So...whats for dinner?

eric95us

Dementia is such a cruel disease, as everyone who deals with it, already knows. Sometimes I wonder if Job was actually taking care of someone with dementia....

I had to go outside with the dogs. Sharon is getting banjo lessons, the teacher is allergic to dogs and that seems to make the dogs more anxious to greet him.

The dogs are quiet if I'm out there with them, but are extremely noisy if they are stuck outside "unsupervised".....so I was out weeding the lawn...using an all metal framing hammer (like a claw hammer, but with less curve to the claw part). The "claw" part is good for levering out the tap root.

Moonflwr912

Carole, so sorry about your Mom. Its hard to say goodbye, but you and your DS did all you could. Hugs.

Lacey sounds like you have your hands full again. Prayers that all go well for the pregnant ones.

Nance heal fast.

We are beginning to watch the grand children 2 days a week. Im glad my DH is retired, because Im not sure I could take them, if we couldnt tag team it! LOL.

Supper tonight was pulled pork. They had some good sales, so cooking 5 lbs or 10 isnt any different. So 10 lbs of pork went into the oven and turned out amazing. More smudges on the cookbook page! LOL. Dinner for many nights. I wll freeze some, serve it on Thursday for supper when my DD2 and DGD1 and 3 will be over for supper. Im trying to decide whether Ill send her home with enough for another meal, or selfishily keep it for ourselves in the freezer. LOL.

Moonflwr912

The littles we are sitting for.

ChiSandy

Nancy, here's to clear vision. Was amazed how "blue" the color blue actually was. Bob remarked it was like seeing in 3D again.

Lacey, so sorry for the imminent loss of your brother, and the way it's happening.

West Side Story was great. The Puerto-Rico themed dinner afterward in the Opera House's restaurant was a salad, lobster deviled eggs with saffron aioli, and choice of either coconut shrimp in island-fruit curry or skirt steak with chimichurri & plantains. (We got both and shared).

Saw The Who last night at the Hollywood Casino Amphiteatre (formerly First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre, formerly the Tweeter Center, formerly the World Music Theatre) in far SW suburban Tinley Park. We had pavilion seats but still froze in the 50F cold and howling wind. (I wore a t-shirt under a denim jacket under a hooded leather parka). Pete Townshend & Roger Daltrey were gobsmacked at how cold it could be in Chicago in "almost f---in' JUNE!" At one point, Daltrey had to don a down puffer jacket during the set. Couldn't understand (still can't) how someone could pay $200 for a seat and drive 50 miles each way just to keep getting up and going to the concessionsto get another beer (in the freezing cold). The concert was amazing nonetheless. Didn't have dinner till after I dropped Gordy off (he had thawed pork chops he needed to cook) because I wanted to get home ahead of the worst of the storm.

Today? It hit 83, even here by the lake. Used my gas grill for the first time since Oct.--grass-fed ribeye, Caesar salad, brown rice-black quinoa blend.

carolehalston

Lacey, I'm sorry about your brother.  His story is certainly a sad one.

Joyce, I hope your mother can continue to enjoy some quality of life as my mother did right up to the end.

Eric, I'm glad you're feeling better.  We all forget how miserable it is to be ill until we experience illness and promise ourselves we will be grateful when we return to good health.  How soon we forget to be thankful for feeling good.

DH and I travelled to Hayti, MO, on Tuesday and then on to Decatur, IL, yesterday.  We're staying a couple of days with his sister Bonnie and her husband.  Bonnie has battled amyloidosis, a rare disease with some similarity to cancer, for eight years and is now on oxygen 24/7.  Her life and her husband's revolves around medical care.

Last night we had dinner at their country club.  I had a Caesar salad with slivers of steak and enjoyed it.  Dh had one of the "specials" on the Wednesday menu, a hamburger steak with sautéed onions and selection of sides.  I'm feeling fat and bloated and am determined to lose some of the weight I've gained during the past several months.  Being a lapsed WW'er hasn't worked out well.

I think we will be going to a Mexican place for dinner tonight.  I see a taco salad in my future.

Tomorrow we plan to resume travel to MN with the hope that the weather has improved by the time we get there.

carolehalston

Forgot to say to Nance that cataract surgery brought an improvement to my life with better vision.  I had the surgery in my late 50's.  The world seen with clarity was amazing.

auntienance

Safe travels Carole, and I hope the weather is good for you. We've had some scary stuff here. A tornado hit the state capitol of Jefferson City (too bad it didn't hit our corrupt legislature) with significant damage but no loss of life as of yet anyway. We've had some of your colder temps too Sandy with nights in the 40s, but all in all more warm days than not.

I'm excited that I can see as good without glasses in my new eye as well as I can out of the old eye with glasses (If that makes sense). But until I get the other eye done in two weeks, everything's blurry with glasses. And that's my excuse for any typos in this post.

Tonight is shaking beef, a couple of (small) spring rolls and maybe some soba noodles.

Beaverntx

Nance, makes perfect sense to me! I well remember the time between cataract surgeries #1 and #2. However, I could continue to wear a contact lens in the non operated eye but it felt a bit unbalanced as the vision in the operated eye was so much clearer and brighter. The improvement is so immediate that I drove myself to the surgeon's office the day after the second surgery! Enjoy your bright new world (in a couple of weeks).

Carole, wishes for safe travels and good weather ahead.

eric95us

My grandmother had her cataract surgery in her late 80s. She was absolutely thrilled at the results.

I've been hearing/reading about the tornadoes. Stay safe everyone....please....

Lacey12

Nance, I’m impressed with how well you are adapting to that “in between cataract procedures” period. I recall it to be a wacky time, and the obsessional drops routine was so consuming. The main memory I have of that process is that my vision “tone” went from sepia to antiseptic bright. When I mentioned it to the doc, he said that he has an 80 something patient who does not want to give up her sepia tone vision. I kinda miss mine....but decided to have the surgery to sharpen my night driving vision, since I drive frequently enough when it’s dark out.

I hope your trip is going well, Carole, and that everyone is safe from all the tornado activity. Such scary, crazy weather patterns!

We are heading to the lake as soon as I finish packing. DH just gave me the bad news that black flies are in abundance there....hopefully the association meeting on the beach will be short!

Last night’s dinner after spending the day planting flowers and doing a bit of garage clean up, was a piece of leftover pizza and a cup of red grapes and walnuts. DH heated up the pizza. I didn’t miss salad making a bit! I’ve made no plans for dinners at the lake.

Eric, I’ve never heard of non-Lewy Body Dementia. Will google it. I fully intend to discuss my concerns about memory ability (I am struggling to recall names these days) at my annual physical this month. Kinda scary, especially after witnessing what my DB has gone through.

I hope everyone enjoys the long weekend

eric95us

I re-read the report and I think that the "non" in the Non Lewy Body Dementia is meant to convey "It's a dementia but there was no evidence of Lewy Bodies" and the "non" part was put in at the end after many other possibilities were investigated.

I know the researchers were quite appreciative of mom's donation.

Regardless of the exact cause...dementia is horrible.

ChiSandy

Nancy, my ophthalmologist suggested I just remove the lens for the operated eye from my glasses, but I thought that'd look too weird, so I had a plano (non-Rx) one put in for those next couple of months before I did the other eye. After the second one, I simply went without glasses other than shades (which I did wear after I had a hematoma in the first eye in the week post-op, lest I scare little kids--I simply looked like I was dodging paparazzi); at 3 wks I was able to be refracted and my prescription adjusted (20/10 in one eye, 20/20 in the other, plus reading correction). Not for one minute did I miss my "sepia-toned" vision--it was a joy to see clearly again, especially faces and objects (like my guitar's fretboard) that were strongly backlit.

Last night Whole Foods got in its first shipment of fresh wild Copper River salmon--pricey but I could afford a small tail piece. Soaked a cedar plank for an hour and baked it on the grill over indirect heat. Snap peas and brown rice/black quinoa completed the meal.

Tonight Bob got home early; he declared we should eat early before tonight's predicted storms were to hit. He said his clogged sinuses were numbing his taste buds, so he wanted something spicy in order to be able to taste it (no objections from me). We went to Tiffin, our favorite non-veg. Indian restaurant along the Indo-Pak Devon Ave. strip. Had a mixed app plate (samosa, veg. pakoras, cauliflower, potato pattie, tandoori chicken breast and seekh kabab, plus pappadums, raita and chutneys). Bob had Mulligatawny soup (I passed on it, since I had a humongous tuna-on-kaiser sandwich for brunch). We shared the house special biryani (lamb, chicken, shrimp) and a poori (puffy tandoori bread). Dessert was kulfi (unchurned ice cream): "pista" (pistachio, the house special) for me and mango for Bob. Took the bus(es) home ahead of the storm (Bob walked the last half-mile instead of waiting for the second bus--even with the wait I beat him by 5 min.). We have quite a bit of leftovers. The waiter asked "medium spicy?" and we nodded--alas, it turned out to be almost mild. We used up all the green chutney. Next time, we'll specify "Indian spicy." We saw no non-Asians dining tonight, but Indians tend to have dinner very, very late. (We've been to a few Indian buffet banquets hosted by his colleagues--appetizers no earlier than 8:30 and entrees served at 10:30; by dessert time, past midnight, we were almost too sleepy to drive home).

eric95us

I'm sure you've seen the joke about the Texas Chili Cook Off Judge's notes. :-)

Lacey12

Thanks for that clarification, Eric. And it makes more sense to me now that I’ve “google-reviewed“ all the types of dementia. It is clearly ongoing research in an emerging field as scientists try to better understand the brain. As I read about Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus, with which he was first diagnosed, I am still wonderfing if he will be found to have that rather than LBD after a future brain autopsy. The clarity will come depending on the presence of the “Lewy bodies”, which your mother, fortunately, did not have.

Somehow, after DB’s wife inexplicably (to us) decided to abandon the docs at the prominent hospital where he worked and was dxd, she found a local doc who made this LBD dx. There are some very prominent features of LBD that he has never displayed which leaves me wondering about her latest favored dx. We may never know if she chooses not to share any future autopsy findings. In any event he has gone through hell and I keep hoping for his peaceful passing... sooner rather than later. It’s all a very complicated, undignified ending for a very dignified, patriotic driven, decent man.

We arrived at the lake to swarms of mosquitoes and black flies....somehow we have missed that plague for most Mem Day weekends up here. Am guessing the recent rains helped the buggers propagate. Our association meeting is scheduled to be held on the beach late this afternoon, followed by a welcone back social. Hmmmmm....staying in might be in my cards. My allergies have been so bad that I hate the idea of adding fly bites to my already itchy skin.

We opened the house to a pipe leak under the sink and since there is no Eric living next door here, and the plumber would not be able to come until today, we were waterless in the kitchen. Good excuse to eat out after the trafficky drive. We both had broiled haddock with really nice fresh sides of Greek salad and a bowl of broccoli each. Brought some baklava home for dessert.

ChiSandy

My primary care doc once "caught" a case of NPH in a patient when other docs had dx'ed dementia. A shunt was put in just in time for the patient's gait and speech to return to normal.

My doc is a great diagnostician--when the cardiology dept. at Evanston Hosp. tried every imaging test in the book to explain some near-syncopal episodes not during but just after stopping exertion, and everything came up normal, he had a hunch and used just a stethoscope and had me do a "Valsalva" maneuver to correctly dx "intermittent mitral valve prolapse with PVCs," confirmed on a color Doppler with me doing the Valsalva. I asked him how to treat it, and he said "make sure you have somewhere soft to fall on if you start to get dizzy. At our age, s**t happens."

auntienance

Am I the last one to get my cataracts removed lol? Thanks to everybody for your tips and experiences. I'm now trying to figure out if Medicare will contribute to a new pair of glasses if they're not just reading glasses.

Today has been spent washing windows as part of the big clean up. So many windows - 26 and two sliding glass doors! Needless to say, we're only half done. To be fair, we got a late start. Getting these finished will be a big chunk of what needs done.

Tired, so grilled hamburgers and corn on the cob, with a handful of some really good red grapes as an appetizer.

ChiSandy

Medicare (Parts B or D) don't cover glasses--nor does it cover the "refraction" (vision measurement) exam. Part B supplements don't either. Some "Medicare Advantage" plans (aka "Part C" that combine a supplement--usually a closed-panel HMO--with your Part D prescription insurance) do include vision, dental & hearing--but you are limited to their preferred providers (including opticians).

auntienance

I have an advantage plan that covers a pair of "regular" glasses after cataract surgery. What I'm trying to figure out is if I need something other than "regular" (which I'm assuming is single vision) will they cover any part of it. So far, I've gotten two different answers from my insurer (sigh!) This seems to be SOP for this plan. So far I haven't figured out how to reach the person that actually knows the right answers.

MinusTwo

Oops - just lost a long post. No Nance you're not the last. I haven't have cataract surgery and likely won't this year either.

Lacey: Thanks for sharing about your brother. What a nightmare. I don't remember worrying about things like flies & bugs when we were kids. But we probably never sat still enough. Times have changed. We never wore sun screen. The first 'sun tan lotion' was Sea & Ski, then Coppertone, but they had no protection. My Dad put vinegar on sun burns. No one wore a hat except old people ... and now I'm one of those (you can tell I wasn't raised in the South as a "Southern lady". We used to put Absorbine Jr. on mosquito bites, but now the composition has changed and it doesn't work as well. When my son went to the Scout Sea Base in Florida 30+ years ago, the acquired wisdom was to slather yourself with Avon Skin So Soft to repel the 'no-see-ums'. Wonder how might work with black flies?

auntienance

We have a May pestilence around here called "buffalo gnats" (which I think are nothing more than baby black flies) that are HORRIBLE. They breed prolifically in wet springs and usually disappear when the weather gets hot in June. Because we had a colder later spring I'm hoping they don't stick around longer than usual. You cannot spend any time at all outside without them flying in your nose, ears, mouth and eyes. There's a plant based repellant sold around here called "Buggins" which does a pretty effective job but you have to apply it fairly often. I have an old hat and shirt that I spray the stuff on so I don't have to actually put it on my skin. It's a rather odd fragrance called vanilla mint and rose. You might try it Lacey for the black flies.

Lacey12

Thanks for the Black Fly repellant advice! I used a spray I found in my beach bag named, “Nantucket Spider Backpacker” which is similar to locally made sprays that leave one smelling like a cedar plank laced with many spices. And yes, it needs to bevreapplied often. I should have worn an overlay of a shirt sprayed with it...the flies became brutal as we “associated” over apps and drinks after the business meeting.

For dinner we reconnected with our long time friends here (who winter in FL now) over take out pizza and my many lettuce and veggie salad with vinaigrette dressing. I requested we eat in so we could also watch the NBA Eastern Conf finals. Felt badly for the Bucks, but happy for Toronto who will go to the NBA finals for first time ever. I doubt anyone can handle the Warriors machine tho. Am kinda relieved the Celts don’t have to face them!

More torrential rain here tonight...so the blk flies and mosquitoes will be thriving in all the pools left.

Nance, I vaguely recall that my Medicare insurance had a plan for glasses after cataract surgery but that may not have been relevant for my needed bi-focals. So therecwas no actual benefit! Glasses purchasing is tres frustrating! I hope you reach an informed ins agent.

ChiSandy

Nancy, if you don't have astigmatism (I still do, alas) you could probably just get drugstore reading glasses (or probably even cheaper from Zenni) and use your Medicare advantage for distance if you still need distance correction. Or, if you can see well enough to drive, get prescription readers as your "regular" pair. I think by "regular" they might include standard bifocals or progressives too, as opposed to sunglasses or prism lenses to correct double vision; or standard polycarbonate lenses as opposed to ultra-high index (very thin for strong prescriptions), blue-light-blocking, photochromic, ultra-non-reflective or HD progressives (e.g., those "Essilor lens packages"). Ask them specifically.

Dinner tonight was a sauteed soft-shell crab with mango salsa; grilled Vidalia onion; grill-roasted honey-curry carrots; and a spring salad of snap peas, radishes & cucumbers with citrus vinaigrette, plus a sesame Kaiser roll. WIll make more salmon tomorrow night, along with the first ramps of the season and perhaps green Romesco broccoli. Hope I can use the grill again tomorrow, as storms are forecast. (We dodged them today). It made it up to 85, but after the rains push through overnight we'll barely make it above 60. Back on the seesaw...

carolehalston

Last night's dinner was our first evening meal at Pine Hollow Resort.  A thick ribeye and small white boiled potatoes with butter and sour cream.

It's quite chilly here with temperatures dropping into the 40's at night.  Great sleeping but not comfortable for morning coffee until the heat pump warms up the interior of the 5th wheel.  So far today it's not a pretty sight outside.  Overcast and damp from last night's rain.

My grocery bill yesterday was $348 but that did include some non-edible items.  

MinusTwo

Carole - glad you're safely installed in your summer place - even if it's not summer weather.

I took my niece to a great play yesterday afternoon. One of the things it focused on is the difference between "real" books and electronic media. Early in the play the guy (who is 15 years younger) picks up a book, puts to his nose and says "smells like a library". Once the women gives in & publishes her book as an 'e-book', rather than the hard cover copy she always dreamed of seeing on her bookshelf, she picks up the tablet and smells it. Funny moment.

Afterwards my nephew and their 3 yr old daughter met us for dinner. I had delicious scallops on a wonderful, creamy risotto. Nephew had a vegetarian pizza and niece had a lovely piece of peppered rare ahi tuna. Amazingly the 3 year old joined in the conversation & ate for over two hours as we sat over drinks, appetizers, the meal, and then dessert. (her drink was milk) She discovered she loved fried calamari when she found they were sort of like french fries & I let her pick them up. And polished off the creme brule with mixed berries on the top when I suggested it was like pudding.

eric95us

I very much prefer real books over e-books.

That is an amazing 3 year old! :-)

Sharon's allergies were driving her crazy today and she didn't feel like eating. I wasn't hungry tonight either so I jate just an apple for dinner.

auntienance

Quiche Lorraine tonight with the addition of a little broccoli that was languishing in the fridge. Also a simple side salad with a light vinaigrette. After a rather large barbecue dinner (ribs and chicken) for friends yesterday, I'm tired of meat and craving fruits and vegetables.

Still window washing, but only 8 left. The window is the easy part, it's the cleaning of the tracks that is so tedious. Also the fact that all but 4 of the windows are oversized.

I'm an e-reader fan although I perfectly understand the appeal of a "real" book. With the e reader, I can make it brighter, the print bigger and carry more with me on trips. I can look up a foreign language word or obscure definition without losing my place. DH has a kindle, which he uses, but prefers an actual book in hand.

Hope the weather warms up for you Carole and that the black fly and mosquito hatches don't plague you!

carolehalston

Scallops over risotto.  Sounds wonderful.

I am an e-books fan.

Last nights dinner was pan fried chicken breast fillets, breaded in seasoned bread crumbs.  Steamed asparagus with lemon juice and butter.  And a salad with bagged salad greens, split cherry tomatoes, blue cheese and Kalamata olives, halved.  Dressing was EVOO and white wine vinegar.  

Tonight will be Nathan's wieners, one for me and two for dh, Bush's baked beans, and a salad with the same salad greens as last night.  

A neighbor gave me fillets from two walleye fish he caught today.  I would have cooked them tonight but have no fish fry.

ChiSandy

Last night we'd planned to go out to McCormick's & Schmick's for seafood, but the weather gods had other ideas. (Storm up here, tornado warning in Oak Lawn at Christ Hospital, from where Bob called me before going to the storm shelter in the basement). After the storm, he went to Whole Foods for a beer and asked what I'd like him to bring home. I had only one piece of Copper River salmon in the fridge, so I asked him to get another one and whatever veg & starch looked good at the hot & salad bars.

He came home with Icelandic farmed salmon instead--the guy at the fish counter was apologizing like crazy that after the price of the Copper River came down ten bucks, it sold out; he didn't want to sell it to him because it's so "inferior to the wild stuff." Well, it was delicious--I pan-seared both pieces (the farmed to 125F, the wild to 120). Bob brought home a grilled romaine heart in Caesar dressing, some raw kale/cranberry salad, grilled asparagus and vegan mac & cheese. (It was good, but I'm still figuring out how they could do it with no real "cheese" or cream). I gave him the lion's share of the sides, and for my starch I nuked the leftover biryani (which still had a chunk each of lamb & tandoori chicken).

No idea what I'm going to do about dinner tonight. Had an iced mocha, a strawberry and a donut at 5 pm and am still quite full.

eric95us

I've been listening to the reports of the storms. Test daughter's parents are visiting in Ohio about 15 miles from one set of storms.

Be safe everyone.

Chi, I like Bob's idea....after the storm, have a beer! :-) The last storm I was dealt with, I was deployed....so no beer after the storm. :-)

I'm reveling in the cool (for Phoenix) weather and I'm taking advantage of it for my painting--the paint works best if it remains below 90F whiles it's drying. I should be done on Thursday or Friday.

carolehalston

We had the walleye fillets (4) last night, lightly breaded with Louisiana fish fry and cooked to a golden crispy doneness in an iron skillet on the side burner of the grill.  Delicious!  Side was cauliflower mash.  DH made a tartar sauce but I squeezed fresh lemon juice on my two fillets.

I plan to give the fisherman neighbor a big ribeye as a bribe for more fish.  

Tonight will probably be pork, either a pork steak or half a tenderloin.  Probably the latter.

We went to the gym this morning and afterwards had breakfast at the West Forty.  I had the special, two eggs (over medium), sausage links and wheat toast for $6.50.  Tasted really good.  DH went for the bacon, eggs, hashbrowns and a "cake" instead of toast.  

Now I have to go out and mow grass, using the nice self-propelled mower that was purchased last year.  I tell myself, "It's exercise."