Eggsellant!

Several years ago my gall bladder was removed. After that, eggs decided that they didn't like me anymore. I was unable to eat eggs that weren't processed. By processed, I mean, that weren't cooked in cakes or cookies. Scrambled eggs, fried eggs, boiled eggs, and even egg salad sandwiches all required a full weekend of staying at home and near a potty because they would come back to bite me in the ass - literally! That all changed when I began eating my first home grown eggs a few weeks ago. For some reason, my body can tolerate the eggs that come from my beloved pets and they don't effect me in any bad way what-so-ever. I can now eat scrambled eggs for breakfast, fried egg sandwiches for dinner, and one of my favorites - deviled eggs - as a snack! My assumption is that it has something to do with the diet that the chickens are on. They get normal chicken feed, but also have a diet rich in greens, scraps, and bugs! yummy. I think. At least the eggs are yummy!

My first double yolker!

Num Num

This brings me to my next "Grandma Journal" entry

Are you allergic to anything?

I am allergic to several things. I used to think I might be allergic to eggs after the surgery, but we have now determined that that isn't the case! Yay!  I am, however, allergic to morphine and codeine - along with all their cousins. I'm also allergic to tomato plants, but if I wash off good after I've harvest, then I am good. It's only when the acids from the plants don't get washed off do I get hives.  I have general seasonal allergies, but am not sure which weed causes that - ragweed or something. Mosquitoes love me and I'm allergic to their stings as well - at least every sting I get swells up into a horribly itchy sore. 

My biggest allergy is to bees.  When I was younger, I stepped on a bee. It stung me on the padding of my foot right under my right little toe. My foot and ankle swelled up so large that I couldn't even fit into my father's slipper. It felt like I was walking on a watermelon for days. I was told that I was lucky it hadn't stunk me any higher and that my mother was able to get out the stinger - otherwise I might have a problem breathing. I've never been stung since that one time and I don't ever plan on it! I'm afraid of what a hornet or a wasp sting might be like! 

The touch of death

Today I touched another dead body. I work in an emergency room and although it's rare, we do lose people. Usually to a heart attack. It's never easy to see someone pass away right in front of your eyes and all I can think about is, I touched a dead body. It doesn't gross me out, it doesn't give me the willies, and it doesn't even seem creepy. It just makes me contemplate the fact that we are all just cells that without the proper mechanics can go - literally - in a heartbeat. I never thought I'd work in a place that required me to be around sick people, people that were looking for help, and people that would die. But I love where I work. It gives me a huge sense of being knowing that I was there when a life was saved - or when someone lost the energy to live.

This leads me into my next "Grandma Journal" Entry

Share a childhood memory about a death that affected you

The very first death that I can recall was the death of a waiter at my parent's favorite restaurant. He was a great waiter and remembered all of our names, what we usually ordered, and what our favorite desserts were. We tipped him well and asked for him every time we went to eat there. His name was Sergio and I remember asking my mom one day while we were dining there where he was because I hadn't seen him in a while.  My parents told me that he'd passed away from a disease called AIDS. The AIDS epidemic had just begun, but had not yet made the national news, so it was pretty much unheard of. She never explained to me what the disease was, so when I learned about it from the news and school, I was shocked at the implication that our beloved waiter was a homosexual. I was still young and this concept had never occurred to me. I didn't ever think it was possible that two men could love each other in that way. I remember contemplating this for nights on end as I laid in bed trying to sleep. Sex was a very taboo subject at home (at least I thought so), so I couldn't ask my parents about it. In the end, I remember coming to the conclusion that why should I care that two men were together. If they were happy, then I was happy that they were happy. Then it saddened me because I'd heard all the rumor and rhetoric about how men afflicted with this disease were being punished for their actions. How could love be punished? This one death opened my eyes to more than just dying, but to diseases and lifestyles that I'd never encountered before.   

http://www.worldaidsday.org/

Grandma Journal

My mom gave me this book called "Memories for a granddaughter" and It was basically a journal that I would write in every night answering questions about my life. While this is a great concept, the pages were very small and there wasn't a lot of room to write in. The questions were also very "old school" and didn't apply to modern life. For instance, one of the questions was "Tell how you celebrated May Day".. ummm.. WTF is May Day? I've never heard of that in my life. I decided to write down all of the questions that do apply and answer them here on my blog. This will give a permanent record that can't be lost in a fire or flood anyways. :)

First question.  (Feel free to respond in the comments about your own experiences and stories!)

Name everywhere you have lived

Puyallup, Washington

My father was stationed in Washington while he was in the Army and we lived in Puyallup, Washington (on Rainbow street... isn't that the coolest name!) until I was about 6 months old.

St. Louis, Missouri

We then moved to St. Louis, Missouri where I lived until I was 17 years old. This is where I attended elementary, middle school, and most of my high school. As of today, my father still lives in the same house that I grew up in.

Kansas City, Missouri

After my parent's divorce, I moved to Kansas City, Missouri. I went to high school for just a few months to finish out my junior year of high school. 

Wamego, Kansas

My mom posed the question to me, "where do you want to go to college?" I really wanted to be a veterinarian, so Kansas State University was the logical choice. We didn't care for the town of Manhattan, so we settled in the small town of Wamego, known for the working wind mill and now, the OZ museum. I went to high school the first semester of my senior year in Wamego. 

Wichita, KS

My mother began a new relationship and we soon moved to Wichita, Kansas where i finished out my senior year of high school. 

Lawrence, Kansas

Since I had my Kansas residency, I decided to attend the University of  Kansas in Lawrence. It was the "Oasis of Kansas" from what I'd been told and I fell in love with the town. 

Kansas City, Kansas

I briefly moved to Kansas City, Kansas for employment because it was easier than commuting 45 minutes to work from Lawrence every day.

Lawrence, Kansas

I soon realized that Lawrence was where my heart was - and the Jayhawks! I moved back to Lawrence and believe that I will retire and die in Lawrence. It truly is an oasis!

The Lone Flower

There is a lone flower that lives at the edge of my sidewalk.  It stands in stark contrast to the dull grey of the concrete and the grass that is ever growing browner as the heat of the sun swelters the living plants surrounding it. The mower respects its territory and it has survived the walkers. It's the lone flower.

Pluck not the wayside flower;

It is the traveler's dower.

~William Allingham

My tiny tiny sunflower

No words are needed (except to maybe let everyone know that I'm 5 feet tall!)

Think I've given it enough lovin? 

W. N. (Walt Neibarger) 1983: The virility of the sunflowers in a drought that ruined ordinary farm crops is evident the way the sunflowers gained height and full of beautiful yellow blossoms. Perhaps, (yes, maybe) this Kansas sunflower is an indication of the virility of the Kansas people dating back to pioneer times that have survived depressions, hard times, dust storms, floods, tornados, wars, or what have you. At least we like to think we haven't lost our ability, independence, at faith in ourselves to survive whatever comes along.  

Salsa! (Not the dance)

I made myself some fresh salsa today! I refuse to let the bounty of tomatoes go bad and there are only so many that I can give away before people start taking them out of pity.  I've added my recipe to the bottom, in case you want to taste this deliciousness for yourself!

Ingredients:

• 1 medium sized finely chopped onion
• 2 small cloves garlic, minced
• 3-5 large ripe tomatoes, chopped (I leave in seeds and skin and all)
• 1 Jalapeno, finely chopped
• 1 jar green chilis  (You can add any other peppers if you like it hotter!)
• 1 small green pepper, minced
• 2 to 3 stems of fresh minced cilantro
• 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• salt and pepper

Eat it right away or let it sit in the refrigerator overnight for a stronger flavor. Enjoy!

Signs of Summer and Baffling Kitty

 Today I harvested my first tomatoes and snow peas. Looking at the size of them, I'm expecting a bumper crop this year! Nothing tastes better than a fresh tomato right from the garden. I cringe every year when they stop producing and I'm forced to buy the bland grocery store tomatoes.








My hibiscus bloomed today as well. The size of these flowers are huge! I've never had hibiscus and I'm embarrassed to say that I had to post on my chicken forum to ask the ladies what in the world this type of flower was. It's beyond beautiful! I hope they last all summer.

The baffling kitty

Our cat, stormy has the most unusual way of sleeping. She buries her head no matter where she sleeps. If there isn't a blanket for her to bury it in, she'll find somewhere.. see for yourself: