On the Mend and Pigskin!

I snapped the header photo when I was down on Eastern Shore, just on the other side of the Bay Bridge on Piney Narrows.  Was so surprised that I could actually see the nest and the fledgling osprey.


I'm feeling a little better each day.  I had read someplace that they weren't sure that the vaccines developed for this year's influenza were appropriate, so I had to just go ahead and try out their theory.  Would you know they were right?  Tamiflu helped a lot though negating the high fever, chills, and body aches within 24 hours.  Now I'm dealing with the cough.  I have a great prescription cough syrup that works beautifully, but pretty much renders me stupid.


And no there's been no knee surgery.  It had to be postponed several times.  And, yes, it's been re-scheduled, but I'm not telling anyone until it's over.  Too many false starts.


I so loved watching Denver beat Pittsburgh yesterday.  I'm not a Tebow fan, but I will cheer on anyone who can take down Roethlisberger and his two different colored shoes.  The injured foot had on a size 15 and the healthy foot, a size 14.  But why have on two different colors?  To call attention to his injury?  So the other team knows which ankle to kick?   So he can remember his left from his right?  A veritable mystery.    I'm not sure how Denver will do against New England on Saturday (actually, I'm pretty sure how they'll do and it isn't pretty) and how our Ravens will do against Texas on Sunday, but I'll be watching.

Tailgating with Ed an Ame

Thank you all for your kind words and condolences.  

We're all doing well (knocking loudly on wood).  It's a glorious day here in Maryland and we're spending the day doing 'stuff' we want to.  We've filled the bird feeders (need to get a new one, the squirrels ate our 'squirrel proof' feeder, sat outside in 65º degree weather, and we're 'getting 'ready' to watch the Eagles and Ravens this afternoon.  We'll be feasting on veggie wraps; a faro, corn, edaname and cilantro salad; and an Asian slaw.  Yes, we're tailgating in our family room. How soon can you all get here?

It's really interesting to me that as the weather begins to cool, I get the cooking/baking bug again.  It happens every year.  I revert to 'primitive woman' girding up for a long, cold winter.  I don't think it coincidence as the leaves fall and the perennials go underground that I begin to crave and want to prepare root vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes and the like.

Faro, Corn and Edaname Salad

Veggie Wrap & Asian Slaw

Another Round of Endorphins, Please

This time 39 years ago, I was dressing for our wedding.  The Mass was to have begun at 11:00 but when we got to the church, a funeral was still going on so we had to ride around the block a couple of times and wait until they put the casket in the hearse.  (Luckily, I was too  naïve to believe in omens).

We had planned to go to a restaurant in Baltimore tonight, but decided instead to dine on hoagies while watching the Ravens and the Steelers.  It's more our style, anyway.  We have been married more than half our lives -- our first year of marriage making the Tet Offensive in Viet Nam look tame -- but luckily, and with some work, found our stride and are a good team.  I think we know each other very, very well and we also know what is acceptable and what would be a 'deal breaker' as far as our relationship goes

Yesterday I was a busy, busy woman.  An engine light in the car was flashing (it turned out to be a softwear glitch), so I dropped the car off at the dealership, picked up a loaner , went to the gym where I did cardio and weights, came home, vacuumed and scrubbed the sunroom tile floor, put on a large pot of split pea soup, and then participated in yoga (which is why I had to scrub that floor!)  Suffice to say I slept like the dead last night.

Before going to the gym, I happened to read Bilbo's blog post.  What a great way to have begun my day -- I laughed so hard I cried.  He featured lines from the old TV show "Hollywood Squares".  I had forgotten how amazingly funny this show was.  (While it was unscripted, I do believe the celebrity participants had an opportunity to preview the questions).  If you could use a good laugh, check it out.

Simple Pleasure

On Saturdays while middle daughter goes to the gym, Richard watches the baby. She arrived this morning bundled up beyond free movement and sporting her purple Ravens hat. She smiled her new four-toothed grin as her mother unbundled her. She's been a little clingy (the baby, not her mother) because she's just getting over an ear infection, but her Poppy doesn't mind. He carries her from room to room showing her all kinds of treasures. For some reason she is enthralled by our white plantation shutters; she stares transfixed as Richard opens the slats and then closes them. Actually, come to think of it, Richard is transfixed, too. Hmm...
I wanted to go to the store before it got crazy -- they've called for snow and rain in our area. When there is the slightest threat of snow, people around here go nuts. Grocery stores are the worst place to be as people scramble for milk, toilet paper, and necessities like M & M peanuts.
Anyway, before I went we had time for one song and dance, and so the three of us danced to "Bad Day" by Daniel Powter. A simple but magnificent pleasure: dancing with our grand baby. It doesn't get much better than that.

Comfort Football

After the most quiet, most non-traditional Thanksgiving we ever 'celebrated' (I'm using this term loosely) (see previous blog for details), a recuperating Richard and I spent this dreary, bone-chilling, rainy Sunday watching football; really dull football. My sense is the players ate too much tryptophan-rich food on Thursday.
It occured to me today how much more 'comforting' it would be if our teams were named after our favorite foods. We wouldn't have that pesky political correctness to think about, either. Initially, I thought of using the team name initial to begin the name of the food, like the Baltimore Raviolis. That would still work for some teams like the Cincinnati Bagels, the Philadelphia Eggplant Parmesans, the Chicago Bear Claws, and the New England Puff Pastries, but I really wanted to work in macaroni and cheese and am having a hard time coming up with a team starting with 'M.' (Is there some city with 'Mavericks' or 'Muttons'?) Granted, the San Diego Cheesecakes probably doesn't have the power that the San Diego Chargers has, but I think this could really catch on! I'd go to see the Washington Risotto's with Wild Mushrooms, wouldn't you?