Healthy Banana Bread

Happy and Healthy New Year to us all!
I haven't blogged in a while, no floods, just my daughter's wedding, putting my house on the market, and Christmas--all enough to keep me too tired to post.
Haven't heard much talk of resolutions this time around. Strange, usually that's all one hears around this time of year--"This year, I'm gonna..." and so it goes. I like what Nike says, "JUST DO IT".
And, that's what I did. I was reading over my favorite food blogs and came across this recipe for 'healthy' banana bread. As you can see by the picture, I had on hand some ready bananas. I like to say they are all freckled instead of 'over-ripe'. So, instead of oohing and aahing over the pictures I just made the bread.

See, I did it. and it looks just like hers! It really does taste very good and even better the next morning lightly toasted with a smear of butter.

I've attempted to give a link to her blog so that you too may try the recipe. (click on highlighted area for link).

Meatless Monday: Curried Pumpkin Soup

Meatless Monday: Curried Pumpkin Soup

It's fall y'all! This is the time of year I love to sit with a bowl of soup and savor each spoonful as I watch the leaves falling. I haven't tried this soup yet but The Wizard made dinner for me Thursday evening--Shrimp and Vegetable Curry. He served it over rice. I ate two helpings. I LOVE curry, coconut curry even more. So, I thought what better soup to make to usher in the cool fall days and nights than a pumpkin curry. Hope you try it.

Work Schedule

This week I'm starting a new work schedule--self imposed in an attempt to make better use of my time at the facility. Yesterday went fairly well, slow and easy pace. The lady with the labile blood sugars seems to have fared better on the new regimen I started for her--that's a relief.
I am happy to have a job where I have a flexible schedule, what a blessing! Sometimes I do miss working in an office environment where I have my own desk, computer, pictures and set hours. There are office pot lucks, birthdays, drug rep lunches not to mention someone who schedules who I see and when, no hunting around for someone to see because you're worried you won't make your quota for the month. Again, that's where I am fortunate in having a doc that is understanding. He knows you can't just go see a patient because they are sitting in front of you, there must be a medical necessity or it's considered fraud--Medicare fraud. That carries a HEFTY fine and I never want to commit that crime.
I have to mention that yesterday I wrote discharge orders on someone that I never thought I would. He was a patient that had come to our facility after a stroke. He was depressed. He was weak and had essentially given up his will to live. He was to the point that in order to survive he had to be fed liquid nutrition through a tube.
I've seen this done a lot and the outcome has never been good. Well, wonders never cease. He made a 360 and has gained almost 30 pounds, is eating on his own, talking, laughing, a happy man. Truly, he is a success story. It does my soul good to see him and know where he was 2 months ago and see where he is today. Today, he's going home! My best to you Mr.____, you've renewed my faith in PEG tubes!

If I had a dime...

Oh if I had a dime for every time I said I was going to be faithful and make a post daily or weekly I could...what? What would I do with all those dimes? Never mind, here I am again with the best of intentions.
As I looked at the last post with the picture of the broccoli, I saw there were no weeds in the garden. I need to take some pictures to show you just what it looks like now. I have had the best harvest ever, put up a freezer full of summer veggies. We've had lots of heat and rain and I've had little time or interest to weed in the hot humid garden. Ugh!
Yeah, I don't have enough time to fully engage in all my hobby delights and thus the weeds have grown tall, the insects are filling their little bellies on most of what's left in the garden. My friend CS, a.k.a. "The Wizard", has been too busy himself to come help out in the garden. I've even thought of renting out a room upstairs to someone if they would agree to be my "handy man" and help keep the house and garden in order. I sure could use the help.

'Pac Man', that's the name of the variety of broccoli growing in our garden. So, all that activity on Mother's Day is paying off. The garden is growing and thriving except for the eggplant. Ugh! I should consider myself fortunate as the bugs have not chosen to infest any of the other plants--so the eggplants are the sacrificial plants--well, two survived. I moved them down and into the row of parsley. I think I remember hearing that parsley was a natural insect repellent.
Lets see, there are 4 or 5 varieties of tomatoes, bell peppers, watermelon, muskmelon, bush beans, broccoli, red cabbage, okra, blue potatoes, 2 varieties of basil, parsley, yellow squash, zucchini squash, 5 varieties of sunflowers, cucumbers and 2 badly defoliated eggplant plants. I have yet to plant the zinnias. It's supposed to rain this weekend, maybe I'll have enough time to get out and scatter their seeds so we may enjoy fresh bouquets all summer.

Around The House...Bird House, that is!

Over the weekend I uncovered the old bird house that the ivy had overtaken. It was infested with insects and falling apart. No worry, The Wizard went to work and created a brand new one!
In the background, you can just see the edge of the garden. That's were I spent most of the day yesterday, Mother's Day.
Today when The Wizard had put the finishing touches on the new multifamily bird house, he mounted it to the tree pole that was remaining (still in good shape) and had no sooner walked a few steps away from it, when he turned back and saw a potential tenant checking it out. I hope they will like their new digs. I sure do!

The 2010 Flood in Nashville

Stayed home Monday due to the flooding. My house was fortunate, a lot of others, not so much. This picture was taken at the end of my driveway. There is a creek that runs under a bridge as you turn into my drive. A big part of that (the bridge) was washed away in the flood.
The picture below was taken after the water receded. As I said, our house was fortunate as there was no actual damage to the house only the driveway suffered. I was able to get out and go in to work yesterday.
As I drove past Nashville it was so surreal--seeing the city where I live and play under water. No, I don't work in Nashville but in an outlying community southeast of Nashville. The town I work in had some flooding too but not as bad as some other areas. Check out this video clip of the Nashville flood--no better song or singer to be the background for some pictures of the devastation. Keep us in your prayers!