aaaccckkkk!!!! I saw snow flurries this morning!!! NO more, please!

I have one patient to see today later this morning.. just pray all goes well and no events. This patient is a fairly easy start and has never had any reactions.. pray this remains so today..

It's cold.. 29* right now and the high is not quite 40*.. but no rain in sight either.. just those nasty few flurries of earlier today. I've been awake since 3am when my back just was screaming at me to GET UP !!!! So I did. My shower helped some.. but it still hurts. Fortunately, one patient will not do more damage, and I'll be able to take my crocheting with me today. There won't be much to do while she gets her infusion after I set up for next Tuesday.

Thanks to Nancy for this poem..

BEAUTIFUL CHRISTIAN SISTER
By Maya Angelou

'A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ
That a man should have to seek Him first to find her.'

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not shouting 'I'm clean living,'
I'm whispering 'I was lost, Now I'm found and forgiven.'

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.

When I say.. 'I am a Christian' I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible, but God believes I am worth it.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I still feel the sting of pain...
I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner Who received God's good grace, somehow!

Making home made bread

Bread making is about as old as history itself. There is a science to it. You sort of have to know that certain things are catalysts and other things are just plain important.

Make sure your yeast is fresh. Avoid a disaster by checking the back of the yeast packet. There is an expiration date plainly printed on it.
Yeast is what makes a yeast bread rise. It is combined with warm water and that causes the yeast to grow and multiply rapidly. Another thing that helps it grow is sugar. Yeast loves sugar. The biproduct of yeast fermentation is carbon dioxide which gets caught in the bread substance and makes bubbles that rise upward causing your dough to rise.

When you add water to flour you get the proteins glutanin and gliadin which combine to form gluten, a protein that makes a sort of web through the dough and catches the air bubbles from fermenting yeasts.

Depending on what type of flour you use, your bread will have different texture, color, and flavors. If you use a whole grain flour, remember to also add all purpose flour, as that is where the gluten is that makes the web to trap the CO2 bubbles that makes the bread rise.

Water gives the bread a crispier crust. Milk will give it a finer texture. Oil, butter, and other fats added to the bread give it flavor and moistness. Eggs can be added to breads to give it a delicious flavor.

Salt is added to a yeast bread recipe because yeast can and will become over zealous, and the dough will over rise. It also adds flavor to bread.

If you are planning to add seeds to the top of your bread, you have to have something to stick it to the crust. And egg yolk glaze works well. It gives the bread a shiny and golden crust as well.

The important thing is to know why you use the basics that go into a loaf of bread. Otherwise, you may court disaster.

Kneading the dough is one of the most important parts of breadmaking.
Kneading does three crucial things for bread: it distributes the yeast and other ingredients evenly and thoroughly, it develops the gluten in the dough, and it introduces air. The gluten, or wheat protein, is what enables the dough to stretch instead of collapsing when the yeast grows inside it. If the gluten isn't developed, the dough won't rise well and will produce a heavy loaf - rather like a brick. (So THAT'S why we had our doorstop in Texas.. yeah.. )

Now, don't you feel smart?!

I am so thrilled. I accomplished a lot today.. little things, but still, accomplishments. I tried again to make home made bread.. oh.. this time it was fabulous. 2 lovely loaves risen perfectly and baked to perfection, and 16 sandwich sized rolls.. perfect!

I also got some hand wash done, but the towels are dwindling down.. we're gonna have to break down and go to the laundromat.. gotta wait till the 20th for enough cash to do so. Gotta make those towels s t r e t c h out a bit.

I've been so frustrated with this computer. It's actually fine.. it's me I'm frustrated with. John worked with the phone company and got internet access via them.. then he got a router and I got an adapter so I could have broadband access too.. it worked great .. until the last big electrical storm that put the power out for 2+ days.. and when everything came back on, it was gone.. and I can't figure out how to get it back. I bought a new adapter and my computer says it's functioning perfectly.. except, I still have the slow connections with dial up service. I just can't get it to do what it's supposed to do. Anyone have a clue? Nothing else is malfunctioning...just the adapter.

It was beautiful today. It was in the lower 50s most of the day, but the wind was blowing so hard, the wind chill made it feel like low 40s.. I hung clothes out anyway.. not too many, just a couple pairs of pants for work and a couple of shirts.
Right now it's about 36* and tonite it's to be in the low 20s.. that's spring for you... up and down like a roller coaster!

I looked for a plastic container today and when I opened the doors on the microwave stand, they all came tumbling out at me..so.. I got a stool, sat down , and reorganized the whole mess. Now all bowls and containers have their lids and they are all easy to find without tumbling out all over the floor.

Tomorrow is office day and I'm going to try to change the 1 patient I have to see to next Tuesday. We have a real time crunch with the doctor out of the country, and the PA leaving at 1pm..at the latest. I left a message for the patient to call me back, but so far.. nada.
I hope she doesn't show up anyway.

Today is office day..Tuesday. I have about 10 patients coming in today for infusions. I ask for prayer for each of them, that there will be no events and that my skills would be the best.
Pray for our pastor's uncle who is facing double amputations after heart surgery, for skillful hands guided by the Lord, and a swift recovery.
Pray for our leaders around the world, and especially our President. Give thanks that God is in control of it all, no matter what prideful men might think.

It's a bit after 9am.. I can't believe the change in temperature.. it's now 37*, and really windy. There is debris everywhere. I heard something tinny in the dark early this morning and wondered what was rolling around out there. It sounded like a small metal building rolling along the road. I see nothing of that this morning.

For as much as I slept well last night, tonite I'm the flip side.. not sleeping well at all. I've been awake several times tonite, and just now was awakened by the sound of roaring wind. So I looked out and sure enough, trees are bent over and the wind is blowing hard. It's 56*, and the high is to be 43* today. It's about 4am, so I'd say we have met our high and have nowhere to go but down. The barometric pressure is dropping also..
Yesterday it rained all day.. Lake Blair was overflowing most of the day. I'm glad it was rain.. snow would have given us 4 feet of the stuff.
I wonder, with all this wind, if the power will go off yet again..? No sign of it at this point.. but one wonders with the high winds and the fact that the big storms tend to cause power outages, ..I really don't cherish another one. Wish our lines were underground.

It's raining.. a typical rainy spring day.. and the temperature is moderate.. not cold, not really warm.. just right. I slept well through the night, and we are planning to be in church this morning.. how about you?

Daylight Savings Time

One of the fascinating things about living in the US is that we practice something called "Daylight Savings Time". Ben Franklin was the one who thought it would be nice to enjoy a few more hours of daylight in the evening, so.. we all set our clocks an hour forward in March every year. This would be the weekend for that quirky little habit. It's great, but one loses an hour of sleep when this begins. If your schedule is tight, it can cause some difficulty.. but never fear, as in the fall, we "fall back" and gain back the hour of sleep, just as we "spring forward" every March.

We had 69* today!!! Woohoo!!! That is just the best. I'm smiling broadly.. and can't wait for tomorrow to try out another mid 60s day.
Today I baked bread again. I changed the recipe to just a white bread. I'm having difficulty getting it to raise properly. One recipe, 2 loaves.. one is perfect and one is flat. Go figure.
The first round raised nicely, then when I put it in the hot oven, they both flattened out. Now, I've made a ton of bread in my lifetime, but I have NEVER had this kind of trouble before. What am I doing wrong? Not enough kneading? We cut one flat loaf tonite.. wonderful texture, not gummy, crisp crust, taste is superb, but it's flat. Maybe the bread pans are too big? I dunno. I'm in a quandary.
I'm NOT giving up.. tomorrow is Saturday and I plan yet another round of breadmaking. I will not quit until I get this right.
(I was the original poster girl for the strong willed child, ya know?)

I have a question.. did anyone else hear that Ted Kennedy has been given knighthood? Sir Ted Kennedy? Can anyone tell me what the reason was that this was done?

Spring has sprung!!! No question here.. I LOVE spring !!!!!! Right now we have 51 degrees and cloudy.. tonite will drop to 42, and then 60* on Friday !!! WOOHOO!!! Are you ready?!
This weekend clocks get adjusted.. We 'spring' forward losing an hour of sleep. Lovin' it here.

I saw 9 patients today.. all one jag apiece. I felt soooo happy.. same thing this Tuesday with 10 patients. And NO events! Happy day. Not that we have 'events' routinely, we don't. But I'm always aware that at any time someone can have an infusion reaction.
Most of them are mild.. occasionally someone will have shaking chills... chest pain.... and in 7 years, I've had 2 people pass out.. 2 develop hives.. and have called 911 twice, but one was not infusion related at all. Just a patient who came in for her infusion and mentioned she'd been feeling 'funny'.. I couldn't get a BP, and her pulse was 220 ish. Yeah.. not an infusion thing at all, but definitely reason to call 911.
I had to smile today when one relatively new 80 yr old patient came in and after I taped down her IV she looked at me squarely and said "Marilyn, you really are good".. made me chuckle.
I thank the Lord for giving me this skill. I have known for all my working years that I had it. I can't explain it, it's sort of like threading a worm on a fishhook. Except real people are involved here, and the goal is one painless jag. I meet that goal with God's help at least 90% of the time. My percentage goes up to about 99% if you leave out the 'painless' part. Sometimes you just can't avoid the 'pinch'.
I pray often before actually inserting a needle under the skin, and always utter 'thank you, Lord' after. I don't know how most patients feel about this, but I owe gratitude to my Lord who guides my hands with each needle.

Tonite I'm achy, but not like Tuesday after the office. I think weather has a LOT to do with the back pain and spasms. Wendell and I went to the Y and did an hours worth of exercise on Wednesday. I still hurt when I got out and even after the hot tub. This morning I felt nearly healed and it hasn't been too bad tonite.. I'm walking without pain at least.. and not whining like I did before.

Have a lovely evening, Bloggers.. I'm gonna try to do the same..

Come back to me, and I will heal your wayward hearts.

1 Kings 19:3-4 NLT

Even if he wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, forgive him.

Luke 17:4 NLT

Since forgiveness is an expression of love, a person whose life has an endless supply of love should be demonstrating an endless supply of forgiveness.

We can experience unlimited love in our relationship with God.

It is this resource that makes it possible for us to forgive others again and again.

First, we recognize that God forgives us time and time again.

Second, we want to express God's love in a world that needs desperately to witness it.

adapted from The TouchPoint Bible with devotional commentary by Ron Beers and Gilbert Beers, Tyndale House Publishers (1996), p 904

It's a little after 5am.. today is office day and I'm always up early to get myself pulled together before I go in. I was just thinking about the day I was hired and how the doctor asked me for long term employment.. he's kept me for 6 years so far.. I started right after NY day 2003. Hard to believe I'm in my 7th year already. I guess that could be considered long term. I hope to be there the rest of this year depending on the economy.
Wendell's doctors have all suggested bariatric surgery to help him lose the weight that is now life threatening for him. Last night we stumbled over a talk show on KDKA radio with doctors from Allegheny General Hospital discussing pros and cons of the surgery. The surgery is gastric banding and is a fairly simple operative procedure. It was good for him to hear this.. it wasn't by accident- I think God wants him to move forward. Pray he makes his decision soon.

There is an old adage that says of March

In like a lion

Out like a lamb

Sure hope that is so.

I saw Charlie come home today from town.. he'd obviously been to the day old bread store because he had a loaf of bread in his hand, and the hens were all around him waiting for their share. Then he looked like he was exercising his pitching arm as he tossed one slice at a time high up in the air.. and the hens charged in it's direction. Frisbee couldn't have been more fun.. especially to watch. I'll bet those hens missed him while he was gone last week..
Charlie looks like the Pied Piper as he walks across the yard. He has this adoring throng who follows his every step. Though I think there is a certain amount of love they have for him, my guess is that they don't want to miss a handout. (Greedy little beasts)
I really feel quite neutral about the chickens.. Charlie loves taking care of them , and that's good enough for me.

Brrrrrrrr!!!! It's gonna be even colder tonite with 4 degrees.. and the breeze out there should take the wind chill to minus 12-15. Oh, cold for sure! The good news is that the chance of precipitation is '0'. Hooray! I believe we have had our share for this winter season.
Spring is on it's way.. these little stop and starts are typical for pre spring.
I heard there was a global warming conference in DC today.. wonder if anyone was able to make it because of all the snow and sub zero temperatures?

Tomorrow is office day.. pray for the patients if you would and for me too.

How does minus 6 degrees sound to you? That's the wind chill today. It's actually 12 degrees right now and with the wind.. well, it feels a lot colder out there. It's a good day to be indoors, I think.
The bread I made yesterday turned out well. Oatmeal bread doesn't raise like other breads.. it's a 'short' loaf, but it did raise. It's also a heavier loaf because of the oatmeal in it. I call it hearty.
And it's really really good toasted.
I used to make bread a lot.. but in recent years haven't done much. I have a huge washbasin that I used to make 4-6 loaves at a time. I settled for the 2 loaves yesterday. I need better bread pans.. mine have disappeared. I borrowed one from Charlie, but it's wider than I prefer, and made the loaf a bit flatter than the regular bread pan that I did locate.

I'm wondering how the east coast is doing with all the snow that was forecast.. it sounded like they were in for a blizzard last night.

I've been trying to make home made bread. A month or so ago... oh, I don't even remember now when it was.. I tried to do so and the bread was nasty. I gave it to the chickens. (they would eat anything) So yesterday I decided to give it another go.. and my yeast must have been too old, it just wouldn't rise for the occasion at all. I baked it anyway, and it was tasty, but needed some leavening.
I decided to try again this afternoon.. white oatmeal bread with honey. We'll see. It is supposed to be never fail bread, and honestly, I've made it hundreds of times and it really was no fail. .. except for the last 2 times. So far today, it's looking good.


Well, it's cold out there. 24 degrees and WINDY ! Tonite will be 9 degrees, but no snow in the forecast yet.. at least not any accumulation. Nothing like what the east coast is expecting the next couple days. But I have to say, it looks like the wind is blowing from the east, and that always brings bad weather. However, the sky tonite is so intensely red.. makes you wonder..

Good afternoon. It's going on 3pm.. I'm getting moving now- it was a rough morning and into afternoon struggle. We both are under the influence of orthopedic distress. Why? Not sure.. perhaps the weather. Wendell had a particularly bad day yesterday and struggled with his knees aching. It took him a long time just to stand up beside the bed this morning. He thinks he may need his knees injected again.. could well be.
It's cold out there.. but could be a lot worse. No new snow, but just brown grass and trees, wind, and cold.
Yesterday I thought I was smart and washed out some shirts and pants by hand since neither of us is up to the laundromat at this point. I let them drip for a while in the tub, and then, since it was a breezy sunny day, I hung them all on hangers and took them outside to 'blow dry'. I love the scent of clothes hung outside.. so clean and fresh.. and full of pollens that make me sneeze, cough, and cause my eyes to burn. Oh, well... I still did it. Later in the day I wanted to see if they were dry yet and as I picked up the pantleg of my slacks, I was shocked to find that they were frozen stiff as was everything I'd taken out!!!! We had a good laugh over this and I brought them all inside where they dried overnight in the bathroom.
Charlie and Jane have returned from their travels and I am now relieved of my 'harem' duties. I think raising chickens is supposed to be relaxing, but I found myself (in the 4 days I was in charge of the little beasts) trying to outmaneuver them over the cat feed... let me explain...
Wednesday morning the chickens were already outside the coop when I got up. They 'free range' so that they shouldn't require a lot of extra feed. At 4pm, I checked the 3 egg boxes in the coop and was delighted to find 16 fresh eggs. I took them into Charlie's place, scrubbed them and placed them in egg cartons and into the refrigerator. Then I tried to feed the cats.. Charlie has 4 full grown 'Heinz 57' cats, and they are all very pretty. I had put out some scratch feed behind the house and the chickens were preoccupied scarfing it up.. so I figured the cats should be fed next. I didn't notice the one hen standing guard at the corner of the trailer watching my every move. She was the appointed sentry. At the moment I poured the cat food into their pan, the 'sentry' let out a cackle, and the whole flock of birds from behind the house suddenly came running as if they had a fox on their tail. They pushed the poor cats aside and I believe they actually inhaled the cat food. It was gone in seconds. Standing there watching this horrific scene, I decided to feed the cats after the chickens went to roost for the night.
Thursday morning , bright and early, I let the chickens out. I filled the feeder trough in the chicken run, and then tossed out a bucket of scratch for them to peck at. I'd put cat feed out before I let the chickens out to avoid the sentry. I figured they wouldn't see me put it out, so they wouldn't bother the cats. But they have been at this for a long time, and I am such a novice. They had me all figured out and though the chicken feed trough was full and the scratch was there waiting for them, they made a true Bee line for the cat pan, and once again, chased the cats and inhaled what was remaining of their food. That afternoon I got 35 eggs and wondered how many chickens there actually were. I'd find out on Friday morning. Later in the evening, the chickens went in to roost, I locked the doors and fed the cats..again. At least they could eat in peace even if it was dark outside.
Friday morning.. I did a census of the hens as they came out of the coop.. I had to stop at 40, as they were coming out so fast, they were falling over each other and I lost count. No matter whether I had their feed out or not, they headed straight for the cat's pan.. it was mostly empty.
Friday evening we planned to go to the church for a meeting, so I collected the eggs early- 16 more in the 3 boxes. I had to scoot a couple of hens off the boxes and dig around under another one to get all the eggs. I took them into Charlies place and scrubbed them and placed them carefully into the egg cartons and into the refrigerator. I took 5 dozen eggs with me to church and gave them to anyone who wanted them.
It was dark out when we got home and I didn't get over to close the coop door. I wondered if the chickens would do okay or if some preditor would scoop up one or two of them at night...
Saturday morning all the chickens seemed to be there.. who could tell if one was missing anyway? I fed them and made sure they had water, and then checked out the cats.. all was well. In the later afternoon I decided I'd collect the eggs before Charlie arrived at home.. I got 20 or so.. filled a bucket. I had a plan for the chickens. I put the mash out, then the scratch, and then I slowly backed up to the side of the house, then when they couldn't see me, I dashed over, grabbed the tub of cat feed and put it carefully in the cat dish just in time to look up to see the sentry chicken and hear her cackle just once. The birds came in a flock.. flying around the corner of the house. I was ready.. I waved my arms , shouted and stomped my feet to turn their direction. I was determined that the cats would get to eat. I really did do a good job of keeping them back, but , you know, those hens are so smart. They made a wide circle around me and the cats, and then kept coming closer and closer , closing in on us on all sides.. and finally, they just pounced and ate what was left of the cat feed.
I'm glad Charlie had a good time.. but I'm also glad he's home again. I'm afraid war was about to be declared. I'm not much of a chicken farmer.