The Ostrich Egg!

Yes! It is a real ostrich egg from a local farm. Jay prepared it for us Dec. 26th. The texture is different~rather like "puffy clouds of deliciousness" according to Jay. They tasted like regular scrambled eggs although the texture was a bit different. One egg is equal to about 12 chicken eggs! And yes, blowing out the egg yolk is absolutely disgusting!!!!!

To get into the egg you need to drill a whole into the thick shell. Then you insert a straw into the hole and blow air into the shell forcing the yolk and white out. We discovered it was best to use an immersion blender on the eggs before cooking.

Christmas 2009

Starting with back row, left to right: Dan, Tom, Margey, Joey, Cayce, Beth, Katie, Jay (the goofy one!), Patience, Brian and Emma.

How fortunate we were to all be together for one evening. Emma came from Ohio, Brian and Patience came from Illinois, Margey, Tom, and Beth came from Rancho Cucamonga, Cayce from Fullerton, and Jay and Joey from San Diego! We were also joined by Jay's girlfriend, Heidi and the two dogs Auggie and Danny. It was cramped with 12 people and two dogs in our tiny living and dining room.

We celebrated on Dec. 23rd and while we waited for Jay to get off work, we all sat around and played Taboo. It was great fun with Danny barking every time someone pushed the penalty buzzer. The good/bad news was that Auggie didn't bark, but that was because he is deaf!

Dinner was easy: Lemon chicken soup and Potato cheese soup, salad, and bread sticks.

We even used disposable bowls (which would have shocked my parents!). Clean-up was easy and off to gift opening. From a parental perspective it was wonderful to see our children, nieces, and nephews all grown up.

The good Lord has given us so many wonderful blessings this year! We have so much to be thankful for. May 2010 we a peaceful, safe, and blessed year for our world.

Auggie Goes to the Hospital

Auggie scared us all yesterday as his gut literally blew up before our eyes and he went into shock. Fortunately he was being an "office dog" and not a "stay home alone dog." He had already arrived at Shore Management for a day of sleeping and hunting for treats. Katie, the bookkeeper, saw what was happening and took him to the vet where they were able to stabelize him although he remained quite ill. At the end of the day he was still to sick to come home.

We had to take him to an overnight animal ER where they did more tests. Now if you know this old doggie, you know that putting him in a cage is not an option. He will scream for hours (I kid you not), shake and ram his nose into the cage making it bloody. But this time they said he simply slept all night (with no sedation). When I picked him up to return

him to the regular day vet hospital he simply laid in his bed under a towel and slept. This is yet another sign that he was not well. He hates the car and has major panic attacks if you go on a freeway. He ignored the whole thing transport thing.

Oh! I hear him coming home now. He still has a bandage where they took his IV out, but he looks okay. Dan and I are going out tonight, so he will go back to Katie's for babysitting. Good thing I have retired so I can stay home and watch him tomorrow. Guess I will invite Danny over for a play date. It is supposed to rain, so perhaps there will be napping involved too :)

Snow in Ohio

Just a short month ago Dan and I were here in Ohio as a part of our Midwest tour to see family and the "fall colors." One of our stops was to check in on my Aunt Mudgie who was living in an assisted living home. At that time we moved her from her room to a smaller room that was near the elevator as she requested. We got her all set up and within 2 weeks she had fallen (no injury), but was taken to the hospital as a precaution. Turns out she had an infection that spread throughout her system making her quite ill. So, as of Nov. 1st she has not lived at the assisted living home. She is now residing in a Catholic nursing home in Lakewood, Ohio~ a place where she was a nursing supervisor many years ago when it was a hospital!

The last 3 days Dan and I have spent closing out her affairs in town as it is clear she will not be leaving the nursing home. Actually she is quite ill with an aortic aneurysm that is 7 cm and is now leaking a bit. Many of her organs are showing signs of shutting down as they are not really assimilating the nutrients in the food or water. She is choosing not to eat or a very minimal amount at best. Her deterioration in the past month is dramatic. She has asked to go on Hospice and after a rather large meeting with multiple folks in attendance (hospice, priest, Dr., nursing staff, social workers, and family), we decided it was time to begin this process. So, whether it is days, weeks, or months, Mudgie is where she has always said she would like to spend her last days~ back at St. Augustine. Believe it or not, some of the nursing staff remember her as their supervisor 30+ years ago! What a small world we live in.

Aunt Mudgie has a long time friend named Susan who sees her daily and who keeps her laughing when times are tough. Our family is indeed fortunate to have such a wonderful woman taking such good care of her since all the family is in California.

So, today as we finish our business here in Ohio it started to snow! Flurries danced around us and the temperature dropped significantly since we were here last. In mid-October everything was decorated with a fall harvest theme. Now, Christmas lights and decorations are everywhere. It is like some fantasyland all decorated for some contest. These Buck-eye's really know how to get you in the mood for the holidays!