Update on Gail's Week

I got to talk to Gail yesterday. She was looking for a ride home.

Scheduling.  It was the bain of our existence for awhile.  I remembered when Julie was so sick, one of my worst afternoons was waiting and waiting and waiting.  I'd had a biopsy myself when I was in my twenties, so I expected . . .  about half an hour.  This one took four and a half hours.  I was frantic.

It seemed like all of those first time experiences were all day ordeals.  I think that's what was happening with Gail.

If there is something you need to know, it's this.  Always ask how long the procedure will take, so you know, more or less, what to expect.  It's the difference between a relatively peaceful wait and gobsmacked craziness.

The timing was off, however, so Gail wound up driving herself.

This week she's had a hard time with nausea.  Boy, howdy.  It was better later in the week, enough that she could drive.

So, I'm reloading my  knitting needles, getting ready to do the chemo hat Gail will need.  Here's what I learned about that.  You need to make a hat in colors that are colors your sick one would wear normally.  No screaming yellow or titanium pink for Gail.  Nor power red or Greek azure.  Not her.  I'm going for a soft green, because Marty gave me a lovely alpaca in that color, so I'm using that.  A double gift.  Must be blessed if two of us are in on the gift.  Also, you don't want anything scratchy.  Like sheep's wool, particularly.

 Alpaca is wonderfully soft  and warm for those sweet bald heads.  I found them to be immensely endearing.  An evidence of courage.

And, this week, I'm going to do a chicken noodle soup worthy of it's name.  Here's the recipe:

5-6 Chicken thighs.
Salt and pepper.

Roast those in the oven, 350 degrees, skin on, for about 45 - 50 minutes.  Let them cool.  Remove the skin and debone the thighs.  Cut the meat in bit sized pieces.  Set aside.  The roasting process keeps the meat moist and intact.  And the fat levels are lower too.  If there is a lot of ooey-gooey chicken goodness in the bottom of the pan, you can skim off the fat and put that into the soup when you add the stock.

Brown 1 chopped onion, 2 cloves of  sliced garlic, in about a tablespoon of oil.  When it is just translucent, add 2-3 peeled and sliced carrots, 2-3 stalks of celery that are sliced.  Slice up a small box of mushrooms, wash them quickly and add them to the vegie mixture.  Let them settle about 10 minutes.

Add 2 boxes of a decent-quality, lower-salt chicken stock.  Let the vegies cook away for about half an hour.  The body will need a little salt.  It can help quiet a queasy tummy, but go easy on adding more.

Add one frozen package of noodles.  (Don't thaw those out before you put them in the broth.  You'll have an awful mess.)  Add the chicken.  Cook all of that together at a simmer, for another 15 minutes.

The other flat, ruffly noodles are fine too, but I like the noodles that look like they are homemade.

You can add half a cup of chopped parsley or 3-4 tablespoons of the dried, and a little pepper.

You can put it in a quart mason job, so it can be transported easily, then warmed up in the microwave and used over the week.

Anything that's left over, you get to eat.

Sweet healing, my friends.  Week one is over and out.