At Last!

March 20, 2015 – At Last!

At last, I have time to sit down and write.  It’s been a busy, busy time, so I’ll bring you up to date with what’s been going on since my last blog post.  Briefly: 

·      Elliott’s super-duper, handy-dandy oxygen box arrived;

·      I escaped to Florida for a much-needed getaway;

·      Friends from around the country came to visit;

·      The first crocus of the season popped up in our front yard, suggesting that spring may soon arrive.  

A welcome sign of the coming season

First of all, after waiting impatiently for several weeks, Elliott is now free!  The recent delivery of a new portable oxygen concentrator means he is no longer housebound.  The new machine (still un-named) weighs about five pounds, has a rechargeable ion battery that lasts about four hours, and fits handily into a shoulder bag.  Going out for lunch is back on the schedule.  I’m hoping Elliott will start daily walks and regain some of his strength.  

Elliott with his new oxygen box

I missed all of the excitement surrounding the arrival of the new oxygen equipment because I was in warm, sunny Florida.  Marshall was officially on Elliott patrol while I was away for four days.  I left a thorough list of instructions regarding Elliott’s care.  However, I discovered that something very interesting occurred during my absence. Whenever Marshall attempted to assist his father, Elliott protested, “I can do it myself!” Hmmm.  Elliott certainly doesn’t say that when I’m around.  I guess he feels it’s okay to be helpless when your wife can wait on you, but it isn’t acceptable for your son to fill the caregiver role.  Must maintain a strong, independent macho image?  In any case, Elliott (and Marshall) survived, and now that I’m home, Elliott has fallen back into his former poor-old-me routine.

The Florida getaway gave me a respite from the constant caregiving of the past few months.  As soon as I arrived, I slipped easily into vacation mode with a visit to The Breakers, the luxurious Palm Beach hotel – where I did not stay.   (Thank you, Gale and feline friends, for sharing your home with me.) 

Beach at The Breakers

Next was an old-Florida style lunch at The Old Key Lime House in Lantana, including the namesake pie for dessert.  The next morning was perfect for a long walk on the beach at Delray, where I got a close-up look at the strangely beautiful Portuguese man-of-war, a type of jellyfish, washed up on the sand.   

Walking on Delray Beach

In Boca Raton, I returned to The Muffin Tin Café, a restaurant that I had discovered on a trip a few years ago.  It's a great place for lunch.  In addition, if you go there, don't miss their restroom.  The decor changes with the season.

Restrooom at The Muffin Tin Café in Boca Raton

Afterwards, I spent a very worthwhile hour in the Boca Raton Museum of Art.  And how could I visit Florida without trying an early-bird special?  Fortunately, cousins from my mother’s generation took care of the arrangements.  We met up at 4:30 p.m. for dinner at Nino’s and stuffed ourselves with a multi-course, red-sauce meal, all for $14.

Gale suggested a morning visit (it gets hot early) to the Green Cay Nature Center and Wetlands.  In the park, an elevated 1.5 mile boardwalk wends its way through 100 acres of swampy landscape, home to a variety of wildlife.  Although we didn’t see any alligators, we saw some very interesting birds, including egrets and herons fishing for their breakfast; red-winged blackbirds with vivid puffs on red like epaulets on their shoulder; gallinules, wading birds with distinctive red beaks and lime green feet; and regal-looking purple martins, whose feathers have a velvety purple sheen). Also, in the nature center, we were introduced to Oliver, an Eastern screech owl.

On my last evening, after an hour or so strolling along Atlantic Avenue, the center of activity in downtown Delray Beach, we stopped for dinner at Cabana El Rey, which serves wonderful nuevo latino food.  Among the items we sampled were crispy broccoli-carrot fritters, monkfish with calamari and mussels in an herb-flecked white wine sauce, and the ubiquitous black beans and rice.  We even found time to catch a new play at The Arts Garage. 

Visits from old friends bracketed my Florida trip.  I caught up with friends from my Boston days, now living in Washington State, early in March.  And immediately after I returned from Florida, our friends Karen and Taylor came to visit.  While they were here, our mutual friend Joel arrived.  With everyone together again (we know each other from the South of France), we spent a lot of time reminiscing.  We also spent a lot of time eating.  Having houseguests was a great excuse to do major cooking for an appreciative group of eaters.  They all enjoyed one of my favorite crowd-pleasing dishes, moussaka, which I served on St. Patrick’s Day, even though it’s Greek.  I tried a couple of new recipes, too, including an unusual “hummus” made from canned artichokes and black-eyed peas.  You can find it on The Washington Post’s website. 

With Karen, Taylor and Joel

Our non-traditional St. Patrick's Day dinner

The boys (Taylor, Elliott, and Joel) relaxing on their last morning together

Now it’s just the two of us at home.  I’m getting used to the quiet again and catching up with all the neglected chores, as well as planning my next getaway.