I just happened to think of this. Wifey, RN went to El Salvador on a medical mission to one of the prisons. She was one of three nurses on the mission that came from all over. I think there were two other missions besides the Joyce Meyer one she was on. IIRC, the prison has a population of 35,000 (for that one prison). The mission got to see 7,000 of them. Conditions were bad. Substandard food, bunks stacked four-high in the cells, little or no medical care… One guy she saw had a blood glucose level of 286, which meant he was diabetic. He didn’t even know. I asked what kind of food the prisoners got, and she said, ‘Rice. If that.’ And she said it’s not like the prisoners receive a sentence. They just get tossed in there with no idea when or if they’ll be released. 
Good day, all!
metal mouse, I meant to mention how exciting your trip to France and Spain will be next April! I look forward to travelogues. I have ex-pat friends who moved from here initially to Nice and were there when the terrorist attack with the truck occurred. After awhile, they moved to a less tourist-impacted area – but they did always have a soft spot for Nice.
doggio, I hope your sinus issues are soon abated. How long does this unfortunate seasonal affliction usually last?
Thanks, boo fae! Happily, they did. 
By the way, I appreciate hearing about your commuting adventures. Can’t say I like hearing about them, but it is interesting to hear about the challenges of public transport in other countries – which are different than the ones we have here. If that makes any sense.
FCM, that’s far too much excitement in the middle of the night! NSAIDS do sound like the culprit. I will share about a medical malpractice case I worked on that involved a man who lost his sight by taking too many of them. They caused him to bleed internally, which wasn’t diagnosed by a doctor (hence the case). He lost so much blood, his optic nerve died. As a result I’m perhaps a bit over cautious when it comes to this stuff, but I’d urge FCD to see a doc and let him know about the NSAID use. I’m sorry you both had such a dreadful time with it.
taters, I’m glad you didn’t get high winds yesterday, either. I’ll take hard rain all day long – just keep the winds away!
knots, nice tips re blood clean up. I’ll keep them in mind next time I may need them!
JtC, you are a master cookie maker, obviously! When you can make family recipes than grandma made, that’s really something! Enjoy your well-earned day of R&R.
nut, have a restful, pleasant respite from irk. And it’s awfully good of you to look after your friend’s monstera plant!
I will PM you. It’s easier to write it out than find wherever I dug it up from – it’s really easy!
BBBooo, good to know about Dristan. I don’t use it, but who knows what the future holds?
flyboy, it’s awful to hear about the conditions of prisons in El Salvador. Your wife was a godsend to those folks that were lucky enough to see her. She’s a treasure. (But you already know that!)
We have weak sunshine and continuing moderate temperatures here today, approaching low 50s. I slept well and long last night – yayy!! I got started on outdoor cleanup and am now waiting for the postie to deliver a package. I’ve got someone in mind to come by and clean up the fallen trees, but he’ll be very busy for the next couple of weeks so I’ll have to be patient for that part. It will all get looked after eventually.
Enjoyed a pleasant breakfast of a spinach and bacon omelet with cheese, sourdough toast and a banana with yogurt. Dinner will be a repeat of last night – or possibly pasta with a quick sauce and another Italian sausage. I have 2 left over from last night’s dinner, so I’ve got to use them up. Why do they package sausages in fives? May make a pizza with the last one, but that means making pizza dough today. I think I will. It only takes about 10 minutes.
More later, perhaps.
I gave the chestnut bread another try, using a wetter recipe with non-standard raisins and a dash of honey, CASTAGNACCIO RECIPE - Tuscan style chestnut flour cake . I’m using coarse-ground; she’s using fine. Instead of a 9" x 9" pan, I used a nonstick mini-loaf tin. It still stuck, but I’m getting closer! Next time, I’ll cut little parchment sheets for the bottom, or use a muffin top tin. Tasty! And I still have a bit of candied Buddha’s Hand citron to serve on the side. (Can you tell I’m editing the chapter of the novel where the protagonist cooks chestnut bread for Pesach? She’s in hiding, so she can’t traipse out to get wheat flour for matzah. The citron appears in a later chapter.)
I hadn’t heard of it in 40 years, so I figured it no longer was on the market.
lily, the chestnut bread looks delicious! Is it a flatbread?
Yes, it’s not leavened. It also has no wheat or other flours, so I suppose it’s a “baked chestnut tart.” Not crispy. (I’ve found a recipe for necci, which are chestnut crepes, but they have egg. This bread recipe has no gluten, egg, or dairy.) This bread has a tablespoon of honey and some raisins, but the traditional doesn’t and is more savory, though the ground chestnut itself is a little sweet. There are many more sweetened recipies, easily found by searching for “chestnut cake Passover.”
Today is my daughter’s last day at the big food bank. They had a big party for her on Wednesday, and a few of her coworkers have been walking around crying, in part because they’re very worried about their own jobs, as, frankly, they should be. I shall refrain from ranting at a government that cuts aid to programs that feed those in need, but it’s taking all my will power. Anyway, tough week for daughter.
This afternoon, I saw a strange yellow light outdoors. The sun! It was nice and reassuring, since starting tonight, the rain returneth.
I would like my back to stop hurting, but it’s not too bad until I walk a few blocks or do housework. Since I got the weekly cleaning done yesterday, that’s out of the way, and I have no dog-walking today. I’m wrapping up little gifts for the dogs, and shortly I’ll dig out the creche scene. I decided not to put up a tree, since it’ll just be me this year, but a creche scene is nice. My favorite figure (aside from the Birthday Boy) has always been Gaspar. He’s so tall and regal.
Ah, yes, the nasal spray for us Christians. We love our nasals as ourselves.
Wouldn’t that be the better arm to pack a wallop?
Ouch. I hope it doesn’t hurt too much.
Why slink? Those are two of the things we like about you.
flyboy, that sounds horrific. I admire your wife for her work there. I once worked with a woman whose husband taught in San Salvador. While she was visiting him at Christmas, they had a major earthquake. The houses in the poorer section were made of flimsy wood and tin cans and collapsed. She was not a nurse but helped injured people and delivered a baby on the sidewalk. She returned to her job helping the low-income just long enough to pack her things. She said after what she experienced, she wouldn’t be able to be as sympathetic to our poor as she should have been.
lily, the chestnut bread looks wonderful. My mother was very fond of chestnuts. They reminded her of her girlhood in Italy. I guess they grew there. (So did she, though not much. She was only 4’9.)
I enjoy AYR, a saline solution that clears your breathing.
Saw a bit of that yesterday, along with a weirdly blue sky. This morning we were back to what’s been normal for a couple of weeks now, gray and gloomy. It’s currently raining, and we’re expected to have heavy rain for the next several days.
I have what feels like a pulled muscle in my left thigh. Makes getting up and down or bending to pick up an object quite “fun”.
Howdy Y’all! I did candle duty and then hermited in da cave for the rest of the day. The weather was a nice mid 60s and sunny this afternoon so we grilled burgers and et them out on the back porch. Well, we sat at the table and et. We don’t eat off the porch itself. We’re slobs, but we’re not savages. We watched the first three episodes of Victoria on Netflix. It’s really good so far. I made a joke and OYKW said that I should go sit in the corner and feel shame. The joke: Did you know that it’s common knowledge that Queen Victoria had a Prince Albert? I will now go sit in the corner, but I will feel no shame.
Speaking of queens… Did you know that the last queen of Hawaii was Irish? Lily O’Killarney.
Up from naptime. Having a gin saketini, with suateed tuna, rice and bok choy. Watching hockey.
< waves back >
Thanks. Like I said, it’s not horrible, just annoying.
A week. the fun part is when it flows out of one nostril fir a couple of days, then he other.
While I don’t actually miss smoking tobacco, I do miss the excuse to go outside by myself.
How’s his blood pressure? While I’m used to waking up in an abattoir, that’s because Hubs has paper thin skin and is on blood thinners. He can get himself bleeding by rubbing his arm over the corner of his nightstand and he bleeds forrrrever. Unexplained nosebleeds would be really concerning to me.
Thank you, but I think the pinwheels (no baking involved) tasted mostly of nostalgia - they weren’t really that good. IMHO. The recipe calls for 6 cups of powdered sugar, one small potato-mashed, a cup of peanut butter and vanilla if you have it.
I meant to say something earlier, but kept forgetting…I’m so happy you are getting Ollie’s issues figured out with diet. I’ll bet both of you are much happier now.
And…didn’t you take any pictures for your Christmas cards? Hint, hint!
I’m fairly sure that most of us Mumpers are in full agreement with you, I know I’ve been thinking some very unkind things as well.
I am so sad about your daughter and hope that she finds something she loves just as much.
So it warmed up today and will be in the low 60’s for the next couple of days so we should probably do some general clean up outside.
My Secret Santa sent me a lovely dragonfly suncatcher that I hung on one of the french doors. GG is verrry interested, but hasn’t pointed it out to Jolene which is just as well. I don’t think she can make the jump from the floor, but she’s a smart kitty and one of the trees isn’t that far away.
Nothing much happened today, some stitching got done and I started a new Diablo seasonal avatar. Hubs likes it if I play enough to know what he’s talking about when the season changes and there is always one kinda important change.
This season it is masterworking gear which is just too much work for me. When I’m doing mindless monster bashing, I don’t want to have to remember to buff my sword against dark spells, I just want to kill stuff. But, I kinda like him and the seasons don’t change that often, so I’ll play for a few days and he’ll be happy.
Evening all. I have to apologize for the Dristan confusion, the Nasal sprays I have in my cabinet are not Dristan, but it’s simply the name I grew up with and to me, all nasal sprays are Dristan. It is still available, but seems to be crowded out of the market by a ton of competitors. Anyway, the stuffiness is going away which means I am blowing my nose way too often, but hopefully will be clear my tomorrow.
Speaking of which, it should ready 62F Sattiday (33F now getting to 28F) so should be a nice one. The Weather Wizards say it could reach 70F by Xmas day both here and up at my Brother’s, so no threat of snow this trip. So of course I will spend most of the day indoors coaching/refereeing indoor soccer because Winter…
Nut, happy plant-sitting. Albeit the name sounds a bit…foreboding…
FCM, keep an eye on that, if he has a recurring episode, it may be pointing to something (what, I haven’t a clue, but I can offer mundane advice with the best of them…)
Maus, hope the tooth removal went smoothly and the butter chicken didn’t disappoint.
BBBoo, thanks for the nasal info, I always (well, almost always) follow label directions and usually take a does before bedtime and then maybe in the morning. Been unnecessary today.
Flyboy, kudos for your wife in performing in those horrible conditions. As bad as our justice system can be at times, it is not comparable to a lot of worse places.
Bright Tree, thanks for your interest and I’ll try to update folks when I can…and I didn’t even think of the terrorist attack but it’ll be 10 years gone by then so hopefully no problems. And after reading your story, I concur that FCD should make a Drs. appointment and if it happens again make that mandatory.
lily, hope the bread-making continues improving and neat that it plays a part in your home life and your novel.
nellie, best wishes to daughter-unit, may something else come along soon for her.
“I’m all for women’s rights, it’s their lefts they have to work on”–Mel Brooks as the 2000-Year Old Man
Nettie, ouch! Been there, pulled that. Hope you get to feeling better soon.
swampy, not a bad joke but too obvious. I give it a B.
JtC, never played a ‘video game’ like Diablo or it’s ilk, just never appealed to me. Spider Solitaire is about as far as I go.
And after 9pm and I need to be abed soon since soccer starts at 8:00am, so I’ll be back in touch sometime Saturday, depending on the workload. Take care all.
Lily, your chestnut bread looks very inviting! I’ll bet it tastes delicious.
Nellie, I’ll add my sorrow and anger to that of others at what has happened to your daughter at the big food bank and leave it at that. I am sure she will find something else soon, but it’s hard to end at a job one loves and feels good about doing. Also, you have my hopes that your back can stop hurting somehow soon, preferably without surgical intervention.
Nettie, may the pulled muscle heal quickly!
swampy, I like your joke. 
On the bright side, maybe it means you can play Nostril Flute in 2 different keys. 
Oh. My. That’s… a recipe I would not be tempted to try. But I can sure understand why it would appeal to lower income folks who wanted an affordable treat.
We are much happier, and I feel like I’m getting to the end of his issues. I am still going to try him on a different daily medication to see if I can obliterate the last of his itchiness. But the butt concerns are dramatically improved with the psyllium husk. It’s nothing short of miraculous! I think we had them 80%, uhhh, licked before I put him on the husk regimen, but this got him to 100%. I am thrilled with the result! So easy!
If I ever send out Solstice cards, they will (for some weird reason) include pictures of Ollie. And you’re on my list. In my defense, I do keep trying to snap pics of him – and he keeps moving so fast! Or the lipstick is out. Or he’s trying to eat the camera. Not a natural young star, I’m afraid…
You’re a good wife to sacrifice your time to monster-killing to keep Hubs happy.
I decided to incorporate those 2 leftover Italian sausages into a favored old recipe to use up some other items that were hanging around. It’s a tomato/onion/red pepper/garlic mixture sauteed with sausage, simmered together and then cream added toward the end of the simmer. Throw in the cooked pasta, top with shredded Parmesan and there you have it. I made a half recipe which should serve 2, but in reality will serve 3. Delish! Had some steamed green beans on the side. Not all the green beans in this house are for Ollie.
Easy dinners or lunches for the next few days.
And that’s enough out of me for now!
Well, almost. I see metal mouse just posted and I must respond to this:
It was one of the saddest cases I ever worked on. The fellow was young, mid 40s and had a family. He was a forest ranger who could no longer do the job he loved. I will never forget how his attorney described to the jury the danger period while he was bleeding internally:
“If we think of how close he was to death in terms of a plane crashing, he was skimming the trees.”
And the guy had no idea. He went to bed for a nap and woke up completely, irrevocably blind. NSAIDS are not to be taken lightly.
Thank you, you have no idea how much I needed that tonight.
You’re my kind of patient!
Don’t ask me how I know about the foibles of overusing Dristan. In my defense it was before I went to nursing school.
Diablo was one of the first big ones and it came out in the early 1990’s, when people were playing on dial-up. It has been really interesting to watch how the games have evolved, but sometimes I really do miss the old days of just grabbing a sword and running out of the keep and just killing everything in sight. There’s too much thinking involved nowadays and I’m far too lazy for that.
That’s about as diplomatic a way to say “that sounds horrible” as I’ve ever heard!
While everyone at the supper ate a pinwheel and said nice things, nobody ate two (yes I do keep track of that sort of thing!) and I couldn’t help but notice that nobody in the family took up the mantle in the decades since the original cook died.
I doubt I will make them again unless asked.
I understand that having a wife that games is a big bragging point in certain circles.
That certainly is a cautionary story to be sure. I try to avoid NSAIDS because I drink so choose to damage my lungs by smoking weed instead. Back when I was smoking tobacco, I would always avoid the sun because of the risk of skin cancer. I’m not as good at risk assessment as I could be.
You are so valued and loved. I’m sorry you are having a bad night and hope that Moxie is helping.
Hugs to your daughter. I agree with you about the cuts to food aid.
Did you begin Christmas morning singing Happy Birthday to Jesus and placing him in the creche?
She’s being the best morale officer. Draped across my bosom purring like a Harley. Unloaded my car after coming home from helping with bedtime with the grands and was a wee bit chilled but being claimed by a warm silky~furred fuzz butt sure helps after a long day of not getting nearly enough done as I needed to. Three grands got loved, my daughter’s birthday got celebrated, my sister’s Christmas present mittens and my rocket scientist brother’s Suduku books made it to the Post Office-good enough is good enough. Always is a tricky time of year for me as my traumatic brain injury that took away so much of my life happened on Christmas Eve and there’s always a sea of anniversary grief to navigate starting when the stores put up the Christmas stuff the day after Halloween.
Good thing I have all of you!