Soupçon and Olios

I stayed in Anchorage overnight Nov. 21, after my first cataract surgery because the surgeon wanted to check my eye the next day.

The temperatures had been cold--around zero, but a storm was moving in from the west and the temperatures were rising quickly, much faster than objects--such as my truck--could keep up with the warming.  I was oblivious to what was going on outside the condo where I stayed, so when the rain started falling and hit those still-very-cold objects, ice formed on them.

The doctor's office was only a 15 minute drive from the condo, and I decided to leave at the appropriate time, after a restless night's sleep, or lack thereof.

My truck looked like a burgundy ice sculpture.  I had to pry open the door.  I hadn't gotten around to putting an ice scraper in the truck because I house it in a nice warm garage,  so I had to scrape the windshield ice with a credit card.   When the heater finally began putting out some heat and assisting ice removal, I rolled the driver's side window down halfway.

The glass had warmed enough to separate from the ice, but the ice remained.   I rolled down the window a bit farther.

Finally, I broke out the ice and went on my careful way, in four wheel drive with studded tires.

A couple days later, caught up on sleep, one thing was on my mind:   soup.    And so it began...

Now, the title of this post,Soupçon, is meant to be a clever play on words, but because it means a "smidgeon" or "hint of" certainly doesn't describe what happened in Gullible's kitchen over the next few days.

Lentil and Corned Beef soup

Chicken Noodle

 

Lima Bean and Ham

Split Pea with Ham

Not shown is the Chicken Veggie soup because either I didn't take pictures or I can't find them, take your pick.

Also not shown are Minestrone and  Chicken Tortilla soup, because I still have plenty in my freezer.  I should be set for the winter, regardless of the weather.

 Why?   Because this is the size of the pot I used to make these soups!    Have I mentioned I used to own a restaurant?

 

Snow, cold, ice, and soup.   A perfect olio.   Anybody want some Lentil Soup?

Mandiba

Resentment is like swallowing poison and hoping it will kill your enemies.--Nelson Mandela 1918-2013

The Morning After Pill

There's an old come-back that goes something like this:

"Wow!   What happened to you?" says one person to another who looks like he's been in a prize fight.

"Hey, this is nothing.   You should see the other guy," says the batteree.

Guess what?

I AM the other guy!

Now, isn't that pretty?   This is the morning after I had cataract removal surgery on my left eye.   The right eye is swollen in empathy or something, because I had the same surgery on it ten days prior.   The right eyelid didn't swell anything close to this.

That morning after pill would have been an Aleve or Advil or Tylenol, but I didn't need it, appearances to the contrary.   There was no pain or discomfort, though I might still have been under the lovely effects of a sedative they gave me prior to surgery.

A couple hours after surgery.

That's what they do, hook you up to an IV, then slip you a mickey, and while you're totally out of it, they give you a shot to numb everything.   I think it's through the eyelid, which is why there's so much edema.  The eye itself looks fine; it's the wrapper that's swollen.

And, boy, can I see!   My trifocals are now obsolete.   Whoopee!

I was allowed to take off that blue shield the morning after and see what I could see.   Not much, actually, not until I put a cold wet wash cloth on it for a half hour and could see through a slit.

For those of you considered cataract surgery, this is the absolute truth:

The very worst part of the whole deal (after overcoming my initial panic about the whole idea of someone messing with my eyes) was the tape they use to tape the eye shut and hold that blue thing in place.   It itches.  The eyelid itches.   It's just paper tape, but the eyelid itches.  Get through that for a night and the whole thing is a piece of cake.

And I even got a free pair of designer sunglasses to wear for the drive home:

Stuff that keeps me awake in the wee hours of the night, Part Four

Rounding the Horn, Being a Story of Williwaws and Windjammers, Drake, Darwin, Murdered Missionaries and Naked Natives—a Deck’s-Eye View of Cape Horn by Dallas Murphy.   I was on a trip to this part of the world when I started reading this book, and I couldn’t put it down.   My friend/roommate Kathy must have gotten very tired of my raving about this book.  The author intersperses a sailboat journey to Cape Horn with a huge helping of very readable history of Patagonia and the explorers and missionaries who ventured there, along with the native tribes who subsisted in a harsh climate and how they were affected by the Europeans.   I've read it twice now.

I am Malala. The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafazai with Christina Lamb.   There are some books, after I've finished them, that I hold in my hands for a few minutes before I set them down.   I feel the impact of the story and sorrow that the book has ended.   This is one of them, the story of the 15 year old Pashtun girl in Pakistan who advocated for education for boys and girls and was almost assassinated by the Taliban as she sat in her school bus.  Lots of history, culture, and insight into the life of Pakistanis as told by a remarkable young girl, the youngest person ever nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.   I expect lots of dynamic things in the future from this young lady, who wants to go into politics.

And on top of the pile on my night stand are:

Things That Matter, Three Decades of Passions, Pastimes, and Politics by Charles Krauthammer.   Oops, make that "...Passions, Pastimes and Politics."   Charles didn't use the series comma.  I will confess to sometimes planning my daily activities around the time Dr. Krauhammer will appear on TV to comment on the latest news.   I find him insightful, acerbic, and devilishly witty.







Mawson's Will by Lennard Bickel.   Billed as the Greatest Survival Story Ever Written, this is the story about Australian Dr. Douglas Mawson, his 1908 trek to the magnetic South Pole, and the horrendous conditions he suffered.












Shackleton's Forgotten Men, The Untold Tragedy of the Endurance Epic by Lennard Bickel.  Wile Sir Ernest Shackleton and the men of the Endurance were trying to survive in the Weddell Sea in Antarctica, the men of the Aurora were fighting a similar battle on the opposite side of the continent.  These were the men who were to stash supplies for Shackleton as he attempted to cross the continent. 

Stuff that keeps me awake in the wee hours of the night, Part Three

Manson, The Life and Times of Charles Manson by Jeff Guinn.   The old newspaper reporter who covered murder trials in me can’t resist this stuff.   Guinn details Manson’s life from childhood to perpetual prisoner, giving insight into how and why.

This Town, Two Parties and a Funeral –plus plenty of valet parking!—in America’s Gilded Captial by Mark Leibovich.   You’re a fly on the wall  as Leibovich takes you on a journey through D.C. culture, with all the things you suspected and wish you’d never learned, and why you hate politicians.   As one reviewer put it so expertly:  This is not an in-depth investigation into Washington corruption; it is, rather, a panoramic view of the culture of Washington, the fertile soil in which the corruption grows and flourishes. Presented in a lively, humorous manner, it is rather enjoyable to read. So much so that one tends to lose sight of the fact that these are people - Washington insiders, that is - who enrich themselves with money taxpayers are forced to send to the government. You get the sense that these people always have a smirk on their faces, laughing at the stupid people - everyone outside of the Beltway - who support their little aristocracy upon the Potomac ('The Club', as it's referred to). The author… doesn't draw conclusions for us, he presents the rather corrupt underbelly of Washington - politicians and their minions as they really are - and let's [sic] us decide just how bad it really is.

The Elephant Whisperer, My Life with the Herd in the African Wild   by Lawrence Anthony.   A devoted animal conservationist, Anthony adopted a herd of wild elephants destined to be destroyed.  A wonderful story of a man bonding with rogue elephants, protecting them, and letting them be wild.  The author died earlier this year and the herd of elephants made a long journey to his home to pay their respects.  This book cemented my desire to visit Africa and I made reservations shortly after finishing it.

Stuff that keeps me awake in the wee hours of the night, Part Two

Frozen in Time by Mitchell Zuckoff, “An epic story of survival and a modern quest for lost heroes of World War II.”   Fascinating story that takes place in Greenland.  I’m a fan of Zuckoff’s since Lost in Shangri-La: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II.”  Guy’s a good writer, no doubt, and he finds the most obscure subjects for his books.   Anxiously awaiting his follow-up to Frozen in Time, and anything else he writes.   Plus, I'm checking into tours to

Benghazi, The Definitive Report by Jack Murphy and Brandon Webb.   This short report is told from the perspective of two former Special Ops men and is available at Amazon as an e-book for $2.00.

  

Still Foolin’ ‘Em by Billy Crystal.   Though preoccupied with his “junk,”  Crystal made me laugh out loud in the first paragraph.   Delightful book to read as Crystal writes about aging, his mid-life crisis,  and his career.   Fun.

Stuff that keeps me awake in the wee hours of the night, Part One

Terrific books I've read recently that kept me up far too late:

The Eighty Dollar Champion by Elizabeth Letts.  A horse headed for the slaughterhouse is purchased by Harry de Leyer and the rest is magic.  A wonderful true story about a Cinderella horse, to put a cliche on it.

Under Fire, the Untold Story of the Attack in Benghazi, by Fred Burton and Samuel M. Katz.  Burton is an expert on security, terrorists and their organizations.  He is a former State Department counterterrorism deputy chief ad DS agent.    Katz is an expert on Middle East terrorism, counterterrorism, and special operations.  An astonishing reconstruction of the events of Sept. 11, 2012, as well as background in the region.   Very readable and informative, though you will be heartily tired of acronyms and semi-colons by the end.

Killing Jesus by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard.   The story of how and why Jesus was killed.   Lots of research here which puts the whole story into historical perspective.   This is a history book, not a religious book, and by the end I had a better understanding of the man known as Jesus and the political forces that demanded his execution.   This book is every bit as readable and educational as the authors’ Killing Lincoln and Killing Kennedy.