A Very Special Visit

Last Sunday my brother and his wife came to stay with us overnight. It was the first time that I had seen them in 2 1/2 years. A very long time indeed. We had a wonderful time catching up on all the news in person. I have seen my brother on Zoom as we both (and John) have attended our little church in Canada via Zoom for the better part of two years. It’s not the same thing however as seeing someone in person. We laughed and drank wine and just enjoyed being together. It was a wonderful time until….

While they were here I had a fall. I tripped over my little dog Bean while trying to get her out of John’s way. Truth be told, I think I had a little too much of the grape which made my balance just not quite right. Anyway, I hurt my head, my nose and my wrist and my pride. It was foolish for sure. As I have written this weekly letter over the last seven years (now into my eighth) I have always been honest about successes and failures. This was a big fail. By Tuesday my family was encouraging me strongly to go to the new Express Care at New London Hospital to get it checked out. I went and found the clinic to be just great. The x-rays showed nothing was broken but very bruised and lo and behold some arthritis in the base of my thumb. I have been very bad about wearing the brace so now I still have a very sore wrist and the bruising is gross. Maybe it is a good reminder to me that I am no longer 21 years old.

Travels in the Family

Katie’s job includes a lot of travel and while the last two years have seen that curtailed she is now back on the road/plane again. This big trip is to Ireland. A dream of hers to go there and a place that John and I fell in love with 21 years ago. We have been back once since then and I’m sure if we had the opportunity we would go again. She is exploring Dublin and Killarney with her group. Pictures have been lovely.

Cat and Dog to the Vet

We also had to take one of the cats and one of the dogs to the vet this past week. One for her annual checkup and vaccinations (Bean) the other because she has had an irritated intestinal tract for some time now (Cleo). The vet found her to be quite healthy but indeed she seems to be experiencing some issues. So we are trying a vitamin supplement (B12) and an antibiotic that I cannot give her without great distress. So I guess I will have to call and see if there is an alternative. The main reason I mention this is because we are all convinced that she was getting into something in the bathroom/laundry area that was making her sick. We are very hopeful now that things are closing up that she will just naturally get better. Which leads me to the big….

Update on Jenny Lane

This was a big week. We have waited 2+ years to have a floor and a ceiling in the laundry, bathroom and hallway on our level of the house. This week we got the ceiling in the hall along with the flooring and the ceiling in the laundry with the flooring in there too. There are two openings in the laundry where there is no flooring because cabinets will go in those spots and as I understand it you don’t put flooring under cabinets. Anyway, I cannot tell you what a difference it has made. It is CLEAN, no cement dust no “you know what” falling from the open ceiling where the pipes and wires are, nothing at all but normal stuff. We couldn’t be more thrilled. We are looking forward to having the trim added this week which will make it look just that much more finished. Obviously the electrician needs to come back and put in the permanent light fixtures as hanging bulbs are not in the plan long term. We have a major delay in the bathroom floor as it is back ordered but Chris was able to put the sealer on the shower stall to get it ready for the tile. It won’t be too long now. The cabinets for both the bath and the laundry are ordered but with the way things are right now it is a six to eight week wait.

Finally Got Outside Again

A familiar view once again. I didn’t do much on Monday and Tuesday because of my arm but by Wednesday I was going stir crazy. It wasn’t great weather so I did a workout on the treadmill but Thursday I decided I just had to get outside. The dogs and I had two great hikes over on the rail trail. It is a little wet still but we enjoyed it anyway. I found that I can enjoy the nature sounds and then on my return I do a Peloton outdoor walk which is rather fun. I discovered them when I was in South Carolina in February and really enjoyed the workout. Nice to put them both together.

Cooking This Week

It is just John and me to cook for while Katie is away and Libby is at school till late evening. She is a happy camper because she has mum’s car for the 12 days Katie is away. Nice to be independent. So, we have the new Half-Baked Harvest Every Day Cookbook by Tieghan Gerard and I decided to do a recipe from it called “Nonnie’s sticky apricot chicken“. Of course I couldn’t find apricot jam so I substituted peach jam. It was delicious and super easy.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup high quality apricot preserves (ie Bonne Maman)
1 cup Billion Island Dressing or Thousand Island or Russian Dressing
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
4 boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts (1 1/2-2 pounds)
1 large head of broccoli, cut into florets
Steamed Rice for serving
Fresh herbs such as basil parsley, or cilantro for serving
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400F
In a cast-iron skillet or 9×13 inch baking dish, stir together the jam, dressing, vinegar and red-pepper flakes. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Arrange the broccoli around the chicken. Bake until the chicken is cooked though and the sauce is bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes. (I baked it for closer to 45, I hate raw chicken)
Serve the chicken, broccoli and sauce over steamed rice and top with herbs.

I was feeling adventurous so I decided to make the dressing rather than use a prepared dressing. It was quite delicious and very different. I had never tried avocado oil mayonnaise but discovered it to have a delicious and unique flavor.

Billion Island Dressing
1/2 cup avocado oil mayonnaise
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 tablespoon chopped pickles, plus 1 tablespoon pickle juice
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste
In a small bowl stir all the ingredients together. You can store this for up to 2 weeks in the fridge in a sealed container.