Food Matters

April 29, 2015 – Food Matters

Even when life seems overwhelming – no, especially when life seems overwhelming, food matters.  Food is so much more than sustenance.  It’s comfort, it’s caring, it’s a stolen moment of pleasure in a hectic day.  Confession: a few days ago, I dashed into Dairy Queen and ordered their smallest vanilla frozen custard in a cone.  I sat in the car and ate it.  It was sheer bliss. 

I eat out much less often these days, but I made an exception yesterday when I had lunch with my friend (and former ESOL colleague) Kathy at our favorite vegetarian Indian restaurant.  There was wonderful assortment of dishes on the buffet – the usual bhelpuri, pakoras, idlis, rotis, dals, half a dozen vegetable dishes, bisi bele bath (a spiced rice, lentil and vegetable mixture), gulab jamun – plus masala dhosas brought piping hot to the table.  There were so many complex flavors to savor as we chatted about our families, the joys of being a grandmother, and what’s going on at AHS.  Sure, the meal was bad for the blood sugar (too many carbs), but it certainly was good for the soul.  I paid the price later, however.    Midway through the afternoon, my blood sugar level crashed and I couldn’t keep my eyes open. 

Homemade meals have remained my standby.  Even when I’m exhausted, it doesn’t take long to make a salad, whisk together a vinaigrette, and open a can of salmon or sardines.  Add some yogurt and fruit and I have a satisfying lunch or dinner.  At first, right after Elliott went into rehab, I tried preparing more traditional meals, but I found cooking for one to be quite a challenge.  I’d always end up eating leftovers for three or four days.  Now I strive to make meals that are interesting but simple.   For example, after Zumba and a visit to Elliott in rehab today, I was starving and wanted a quick, easy, and tasty (tasty is the key) lunch.  At the same time, I was trying to free up space in the refrigerator as I start loading up on food for the shower this coming weekend.  One lonely Trader Joe’s organic tofu burger was lurking on a shelf.  By chance, I’d noticed a recipe for trout with tahini-lemon yogurt sauce in today’s Washington Post.  Tofu isn’t exactly trout, but I had tahini, lemon and yogurt in the refrigerator and so I thought I’d give it a try.  The result – the yummiest tofu burger ever!  

Trader Joe's tofu veggie burgers

This is my adapted version of the newspaper recipe – for 1-2 servings, in a bowl mix together 2 Tablespoons regular (non-Greek) plain yogurt, 1 Tablespoon tahini, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon water.  Season with a dash of garlic powder, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, and 1-2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro.  Serve over any kind of cooked fish, tofu or vegetable. 

Now the big question is – will Elliott like the tofu burger with tahini-lemon yogurt sauce?  Maybe if I serve it with mashed potatoes and gravy on the side?  By the way, Elliott thinks the food at The Virginian (his rehab facility) is wonderful.  My step-daughter, Marie-Claude, says this is a sure sign he’s losing mind. 

Elliott Eats an Éclair

April 25, 2015 – Elliott Eats an Éclair

Elliott’s recovery is going very well.  In addition to regaining his strength, he is definitely regaining his appetite.  My brother (visiting from New York) and I joined him for lunch today in the main dining room of The Virginian.  First, he polished off a full meal, which included three-cheese quiche and his favorite vegetable (mashed potatoes and gravy).  Then I watched in amazement as Elliott gobbled up a chocolate éclair in four huge bites.  If he continues eating at this rate, he’ll soon outgrow all the new clothes I bought him!  Elliott’s former daily uniform was a pair of khakis, a belt to hold them up, and a dress shirt.  When he went into rehab, I had to go out and buy him a new wardrobe consisting of exercise clothes for his physical and occupational therapy sessions.  

 

It’s great to see Elliott so full of energy and enthusiasm again.  While he’s been busy getting stronger, I’ve been busy making plans for his homecoming.  If all goes as expected, he’ll be discharged from rehab on May 5.  There are a lot to decisions to ponder and arrangements to make regarding homecare, emergency alarm systems, special furniture, and more.  I seem to spend hours everyday making phone calls, sending emails, and doing online research.  Of course, I also squeeze in a daily visit to Elliott.  There’s not much time for anything else. 

I did, however, set aside a few hours one day this past week to work in the glass studio in Lorton.  In addition, I’m in the process of setting up a new blog, which will serve as an online gallery of my fused glass work.  My goal is to post photos before May 9, when Matt and I will be participating in the next Mantua Made Market, just in time for Mother’s Day.  As soon as the new blog is ready for viewers, I’ll let you know.  

A recently completed piece of fused glass (8-inches square)

The other big project on the horizon is the baby shower for Elisa that I’m organizing and hosting next weekend, along with Teri (Elisa’s mother-in-law) and two of Elisa’s friends.  I never anticipated what was involved in planning this type of event.  In fact, I was so ignorant that I didn’t even realize a shower had to have a theme.  So I’m learning a lot in the process, and becoming quite familiar with Pinterest and Etsy.  One room of the house has become the staging area, where I’m accumulating all sorts of Parisian and French themed items that will be used for décor, favors, prizes, etc.  After much deliberation and consultation, I finally settled on a French-influenced menu.  Now I’m concentrating on selecting, scanning, printing and framing baby photos of Elisa.  I have a list of tasks for each day of the coming week.  And I just realized there’s one thing I overlooked, i.e. French music.  I’ll tackle that tomorrow.  Thank goodness Elisa introduced me to Pandora.  

Just a few of the many shower items

In the midst of all this activity, I nearly always make time for a daily walk.  On these days of daffodils and dogwood blossoms, it’s a joy to feel the sunshine on my face, to marvel at the colors of the tulips, and to stop and smell the lilacs.  Even the deer seem to share my enthusiasm for the season.  I recently discovered them gathering at the backyard bird feeder for happy hour.  

The scent of the lilacs is intoxicating.

 

So that's why I have to refill the bird feeder so often!

Oh, What a Beautiful Morning!

April 17, 2015 – Oh, What a Beautiful Morning!

Sunlight was streaming in through the newly cleaned windows in the family room, tempting me to rush outside while I made breakfast, sipped coffee and read the newspaper this morning.  As soon as I finished cleaning up the kitchen, I laced up my “rabbit-y fire” shoes (see January14 post entitled Discharged if you want an explanation) and hopped up the street to walk in the woods.  The cherry blossoms may have officially peaked, but the trees on Convento Terrace are still showing off their spring finery.  I noticed, however, that the petals have begun to drift earthward, forming frothy puddles of pink.  

The morning breeze carried a delicious scent as I entered the woods for a quick jaunt along the trail.  Aside from an occasional dog walker, it was just me and the birds at this early hour – the rat–a-tat of woodpeckers, the gentle hoo-ing of sleepy owls, and one lilting bird call after another.  I had fun trying to echo their melodies.  Mostly, though, I concentratedd on my breathing, counting to 4 as I inhaled deeply through my nose and to 8 as I exhaled slowly through my mouth.  

Places like this nourish my soul.

Taking a morning walk ensures that I have a few moments to myself before plunging into the day’s activities.  I have a long list of tasks to keep me busy – things to do for Elisa’s baby shower, things to do for my mother, things to do for Elliott, things to do for the house, lunch with AHS friends at a Middle Eastern restaurant.  And of course, at some point, I’ll stop into The Virginian to spend some time with Elliott.  He’s clamoring for more physical therapy and occupational therapy sessions, and complained that there is no therapy scheduled for the weekends. 

For now, however, I think of Curly, in the opening scene of Oklahoma!, singing out, “Oh, what a beautiful morning!”  With a morning like this, I’m certain it’s going to be a beautiful day, as well. 

Look Who's Celebrating Spring!

April 14, 2015 – Look Who’s Celebrating Spring!

Even though Elliott is in rehab, he didn’t miss out on the beautiful spring weather this past weekend.  On Saturday I wheeled him out onto The Virginian’s garden terrace to enjoy the sunshine and the flowers.  That little taste of the outside world energized him and strengthened his determination to walk again (with his walker, of course) as soon as possible.  

Elliott last Saturday

Our cherry blossoms reached peak bloom yesterday.  Instead of going into DC and walking around the Tidal Basin, I only had time to take a walk through my neighborhood.  I even went out in today’s morning drizzle to get one last look at the magical pink and white flowers.  I gazed upon them with a twinge of sorrow, knowing their brief moment of glory had passed. 

But the wet weather couldn’t dampen my spirits entirely.  Elliott called me late this morning after his physical therapy appointment.  He was very excited because he had “graduated” from using a wheelchair to walking with a walker.  Of course, the staff members at The Virginian are astounded at the rapid pace of his recovery.  

I’m sure Elliott can hardly wait to be home again.  And I can hardly wait for him to be driving me crazy again at home!  Seriously, though, his renewed energy and enthusiasm are cause for rejoicing.  Since I fully expect that he’ll be discharged well before the end of the month, I’d better enjoy the calm here while it lasts. 

Elliott's Roller Coaster Ride

April 8, 2015 – Elliott’s Roller Coaster Ride

Photo of Elliott taken a couple of weeks ago at home

We’ve been through extreme ups and downs since my last post.  A couple of weeks ago, we were so thrilled that Elliott was able to get out with his portable oxygen concentrator.  We were busy getting ready for a visit from Elisa and Christian, for the Passover Seder, and for the cherry blossoms to appear.  Spring has been a little temperamental so far, but the daffodils haven’t been intimidated by the sometimes chilly weather.  Their bright sunny faces remind me that it’s time to get some gardening done.  My intentions are good.  I’ve bought several pots of pansies.  Now I just have to get them planted.  And then I have to trim last year’s dried growth from the liriope.  

One week ago, Elisa and Christian arrived for a long weekend visit.  They came just in time to help me prepare for Friday night’s Seder.  Of course, there was a lot of grocery shopping and menu planning to do ahead of time.  This year, I even made a foray into Maryland (that’s all the way across the river from Virginia) to pick up some Passover items at Moti’s Kosher Mart in Rockville.  The Seder menu was somewhat traditional.  I tried to take into account the eating preferences of the seder guests, but Passover is clearly not the holiday for low-carb or gluten-free eating.  And with the coconut macaroons, jellied fruit slices, Barton’s chocolate covered mint crèmes, and more holiday sweets, this isn’t the holiday for those watching their blood sugar either.  As a matter of fact, now that I’ve finished off the last piece of chocolate covered matzah, how will I get through the remaining days of the Passover?

The Seder (Christian’s first) was wonderful, but everything started going downhill quickly the following day.  I did the Torah reading and chanted the Haftarah at services on Saturday morning and came home at noon to find Elliott lying in bed.  He had severe chills and felt miserable, but had no fever at the time.  After checking his oxygen saturation, I turned the concentrator up from 3 to 4 liters.  His oxygen saturation remained lower than usual.  When he still wasn’t feeling any better by mid-afternoon, we called our family doctor for advice.  He told us that if Elliott’s condition didn’t improve within a couple of hours, he probably had an infection and we should go to the emergency room. 

I drove Elisa and Christian to Greenspring to say a quick hello to Grandma Katie.  We told her the exciting news (again) that she is going to be a great-grandmother in July and then hurried back home to check on Elliott.

Elisa, Grandma Katie, Christian

When we returned home, Elliott was still having difficulty breathing, even with the additional oxygen.  Even the slightest exertion made him struggle for air.  We both knew it was time to head out to the emergency room.  When Elliott said goodbye to Elisa, he thought this might be his final chance to see her. 

At this point, Elliott was so weak that he could barely get into the car.  The ER staff at Fairfax Hospital went into action right away, hooking him up to oxygen, taking vital signs, starting an IV with fluids, drawing blood for testing and taking a chest x-ray.  Now he was running a fever, as well as coughing up stuff that terrified me.  The diagnosis of pneumonia came back quickly.  Considering Elliott’s age, pneumonia is very serious.  One encouraging note was that the infection had not entered his bloodstream. Once the results of the tests were in, the doctor started Elliott on three intravenous antibiotics. 

While all of this was going on, I stayed beside Elliott (who was barely conscious) and worked my way through Seder leftovers (roast chicken, eggplant caponata, and arugula salad) that I had wisely packed in my lunchbox before we left the house.  Arrangements were being made to transfer Elliott to a bed in the hospital’s acute pulmonary unit. Finally, around 9:30 p.m., I decided to go back home while I was still awake enough to drive.

When I went to the hospital Sunday morning, I was disturbed by what I saw.  Elliott felt terrible, looked terrible, and sounded terrible.  He hadn’t gotten much sleep during the night.  Because his lungs were so weak, he was wearing an apparatus that delivered high-flow oxygen.  He was hooked up to multiple IVs and monitors.  I brought along some chocolate chip macaroons, but he didn’t have any appetite.  Later that day, however, he called me to say that he was actually feeling a little better. 

From that point on, Elliott continued to make slow but steady progress.  With the help of the antibiotics, his body was fighting off the pneumonia infection.  An additional dose of Lasix helped clear fluid from his lungs.  Gradually, the medical staff weaned him from the high-flow oxygen so that by Wednesday, he was back to using the same type of oxygen equipment he’d used at home.  He was able to switch from intravenous medication to oral medication.  So it was time to move on to the rehabilitation phase of his recovery.

Fortunately, we were able to transfer Elliott to a rehab facility about 10 minutes from our house.  He’ll be there for 2-3 weeks, receiving physical therapy and occupational therapy to help him regain his strength.  And then he’ll be back home, in time to see the azaleas bloom in all their spring glory.  It looks like the amazing Elliott has done it again! 

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.

Stepping Out

March 2, 2015 – Stepping Out

This post is short and sweet.  The news is good – Elliott has been out of the house three of the past four days.  Especially considering the weather, that’s pretty remarkable.  Last Friday, Marshall took him out for lunch with some longtime friends.  On Saturday, Elliott joined me for a celebration of Matt’s birthday at P.F. Chang’s.  We even managed to find a couple of relatively low-sodium options on the lunch menu.  I'm not sure if the chocolate-raspberry ravioli that we had for dessert were technically on the approved list, but it was a birthday.  And today, Elliott made a visit to the barbershop to clean up his scruffy image.  I’m starting to recognize him again, and not just because his beard and hair are neatly trimmed.  He’s finally showing some of his characteristic enthusiasm.  Yesterday, while sleet and freezing rain kept us housebound, Elliott’s enthusiasm was directed at working on tax returns.  Our teamwork was much calmer than I expected, and the session was quite productive.

A Thompson family tradition:  Celebrating Matt's birthday at P.F. Chang's

In other news, the war on salt continues, in conjunction with the war on sugar, flour, carbs, etc.  Fortunately, Elliott has been very cooperative about the changes he’s had to make in his diet.  We’re both encouraged that he’s showing no signs of fluid retention.  The reduced-everything regime is working for me, too.  I feel so much better (not that I felt bad before) and I’m finding it easier to keep my weight under control.  Of course, when the weather warms up, I’ll probably be eating in restaurants more often and that will present some challenges.  Sometimes I think about opening up my own healthy and delicious café, just so I’d have a place to eat out.  The idea that I’ve fantasized about is a combination bookstore/art gallery/restaurant.  I’d hang Elliott’s artwork on the walls, and use my fused glass pieces for serving.  If I were a few decades younger, maybe….