by Diane: Mini art-respite update #5; More Life Changes

It is so sweet and makes me feel so wonderful t
hat my grandchildren really want my art work.

What stands out to me this week is the never ending details to be worked out in planning to conduct care in place in the home for Fisherman Hubby diagnosed with late onset bulbar ALS. One of many difficulties is putting a plan in place in case I have an emergency and my Fisherman Hubby cannot speek clearly enough to the 911 switch board operator. Then getting a network armed with all they need to know in order to smoothly take on the workings of our home.
   Another detail is preparing the house for room enough for all the equipment for an ALS patient.  Also getting the long term care policy working for us to help with the cost.

Our daughters and grandchildren support truely warms my heart. My oldest daughter from Utah was here to help.  My head was spinning to direct my children to most efficiently perform many tasks. The AARP hasa wonderful booklett that has been ver helpful in covering how to manage the necessary conversations and planning  many forseeable future needs.

Failed as far as being able to paint. Instead I chose to submit five paintings to the TENTION/HARMONY Art About Agriculture competitions. Could only manage to get the information in for two paintings.

Creative cooking has been wonderful.  I am learning from my daughters. Especially keen about corn starch breading for fried /baked chicken.  My loving daughters insist that I should replace a broken stove and they purchased a ceramic fry pan for me.

by Diane: Art Escape #14, On changing direction a little

"Flight Patterns"
Graphite on 14' x 11" smooth bristol paper




 

Friday, May 8
Have not painted or sketched since Tuesday. Been trying to change my cooking approach with more do ahead preperation. Still just looking through out the day at the wind waves across seeding grass field, while cotton wood fluff is blown about by the wind. Just memorizing the look of swallows flying. Moiving the jet sled into the garage near the gas pilot light in the water heater. Bad decision. Husband does not see this move as his need to stake out his area as opposed to where my art would take over. We have agreed upon boundaries between my stuff and his.
        Well so much for writing today: I am going to sketch the flight path of swallows in preperation of painting over the entire surface of my most recent painting. It is windy enough that the swallows are not gliding as much.
         At about 11:00 AM one of my wonderful daughters came with groceries and we prepared rice and chicken dinners for two days and some to freeze. One was sweet and sauer and another honey and lime. From her food prep for fisherman hubby, I learned an easy way to remove chicken skin. Then in the late afternoon I was finally able to prepare my own food.
     In the evening I watched the swallows in our front yard. Don thought it was jouvenal flight school because some kept having to land on the driveway.

Sunday, May 10, 1:30 PM
Wonderful to get mother's day greetings from my children and even some surprise ones from others. My sweet fisherman husband started working on my request to fix the fumes in the garage. His jet sled boat was just parked in our garage near my painting storage and the gas waterheater and furnace pilot lights. As it warmed up these hot days, it made me fearful of combustion. And I did not want to expose myself to these fumes when I cook or paint in the garage. Because fisherman hubby cannot tolerate cooking odors, I struggle to accomidate his likely allergies and cook outside the main house.
    I am so thankful that removing the older of the two full gas tanks reduced the odors noticeably.

Monday, May 11
"Flight Paths", Graphite on 14"x 11" smooth bristol paper

Tuesday, May 12,
     
The dead line for entering the art About Agricultural competition " "Tention/Harmony" is June 27.  A sigh of relief!!  I have enough time to make something to enter.  I need a break from sketching and painting like I have been doing.  So my sister-in-law and I will do a virtual paint out.  She will be painting near her home in Portland and I will take a wagon of my art plein-air paraphernalia to a location near my home. On Zoom we will enjoy each others creative energy. Our daughter will be taking fishing hubby to physical therapy while I take this painting break.



Finished Tuesday, May 12
"On the Wings"
Graphite on 11"x 14" smooth bristol paper

by Diane: Thanksgiving lasts three weeks for husband's recovery

One shelf is devoted to prepared food for Don to help himself.
 some foods are made fresh daily.
 After  4 day old mock gravy was suspect for causing gas,
I am learning to use post it notes with dates
and then toss out quanities of three day old food. 

My husband was released from the hospital November 11. Up until  last Saturday, November 22, he has been eating liquids and purees in small quantities. Rejecting protein shakes, and can you blame him because he had a willing cook? Early on fixing liquid and pureed food was done with heart and love.
I felt my expression of love was creatively satisfying to me and was healing to my husband.
       
         I was happy to make mini meals.  Like a quarter cup of mashed yams with mini marshmallows, mashed potatoes with mock gravy from homemade broth further flavored with chopped turkey. Even jellied cranberry sauce on the side! Custard or lemon meringue without crust of course.  And ice-cream banana shakes! Shakes with blueberry juice separated from the seeds. Couldn't beat the convenience of classic Campbell's chicken noodle soup! Also made homemade soups like potato or chicken soup. Then he wanted more texture in his food. Maybe too soon!

Some of my appliances include a Magic Bullet best for soups and shakes, a Black and Decker Handy Chopper
and Instant Pot to make broth and cook meat until tender

        Just as my Husband was eating a little more, I made a mistake that caused us both a bout of gas and could be a possible cause of his poor sleep Monday night. (Yes, I eat his left overs because my appliances to work properly make more food than he can eat.) From now on I will not serve left over sauce, just freshly made. I will make sure that canned soups and vegetables are cooked not just warmed in the microwave.  Yesterday working with the turkey, I cleaned up with a little bleach.

Lesson learned: I don't belong in the kitchen when I have too many pots on the stove. Then I take short cuts like using food that should have been tossed. Cleaning up the counter tops of everything except what I am using will make food preparation less frantic and  safer and more fun.

Update:
11-27-19
This morning I made scrambled eggs whipping and adding enough milk to make the eggs pastel, baby yellow. Then in  fry pan mixing them continuously until they are almost completely thickened. Then I add milk and cover for a minute. I served half of them. The rest went into the magic bullet with vanilla ice cream, a third of a banana, blueberry passion fruit sorbee and vanilla ice cream. I pushed pulsating. Poured into a small cup and my husband said I didn't serve him enough. He wants more later.

My best wishes to you for a Happy Thanksgiving no matter what you think you can eat.