Scattered Sundays – Sustainable Cooks

For the final 15 years or so, my sister and I’ve claimed that the complete month of August was cursed. Every August, one or each of our dad and mom would have some form of medical emergency.

My sister is a instructor and I used to work in larger training, so let’s simply say that August is (was) a BUSY time for each of us. Every year, we’d strategy August with bated breath.

August struck once more in 2022 and man, it obtained us HARD.

Let’s recap August to date: 1) I had emergency surgical procedure through the first week of August. 2) Bennett had his tonsils eliminated on August twelfth and was in restoration hell for nearly 2 weeks. 3) My dad has had some a-fib points which have had him out and in of the ER and heart specialist’s workplace (he’s positive now BTW).

I really feel like that ought to have been sufficient. August had different concepts.

Final week was a hell week for Troy at work. He had made a number of shift trades at work over the summer season they usually mainly all caught up with him in a single week.

For many who don’t know, (most) firefighters both work 24 or 48-hour shifts after which have 48 or 96 hours off earlier than they’re again on shift. Final week Troy labored Tuesday, was house for like 20 hours on Wednesday, again to a 48-hour shift on Thursday and Friday, house for 20 hours on Saturday, after which again to work on Sunday.

That’s brutal for him, brutal for the boys, and brutal for me, the solo married dad or mum. It was tough however we survived and have been all wanting ahead to a calmer week forward. I even scheduled a pedicure for myself on Monday. August took a take a look at that and stated “NOPE”.

Troy began feeling kinda crappy at work on Sunday and determined to return house that night. Whereas he was ready for somebody to return take over the shift (you’ll be able to’t simply go away a hearth station down an individual), his chief introduced a check from one other station.

Troy examined damaging at work after which drove house. He took one other check at house as a result of he simply had a intestine feeling and it instantly popped as optimistic. He took a second one simply to verify the opposite one wasn’t a fluke, and yep, it was optimistic.

At this level, it was like 12 am on Monday morning. He throws a masks on, wakes me up, and tells me he’s leaving the home till we will work out what to do. It’s early, we’re all drained and no person was doing our greatest considering.

Fortunately the following morning my sister graciously provided Troy her very very good tenting trailer as a germy man cave for the following 5-12+ days. We actually lucked out in that regard.

However wait, there’s extra. Beginning Sunday night time, Bennett had began displaying some chilly signs that appeared rather a lot like his regular PFAPA signs. You already know, the signs that eradicating the tonsils was supposed to place an finish to. Yeah, these signs.

Additionally, I ought to add that we had promised the boys an epic week of adventures for this, their closing week of summer season. We had native day journeys deliberate, tubing on a lake, floating on a river, assembly up with a number of pals, and so on.

Jack bounced into my room on Monday morning all prepared for our first journey after which I obtained to observe his face fall whereas I crushed all his desires of enjoyable for a whole week. It was peak parenting, let me inform you.

Okay, a number of issues. One: we’ve got been terribly fortunate and still have labored laborious to keep away from Covid up till now. We nonetheless masks in indoor public locations and nonetheless have averted doing issues in tremendous crowded areas. We’re these dorks.

As a primary responder, Troy might need the document at his station for being the final one to get the ‘Rona. They’re out and in of individuals’s properties on medical calls, and for us to go over 2.5 years with out earlier an infection was a dang good document. I additionally knew that ultimately, our luck would run out. We had an amazing streak and I can’t be remotely mad about that.

TWO: we gave up two weeks of summer season earlier than Bennett’s surgical procedure to maintain him germ-free in order that he may have his tonsils eliminated. We then went via hell for 2 weeks whereas he recovered. He had been feeling higher for FOUR days earlier than he caught one other chilly.

This SURGERY WAS SUPPOSED TO STOP THE EFFING COLDS. I’m a really optimistic particular person, however man oh man, I’ve had some low moments this week the place I’ve felt SO defeated. We put our child via ache, gave up a lot time, and spent some huge cash on surgical procedure,…and it looks like it was all for nothing. NOTHING.

All at-home assessments confirmed that Bennett was covid-negative. We even took him to get a PCR simply to be additional cautious heading into faculty beginning subsequent week. All have been damaging. It’s simply the identical crap that we’ve been coping with since he was 2 months outdated.

Now let me say, we’ve got pals who’ve a toddler with a type of most cancers that they can not eradicate. My mother was identified with a debilitating autoimmune illness at 26 that fully reformed the life she and my dad had anticipated to reside. My dad is an amputee.

None of our well being issues are life-threatening. These are mere inconveniences. We’ll all be positive in the long run. We’re fortunate and have medical insurance and may entry high quality care. However inside I’m having an enormous epic meltdown grownup tantrum and I wish to punch all of the issues.

Realizing how shortly Bennett caught yet one more chilly, simply makes me take into consideration yet one more faculty yr the place he’s lacking days and days of college every month. I wish to scream right into a jar.

Please do come again subsequent week when I cannot be as grouchy and stuffed with sugar. Stress = sugar consumption for me as a result of sugar by no means judges or talks again.

August can chunk me. That’s all.

Within the Backyard This Week

Being caught at house this week did end in a productive week for the backyard. I did ALL the weeding that has wanted to be performed for a number of weeks now. I additionally tackled Mt. Morning Glory, AKA the retaining wall that divides our neighbor’s yard from ours.

We reside on a hill so all of the properties/yards are terraced into the hill. Most of us have some type of a retaining wall to stop earth motion. Effectively, this wall is on our neighbor’s property but it surely looks like it has slipped their thoughts for the final…7 years to ever take away the extreme morning glory that begins on their aspect of the property.

I’ve sufficient morning glory in my yard and gardens already, thanks very a lot. I don’t want extra and I actually don’t have any use for weeds that belong to another person. However I used to be bored and had some rage to get out this week and let’s simply say that the portion of the retaining wall that I may entry is at the moment fully cleared.

I’ve additionally been choosing epic quantities of blueberries within the mornings. It’s too sizzling within the afternoon to select they usually’re additionally laborious to see when the berries are in direct daylight. We now have 26 blueberry bushes and but yearly, two of them produce as a lot as ALL the others mixed. It’s a humiliation of scrumptious riches.

Apart from that, there was an entire lot of weeding taking place, particularly close to the retaining wall. Now that I can entry our yard below all of the blackberry vines. coughcough.

Our heatwave has damaged and this coming week the temps will probably be dropping into the 70s, so I’ll be getting our lettuce begins into one of many raised beds ASAP.

WHAT I’M LISTENING TO THIS WEEK

I’ve been listening to The Sunshine Place as a result of 1) I used to be appropriately focused by apple podcasts and a pair of) I seen it was produced by Robert Downy, Jr and his spouse, Susan Downey.

Enjoyable reality: once we lived in Los Angeles, I labored with Susan Downey’s brother at a consulting agency. So, in a approach…I mainly know Iron Man. 🙂

From the web site: “The Sunshine Place tells the mind-blowing, true-story of Synanon – considered one of America’s most leading edge social experiments, become considered one of its most harmful and violent cults – because it’s by no means been instructed earlier than: by the individuals who lived it.” (supply)

READER SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK

Jeni left this five-star overview on our The best way to Make Hen Bone Broth tutorial {Pin this recipe}:

I used the Instapot recipe as we speak and I’m so happy with myself. It was my first time making broth from a carcass and I’ve by no means felt extra “Little Home on the Prairie”! Known as my husband at work to impress him with tales of my home triumph and he was not impressed- apparently they use this recipe on a regular basis on the fireplace station (he’s a firefighter) with leftover chickens so I’m attempting to not let him rain on my crunchy granola desires haha In any case, the recipe was tremendous straightforward and made SO a lot broth, I’m wanting ahead to utilizing it in soups as we transfer into fall.

ON SUSTAINABLE COOKS THIS WEEK

The best way to Dry Thyme – Be taught how you can dry thyme in a meals dehydrator, by way of air drying, within the microwave, or within the oven. Drying thyme is a straightforward strategy to protect this scrumptious pantry staple! {Pin this tutorial}

Confessions – everybody’s favourite publish of the month.