bloggie blog

My sister Emily has four great kids. I never get to see enough of them, and the youngest of them is James, whom I’ve only seen once, so I like when she posts about him and the others. You can read her post if you like, but really this entry of mine is all about this picture of my awesome nephew with his amazing Benjamin Button man boobs.

I’m an uncle again. My sister Emily had her fourth baby on Thursday, and it’s their first boy so Reid finally has a dude to raise. I’m more than happy to add James or Harrison (or some other name because they can’t make up their minds) to the lovely band of now nine nieces and nephews that I have. Welcome to the world, unnamed boy. Welcome!

My family has been working towards improving my sister Cynthia’s health. She has MS and has tried for many years to find treatments to relieve her symptoms. Last month we rented a hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) chamber for her. I was skeptical that this would help, but it made a difference. She is regaining lost vision, and is retaining more in her short-term memory. It’s fair to say that I can hear the improvements during our phone calls.

Taking a chance, I asked a bunch of friends if they could donate. Most didn’t donate, and that’s as I expected. Times are tough! There are so many worthy causes! I get it! But a few people have been able to donate and have been amazingly generous in their giving. I am blown away. Thank you, David. Thank you, Dossy. Thank you, Linda. Thank you, Lewis. Thank you, Quincy, Mass! And the list goes on. Your generosity amazes me.

This morning my youngest sister Emily wrote with the news that the fundraising efforts have paid off to the point where the HBO chamber is being bought today.

Thank you, friends. My family thanks you. I thank you. Thank you.

(Donations are still accepted! Leave me a note if you’d like to help. There will be an ongoing trickle of ancillary costs that will add up.)

My dad is fond of stating that the cranberry is one of only 3 native American fruits. Most fruits came from Europe or somewhere else, but here in America is where they discovered cranberries, Concord grapes and one other that I can’t remember.

Today, for Thanksgiving, I’m trying two new cranberry recipes. The first is, in a sense, retro, as it uses gelatin and you create a mold and then glob it out. It won’t have ridges from the side of the can and it won’t have sugar in it, but otherwise it’s old school. I found it here, but you might not have permission to see that page, so here’s the recipe:

1 package whole raw cranberries
1 envelope plain, unflavored gelatin
honey to taste (½ – ¾ C)
1 C orange juice

Cook berries with ½ cup OJ until soft and split. Let cool. Purée. Add honey to taste. Mix gelatin in remaining OJ, then add to warm cranberry purée and mix well. Pour into mold, and chill, undisturbed, for twelve to twenty-four hours. To unmold, turn cranberry sauce upside down, with a hand to catch it underneath. Dip under running hot tap water to release the sauce, and remove quickly. Slide the sauce onto serving plate and remove mold. Keep chilled until serving time. Variation: substitute blueberries or other fruit.

The next one is raw. No cooking, only delicious ground goodness, from The World’s Healthiest Foods:

1 package fresh cranberries
1 medium pear
1 medium apple
1/4 C honey
1 tsp horseradish
1 tsp vinegar

Blend cranberries in a food processor. Same for apple. Same for pear. Grate horseradish root. In a bowl, combine blended cranberries and rest of ingredients. Chill.

Retro or raw, I’m grateful for cranberries!

After several days away, I am back in Los Angeles and happy to be here. I am refreshed. I am enjoying the weather. I have some good things here for which I am grateful, including lovely visits with 2 lovely friends. And I did not spend years of my life on Lost. All good.

This is one of my favorite poems. It was written by my dear mother, who passed away this week.

The story goes that this poem was inspired long ago by me and my siblings’ propensity for grabbing quickly at things in the basket on top of the fridge whenever dad would hoist us in the air, which he did often. If something fell down, it wasn’t my fault — gravity did it!

			Gwabity

		Kathryn R. Ashworth


	Gwabity did it;
		Gwabity told
	About all the things
		I climbed up and stoled

	Fwom off of the fwidge top
		And put in my pocket.
	Gwabity told,
		Though it couldn't talk it.

	Mama held
		My feet by her hand
	While I giggled and giggled
		At Upside-Down-Land.

	"Oh, oh," I said,
		And Mama did, too,
	As the pennies and pwetties,
		Away they all flew.

A paper clip here,
			A blue marble there,
	And one wubber band
		All hid in my hair.

	"Gwabity makes
		Things fall," Mama said,
	As the things I had gwabbed
		Fell down wound my head.

I’d mentioned this poem to mom recently, and it brought a big smile to her face. A couple of days later she said “Gwabity did it” with a twinkle in her eye. It’s one of the last things my dear mother said to me.

Thank you, mom. I love you. I miss you.

A few items from my Thanksgiving in Utah:

When I landed, my brother Nathan was about 20 minutes late in picking me up, so I bought the Salt Lake Tribune and learned that Donny Osmond and Real Salt Lake were big winners locally. Nice. (BYU beat Utah just minutes before my return flight, but either way there, there was going to be a big local winner.)

My sister Julia bought a great old house this year. She’s put a lot of work into it, and on Black Friday she rounded us up to do the same, without even resorting to Tom Sawyer reverse psychology. I swore not to participate in Black Friday, but we forgot and went to The Home Depot for some lighting supplies. It was quiet.

I was cold. Inside. My parents and my sister keep it cool.

Used Windows 7. Okay, I guess.

The Farming Game has stupid rules regarding “a” winner vs. “the” winner.

AT&T’s network in Los Angeles is the real problem. Works great in Utah.

Downloaded very fun iPhone app called iCaroler. Great way to start the Christmas season! You play with carolers, or even better, multiple people play with carolers … which I haven’t quite tested yet.

Received random, unexpected email from GOGII: “Dear _____, Your password has been reset.” Should I be worried?

As I flew back to Los Angeles last December, Delta bumped me and gave me a $400 voucher. Which I Tweeted. Which I told myself I wasn’t going to forget. Which I forgot completely, of course, as I bought a ticket several weeks ago.

Well whaddyaknow, late last night I was cleaning — minor miracle — and saw the voucher as I reached the bottom of a pile. Couldn’t believe it! And since it’s about to expire, I quickly schemed to buy a ticket for Thanksgiving. I wasn’t going to travel for Thanksgiving, you see, in order to save some $$$, but my crappy memory ended up serving me well inasmuch I’ll be home for T-day! I am thankful for forgotten vouchers. I am thankful to be losing my edge.

My brother Jared, his wife Kristie and I, we all went down to Santa Monica on Saturday morning. June gloom, a slight chill and a little mist did not deter us!

We rented one (1) tandem bicycle and one (1) trike. No normal bikes for us as we cruised the beach path, culminating with a pelican encounter at the Venice pier. Jared and I tried to imitate the pelican, but Kristie was very scared of it. Good times!

See a couple dozen pix here: MobileMe Gallery: Beach Ride.

New hiking shoes: check. Swimwear: check. Flashlight: check. Sunglasses: check. Recipes for my turn to cook: check. Lotions, potions and pills that make up the general walking pharmacopoeia we all are these days: check.

I’m off to Moab! Stay turned for pictures of the wonders of the world: Natural Bridges National Monument, Delicate Arch, nieces, nephews, my farmer’s tan.