Those that know me know I have been struggling with digestive problems for quite awhile. Things really started ramping up almost 2 years ago. Since that post I also have had several ‘up all night with incredible pain’ attacks that I supposed was the gall bladder passing stones. Well finally got that ultra sound done and yep.. a very sick gall bladder.
So on 19 November 2012, I had it removed, laparoscopic surgery.
It’s been 2 weeks now and the small incisions are mostly healed, and the soreness is going away.
As to what foods I can eat without pain, well the fact is I also have inflammation (gastritis) of my stomach lining due to use of Advils over a very long period of time. This was one reason it was so hard to diagnose just what was going on with me. So I still am off coffee, chocolate, spicy food, and fried foods. I have to be careful with onions, garlic and peppers, but I am not giving them up.
They say that the lining will heal with the use of PPI (prilosec type drugs) and I have been using that one for awhile. It will be wonderful to be able to go to a potluck or out to eat and not be afraid of food. At least now I can eat knowing I won’t have one of those horrendous gall bladder attacks ever again!
Tried my hand at another dough/crust recipe. This time a tomato tart. This was a french tart dough with lots of butter, again it was a bit hard to work with as it just became to soft, but all in all it tasted and baked up great.
I put a very thin layer of Dijon Mustard on the bottom of the tart then added a bit of grated swiss cheese to help keep the dough from getting soggy (it didn’t!). I also cut and put the tomatoes on paper towels for awhile to drain.
We went up to the Arcata Farmers Market on Saturday, mainly for peaches. I got 2 lugs of Hunter Orchards peaches, Neukon Ranch were out 🙁
These are seconds but in excellent shape. My idea was to make peach chutney which I have purchased and loved. I read recipes and more recipes, for weeks, decided on one that got great reviews, and proceeded to do that, make the chutney on Sunday. Well after cooking down for 4 hours, and still only half way there, on top of adding too much vinegar (followed the recipe..but way too much), I ended up water bathing it any way.
They say that chutney will age for about 3-6 months and the vinegar will mellow. I hope so, I hate to think I wasted a whole lug of peaches on something I won’t enjoy eating.
So I also have been experimenting a bit lately with using my new food processor to make doughs. I made a great rustic dough a few weeks back for the raspberry tart. Yesterday I finally tried my hand at my first ever pie crust. Again read and read and followed the directions, but one thing is certain here, skill comes from practice and I need a lot of that!
I did manage to get a pie crust rolled out and made a peach pie. Haven’t eaten it yet, so no verdict on the crust’s taste or tenderness.. will update when it has cooled enough.
I still have half a lug of peaches, maybe I will make some cobbler, crisp, or a rustic tart later in the week.
Well it finally warmed up and we finally went up to the Alderpoint swimming hole this week. Such a joy and blissful place. The swimming was excellent. I hope to make it there at least one more time this year, it is 1 /12 hours drive one way…
Alderpoint Swimming Hole – Original watercolor by Frank Cieciorka
A friend on Facebook was talking about her Rattaouille recipe and how she cans this in a water bath with ascorbic acid. Now if you read anything online or in canning books, they all say to use a pressure canner, well I wanted to make this sauce, Rattaouille – zucchinni, tomatoes, onions, basil, garlic, and wanted to water bath it… so I did! The jars sealed nicely.. it was cooked on the stove for 1/2 hour and boiled, the jars were sterilized and then packed and water bathed for 25 minutes. There will be no problem with these!
Did I mention I splurged and finally bought a Cuisinart 11cup Food Processor! I use it almost every day. Makes making the pesto sooo much faster, and it is a far finer finish product. Not to mention the 2mm slicer for cabbage (we have lots) for slaw, or for zucchini into thin slices sauteed with garlic, butter, and olive oil –yummm. I am also using it to make dough, for rustic crust tarts, and eventually I will attempt a real pie dough. Great tool.
And today I picked the first full flat of ripe tomatoes, will get another flat in the next day or two and then we will can up some whole and crushed tomatoes.
It took a long time for summer to really be summer here, but we are in the thick of it now. And the abundance from the garden is worth it.
And last weekend we had the pleasure of being at Mary & Kevin’s wedding ceremony and reception. Another wonderful gathering of the tribe, such wonderful people, a great location (Beginnings) and great food. Thanks Mary and Kevin for sharing your day with us.
Mary and Kevin – 4 August 2012 Wedding at Beginnings
I had been looking forward to this show since it was announced in August of 2011! And it was worth the wait.
I think this makes about 30 shows over the years for me. I have never sat in the front row, been close to that, but never there. This time our tickets (which were comp-ed btw) were all the way to the back of the theater, against the wall and I was bummed. One of the ushers at the Van Duzer suggested we ask at box office for an upgrade. Russel did this, and through his wonderful personality scored us front row seats!
Interesting sitting there, so close, being able to really see Bruce and his fingers on the guitars, and watch the slight expressions cross his face.
He, as per usual, had his eyes closed more than open. Personally I think the sound would of been better back a bit, but not complaining!
There were many friends there, lots of socializing. Jenny Scheinman was in attendance, just about a week away from giving birth to her second child. I saw MJ and Iona (Bruce’s family) during the break, and got my boldness on and approached, introduced myself to MJ and she acknowledged that she had heard of me (don’t know if this was good stuff or bad LOL!). I gave her a small gift I had picked up for Iona, we had a brief exchange and it was time for the second set to start. Glad to have finally met her and got to see Iona, who seems to handle the crowds just fine.
I won’t go through the whole setlist, here’s a copy of the setlist scan that Russel grabbed off the stage after the show.
And rather than talk about the show I’ll let you listen to many of the songs:
There was a meet and greet after, the line wasn’t as long as I had seen in the past, but he did do a version of this here in Arcata 2010.
I had many friends in line and was busy talking with them while we waited. One friend and her 16 year old daughter were there. This was the daughters first time seeing Bruce, having just recently started appreciating his music (Mom’s a fan). Her mother said, “her soul was stirred” and “it was one of the highlights of her life so far” and “Ancestors” was her favorite song of all. I think this is very cool, to have a whole new generation of Bruce fans, as most of the crowd was over 40 and many over 60 easily.
And in keeping with the theme I seem to have created, when it was my turn to briefly have Bruce’s attention I had him sign a photo of the 2 of us from the late ’80s, 1989 I think, at the Zellerbach Theater in Berkeley.
Bruce Cockburn and Bobbi Wisby at Van Duzer Theater Arcata 29 April 2012
Bruce Cockburn and Bobbi Wisby at Van Duzer Theater Arcata 29 April 2012
I have to mention that the evening started out blissfully as we visited with friends, who we met first at the Arcata Theater Lounge 2010. show, and have stayed in touch through FB and brief meetups at other Bruce shows. This was the first chance we have had to converse about something besides Bruce. They have a most lovely home and I hope the friendship can continue to grow.
One of the things I love about going to see Bruce is that he has some really cool fans! And I love meeting new fans and greeting old fans, some people I only ever see at Bruce’s shows, so it almost always feels a bit like home.
Bruce Cockburn and Jan Bramlett at Van Duzer Theater Arcata 29 April 2012
Bruce Cockburn and Gillian Brown at Van Duzer Theater Arcata 29 April 2012
Oh I did I mention? He played After the Rain. And Ancestors moved me more than it ever has before.
Been a busy spring, just starting to get the veggie garden going:
The sedum is happy this time of year.
Russel got this shot of a Redwood Moth.
We went to a birthday party .. here we are in April 2012.
Seems like I never have the time and energy to work on my sites, as this one still needs a new theme..hopefully this summer when the new WP upgrade happens.
I have spent a bit of time on this site which is still in production and not ready at all for prime time, but there a few photo galleries from long ago finally housed there.
And this weekend — well we are off to see Bruce Cockburn in Arcata at the Van Duzer theater on Sunday. I am excited and longing for the juice… so hope it is a good one!