce.
10. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
11. Top with some paprika for color.
12.  Bake uncovered for about 1 hour at 350°F.

The recipe for scalloped potatoes is from southernfood.com and is the first time I've tried it. I didn't have much cheese so saved it for the topping and omitted it from the sauce.   I'm used to mom's scalloped potatoes which is a much quicker and easier way to prepare them and doesn't use cheese at all.  Perhaps I will share that another time.

I like to cook the ham until it practically falls off the bone. I save the sauce for New Year's Dinner.

Busy Week

Hello everyone, I trust you are having a lovely weekend.

It has been very cold where I live but I've been keeping busy just the same.

Monday night I went to a cooking session with friends.  We made brown rice, white fish with Asian sauce that featured lots of ginger, an Asian salad (red and green cabbage with Asian dressing), slivered steamed carrots and almond cookies.  Then we all sat down and ate together.  It was a nice change to have fish since I don't make a lot of fish at my place.

On Tuesday a friend invited me over to dinner, to see his new apartment and complete some paperwork we are working on.  He made a lovely dinner of quinoa with veggies and a delicious tasting beef. In the end we didn't complete the paperwork because another friend who lives out-of-town dropped in to visit.  The paperwork is taking much longer than we had initially envisioned as my friend wanted to complete it in December.  His own schedule has interfered with completion but we are getting closer to being done!

On Wednesday I did a lot of work piecing together the African Flower Crochet afghan I started last Fall.  I did so much work on this project in November that I didn't feel like working on it in December and January.  Now I've got 3 rows left and then I'm done.  It is a smaller afghan than I was thinking it would be not having worked from a written pattern.  But I've run out of the right colour combinations so I think I will live with it.  It is plenty large enough to snuggle up in. I originally wanted to give this afghan as a Christmas gift but that time has passed so will probably now use it on my bed.

The afghan is nearing completion. 

 

On Thursday I cancelled my acupuncture appointment.  Instead I spent the entire day looking after business for my mother.  I will be going up to see her next week and there is always a lot to do before I get there.

Friday I went to the last session of the fashion seminar.  We also had a fashion exchange and it was a lot of fun. One of the nice young ladies who gave the presentations volunteered to modify a jean skirt of mine.  In return I will make her some baked goods with chocolate or bananas. I think I will make her two different items with each of her favoured ingredients.  Saturday I walked to the library to return some books and take out others.  After that I stopped off at one of my favourite neighbourhood restaurants and had a lovely dinner of mixed meat and tofu hotpot and (fresh) lemon bubble tea.

Monday is a holiday here at home. I will be on the road to visit my mom, sort out some of her things and put some things in storage for she will be moving again and this time has a shared room.  Her space is very small but at least she can get back to where she wants to live and she is prepared to make the sacrifice. It is very cold where she lives too but is expected to warm up a bit.

When I get back I have some appointments and get togethers with friends lined up.

Since I will be away for a short while I won't be able to visit your blogs until my return. Keep well and stay warm.

Birds on a Wire

The birds are enjoying a relatively sunny day.  But it is deceptively cold.  Snow is a possibility in a few days.

Joining Skywatch Friday

Hearty Eating ~ Hamburger, Bean, Tomato Stew

Kidney beans are one of my favourite types of beans. I soaked and cooked a bag of beans earlier in the week which were used in a few different dishes.  I used the majority of the cooked beans to make a bean-tomato-hamburger stew.

Ingredients:

• 1 chopped medium onion
• chopped green tops from 2-3 leeks or a few stalks of celery or zucchini
• 3 finely chopped garlic cloves 
• 1 can stewed & diced tomatoes or use 3-4 chopped fresh tomotoes
• 1 can of tomato paste
• 1 can of water
• 2 tsp. of dried chili peppers
• a few splashes of soy sauce  
• 1-2 pounds of ground beef 

Method:

Brown the ground beef on low heat so you don't need any oil. Cook well and add a bit of soy sauce to taste and colour. Add onions, green tops from the leeks and fresh garlic and cook well. I used leek tops because I made leek and potato soup the other day and didn't want these to go to waste. I don't suggest you buy them just to use in this recipe. You can use celery or another vegetable of your choice. Zucchini would be nice.

Once the veggies are cooked you can add the large can of stewed tomatoes and the small can of tomato paste. Fill the empty large tomato can with water and add it to the hamburger and vegetable mixture.  Simmer the mixture for another 20-30 minutes.

This is quite a nice, thick hearty stew. It is not chili though if you want it hot you can certainly use a lot more chili peppers.  I think a nice dish of brown rice and/or salad would be good with this stew.  I won't be eating mine with rice because I added a bit of leftover rice from the other day right into the stew so it wouldn't go to waste.

This stew is made ahead for the week. Every week I try a different type of bean
or pulse and make meals around that particular item. Next time I will likely use green lentils.

Kidney beans are good for: cancer prevention, brain function, blood sugar, sulfite detoxification, digestive tract health, cardiovascular issues, energy levels and bone strength.  They are also high in protein (comparable to that found in meat or diary).

What about your dear reader?

Do you like kidney beans?

Changing Skies and Moving Forward

 I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one's head pointed toward the sun, one's feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death.

~ Nelson Mandela

Ever since I was a child I always had a sense of optimism and hope.  My faith in God is a big part of that.  But even before I knew what faith in God was I had a sense of optimism and looking forward to future possibilities, joy and dreams.  If I wanted to do something, I didn't think of the obstacles; only the fact that it could be done.  I realize that not everyone feels this way and I know I didn't exactly get it from my parents.  So where does the joy and hope come from?  The idea that things can get better or will improve? That all is not lost?  That there is still life to be lived?  I think it must be a gift from God himself and for that I am very blessed.  I start this new month of February feeling oh so very tired but hopeful for a wonderful month ahead.  Even baby steps in a future direction are better than no steps.

We have had a delightful winter weather-wise because we've seen more sun and had less rain than I can ever remember over the winter season. It has helped me to get my walking exercise in and I haven't suffered quite as much in the knees.  With the start of rain again I can surely notice the difference but I have hope for a brighter day ahead. My hope comes not just from my faith but also seeing some results in how I feel physically as a result of exercise, better diet, acupuncture and herbs. I am still going to sleep far too late and I'm working on trying to do better in this area.  One night though I was up so late (or early depending on how look at things) and I snapped this photo with my camera phone.

My night photos aren't the best but I love how the city lights twinkle in the dark.

The past week has also been busy with a number of things I won't write about it all but I told you in this post that I was going to attend a fashion workshop with a friend.  We went on Friday night.  There were about 17 ladies altogether.  We sat through an interactive 2.5 hour long workshop on fashion and dressing for your body type. The young ladies who gave the presentation are designers and they were a lot of fun. They brought in  all kinds of clothing and modelled them while they gave their talks.  It made for an interesting show.  Next week we are doing a clothing exchange.  Each of us has also been assigned to wear a particular colour.  No doubt the colours will illustrate why the colour is good (or bad) for us.  I've been assigned to wear magenta which I already know is a good colour for me.  But I cleared out my closets a few weeks ago so I will have to dig deep to find something suitable.

A friend I haven't seen for a long while told me he is moving out of the city, albeit temporarily. He will likely return this summer to commence a new chapter in his life by returning to university for his 3rd degree. In the meantime he is off on a holiday and for an extended visit with family members.  We had occasion to get together for coffee and reminisce a bit before he had to pack, be out of his apartment and fly off in the early hours of Saturday morning.

News of family illnesses kept me close to the phone this week. I have one cousin who was infected with MRSA a few weeks ago and has been in hospital on life support for a few weeks.  Just yesterday she was moved out of the Intensive Care Unit and into a regular ward. I have no idea how long she will be in hospital but am grateful she is on the mend and that she has the support of her church. I can't even go and visit her because she is about 1200 miles away. One of her sisters who lives even farther north had been visiting with her but unbeknownst to me was also scheduled for major surgery to remove one of her kidneys.  She underwent the surgery on Wednesday this past week and was already discharged and flew home today.

It is hard for me to believe how they could send someone so far from home on such a long journey before her stitches have even healed. My cousin lives in a very remote community where there isn't even a hospital. I just pray she will be okay. Her husband has been "holding the fort" and keeping the money coming in as my cousin couldn't work while keeping company with her sister. Living in a remote northern community can be very nice and has advantages but it is also incredibly expensive and the downside is being so far from extended family and not having any available medical or hospital facilities.  I've been praying for both of my cousins and am so happy that one of them who was so near death, has revived.  I had just talked to her in late December and was shocked that a week or so later she was struggling for life in hospital.  It really drives home how fragile life can be.

To relax a bit I've been reading more this week.  Reading is one of my favourite hobbies but I've been trying to cut it down a bit this year so I an focus on other things.  This isn't really working, lol.  This time I've picked up "Long Walk to Freedom" which is Nelson Mandela's autobiography. I decided to  read it after recently seeing the movie.  The book fills in a lot of gaps about Mandela's early life, education and political development.

This book is currently half price through Amazon or Chapters.

 
I was out and about in another part of the city the day before and took these photos for you.  This corner of the city is called Granville and Broadway.  Both of these are very prominent thoroughfares in the city and I thought it would be interesting for those of you who have never been to Vancouver to see what a typical street looks like.

This view is on Broadway facing East. Kaplan signage & building  has been there ever since I first came to Vancouver many years ago but most of the corner has changed.

Broadway Street facing East. If you carry on this way you will get to the neighbourhoods of Kitsilano and farther on you will get to the University of British Columbia.

This is the shop right on the NW corner of Broadway & Granville. Tea is sold here.  The window is reflecting Kaplan's across the street.

This is at the corner facing south on Granville Street.  Head south and you will eventually get to the Vancouver International Airport.   If you visit Vancouver and take a taxi into the city you will come down Granville Street.

The "Aristocratic" signage on the window of Chapter's Bookstore is in homage to a restaurant/diner that occupied this corner of Vancouver for decades.

Little flowers stalls like these dot the city but there don't seem to be as many of them as there once was.

This is at Granville & Broadway facing north on Granville. You can see the downtown highrises. You must cross the Granville Street Bridge to get to downtown.

Joining in with Skywatch Friday
 and
Weekend Reflections
 and
Mosaic Mondays
and
Our World Tuesday 
and
Blue Monday

Eating Healthy ~ Potatoe Leek Soup

In my quest to eat better and get healthier I am back to cooking from scratch.  The recent make was potatoe and leek soup.  This soup, and leeks in general seem to be more popular in England than it is here in western Canada.  I've never fancied leeks and though I like potatoes I don't eat as many any more. I've also never been a big fan of cream soups.

However over the past few years I crave more variety in my food adventures and I'm now more willing to try combinations of vegetables and totally new to me vegetables and find they all taste quite good.

First I scoured the internet for a general idea of how to make the soup. I checked out these recipes here and here.  As always I adapt recipes to suit my style of cooking and what I have on hand so here is what I did.

Ingredients:

• 2 large leeks washed and chopped
• 2 long celery sticks washed and chopped
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 small potatoes
• 2-3 tbsp. oil
• 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
• 7-8 cups of chicken broth

Method:

Cook leeks, celery and onions together in a large saucepan using a small amount of oil.  Let these "sweat" together until the leeks are soft (about 10 minutes).  I covered the saucepan after heating the vegetables in the pan.  Once they were warm I turned the heat down and covered the pan to "sweat" the veggies until tender.

 
Add the potatoes and chicken stock once the veggies are tender and cook until the potatoes are done.

After everything was done I blended the soup in my Wolfgang Puck blender.  My blender is like the one in the photo but is red.  These are powerful blenders of 1400 watts and work very much like a Vitamix.  I bought it on sale and mainly wanted it for juicing whole fruits and vegetables. It also makes wonderful hummus and salsa.

The soup was wonderfully creamy and quite nice in flavour. I didn't have green onions as a garnish so I used mint but didn't eat it.

This soup was very tasty. I didn't add any cream or milk so there is only the small amount of fat that you use in sauteeing the vegetables. If you are on a salt restricted diet you can look for sodium reduced broth at the store.  If that isn't an option and you have a freezer you can make your own stock and have it on hand.  

I've learned that leeks are good for relaxing the lining of the blood vessels.  This is great to help reduce risk of hypertension (high blood pressure).  Leeks also have a form of folate which is readily used and absorbed by the body. Folate is good for a number of things including, combatting inflammatory conditions (like diabetes, obesity and rheumatoid arthritis) and coronary artery disease.  Polyphenols are also found in leeks and these are antioxidants which combat a number of chronic diseases and aging. Leeks also contain Vitamins C and K and minerals like manganese and iron.  This is just a brief synopsis of the health benefits of leeks.  Pototoes also have a lot of goodness in them but I felt this post was getting rather long so I won't write about that today

Leeks sure do sound like a very valuable addition to the diet.  I will be willing to try using them in soup again or in other dishes (I'll have to research other recipes).

After I had a large bowl of potatoe leek soup, a small blood orange and a handful of nuts I was perfectly satisfied.  Even better is that my blood glucose reading an hour and a half later was perfectly normal!

I think I'll join up with Our World Tuesday this week since cooking and healthy eating seems to be making up a lot of my world these days. 

Do you eat leeks?

What is your favourite way to incorporate leeks into your meals?

A Little Update

 “With everything that has happened to you, you can either feel sorry for yourself or treat what has happened as a gift. Everything is either an opportunity to grow or an obstacle to keep you from growing. You get to choose.”  Dr. Wayne W Dyer

Hi friends,

The quote today is something I reflect on now and then as a result of my health challenges.  I can either sit and say woe is me or I can try and learn things that help me get into better health. I choose the latter.

I have not posted for a few days so I am just popping in to say "hello" and to thank those of you who have been kind enough to visit my blog this month. (I have been by to visit all of you but if by chance I have missed someone please do let me know). Where does the time go? The month is almost done and a new one beginning!

I have to get some birthday cards for friends and family who celebrate in February so I better get a move on.

Not a cloud in the sky today.

The weather here continues to be absolutely lovely. We are blessed with days upon days of sunshine and no rain. That is very unusual for us at this time of the year. I am happy to see the sun and to do without the cold and damp. I only hope it doesn't cause problems in the Spring for the water levels or for the animals.  Things that are no longer normal in the weather always seems to affect something else.

Porridge breakfast with cinnamon, pumpkin seeds and goji berries.

I had some bad news this week about my blood glucose levels (A1c).  They are higher than ever  despite all the good work I've been doing to eat healthy and get consistent exercise.

Better stress management and improved sleeping hours are areas I still have to work on.  Hopefully the coming weeks and months will see improvement in these areas too.

The good news is I have lost quite a lot of weight;  about 2/3 of the weight I gained over the past 3 years.  I also lost a couple inches from my waist (more from other areas too but I am really only tracking the waistline due to diabetes). My blood pressure which was starting to creep up is also doing much better and is right in middle of normal. Some things are obviously going in the right direction and most of this is probably attributable to exercise.   It is only a matter of time before the blood glucose cooperates.

My beautiful basket from Ghana.

Some of you might wonder about the weight gain over the past 3 years.  It was because I started having major issues with my knees.  It was really very bad for a very long time.  My health which was not so good to begin with really took a downturn when I could no longer walk.  I've been trying everything possible since then to correct the problems with varying degrees of success.  It was only in Spring 2013 when I began to walk more with the aid of walking poles.  Since then I have been out and about more than I had been in the previous few years.  I have also been diagnosed with osteo-arthritis and so am needing to shed more pounds to take the stress off the joints. Though my improvements have been slow in coming, I was encouraged by some positive news this week even though I also had bad news regarding my blood glucose levels.

I am back to tracking my blood glucose levels 8 times a day. Every now and then I go through this exercise to see what is affecting me (diet, exercise, etc.). Oh my! I had a bit of a scare. My readings were so high. In a desperate measure to try and lower the reading, I ate some romaine lettuce leaves.  It worked. Before bed my readings were actually too low.  I had to eat an apple to try and bring the blood glucose reading up a bit. That seemed to work and this morning I was more or less where I was before I went to sleep. I hope today will be less of a roller coaster.

I continue to see the acupuncture doctor and take the herbs he prescribes. Some of those herbs may also be affecting my blood sugar readings so I will keep an eye on that.  But I will continue going as I feel that ultimately it is these herbs that will bring me into balance. My primary reason for visiting the acupunture doctor is to deal with the arthritic pain.

Before Christmas I bought the lovely green basket you see in the photo above. It holds some of my yarn. As you can see it isn't nearly big enough for what I've put in it so I will move some of those balls. Believe it or not, it is very hard to find big balls of yarn were I live (I don't get to Wal-Mart) and if you do find them, your colour choices are very limited. Every now and then I find a big ball of yarn and I buy it.  I'm building up some colours for making more throws and quilts though I have no specific project in mind.

I sewed a bunch of these hexagons into strips but when I began to join the strips together they did not lie flat.

I still haven't finished the African Flower Blanket I started in November. I intended it for a gift and instead I had to buy something. The problem I ran into is how to join the hexagons so they do not bunch up.  I do not want to just join the hexagons at their points so I need some time when I am not too busy to figure things out.  I will eventually get to it but it will take some time.

My brother and I continue to wait for a room opening at the new facility so we can move my mother. In the meantime, I have a lot to deal with concerning her needs and that keeps me on the go virtually every day.  I try to make sure I can still get out and do some things for myself as well as meet up with friends besides just going to doctors and acupuncture.   I am back to cooking one night a week and next week we will do a special dinner for Chinese New Year.  Soon I will be joining another friend for a class on dressing for your body type. I have not done anything like that in awhile so it should be fun. My reading of novels and the Bible continue though I have cut down on general reading to try and focus more on the Bible. It does not always work out that way.  My crafts are also on the back burner for the time being. I am just too busy to do it all and am concentrating on diet, blood glucose monitoring, exercise and rest. Putting some things on hold is necessary to the stress management. Crafting and reading are wonderfully enjoyable and relaxing but only if I am not forcing myself to accomplish something as a result.

I hope wherever you are in the world you are enjoying yourself.