Author: Liz

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Friday News

A good work week with MUCH accomplished.

Time to put my feet up and enjoy Friday evening.

Bear and I took advantage of what I’ve observed is a 5-6 p.m. lull in yellow jacket activity. We had our preprandial walk in the woods and then the temps (86F) and increased buzzing brought us inside to cool off, relax and think about supper.

I had a pasta & salad bowl. It looks like chili-mac but actually the sauce is my vegetable marinara with lentil-ricotta “meat” balls. The romaine is dressed with cucumber-yogurt-olive oil and rice vinegar. Half of a scallion pancake rounds out my dinner bowl.

Bear had kibble and his evening greenie!

Cherries, basil and lemon are waiting to be made into a half-pint jar of cherry preserves.

Actually, the mix plus some sugar is simmering on the stove as I write.

Wild Thing is home from her spa treatment.

She is smooth and shiny and all aglow from the wash and wax.

And ready to convey Bob, Bear and me to Great Falls, MT (220 miles) this coming Friday (8/16…also my birthday!). Mr. Bob has an appointment for a CT Scan.

Big Sky Animal Medical Center has RV parking on site – YEA! The plan is a fairly early departure on Thursday 8/15 so as to get settled and have a relaxing afternoon the day before. The BSAMC person(s) will come out to the motorhome for the pre-exam and then take Bob for the quick 30 minute, sedated CT Scan.

A surgeon, actually Dr. Scherr who did Bear’s first TPLO surgery, is available to immediately do anything the CT Scan turns up.

The hope and prime contender is that as the ear drums healed, they trapped some fluid in the inner or middle ear and that just needs to be drained. And maybe there is a polyp in there causing an issue. Quick fixes I am told.

Yep, there are worse things but no need to go there and the trapped fluid fits with everything.

Meanwhile, Bob is still wobbly but also still eating, drinking, etc. and normally active.

I am so thankful that this facility is available. The alternatives are the veterinary teaching hospitals: Washington State or Colorado State. Although, they are wonderful places, with state of the art equipment, the scenario would be much more stressful for Bob than a pick up from our own motorhome! Big Sky Animal Medical Center will be much more low key and Bob is likely to be sedated and unaware for most of the time he is in the facility, hopefully waking up with Bear and me in the familiar surroundings of Wild Thing. And the cost is about 1/3 of the alternatives which means a bit less stress for me, also :) !

Friday News. Pretty good news. Hope your Friday has good news also.

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Scallion pancakes, morning walk

Sunday, I made these Chinese Scallion Pancakes for the first time. I made 1/2 the recipe to try it out. Then I made another 1/2 recipe to see how they kept – frozen and refrigerated.

This morning I made a double recipe and most of them made it into the freezer!

I woke up, rested, ready to go…at 4:45 a.m.

Bear and I had a quick down the driveway walk in the dark, then back inside and I started a pot of beans, the coffee, put my Dutch Oven in the oven to heat for crusty bread and then mixed and kneaded the dough for the pancakes.

The simple flour and water mix gets kneaded until smooth and then rests for 30 minutes.

The genius of this recipe – in my opinion! – is that the scallions, some salt and olive oil are brushed on the rolled out pancake. Then you roll the circle up like a cigar…roll it around itself like a snail, squash it and roll it into a circle once more which means that the onions and seasoning are inside the pancake.

I’m thinking of many different flavor combos that would be scrumptious using this same technique…herbs like chives or basil or oregano, some garlic and cumin. Maybe a slightly cheese-y version with some parmesan and smoked paprika.

The pancakes get lightly fried in a bit more olive oil so end up a little crispy, a littly chewy and full of flavor. The Woks of Life post also includes a garlic dipping sauce. And by the way, the The Woks of Life blog is not only a lot of fun, with some great recipes but they (it is the entire family writing the blog!) include some pages de-mystifying ingredients and utensils used in their Chinese recipes.

I’ve eaten the pancakes as snacks with the dipping sauce, as a “bread” with a Chinese chicken salad, and this morning with some goat cheese, beans and a drizzle of the dipping sauce. I like them!

As I was working in the kitchen, the sky lightened to the East. I love watching the range of colors as the sun works its way over the mountains of the Continental Divide.

One moment it was a deep blue and the next I was surprised to see fog. The temperature at just before 5 a.m. was 55, but it dropped to 49 as the sun rose – close enough to the morning dewpoint to make fog.

Bear and I took our full morning walk in the misty woods.

The yellow jackets had been buzzing the kitchen windows earlier, but as the fog dropped down, they apparently went back to their nests and we walked in foggy quiet.

Headed back toward the house, the sun found its way though the mist, hitting the house like a spotlight.

Scallion pancakes, morning walk: Tuesday.

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Monday afternoon

Clouds piled up over the mountains this afternoon.

The air was clear, the colors pure.

Thunder rumbled from small storms that missed my house except for a few drops of rain.

I haven’t been letting Bob out except early morning but I had a talk with the Yellow Jackets…

Bob was fine and enjoyed some fresh air on this Monday afternoon.

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Early evening on a Sunday

A thoroughly pleasant weekend was had.

It was coolish compared to the prior (prior to Friday) 10-12 days – today barely hit 80F before starting back down again.

The Yellow Jacket activity was a bit less, although not enough less to allow enjoyment of the front porch :( !

Bob is slightly less wobbly on this day 3 of medication resumption. We should find out tomorrow where and when we go next.

I did a small-medium clear-out of some items that have been on my list…some glassware and dishes – family stuff that I’ve packed and moved and packed and moved and packed and moved! – things taking up space that I want and need for other purposes. I kept the things that really matter to me and the rest I donated. I spoke to both my grandmothers (both in Heaven!) as I packed and thought about how and where… It was good and I am confident that all will go where it should.

I took my first film photos. As I was taking them and changing camera settings, it occurred to me that I should record the settings. I am so used to being able to see the settings with the digital output that I forgot this was not going to be available with the film camera. And I made some notes about how different this little camera feels. An interesting exercise.

I made Chinese scallion “pancakes”…more later but they will be a staple. They are somewhere between a tortilla and a spiced up naan. Bottom line: delicious! ( Scallion Pancake Recipe – if you can’t wait!)

I have been reading a blog, a first book: If you lived here, I’d know your name and am partly into the 2nd (Take Good Care of the Garden and the Dogs) by Heather Lende. The first book: As I read her essays, I am reminded of Jan Karon’s Mitford series and the peace, contentment and wisdom that come from reflection on the simple happenings of life. And, by the way, Heather had a “good dog Carl” whose passing is written of at the end of the first book. Like her, I am NOT resigned…but I have made peace (mostly) with my own Karl’s passing. And although our lives have many differences, like her, I am grateful for all that is my life.