My Being Missing in Action

It's taken me some time to get my head around what has been happening to me. You see, I was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. (Should breast cancer be capitalized?)

Back up in time to February when I went in for my yearly physical. The physical included having a mammogram. You see, I hadn't had one done in over ten years. I also have a strong family history of breast cancer, my mother who died at 42 and paternal aunt who died in her 70s and, a family history of cancer in general. My father who had lung cancer who died at 75 and a younger brother with brain cancer who died at 41. Good enough reasons to get that mammogram done.

I went to a nearby hospital on a Saturday... yes they were open on a weekends to allow working women to get their mammograms done. The mammogram went well and was done fairly quickly. The tech talked of her life and a friend who was just starting back in the dating world at the ripe age of 60. We had a few laughs talking about dating. When she was done shooting the pictures, she left the pictures up on the viewing screen as she left the room. 

As a retired RN, I have seen plenty of xrays in my day. What I saw on the screen scared the bejesus out of me. There were two lesions in my left breast. But, nothing was said by the tech except, "you can get dressed now". I drove home stunned and really unsure about what I had actually seen. Though in emails to friends and family I spoke of seeing those lesions.

 I was called by the hospital the next week to come in and have more pictures taken and to also have an ultrasound done. These were read immediately by the radiologist as I waited in the ultrasound room. She (nice that it was a women too) came in to speak to me. She told me the lesions were "suspicious" and needed further investigation. I can not remember exactly what she said to me. My brain shut down I think.  I started crying.. I don't remember the half hour drive home that day. Scary to think I was driving in that kind of condition. But, I had no one with me. Dumb move that.

I do remember the radiologist telling me the information was going to be faxed to my general practitioner. It would be imperative for me to see him as soon as possible. Yeah right..... ! I was working full time, my doctor's office is a good distance away (80 kms/50 miles one way) and he is a busy man. I tried unsuccessfully to book an earlier appt. than the one I had scheduled in about 4 weeks time. I even tried to make it to one of his clinics were it's a first come, first served situation. But, on our (my husband and I) way in there was a freak blizzard that turned us around and headed us back to home. I eventually heard from the doctor's office a week before my appt. was due. The message was he wanted to see me as soon as possible in the office. If you guessed I didn't miss that appointment, you are right.

to be continued.....

Blackoutspeakout.ca

Homemade Ranch Dressing

Homemade Ranch Dressing

1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp. white distilled vinegar
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives
2 large cloves garlic (or more if your DH loves the stuff)
salt and ground black pepper to taste


Makes ~ 1/2 pint

In a medium mixing bowl, combine sour cream and mayonnaise. Set aside. In a measuring cup, combine the milk and vinegar and let sit for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, smash the garlic cloves on a cutting board and then rub a 1/2 tsp. of salt into the smashed garlic with a fork.

Add the parsley, chives and garlic mixture to the sour cream and mayonnaise mixture. Sprinkle a dash of salt and fresh ground pepper and whisk to combine. Pour in milk and vinegar mixture to reach desired consistency and whisk to thoroughly combine.

Let chill for several hours before serving.  Enjoy as a salad dressing or as a dip for fresh veggie.

Last year I made all of our salad dressings as the gardens were bountiful. This is one I kept tucked away and just found again. The gardens are starting to be proliferative and I needed a good dressing, so here it is. Enjoy. 

Chive Blossoms

Here I was sitting and wondering what to do with the chive blossoms growing like weeds in one of our garden boxes. I have used them in omelets, potato salad, veggie salads and then I saw this recipe. Eureka! I will be making this today.

Chive Blossom Vinegar Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups Champagne or white wine vinegar
• 2 1/2 cups chive blossoms, snipped right beneath the head

Directions

• 1. Heat the vinegar in a small saucepan over low heat until just warm. Keep an eye out so that it doesn’t boil; you want the warmth of the vinegar to seduce the coy, subtle flavor out of the blossoms, not immolate them.
• 2. Meanwhile, plunge the flowers in a bowl of cold water and gentle swish them around to flush out any dirt and bugs that have taken up residence. Dump the flowers into a colander and thwack it against the side of the sink to shake off the excess water.
• 3. Stuff the pint jar with the blooms.
• 4. Pour enough of the warm vinegar into the jar just to submerge the blossoms, using a metal spoon to push down any errant blooms that want to float up over the top. You might not need all of the vinegar.
• 5. Let the vinegar cool, then place a square of parchment paper over the opening of the jar and screw on the top. You want to make sure the vinegar doesn’t come in contact with the metal lid, as the acid will erode the finish of the cap and do nasty things to the taste of your infused vinegar. Of course, you can make short work of this by using a glass-lidded canning jar–I just can never find them. Place the container in a dark, cool spot that’s so hidden you’ll forget about it. This infusion benefits from a long steep–1 to 2 weeks minimum.
• 6. When you’re happy with the chive-y strength of the brew, strain it through a fine sieve and toss the spent blossoms. Pour the vinegar into your favorite (preferably glass) sterilized bottle with a rubber stopper and display prominently. Its hue–the blush of a very embarrassed Rosé–is a great conversation starter. Just don’t forget to use it.

Thanks to Leite's Cuilinaria blog for this recipe.

Natural Beauty Lotion

Instead of buying expensive creams for face and body, use extra-virgin olive oil! One bottle goes a long way for the price, and after using it, you will not want to go back to other creams. It absorbs into the skin and moisturizes better than anything else. Also, it is absolutely full of the kinds of vitamins, minerals, and emollients (including squalene) that the most expensive petroleum-based moisturizers contain. Italian women swear buy it and so will you! What you put on your skin gets absorbed into your body, and there is no harm in absorbing olive oil. If you shake it up in a spray bottle with a few drops of essential oils for a nice fragrance, you just made applying it both easy and pleasant!

My absence

I am taking a medical leave of absence.
Hopefully will be back sooner than later.

US May Day protests planned, may disrupt commutes

By MARCUS WOHLSEN | Associated Press 

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — May Day protests may disrupt the morning commute in major U.S. cities Tuesday as labor, immigration and Occupy activists rally support on the international workers' holiday.

Demonstrations, strikes and acts of civil disobedience are being planned around the country, including the most visible organizing effort by anti-Wall Street groups since Occupy encampments came down in the fall.

While protesters are backing away from a call to block San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, bridge district ferry workers said they'll strike Tuesday morning to shut down ferry service, which brings commuters from Marin County to the city. Ferry workers have been in contract negotiations for a year and have been working without a contract since July 2011 in a dispute over health care coverage, the Inlandboatmen's Union said.

A coalition of bridge and bus workers said they will honor the picket line, which may target an area near the bridge's toll plaza. Occupy activists from San Francisco and Oakland are expected to join the rally.

"We ask supporters to stand with us at strike picket lines on May Day and to keep the bridge open," said Alex Tonisson, an organizer and co-chair of the Golden Gate Bridge Labor Coalition.

In anticipation of the strike, the agency that operates the Golden Gate Bridge and related public transportation systems canceled Tuesday's morning ferries from Marin County to San Francisco and urged regular riders to make alternate travel plans.

Police say they are working with other area law enforcement agencies and have a plan in place for potential disruptions. They would not discuss specifics.

Across the bay in Oakland, where police and Occupy protesters have often clashed, officers are preparing for a long day as hundreds of "General Strike" signs have sprouted across town.

In New York City, where the first Occupy camp was set up and where large protests brought some of the earliest attention — and mass arrests — to the movement, leaders plan a variety of events, including picketing, a march through Manhattan and other "creative disruptions against the corporations who rule our city."

Organizers have called for protesters to block one or more bridges or tunnels connecting Manhattan, the city's economic engine, to New Jersey and other parts of the city.

The Occupy movement began in September with a small camp in a lower Manhattan plaza that quickly grew to include hundreds of protesters using the tent city as their home base. More than 700 people were arrested Oct. 1 as they tried to cross the Brooklyn Bridge.
The city broke the camp up in November, citing sanitary and other concerns, but the movement has held smaller events and protests periodically since then.

Elsewhere on the West Coast, Occupy Seattle has called for people to rally at a park near downtown Tuesday. Mayor Mike McGinn has warned residents there could be traffic delays and has said city officials have evidence — including graffiti and posters — that some groups plan to "commit violence, damage property and disrupt peaceful free speech activity."

In Los Angeles, Occupy is organizing a daylong "people's power and bike caravan" that will start from the four cardinal directions around the city in the morning, converging on downtown LA's financial district in the mid afternoon for an approximately 90-minute protest. The themes of the marches are foreclosures and police brutality.

In a website statement, Occupy LA promised the event will be "city-paralyzing" and "carnivalesque" with en route actions including a food giveaway in a South Los Angeles park, and mini-rallies outside the Veterans' Affairs and Bank of America buildings in West Los Angeles.

Take heed my friends who live and work in the San Francisco Bay area. This may screw up your day.

Federal Govt Attempts to Seize Control of Food Retail System

Will this be coming to Canada soon?

May's Bounty

 The bounty of May....

 Vegetables

• okra
• zucchini
• rhubarb
• artichokes
• asparagus
• spring peas
• broccoli
• lettuce

Fruit

• cherries
• pineapples
• apricots

 To save money choose fruits and vegetables that are in season.
Overbuy and freeze, can or, dehydrate for use later.

Absolutely Love this Picture