I rose multiple times as I am still recovering, and normal has been found. I sleep a few hours, then get up and prove hydration or that the pills that cause the poo to flow without pushing (much) are working. After that, I will need some painkillers as this is about balance and restoring it. Those are eight hours apart, but I don’t want (like I have right now) to have the pain of moving to the surface and being contained in my thinking. Tonight, I was nearly sleepless as the pain came and stayed. Interestingly, the pain is different and seems more about bruises and discomfort; it may be another improvement.
Linda, my sister who is staying and caring for me, checked on me at about 8, as I had gotten up at 4-5 and then crashed for three to four hours. I woke tired and feeling weak, and soon rose and climbed into the comfy chair in the living room with a blanket. Next, I made, it is not that hard, steel-cut oats on the stove top with little of Linda’s help. You measure oats and a pinch of salt, put in a pan with water, heat, and let cook on low for twenty minutes or so. Dondrea was happy to hear I was cooking today, a love we share, and we both love steel-cut oats.
The thrush (I think it is thrush) in my mouth makes eating anything a trial, but I managed half a bowl with the addition of some brown sugar, walnut pieces, and raisins. It is Memorial Day, and Linda is surprised by the military overflights, but there are parades all over, and the military provides a flyover for many. The Pacific War (1941-45) was fought here, and many Americans were surprised by our attention to detail. The thousands of sailors who died in this theater were local sons, husbands, and even wives and daughters. It was a total war here. The torpedoed merchant just off the coastal cities are still commanded by the locals whose ships they were.
Moving away from the sad holiday, I put on Grease—yes, that one (ENJ and JT)—and once again marveled at how good it was and also at how dated some of the dance moves were. Stockard Channing steals the show, as always, while John Travolta makes it all look easy. Today, I am already running out of steam, and it is just soon.
Matt V also comes by to see me. He has no symptoms but wears a mask, as he is fresh from an Alaska Cruise with his wife, Nikki. She managed to work from the ship and also do all the fun things. Matt said it was a sort of perfect trip for them. Matt is retired, but Nikki is enjoying a revitalization of her career and wants to keep working for a while. It pays the bill!
Matt V, after checking with Nikki, will arrange to drive me to Northern California. Natash’s wedding party is near San Jose, Matt’s old stomping grounds, and we have been meaning to travel together, so Matt will make all the arrangements. Originally, I asked Corwin, but let’s go with the two retired guys on the road instead.
I have two roses that need to be planted, and Matt is happy to make a hole and put them in it. He will be back on Tuesday for that, as he will bring his own gloves. Linda and Matt decided where to put them.
Thanks, MattV! Exhaustion soon took over, and Matt left with a plan for the next couple of weeks. Excellent!
Linda served a salad for lunch, and the Caesar dressing burned my mouth some. I ate the cheese anyway and finished the bowl with croutons. I have probably racked up a few hundred calories, and this may be a high for me in a week. Everything burns my nearly empty energy level, so it has been hard to want to eat everything. I want instead to just rest and go slow, very slow.
Aside: Yes, I know. Eat! But it sucks with mouth pain and the energy levels draining away so fast. I try to sleep, but I am beyond that now. Sleep will be about comfort now, and that is hard to find. Yes, another page has turned, but this is get’r’done page and is hard.
Having done a musical, I go for the next Doctor Who episode; Matt seemed to think (we talked about shows to watch) it was at least pretty. It was a dark, terminal story, scary, mysterious, and sad. After watching, Linda had many questions about the Police Box, which I answered but likely left her with little new information. The standalone stories can be some of the best stuff you see on Doctor Who, especially the scary ones, and I thought it was good. An acquired taste, so it is recommended to a connoisseur of Who.
The Moroccan Preserved Lemons and olives (with pits!) were delivered from Amazon. Linda would cook while I would direct. I was failing, but Moroccan dinner was planned, and I was going to get it made, or, well, Linda would. We had three chicken breasts to split, but first, we would slip into American cooking. One green pepper was cut up, and a matching amount of onion and celery was chopped. This was put in my large Dutch Oven and cooked in olive oil on the stove. This is known as the Trinity, but we did not include The Pope (garlic). This is always a good base–we have plenty of flavor. I don’t want browned, but sweated. Two salty lemons were sliced for the meal. Fingerling potatoes were added, as were rough and large cuts of carrots (I love them large and meaty). The lemon followed with handfuls of olives.
Finally, raw chicken was layered and then liberally (how else in my kitchen?) sprinkled with Ras al hanaout, a spice powder from North Africa. I bought some packs in Marrakesh, and while this powder is meant for lamb or beef, I used it on chicken. This went into a 450 Convection Roast oven in The Stove’s second oven.
We then took a bottle of couscous sauce —I have no recipes or even good sources for this—and heated it slowly in a pan. While looking like a red pasta sauce, it is something else and hints at olives, lemons, and other African flavors. This sauce is recommended for grain-like couscous and brighter flavors. That heated slowly and politely for an hour.
Couscous takes no time. We made a lot. I season it with Gram Masala, almond slices, and cardamom. I toast the grain in a hot pan with butter and cook the spices to make them stand out. Once the butter is gone and the grain darkens, just pour on hot water. Done. It will be set in a few minutes. Get some chicken on the cutting board and slice.
Take the couscous and put it in a bowl. Add the carrot, olives, potatoes, and juices from the pot. Cover with the now-cooked but still bright couscous sauce. Top with sliced chicken still brown with the Ras al hanaout. Try not to come back for thirds! Watch out for pits!
Linda loved cooking together and then getting to eat it, too; that was better! It is the first dinner I have finished in a week.
I slipped into old habits today and put on PBS news, and the world angered me again. I listened to many angry people telling me what I should believe. I happen to know that this conflict, let’s call it the Middle East, is a century old, having been created in the mess of the end of World War I. I happen to know that if you bomb and kill long enough, you will destroy your enemy despite claims to the opposite, but you may also plant the next enemy. While some would claim that this is total war (which side doesn’t matter), the civilians are not to be victims of new atrocities; this is agreed to by all outside of the conflict. Thus, I am angered that more civilians were exchanged for, I am sure, the most blood-stained of people. The IDF official who explained the deaths was clear: the price, to them, was worth it. How terrible to be here. I have no answers, just tears, and in my mind’s eye, I look for a way away from this most terrible place the conflict has arrived at.
Aside: My Jewish friends, you are in my thoughts and prayers, too.
Also, on the news, the Democratic polling suggests our candidate (I am a liberal and a Democrat) is old, uninteresting, and not what anyone wants. Yup. The only thing we have in our corner is that their candidate makes ours look good (some of you might disagree). The conflict above, the higher prices, and just grumpiness have Americans relooking at Trump. The election will be a close one, according to folks who sell polls. Buy more.
After being depressed and happy (Americans having doubts about Biden reassures me–yes, I am voting for him, but still), I went to bed early after managing to shower. My shower has a built-in seat, and I use it now as it is safer and leaves me with some energy left. As I wrote at the top, sleep and rest did not come.
Thanks for reading. Please pray for peace!
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