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Friday 16 December 2016

Catching Up With P. Donkey

On the menu today is ...... hodgepodge.

Not this:

(Image is taken from the website in the link just below)

... even though it is a delightful late summer vegetarian meal made with fresh vegetables and cream ... (you can find a traditional recipe here) ........


... but, not that kind of Hodge Podge.

I meant a hodgepodge of topics.

Here we go.

1. If Terry Stynes, who wrote The blog of Treey for a few months recently, is reading, or if anyone who knows him in real life is reading, would it be possible to let his fellow bloggers know if he is okay? Just post a comment below.

 Terry took his blog down after suddenly announcing his final post. I know that in one way it is nobody's business but his own what happened to make him take that decision, but in another way we are a social group just as in real life and it is alarming when someone disappears.

 Despite the stroke that left him in a wheelchair and unable to speak, Terry was an articulate person online, and opened more than a few eyes to the challenges of those in his situation.Terry, you were one of us, and I for one miss your observations on the world.

2. The probable cause of my foot issue is severe plantar fasciitis, and after six weeks of exercises, heat, massage and TENS (like electrocution but less deadly) it hadn't noticeably improved. So the physiotherapist suggested shock-wave therapy. It's like a mini-jackhammer, and is used to break up scar tissue and calcification by rapid-fire hammering on the sore spot and inducing "good" inflammation. I now know why it's called "good" - because for the 48 hours after treatment, when the inflammation was present, the pain went away. Unfortunately, after that time it came back. But it will take a series of four or five treatments to see if it's going to help long-term.

 Has anyone out there had this treatment, and if so, how did you get along with it?

3. We've been getting a variety of precipitation here the last week and a half. Snow/rain/snow in wildly fluctuating temperatures is causing slush/snow/ice on everything. The good thing about it is that all the white reflects the light and makes things merry and bright. The bad things, and note that I used the plural there, are bad driving, soggy outerwear, damp feet (I may need new boots), the extra time it takes to clear ice and snow from the car before any attempt to drive, and the shovelling. Other than those, it's fine. Bring it, winter. We laugh in your face. Or we would, if we weren't so tired from all the extra work.

4. My much-anticipated-or-perhaps-more-accurately-much-feared haircut turned out well!!!! Yes, it takes four exclamation points to express my happiness. I should have switched stylists long ago. But as they say, hindsight is 20/20. It could really have gone either way. (Actually, it didn't start out very well. I showed up a day early and caused several people, including myself, to sweat out of proportion with the frigid temperature. It was my mistake - I read my calendar wrong - and I'm just terribly happy that I was early, not late.)

5. Only nine days until Christmas, if you celebrate that. The oncoming train of stuff to do that I wrote about in October  is right behind me now. And possibly right behind some of you. To refresh your memory, that train looked like this:

... up close and coming fast ...

 A wise woman I know once said, "Why are we always so surprised that Christmas has arrived? It's not like it's on a different date every year. And yet ..."

 Yep.

6. Steve, who blogs at Shadows & Light posted a link to an article titled Obama Reckons with a Trump Presidency the other day, and I'd like to share it here with anyone who hasn't yet seen it. It's a lengthy piece but well worth the read if you're interested in or worried about the results of the American election. President Obama is an intelligent man, a thinker, a measured speaker and a father, and I was heartened by his views and comments, and by his advice to his own two girls. Thanks for pointing out the article, Steve.


I think I've successfully emptied my brain of all the stuff that's been rabbiting around in there since Monday.

Speaking of rabbits, and who doesn't love an adorable bunny wabbit, here's a picture:


Wait a sec ... this Arctic Hare looks too worried. Not the look I was going for. Let's try another.


That one looks like a donkey! Highly appropriate, but still not what I had in mind. Third time lucky, maybe? ...


 Yikes ... that poor thing appears to be suffering from mumps ... moving right along ...


 Eep! Too much eyeliner!!!

Okay, FINALLY, this is what I was picturing:


 He/she was almost certainly the model for Peter Rabbit in Beatrix Potter's fine stories. All he needs is a little blue coat.

Hope your weekend is a good one.

(Photos and graphic courtesy of Pixabay, except the Hodge Podge photo, whose source is indicated in the caption.)


24 comments:

  1. Such a varied hodge podge - and thank you that recipe looks good. When our weather cools again I will try a variation on that theme.
    I too hope that Terry is ok, and that in the fullness of time he returns to us.
    I am a big Beatrix Potter fan too (of course).
    I hope that the success of your shock wave therapy continues. Pain is tiring and demoralising.
    Have a wonderful weekend.

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    1. When I make hodge podge I cut the vegetables into bite-sized pieces, so it looks different from the photo and is easier to eat. Also, I don't use green beans because we don't care for them. As with all recipes, tweak to your liking :)

      Beatrix Potter - so talented. There was a movie about her - "Miss Potter" with Renee Zellweger in the title role. It was so good.

      Thanks for your good wishes, EC.

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  2. Adorable bunnies.....glad to see you back.

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    1. Thanks, Delores. I only post twice a week, in case you were wondering :)

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  3. That's promising about the foot treatment. Hopefully it will work for the long term after a few rounds. And I am sorry to hear about your blog friend. I know how distressing it can be when people with whom we've made real connections with in the virtual world suddenly disappear. I hope you get some news.

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    1. Thanks, Angella. Hope you're feeling better today - even a little.

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  4. Hi Jenny, Terry isn't Doug is it? In a funny parallel that often repeats, my good friend Gigi, who you have always reminded me of, also recently got a haircut she's thrilled with from a new stylist. Are you sure you are not Gigi?

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    1. No, Terry isn't Doug. Terry's from England. And Doug is still around (hopefully ready to blog soon). And I'm not Gigi, but I do like her name!

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    2. Ok. I hope Terry is okay. GiGi is a pseudonym. She started out as Green Girl because of her environmentally sound lifestyle, morphed into GG, which morphed into GiGi. All in my own mind, haha.

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    3. Oh, GG! I know who you mean! Well, I know OF her, anyway :)

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  5. I hope the new foot treatment is successful. If your blogging friend answers emails, that might be a better way to see if he's okay. I hope so. Having lost some bloggers to death or illness, I understand your concern.

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    1. There was no email address on his site, and it's gone now anyway. He was very new to blogging, and was having some health issues, but it seemed more that he gave up on it. Ah well, it was worth a try, and if he is reading, he will know we are wondering about his well-being.

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  6. Addressing #2, I saw a podiatrist and got some orthotics made and my foot pain went away. Of course then it was knee pain, so I got those replaced, too. Seems like it's always something.
    Our bunnies are mostly snowshoe hares and they have turned white by now.

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    1. I'm getting orthotics as well, which has become a lengthy process as we were between doctors for awhile; that's the universal health care system for you :))so I hope they are magical and fix everything when I get them ... and yeah, all the joints are connected, aren't they? And if something's not right, it travels along the chain of joints and causes everything to go haywire.

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  7. I'm having issues with my internet service, so I can't yet read the article you linked to, but I will as soon as they are resolved.
    I do find it disconcerting when bloggers I like quit blogging, the more so when they don't explain themselves or "sign off" and instead just drop out of the blogosphere without a trace. Not that they owe me anything, but I care about them and get worried when they vanish like that.
    Your foot procedure sounds painful, but hopefully it will work. Foot pain is awful. When I first saw Dr. Nelson, my primary care physician, we were getting to know one another and he was trying to ascertain what kind of post-stroke medical attention I had received, and he asked me "Have they done that awful foot examination for nerve impairment to you?"
    After I said no, he said "No, see, that's the wrong answer to a question like that. The right answer would have been 'Yes, and it was normal'" I love Dr. Nelson.

    -Doug in Oakland

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    1. "that awful foot examination" - doesn't exactly make you want to run out and get it down, does it? I'm glad you have a good doctor. It makes such a difference. The foot procedure is minimally uncomfortable but the relief afterward was wonderful.

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  8. I've been wondering about Terry, too. I hope someone has some news.

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    1. Me, too. Maybe he just got tired of blogging, though.

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  9. So many topics. But I will share my experience with plantar fasciitis. First off it's horrible and one of the worst pains I have ever had. I got a cortisone shot that worked real well for a few years but then it came back this summer. I tried a deep tissue massage from a chiropractor as he said he was reattaching the fascia back to my heel. The massage was painful and after a few sessions it seemed better but it didn't work as well as the cortisone. The other thing I have to do every day is some stretches for it. Best of your luck in getting your's fixed.

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    1. It was a pretty intense pain when it started. I've heard the cortisone shot is painful but if it works that's good. I'm doing my exercises and hoping I can get back to walking SOMETIME. That deep tissue massage doesn't sound like much fun. Good luck with yours as well.

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  10. i am glad that you are happy with your new haircut .i never go to the parlor but thinking to try for it though!
    i loved your adorable rabbits .since i left my native village i miss wild life so much.
    hope you get new boot soon as damping is harmful for feet dear .
    take care and keep yourself warm near your fireplace

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    1. Thank you for your kind thoughts, baili! I miss having long hair but it no longer looked good on me. With shorter hair, I have to get it trimmed every month and cannot see the back to do it myself. My husband offered, but I gently declined :)

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  11. Hey Jenny, I am fine thanks and enjoy reading your blog. It has always inspired me. Thank you for thinking of me. I hope you are well. Canada is such a special place to me. It is always on my mind. It is my favourite accent ever. I love it.

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    1. Terry! Thanks for commenting and letting us know you're okay! And thank you for the kind words. I see you are blogging again, too. I'll leave a comment there in case you don't get back here.

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