House of Howard Random News

 Happy New Year 2025!

Let's start of with some random blurbs of nothing important.  I ought to do a yearly recap.  

 

I made my own sourdough starter this summer/fall, I forget when exactly.  This is half of a batch of sourdough crackers with rosemary and "Everything Bagel" seasoning in them.  These are really addictive.  Even Gary loves them and will snag one or two from the cracker jar throughout the day.  So far I have only tried one batch of sourdough bread.  It is rather time consuming to do a sourdough loaf the traditional way, because you have to do all of these "slap and folds" every half hour for 6 hours, or cold proofing or whatever confusing terminology might be next.  And if you put yeast in the bread that supposedly makes it "not real sourdough."  So I have been using up my starter and discard by making crackers whilst I work up the nerve and find the time to do a traditional sourdough loaf. The crackers are easy enough. I might just try something different than the time consuming traditional loaf.  I have a bread sling, but I don't have a banneton, or proofing basket or a dutch oven to cook it in.  But people have been baking bread for thousands of years without fancy equipment, so I am sure I can whip something up.

*****

Ellen had her checkup with her endo yesterday; this was annual one that required labs.  She sweated about this appointment for over a week because of the blood draw.  She does not do well with blood draws.  The first few times when she was younger, it bothered her but she got through it. The last 3 or so times she's had really bad reactions. She'll get super light-headed, go white as a sheet, and nearly pass out.  Last year she said her vision actually went black.  It didn't help that last year the nurse couldn't find the vein and had to poke around. Ellen developed a huge bruise in her elbow last year, like a third of her forearm was all purple. Yesterday they got the vein with  no problem, and we kept talking to her to distract her.  But then halfway through, they had maybe one full vial, her vein just dried up. So they started moving her arm around, telling her to pump her fist while they kept adjusting the needle. They got maybe two full vials, and they usually get around 4.  So they had to syringe some out of one vial to put into the others. Ellen had this ugly purple dot where the needle was inserted with some bruising developing. 

*******

The health insurance that we have had for Ellen from the time she was born sent us a notice late November advising us that they were discontinuing coverage for our area.  Whatever that means.  So as of today, we have a different insurance for her.  Our challenge this month will be to see what all they will cover as far as her diabetic supplies; which kind of insulin for her pump, pump supplies, CGM supplies...etc, etc.  I so much hate that insurance companies can determine how and what supplies people can use to keep themselves alive. It's outrageous.

*****

2024 was the year I went back to work...as it were.  I am so pleased with myself for stepping out of my shell and doing so.  For as long as I can remember I have adamantly refused to even consider teaching or substitute teaching in a formal setting.  I have indeed taught Sunday School, or Wednesday night teen classes at church, but never at an actual school.  After stewing over the idea for some time, in December 2023 I finally got the gumption and began the process to do substitute teaching.  It was quite the process indeed, but I have enjoyed it immensely.  I have averaged at least one or two days per week subbing at either the grade school or the high school; mostly for the special education departments at either place.  I have subbed once at the middle school, and once at the pre-school. It has been fun getting to know the students.  Doing this has given me a welcome change to my routine, as well as added some extra $$ to my wallet.  

*******

In February 2024 I began doing care giving for a lovely local elderly couple, generally once per week.  This has also been rewarding, as well as challenging. It is not a role I had ever conceived of myself filling, so it has been eye-opening for me that I have taken it on fairly effortlessly.  Care-giving for an elderly cantankerous man in his own home calls for a certain amount of patience and diplomacy. And having to go into a wife's house and kitchen and have to guide and direct and remind her also calls for an extreme amount of diplomacy.  This couple has been married 68 years, they raised 4 children. She has run her own kitchen, pretty much cooking 3 meals a day for longer than I have been alive.  She is 89, and still has her reason, though her short-term memory is flagging a bit.  But it must be so galling for her to have to have people invade her home 24 hours a day and gradually take over the duties that she has been doing for so long.  I try to remember that and not overstep my bounds.

*******

Gary has recently discovered that after a lifetime of eating anything and everything...well...now he can't.  The last half of 2024 he began developing stomach cramps, even shooting pains, in his digestive system off and on.  At one point during the summer we were on our little stay-cation in Branson, "camping" at the KOA down there and he had an attack.  One night he got up at like 2 AM and spent a couple hours curled up in a fetal position in pain on the concrete floor of one of the shower stalls.  This fall, after trial and error and a trip to urgent care he learned he has diverticulitis. So far besides beans he has found he cannot under any circumstances tolerate ice cream.  After about 2 or 3 hours of eating it his stomach begins cramping.  He has been told that is probably lactose intolerance, but if that were true he wouldn't be able to have his cornflakes and milk every morning with no symptoms.  

******

2024 saw Ellen begin her senior year of high school and accomplish any number of goals and challenges.  She got both her first and second jobs.  Her first was over the summer at NRO; Niangua River Oasis, where she cleaned cabins.  Her second job, which she still is doing, began in November at OMB, Old Missouri Bank as a drive up window teller.  She also became president of her chapter of FBLA, Future Business Leaders of America.  She is involved in Interact (a teen organization sponsored by the Rotary Club),  NHS-National Honor Society as well as other clubs at school.  In October she began dating a young man, Hunter, and gets any amount of amusement from being referred to as his "cougar girlfriend."  She is 9 months older than he is.  She has applied and been accepted to a couple of different local universities.  She has decided to attend SBU, Southwest Baptist University, and we are going to do what we can to move heaven and earth to see that she can indeed attend there.  She wishes to pursue a career in high school counseling.

*******

Gary has continued to do water well repair, haul gravel and dig ditches.  He used to install septic systems, and would sell and install culverts but has discontinued those due to the bother of keeping up with licensing and just carrying the products and supplies for them.  He gets enough business doing just the water well installation and repairs now. This wasn't suppose to become a full time job, and if he were to do all of it, he'd be busy all the time.

****

That is enough of a 2024 recap for now.  I need to get up and get busy.

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