Carrot Soup

Last night I tried another new recipe experiment.
This one was a carrot soup, and it was very tasty.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3159/2766420644_e658cedebb_z.jpg?zz=1

2 lbs of carrots, washed and chopped in 1" pieces
1 medium orange sweet potato, peeled and diced.
1/2 - 1 cup pumpkin chopped
2 onions chopped
3 cloves garlic
2 onions chopped
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1-2 tsp ginger
1-2 tsp cinnamon
2-4 tsp black pepper

Saute onions in 1-2 tsp olive oil.  

Add all ingredients to a large pot and bring to a boil. Simmer until carrots are tender.

Puree in a blender and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes to let the flavors blend. 

My husband said that the flavor of the pumpkin comes through and adds to the flavor of the soup.

Broccoli Romanesco Soup

Last night I tried a new recipe experiment.  It came out delicious.  It is a keeper.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/93/Romanesco_Broccoli.jpg

2 heads Broccoli Romanesco
1 cup or one medium white sweet potato diced
4 cups chicken broth
3 cloves garlic, diced
2-4 tsp black pepper, depending on taste
1-2 tsp oregano
1-2 tsp thyme
1 cup onions, diced
1-2 tsp olive oil

Saute the onions in olive oil.  

Clean and chop Broccoli Romanesco in to 2" pieces.  

Add all ingredients to a large pot and bring to a boil, then simmer 15 to 20 minutes until the Broccoli Romanesco is tender. 

Puree in blender and and simmer on stove for about 5 to 10 more minutes to let the flavors blend. 

Serve with shredded or shaved Parmessan cheese.

I plan to try this using cauliflower next.  It was delicious and tasted great reheated for lunch the next day.

The Military Attacks Personal Beliefs

I was upset when I read the article Airmen Punished for Objecting to Gay Marriage. I was upset because I do not think anyone should be punished for their beliefs. I do not know how each of you feel about homosexuality and that is not what I am attacking here, what I am attacking is the fact that the military is telling one man that he is not entitled to his personal opinion.

Senior Master Sgt. Phillip Monk was put in an uncomfortable position and forced to make a choice.  He said, "“I don’t believe someone having an opinion for or against homosexuality is discriminatory,” Monk told Fox News."
I agree with Senior Master Sgt. Phillip Monk. Personal opinions should not be called into question.

Monk told his superior that she should use it as a learning experience, and instead he was told that he was not on the same page as his supervisor. She wanted him to have the same opinion that she did and because he knew he could not agree with her he chose not to answer and felt it was better that he leave.

Monk said that essentially, "Christians are trading places with homosexuals." He said that Christians are being robbed of their dignity and being forced into the closet. This is wrong. Each person is entitled to their opinion and should not be punished for what they believe.





This is as bad as people who say you are racist for not believing in Obama's politics. Both are wrong and in this case this man is being told what he believes is wrong, and therefore he must change his beliefs in order to serve in the military under this supervisor.  He has 19 years of service, and yet he is now not a good person because of his beliefs. Having a difference of opinion on this topic is now against military policy according to Master Sargent Monk. In my opinion this is a load of crap.

No one can tell you what you can think or believe. That is a personal right.  Unless we are now living in the past under Nazi rule, we are allowed our own opinions, that is what makes the world what it is. We are each unique and we are each entitled to own opinions and beliefs.

I was very upset when I read on Todd Starnes  July 24 2013 Fox News Commentary, that a military chaplain was ordered to remove the following post:

“Chaplain’s Corner: No Atheists in Foxholes: Chaplains Gave All in World War II”
By Lt. Col. Kenneth Reyes
Many have heard the familiar phrase, “There is no such thing as an atheist in a fox hole.”
Where did this come from?
Research I verified in an interview with former World War II prisoner of war Roy Bodine (my friend) indicates the phrase has been credited to Father William Cummings.
As the story goes, Father Cummings was a civilian missionary Catholic priest in the Philippines.
The phrase was coined during the Japanese attack at Corregidor.
During the siege, Cummings had noticed non-Catholics were attending his services.
Some he knew were not Catholic, some were not religious and some were even known atheists.
Life-and-death experiences prompt a reality check.
Even the strongest of beliefs can change, and, I may add, can go both ways – people can be drawn to or away from “faith.”
With the pending surrender of allied forces to the Japanese, Cummings uttered the famous phrase “There is no such thing as an atheist in a fox hole.”
In one of my many discussions with Roy, he distinctly remembered a period on the “Hell Ships” – these were ships the Japanese used to bring POWs from the Philippines back to Japan.
They were unmarked and thus ‘fair game’ for attacks from the allies from the air and sea.
Of the 3,000-plus POWs listed on the ships, only 180 survived the journey.
“When our own planes were attacking us,” Roy said, “I remember Father Cummings calming us down by reciting the Lord’s Prayer and offering up prayers on our behalf.
For a brief moment I did not hear the yells and screams of dying men as our boat was attacked by our own men.”
He went on to say, “There was a peaceful quiet during the attack that I cannot explain nor have experienced since.”
Later on during the trip to Japan, Cummings, after giving his food to others who needed it more, succumbed to his own need and died of starvation.
Everyone expresses some form of faith every day, whether it is religious or secular.
Some express faith by believing when they get up in the morning they will arrive at work in one piece, thankful they have been given another opportunity to enjoy the majesty of the day; or express relief the doctor’s results were negative.
The real question is, “Is it important to have faith in ‘faith’ itself or is it more important to ask, ‘What is the object of my faith?’”
Roy never affirmed or expressed whether his faith was rooted in religion or not, but for a moment in time on the “Hell Ships,” he believed in Cummings’ faith.
What is the root or object of your faith?
Is it something you can count on in times of plenty or loss; peace or chaos; joy or sorrow; success or failure?
Is it something you can count on in times of plenty or loss; peace or chaos; joy or sorrow; success or failure?
What is ‘faith’ to you?

Supposedly it was an attack on atheists or rather out of respect for those who were offended by it. I do not see anything offensive in this writing, and am personally offended that it was taken down. To me it deals with history and talks about how people react in war, not in anyway offensive, just a reporting of what happened during WWII and asking people to think about themselves and how they would react in a similar situation.

Those who say there were offended by this in my opinion are just out to cause problems and make a fuss for the sake of a fuss.

Personally, I do believe in God and that is my choice. If you choose not to, that is your choice and we can simply agree to disagree. You should not be able to tell me that I cannot express my own views on the subject, and I should not be able to tell you the same. We can debate the issue if you would like, but I still have the right to express my thoughts and opinions, as that is guaranteed by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.  This military chaplain was deprived of that right by others and in my opinion they should be punished for this, not him. The Chaplain's rights were violated, not those that complained.  They had the choice to read or not read what he wrote and they are the ones in the wrong. They owe the chaplain,  Lt. Col. Kenneth Reyes, an apology.

Retirement

I wrote this the summer after I retired, but for some reason never posted it. I just reread it and thought I should post it.

I just retired from teaching after twenty-six years, twenty-five of which were special ed.  Everyone says it will not really hit me until fall when school starts, but I know I do not need to spend part of my summer planning for fall, and I like that idea.

I can say that you know when it is time to retire. My heart was no longer in it. Being out last fall recuperating from my heart surgery was part of what lead to the decision to retire.  I did not miss school while I was out and I did not really want to go back to all the stress and the problem students.  Not all of them were difficult, but one bad apple can certainly ruin a class period.  This spring I got a new student and one kids in the class said to me that he was really ruining the class. He also said class was much nicer when the new kid was not there. Sad to say I had to agree with him.

What really made up my mind was all the paperwork and meetings that special ed teachers have to deal with on top of teaching. You work the same contract as the regular ed teachers, but with longer hours due to meetings before and after school and all the additional paperwork on top of lesson planning and grading. It was a lot of extra work and tons of extra stress.  Stress I did not need.

I am looking forward to relaxing, sleeping in when I want, being able to sew for hours, read, and go out to lunch with friends anytime. I do plan to sub on occasion, but I can decide if and when I want to accept a job. The best part according to a friend who is retired is there is no homework. You get to go in and work with the kids and then go home and relax.

I told my husband I am going to plan a lunch date with another retired teacher I know for the first official day of school, just because I can.  I am thinking that it will be fun, knowing I do not have to go to work that day. I am sure I will miss the kids and that is why I plan to sub some. I loved teaching, but not all the added stress of being a special ed teacher.

Update:

Since I retired two years ago I have enjoyed subbing and spending time working with the kids, without the headaches of meetings, and the endless paper work. I enjoy going to lunch with my friends who are retired or work in professions other than teaching anytime I want.  I also enjoy the extra time I have to quilt, read, journal, and just relax.  It is also nice to be able to travel anytime. I have been to Ireland, and to visit family and watch my son graduate from basic training and AIT. I have a trip planned in the fall to visit family and friends and I like knowing that I have that option.  Subbing is fun and gives me some extra money, but knowing that I have the flexibility to say no and to take time for me makes it all very worthwhile.  If you are considering retiring and can afford to, I highly recommend it.

If you are interested check out my quilting blog all the quilting and sewing projects I have been working on the past two years. I would never have gotten them all done if I was working full time and you can see how many unfinished things I have from back when I was working that I am still trying to get caught up on.

What This Country Needs....is Someone Like My Mom

We need a strong woman to run this country, but not a Hillary Clinton. We need someone like my mother to run this country. She is a go getter, a woman before her time.

 She told me that my grandmother, her mother, always taught her and her siblings that no matter what your job was, cleaning the toilets or running a business, you should always do the best you can and don't wait to be asked to do something.  If you see something that needs done, do it.  Each time you will learn something that will help you move up the ladder.

When I was little my mom was a working mom before most moms were working outside the home.  My mother worked for Ma Bell as a telephone operator using one of the old fashioned switch boards like this one I found on google.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/darrylsphotoblog/4162420387/

 She was also in the Air Force for several years. In fact she only got out because after she married my father she became pregnant with me. Back in the 1950s you could not be in the military if you were pregnant. It did not matter if you were married or not.

My mother worked her whole life from topping onions in the fields to being a management analyst for the federal government. She did not work for societal recognition, but because she needed to and she liked working.  She was the one people went to and she worked her way up the ladder as a civil service employee. She started out as a GS3, working as a secretary for years, starting over every time my father was transferred.  She retired as a GS 12.

I may not have always agreed with everything my mother said or did, but she taught me to be the woman I am today and I am proud of her. She listens and gives advice, and she cares about others.  She also knows about service and that it takes work to make things work, not just words.  My mother is also one who will get in and work with you, not just sit back and let others do the job. She did not grow up in a life of privilege and money, she grew up knowing what hard work was and that it took work to make you feel you had accomplished something.  I am proud of her and all she has done in her life and I would like to be proud of the person representing this country to the world.

Today I am embarrassed by the person that is that face of America. Obama does not represent me or the majority of the people in this country, or our beliefs. He knows nothing about taking care of our country and doing the right thing for us. He has never been in the trenches of the working class. He is selfish and self centered, focused on his agenda, not the agenda of the American people.

We need someone like my mother, someone who has been in the trenches to run our country.  We need someone with real life experience. Someone who knows what life is really about. We need a president who will represent the real people of this country, the working class. If I could I would nominate my mother for president because I know she would do a great job and she would listen to the people and do what is right for this country. She would be a true representative of this country.

Sleep Apnea

In the last month I have spent two nights at the sleep clinic doing sleep studies.  The first was to see if I had sleep apnea. I do not sleep well and Tom often comments on how I have destroyed the bed with all my tossing and turning. My cardiologist thinks sleep apnea may be a contributing factor to my leaky valve getting worse and so she referred me for testing.

I have been told that I have severe sleep apnea when I am in REM or deep sleep. According to the Mayo Clinic "Sleep apnea is a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts." 

According to the nurse I stop breathing an average of 27.3 times per hour. They prefer you only do that once per hour, if at all.  So in 60 minutes that means I stop breathing or breath very shallowly every 2.2 minutes on average, for a few seconds to minutes.   

Sleep apnea is very disruptive to your sleep and moves you out of deep sleep into lighter sleep which means that you are getting a poorer quality of sleep and results in excessive daytime sleepiness. This can lead to more accidents, 

Sleep apnea is often undiagnosed because doctors can not detect it without a sleep study. There is no blood test for it. Often times it is noticed by your partner who may be the first to notice the signs of excessive snoring, snorting or gasping for breath in your sleep. It disrupts your sleep cycle and though you may not fully wake up, it does wake you up to a point, that disrupts your sleep.

You can have sleep apnea for years and not even know it because you become conditioned to the feeling of fatigue or daytime tiredness.  I never even thought of it as being the problem, I just knew I was tired a lot and would fall asleep in my chair. I would mention it to the doctor, but they never seemed to think it was a problem. Or at least not until my leaky valve got worse and my cardiologist said it could be a contributing factor and we needed to rule it out.

So now I have a diagnosis and know that a CPAP machine or Continuous Positive Airway Pressure machine uses mild air pressure to keep the airways open. It can help me sleep better, and breathe while I am sleeping. It increases air pressure so your airway does not collapse and decreases daytime sleepiness.  It can also lower blood pressure which will put less pressure on my leaky valve.

In my research I have found that use of a CPAP machine can improve vitality and motivation, Job performance mood sexual drive and performance alertness while driving, quality of life, and quality of sleep.  While untreated sleep apnea can lead to hypertension or high blood pressure, stroke, and congestive heart failure.

I have been doing a ton of reading about sleep apnea and the CPAP machines so I have a better idea of what is going on with me and how to treat it.  I do know that I want a smaller machine that is quiet and easy to travel with and that I definitely want one with a humidifier as it can get very dry here in Alaska, especially in the winter.

Once I have had my follow up with the doctor and started using my own CPAP machine I will know more and I am sure I will see a difference in how tired I am. I will update this topic at that time. Right now I think I will go take a nap.