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~ The adventures of Richard and Julie Lary

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Monthly Archives: March 2007

Inherited Index Cards

26 Monday Mar 2007

Posted by rajalary in Food and drink

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Until I’m cleared to start putting weight on my left leg, I’m trying to tackle projects that I’ve pushed aside and can be done from the [dis]comfort of my wheelchair, such as sorting pictures and recipes. The former comprised a day a few weeks ago. I’m now looking through three folders of recipes − clipped from magazines, jotted onto pieces of papers and printed from FoodNetwork.com.
 
While sorting through the recipes, I found a set of index cards on which my grandmother wrote down recipes and lists. She had lists of foods that can be prepared for various meals. For instance, the list of fish appetizers includes kippered salmon, lox, Bismarck [herring], anchovies, sardines, boiled [fish], and gefilte [fish]. Eggs can be prepared as sliced, salad, [with] onions, omelet, and scrambled. Her list of potatoes dishes is one of the longest and consisted of mashed, roasted, pancakes, latkes, cubed, French fried, salad, kugel, baked, cupcakes, pan fried, and scalloped.
 
My grandmother was a very brilliant woman who was probably bored as a housewife and mother. I can picture her thumbing through these index cards to try to figure out something new to make for dinner or what to pair with a meat or dairy dish.
 
In her spare time, she wrote on a rickety typewriter. She left boxes of her writing. My writing, in comparison, is equivalent to a kindergartener. One day, I hope to edit and publish her work. In the meanwhile, I occasionally read what she wrote and wonder about her life.
 
On one index card, she typed how much one should tip. In an expensive hotel, a 25¢ – 50¢ per bag tip is appropriate. A telegram, ice or a minor errand done by a bellboy warrants a 25¢ tip. Just like today, the waitress should receive a 15% tip.
 
On a transatlantic cruise, the cabin steward in "cabin class" should get $5 for the duration of the cruise; whereas in "tourist class," the price goes down to $3. Waiters on cruises should be tipped $3-$7 depending on "cabin" or "tourist" class.
 
I don’t recall my grandparents ever going on a cruise and they rarely ate out so it’s doubtful they did much tipping!
 
On January 4, 1933, my grandmother recorded her weight on an index card as 97 pounds. My mother, who was three, weighed 31 pounds and was 37-inches high. Household hints on several cards recommended using white shoe polish to whiten Venetian blinds. Vinegar was recommended for cleaning flower vases, windows, paintbrushes and double boilers. The "worse colors" for painting a house were primary reds, yellows and greens. Some reds (maroon) may affect "color of skin adversely." A "red bedroom will keep you awake." And a "large patterned, brightly colored paper in living room will detract from restfulness."
 
One of her more interesting recipes is for an oatmeal pie crust. It consists of 1 and a quarter cups of rolled oats, 2 teaspoons of sugar, 3 tablespoons of melted butter, 2 teaspoons of hot water, and a pinch of salt. The ingredients are blended together then pressed into a pie pan and baked for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Colors of Spring

26 Monday Mar 2007

Posted by rajalary in Texas Life

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One of the advantages of living in Austin is the early emergence of spring. Long before the east coast and mid-west have thawed and the Pacific Northwest has cleared, spring bulbs and wildflower emerge in Texas. This year, we seem to have received more rain than usual, coupled with cooler weather. As a result, our plants and trees have already put on leaves and are now blooming.
 
Saturday, I picked a handful of fragrant narcissus. My miniature grape hyacinths, along the front pathway, were the first spring bulbs to bloom. They haven’t done as well as the narcissus or daffodils because they’re been disturbed numerous times when we put in the pathway and by rainwater washing away the soil. The local municipal utility district has finally fixed the drainage problem so our property no longer floods. The hyacinth can now start putting down roots and "stay" where they’re planted.
 
Our ancient redbud tree continues to reward us with a profusion of dark pink blossoms in spite of being in dreadful shape and held together with heavy cabling and lengths of an old garden hose. The blooms remind me of pink roses on cheap grocery-store cakes. There are no leaves on the tree, just bunches of dark pink, tissue-paper flowers.
 
Our Japanese quinces have finally taken hold. Even Rich commented on the splendor of their pale pink and orange-red blossoms. This makes me happy because I intended to plant quinces on our Anacortes, Washington lot.
 
In a few months, most of our front garden will be look like a Monet painting in shades of red, pinks, violets, yellows, and oranges as our salvias, agastaches, lavenders, lantanas, sages, and Mountain Flame bloom. It’s going to be our best garden yet so it’s a little sad that we’ll be leaving. Our first spring in Texas, however, we purposely pulled out the grass and planted a large garden to create memorable "curb appeal" that would hopefully lead to the rapid sale of the house.
 
In the backyard, I noticed four large clumps of lilies under our Japanese magnolia. I think only one variety − dark orange – is going to come up. Lilies are considered "salad" to deer so I didn’t spend a lot of money on expensive bulbs. The only ones that seemed to have survived are the dark orange ones.
 
Most of our trees now have leaves. This year, we’re once again going to have the trees professionally sprayed to prevent horrible web worms from eating the leaves. The worms can eat all the leaves off a giant tree in two or three days.
 
This weekend, I hobbled around using my walker with a plastic crate in one hand and scissors in the other. I used the crate as a seat so I could sit down and cut the lower branches off our crepe myrtles so they grow more like trees than bushes. Everything grows so slowly in Texas that I suspect the myrtles will continue to look like bushes for another ten years.
 
The warmer weather has also attracted a pair (or two) of cardinals. The male is nearly solid red. He’s the size of a small apple and as bright as a red Crayola. The female has touches of red, but it primarily medium brown. They are almost always within a foot or two of each other, whether on the ground or in a tree.
 
I haven’t seen a blue heron by our creek in a couple of years, which is disappointing. There are many creeks and small ponds in the area, which are probably more appealing. Crows, finches and sparrows are plentiful. It’s too early for hummingbirds, dragonflies, butterflies, and chubby bees. I’ve noticed a few reddish brown wasps on our porch. They like to build mud nests under the balcony.
 
Spring, even in Texas, is an exciting and colorful part of the year!

Status Report

20 Tuesday Mar 2007

Posted by rajalary in Health and wellness

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With great dread and trepidation, I started working part-time this week. Even though I was cleared to only work 4-6 hours per week, I’ve been working 7-hour a day, which are short compared to my pre-accident 10-11 hour days.
 
I’d been counseled by a nurse, assigned to me by my health insurance company, to push back and not over-extend myself, but it’s difficult to say "no" when I’m the sole person doing messaging and marcom for "D" Worldwide Consumer Services. It’s become obviously that no one "picked up the ball" in my absence.
 
Meanwhile, my broken pelvis, sacrum and ribs are giving me little grieve and I’m finally able to lie for a few minutes on my right side. Progress!
 
Just as my leg pain was easing, my stomach, intestines and everything in-between decided to go on strike. I’m going on day ten of eating small portions of bland food. When I initially got sick, I stopped taking my pain pills. Half of me believe that some of my digestive distress is related to withdrawing from opiates. I’ve always been sensitive to medications. Grumble.
 
Even though I’d been fantasizing about starting to walk in late March, my orthopedic surgeon won’t be taking x-rays until mid-April. At that time, he can determine how well the bones have healed and when I can start putting weight on my left leg. In preparation, I start therapy in a warm pool this week. I’m very excited to be able to swim and awaken muscles that have been dormant asleep for six weeks.
 
A few days ago, I realized that I could park my wheelchair next to the staircase, carefully sit on the first step and pull myself up step-by-step. Once upstairs, I can slid on my rump into the bedroom then use the furniture to hoist myself up onto one leg. From there, I can climb into our bed and cuddle with Rich. It is bliss to have him comfort me when I wake up at odd hours or have a nightmare, which happen way too often.
 
Along with my digestive challenges, I can only sleep for a few hours at a time. After I’m awake, it takes hours to fall back to sleep. I despair of ever being normal again!

Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing & Charm School

20 Tuesday Mar 2007

Posted by rajalary in Movies

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My favorite movies are ones that take me on a journey not just show a quick snapshot of ones life. “Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing & Charm School” is an enjoyable journey that gently curves through the anguish of loss, elation of hope and reality of fate.

A unique aspect of the movie, made in 2005, is the intertwining of a short film that was shot in 1990. One of the actors from the film also appears in the movie, but in a very different role. Sensational performances by John Goodman, Mary Steenburgen, Marisa Tomei, Donny Wahlberg, Adam Arkin, and cameo roles by Danny DeVito, Camryn Manheim, and Kate Mulligan add to the enjoyment.

Another rewarding movie that we recently saw was “Ladies in Lavender.” It features the grand dames of British acting, Judy Dench and Maggie Smith and is set in an adorable Cornish village in the 1930’s. Watching the movie, it was hard not to long for a simpler life of afternoon tea, tending flower gardens, wandering along the seashore, knitting or reading in the evenings while listening to the “wireless.”

Thursday Memories

08 Thursday Mar 2007

Posted by rajalary in Health and wellness

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Four weeks ago, on a Thursday morning at around 6:30 a.m., my accident occurred. This Thursday morning, like the last four, it’s hard not to wonder why it happened. How did an ordinary Thursday go so wrong?
 
Happily, in three weeks, I intend to walk and in three months, I’ll be 100% back to normal!
 
In the meanwhile, my mind, helped by narcotic pain pills, has been dredging up childhood memories that were long forgotten. When I was eight, my father had a heart attack, caused by a congenital narrowing of an artery leading to his heart. In those days, the treatment for a heart attack was oxygen, bed rest, and a low-sodium diet. Heart surgery didn’t exist.
 
My father had a garment factory in downtown Los Angeles, which made fancy dresses and pant suits for Saks, J.C. Penney, and other department stores. After his heart attack, my mother ran the factory until it could be sold months later. My brother and I alternated staying home from school and taking care of my father. For the most part, we probably watched TV and occasionally got him something to eat.
 
That summer, we were sent to a day camp at a local college. The camp was a front for a nationwide study on children’s fitness. Along with participating in many activities like swimming, gymnastics and kickball, we were weighed, measured, photographed, and tested for strength. The study was eventually published and reported that American kids were out-of-shape. No doubt. Princess Julie, who was highly uncoordinated and disliked almost all outdoor activities, was part of the study.
 
The best part of those summer days was coming home to my father who would prepare elaborate lunches. He’d cut up fruits and vegetables and artfully arrange them on plates. Even leftovers where treated with reverence.
 
An hour or so after lunch, we got to swim or visit with friends. It was probably the best summer of my childhood.
 
Six months after my father had his heart attack, an embolism lodged in his lung. He was dead within minutes of arriving at the hospital.
People wonder why I had no cuts on my face after my accident. I’d like to think that my father had his hands over my face as the windshield shattered and shards of glass flew across the car.

The Departed

06 Tuesday Mar 2007

Posted by rajalary in Movies

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Saturday night, we saw The Departed, which I believe is one of the greatest movies ever made for one simple reason − it made me forget that I was in pain. For the first 15 minutes or so, I squirmed in bed, trying to find a comfortable spot. After a half an hour, I forgot that I was in bed. For the rest of the movie, I neglected to breath.

One critic on Rotten Tomatoes wrote that The Departed “reaches the heights of a Shakespearean tragedy.” What occurs in the movie is not only tragic, but unexpected. There’s an unwritten rule that heroes aren’t suppose to die and if they do, viewers are suppose to be given time to prepare for their demise.

Not in The Departed. Academy Award winning director Martin Scorsese pulls you into the story, grabs you by the shirt, slaps your around, then dumps you by the side of the road. There’s no escape. By the time it was over, Rich and I were examining ourselves for bruises.

Leonardo DiCaprio is brilliant as is Mark Wahlberg, whose acting has never impressed me. Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson are evil, evil, evil.

Learning to Hold My Tongue

05 Monday Mar 2007

Posted by rajalary in Health and wellness

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Last week, I invited a friend from Dell and his wife to dinner. I was happy to have someone visit. It made me feel as if my life was getting back to normal.
 
Rich, however, was very busy at work and was spending every waking hour dealing with various issues. He’d wake up at 4 a.m. or so, work for a few hours, get me out of bed, dressed and fed then run back upstairs to continue working, often until late at night. Because he was so focused on work, the house had become very messy.
 
Determined to have a tidy house for my guests, I negotiated my wheelchair into the laundry room and grabbed the broom. Over the course of two days, I was able to wheel around the house, sweeping the debris into piles. I also washed some of the windows, balancing on one leg − with one hand on the wheelchair and the other washing the windows.
 
After I was satisfied with my cleaning efforts, I set to work making an easy dinner… beans made in a crock pot the day of the dinner, salad, and iced tea. Later in the afternoon, I got down the plates, silverware, glasses, napkins, and placemats. It took several hours to get everything done because I needed to wheel over to various places in the kitchen, lock the wheels of the wheelchair, stand up, grab the item, carefully sit down, then wheel over to the table.
 
An hour before our guests arrived, I was dead tired and Rich had yet to come downstairs to help. I was seething inside, feeling his first responsibility was to me then work. However, I decided to lie down and hold my tongue.
 
Rich came down momentarily and profusely apologized for not helping. He also decided to help me relax by gently massaging and stretching my leg. This was the first time that Rich had done more than simply lift my legs onto the bed or help me stand up. For the past few weeks, Rich has tried to minimize touching my left leg and hip, fearful that he’d cause me pain.
 

It was an epiphany.

 

In the past, I’d been quick to get upset with Rich when he didn’t do what I wanted or not clean up his messes. He’s often pointed out that my expectations of him and others are often unrealistic. Instead of taking a deep breath and evaluating whether an issue truly existed, I blurted out my dissatisfaction.
 
Holding my tongue that night was easy. And the reward so wonderful. I closed my eyes and concentrated on relaxing my leg as Rich attempted to soothe the pain and my exhaustion. And while I knew he was very tired, he remained cheerful throughout dinner.
 
The next morning, I woke to find my computer set up along with my breakfast. Having solved his work crisis that morning, he spent an extra few minutes with me, running upstairs to get a pair of socks for my feet and wrapping me in his favorite sweatshirt.
 
While the night before, I would have had the fleeting satisfaction of making Rich feel guilty for having focused so much on work, I now realize that holding my tongue strengthens our relationship and helps us work together to tackle a situation. Rich is not my adversary or critic. He’s my partner, my best friend and my biggest cheerleader.

Lunetta

01 Thursday Mar 2007

Posted by rajalary in Cat Diaries

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The wheelchair is scary. The wheels are huge and can run over my tail. It’s awful. I used to freely run through the house. Now I have to be careful when going downstairs. I need to steer clear of that horrible thing.
 
I’m punishing Julie for bringing it home. I refuse to get near her… even when she’s lying on the bed. Nope. The wheelchair is next to the bed so I’m not getting anywhere near it!
 
I’m the youngest cat of the house. I was only a few weeks old when Rich pulled me out from on top of one of the wheels of the motor home. Maybe there’s a relationship between hiding on top of a wheel and being scared of Julie’s wheeled chair?
 
I’m super teeny because I don’t like to eat. But that doesn’t stop me from climbing up every piece of furniture in the house, racing around and causing lots of damage. I don’t care. They think I’m cute so I get away with doing whatever I want.

Zephyra

01 Thursday Mar 2007

Posted by rajalary in Cat Diaries

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Life is happy. Happy. Happy. I’m always happy, except when Jujube pesters me. He’s a bully. There are so many things to be happy about… cat food, bugs, dust balls, dripping faucets, chirping birds, things to toss onto the floor, furniture to climb… everything.
 
Someone left me at Rich’s and Julie’s house late one night. I was only four months old. Julie heard some noise, went downstairs, opened the door, and I ran inside! Happy me.
 
I have really big feet, pale green eyes and a big fluffy tail. Julie says that I’m going to get really big when I turn two. I like to eat. Constantly.
 
My best friend is Lunetta. We’re like sisters.

Jujube

01 Thursday Mar 2007

Posted by rajalary in Cat Diaries

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Us cats are starting to feel neglected with so much attention going to Julie and her dumb injury. Any cat will tell you that cars are dangerous. Dog, which have limited intelligence, may think cars are cool, but cats know better.
 
The only time I went in a car, I returned home with parts missing. It doesn’t matter because I’m still the head of the house. All of the girls turn and look when I parade through the house. And why not? I’m a stud. Lion of the pride with stripes and swirls from the tip of my tail to my black nose and down my muscular legs. My magnificent tail is 14-inches in length and is always held high over my back.
 
I adore Zephyra, but she doesn’t always like me. To be honest, sometimes no one likes me. Rich and Julie say I have behavioral challenges. Ha! I just get a little rowdy in the house and like to practice my stalking and hunting skills on the girls and anything that moves like toes and legs.

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