Happy holidays

Secret stash

Crazy lady has a fondness for frogs. She has done zero, zippo, nada work this month because of the pneumonia. Every hour of wakefulness has resulted in at least 6 hours of nap time. She is no fun, but slowly feeling better. This morning, she was more alert than usual, and was able to catch-up on her bills. The tax collector waits for no one... anyhow, she noticed that some of her stuffed frogs were missing from her desk. After a brief search, she found them in my secret stash...
She scowled and said "just keep them safe, Sugar-pie. It's nap time for mama."

Go Erika!

Crazy lady's niece from California (the wonderful Princess Erika) is a fantastic gymnast. Here she is, practicing her new floor routine for local and national competitions:

Wino Tomato Sauce

Sunday was a snow day. I spent most of the day glaring at crazy lady and staring at the snowflakes. Crazy lady cooked. She worked her way through graduate school as a line cook (one of many, many jobs), and finds that making soups and sauces helps the healing process. She made a creamy spinach soup and her famous "wino" sauce. Here's the recipe for the sauce:

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion (or 2 small), chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, wacked with a knife or minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground fennel
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/3 cup good red wine
3 cups undrained canned tomatoes (28-ounce can)
pinch red pepper flakes

(1) Add the oil, onions, garlic at a low heat.
(2) Add the salt & pepper flakes & dry herbs. Don't forget the fennel! The fennel makes the sauce taste like meat. Seriously. Veggies always complained that she slipped them a meat sauce whenever she served it in lasagna or penne.
(3) When the onions start to "pop" because most of their liquid has reduced, add the wine.
The trick is to use a full, robust red wine. The onions & garlic & herbs should turn a deep, soupy purple, after you add the wine. Of course, crazy lady always add more than 1/3 cup...
(4) Let the liquid reduce, about half the original size. Inhale the fumes. Mmmm...wino...
(5) Add the canned tomatoes, including liquid.
(6) Let it gently bubble for 30-60 minutes.
(7) Use your hand mixer to liquify the sauce. Potato mashers and blenders work well, too. Make it as creamy or lumpy as you like.
That's it! Crazy lady quadrupled the batch, to freeze the sauce for a later day.
You don't have to add extra oil when you double (or triple or quadruple) the recipe. The onions & garlic soften great, if you keep the heat down low and the pot's top slightly ajar to trap moisture. It's a trick she learned from the fine folks at Moosewood Restaurant.

One last money shot:
Enjoy!

Snow Day

Feed a hungry child

Donate a free meal by clicking here. It doesn't cost you any money, and only takes 1 click on the "donate a meal" button.

Too Gay?

Crazy lady finally woke-up this morning WITHOUT A FEVER. She's still exhausted and sleeping all day & night, but no fever means that there is upcoming relief from the infections-that-won't-go-away. She received the above video as a Friday pick-me-up, and wanted to share...enjoy!

Story time

Crazy lady is still sick, and spends most of her days sleeping. The Princess and her mom came over today, to play with jewels and read some books. I ate a special snack, watched them play-- then stole ALL of the stuffed animals from the room, when they weren't looking! It was an excellent, devious day.

Lunch

From foster mamma Judy this morning:

Treating colds

Tinderbell's mom Judy W sent crazy lady the following words-of-wisdom, to help with her cold. Judy W said, "I got the above insights after surviving an acute upper respiratory viral infection while living in Maryland last winter." I thought her advice was great (especially the positive visualization, hint, hint) and wanted to share...

1. STAY AWAY FROM PEOPLE, even if they are healthy. Healthy people carry germs/bacteria. But they are healthy b/c their immune system is strong and can suppress the bacteria/virus. Whereas yours is weak and healthy people's germs/bacteria can jump on you and exert their detrimental effect b/c your immune system is already weak and cannot soldier/buffer the attack.

2. You must consume extra protein (meat, eggs). They help rebuilt the system that is being digested by the cold. I think I ate 6 eggs in one meal or the equivalent of 4 chicken thighs. MEAT/PROTEIN---I cannot stress the importance of these substances! Your appetite might be down, but that is when you need to consume meat/protein/quality food the most!!

3. Rest. When you sleep, your body can re-focus all its energy on fighting the cold.

4. I hope you have been swallowing vitamin C and vitamin B6 pills. They really help too. Make sure in to increase your dosage.

5. Have a friend walk Sugar. Though I am in the Carribeans right now, I understand (well, maybe not) how cold it can be in Boston. I visited Boston but lived in NYC/up state NY/Maryland during cold seasons. It seems like every time I go out in the cold, my cold worsens. But If you must walk Sugar yourself, cover all parts of your body except your eyes.

6. There will be a time when you seem to be getting better, but that is not an excuse to think you are healthy again. Your body is still very suspectible to another infection. (Speaking from personal experience)...continue exercising caution and the above advice.

7. Cold medication can help to some extend, but they do not really cure your cold. You need to boost your innate body's immune system--eating, resting, and yes, laughing. When one laughs (eg. talk on the phone) or think pleasant thoughts (eg. your adorable niece), one's body releases a hormone that helps with recovery--- cannot think of the precise name right now. Or just to think about the fun things you get to do when your cold is away--- shopping, socializing with friends, traveling, and dining out, etc.

8. Keep telling yourself that you will get well and you will see an improvement in your health.

Below freezing

It was below freezing most of today. Crazy lady dressed me in my new, bright pink hoodie. What do you think?
We took a stroll around the park, and I chased some balls.
It was too cold to spend a lot of time at the park, so we walked home after 10 minutes. Crazy lady is feeling better, and said the freezing temperatures brought down her fever. She also said "the drugs have definitely kicked in, which makes breathing easier." She hopes to resume her writing schedule by the end of this week. Yeah! A happy crazy lady is a fun-loving dog.

Snuggle Sunday

Giant snow flakes slammed the windows, but quickly melted on the ground today. What a waste! Crazy lady wants to wait until later this week, when we expect inches & inches of snow to hit the Boston area on Friday. So, we had bathroom breaks and snuggle time all day today.
We also did some "low impact playing" since crazy lady can't move without coughing, puking and falling down.

The Princess and the Lung

Crazy lady is SICK. She is convinced that she's knocking on death's door, but I think she's being overly dramatic. Geez, it's just a cold with a teeny, tiny lung infection. Okay, so what if the emergency room docs called it pneumonia? She still needs to toughen up! She has become best friends with the couch, ginger ale and penicillin. She was still able to register for her Haar-vaard classes on Wednesday; and watch the Princess for a couple of hours on Friday. Here's the Princess' self-portrait at her preschool:
And, a very special drawing:
And, of course, the Princess' beautiful smile:
Tomorrow is a snow day. Woo hoo! I don't care if crazy lady can barely walk outside without puking-- we are investigating the wonderful white blanket scheduled to hit Boston tomorrow morning. I will force her to take pictures of my very first snow experience. She can hallucinate, later.

Writers and drama. Does it ever end?

Cambridge!

Yes, we are back in Cambridge! Zero incidents with United, but it was fun to watch crazy lady argue with the cabbies because they refused to take us home. They didn't want me to "damage" (their words) their precious Boston cabs. No comment. Crazy lady is pretty sick (she thinks she has the flu); but she wanted to make sure my anxious fans knew we arrived safely. Ah yes, I'm back on my ledge!

Thanksgiving Feast

Crazy lady received numerous emails, asking "where's the complete Thanksgiving meal?" One person even said, "Don't get me wrong-- Turkey covered in turkey bacon is paradise, but we want to see the entire show!" So, here it is...Yes, that's a giant mound of mashed potatoes for Lee & Alex. The veggie option (giant stuffed mushrooms) is behind the mashies, somewhere. There was a humongous salad, lost in the crowd of carbs and (later) desserts. Enjoy!