Helloooo. It’s been a wild two weeks over here. I haven’t been sitting around on my shrinking butt doing nothing. Mostly I’ve been busy freaking out because Ryan’s surgery is in the morning. Adenoids out, septum straightened, you-know-what vacuumed away. In the big picture, this is so routine, a nothing surgery. But still. I mean, it’s not even like he’s going "under the knife" unless you count the tiny laser razor on the end of the thingie they stick in his nose. No stitches, about 90 minutes out, 2 hours in recovery, then home to sleep and ice cream. In fact, I know several people here who have had the surgery, including two people in my band. The head geezer, Barry, had it done last year.
But still. The past couple of weeks, I’ve literally been a human doing because if I stop and breathe, I feel deep anxiety. Like it vibrates my whole body. That is not a good thing right now. Too bad I don’t drink or do drugs. I remember in the good old days how that would make time just literally disappear.
Lately, we are so sober and healthy, we experience every blessed minute. Fortunately for me, eating healthy and curing disease takes time. So much time. When I’m not reading and taking notes, I’m printing it all out and making everyone else read it. Or I’m counting out vitamins and chasing everyone down with ’em. Or squeezing fresh OJ so I can count out drops of GSE to put in it. And cooking. My back hurts from standing around in the kitchen all day. That’s new for me!
Everyday I make fresh bread, then try to keep up with the demand for homemade mayo, chicken salad, egg salad, hummus, clarified butter, hard-boiled eggs, and fresh washed cold celery. Hal keeps us in brown rice and beans. Gone are pasta, canned goods, chips, potatoes, peanut butter (because here you can only get it with hydrogenated fats or freshly made from rancid nuts – they just don’t get peanut butter in Costa Rica. Besides, peanuts are a huge allergen and we’d give it up anyway.) The list of what we no longer eat is LONG.
The boys like to complain there’s nothing to eat. But, you know, they always think there’s nothing to eat if they can’t find chips and ice cream.
It’s true, the cupboards look bare. We have always been a Full-Pantry kitchen. I think that’s been the hardest thing to get used to: looking in cabinets and seeing space. If the cabinets are over-flowing, that means a) we are prosperous, b) we won’t starve and c) there’s gotta be something good to eat, right? It’s completely psychological… and an incredibly wasteful way to live. Looking back, I’ll bet we could have supported a family in Darfur on what we’ve thrown away. Ouch. Yeah, I’m uh-merikan. Pity.
But I’m moving on!
The geezer gig went fairly well. If you only count how we sounded, it went incredibly well! We really sound good, tight harmonies, good musicians and a real live saxophone player! Too bad, because there were only a dozen or so people in the audience, mostly friends and family. I felt like I was in a high school play. Our publicity campaign fell a tad short. We now have a website (notice the next gig 25 October) and an updated email list. And an Advertising Action Plan. Heck, we sound too good not to play to a full house!!! And, ok, since we keep the door, we need more than 12 people in attendance.
Sunday the next day was my birthday. To celebrate, we fed the homeless in downtown San Jose with the Amma crowd. It was right after the Week of Worry and I was feeling deeply grateful. An overwhelming urge to give back overtook me. At that exact moment, I got an Amma email announcing their monthly soup kitchen. Serendipity. Sunday morning early, we met at one of the organizer’s homes, cut, chopped, stirred, spiced and got a soup going. Then drove it all downtown and served it up. I was the Tang girl and I was darned good at it.
There are some seriously homeless people in San José. They were all so filthy, they pretty much looked alike. Some taller, a few gringos, not too many young people, too many women who looked like they’d been run over. They love soup, they love Tang. Good for the boys, good for me. It was a perfect birthday.
Let’s see, what else… OH. I kinda got a hair cut. Like all of it. I actually paid someone to cut my hair and she did a terrific job. I am sick of dying my hair and actually want to see it all silver which it looks like it will be once the reddish blonde is gone. And I LOVE no hair. Whoa, this is living. I know why Hal shaves his head now. Besides the fact he doesn’t have enough hair to speak of…
I hate this picture because this is exactly what I look like. I always think I’m thinner and younger. I’m especially always surprised that my mouth is so little. Oddly, you can see a bit of a picture of my father who everyone says I look like. Um, he’s a guy. A good looking guy, but still.
We are off to bed. To sleep… HA! To read, toss and turn, to wander about, doing stuff. More soon.
Baking bread! Healthy food! I’m impressed.
Try the whole wheat bread recipe at http://saporifichomecooking.blogspot.com/
It’s challa but you can bake it in a loaf pan to make a regular loaf.
Mo and Ryan liked it, but they’re easy to please when it comes to food (except dim sum).
Your hair cut looks great.
It is heartening to read about your life style with the healthy attitude towards food and the even healthier attitude towards helping the San Jose homeless. Do you sometimes wonder what your life would have looked like over the last two and a half years had you stayed in Key west? Would you have arrived at the same conclusions were it not for the geographical change? I have always maintained that geography (weather, culture) has more to do with our happiness than people realize.
LOVE the haircut. I’ve gone short again as well. So much easier.
I never thought YOU’D become a “Suzy Homemaker”! Last I heard, Hal did the cookin.
That’s some hairdo you are sporting these days.
Be sure to look me up next time you are in Jaco
and we’ll do a photo session.
Hi Sally: I’m making bread, too!!! Don’t buy it at the store at all anymore and we LOVE the homemade stuff. Only problem is it’s soo good it’s hard to stop eating it. We just ate a dish of beans and rice (my recipe which I’ll send to you if you like) and Michael said “This is what Sally is eating these days in Costa Rica. I read it on her blog. Oh, and she’s letting her hair grow out to its natural color.” So I had to rush on in here and find out what he’s talking about.
Ryan will be fine. But I know how awful it is to turn your baby over to someone who will invade his innards. he is a tough, good, strong boy and you will all be fine. And at least you’re not going to American doctors. Ha!
Your hair cut is TERRIFIC. You look amazing and well. Your eyes are so blue. And though your mouth may look small, you have a lot to say — and you say it well. So don’t worry. You are truly beautiful.
I’m off to check out your recipe for bread. Love to you and the boys, June
Thank you for the recipe, Robert. Unfortunately our oven is a piece of junk and won’t hold heat so we bake our break pita style in the toaster oven or grill it on the counter top grill. I’m posting my recipes later this week… I know: too exciting!
James – I gotta write a post about this but I don’t think I’d be where I am today if I were still in key West. I’d have to work too hard out in the real world. I am different now – we all are. This experience has changed us, definitely for the better.
Yep, new hair, new person: Suzie homemaker. OK, the boys are cracking up at that.
June – so good to hear your voice! Especially that part about how beautiful I am. You DO remember me! Once you start eating homemade, you can never go back. Even the boys prefer homemade bread to the storebought. See you next visit, early in the new year probably. Love you back.
Glad the gig went good (alliteration much?).
I hope you have another one while I am house sitting–be there 13/11/08 thru 16/12/08 then back again the middle of January.
Looking forward to meeting all the blogsters I read–well maybe some of them at least. I even have decided to blog myself.
Anyhow-I love geezer bands. My hubby, deceased now, played 50 thru 90 covers but they specialized in Beattles, Beach Boys, Eagles, Stones, Dylan, etc.
Band name was” The Geritones”. If I have to explain it, forget it.
Later chickie-have followed your food chronicles with great interest.
Elle (aka PlantCrone)