Britesea - Living the good life in rural Oregon

OMG - that sounds so good! You cook like I WISH I did, lol!

Dinner sounds good.

And the grass can be a pain! Sounds about like what I have in part of my garden. I've been pulling it for 2 years now. It's not as bad as it was so hopefully it won't be as bad this year.

I hate weeds, too!
you do cook like i wish i did! Someday.....

lol, cookin' is one of the few things I'm good at. However, I learned that I don't want to use the pressure cooker for my pork with apples and onions- apparently it cooks too quickly for the flavors to truly develop so it was somewhat bland.
The grass I'm dealing with is called couch grass here, but it has been my grief in many other gardens under other names: witch grass, quack grass. The only positive thing I've learned about it is that the white roots are good for UTI's when dried and made into a tea. I also have bindweed and mallow to contend with. All the other weeds are easy enough to control that I don't worry about them too much. I may start cussing out the lambs quarters though, if I decide to grow quinoa. Apparently the two are so similar in the early stages that it can be difficult to figure out which plant to pull and which to leave.

I don't think I'll be going to my water aerobics class today. I forgot to hang my wet suit and towel out to dry until last night and it's still wet today. The thought of pulling that clammy thing onto my shivering body is just too much for me. Instead, I'll just buy some more puppy kibble (the baby was 60 pounds 3 weeks ago, I should take her in to be weighed so I can adjust her food allowance). I also need to stop at the audiologist; one of my hearing aids has stopped working. It's bizarre to see the ducks quacking and such on the left side of the garden, but my ears are telling me they are on the right side.

Not sure what we are having yet for dinner- I need to rummage in the freezer and find something. I want to clear out some more in there because the local Cash N Carry has a 40# box of boneless skinless chicken thighs for only $1.19 a pound. We are not white meat eaters in this house, and these will be perfect for many good meals. I'm already planning Shoyu Chicken for Friday (that's a Hawaiian dish of chicken simmered in slightly sweetened soy sauce and ginger until very tender. It's better with the bones, but oh well)

Had some excitement at my girlfriend's house yesterday. I was visiting her for coffee (and a wonderful Peanut Butter & Jelly coffeecake- gotta get the recipe) when there was a knock at the door. It was a woman from Adult Protective Services. It seems the Hospice Rep had decided that since L's mom was complaining that she doesn't want to live there, she wants to go home- well then L must be keeping her here against her will, which constitutes Kidnapping and L could go to jail. So APS was there to do an investigation. L didn't want to let her in without a warrant, but apparently under Oregon law, social workers don't need a warrant to conduct an investigation. I managed to keep L from going off the deep end, and we retired to the back of the house so that the APS rep could talk with L's mom. I kept busy introducing topics of conversation that would take her mind off what was going on for the hour-and-a-half interview. The conclusions reached were 1) the Hospice rep was overstepping her bounds, 2) L's mom really should not be living alone and 3) APS is going to work with L to help her get guardianship of her mom, which will sidestep any future issues as well as allow her access to her mom's finances so she can take care of that too. Her mom is not mentally incompetent, but she is frail and dying of skin cancer which she refuses to have treated. She was recovering from a heart attack when L brought her here (on the recommendation of the mom's doctor), and is not real steady on her feet. It's a mixed blessing though... I think L was actually beginning to look forward to having some freedom again. She can't leave her mom alone, so she's unable to do things like go shopping, visit friends, or even go to medical appts of her own without getting someone to watch her mom. She can't take her along on outings because she isn't strong enough to help mom get into the SUV (which is all she has).

I wonder if there are any local programs in the area where a nurse will come to the house for a couple of hours to let the caregiver a break. There was one that my Inlaws used after father-in-law was diagnosed with cancer, it was offered by the county. He liked the company and change of faces, she like having a couple hours a week to do her thing (shopping).

That was the role being filled by the Hospice rep. Except she could only come on Wednesdays it seemed, and only during certain, limited hours. It was better than nothing, but L has found someone else that she liked better, who will work any day except Sunday, and only needs 24 hours notice. I suspect she's fairly new to the business and doesn't have a whole lot of clients yet.

Tomorrow I will be gone all day. DS has an appointment with CDRC (Child Development & Rehabilitation Center) in Eugene, for his ASD assessment (autism spectrum). We have to be there by 9:30am, and it's a 3 hour drive. I'm not sure how long it lasts, but I know they break for lunch, so... figure on all day.

Some sad news; we heard a commotion outside and ran out to discover that the dogs had decided the ducks were playtoys. We caught them at it before too much damage was done, but my lone Cayuga drake died in the night from internal injuries. Lucy, the older dog, had never done anything like this in all the time I've had the ducks; so I'm guessing that the pup, Millie, was the instigator- with Lucy joining in. They both got severely scolded and Millie piddled all over the front porch before I crated her. I don't think I'll do anything like making her wear the dead duck, because I don't think she would actually make the connection between her playing yesterday and a dead duck around her neck today.

Sorry you lost the duck. And I've heard that putting the dead animal around the neck doesn't really do anything.

I can't imagine wearing a dead duck would help a dog understand. Maybe a livestock guardian trainer might have some suggestions.
What a tough thing to deal with for L! How horrible to have to wrestle with her mother's issues and have her mother working against her. I hope that she's able to get some relief.

Lol, some things just aren't meant to be cooked fast! Low and slow is the key!

Well, I'm back. I was gone from 6am until 10:45pm last night. DH had gotten home just before us and the ducks and dogs were absolutely ecstatic to see him. It was the first time there had been NOBODY home for more than an hour, in the last several years. Millie (the pup) was whining and piddling- as if to say she PROMISED to be a good girl forevermore if we would not abandon her like that anymore. Of course that was all forgotten this morning- she ran over to "bounce" the ducks as soon as I let her into the front yard. I scolded her and put her back into the crate for a few minutes. I'm hoping if I do this consistently, she will eventually put cause and effect together and stop.
Anyway, we spent from 10am until 6:30pm at the Center, with an hour break for lunch. L came along, because she had been there before (her son was diagnosed with ASD last year), but she left about 2 to be with her daughter and give her moral support during a brain scan (poor girl had to spend over an hour in one of those long MRI tubes- twice as long as normal because she twitched once).
We had interviews, and then DS was taken off for misc tests while I filled out reams of paperwork.
At the end, the psychiatrist told us her preliminary diagnosis (which might change when she looks over the results and such more closely) is that he has a mild case of ASD, complicated with a severe verbal tic and depression. I don't know if that will be enough to garner SSI for him, but it should at least get him some help as far as learning to cope with society and making a living etc.
After we left, L (who drove, and paid for our lunch- that was repayment for me watching her mom on Sunday) told us she had a surprise for us. She took us to Voodoo Donuts- which I'd heard of but never visited. Oh my! I had a Maple bar with bacon on top- YUM! She had something called C**k and B*lls (exactly what you think- and it's custard filled too, lol) and DS wanted the Voodoo Doll donut, but they were all out- so he settled for a Banana Fritter. She also bought a 5 gallon bucket full of "factory seconds" for only $10. When we went outside, we were accosted by a panhandler, and she gave him 2 donuts (not quite what he had in mind, I think)

Anyway... I'm still tired, even after a full night's sleep. I ache everywhere from riding in the car for so long (I don't do well sitting in one position for long periods). But at least we know what's going on with DS and now we can move forward. I know I'll have to deal with the doctors wanting to give him pills for the depression, but I can monitor him closely and I WILL make them stop if the depression gets worse.

Well that's a great start. Glad it went smoothly!
We have a donut shop here called The Fractured Prune and OMG!