"Master the divine techniques
Of the Art of Peace,
And no enemy
Will dare to
Challenge you."
from Art of Peace
Read on and fall sound asleep
Yesterday morning as I was dressing to go with my wife to her surgery I noticed black dot/streaks darting around at the periphery of my left eye vision field. And occasionally something like blinding white lightning icons would erupt in that same vision field. The surgery on my wife went well as the doctor claims to have removed all the cancerous material from a spot on her face. Next week she will have surgery on her nose to remove the same kind of cancer. I hope that will be her last encounter with cancer.
I told my wife about the vision problem and she told me to be sure to tell my doctor. This morning when I put on my driving glasses I noticed the dots and lightening were gone. Yet I told the doctor who seemed less than concerned. When I got settled in my recliner for my prelunch nap a big elongated blob swam across my left eye field. It actually blocked my vision to such an extent that I could not read. I called our eye doctor and was referred to a retina specialist. The referring nurse seemed very concerned and told me to push for the earliest appointment possible. Tomorrow at 8 am I see Dr. Khawly for an exam. Cross your fingers please.
The admitting nurse assistant at doctor G’s office this morning was one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. I suppose others might not agree but… I have been so sensitized by all the talk about sexism and harassment that I feel disarmed in the presence of stranger women. When she leaned in to put the blood pressure cuff on my arm I felt myself blush. She was wearing one of those low cut t-ee shirt type tops. I didn’t know where to direct my eyes while she was putting the EKG pads on me. I know it is rude to stare but beauty like her’s is equivalent to a majestic Redwood tree or maybe a magnificent wild landscape. There is just something joyous in anything of beauty. The Physician’s Assistant told me everything medically looked good and or improving. We talked about my weight and I finally made a medical person understand that pain is stopping my program of increased activity. You cannot lose weight through diet restrictions alone. Any diet that leads to weight loss is dangerous and can cause severe medical complications. Amy referred me to a pain specialist within the network. I will be making an appointment with Dr. Dai. Amy also told me to eat a banana daily because my potassium is low. I reminded her that banana gives me heartburn.
Reading back I see that I talked only about doctors and medicine. The only thing golden in these golden years are the urine stains.
I was asked a strange question this morning. I was asked if the “grannies” of Webtv are a Christian group. I have been a member since 1999 and that particular label has not been used. I have assumed that most members are or at least believe in some kind of deity. I don’t really care. One’s faith and practice of that belief is one’s own business. After I got home I began to wonder why the person asking thought it was important. How strange to use religion as a way of labeling or evaluating people.
 | 9/28: Our loving God, help us to see and celebrate all the good in the world, and to join in such efforts whenever we can. Amen. The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://upperroom.org/devotional/email/ and click on the link “Other Ways to Receive the Daily Devotional” | |
Russian Sweet and Sour Cabbage Soup
The recipe was created by the late, great cookbook author and Bon Appetit magazine columnist Richard Sax. He was inspired to turn his Russian-Jewish grandmother's wonderful stuffed cabbage rolls into a soup much easier to make. Serve the cabbage soup along with good rye bread.
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 medium onions, halved, sliced crosswise
3 medium carrots, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 medium green cabbage, about 1 1/2 pounds
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika (preferably Hungarian)
3 1/2 cups chicken broth or bouillon
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can whole, peeled tomatoes with liquid
2 cups water
1/2 cup golden raisins, dried cherries or cranberries
5 tablespoons lemon juice, divided
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 medium (1 pound) potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
1/4 cup crushed ginger snaps (about 4 cookies)
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill (if using dried dill, start with 1 teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon each salt, pepper
Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and carrots. Saute until softened, stirring, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, discard any spoiled outer leaves from cabbage. Quarter the head, core and slice cabbage into 14-inch strips. Add cabbage and garlic to onion mixture. Cover and cook just until softened, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
Add paprika and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add broth, tomatoes and water. Bring to a boil, partially cover and simmer 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, squeeze lemon juice. Add raisins and 3 tablespoons of the juice to the soup. Stir in brown sugar and the potatoes. Bring soup to a boil, partially cover and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
Stir in ginger snap crumbs (gingerbread cookies may be used), dill, the remaining lemon juice, salt and pepper. If necessary, adjust all seasonings, adjusting the sweet-sour balance by adding more lemon juice or sugar.
Serve hot with additional chopped dill sprinkled over each serving.
Use fresh parsley along with dried dillweed if fresh dill is not available, and be cautious when substituting dried dill; it can be overpowering.
Yield: About 10 cups. Prep time: 45 minutes. Simmering time: 40 minutes.
This recipe taken from a website cited in a collection of Crockpot Recipes.
”There are several good protections against temptation, but the surest is cowardice.”
Mark Twain
SGGP
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