aKathy's What's for Dinner 11/14

Happy Thursday!

All good thoughts to **GypsyGirl** as she nagivates these new challenges!

I had quite the meeting with the bariatric doctor yesterday. Apparenlty I have a huge hernia and all of my organs are all over the place. He said that all he could do for surgery is a gastric sleeve which has the lowest amount of weight loss of all the options. He did say that after I lost weight and gotten the hernia repaired that he could go back in and do a bypass so lots to think about. My sister usually goes with me to dr appointments to take notes and ask questions but she was out of town for work. They scheduled a bunch of appointments for me for the next two weeks but then I found out I'd be out of pocket almost $900 for the CT scan due to my insurance deductable so I decided I'm going to wait the 6 weeks until the beginning of the year so I wouldn't pay a double deductable 6 weeks from each other. Plus, this close to the holidays, I'm just busy and don't really have the time. it's not a quick process and I just don't have it in me right now.

Dinner tonight will be chicken piccata that I had in the freezer from TJs. I'll have it with mashed potatoes. I took tomorrow off to chill as I have days to use up so I'm looking foward to that.

Hope you all have a great day!

Good morning all!! My best wishes, thoughts and hugs to **GypsyGirl**. I had 2 months of major hands on care for DH earlier this year. It's hard for me to imagine a long term caregiver scenario. My thoughts to all who have to walk that road.

Today, I have realized I still have 2 weeks of vacation but not enough days of the year to take them. So I have made the executive decision to take off tomorrow. I have to do a financial report and get things together for our admin brd mtg on Sunday. If all goes as planned, I think I will leave the office 3:30-4 this afternoon and head up to the Rock to hit up Trader Joe's and Aldi. That's 45 minutes away. That will leave tomorrow to clean house and get the tree decorated. It's up with just the lights and the Harry Potter candles floating over it. DH has 2 friends coming down to watch the game on Saturday. I do NOT feel like heading out to shop on a Saturday morning. That just sends my crowd anxiety into overload.

So that means my dinner plans are up in the air. If I stay home, then I am thinking of dragging out the Seafood Boil bag from Aldi and giving it a try. Future DIL had it last night and said it was very good. But she also said she added an onion. I have one from TJ and one from Aldi. If I head up this evening to shop then I'll grab something up there. Sadly, the monkey on my back is a Jimmy John's veggie sandwich. I hate giving them money.

Now, any doggie psychologists on board here. Our almost 2 yr old pup has started acting oddly of late. About 2-3 months ago, she started acting all wonky and refusing to go out at night. She is bell trained and would ring it but then she wouldn't go out. If I propped the storm door open and then coaxed her out, eventually she would come and I would hop back in the house. She was happy once she got out. Sometimes, I could go to the laundry room door and she would go out. Slowly, she started acting the same. We have a "magic" window, a window that slides open, just at their height out to the patio. We will leave that open for them to go in and out during nice weather. There have been times she would just stand at the window and not go out. We have had a couple of varmints in the back, possum/family and raccoon family in a tree over the fence line. I don't know if she has had a run-in with them or not. We also have a playhouse in the backyard. It is not on a foundation but raised up just a bit. Over time, all of our dogs have dug under to get "whatever" might be under there. Maybe 2 months ago, she got under there. I couldn't find her for a good bit. I finally took a flashlight out and found her little peanut head sticking out from under the playhouse. She was somewhat stuck. However, she got herself out. So just what has happened in my little city backyard that is haunting this pupper? Last night I got home from choir, she was fine. They went out the last time and again, she didn't come in. After a bit, she finally rounded the corner of the playhouse and came in. Stuck like glue to me. Sat in the bathroom facing the wall while I took my make-up off. When I went to the closet, she zoomed in and sat in the corner. I again had to coax her out. I'll add a photo in another post in a second. Thoughts?

Good evening all,
Today was lovely - sunny and not as cold as the past couple of days.
I met my friend for coffee at the shops near her daughter’s school this afternoon and we had a great catch up. I also did some shopping at the Turkish grocery in the small mall where we met.

Dinner tonight is a döner pizza from the Turkish shop. I was tired of thinking of things to cook and had decided to order pizza, then I saw this and it’s even better as I don’t have to go out and pick up a pizza this way.

leannec - I hope you get some answers from your doctor.
**GypsyGirl** - thinking of you and your DH and sending recovery vibes out into the universe for him.

In other news from here - it is now only four weeks until I leave for Australia !

jeremysgirl sorry to hear about the meeting. What is the frikken disconnect there? It seems like the boss has just brushed everything under the rug and maybe now that he is under the microscope, he is looking to place blame or discontent on something else. Enjoy your peppers. If they are the same as what I made, they are so very good. Having my cabbage leftovers for lunch today.

It seems to be the likely cause. He was incredulous that my own doctor has never been concerned about it. This dr said it was a big deal. 

Sending all the healing vibes to your DH, **GypsyGirl** . I'm frustrated for you that the SNF care was a bust. It must be scary and overwhelming to think of the care shifting to your shoulders as he comes home, in addition to redecorating your sweet home with all the equipment that will come with him. You are strong and can do this, I'm just sorry that you have to.  

I hope you get answers, leannec .

I am so frustrated with a medical system that has us postponing treatments because of deductibles, Tearisci . In my case, I pushed to get cataract surgery before the end of the year because I'd already met my out of pocket maximum. 

I'm packed and ready to go for my retreat. Well, except my breakfast foods (yogurt, berries, etc.) that are still in the fridge. I've very proud that only one tote and one rolling cart are going with me. 

I still have a couple errands (library, post office) that I'll do on the way to my gyne onc appointment to hear my PET scan results. Timing should be perfect to get home just before my carpooling friend is dropped off and we head north.

I have no idea what/where we are going for dinner but looking forward to catching up with another couple friends we haven't seen since before Covid times.

Was it known to your doctor?  Did you have some kind of xrays or MRI prior to this? 

ETA: I'm sorry if you think I'm being nosey.  

No worries!


I think my doctor has seen it but never said it was as bad as this doctor yesterday. He's the first one that told me how jumbled up my organs are and that I'd need to do a CT scan to see where everything is. I like my personal doctor but I'm kind of perturbed that something this apparently serious was just waived off. 

I'd be disappointed too.  I'm sorry for this news.  

naby64: I’m certainly not a pet therapist and am a fairly new dog mom, but it sure sounds like your fur baby got scared and is still traumatized by the event. Walker acts like that (not wanting to go outside) after a thunderstorm, which he hates. One of us needs to go outside with him until he feels comfortable that the bad noises are over.

Today is a rainy, cold day so I’ve stayed in the house. Tonight is my alphabet dinner and we are on the letter “V”. We are eating at Village Gardens which will be new to me so hoping for some good food. I’m not looking forward to driving in the dark while it’s raining.

Naby64, maybe she senses coyotes or bobcats nearby

Leannec, up at the Calgary Farmers Market is a place called Margaritas’s dishes. They make good cabbage rolls. Dh and ds scan cheques in and deposit them at home

We are having home made chili with onions, garlic and herbs from the garden. We will add shredded cheese and small onions from the garden to the top along with “scoops”chips

Well, if we had those nearby, I might suspect it. The most vicious creatures we have here are raccoons, possums and other neighborhood dogs. I try to keep the yard lit up for her to go out. Sometimes even going out with her.




Thank goodness we are not affected with storms. We had an older dog that just shook with anxiety. She had been home alone when a really bad hail storm happened. She went deaf as she got older. That took care of that issue. Shiloh doesn't seemed bothered at all during the day. Chasing squirrels and sunbeams. But once it is dark, whole 'nuther story. I do think something happened. I don't know if it was getting stuck under the playhouse, which she still goes under try as we might to block it, or if there is something else that happened. I have a new security camera that I plan on setting up to see if anything is happening in the dark corner of our back yard. 

Dinner tonight will be something from the freezer. I am not sure what yet.

I have had a very dramatic day. The drama was not all my own doing either. I am tired. My situation has mostly resolved itself and life is much better.

gosh, I love black beans!! Living in Tampa for 5 years, I ate a lot of Cuban black beans. I'll find my recipe. They are so good!