Houston, We Have a Problem . . .

. . . or maybe not. I finally have a diagnosis on my thigh pain: meralgia paresthetica. Not that I'm happy about the diagnosis, but at least I now know what it is and what I can do to alleviate the pain, which at times is quite bad. In fact, here are the most common symptoms, all of which I have in spades:

• Constant pain on the outer side of the thigh, extending from hip to knee


• Burning, numbness, or tingling in the thigh


• Bouts of shooting pain, often likened to being stung repeatedly by bees


• Hypersensitivity to touch and heat. Warm water from the shower causes stinging and burning sensation.


• Occasionally, aching in the groin area or across the buttocks


• Usually more sensitive to light touch than to firm pressure


• Aggravated by walking and standing, or prolonged sitting

So I am scheduled to start physical therapy, and I need to lose weight (no surprise there) and start walking again. The only problem is, walking is painful. But I'll do it anyway. Anything to get rid of the constant pain.

On a high note, I bought some hanging plants today, and now I'm going outside to hang them from the beam I installed on the front deck, just for that purpose!

My Dogs

Dogs are so entertaining. I have a 4-year-old Doberman named Nova and a 6-month-old Boxer named Asterisk. They're both girls, and right now they are wrestling on the floor and making the most godawful fake growls and snarls. They enjoy each other's company, and so do I. They're fun to have around and keep me from being lonely.

I don't have much news to report, so this is a fluff piece. I've included pictures to pad out this short blog post. Here are my girls.

Project Done!

It's done! I have a few odds and ends to do yet, but for all intents and purposes I’ve finished building the benches and potting table on my front porch. I still have to paint the benches and table, and clean the deck and then paint it too. But I finished inserting the last screw at 7:30 last night, 4/24. Lord knows when I'll get around to painting them all. That's for another day! I had a blast building this stuff, and now my deck looks so cool.

The long photo above is a composite picture I did in Photoshop, stitching together 6 photos, so the perspective is a bit off. It makes the bench on the right and the table on the left look considerably longer than they really are. The picture was taken from the gate leading onto the porch from the driveway. It makes my deck look huge, but it does give a decent panorama, if somewhat distorted. And yes, the wall and door really are purple. Here's a better picture, without distortion:

The long beam across the top of the benches will be used for hanging plants. The table on the left with the small bench on the end will be used for potting plants and for potluck dishes during barbecues (Think July 4th!). It will also come in very handy when lugging groceries from the car. Instead of leaving the slider open to the elements while I troop back and forth carting grocery bags, I'll be able to deposit all the groceries on the table, first, then once the car is emptied, I'll whisk the bags inside in one fell swoop.

The next picture is actually 2 photos stitched together. You can tell because the deck planks don’t line up. However, the benches are in proportion in this picture. I think it will look really nice once I get it all painted and have flower pots hanging from the beam.

I’ll probably build a gate to go between the two benches, and install handrails for the steps leading down into the side yard. But that's for a later date. Right now, I'm dreading picking colors to paint the deck and benches and table, because it will be one of those exploding projects. To backtrack, I have a new roof that clashes horribly with my house color. When I picked the roof color, I thought it would go well with my taupe house. I was appalled when the roof was done. It's reddish brown, and clashes horribly with the taupe. So I have to repaint the house. It needs it, anyway. But trying to decide on a color is so trying, and I can't paint the deck and benches until I decide on my color scheme for the house. Then I'll be able to find complementary colors for the deck, etc. And then (groan!) I'll have to repaint the cinder block wall and my intricately painted door, because purples will most certainly not go well with anything in the reddish-brown family.

WIP - a Work in Progress

I have several WIPs around the house. The term "WIP" stands for Work in Progress and rightfully belongs to the writing world, where it refers to the manuscript you're working on. For me, it means a whole lot of unfinished projects. Currently, it means the overly-ambitious deck project I'm working on, and which keeps expanding at an alarming rate.

I blame it on the miserably cold and wet winter and spring we've had: unrelenting rain and a spring with hardly any sun at all. It kept me indoors to the point of dementia. And every time we had a rare day or two of good weather I went screaming outside to roll in the dirt in my garden or some other equally physical activity.

So when the forecast a few days ago said we were going to have several days of exceptional weather, I roared into Home Depot and bought a bunch of pressure-treated lumber so I could build benches for my front deck. Then I decided to build a taller bench in one corner, to use as a potting table for when I repotted plants. Then I decided it needed to be longer, so it could double as a table for holding side dishes during barbecues. Then I decided I needed two benches, not one, since I was going to have more barbecues, meaning more people needing places to sit. Then I decided to add a third bench to the end of the potting table. Then I decided I needed to have a place for hanging plants to decorate the deck, so I hoisted a 13-foot beam above two of the benches and bolted it into place.

I'm envisioning a Babylonian Hanging Garden, steaks on the barbecue, the clink of ice cubes in glasses of Sangria, and good friends sprawled comfortably on my brand new benches while the sounds of Stevie Ray Vaughan waft from the stereo. My neighbors will sit in their mean shacks, green with envy, salivating over the delicious smells emanating from the barbie. Or so I imagine. If I ever get this WIP finished! That's a picture on the left of what I've done so far: 2 benches and the overhead beam (it's not really bent--I stitched 4 pictures together using Photoshop) The potting table will go on the left wall where the lumber is stacked. I still have to add backrests to the benches, and complete the arm rests, and then once everything's done, I'll paint the deck and benches.

I'm terrified of what I'll think up next! I'm still working on the bench project, and I have to say that it's coming along nicely, though I sometimes wish I had an extra hand for things like holding up one end of a 13-foot beam while I bolt the other end into place. On the other hand, I . . .

Oh, wait! How about if I put arm rests on my benches? Yeah, I need arm rests. And maybe I could cut out holes for cups, like they do in movie theaters!

What about you? Do you have any WIPs? If not, I envy you! *g*

Blessed are the Friends

This is a post about Susan Wiggs. (Photo on the right)

But first, let's talk about me. *g* Despite the fact I'm the perpetual optimist, I've been feeling a little down lately. The medical things are getting to me: pending hysterectomy, extreme pain (cause unknown) in my right thigh, constant coughing from allergies . . . and an I-don't-care-you're-just-a-number medical system. Yesterday, I made yet another phone call to the clinic trying to find out if my referral to a specialist had gone through. They had initially said it would take 2 weeks. It's been over 2 weeks. I found out they hadn't even started on it. As I told them 2 weeks ago, this needs to be done ASAP, since I'll be losing my medical insurance in the near future, and I want to be sure my hysterectomy is covered.

So how does Susan Wiggs figure into the picture? Well, she may not be able to build a fire under the medical system, but she sure can do things to make you feel better. Susan is a person who always manages to lift my spirits. She did that today when I opened my mailbox and saw a long, skinny package. What the . . .? And then I saw it was from Susan. Now, Susan has this quirky mind that always seems to come up with the perfect gift at the perfect time. The Screaming Monkey Christmas gift had my family in stitches. My Doberman Nova's favorite chew toy is a big green rubber thing, courtesy of Susan. The Rubber Thing has since been commandeered by Asterisk, my Boxer pup. That's Asterisk above, with the Rubber Thing. (And yes, she is sitting on Nova) BTW, a suggestion from Susan was the trigger to my naming the pup Asterisk.

So when I saw the package was from Susan, I started to laugh, knowing it would be something quirky and fun. By time I got back to the house, I'd torn off the brown paper and discovered . . . a BugZooka! (Where does she find these things???)

What's a BugZooka? Well, it's basically a bug disposal unit--a long vacuum tube that sucks up insects. Better than a flyswatter, because it doesn't leave splats on your walls or ceilings. You can either set the bugs free outdoors, or dispose of them some other way. I get these humongous hairy spiders in my bathroom that hang out over my sink or shower, keeping me from my ablutions for fear of them landing on my head. I don't know what kind of uber-spider they are, but Raid has no effect, even when sprayed directly on them. I find that exceedingly scary. And using a flyswatter is out of the question. I tried that once and it left an extremely gross mess on the ceiling. Now I have an effective means of dealing with uninvited critters in my house. I can't wait for the yellowjackets that invade my house every fall and terrorize me and my pets. Zap! Gotcha!!!

Truth in Advertising

If I were in a position of power, I would make it mandatory for food companies to package their products in a non-deceiving way. How many times have you opened a box of macaroni and cheese and discovered that 3/4 of the box is filled with air? Or opened a bag of chips to find that the contents only take up half the bag?

Today I opened a box of angel hair pasta with herb sauce. The box was 7 1/4" x 5". At the bottom of the box was a measly 1" of pasta, and a small bag of powdered seasoning. The box didn't need to be 7 1/4" tall. A 2" tall box would have been ample room for the pasta and packet of seasoning The amount of cardboard wasted on unnecessary (and deceitful) packaging was ludicrous. (See pictures below)

This has long been a pet peeve of mine. Just think how much shelving space would be saved in grocery stores if food companies sized their packaging to fit the actual contents.

End of rant. See the pictures for yourself. The ball point pen in the second picture is pointing to the 1" mark on the ruler. That's how much pasta fills the box. The rest of the box is just empty.

In the second picture, below, I've cut down the side of the box so you can see the 1" of pasta.














This is the actual size of box needed: 2" tall. The other 5" was pure waste.

The Joys of Puppy Ownership

Guess what I came home to tonight after critique group? A very happy puppy, greeting me at the door. She was just so excited to see me. She was all smiles and puppy wags. Only problem is, I locked her in her crate before I left for group tonight. Somehow, she figured out how to open the door, and oh my, did she have a good time. Yes, she pooped and peed all over the place. But she was very selective. She only pooped and peed on the rugs. She completely avoided all the linoleum. Thankfully, she did not tear anything apart.

And she got into the cat's water, so she tanked up really well. The throw rugs are now in the washing machine. I’m so glad they are machine washable, because they are expensive rugs. I'm going to have to tear out both carpets in the library. I know from long experience that it's a lost cause trying to save them with urine smells in them, and the bottom carpet is old anyway, so out it goes. The top carpet is relatively new, but it's already had a few previous accidents on it, and though I took it outside and hosed it down really well when it happened, and let it air dry in the sun for a week, it's now toast. I'm not supposed to be doing any heavy lifting, but this can't be helped. The carpets have to go. Too bad, because the top carpet was practically new.

Things could have been much worse. She could have destroyed the furniture. Terrorized the cats. Gotten into the living room with my pale oatmeal-colored carpet (a sturdy puppy gate prevented that). Now the little blighter is in her crate sawing logs after I cleaned up all the messes around the house. I guess all I can do is laugh. *g*

Here are some pictures I took today of Asterisk and Christopher playing hide & seek. For a cat, Christopher is so good natured about the puppy. He doesn't use his claws at all. Are these cute pictures or what?















(Top) Christopher on the other side of my desk, tempting Asterisk with The Paw of Death.

(Bottom) Christopher has just leaped out at Asterisk from behind the footstool with an, "AHA!"














(Top) Ready to play patty-cake

(Bottom) A pounce ready to happen

This picture cracks me up. Asterisk had been jumping at Christopher when Christopher suddenly whipped out his paw to slap her face (notice his claws are sheathed). Asterisk stopped so fast her loose puppy skin accordioned about her neck and shoulders. Too funny!

When the Warranty Runs Out

Just when you need all your body parts the most, they wear out and the warranty expires. I went to see the doc about an annoying little problem and they discovered a much more serious problem while I was there. No, it's not the Big C or anything fatal, but it is just worrisome.

I've always been healthy as a horse, so it was a shock to find out that my body is succumbing to the ravages of time. I see a specialist (actually, 2 specialists) in a few weeks, but it looks like I'll be getting a hysterectomy. I'm still shaking my head in disbelief. This sort of thing happens to other people, not me.

So I'm going into high gear with the ol' positive attitude. I'm not dwelling on the problem, but dwelling on having a healthy body. I know from long experience that the mind can work miracles, and I'm just going to keep on imagining myself healthy and whole and happy and smiling.

And that's going to be a whole lot of fun!

Puppy Shenanigans

My new Boxer puppy, Asterisk, is making overtures of friendship to Christopher the Assassin, my cat. Christopher likes dogs, and was best buddies with my old Boxer, so he's tolerating the pup pretty well.

The picture above Shows Asterisk under my desk, trying to reach Christopher. And Christopher knows that the puppy can only get her head and front feet through that little hole at the bottom, so he is sitting tantalizingly close, just to tease the puppy. Animals are so entertaining.

I happened to have the camera on the corner of my desk today, so I was fortunate enough to catch a cute picture of Christopher sitting atop the desk, peering sneakily down at Asterisk, who was under the desk. A moment after I took that picture, an unsuspecting Asterisk moseyed out from under the desk and suffered the indignity of a series of rapid-fire slaps to the head (no claws) from Christopher, who'd been hovering like a vulture waiting for the chance to nail her.

Christopher thought it was great fun, but it startled the daylights out of Asterik, who thought the demons of Hell had landed on her head. It was hilarious watching Christopher planning his attack and waiting in tense expectation for Asterisk to get in range. I love my animals. They're better than TV.

An Ordinary Day

Today I cleaned the barn, which was very satisfying. The horses hung out with me and offered advice over their stall doors. Asterisk (my Boxer) and Nova (my Doberman) played King of the Mountain on the bales of hay. It was hilarious, and had me laughing out loud several times. The dogs were having such a good time playing like silly kids while I laughed at them. I wish I'd had my camera with me.

It was fun puttering around in the barn. I had the radio going, and it was (for once!) almost like spring outside. We've had so much rain, snow, sleet, and hail since January that any day we get dry weather is a treat.

Right now it's 10:15 p.m. and I'm getting ready to work on a client's manuscript. The dogs are sacked out, tired after a hard day playing. All is right with the world.

Recipe: Sunday Spinach

I just finished a plate of creamed spinach that was divine. It's the first time I tried this recipe, and it's a keeper! Without further ado, here is the recipe.

SUNDAY SPINACH

Two 10-oz pkgs frozen chopped spinach

6 T finely minced onion

1/4 c. melted butter

1 tsp salt

3/4 tsp black pepper

2 T cream cheese

6 T grated Parmesan cheese

6 T heavy cream

Tabasco sauce (optional)

Italian bread crumbs

Cook spinach according to package in unsalted water. Drain well. Saute onions in butter. Add drained spinach, salt, and pepper to taste. Pour in cream. Add cheeses and Tabasco sauce. Mix well. Before serving, place in baking dish and top with buttered Italian bread crumbs and bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Freezes well.

Note: when I make this again, I think I'll reduce the onions to 5 T. instead of 6, and increase the cream to 8 T. instead of 6. I like onions, but I thought they almost overpowered the spinach. Regardless, it turned out really superior.

Recipe: Sherrie's Creamed Chicken & Noodles

If you wonder why there are so many recipes with my name on them, it's because they are my own inventions. It's a bit egotistical, but hey, I want credit for my daring inventions! We won't talk about the epic failures, of course. And speaking of epic failures, check out the picture on the left. What happened to the broad's nose??? And I guess she's such a good cook she doesn't need to see what she's doing, because her eyes are obviously closed!

This is another recipe you can make, using chicken baked with my special chicken seasoning (see earlier posts). This is a very hearty and filling meal, with a trace of spicy hot from the Mrs. Dash seasoning. But only a trace. No burned mouth linings!

SHERRIE'S CREAMED CHICKEN & NOODLES

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts baked with Sherrie's Sensational Chicken Seasoning. Remove hot chicken from pan and set aside to cool a little.

While chicken is cooling, mix 1 pkg Country Gravy mix with 1 c. water and 1 1/2 c. milk. Add to pan drippings. Bring just to boil, stirring often.

Cube or shred chicken and return to pan/gravy. Mix well.

Serve over egg noodles or white rice. This will really stick to your ribs.

Recipe: Sherrie's Chicken Salad

After you have baked chicken using my chicken seasoning (see previous post) let it cool, then cube and place in bowl, along with all the pan drippings (mostly the seasoning that came off the chicken).

Mix with Best Foods Real Mayonnaise. Serve on toast for a sandwich, or on a bed of lettuce as a salad.

Optional additions to the salad: chopped celery, mild chopped onion (easy on the onion), Thompson's seedless grapes.

If using as a salad, the Thompson's seedless grapes (the green ones) are awesome. They provide a wonderful complement to the chicken.

Recipe: Sherrie's Sensational Chicken Seasoning

After much testing, I came up with my own kind of chicken seasoning, which I make in large batches and store in my spice cupboard in shaker bottles. I also give it away for Christmas because it seems to be so popular.

I'm sorry I can't give exact measurements. Seasonings are highly personal, so I suggest you do what feels right for you.

SHERRIE'S SENSATIONAL CHICKEN SEASONING

4 bottles Mrs. Dash salt-free seasoning, original blend

Kroger Spice Classics poultry seasoning. If you can't find, then substitute with sage, onion powder, & coarse ground black pepper, or use Kroger Grill Time chicken seasoning (go easy--salt is 2nd ingred)

Oregano

Granulated garlic

Empty all 4 bottles Mrs. Dash seasoning into bowl. Save the bottles. Then, add generous amounts of the other ingredients as per taste (go easy on garlic). Mix well and, using a funnel, refill the empty Mrs. Dash bottles. Replace shaker tops, screw lids down tight, and return to pantry. To avoid confusion, I use masking tape to cover the original Mrs. Dash labels and write "chicken seasoning" on the tape. I save my shaker-top spice bottles to re-use for my chicken blend, so I always have extra bottles around.

When using on chicken, I rinse boneless, skinless chicken breasts in water, and put in baking pan dripping wet. Then I liberally coat both sides of chicken with seasoning, add a little bit of water to the pan to keep the chicken moist, put a lid on the pan, and bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. I have waterless cookware, so the lids form a tight seal and baking the chicken that long doesn't dry it out. In fact, halfway through baking, I turn the chicken over and return to oven. When done, the seasoning provides a very tasty crust to the chicken. And because the seasonings are low salt, the chicken isn't overpowered with sodium.

Tomorrow and the next day, I'll post recipes for using chicken cooked with Sherrie's Sensational Chicken Seasoning. *g*

My New Puppy

I have a new Boxer puppy! Since I run an editorial business, I wanted to name her something vaguely related to words, punctuation, etc. So I think I'm going to name her Asterisk (Aster for short). And what's really fun is that I can refer to her as * when writing to friends! She is a barrel of fun, as all puppies are, and she and my Doberman, Nova, get along great. Poor Nova puts up with a lot from Asterisk, who frequently insists on sitting on Nova's back.

They play a lot in the yard, and I'm thankful that the first week I had her, the weather was sunny and dry. That helped a lot with potty training. I could also leave her outside in the fenced yard with Nova to play with for an hour or so several times during the day. When I brought her in, after playing hard, she slept in her crate with no problem.

But now that it's raining cats and dogs, things have become more trying for Asterisk. She does her business on the deck *sigh* instead of going down into the yard, and unless Nova is out with her to encourage her to play, she sits huddled in a miserable mass in front of the door. So, like a trooper, I don coat and go outside with both dogs and hang out with them for 30-45 minutes or until my coat is soaked through. Once they get to playing, dogs don't care about rain. And I admit that once I am outside with the dogs, I don't mind it either.

It's been four years since Nova was a puppy, and I'd forgotten how much work it is to housebreak a puppy. In Asterisk's case, I had to section off part of her crate to keep her from peeing in it. The crate is a little too large for her, meaning she can pee in one end and then sleep in the other.

She was very unhappy with me after I sectioned off the crate. She can stand, turn around, and lie down, but if she pees, she has to sleep in it. I've also begun restricting her water after 9 p.m., and it seems to be working. Sort of. I also let her out once in the middle of the night, so I'm sure that helps.

All in all, I'm thrilled to have a new puppy. Do you have a puppy? Or a dog? If so, how did the housebreaking go?