The first surgery blog

Let's just start at the beginning shall we? Back in 1993 I had the old stomach stapling procedure for weight loss. As we know now, many years later that surgery had some big problems and as time goes by my stomach and entire digestive system has really gone to hell so I consulted a couple of doctors who said the only real solution was to revise the original surgery with the newer one.
So, here we are scheduled for surgery on December 21st. Since it's a revision and I have some pretty dramatic issues to resolve inside the surgery is going to be a little tricky and my recovery may be lengthy. They're not sure if I'll be home by Christmas or not so we're having our little Yule celebration on the 20th.
I find myself a little depressed over the whole thing. I'm worried about the many complications as it's unlikely that I won't experience at least one. I'm worried about the pain afterwards as I hate taking pain medication. I worry about the aftermath when I lose weight and start carrying around little flaps of skin and my wrinkles become more evident. I worry about paragraphs where every sentence begins with "I".
So, as this thing progresses I will try to update my progress through the surgery, the weight loss and how it applies to my little farm world.

The "It Needs A Rest" Theory

I am a long time subscriber to the theory that everything and everyone needs a rest at some time or another. This is logical to me. We all tucker out and take a nap or sleep at night. Animals take cat naps regardless of their particular species. Even the Earth rests during the winter or drought. So I know that mechanical objects, being made by man who sometimes tires from materials of the Earth which sometimes hibernates, must also need to take a wee break on occasion.
This theory has seen me through countless mechanical failures. Long ago my car was having some trouble shifting. Ever mindful of the theory I added some transmission fluid, in case she needed a drink of something pink and let her rest over the weekend-forgoing my usual date. Sure enough, on Monday morning there was no trouble at all and the car worked perfectly. Later, the entire rear end of the car actually fell off the car on the busiest street in Cedar Rapids but I'm sure the two incidents are not related.
Any time I'm using a mixer to mix up an octuple batch of cookie dough, if the mixer starts to falter (and it always does) I adhere to the theory and give it a rest. I mix the dough with my hands until they too need a rest and then I decide that the mixer has rested long enough. I do tend to go through a mixer every year but again, I'm sure that has nothing whatsoever to do with me, it's the mixer manufacturers making everything shoddily so that we have to buy again and again, right?
Even relationships sometimes just need a little rest but since my husband is an avid reader of this blog we'll just leave that statement to stand on it's own.
Last week, my beloved floor cleaner decided that it's starter needed a rest. I love my floor cleaner because now each and every swipe across the floor is made with clean, fresh water which is promptly sucked away with the dirt left by my messy spawn. So last week I had to clean the floor while holding the started and the water release at the same time. I'm sure I came down with carpal tunnel syndrome and my hands needed a rest but with the holidays upon us the floor had to get done. So I gave the floor cleaner a much deserved and much needed break. I haven't cleaned my floor in almost two weeks while the machine snored away in the closet. This morning my feet stuck to the floor and pulled my sock off so I decided break time was over even if I had to hold the switch the whole time. But NO, the rest was all my wonderful floor cleaner needed and the switch works perfectly again.
And so you see, the "It Needs A Rest" theory is not just a way to get an extra nap in once a week or so, it's a lifestyle. Whenever you see something not working, give it a break and come back to it later. This is Lor, with the life lesson of the day, signing off.

End of the year wrap-up

Okay, it's not the end of the year but as I'm still riding the high of thanking the Earth Goddess for the wonderful harvest this year and I'm starting to plan next year's garden I thought I'd do a little recap of the year's garden winners.
First, I should say that we've finally got the soil conditions almost correct for the tomatoes we grow. Before planting we tilled the soil and seeded each hole with bone meal and epsom salts. The additional calcium from the bone meal and sulfur and magnesium from the epsom salts made a HUGE difference in the amount of blossom end rot we experienced and may have contributed to the amazing size and volume of tomatoes we harvested.
Without a doubt, this was the year of the Roma tomato. I purchased real heirloom Roma tomato seeds from Tomatofest and we harvested them into October. While they are a small tomato and not generally known as being particularly tasty these were very rich with an old-fashioned tomato taste. These meaty tomatoes probably made the best tomato sauce it's ever been my privilege to make and the plants just kept setting fruit and setting fruit until you almost couldn't see the foliage through all the little oblong red tomatoes.
An unexpected huge hit was the Thessaloniki Oxheart. Another seed buy from Tomatofest, I loved these tomatoes because of their big size and thick walls of meat. The taste is milder and they weren't the production factories that the Roma plants were but pound for pound they probably out produced the Romas.
Once again, my beloved Mom's Paste did not let me down. Each plant set hundreds of giant, udder-shaped, excellent tasting pastes that gave each batch of tomato sauce a slightly sweet, fresh tomato taste. If I could only choose one paste tomato this one would the one.
Now for the regular slicing tomatoes my requirements are a little different though they still generally end up going into my sauces. I want taste that makes me moan with pleasure with no mealy or mushy texture. Seeds and skin can't be bitter or tough and if they're pretty it's a huge bonus.
My Kellogg's Breakfast tomatoes are always a favorite. I love those two pound orange tomatoes with their sweet, distinctly tomato flavor. We didn't get a huge amount of them this year but Kellogg's seems to prefer a warmer growing season and we had a cool year this year.
Caspian Pinks and Serbians are wonders of the world to me. These European tomatoes still remember the salty sea and robust soil that originally bred them and the taste reflects that. There's a salty tang to the rich, almost heavy taste of tomato in each bite that makes them the perfect compliment to any sandwich.
The Stupice tomatoes, small and perfectly round were fantastic. We enjoyed very heavy production from these milder but tasty tomatoes that were made for salads.
Another surprise hit for me was the Costuluto Genovese. Another VERY flavorful, rich tomato, these were big tomatoes that begged to be roasted, grilled or stir fried because they had enough flavor to go it alone.
An honorable mention should go to my Mr Stripey and Paul Robeson tomatoes. As much as I adore the smokey, meaty flavor of those tomatoes they simply didn't produce as many tomatoes this year as I'd like. It may have been the weather that didn't agree with them so they'll be in the garden next year anyway and I'll be trying a few more blacks just in case.
I continue in my never-ending quest to grow melons. Every year I say "next year will be better." Next year will be better.

Samhain and more

October 30th was national candy corn day and I missed it!!?? How can that be? My favorite Halloween candy and I didn't pay homage to it in an appropriate manner (which of course would have meant glutting myself on a two pound bag). Oh well, there's always next year.....or the after Halloween sales....hmmmmm.....
My Bourbon turkey hen Jefferson came to find me today. Yes, she loves me. I saw a little face looking in the window and thought it was the cat but there was something strange about this face.....almost looked like a BEAK on that little face. There was my baby Jefferson checking to see if I could come out and play. I ignored her in favor of my nacho lunch and diet pepsi only to see her fly up to the porch railing so she could stare at me mournfully through the big picture window. Then she started hen calling and I just had to smile and go help her out. I got some turkey and chicken treats together and went out to feed everyone. Jefferson jumped into my arms and I put her back in her house after a little cuddle. Who says turkeys are stupid?
We had a pretty good Halloween. Greg took the kids into Castle Rock while I stayed home with a headache, a bowl of popcorn and a bunch of "b" horror movies. I did a little ritual thanking the goddess and asking grandma a few questions and then the kids were home with about 20 pounds of candy. They had a blast. Several people tried to scare them and that was almost as much fun as seeing the wondrous variety and sheer quantity of candy.
And now we move to one of my favorite holidays-Thanksgiving. I so love the planning and cooking and feeding family that traditionally goes with this day. I wish we could ship in a few more family members but I'll make do with whatever people I can get here. My cooking will start the weekend before Thanksgiving. I plan to put some cookies and sausage biscuits in the freezer for Adam to take home with him. I'll make some caramel corn in a couple of batches so Adam can have his without peanuts. The turkey will have to start thawing so that I can brine it for a day or two before we cook it. I'm so glad I'm feeling better so I can truly enjoy all the culinary joy.
Good and bad news: The girls pulled up the tomato cages for us but then they left the greenhouse door open. A few days later "Mommy's deer" got into the greenhouse and the boys saw them and decided they go see them so the deer tore down my plastic greenhouse walls in several places. That plastic is expensive and visions of trying to grow my wondrous tomatoes without the greenhouse flashed through my head. Now Greg thinks we may finish putting the remaining hoops up and enlarge the greenhouse since we'll have to buy new plastic anyway. Woot! Even MORE tomatoes! Can I stand this much joy? Better try to keep my excitement down because with our luck we still might not be able to afford it. We'll see but I'll be hoping.
I think we're over the worst of the flu finally. Greg is off oxygen, my headaches are getting less bothersome and the endless coughing seems to be diminishing. I actually got a little work done today around the house and went for a walk outside. Life is good.

The Fall (appropriate on many levels)

First of all, I've had some questions about the "GREAT VANILLA EXPERIMENT" from my first blog...or second, I don't remember. The vanilla has been a resounding success. The first batch was started with Grey Goose Vodka and some very fine Madagascar vanilla beans, so the very best ingredients. The second batch was brewed with Smirnoff and some Mexican beans. I admit that the first is better BUT I know that the ingredients are better AND the first batch has brewed a good six weeks longer than the first. So today, with the first batch getting close to the halfway point, I added some vanilla from the second batch to fill up the bottle and and added new vodka to the second bottle. I think I'll continue to do it this way, using the second bottle as the brewing batch and the first bottle as the bottle to use. I think the Madagascar beans will finish the brew off nicely while it waits in the dark cabinet to be used in some secret concoction.
We've been fighting off some evil flu monster here. H1N1? No clue, don't care. The kids go for flu shots this Friday since Annie's diabetes and DJ's asthma put them at much higher risk. Greg's battling bronchitis and a painful back. I hate to see him out working on farm stuff in that condition but he's so hopeful that he can get the whole project done by the time snow flies....again.
I'm so busy nesting and getting ready for my surgery that I'm not actually getting anything done. I sit and worry about how to take care of everyone while I recuperate and what things I need to get to make life easier on Greg while I'm gone.
The tomato canning season is officially over. The plants have all been pulled up and the jars are all put away and my thoughts turn to next year's garden. I've already got the seeds I need and the plans whirl through my head for better, easier ways to harvest melons and zucchini while still maintaining my wondrous tomato yields.
I sold the extra turkeys. It was a tough decision but Byron just didn't fit my dreams for the perfect breeding Tom for my Midget White flock and Drummer turned out to be a Tom so my dreams of keeping Byron to breed to Drummer for meat turkeys evaporated. The lady who bought them plans to breed them though so at least they'll still be pets. She was amazed at how friendly and tame they both were. She actually walked Byron to the car. So the plan now is that we'll put the geese and Rosie and Jefferson and the Buff Orps in one house. The White turks and the Rhode Island Red chickens will go in the second house and my Easter Egger flock will be in the big house where we'll also put overflow baby turks and chicks next spring. Did I mention that I absolutely love those stupid geese? I so hope that I have a breeding trio of some kind. I'd love to sell some baby goslings next spring. Geese are strange because you get them and they're SOOOO cute for about a minute and they start to grow and they're gorky looking, messy and very noisy. When they finally mature, if you haven't gotten tired of them and given them away, they're magnificently protective, still noisy and messy but with such a cool personality that you just can't help but like them. They like to suddenly take off flapping eight foot of wing span and honking to the heavens like they're being chased by a wolverine and then they gather in the corner and giggle together like a bunch of school girls and wander back to the rest of the panicked flock.
The horses are doing very well. The lady who bought the turkeys asked me to please breed Fiona again and she would foot the bill as deposit on the foal. Hmmmm, something to consider I guess. We'll see how the winter goes.
So, I'm off to try a new recipe for red beans and rice. Gotta have it with cornbread of course and I made rice krispie bars so life is good here.

Life's Hard

Has there ever been anyone you would die for? I guess that's an easy question if you have children but long before children, the man I love and the many mishaps with the law that finally convinced me otherwise, I would have laid down my life for my brother. When he was young and it was looking like he would never fulfill the promise of our family six foot average height I used to defend him from bullies by fighting kids twice my size and winning. Obviously, long before the "zero tolerance" days of today. My brother was my other half. When I had the words, he had the illustrations. So it really shouldn't have been a surprise that I took the conventional road and he found some lost path to nowhere to follow. The years passed and I lost track of how many jails and prisons he inhabited. For a brief time we lived together as young adults and I realized that we no longer even spoke the same language most of the time. There were little glimmers of the boy I'd once known and we'd launch into our old comedy routines and laugh and love each other again but now he was hard and mean and dark sometimes and while I used to be able to pull him out of those depths with ease it was now an impossible task. So we parted again, he went to jail and I found love and a new life. It's been over 20 years now and then a call in the night from him and I'm torn again. How can you help someone that only looks and sounds like someone you would have once died for? The call today is even worse. He's homeless and the social worker will give him a bus ticket here or he goes to jail but the only thing in the world he has left is his dog and he cries on the phone that either way he will lose his precious dog. I want to beat up the mean social worker who made my little brother cry. I want to fix this and rescue him and his puppy. Mostly, I want to turn back the clock and find that little boy and hug him one more time because I can't fix this, I can't help and it's far too late for rescue.

No news is...boring

Ah, it's been a crazy ride here at Alberti farm. The girls had their birthday. They chose to celebrate it on a single day as they have since they were babies. I love it that we only have to get one cake though this year they chose a Baskin Robins cake so it cost about as much as two cakes anyway. The only thing Rissa wanted for her birthday was a snake. Is this my child or what? So I sent Greg after a 4 and a half foot long Ball Python. He's just as tame as he could be and Riss walks around with him on her neck or sits with him in her lap. Unfortunately, she also leaves him snuggling in the couch cushions or on the bed or on the floor. The cats, always secure in their superior "top floor pet" position, are now on constant alert for the predator in their formerly safe haven. The little gray cat is afraid of the couch and the big black cat is leery of jumping on my lap if I have a blanket on as he is certain there is a killer under my cover. Poor kitties. Of course we've had our first incident with Satan as the snake was appropriately named. We warned Riss that the snake would bite if he was stressed, cold or hungry and told her not to have him out for too long but sure enough she was playing with him and he bit her when he'd had just about enough. I knew she was afraid to approach him after that so I very matter-of-factly went after him and picked him up speaking endearments and snuggling with him. Riss took him from me and has not been adversely affected by the experience.
I know my dedicated readers love to hear about the happenings on the farm but I've had a wee problem that prevents me from reporting too much about the outside world. I went to the dentist to have a tooth pulled. The x-ray showed the root of the tooth touched but did not enter the sinus cavity and he warned that if he cracked the thin sinus bone I might get a sinus infection. After the tooth had been removed he proclaimed the sinus bone intact and told me I would not need antibiotic as I was in no danger. Yet, a few days later while cooking breakfast, I felt a curtain go down on my hearing. No sudden explosion, no pain, it was just like a theatre curtain going down after last act slowly but surely ending the hearing in my ear. I was surprised but not worried, it had to be that sinus infection the dentist had warned me about and I had an appointment with him the next day so all would be rectified soon enough. Monday morning, dizzy now and completely deaf in one ear, the dentist again confirmed that my sinus was probably not the problem but I may have developed an ear infection on my own so he prescribed some antibiotic "just in case". Five days I faithfully took the antibiotics with no relief from the frightening vertigo or the buzzing silence in my left ear so I determined that I would go see a doctor to see what was wrong. It's funny, you can go several days telling people that you can hear absolutely nothing out of your ear but when the doctor tests your hearing and he tells you that you have 100% hearing loss the reaction is stunned disbelief. Really, no hearing at all? The doctor told me it was not an ear infection but I should go see an ENT immediately as it was an emergency. The very next day I went to see the ENT who also did a hearing test. Call me naive but I'd gathered some hope during the night. You see, the doctor had a little hearing tester gadget that looked like something Billy Mays would hawk on the home shopping channel. "And if you call RIGHT now we'll send TWO of these amazing little hearing tester thingies for the incredibly low, LOW price of $19.99!!!" I just knew that with the audiologist's fancy technological toys they'd find that I had some vestige of hearing left, something that would say my ear wasn't entirely dead. Again my hopes were dashed when the assistant came in astonished as it had been a very long time since she'd tested anyone who was stone deaf. Gee, so glad I could ruin those stats. My doctor is running the playbook and has prescribed steroids (SOP for ENTs with pts who have SSHL) and an MRI but she isn't giving me a lot of hope that I'll hear again just that the vertigo will clear up and maybe that low, buzzing, ocean tide sound will go away. So, I'm not getting outside much. I can walk around inside so long as I move slowly and don't move my head around a lot but when I go outside the world gets so big that my spatial perception goes a little awry and the dizziness is intensified.
But the girls have been harvesting some peppers and zucchini and they tell me that the tomatoes are going to be overwhelming. The little chickens (not so little anymore) are now laying eggs faithfully so we have little green and brown eggs to add to the big white and huge brown eggs from the older chickens. I can see the geese and turkeys and they are amazing. My Rosie tom turkey is magnificent when he puffs up and struts and the geese must surely be a daunting target to any passing predator.
The baby horses are so very big and so very funny when they play. Juno is so awkward looking with her too big head and too long legs but little Scarlett looks perfectly proportioned. Juno is still the tamest one and she longs for human affection and touch. Scarlett has gotten less afraid but she is the wild child of the bunch. I can't help but think these girls have amazing things ahead of them but I guess every proud Mom thinks the same thing.
Well, I've bored you long enough dear reader and it bothers me to have my eyes flying back and forth across the page so I must close now and go find something that I can accomplish.