Best Laid Plans

                    

This was the plan for January: 

But thanks to the flu, this is what happened:

Almost two weeks of no somatics, no gym, no stickers in the day planner :(

Yesterday was my first workout.  Okay, walk. Well, if we're being honest, it was a mosey.  Hopefully tomorrow I'll work up to a stroll ;)

At least I got this out of the way before the new semester and new job begin.  This semester shouldn't be too bad; Human Nutrition and Math for Clinical Calculations.  

As for the nursing school plan, (Plan Q.3 I think), I'm on the fence as to whether it would make sense to  postpone for a semester, due to little things like being out of work for so long and having to spend the summer taking pathophysiology.   Plan Q.4 would mean having about a year to work, having the summer off, and taking a less compressed version of pathophysiology in the fall, and starting the nursing program in the spring.  Q.4 is saner, but Q.3 has the 'getting on with it' thing in its favor. And the realization that I'm going to be 50 this year makes the 'getting on with it' thing seem quite reasonable.

I have until the Fall application deadline of March 29th to make up my mind....

A Not Entirely Traditional New Year's Day Tradition

There are a lot of Hoppin' John recipes out there.  This one is a combination of several of them. I used a crockpot, but you could also do this on the stove.  Keep an eye on the liquid if cooking on the stove- you may need to add more due to evaporation.  It's simple, and tasty, and goes well with cold weather.

Hoppin' John

1 pound dried black eyed peas, rinsed and soaked overnight (or 8+ hours, depending on when you are starting)
1 medium onion, diced
2 medium carrots, chopped small
2 stalks celery, chopped small
1 medium green bell pepper, diced
1 cup rice (uncooked)
(1 ham hock OR beef bone OR chicken OR turkey ham OR turkey bacon -( about 1/2 to 1 pound) OR nothing)
4 cups broth
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp Creole seasoning* (1 Tbsp if you like heat)

After soaking, rinse and drain beans.  Dump into crockpot.
Add everything else.
Set crockpot to desired cooking time ( I did 8 hour/slow)

Traditionally served with greens (collard, mustard, chard, whatever) and cornbread.  Jiffy brand mix is a cheap and tasty option.

This makes quite a lot, which leads to the leftovers known as Skippin' Jenny.  You could shorten the cooking time by using canned black eyed peas, but it's so good this way.

*available in the spice aisle.  It's a blend of peppers, garlic, salt, and some other stuff.

Enjoy :)

Mr. Bill

"He's an excellent specimen," says the professor.

"You're really good at this" say my lab partners as they decline to do anything but watch.

And they're right.  I am good at dissection.

It unnerves me how easily I slip into a clinical mode,

how interested I am in the structures revealed by the scalpel.

And Mr. Bill is an excellent specimen.

I don't want to lose sight that what lies in front of me

was once a sentient being, alive and purring.

So I named him.

And I apologize, and thank him.

And I talk to him as I learn from his remains.

And so do my lab partners.

He must have been a good hunter, says Dennis.

I hope someone loved him, says Mai. 

Mr. Bill probably took down squirrels, says Jenny.

We aren't callus. We handle him gently.  

I imagine that Mr. Bill is in some beautiful meadow 

full of mice and squirrels and other fun things.

I imagine that he has friends.

I hope he knows that he mattered.

That because of him,  there are six future nurses who have a better understanding of how bodies work.

And that we promise to pay his gift forward by helping people with what we learned from him.

I picture him sunning himself, basking in a contented pile with Ursa, Mr. Steve, Stumpy and Miss Puppy.  

Then I go to work.  And then home.

And Duncan and Lulu rush to greet me.  As I snuggle them I say silently

"This is for you too, Mr. Bill".