Dear family and friends,
The event last night for Sean Fanelli at the Crest Hollow Country Club was enjoyable, and most importantly, I didn't even want to leave early. My stamina has much improved. Merwin pointed out that leaving after dessert and before Dr. Fanelli's speech would be smart because at the end of the evening there would be 300 people or more trying to collect coats from 2 coat-check people and others trying to get their cars from the valets. So we left very quietly and were home a little after 9 p.m.
I wore an outfit that didn't get much notice from anyone: it hangs loose on me and so sort of hid the spleen. It's been 10 years since I retired, and I felt I knew only a few people. Merwin, who taught math for a few years there, seemed to know as many as I did. But I heard some nice things about the active learning project that I started so many years ago. The woman from Biology seated on Merwin's right told him that the program has changed her life as a teacher. Nice to hear.
Today I went again to Mimi's class, and it was better for my rib than last time. So I won't mention going to classes anymore. I will plan to go often. Carrying my gear takes a bit of thinking. I pare it down to a minimum. Also now I have a handicapped parking permit so I can park where I don't have to walk too far. Walking itself is not a problem but can be when I am carrying a lot.
I have a Camry that has a pedal problem, a 2007. Toyota was supposed to come up with a fix in January, but I have heard nothing. Should I be driving the car? I will stop into the Toyota dealership tomorrow to ask some questions. Like what is the best thing to do if the pedal jams—hit the off button and risk a rear-end collision?
Also today I got a haircut at last. My wonderful artist hair cutter, Paul, does a wonderful job, and it is such a pleasure to see him. I noticed that though he has stairs going up to the hair level as well as stairs going down to the manicure level (I also had a manicure), and though I had to go up and down a couple of times, I managed it quite well. Very little breathlessness. How nice to feel normal.
For his med-day meal I wanted to make Merwin chicken with crisp skin, and Googled to see what people suggested. Turns out whole chicken works better than pieces, which is what I had. So I dried the pieces as well as I could (since they were slightly frozen still), rolled them in SPIKE, a spice mix, preheated the oven to 500 and baked them for about an hour, turning in between. Merwin liked his meal, and tomorrow I can serve chicken sandwiches to him and our granddaughter Rachael who is coming for a visit. She will be going over my film books and choosing which, if any, she'd like to have. I will save them for her until she has a place to put them.
My remaining books, hundreds of them, are getting neater, and the bedroom is shaping up more in our minds.
Most of my day was spent thinking about and doing some research on the essay I have to revise. It's a puzzler, but I know I will get through it, and enjoy it too.
Love to all,
Bernice
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
The lower photo is the one I mentioned yesterday. I was a month or so short of 50 (in 1983), a couple of months later I became a grandmother for the first time (Yay, Laura!). These are bike shorts with an overskirt, in case you are wondering. The photo at the top (which I managed to capture but cannot place properly) is me 37 years before; let's say there is a certain attitude in the look. I grew up in Buffalo, in a very tough neighborhood (and I think you can see that the setting is rather slummy). After I graduated from 8th grade, I learned that some boys from our school had tossed the principal out a second story window; he survived. But that is the way things were in our neighborhood.
When I look at the photos of me in the albums we are sorting, I am amazed at the range of my weight. It'll be nice to hide the evidence by tossing out the obese me. I consider myself an obesity success story, mainly through Overeaters' Anonymous. But there was backsliding at times.
Today Sergei finished panting the closet wall of the bedroom. I just love its lightness and brightness, though no one will agree that it is mango (like the Willemses' rooms that I love so much), but it is about as close as I could get.
I went to SPIN this morning, and it was even better and less stressful for my rib than last week's class (I only went once last week). We have a new instructor, Debra, a delightful young woman who has just earned her law degree and, I suppose, is working as a trainer till she passes the bar exam.
Yesterday, my pulmonologist and hem. consulted by phone while we were in the former's office about whether or not I should take a diuretic for my swollen feet, which get so bad sometimes that I can do nothing but put them up on pillows. Evidently the blood condition does not like diuretics, but the doctors decided that I should take them cautiously, no more than one pill in the morning and skipping days when I could. Merwin got the pills, but before I could even take one I noticed this morning that the roundness of the feet was gone; my tendons showed and I could put on my shoes without difficulty. I joked with Merwin that the feet had learned about the diuretic about to be administered and had decided to take matters into their own hands (so to speak).
I have begun tackling the two readers' comments for the essay that has been accepted. I see that they both misunderstood some things (different from each other, however), and thus I must not have been as clear as I had hoped to be. It is helpful to see what people think one is writing, especially when they differ from what one thought she was writing. I already ordered some books from Inter-library Loan. A library friend at NCC, Alicia Sanchez, is very helpful and persistent in getting me books and articles, so I am sure she will come through for me.
We have a big evening tonight, and I have been preparing by resting with my feet higher than my head, but soon I will begin seeing what I can wear. The event is in honor of our retiring president at NCC. Dr. Fanelli was very kind to me when I taught there (till 1999) and afterward as well.
My spleen is so huge it can not be hidden really. Notice how pregnant women these days proudly thrust out their 9-month's belly with skin-tight shirts or dresses? Somehow I think it would be a mistake for me to do that with my end-of-pregnancy-sized spleen. The great thing, though, about being old is that people don't look too carefully, and if they notice anything they are too polite to say anything. Anyway I smile a lot.
Love to all,
Bernice
When I look at the photos of me in the albums we are sorting, I am amazed at the range of my weight. It'll be nice to hide the evidence by tossing out the obese me. I consider myself an obesity success story, mainly through Overeaters' Anonymous. But there was backsliding at times.
Today Sergei finished panting the closet wall of the bedroom. I just love its lightness and brightness, though no one will agree that it is mango (like the Willemses' rooms that I love so much), but it is about as close as I could get.
I went to SPIN this morning, and it was even better and less stressful for my rib than last week's class (I only went once last week). We have a new instructor, Debra, a delightful young woman who has just earned her law degree and, I suppose, is working as a trainer till she passes the bar exam.
Yesterday, my pulmonologist and hem. consulted by phone while we were in the former's office about whether or not I should take a diuretic for my swollen feet, which get so bad sometimes that I can do nothing but put them up on pillows. Evidently the blood condition does not like diuretics, but the doctors decided that I should take them cautiously, no more than one pill in the morning and skipping days when I could. Merwin got the pills, but before I could even take one I noticed this morning that the roundness of the feet was gone; my tendons showed and I could put on my shoes without difficulty. I joked with Merwin that the feet had learned about the diuretic about to be administered and had decided to take matters into their own hands (so to speak).
I have begun tackling the two readers' comments for the essay that has been accepted. I see that they both misunderstood some things (different from each other, however), and thus I must not have been as clear as I had hoped to be. It is helpful to see what people think one is writing, especially when they differ from what one thought she was writing. I already ordered some books from Inter-library Loan. A library friend at NCC, Alicia Sanchez, is very helpful and persistent in getting me books and articles, so I am sure she will come through for me.
We have a big evening tonight, and I have been preparing by resting with my feet higher than my head, but soon I will begin seeing what I can wear. The event is in honor of our retiring president at NCC. Dr. Fanelli was very kind to me when I taught there (till 1999) and afterward as well.
My spleen is so huge it can not be hidden really. Notice how pregnant women these days proudly thrust out their 9-month's belly with skin-tight shirts or dresses? Somehow I think it would be a mistake for me to do that with my end-of-pregnancy-sized spleen. The great thing, though, about being old is that people don't look too carefully, and if they notice anything they are too polite to say anything. Anyway I smile a lot.
Love to all,
Bernice
Monday, January 25, 2010
Another good day
Dear Family and friends,
Today has been a very good day. I am tired now, but that's understandable. I have been going all day long (it's after 9 p.m.). Early this morning I went to Mimi's aerobic class, which I have missed since banging my rib three weeks go. Movement, particularly reaching overhead, is restricted, but I did all right. It was good to move with the others, good to feel myself taking deep breaths. Afterward Elaine and I had a quick coffee at Gila's, always a pleasure.
At one o'clock Merwin and I were at Dr. Janus's office, where I had another chest xray. She was very pleased: there IS progress. The stethoscope sounding was improved, and she showed us the improvements in the new xray. Some of the pneumonia clouds are thinner. So we don't have to return for another month, unless something untoward happens. And even better, we can delay the, as she called it, "dreaded open chest biopsy." I was a little worried abut that, mainly for social reasons: I didn't want a stay in the hospital to ruin so many nice plans we have.
I am to continue the antibiotic, 3x a week, and prednisone 40 mg daily as well. That's a pretty big dose, and it may not be as easy to take for a whole month as it has been for the last couple of weeks. I look a little like a chipmunk, but who cares? Well, actually, I do, but it doesn't matter since it will be temporary, we hope. I am fortunate that Merwin finds no fault in the way I look at any time.
Good news arrived in a couple of other ways. I learned that the big Shakespeare journal, I believe the biggest, has accepted the essay I sent a few months ago. This was very important to me: one of the projects I hoped to complete, and now completion (publication anyway) is in sight. The two anonymous readers both liked it, but of course they had suggestions for improving it too. I will put aside many other things to get at this task, starting tomorrow, I hope. It means going to the NYPL or getting some materials from interlibrary loan.
We heard from our granddaughter Rachael: she plans to come to Glen Head on Thurs. to see us. I have wanted to have her here (rather than as usual meeting her in NYC) because I would like her to pick out any film books she might want from my collection: she is a budding and hard-working cinematographer. Weeding books we don't need gives Merwin and me room to expand other aspects of our collections, like paintings. This is a step toward redecorating the bedroom, one wall of which is now primed in mango or a reasonable equivalent—much better than the dark mahogany walls.
We have been looking at many items not seen for years: one was a pile of completely blank photo albums, waiting to be filled with the thousands of photos we have collected over the years. But no one wants to use such albums any more. Now it's all on the computer. So we are selecting some photos to put in our iPhoto albums.
I'll try to add a photo tomorrow.
Good night,
Love,
Bernice
Today has been a very good day. I am tired now, but that's understandable. I have been going all day long (it's after 9 p.m.). Early this morning I went to Mimi's aerobic class, which I have missed since banging my rib three weeks go. Movement, particularly reaching overhead, is restricted, but I did all right. It was good to move with the others, good to feel myself taking deep breaths. Afterward Elaine and I had a quick coffee at Gila's, always a pleasure.
At one o'clock Merwin and I were at Dr. Janus's office, where I had another chest xray. She was very pleased: there IS progress. The stethoscope sounding was improved, and she showed us the improvements in the new xray. Some of the pneumonia clouds are thinner. So we don't have to return for another month, unless something untoward happens. And even better, we can delay the, as she called it, "dreaded open chest biopsy." I was a little worried abut that, mainly for social reasons: I didn't want a stay in the hospital to ruin so many nice plans we have.
I am to continue the antibiotic, 3x a week, and prednisone 40 mg daily as well. That's a pretty big dose, and it may not be as easy to take for a whole month as it has been for the last couple of weeks. I look a little like a chipmunk, but who cares? Well, actually, I do, but it doesn't matter since it will be temporary, we hope. I am fortunate that Merwin finds no fault in the way I look at any time.
Good news arrived in a couple of other ways. I learned that the big Shakespeare journal, I believe the biggest, has accepted the essay I sent a few months ago. This was very important to me: one of the projects I hoped to complete, and now completion (publication anyway) is in sight. The two anonymous readers both liked it, but of course they had suggestions for improving it too. I will put aside many other things to get at this task, starting tomorrow, I hope. It means going to the NYPL or getting some materials from interlibrary loan.
We heard from our granddaughter Rachael: she plans to come to Glen Head on Thurs. to see us. I have wanted to have her here (rather than as usual meeting her in NYC) because I would like her to pick out any film books she might want from my collection: she is a budding and hard-working cinematographer. Weeding books we don't need gives Merwin and me room to expand other aspects of our collections, like paintings. This is a step toward redecorating the bedroom, one wall of which is now primed in mango or a reasonable equivalent—much better than the dark mahogany walls.
We have been looking at many items not seen for years: one was a pile of completely blank photo albums, waiting to be filled with the thousands of photos we have collected over the years. But no one wants to use such albums any more. Now it's all on the computer. So we are selecting some photos to put in our iPhoto albums.
I'll try to add a photo tomorrow.
Good night,
Love,
Bernice
Another good day
Dear friends and Family,
Yesterday was another good day, with a few hours of work on Measure for Measure with Laury. We are making headway slowly, and today I think I will be able to start in earnest what I call "the front matter," the essays that come before the text of the play begins. Laury will do the performance aspects of this material; I'll handle the historical stuff, which I enjoy.
Merwin and I finished up the day with Emma on TV, a perfect ending. I wasn't able to take the prednisone at 2 a.m. because I was just too full! I was awake but could not stomach the thought of a banana. But I had it at 7 a.m. and am on my way to Mimi's class at the JCC, the first time since the rib, which still hurts a bit, but only at the Tylenol level. Looking forward to a coffee with Elaine afterward.
We're trying to get rid of old papers and such, and of course get caught by photo albums. It's hard to believe that we were ever that young. I'll post a photo as soon as I can remember how to do it!
It's raining heavily, but I have a smile on my face. I could dance, Gene Kelly-ish, but better conserve my energy for the class.
Love to all,
Bernice
Yesterday was another good day, with a few hours of work on Measure for Measure with Laury. We are making headway slowly, and today I think I will be able to start in earnest what I call "the front matter," the essays that come before the text of the play begins. Laury will do the performance aspects of this material; I'll handle the historical stuff, which I enjoy.
Merwin and I finished up the day with Emma on TV, a perfect ending. I wasn't able to take the prednisone at 2 a.m. because I was just too full! I was awake but could not stomach the thought of a banana. But I had it at 7 a.m. and am on my way to Mimi's class at the JCC, the first time since the rib, which still hurts a bit, but only at the Tylenol level. Looking forward to a coffee with Elaine afterward.
We're trying to get rid of old papers and such, and of course get caught by photo albums. It's hard to believe that we were ever that young. I'll post a photo as soon as I can remember how to do it!
It's raining heavily, but I have a smile on my face. I could dance, Gene Kelly-ish, but better conserve my energy for the class.
Love to all,
Bernice
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Planning works sometimes
Dear Friends and family,
Yesterday went as planned: the prednisone @ 2 a.m. made me wakeful for most of the day, till 8 p.m. Dawn did come over and just left a few minutes ago. We had a great time. I read Dawn's prospectus for her PhD dissertation on Early Modern literature, and I was impressed and delighted. Her ideas are wonderful and her writing superb. Dawn helped us out by moving all the Shakespeare plays from the bedroom to the sitting room. Since we are painting the bedroom (thank you Sergei and Dave!), we need to empty some shelves. I am also trying to eliminate the books (though they are dear friends) that I no longer need or use. Then she corrected her students' papers, and we just hung out together. Did you read about the huge crash of a tank truck yesterday on the LIE? Dawn sort of arrived on the edge of that, unable to use the usual route to get here. A terrible accident. Among many disasters in the news, including Haiti of course.
Before Dawn arrived, Merwin and I went to North Shore Farms to buy leeks, salmon and other goodies for the meals of the day. For lunch I roasted small chunks of zucchini, eggplant (both skin on), a little olive oil and garlic with a little rosemary from the freezer. At the end, after the vegetables were soft, I added a half-jar of good spaghetti sauce I needed to finish and some cut up chunks of manouri cheese. Salad on the side.
For supper Merwin and I made Michèle's salmon packets. I have no idea if I used as much of the leek as possible. It is an easy dish and delicious. All three of us were pleased. North Shore Farms had wild salmon trout whatever that is: young salmon, the fishmonger said. I used butter to sauté the leeks; don't much like margarine. (The recipe is in yesterday's blog.)
I took the prednisone at 2 a.m. again, and woke up ready to go.
All week I have been eager to try the blini featured in last Sunday's NYT Magazine. I put my own spin on them, and we all liked them very much. I made them 3 ways, quite brown on the outside yet soft inside; pale brown on the outside and soft inside, and a thicker oven-baked version, brown only on one side and yet again soft inside. Here is what I did:
Adapted from the NYT:
Optional:
1. Gently warm good maple syrup on a warming burner (for those who like this sweet)
2. and/or drain a cup of ricotta cheese in cheese cloth over a cup, for those who like a more piquant flavor. Refrigerate. Using both is allowed.
Sift together the dry ingredients into a medium sized bowl: since I no longer have a sifter I used a large mesh strainer. The measures should be level.
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
1 T sugar
1/2 C cake flour:
since I don't use cake flour, I consulted Google for a substitute. In my adaptation, I put 1 T of potato starch in the bottom of a 1/2 C measuring cup and then filled it the rest of the 1/2 C with regular flour.
Mix dry ingredients thoroughly in the bowl. Mix in 16 oz. good thick sour cream. Add 4 large eggs one at a time and mix well. I also added the grated rind of 2 lemons. The mixture is quite thin, so I avoided adding lemon juice (which I often add for my regular pancakes). Refrigerate batter for a 1/2 hour or so (or a day or more if necessary).
Grease (I used butter) and heat a griddle. Drop spoonfuls of batter on the hot pan; turn almost immediately, when blini have the desired degree of brown color. Don't over bake or the inside will not be soft, as it should be.
I also tried the oven method: preheat oven to 500. Grease a 6" iron frying pan with a little butter and place in oven. When the butter begins to smoke, pour in a pancake amount of batter. Bake for 5 minutes. Bottom will be brown, edges crisp, and top pale gold. Turn out onto warm plate.
A lovely day was had by all.
All the best to you, dear friends and family,
Bernice
Yesterday went as planned: the prednisone @ 2 a.m. made me wakeful for most of the day, till 8 p.m. Dawn did come over and just left a few minutes ago. We had a great time. I read Dawn's prospectus for her PhD dissertation on Early Modern literature, and I was impressed and delighted. Her ideas are wonderful and her writing superb. Dawn helped us out by moving all the Shakespeare plays from the bedroom to the sitting room. Since we are painting the bedroom (thank you Sergei and Dave!), we need to empty some shelves. I am also trying to eliminate the books (though they are dear friends) that I no longer need or use. Then she corrected her students' papers, and we just hung out together. Did you read about the huge crash of a tank truck yesterday on the LIE? Dawn sort of arrived on the edge of that, unable to use the usual route to get here. A terrible accident. Among many disasters in the news, including Haiti of course.
Before Dawn arrived, Merwin and I went to North Shore Farms to buy leeks, salmon and other goodies for the meals of the day. For lunch I roasted small chunks of zucchini, eggplant (both skin on), a little olive oil and garlic with a little rosemary from the freezer. At the end, after the vegetables were soft, I added a half-jar of good spaghetti sauce I needed to finish and some cut up chunks of manouri cheese. Salad on the side.
For supper Merwin and I made Michèle's salmon packets. I have no idea if I used as much of the leek as possible. It is an easy dish and delicious. All three of us were pleased. North Shore Farms had wild salmon trout whatever that is: young salmon, the fishmonger said. I used butter to sauté the leeks; don't much like margarine. (The recipe is in yesterday's blog.)
I took the prednisone at 2 a.m. again, and woke up ready to go.
All week I have been eager to try the blini featured in last Sunday's NYT Magazine. I put my own spin on them, and we all liked them very much. I made them 3 ways, quite brown on the outside yet soft inside; pale brown on the outside and soft inside, and a thicker oven-baked version, brown only on one side and yet again soft inside. Here is what I did:
Adapted from the NYT:
Optional:
1. Gently warm good maple syrup on a warming burner (for those who like this sweet)
2. and/or drain a cup of ricotta cheese in cheese cloth over a cup, for those who like a more piquant flavor. Refrigerate. Using both is allowed.
Sift together the dry ingredients into a medium sized bowl: since I no longer have a sifter I used a large mesh strainer. The measures should be level.
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
1 T sugar
1/2 C cake flour:
since I don't use cake flour, I consulted Google for a substitute. In my adaptation, I put 1 T of potato starch in the bottom of a 1/2 C measuring cup and then filled it the rest of the 1/2 C with regular flour.
Mix dry ingredients thoroughly in the bowl. Mix in 16 oz. good thick sour cream. Add 4 large eggs one at a time and mix well. I also added the grated rind of 2 lemons. The mixture is quite thin, so I avoided adding lemon juice (which I often add for my regular pancakes). Refrigerate batter for a 1/2 hour or so (or a day or more if necessary).
Grease (I used butter) and heat a griddle. Drop spoonfuls of batter on the hot pan; turn almost immediately, when blini have the desired degree of brown color. Don't over bake or the inside will not be soft, as it should be.
I also tried the oven method: preheat oven to 500. Grease a 6" iron frying pan with a little butter and place in oven. When the butter begins to smoke, pour in a pancake amount of batter. Bake for 5 minutes. Bottom will be brown, edges crisp, and top pale gold. Turn out onto warm plate.
A lovely day was had by all.
All the best to you, dear friends and family,
Bernice
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Lost day
Dear Friends and Family,
I didn't write yesterday because it was such a low-energy day for its first several hours. I did recover towards evening.
I woke up today feeling ready to go, as long as I remain fairly still, sitting at the computer. I decided to try something new with the prednisone: because the energizing effects of the prednisone don't seem to kick in for about 6 hours, I decided to take the 40 mg with a banana at 2 a.m. (I am wakeful because the prednisone is still giving me a boost, I guess). I got up then for good at about 5 a.m. and did feel better than I have. I'll see how the day goes. My aim is to get energized during the day and be able to sleep through the night. Not a bad idea!
Yesterday I started going over old documents and deciding which to keep and which to throw away. My NCC promotion folders are humongous collections. It's nostalgic glancing at them: They record what I did for the 6 years in between each promotion: I was a busy person! They go, except for a few reprints of things I have written. I am hoping to put my Hamlet-related reviews on the website.
And of course I am still thinking recipes. Michèle gave me one for salmon packets, which does indeed sound very easy. She has served a version of this with jullianed zucchini and carrots when we visited her and Raymond in Rouen. I want to try the one with leeks because, believe it or not, I have never made anything with leeks though I like them very much:
She writes: "You need two individual salmon fillets with the skin on and two or three leeks, depending on their size; salt and pepper and a little cream.
"Leeks are no problem: you generally keep only the white part, except for soup. Wash thoroughly under running cold water. Chop them up into small segments and stew them with a little salt and pepper in a little fat (I use margarine, which has a neutral taste unlike olive oil) on a low heat for at least 15 minutes; check that they are soft (I am very empirical). During that time, prepare some foil to make up a parcel with your salmon, skin down, and the vegetables on top. They go in the oven for about ten minutes (depending on the thickness of the fish fillet: again, I am empirical) and then you add some cream before serving, right in the packet."
Another trip to North Shore Farms is in order to get leeks and salmon.
We have nothing specific planned for today but hope that Dawn can visit us.
Love to all,
Bernice
I didn't write yesterday because it was such a low-energy day for its first several hours. I did recover towards evening.
I woke up today feeling ready to go, as long as I remain fairly still, sitting at the computer. I decided to try something new with the prednisone: because the energizing effects of the prednisone don't seem to kick in for about 6 hours, I decided to take the 40 mg with a banana at 2 a.m. (I am wakeful because the prednisone is still giving me a boost, I guess). I got up then for good at about 5 a.m. and did feel better than I have. I'll see how the day goes. My aim is to get energized during the day and be able to sleep through the night. Not a bad idea!
Yesterday I started going over old documents and deciding which to keep and which to throw away. My NCC promotion folders are humongous collections. It's nostalgic glancing at them: They record what I did for the 6 years in between each promotion: I was a busy person! They go, except for a few reprints of things I have written. I am hoping to put my Hamlet-related reviews on the website.
And of course I am still thinking recipes. Michèle gave me one for salmon packets, which does indeed sound very easy. She has served a version of this with jullianed zucchini and carrots when we visited her and Raymond in Rouen. I want to try the one with leeks because, believe it or not, I have never made anything with leeks though I like them very much:
She writes: "You need two individual salmon fillets with the skin on and two or three leeks, depending on their size; salt and pepper and a little cream.
"Leeks are no problem: you generally keep only the white part, except for soup. Wash thoroughly under running cold water. Chop them up into small segments and stew them with a little salt and pepper in a little fat (I use margarine, which has a neutral taste unlike olive oil) on a low heat for at least 15 minutes; check that they are soft (I am very empirical). During that time, prepare some foil to make up a parcel with your salmon, skin down, and the vegetables on top. They go in the oven for about ten minutes (depending on the thickness of the fish fillet: again, I am empirical) and then you add some cream before serving, right in the packet."
Another trip to North Shore Farms is in order to get leeks and salmon.
We have nothing specific planned for today but hope that Dawn can visit us.
Love to all,
Bernice
Thursday, January 21, 2010
There's a smile on my face
Dear Friends and family,
Not that a smile is unusual for me, but I am rested from a nap at home after the 4-hour transfusion this morning, and I do not hear the boom, boom, ba-boom in my ears! Or at least not very loudly. That's a relief. Little favors.
And when I got home I saw the first primer coat of mango on a bedroom wall. This is going t make the room so much lighter and brighter. I am trying to remove and distribute unneeded books and put up some of the paintings, photos and other pictures that are leaning against walls here and there throughout the house. I do love my books, so full of memories, but my need for so many of them has diminished: others can use them now.
Yesterday was a lightened by Harris and Evelyn, with whom we had a kind of brunch after the water aerobics class that they go to with Merwin. And in my study I managed to part with two huge promotion folders, mementos of years of work at NCC: out to the garbage they went, giving me a little more space on the shelves in my study.
I am looking ahead to spring 2011, if you can believe that! I have suggested to the hamletworks.org team that we propose (by 1 March 2010) a session about our website and issues associated with it for the next Shakespeare Association Meeting. If anyone wants to see the interview about hamletworks.org published in the Shakespeare Newsletter, let me know and I'll mail you a copy.
Spinach pancakes were on the menu: fresh spinach (pre-washed is OK), trimmed and cut up, mixed with enough eggs to hold the leaves together, with enough grated Pecorino Romano cheese added to taste, then dropped in large spoonfuls (3") into hot olive oil in a frying pan. Fry each patty till dark brown on both sides. Drain on paper towel. We love this dish, and the patties make wonderful sandwiches as well.
Another patty: have I mentioned this one? 1 lb can of wild salmon, liquid, bones and all: mash the contents, add a couple of eggs, and bread crumbs, enough so the mix holds together. Drop spoonfuls into hot olive oil. This time I decided to add a chopped scallion, dried parley, and also the cheese, as above. Delicious. Also makes good sandwiches the next day.
Now to work! I am thinking of all of you and hoping all is well. Below are two photos from Merwin's birthday on Dec. 25th, showing the spinach pie Harvey helped make under my direction and the birthday cake Sandy made. Seated around the table on the left, Lincoln opposite Harvey in the plaid shirt and Sandy, Dave on the left opposite Merwin, and me at the head of the table to be close to the kitchen.
Love,
Bernice
Not that a smile is unusual for me, but I am rested from a nap at home after the 4-hour transfusion this morning, and I do not hear the boom, boom, ba-boom in my ears! Or at least not very loudly. That's a relief. Little favors.
And when I got home I saw the first primer coat of mango on a bedroom wall. This is going t make the room so much lighter and brighter. I am trying to remove and distribute unneeded books and put up some of the paintings, photos and other pictures that are leaning against walls here and there throughout the house. I do love my books, so full of memories, but my need for so many of them has diminished: others can use them now.
Yesterday was a lightened by Harris and Evelyn, with whom we had a kind of brunch after the water aerobics class that they go to with Merwin. And in my study I managed to part with two huge promotion folders, mementos of years of work at NCC: out to the garbage they went, giving me a little more space on the shelves in my study.
I am looking ahead to spring 2011, if you can believe that! I have suggested to the hamletworks.org team that we propose (by 1 March 2010) a session about our website and issues associated with it for the next Shakespeare Association Meeting. If anyone wants to see the interview about hamletworks.org published in the Shakespeare Newsletter, let me know and I'll mail you a copy.
Spinach pancakes were on the menu: fresh spinach (pre-washed is OK), trimmed and cut up, mixed with enough eggs to hold the leaves together, with enough grated Pecorino Romano cheese added to taste, then dropped in large spoonfuls (3") into hot olive oil in a frying pan. Fry each patty till dark brown on both sides. Drain on paper towel. We love this dish, and the patties make wonderful sandwiches as well.
Another patty: have I mentioned this one? 1 lb can of wild salmon, liquid, bones and all: mash the contents, add a couple of eggs, and bread crumbs, enough so the mix holds together. Drop spoonfuls into hot olive oil. This time I decided to add a chopped scallion, dried parley, and also the cheese, as above. Delicious. Also makes good sandwiches the next day.
Now to work! I am thinking of all of you and hoping all is well. Below are two photos from Merwin's birthday on Dec. 25th, showing the spinach pie Harvey helped make under my direction and the birthday cake Sandy made. Seated around the table on the left, Lincoln opposite Harvey in the plaid shirt and Sandy, Dave on the left opposite Merwin, and me at the head of the table to be close to the kitchen.
Love,
Bernice
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