Wild Rose

Things are growing

2010-06-08T15:58:00.000-07:00

I've been gone for the past week (that story to come next), and it is amazing to see how much plant growth happened in that short amount of time. The fava beans and peas gained at least 6 inches. The spinach is identifiable as spinach. The arugula is beginning to go to seed. The kale has taken over than its fair share of space in the container ...

An amazing dinner

2010-05-28T14:57:00.000-07:00

Dinner last night was quite an affair. I never would have predicted that it would have taken this long but it was about 2 hours from start to finish. And, was it worth it? Indeed.

The Menu:

Herbed lamb kabobs - We had something similar to this at a local restaurant but I think ours tasted better. It is moist and extremely flavorful.

Roasted red pepper

Carrot salad with harissa, feta, and mint

Braised greens

Kalamata olives

Freshly cooked naan (or, probably more correctly, pita bread)

Lamb Kabobs

1 lb ground lamb (ours was from the farmer's market)

1 egg

1/2 cup bread crumbs (I'm not sure if this is ultimately necessary but the texture and consistency turned out well with this included)

1 finely minced shallot

1-2 Tbs of chopped fresh cilantro and mint

2 tsp dried parsley (I'd have used fresh if I had any)

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Mix all of the above in a large bowl - hands work the best for this - until thoroughly combined. Shape into "fingers" around skewers. You can either grill or broil at this point. We broiled last night since it was pouring. We initially had the oven's top rack as close to the top of the oven as possible. We had preheated the oven to 425 because we cooked the bread right after the meat and peppers were done and then broiled the top side of the lamb on "high" broil for about 5 minutes until it had browned. The top oven rack was then moved down to the next lower rung and the kabobs were turned over. We continued to use "high" broil and cooked for another 5 minutes until they were cooked through.

Roasted red pepper

1 large red pepper cut unto 1-2 inch chunks and broiled along with the lamb

Carrot salad from this site. I used a different harissa recipe from a Mediterranean cookbook but this recipe looks good as well. The reason the dinner took so long was I had to make the harissa from scratch. I've never made it before and it took a bit of preperation. Next time we make this dinner (and believe me we will) it will probably take about an hour less.

Partly why it's been 4 months

2010-05-28T14:40:00.000-07:00

I haven't written on this blog for a very long time. I'd like to fully blame (if finger pointing is required) my computer, but I've also not much felt like writing somehow.

The computer saga really isn't much of a saga. I've had this dell laptop since the beginning of my residency 5 years ago. It served me fairly well (besides the hard drive going kaput in a relatively brief period of time) up until a year ago when it decided to run exceedingly slowly. I just put up with it for months. Then we got new computers at work, nice little dell laptops that actually work. So, this home computer didn't get much use for awhile. I wanted to put together a music compilation but couldn't even keep the media player from locking up while opening let alone burn a disc. The computer fix-it man put in 2 gigs of RAM and cleaned up all of the spam and put in a great anti-virus program. Now we are as good as new.

Then, last weekend, Mike's 8 year old Mac decided to give up the ghost. I don't know if it was jealous of updated computers or what but even the apple experts can't get it to turn on. So, a new computer is on the way (from China - did you know that Macs are produced in China?).

That is a long way of saying perhaps I'll be writing more now that my computer is working. And, I can download pictures again so maybe I can show you life around here, including our beautiful landscaped yard and garden ...

Local vs Real?

2010-02-05T09:16:00.000-08:00

This is in response to and inspired by a post by Lady Susan who, after discussing Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, posed the question, "Real Food vs. Local Food. Does it need to be a competition? Is one exclusive of the other?"

Let me start off by saying Barbara Kingsolver is one of my favorite authors. Mike likes her as well but tends to think her writing isn't very subtle since you know exactly what her motivation and politics are from the moment you start reading. I personally have no trouble with that, probably because I agree with her politics and viewpoints. Anyhow, I loved Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I read it before I made my move away from veganism. I think what she and her family did for a year was a fascinating foray into personal sustainability and something to strive towards. However it is not a reasonable expectation for many or most people in this country due to time constraints and arable land access. But there are some important lessons to learn from it. Do we know where our food comes from? And, are those foods sustainably grown or raised? How much of our food can we reasonably get from local sources? Can we get to know any of the people who grow/raise our food? To begin to answer some of these questions makes us at least consider what we are consuming. Are they real foods or Michael Pollan's "food-like substances." Because, if we know where food comes from, truly comes from, then it's most likely a real food.

Eating real food is where we should start, and if we can get some of those foods from local sources, even better.

Maybe it is ridiculous of me to feel better when I know where all of my foods come from but I love farmer's market dinners: fish caught by Tuna Dan, potatoes from Lazy J's farm, kale from the Johnston's farm ... It feels nourishing in a spiritually grounded sense to get to know the people who grow my food. I work in Sequim one day a week and can drive during my lunch break to get raw, whole milk from Dungeness Valley Creamery. I can see (and smell) the cows whose milk I'm drinking.

Of the many impetuses (impetusi??) of becoming an omnivore again, was a desire for local protein/fat sources. I can get locally caught fish, locally eggs (and know that they are really pastured) - great big brown eggs with bright yellow/orange yolks, and just this past weekend, a family from Sequim is selling meat from their grass-fed cows at the farmer's market. They have been raising the cows for several years but previously only selling 1/4, 1/2 or full sections. Apparently it takes a different licensure or something to be able to sell small cuts. Here is the local paper write-up. Way to go small farms! The guy is a 5th generation farmer.

So, there needn't be any head butting between local and real. We all need more access to real food and until small farms become more valued once again, most people won't have much access to local, real food. Support what you can in your community.

Yard transformation update

2010-01-31T19:06:00.000-08:00

The landscaper is doing a great (and fast) job with the yard. Small sections of grass have yet to be seeded. We are excited about not having a yard of dead grass and weeds. There is a lot more detail as you walk around, but the following pictures give a sense of it.

I love witch hazel. My mom has one in her yard; they bloom in the middle of winter when everything else is brown. And they smell wonderful. This is a similar variety to the one that she has, called Arnold's Promise. When I lived in St Louis, the park I ran in frequently had several witch hazel bushes, one of which was an Arnold's Promise. My friend and I would make fun of the name because we could never remember it. Anyhow, it gives me great joy to have one in my yard and to be able to smell it every day during the dark winter months.

What's a tractor doing in our front yard?

2010-01-17T12:40:00.000-08:00

Or, what does landscaping look like in the middle of winter?

It feels extravagant to pay someone to play in the dirt for us. But, neither of us have the expertise or time to do, at least, an adequate job of fixing our sad yard. It wasn't landscaped well to begin with, the drainage is horrible, the sprinkler system doesn't reach everywhere, the grass was driven on a week after we moved in (by some idiot guys in a truck) with resulting rut marks, and on and on. We think it looks better in its current state of destruction than it has for the last several months.

I'll update with pictures as it progresses along.

Ireland Part I -- driving

2010-01-06T11:14:00.000-08:00

I have finally decided to write about our trip to Ireland this past summer. It'll come in several installments ...

We landed in Dublin at 8am on July 21st amidst a downpour. So, we were tired after some 15 hours traveling, in a different time zone, wet, and disoriented.

We rented a car in order to see more of the country in our alloted 11 days. Mike was unanimously elected to drive during the trip, and I the navigator. Before we left, everyone kept warning us about the narrow roads, crazy drivers, and having to drive on the opposite side of the road. After about 2 days, driving was basically okay with occasional moments of absolute terror.

The roads are narrow, curvy, and often lined with stone walls less than a foot from the edge of the road. Imagine driving on US country roads that are usually 30-40 mi/hr at best. These same roads - with the above added features - are often 100 km/hr (60 mi/hr). And if you happen to slow down below this speed, maybe to go around a sharp curve, the car behind will be tailgating and wanting to pass at the first available opportunity.

When the roads weren't lined by rock walls, they were lined by shrubbery. When another car would come towards us - on the right side of the road, which took several days to begin to get used to - Mike would veer the car as far over to the side of the road as possible since the roads are so narrow it feels like you will scrape the side of your car on the passing car. I became intimately familiar with some of the shrubbery as my side of the car dove into it. At least it was better to touch bushes rather than rock walls.

Most of the cars in Ireland are small which makes this whole scenario a little more tolerable. However, there are public and tourist buses running around on the same streets. It's a long story that I won't get into now, but we ended up on a bus to get us back to our rental car after 2 days on one of the Aran Islands. There was another bus that appeared to have broken down that we had to pass. At most, there were 6-12 inches between the buses as we __slowly__ passed the broken down one. We stared at the folks on the other bus and could have reached out to shake hands had the windows been open. Someone on the other bus shot a picture of us as we drove past.

The first picture is the only photo we got of the car. I meant to take another but forgot. Note its small size. The next is a caution sign I found amusing. The next is an example of the roads. The "shoulder" is generous here. The next 2 are us following a tractor. And the final picture, another sign I found amusing (which, in case you can't read it, says "burn fat, not oil" next to a picture of bike).

The last thing I'll say about this topic for now, is that we were strongly encouraged to buy car insurance while renting a car in Ireland. It, along with Portugal, I believe, is one of the only foreign countries where one's insurance from the US doesn't translate since the roads are just so dangerous. It was comforting to be able to drive around with relative impunity and not worry about having to pay hundreds of dollars if the car were to sustain a scratch or two. Luckily, I guess, we didn't end up needing to use the insurance. But we were certainly glad we had it.

a date palindrome

2010-01-02T21:27:00.000-08:00

apparently these are pretty rare ...

01-02-2010

nature in winter

2010-01-02T08:47:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from the last few weeks.

We went to Eastern Washington to spend Christmas with Mike's family and captured a lovely sunset on the way over.

And a drive-by view of the Olympics while going over the Hood Canal Bridge.

A (slightly blurry) New Year's Eve blue moon over the neighbors' house. Apparently there won't be another blue moon on New Year's Eve until 2029 or something.

For New Year's Day we drove to Port Townsend. We got there at high tide and the wind was whipping the water all over the place. Just as you drive into town, by the ferry terminal, the water was splashing onto the side walk. This dock looks like it is going to be submerged.

Fort Worden wasn't quite as windy as in town but the sky was just a sheet of dark blue clouds.

Adios Flying Potato

2009-12-30T19:18:00.000-08:00

I've had my car for 8 years, and it has served me well.

It came into my life as I was headed to St Louis for medical school; my dad and I did a lot of used car driving to find an appropriate car to drive half-way across the country. We ended up finding a 4 year old Ford Taurus. The trunk space is amazing and I have toted around an astounding amount of stuff in a relatively small car.

Probably listening to NPR at some point I heard a story about the development of aerodynamic cars, the Taurus was one of the first. However the shape is more bulbous than necessarily sleek, and someone likened it to a flying potato. Since hearing that story, Mike and I have endearingly referred to it as the potato, sometimes even a sweet potato.

It still basically runs fine but it has served out its useful life with me. We were in need of a vehicle to get around in the winter and recently bought a Toyota RAV4, which is an exceedingly nice and elegant car compared to the potato. It has an actual CD player (rather than a CD car converter), heated seats, 4 wheel drive ...

Given my love of NPR and lack of desire to go through the process of selling a car, especially in this economy, I decided to donate the car to "my public radio station." They will take any car in running condition or not. It was surprisingly easy. But, I came home from work last night to find the car no longer there,

and I felt sad for getting rid of the car that got me to and from St Louis, transporting all of my earthly belongings, was safe, never got in an accident besides the driver-side mirror that got knocked off twice in Portland ... Anyhow, thanks Flying Potato, may someone else get as much good use from you as I did.

Vegetarian Myth

2009-11-06T12:04:00.000-08:00

I guess I'm making up for not writing much lately ...

I've been on a journey for the past half year away from veganism. Creme brulee and Nourishing Traditions were the impetus for making a change away from my eating habits of the past 11 years as I've posted about previously. Now as I'm eating cheese/eggs/yogurt/milk on a daily basis and fish weekly, I'm struggling a little as whether to make further changes.

Every time I eat any fish, I saw a brief thanks to the fish for giving its life so that my body can be healthy. One of the young nurses I work with recently went fishing and caught a 37 pound king salmon. She brought pictures to share. It was a monstrous (at least 3 feet long) and beautiful fish.

I'm just struggling with the necessity of killing these beautiful animals for nourishment. I find my body wanting to eat fish and enjoying it more than I would have ever guessed.

I've been doing some reading on line and came upon a book called The Vegetarian Myth by Lierre Keith (she was vegan herself for 20 years) and found the following passage:

"In his book Long Life, Honey in the Heart, Martin Pretchel writes of the Mayan people and their concept of kas-limaal, which translates roughly as “mutual indebtedness, mutual insparkedness.” “The knowledge that every animal, plant, person, wind, and season is indebted to the fruit of everything else is an adult knowledge. To get out of debt means you don’t want to be part of life, and you don’t want to grow into an adult,” one of the elders explains to Pretchel.

The only way out of the vegetarian myth is through the pursuit of kas-limaal, of adult knowledge. This is a concept we need, especially those of us who are impassioned by injustice. I know I needed it. In the narrative of my life, the first bite of meat after my twenty year hiatus marks the end of my youth, the moment when I assumed the responsibilities of adulthood. It was the moment I stopped fighting the basic algebra of embodiment: for someone to live, someone else has to die. In that acceptance, with all its suffering and sorrow, is the ability to choose a different way, a better way."

I teared up on reading this. I think I need to get a copy of this book.

Perhaps the most unanswerable question

2009-11-06T09:55:00.000-08:00

What happens when we die?

I've been contemplating this question frequently as a result of a local tragedy. I've lived in large cities for the past 11 years and felt pretty anonymous, not knowing hardly anyones outside of my small group of acquaintances. However, now my community is a whole 20,000 people and Mike's and my jobs lend themselves to get to know lots of people.

A few weeks ago, Mike was looking at the news online and found a story about a car accident that happened that day just west of town in which 2 people died and 2 others were injured, one critically. The next day the headline story in the paper identified those who had died as the 60 year old mother and 6 year old son of our real estate agent. Reading that took my breath away and made my heart drop. I can't imagine having that happen, losing 2 people so central to your life in the same instant. I mean, you hear about those sorts of accidents happening in which whole families or parts of families are killed in the same accident. But I've never known those affected by such a tragedy. The week after it happened, it felt there was this pall over the town, this overriding sadness. The family is well known - the woman who died is a counselor working with the alcohol recovery community and director of one of the local tribal counseling centers, the one who lost the mother and son is a real estate agent and is running for city counsel and her husband is a police officer. Their children come to our clinic. I would see her walking the 6 year old to school as I walked to work, see them riding their bikes in the neighborhood.

All spiritual traditions have their own take on what happens after we die - whether we are judged and sorted accordingly, whether we rejoin the collection of souls, whether we are reborn to continue our journey to enlightenment, whether the end of our living body is the end forever. I was raised Catholic but don't really follow that tradition anymore, and I don't believe in hell. Nor do I believe in the end when our body dies. Can we have contact with those that have died? Can we make some connection with the soul that lives on?

I've known plenty of people who have died, but I'm not sure why this tragedy has started me on these thoughts. Perhaps it is thoughts of this grieving mother who has lost her 6 year old son. Was this car accident meant to be the end of his life? Was there some purpose in this? Was he never meant to reach adult-hood? Perhaps there is something about having a person in your life for only 6 years, but during that time see this being develop a personality, a strong sense of compassion, to be so full of life and for that to be gone in an instant of an inexplicable accident.

At the memorial, they spoke about how the little boy is moving on to new adventures. And, somehow, I find that helpful. It is a way of framing how his life isn't over, he's just moving on to different things somewhere else. We never know when the end will come for anyone that we love, or, for that matter, when our own time will come. I hope I could say that I've internalized all of the possible lessons from this, but I find myself still human. Getting into petty squabbles, worrying about things that don't matter, spending time doing things that I don't love, not telling those important to me that I love and appreciate them as much as I should. But at least I've been more aware of these things, these thoughts. And I've allowed my heart to be open even if it is painful.

The question will remain unanswerable.

Sucumbing to antibiotics

2009-11-06T09:44:00.001-08:00

Even though I prescribe them everyday, I don't really like to take antibiotics. The little critters at work have been pretty sick this fall so far, and so even with good hand-washing, it can be difficult to stave off any flying germies in the air. I've had 2 cold the past few weeks and thought I was getting healthy finally when my cough started. It was pretty deep but not necessarily troublesome. I've still been seeing the acupuncturist frequently to help my thyroid nodule, and she worked on my cough this week. I started to feel some fluid in my left lung when I took a deep breath in the past day or 2. Even so, I've been feeling okay. One of my colleagues listened to me last night and I agreed to have her call in some antibiotics. I'm off today but on call this weekend. She called last night offering to take my Saturday call and "suggested" (or told me point blank) to stay in bed today. And then asked if I needed her to talk to Mike to make sure this I took care of myself today. I said I could handle it, but thanks. :-) I appreciated her care-taking last night and hopefully this pneumonia will speedily heal with the help of the drugs.

farmer's market dinner

2009-10-25T10:20:00.000-07:00

The Saturday farmer's market is one of the highlights of my week. Getting produce locally, in season, developing a relationship with the people who grow and sell the food. I never think to bring my camera to grab a few pictures of it.

But, here are a few word pictures:

- A Korean lady who doesn't speak English but sells the best spicy garlic that we've ever had. Mike commented the other day that any other garlic seems inadequate. (hopefully the other other heads that we have around won't get a complex.)

- A fish stand called "Tuna Dan" staffed by a young mother and her sleeping babe in a backpack. The lady in front of the me asked for lots of ice to pack around her fish since they were going to be home for 4 hours. Then ensued a discussion about why the small chip ice works better for keeping it cold then the large cubed ice. "Does it have to do with the surface area? But then the bigger ice should work better since it seems it should melt slower. Oh, high school science was too long ago." I stayed out of the discussion. I came away with a pound of halibut to grill for

dinner.

- Our favorite produce stand, Lazy J, which always has fresh produce and new things to try. The stand owner had told me how to use sorrel before but only had it for a week in late spring and I didn't get any. However, she had it again yesterday, and I asked for her recommendations on using it with fish. "Use it cut up like an herb to put on top of any kind of fish, or make a cream sauce with it."

Here is a (not as flattering as I would have liked) picture of our grilled halibut on a creamy sorrel and parsley sauce. The sauce recipe is from here. It was a great dinner.

Running at daybreak

2009-10-25T10:06:00.000-07:00

Several times a week, I go for a morning run, usually the same route every day. It's fairly peaceful without much traffic. It offers open views of the Olympics and the Straight of Juan de Fuca with the occasional view of Mt Baker if it isn't cloudy towards Bellingham. We live only 4-5 blocks from the high school, and towards the end of my run I usually do a few laps on the track. The high school is situated on pretty prime real estate with open views of water and mountains. This morning I was out before sunrise in the crisp fall air. The sun was coming up as I was on the track, lighting up the sky in colors from light pink to deep red to brilliant orange. A deer appeared as well, initially alarmed at my movement but then stopped to look at me with ears splayed out fully. Mt Baker was out in all her glory this morning with soft shades of pink setting it off.

I caught a picture of the sky after I got home.

felines

2009-10-25T09:42:00.000-07:00

We added two new felines to our home in the past few weeks, sisters named Smudge and Ariel. They used to be Mike's cats until he moved from his previous relationship. Their caretaker is planning to be in Hawaii for the better part of a year and didn't have another place for them to go. So, it has been an interesting adjustment to be a 3 cat household now. Harper knows that he really wants to be friends with them, but his mere presence is often met with hisses, growls and swats, mostly from Smudge.

We were were sitting in the living room the other night. Harper was fascinated by this long-legged spider wandering around and proceeded to "chase" it. Ariel and Smudge thought that looked like an interesting game. Ariel watched it under the love seat for a bit. But, when it got near Smudge, she looked a little scared of it and backed away. We found it pretty amusing.

Harper is a "neglected" cat at times. We have been talking about making him a cat perch/scratching post since we moved to Port Angeles. But that certainly hasn't happened. Mike brought up the perches belonging to Ariel and Smudge. Soon after bringing the perches into the house, Harper jumped onto it. "Hey, this is pretty cool. Why don't I have one??"

I'm not used to aloof cats since both Ari and Harper were/are very affectionate cats who want/ed to be on me all of the time. Smudge, however, is her own cat. She does not come when called or even acknowledge that you are speaking to her. If she wants to be petted she will let you know. She has this black spot on the tip of her nose which prompted her name and makes her look like a little imp.

Ariel is a large cat. She weighs the same as Harper but Harper has a frame for his weight. When she gets scared, her eyes are huge, these big green saucers. And her fur is very soft, feels like a rabbit. She has this plaintive cry when she is hungry and won't stop until she is fed ...

A recent trip to La Push

2009-09-15T19:23:00.000-07:00

We went for a drive to Forks in the pouring rain, all bundled up anticipating rain and cold. Turned out to be absolutely beautiful once we got a few miles west.Fun play on the beach with found objects.

How do I get through this maze to you??

Results finally

2009-09-15T12:09:00.001-07:00

First thing I did this morning when I got to work was to check the biopsy results. No malignant cells seen. I am so very relieved.

more from the other side of the exam table

2009-09-11T19:25:00.000-07:00

I had my thyroid biopsy today, technichally a fine needle aspiration (FNA). I have been anxious about this for the past week. Not so much for the actual procedure but more to have the results. Before the procedure, lidoaine is injected above the biopsy site to numb the tissue. Then to get the tissue they make multiple quick passes into the desired tissue with 3 different needles.

It was an interesting hour spent lying on the table. Most of the time spent waiting to see if they'd need to take more samples or if what they had was adequate and chatting with the ultrasound tech.

I was impressed with the bedside manner of the radiologist who did the biopsy. He had a good sense of humor and was very considerate. Radiologists don't deal with real patients much and so it was kind of novel to have one who was very personable.

This whole experience is just giving me more compassion for patients when they are in a vulnerable and scary situation, just trying to anticipate and validate their feelings as much as possible.

My neck is still hurting. It was a bit of long day. I had the biopsy at 9, then went to work at 11: 30 and was on call seeing patients until 6:30. I've only told one nurse at the clinic about my nodule and the ensuing workup. I don't like to make a big deal about things but it was nice to have her know today to get a little sympathy ...

Results back on Monday.

fearlessness

2009-09-08T19:57:00.000-07:00

What would it be like to live completely free from fear?

I went to a yoga class for the first time in 8-9 months. I'm not sure why I haven't been going. Life just got in the way, I guess. As we were sitting in poses for awhile, the teacher was reading some from Light on Life by BKS Iyengar. Something in what she read triggered the above question.

Just asking the question brought some joy. What would it be like indeed. Not to be fearful of other's criticism, of doing things the wrong way, of my own anger, of being a bad person, of other's anger ...

What would it be like to awaken in the morning completely at one with myself, knowing from my heart that exactly who I am is okay. Knowing that the world is a good place, that what I choose to do and think is the right thing for me at that moment, irrespective of what anyone else might think. Of being comfortable in my own skin. Relaxing and slowing down the internal clock.

Sometimes I am taken aback at the fact that Mike and I are living in Port Angeles. How did this happen? I've been moving from one area of training to another over the last 11 years, always counting down until I'm done with one thing, being impatient to move onto the next phase. Well, the next phase is here. This is it. This is my life. Oh, there are little things that I count down. Such as how long until the answering service takes over for the evening when I'm on weekend call. But there are no long term countdowns like I've had over the last several years. It's an interesting change. I, and we, are settling into the community, making a life for ourselves here, together. I guess I am finally feeling a sense of calm that I haven't felt for awhile.

It is amazing that at certain points in the past, college for instance, I really thought I had life and myself figured out. Oh no. Theres is so much more to learn, so many changes. I guess in some ways it means that life isn't boring.

a new side of the exam table

2009-09-07T19:46:00.000-07:00

The following is quite medical, bear with me.

On our next to last day in Ireland, I was standing in the bathroom drinking water, the bathroom being the only source of water in our hotel room. Not often one drinks standing next to a mirror with the capacity to watch oneself drink. I was doing just this as I noticed a lump in my neck rising and falling with each swallow. Hmm.

When I examine a patient's thyroid, I often will ask that they swallow in order to watch the gland rise out of the base of the neck. It is never an easy task to swallow without a swig of water, but I ask them to do this anyway.

So, I knew instantly that this lump I saw was a thyroid nodule. I went about to examine it with my fingers next (I can't put aside medical training for a minute): decent size, rubbery consistancy, freely mobile. I'd been feeling fine, no change in my usual state of affairs. Seemed like an incidental finding but disconcerting nonetheless since I'd never really had anything wrong besides occasional sports injuries and acute viral illnesses.

I had had a well woman exam a few weeks before we left for Ireland, establishing care with a physician in town, the wife of one of my partners. I called to make an appointment with her when we got back into town from our trip. Her first available, non-acute appointment was 3 weeks away. In the meantime I started to see an acupuncturist. Even though I am trained in allopathic (Western) medicine, I have a deep interest and respect for other modes of healing.

After 3 acupuncture visits, I finally had a visit with my doctor. I knew what should would order but needed her to order them. Even though I exam myself and self diagnose, I am still not my own physician.

The difference between the two offices - the acupuncture and family physician - was so stark. Such great ambience in the former, the sound of falling water, walls painted green, soft lighting, an hour appointment. And, in the latter, white walls, bright lighting, at most 10 minute appointment.

My thyroid function tests were normal, but the thyroid ultrasound showed a complex nodule with a solid and cystic component. A solid nodule is most likely indicative of multi-nodular goiter, which just means enlargement of the thyroid gland with several nodules that function as normal thyroid tissue, perhaps due to iodine deficiency or an autoimmune process. But a complex lesion has the potential of not being benign. Hence the fact that I have an appoinment for a ultrasound-guided biopsy this coming Friday.

Early on in my acupuncture treatments, someone mentioned that the Chinese medicine way of looking at thyroid nodules was blocked chi, or energy, in the neck. This lead me to start investigating chakras. The chakras are points of energy in the center of our bodies, leading from the base of the spine up to the crown of the head. The neck and thyroid are part of the 5th chakra, also called the throat chakra, among other names. This chakra deals with communication, listening and creativity. One of the books that I have mentions the following as descriptive of someone with a 5th chakra deficiency: fear of speaking, small, weak voice, difficulty putting feelings into words, introversion, shyness, tone deaf and poor rhythm. Although not perfect, this describes me pretty well. In addition, she describes people as looking like their neck is not connected to their body, throwing the neck out of alignment from the body. There are a few pictures of me during the wedding, when I am doing exactly this. I don't like seeing these pictures; I look so awkward. When I went to a month-long rotation in California at the end of medical school, we had to do a creative project to present to the group at the end of the month. I wrote a poem of sorts that I combined with movement/dance. My friend Ned read the first part as I moved, then I began to speak of finding my own voice. In addition, one of the lines of Mike and my vows promised that we would each speak our truth. It seems that I've been dealing with these issues for awhile. And if you want to look at it from an energetic perspective, these issues have manifested themselves as a thyroid nodule.

For the past several days, since getting over the initial shock of the ultrasound results, I am telling myself that I am healthy, happy and whole. I love myself. I speak my truth. I am not focusing on what I don't want to happen but filling my thoughts with positive intent instead.

Where's a librarian when we needed one?

2009-08-19T09:36:00.000-07:00

When we moved into our house 7 months ago, we haphazardly put books onto bookshelves in no particular order. Life is settling down some after the wedding and trip to Ireland. We've both been bothered by not being able to find books as they were scattered between 4 different rooms and fiction and non-fiction were mingling in too close a fashion.

This all changed yesterday. Here's a picture of the library admist the chaos. (Yes, the Mariner's are on in the background.)

Fiction is now with fiction (sci-fi is not segregated -- this was a "heated" debate) and non-fiction with non-fiction. Trying to figure out how to separate the non-fiction certainly was a challenge. Is it spirituality or philosphy or psychology or science??

Our world is now ordered ... at least for the moment.

Upper Quilcene

2009-08-19T08:50:00.000-07:00

When I lived in Portland, Mike and I went for hikes most weekends that weren't cold and rainy. Since moving up here, we have hardly done any hiking due to his plantar fasciitis, ie, right heel pain. However, we had thought about going camping/hiking this weekend since I had the time off, and I received a fortuitous email from a friend in Seattle asking if we were interested in hiking together. We had all of the backpacking paraphenalia but hadn't ventured out together on such an adventure.

I wish I had a picture of us loaded down for a one night hike. My pack weighed about 30 pounds and Mike's about 40.

Due to ferry waits, Katie didn't make it over to the peninsula until mid-afternoon, which meant we didn't get to the trail-head until 3:30. We only hiked in 2.5 miles to the first camping area, but I was too pooped to keep going to the next camping area at 4.5

miles.

The next day we hiked (without our heavy packs) up to Marmot pass, allowing for a view of the Olympics, Hood Canal and even a glimpse of the Cascades. 2 marmots came out of the marmot caves to gape at us and sun themselves on the rocks.

Katie found the trail by searching online with "olympic national park" and

"huckleberries" as her key words. It was the perfect season for picking huckleberries and salmonberries and a few thimbleberries. On the way back to the car we stopped every 1/2 mile or so to pick berries. We each picked a liter of berries. We made a huckleberry sauce to go on grilled salmon. The sauce was 1 cup berries, 1/3 cup water, 1 tablespoon sugar and and juice of 1 lemon. The leftover sauce went deliciously on ice cream. Yum. An all local meal to boot.

3 days later, our legs are still sore from the hike. I discovered some muscles that haven't made their voices known in awhile. It was a good weekend.

ceremony

2009-08-06T10:15:00.000-07:00

Here is a copy of our wedding ceremony.

Music: Ladysmith Black Mambazo

Welcome and Opening Prayer: Shirley

Welcome! My name is Shirley O and on behalf of Christine and Michael, I welcome each of you who have gathered from far and near to share this sacred and celebratory moment with them. We invite into this gathering, loved ones who are not able to be here, but who are with us in spirit. We are especially mindful today, Michael's grandparents, George and Barbara Chrystal, who were married on this same date 80 years ago.

We gather in this wonderful earth space, the holy ground of our native ancestors. Let us call upon all the beauty and energy of this place to bless the marriage of Michael and Christine. Situated on the Olympic Peninsula, we welcome the spirit of water, air, earth and fire; we welcome the creatures of the sea, the earth and skies and ask that they bless and gift this marriage.

To strengthen and support this marriage commitment, we welcome the spirit of the earth with its solid, nurturing and generative energy. May we welcome the ebb and flow, the peace and force of the great waters. Let’s welcome the spirit of the unexpected that comes in the gentle and wild winds of life; we welcome and celebrate the fire of love with its passion for right relationship. Finally, we welcome and acknowledge the Great Spirit of Love that abides within Michael and Christine’s relationship.

When two people come together in love, there is the festive and the solemn, the magic and mystery. There is beauty and struggle. And in the words of Christine and Michael, there is the comfortableness and the silliness of being together; there is freedom and trust in being known. When all this is infused with a spirit of joyful love, there is great hope in where this journey of love will take them

Our presence here is an opportunity for all of us to renew our own relational commitments, but more importantly, our presence here is that of encouragement, celebration and support of the commitment that Michael and Christine will publicly proclaim in a few moments. They are who they are because of the love, friendship, life and support that many special people have offered them along the journey of their lives. They have invited each of you, their community of loved ones and they want your sustained support. So let’s celebrate with them this day, stand by them in difficult times and support them in friendship all days. Our hope is that the great energies of the universe unite your hearts today and everyday and fill you with all you need in your marriage.

Reading – For “CWB" by Elizabeth Bishop --RP
I
Let us live in a lull of the long winter winds
Where the shy, silver-antlered reindeer go
On dainty hoofs with their white rabbit friends
Amidst the delicate flowering snow.

All of our thoughts will be fairer than doves.
We will live upon wedding-cake frosted with sleet.
We will build us a house from two red tablecloths,
And wear scarlet mittens on both hands and feet.

II
Let us live in the land of the whispering trees,
Alder and aspen and poplar and birch,
Singing our prayers in a pale, sea-green breeze,
With star-flower rosaries and moss banks for church.

All of our dreams will be clearer than glass.
Clad in the water or sun, as you wish,
We will watch the white feet of the young morning pass
And dine upon honey and small shiny fish.
III
Let us live where the twilight lives after the dark,
In the deep, drowsy blue, let us make us a home.
Let us meet in the cool evening grass, with a stork
And a whistle of willow, played by a gnome.

Half-asleep, half-awake, we shall hear, we shall know
the soft "Miserere" the wood-swallow tolls.
We will wander away where wild raspberries grow
And eat them for tea from two lily-white bowls.

To Love is Not to Possess by James Kavanaugh --CT

To love is not to possess,
to own or imprison,
nor to lose one's self in another.
Love is to join and separate,
to walk alone and together,
to find a laughing freedom
that lonely isolation does not permit.
It is finally to be able
to be who we really are
no longer clinging in childish dependency
nor docilely living separate lives in silence,

It is to be perfectly one's self
and perfectly joined in permanent commitment
to another--and to one's inner self.
Love only endures when it moves like waves,
receding and returning gently or passionately,
or moving lovingly like the tide
in the moon's own predictable harmony.
Because finally, despite a child's scars
or an adult's deepest wounds,
they are openly free to be
who they really are--and always secretly were,
in the very core of their being
where true and lasting love can alone abide.

Declaration of Consent and Community Pledge of Support --Shirley

Christine and Michael, in the presence of the Great Source of Love and this circle of friends, I invite you to affirm your willingness to enter this marriage freely and to share all the joys and sorrows in this amazing journey you are on. Are you willing and ready to love each other as husband and wife as long as you both shall live?

(Michael and Christine respond): Yes, I am.

While Mike and Christine are choosing to commit to one another, they acknowledge that they are part of a much larger web of life and that to be true to their commitment they need the support and connection with the greater community. As friends and family will you pledge them your continued support, friendship and encouragement in their journey of committed love?

All respond: We will

VOWS:

Christine: Michael, from my heart I promise

To be present,

To listen to what you say and what you leave unsaid with an open heart.

To speak my truth,

To be faithful to you throughout all of life’s uncertainties,

To be open to you as you continue growing,

To cherish playfulness and laughter,

To join you in exploring all that is sacred.

Michael: Christine, from my heart, I promise

To be present,

To listen to what you say and what you leave unsaid with an open heart.

To speak my truth,

To be faithful to you throughout all of life’s uncertainties,

To be open to you as you continue growing,

To cherish playfulness and laughter,

To join you in exploring all that is sacred.

Rings : Shirley

The ring is a symbol of the unbroken circle of love.

Love that is freely given has no beginning and no end.

May these rings be a symbol of the endless love into which you enter as husband and wife for the rest of your lives.

Michael: Christine, I give you this ring as a sign of my love.

Christine: Michael, I give you this ring as a sign of my love.

Love by Roy Croft –Michael and Christine

I love you not only for what you are,

But for what I am

When I am with you.

I love you not only for what

You have made of yourself,

But for what you are making of me.

I love you for the part of me

That you bring out;

I love you for putting your hand into my heaped-up heart

And passing over all the foolish, weak things

That you can't help dimly seeing there,

And for drawing out Into the light

All the beautiful belongings that no one else had looked

Quite far enough to find.

I love you because you are helping me to make

Of the lumber of my life not a tavern, but a temple.

Out of the works of my every day

Not a reproach but a song.

I love you because you have done

More than any creed could have done to make me good.

And more than any fate could have done

To make me happy.

You have done it without a touch,

Without a word, without a sign.

You have done it by being yourself.

Perhaps that is what being a friend means, after all.

Closing Blessing Chinook Marriage Blessing --Fritz Hull (family and friends)

We call upon all that we hold most sacred to

Bless this marriage

We call upon the earth, our planet home, with its beautiful depths and soaring heights, its vitality and abundance of life, and together we ask that it

Bless this marriage

We call upon the mountains, the green mountains and the white, and the high valleys and meadows filled with wild flowers, the snows that never melt, the summits of intense silence, and we ask that they

Bless this marriage

We call upon the waters that rim the earth, horizon to horizon, that flow in our rivers and streams, that fall upon our gardens and fields, that fill our ponds and pools, and we ask that they

Bless this marriage

We call upon the forest, the great trees reaching to the sky with earth in their roots and heaven in their branches, the fir and the pine, the cedar and the maple, and we ask them to

Bless this marriage

We call upon the land which grows our food, the nurturing soil, the fertile fields, the abundant gardens and orchards, and we ask that they

Bless this marriage

We call upon the creatures of the fields and forests and the seas, our brothers and sisters the wolves and deer, the eagle and dove, the great whales and the dolphin, the beautiful Orca and salmon who share our Northwest home and we ask them to

Bless this marriage

We call upon the moon and the stars and the sun, who govern the rhythms and seasons of our lives and remind us that we are part of a great and wondrous universe, and we ask them to

Bless this marriage

We call upon all those who have lived on this earth, our ancestors and our friends, who dreamed the best for future generations, and upon whose lives our lives are built, and with thanksgiving, we call upon them to

Bless this marriage

We call upon the family and friends and all those who live and cherish and sustain this couple, and ask that together we

Bless this marriage

And lastly, we call upon the power and presence of the God of love, on that which asks us to become greater than ourselves so that the one may become two and the two may become one, and all together we

Bless this marriage!

Declaration of Marriage --Shirley

In the presence of the God of Love and this circle of your family and friends, you have declared your love for one another and have made solemn vows to each other. You have confirmed your promises by the joining of hands and by the giving and receiving of rings. With enthusiasm, I now proclaim Christine and Michael as wife and husband. Time to kiss!

Music: Aibrean (The Last Pint) by Lunasa

A different perspective on Irish food

2009-08-04T10:54:00.000-07:00

I always remember hearing that food in Ireland wasn't much to write home about. I'm here to say that the food we had during our nearly 2 weeks in Ireland was in fact quite note-worthy.

If I was still following a vegan diet, I'd likely have been unsatisfied with most meals and would have been pretty bored. However, eating cheese, eggs, and .... fish (yes, fish) enabled a broad range of options, most of which were outstanding. I had been toying with the idea of eating fish, especially starting on this trip since Ireland is an island and, one would assume, have fresh seafood readily available. The weekend before we left, the people in my clinic through a bridal shower. Everyone brought some sort of brunch food to share. One of the nurses made a crab quiche made from crab caught the previous day by her son. I didn't want to pass up that opporutnity. Once I started eating fish on the trip, I wanted to keep eating it.

In fact, nearly all of the food that we had in Ireland was touted as being local. It was an impressive country in that way. Also, going into little convenience type stores, one could get fresh (and pretty good looking) produce, good cheeses and breads. The US has a lot to learn.

Rick Steves talks about the traditional Irish breakfast in his guidebook, so we were aware of the concept of their breakfasts, which usually consisted of bacon (more like slices of ham), sausage, egg, sometimes hashbrowns or beans, toast, and a fried tomato (always a fried tomato). In addition to this, most people also offered eggs with smoked salmon. I had eggs with smoked salmonat 4 different B&Bs, and everyone had a slightly different way of preparing it. Some had the salmon mixed in with the scrambled eggs, some had it lying on top of the eggs, and some had it lying to the side. All I thought were excellent.

Lunches were usually pretty small affairs since breakfast was usually pretty large and were mostly of the picnic variety.

Dinners were almost entirely excellent. We sampled some of the following seafood in these dinner: salmon, cod, seabass, periwinkles, lobster, hake, scallops, and mackeral. The following is a list of where we ate for dinner while in Ireland.

Heather Wicklow - Laragh, County Wicklow
Rajput Indian - Cashel, County Tipperary
Vasco - Fanore, County Clare
Inis Meain - Inishmaan, Aran Islands, County Galway
The Exchange - Derry, Northern Ireland
Cayenne - Belfast, Northern Ireland
Indian Restaurant - Trim, County Meath
Hugo's - Dublin
Trocadero - Dublin

Our 2 favorites were Inis Meain and Vasco. I'll write more about staying on the Aran Islands in another post. Suffice it to say at this point that our stay there was one of the most memorable of the trip, and the food was outstanding. The chef grew up on Inishmaan, went away for several years and moved back 8-9 years ago to open a hotel and restaurant with his wife. He had worked at a restaurant in Dublin prior to opening this restaurant. A lot of the vegetables and edible flowers they grow just next to the restaurant and get potatoes from someone else on the island. The fish is caught locally usually that day. Excellent.

Fenore is a tiny town on the west coast of Ireland. We had spent time that afternoon exploring the Cliffs of Moher and the burren. We were driving along the coast as the sun was approaching the horizon leading to some amazing views and photo opportunities - absolutely stunning and beautiful. We had gotten a recommendation for this newly opened mediteranean restaurant in Fenore. We drove through Fenore not knowing the name of the restaurant but on the lookout for a new place with mediteranean qualities. We thought we had missed it but finally drove long enough through town to chance upon it (the place only has a handful of restaurants or any commercial establishments). The food was excellent and we were entertained by children playing with donkeys outside the window.

are you fluent?

2009-07-27T23:33:00.000-07:00

We are currently in Derry, Northern Ireland. 4 more days left until we fly home. It has been a great trip with many stories. We just haven't had much internet access here in which to post anything.

One little quip from the other night as we got into town late. Bad weather changed how we got back to our car after spending 2 nights on the Aran Islands. We pulled into Derry and didn't know directions to our B&B so had to stop to ask people on the streets. I walked up to a young woman outside of a night/dance club to ask for directions. During the conversation, she asked me if I was fluent in English. !!! Struck me as quite amusing. Onto Belfast today via the Antrim Coast.

some random thoughts, feelings, observations just before midnight on July 18, 2009

2009-07-18T23:54:00.000-07:00

I can't sleep.

I have a ring on my left ring finger. It doesn't look like my hand when I catch sight of it out of the corner of my eye.

We haven't packed for Ireland yet, and we are headed to Seattle tomorrow for a Monday morning flight.

I have a family-in-law now for whom I feel a tremendous amount of love and affection today. All 4 of them said, "welcome to the family." I guess that was one of the things I hadn't really thought about in anticipation of today, and it took me by surprise. I am not sure how to otherwise express what I am feeling and felt about this today ... I guess I do feel like a part of Mike's family today where I hadn't previously. I want to spend more time around them.

So many good friends visiting this weekend. It was great to see everyone.

Beautiful ceremony. It did feel like us. Even though we were self-conscious in the middle of everyone's attention.

I need sleep and I'm tired. Perhaps my monkey-mind will settle down and my chest overflowing with emotions will calm just slightly.

Pictures and more to come.

Cracking an egg

2009-06-20T14:15:00.000-07:00

For the last 10 years, I have been a diligent vegan. I almost wrote something about following a very strict vegan diet. That doesn't sound right somehow, as it sounds as if I was depriving myself and following someone else's dictates. It was a choice that I made in college as I learned about the industrial machine that produces meat and milk products. I have memories as a child requesting steak on my birthday and drank a ton of milk as I was growing up. I religiously ordered milk when we went out to eat as a family and when the team went out after a game during high school sports. My college roommates likely have memories of my getting a glass or 2 of milk with dinner and dunking rolls in the milk. So, it wasn't like I grew up on a similar diet to the one I adopted after leaving home. I also have a memory sometime during my senior year of high school in which I was having a very difficult time cleaning and preparing some store-bought chicken for dinner. Either my mother thought to herself or said out loud that she thought I'd become a vegetarian at some point.

During these years I didn't buy or wear wool or leather, use honey, eat anything that I knew had been prepared with animal products. I was part of a animal rights club in college. I was very committed to this way of life. And, I think I was healthy. The only thing that I noticed was that my hair thinned out some, not noticeable since it is still thick. I can think of only a handful of times that I inadvertently, or in one instance, under full consciousness (we went as a family to Blake Island and had salmon as part of the meal, of which I agreed to eat a little), consumed meat.

Last summer I attended a wedding reception at a French restaurant. One meal option was kindly and thoughtfully (!) vegan. The desserts were certainly not. Nevertheless I decided to partake. Oh my. That was the day I fell in love with creme brulee.

For awhile, my only excursion into the non-vegan world was an occasional creme brulee, of which all of our favorite local restaurants seem to have on their menu.

Then, I finally picked up a book that I had purchased at Powell's last summer called Nourishing Traditions: The cookbook that challenges politically correct nutrition and the diet dictocrats. I felt like I had seen the book around here and there for awhile, finally bought a copy and had it sit for nearly a year before really being read. The book talks about traditional, native diets and how they differ from what people currently eat. And, how what we are told to eat has differed from what people ate for millenia. The author discusses how grains eaten without soaking contain phytates that bind up calcium and other nutrients, which actually depletes the body of nutrients rather than adding anything to the body. She also claims that unfermented soy products do the same thing. The authors are large proponents of raw milk from grass-fed cows of traditional breeds. They also discuss how people in this country are deficient in omega-3 fatty acids since nearly all vegetable oils are high in omega-6 fatty acids. Anyhow, I could go on, but I'll stop since this is all ramblings and book regurgitations.

In addition, I went to the library the other day and came up on a book called Real Food by Nina Planck. It is more of the same with a little different take and little less militancy on the foods that one should eat.

The books discuss a so-called fertility diet of what foods those wishing to conceive should be eating as well.

So, reading all of this lately has had an impact. In addition, I'm living with someone who isn't vegan/vegetarian although he is very supportive and mainly eats a vegetarian diet with cheese a few times a week and meat probably once a week.

A few weeks ago I wanted to buy some eggs from the farmer's market but was on call. This meant the I was working at the start of the market when one needs to get there to buy eggs since people only have a few dozen eggs to sell. He didn't buy any. We stopped at our local health food store and I bought a dozen from a local farm. anyhow, I wasn't feeling much support for this decision to buy and eat eggs. We finally talked about it, and I guess he was feeling a little guilty for having a "negative" impact on my eating habits and that being vegan has been such a large part of my identity for the decade.

Recently I visited a local dairy that sells raw milk from grass-fed cows. I must say that it is pretty good. Once I get something to incubate the milk in, I'm going to start making yogurt.

It feels good to be able to buy "protein" from sources locally, rather than buying soy milk and tofu produced who knows where. And, from the reading lately, these are seeming less and less like the healthy options I had previously thought.

This is a dietary change still in progress and an identity that is shifting slightly.

happiness and sadness

2009-06-13T19:32:00.000-07:00

Overall it has been a lovely day.

Started with an on-call night with no calls.

Sat in the living room this morning after breakfast, reading and talking about Ireland.

Went to the farmer's market, which is one of my favorite activities of the week. Here is a picture of our market basket back in March.

Came home for lunch. More time looking out the back door with a view of trees and blue sky. Harper has discovered birds, complete with the cat bird chatter and bird stalking activities. Normally he is very skidish cat outside. Today it has been us asking, "where's Harper?" Only to discover that he is on the opposite side of the small back yard, staring at birds.

Drove to Sequim for a 2 hour conference on concussions. It was mainly geared for parents and coaches but I found it useful as well. We have had several high school athletes with severe concussions in the last several months. There is a new state law that requires an athlete not to re-enter the game the same day as a concussion, requiring a doctor's note to return to play. There is something called a second-impact syndrome, in which someone with a concussion without full resolution of symptoms, gets re-concussed can develop severe, life-threatening traumatic brain injury.

Came home. Checked email for a rhubarb pie recipe and discover an email from my father announcing that my grandfather had died this afternoon. He was diagnosed with a frontal meningioma (benign brain tumor located behind the forehead) last March. He was "given" 6 months to live back then. Lived most of the last 15 months in my aunt's house. No one could put him in a nursing home. He gradually began sleeping more and eating less and was put in hospice about a week ago. He was 92. (As an interesting aside, he was born 5 days later than Daniel Shorr, senior new analyst for NPR.) I don't have a better digital picture of him when he was healthy. This is a picture from last July with his children (biological and ex-step). My dad has been up to Bothell twice this week to see him. I'm sad to lose a grandfather but sadder for my dad losing his father. My dad's mother died of breast cancer when my dad was 13. They haven't decided on a funeral yet.

After discovering that news, I found the rhubard pie recipe I was looking for. We had an excellent dinner tonight, mushroom ravioli from the farmer's market (yes, it had cheese, more on that later), arugula salad with the arugula from one of Mike's co-worker's gardens, and rhubarb pie (yes, this had eggs, again more on that later). Here's a picture of the pie. It was an excellent dinner.

Overall a day filled with happiness with a little sadness around the edges.

illuminated from within

2009-06-08T20:47:00.000-07:00

I went to Port Townsend on my day off last week. Even if I don't get to live in PT, I am only an hour away and can get there easily when I need to escape for a few hours. I went on a 2 hour walk from town to Fort Warden along the beach then back along the road. Here are some flower pictures from along the way. The irises look like there is a light shining from underneath the flower. I think they are one of the most amazing flowers in their intricacy.

more eagles

2009-06-08T20:17:00.000-07:00

I was working in Sequim today, and rather than going for a walk at lunchtime, I felt like going for a drive and listening to music. I haven't explored the northern side of Sequim much, near the straight. So, the drive was meandering in that general direction. I came upon a spit of land that sits just south of the Dungeness spit, which allowed a brief time onto the beach and a smell of salty, sea air.

Coming up from the spit, I saw 2 eagles perched at the top of a tree, serenely sitting, looking toward the water. These are the 7th eagles I have seen in the last week-and-a-half, prompting a look at eagle symbolism. It seems that most cultures are intrigued by them as I have been by the recent sightings.

weekend music

2009-05-27T09:44:00.000-07:00

Just like Folklife in Seattle, Port Angeles has the Juan de Fuca Festival of the Arts Memorial Day weekend. The children's clinic where I work is a sponsor of the festival and as a result the clinic gets some sponsor passes for all 4 days. Mike and I were grateful to get 2 of these passes, and we made much use of them, seeing a few acts every day for 4 days.

Our favorite acts were 2 bands from Portland. I'm sad that I didn't partake of concerts much when I lived down there. The groups are Circled by Hounds and Kevin Burke with Cal Scott. Both are celtic influenced groups. Great musicianship and entertaining. Circled by Hounds had a set call The Tantrum, put together based solely on the names of the tunes: toss the feathers/smash the windows/scatter the mud/off she goes. They also had a song or 2 in which they made use of pitchforks as percussion intruments.

It was also good to see that there is some culture up here. Even with the Hood Canal Bridge closed, making it difficult to get to and from the Seattle area, let alone the other side of the canal, the festival was well attended. It also helped the turn-out that it was the nicest whether we have had in a long time. The sun just makes everything better.

the morning run

2009-05-25T08:58:00.000-07:00

Have I really not written for almost 2 months? It isn't for lack of thoughts and things happening ... Anyhow.

Due to some occasional knee pain and iliotibial band tightness/tendinitis, I haven't run much or regularly the last couple of years. For some reason my body is cooperating with running more lately, which is good for my psyche. It is also a great way for me to enjoy the early (and recently very sunny!) mornings.

So, this morning I was out on a different route than usual. Port Angeles has a plethora of ravines intersecting the city. This isn't good for traveling around town, especially if one is new to town. When we were visiting for the first few times, it was extremely frustrating to come on dead end after dead end, prompting Mike to comment that they must have the most hold the lead for dead-end streets per capita or square mile. However, these ravines are excellent for retaining trees and housing wildlife. This morning I was running by one when a commotion in my visual periphery made me stop to look. I see 2 crows flying at a bald eagle. The eagle was perched not more than 50 feet just below my line of sight and was barely flinching as the crows tried to rouse it from their neighborhood. What a beautiful and majestic bird. I've seen occasional eagles over the years but never this close. Multiple cars drove quickly past me as I stared off into the trees. Partly I wanted to flag the cars down and say, "Slow down. Get out of your cars. Look what you are missing!" But I was also perfectly content to view the eagle in grateful solitude.

My run also included a visit to the supposedly oldest madrona tree in the state. The sign says it is estimated at 300-400 years old. I tried to commune with the tree and gain some arboreal wisdom. I love old trees, the presence they have, thinking of all of the history that occurred during their lives.

Since we have had such a cold spring thus far, lilacs only really started to bloom about 2 weeks ago. Runs or walks of late have included as many lilac smellings (not sure about the accuracy of that word, but you know what I mean) as possible. In addition to sunny mornings, old trees, and running, lilacs make me happy. It was good run.

A long day on the road

2009-04-01T20:01:00.000-07:00

We went to eastern Washington for spring break this week to spend time with Mike's parents. I didn't think it would be a very relaxing time, but I spent most of the time not doing much of anything, which was much needed. It was good to see Mike's home town and to meet a few of his relatives. However, the weather was terrible, and there was supposed to be snow in the passes today. So, rather than brave Snoqualmie in the little MR2 without traction devices, we drove around. This entailed taking a tour of half the circumference of the state - from Clarkston to Walla Walla to Umatilla, OR to Portland to Longview to Olympia to Tacoma to Bremerton and, finally, 11 hours later, to Port Angeles. We are grateful to be home safely. Harper the cat is likewise grateful, for a lap. Can you hear him purring?

The world can be a heavy place

2009-03-19T08:15:00.000-07:00

Work has been pretty busy this week. It is winter in childhood virus-land and everyone in the community seems to be sick. Add to this weird accidents and occurences and it makes for some long days. I was on call Tuesday and had a few calls to make yesterday and had planned to finish up some paperwork during lunch. I came out of the room with my last morning patient to find out the person on call for the day had just run over the ER. She was called over because a child had come in in cardiorespiratory arrest. I'll leave out the details but all she could do was watch as the team already there tried unsuccessfully to revive the little girl. To say the least, it put a damper on the day. And, from a completely selfish perspective it put me even further behind as I was seeing her patients during lunch. I was glad to get through what I needed to finish at the end of the day and get home. Mike and I escaped to our favorite thai restaurant for dinner and finished the meal with a cream brulee. (Yes, I'm still occasionally not a strict vegan ...) I have today off and am grateful for a little breathing space.

And speaking breathing, I've been re-reading _Going on Being_ by Mark Epstein, one of the first books that I read on meditation while in St Louis. The book really spoke to me at the time, and it's gotten me re-energized and interested in spending some sitting time meditating again. More on that another time.

Ready for spring

2009-03-08T21:16:00.001-07:00

-The post time is incorrect, it should say Monday March 9, 8:30 am. -

It is snowing yet again this morning. The snow is pretty and all, but I'm ready for some warmth. Here is a picture of our house in the snow last week. (Inside pictures to come soon, promise.)

These bricks look familiar

2009-03-08T21:16:00.000-07:00

We made a trek to Bellingham today. (And, it was a trek too. I'm still amazed at how long it takes to get to places from the peninsula.) I haven't been up there for a few years. The reason for the visit was to meet with the woman who is officiating at our wedding. But, we walked around campus for a little while as well. So many new buildings; it feels like the campus is getting bigger even though they are just building on the same land the university has always owned. The green space is just shrinking. I was amazed, as we walked ,at the memories that came flooding back even as I was just staring at the bricks on the walkways. How much time did I spend staring at those bricks day after day after day for 4 years as I was walking to class? Yes, that means my head was down as I was walking, which was probably true.

The meeting with our officiant went well. She was an important person in my life from those college years. I'm glad Mike finally got to meet her. We talked to her about who we are to each other. It felt good to verbally validate our relationship to her. This wedding process feels a bit daunting as we are going to attmpt to write out own vows. We'll see how that goes. Mike and I are both shy about public attention, even with friends and family. But, this is partly why we getting married, to announce publicly our love for each other, since our relationship up until this point has been kept so quiet. So, I guess we are just going to have to get over that shyness at least for one day.

Pretty darn cute

2009-02-02T20:49:00.000-08:00

I haven't written much these past few weeks as we have been moving and spending most of our non-working time settling into the house. Pictures will be coming soon, promise.

So, we have a room with a gas fireplace that will be our library that Mike and I have been spending time in after dinner, enjoying the fire, watching a little TV and playing wordsplay. Harper loves time sitting in here (readily available laps on which to sit). Tonight he ended up sitting next to me as I was typing on the computer. I have on hooded sweatshirt with a front kangaroo pocket. He had his front paws and nose tucked into the pocket. Cute.

It's official

2009-01-20T09:06:00.000-08:00

Congratulations President Barack Obama!

One of my favorite images of the inauguration is a smiling Yo Yo Ma playing "Simple Gifts." I looked up that song on Wikipedia. I thought it was a Quaker hymn, but it is in fact a Shaker hymn. Already at the bottom of the Simple Gifts Wiki entry states that "A version of the song was incorporated into music by John Williams and played at the inaguration of President Barack Obama."

The day for which we have been waiting (at least) 8 years

2009-01-20T07:24:00.001-08:00

I kind of can't believe that it is finally January 20th, 2009.

I don't work until 11:30 today so I get to watch/listen to the inauguration. We moved this weekend but still have a few boxes to pick up and some cleaning to do at the apartment. I was going to head over there this morning to get some of that done. I've talked previously about the NPR station up here that doesn't have much in the way of news. They were saying this morning that they were going to switch to classical music an hour earlier at 8am. I kind of yelled at the radio that that was ridiculous, on this, of all days. I just heard that they changed their program plan and all NW public radio will continue full coverage. Probably moot for me, we got our television (yes, we have one) connected yesterday, and I think I'll be watching rather than listening to the radio. There is something to actually watching the inauguration and having those visual images in my memory bank.

Having been to DC this past summer and being able to picture the layout of the National Mall, helps me to connect with this momentous day. It would be amazing to be in DC today.

A bit of an adrenaline rush

2009-01-14T07:38:00.000-08:00

So, you might remember this big test I took way back in October. I had a dream last night in which I passed, but barely this exam, or something similar ... since it was a dream after all. In my email box this morning was an email with results from the American Board to Pediatrics. As I wait for explorer to reload after an error, as I forget my log-in name, as it feels like it is taking forever for the page to load, my heart is beating fast and hard ... only to discover that I passed and passed with a pretty good score. I am now a board-certified pediatrician.

Kitchen Christening

2009-01-12T21:26:00.001-08:00

For Mike's birthday yesterday, we made our first meal at the new house. Pretty exciting to have room to move around and not be continuously in each other's way. I had planned on taking a picture of the occasion, but apparently the memory card was in my computer and not in the camera. So, you'll just have to picture us making black bean chili, guacamole, salad and eating a peach kuchen (which was made ahead of time in the miniscule apartment kitchen).

And, we are both over our weird illness from last that wasn't quite influenza, wasn't quite the stomach flu ... It was the second time in 6 months that I've had a fever to 102. Anyhoo, we are glad to be feeling better. We were wallowing in misery together at least.

Here is the peach kuchen recipe in case anyone wants to try it. It was a big hit with us. I used frozen peaches from the summer but canned work (or wait for fresh in the summer).

Shortbread Crust:
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup unbleached cane sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon non-aluminum baking powder
1/2 cup corn oil or canola oil

Peach Filling:
9 peach halves (peeled fresh, or canned peach halves, drained)
2 Tablespoons unbleached cane sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Cream Topping:
1 cup Sour Cream
2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2) For the crust, place the flour, 1/4 cup sugar, salt, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl, and stir them together.Cut the oil into the flour mixture using a pastry blender or fork until the mixture is crumbly.Pat an even layer of this mixture over the bottom and halfway up the sides of an 8-inch x 8-inch x 2-inch glass baking dish.

3) Place the peach halves in three rows of three, cut side down, over the pastry.Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle this mixture over the peaches.

4) Place the kuchen in the oven on the center rack, and bake it for 15 minutes.

5) meanwhile, place the Tofu Sour Cream, maple syrup, and turmeric in a small mixing bowl, and stir them together until they are well combined.After the kuchen has baked for 15 minutes, remove it from the oven, and spoon this mixture evenly over the top of the peaches.Return the kuchen to the oven to continue baking for 30 minutes longer.Serve warm or cold.

All grown up

2009-01-02T20:24:00.000-08:00

Talking with our real estate agent this morning she said, "Now that you are a doctor and own a home, you are officially grown up." All of the hoops have been appropriately jumped, papers signed, money paid, and we are now home owners. We walked into all of the rooms (without any of the staging furniture) and saw the house empty for the first time, imagining decorating yet again. Have we been thinking of anything else for the last few weeks? We got even more domestic going to JC Penny's and bought linens, blankets, and towels. Egad. Daunting, scary but certainly exciting. It is going to be hard to stay in the apartment for much longer. My parents are going to come up and help us move in a few weeks.

We'll see how long the real estate agents keep the sold sign stays outside of the house. I had to get a picture of this to document the momentous occasion.

Precocious but extremely cute

2008-12-20T08:01:00.000-08:00

I heard this story on Weekend Edition today. Scott Simon inteviewed 7-year-old Ethan Bortnick about his life as a child piano prodigy and his desire to be a zoo keeper. I'm sure I laughed out loud at least a few times. It is worth a listen.

The voice I don't want to hear at 3am in the middle of a snowstorm

2008-12-18T09:40:00.000-08:00

is that of one of the nurse midwives, telling me that there is to be a stat c-section in the next few minutes.

To paint the picture for you ... It has been snowing for the last 10 hours, adding to snow and ice already on the road. My car decided that it didn't want to start again the previous morning and was boarding at the mechanic. Miguel's car is so special that no one makes chains to fit the tires. So, that means one car between us with no traction device and I need to get to the hospital now. Add to this when we get out to the car, I come to find out that Miguel doesn't even have a window scraper. Luckily my woolen mittens do a fine job of getting rid of the ice and snow; we make it down the hill without difficulty; the baby comes out beautifully and doesn't need any intervention; we make it back home without slip-sliding away. Thank goodness the baby was okay since the helicopter couldn't fly in this weather if the baby were to need to go to Seattle and the ALS (advanced life support) ambulance was out tending to someone else.

In love

2008-12-15T19:39:00.000-08:00

I have to admit that Miguel has to share my heart with NPR. We have talked about writing a love letter to Scott Simon. I do not know a better voice than his to wake up to on Saturday mornings. I must admit that I haven't always like NPR. My dad drove me to school for a few years in high school since I had an "early bird" class, and we always listened to Morning Edition. I guess I wasn't cultered enough at that time in order to appreciate it. In my senior year of college, the Bellingham signal was poor at the Pink House and I didn't want to listen to the jazz on KPLU. (I guess I'm still not cultured enough to appreciate jazz.) KWMU in St Louis was the first station of which I became a member. I listened to NPR all of the time when I wasn't studying medicine - while cooking, eating, playing with the cat, etc. To partially make up for not having Thistle and Shamrock in St Louis, this station introduced me to the program To The Best of Our Knowledge which is this wonderful show dedicated to theme per hour. Here is the description from the website.

"TTBOOK began as an audio magazine of ideas - two hours of smart, entertaining radio for people with curious minds. It's sort of journalistic (because some of us are, or used to be, journalists), but it's never about the President's speech to the U.N., weapons inspections in Iraq, or yesterday's stock market disaster. It's the kind of show that would spend an hour on the future of capitalism, or on the roots of Islamic fundamentalism. It might also spend an hour on hair. Or salt. Or pirates, road trips, psychic phenomena, house cleaning, animal intelligence, high energy physics, or how to say you're sorry. (You'll find all those shows in our archives.) It's the kind of show where someone might mention Charlotte Bronte or Anthony Trollope in one segment, U2 or They Might Be Giants in another."

My favorite NPR station has to be KOPB in Portland. If I though I listened to radio a lot in St Louis, I listened even more in Portland. I got to listen to Thistle and Shamrock again, but alas, no TTBOOK.

Now that I'm in Port Angeles, I restrospecively appreciate KOPB even more. We have access to the "classical music" station affiliated with WSU and while it has some of the good care NPR stations, we have to resort to listening to our favorite programs online.

I can't imagine not having NPR around and getting news solely from the local newspaper. My dad finds it somewhat appalling that the radio is my only source of news. He thinks it is biased as a result. Sure, NPR is a little liberal leaning but my biased view is that it is fairly unbiased.

Snow and the kindness of strangers

2008-12-14T09:25:00.000-08:00

Here are a few images of the views upon waking this morning.

And thanks to the person who towed Miguel out of the ditch around midnight. He was in Seattle to celebrate his brother's birthday by watching a WSU men's basketball game. It started to snow in the early evening and so there was quite a bit of snow on the road in places. He went off the road at one point. The guy following him saw him spin-out trying to get out of the ditch and was able to pull him out with the truck he was driving.

Just a coincidence?

2008-12-03T09:45:00.000-08:00

What is it about taking your car to the mechanic or children to the doctor that makes them not act up or appear sick, respectively?

My car has been fickle the last few weeks, not always wanting to start very easily or not at all in 1 instance. I had it towed recently which resulted in a tune up and an oil change but not a fix of the problem. It started for them without difficulty. I just took the car in to a different mechanic in town this morning. It also started great and didn't have a jerky idle like it did yesterday. Just threaten the car with a trip to the mechanic and it behaves.

Likewise with kids. I have no idea the frequency of parents bringing kids to the clinic and them looking completely well. The parents say something to the effect of, "I swear she was on her death bed not 5 minutes ago." Threaten them with a trip to the doctor and the illness magically leaves, at least for a few minutes.

Any other examples of this?

Cherry hill house

2008-11-30T09:16:00.000-08:00

The past month or so has been full of house looking. This has included many discussions about what we want in a house. How many bedrooms? How much square footage? How big (or small) of a yard can we handle? Live in town or out of town? We went galavanting with our real estate agent from one side of PA to the other in search of the perfect, elusive house. When I'm on call for the clinic, the hospital dictates that I have to be within 20 minutes. So, that puts a bit of a contraint on how far out we can live. So, after looking at a bunch of house, none of which were truly "in town." B, our real estate agent, said, "You guys seem to like to walk everywhere, yet we aren't looking at any houses in town. What's up with that?" Which, lead us to look at some houses in town. We narrowed the search down to 2 houses, one in town, not to far from our current apartment, and one decidedly out of town, about 15 minutes away from the hospital. We seem to have come to the conclusion that living in town is the best for us, especially given how much I enjoy walking or biking to work. And, on weekends I'm on call, I'd be gone the entirety of each day since it would take too long to come home and then possibly be called in again a short time later.

Adding to the confusion of this, the house that we chose on Cherry street has given me a literal headache a few times that we've been inside of it. It is a brand new house and is likely due to the off-gasing of the carpets. If I had every choice in the world, we would buy (or build) a green-built house so that off-gasing of new products would be less of, or not, an issue. Unfortunately there aren't any green houses on the market that we like. After the house has been aired out some, the smell and headache seem less of an issue. After gathering a little more data about cost of blinds and those sorts of things, we are liking going to make an offer soon. Below are a few pictures of the front and the kitchen.

Thanksgiving

2008-11-30T08:58:00.000-08:00

Since I moved away from home, I'm not sure if I've had a "typical" Thanksgiving day. Growing up we often had the whole Rose family down for dinner. Even if Mom did get a little stressed out, I enjoyed cooking and seeing my extended family. The last several years have included a few Thanksgiving's by myself, a few with friends, and a few with my extended family at my grandfather's retirement home.

This year was the first time Miguel and I have been together for a family-oriented family. He was headed to spend a few days with his family in Eastern WA but felt a little guilty about leaving me for Thanksgiving and Christmas (I have to work the days around both holidays) and had basketball practice Friday and Saturday. This would have made for a very quick trip.

We could have decided to spend the day alone together. A few people from the clinic offered for us to spend some time with them. So, in the morning we accompanied about 15 other people on a 7+ mile hike up to Lake Angeles. We had been on the hike a little ways but not all of the way to the lake. The lake is about 2100 feet elevation gain from the trail head. I didn't bring my camera but imagine a lake partially frozen over ringed by snow-topped cliffs. It was fairly warm while hiking but was frigid up at the lake and was even snowing a bit. It was beautiful. My gluteus muscles have been complaining the last few days though. In the evening we went over to another's house for dinner. Quite a good dinner but it felt a bit chaotic and was mainly with people we don't know.

I'm grateful for the invitiations and some time spent getting to know some people in the community, but it was a bit of a hard day. It'll be good when Miguel and I have our own holiday traditions, or I have the time off to go with him to his family or to mine.

Consider these recipes

2008-11-26T08:17:00.000-08:00

I really had planned on writing more consitently now that I started a new blog. I guess I haven't been as diligent since it has been 3 weeks since my last post. I've had thoughts of things to write about but haven't felt like writing. This post isn't anything of personal substance but is full of good food. The following dishes were met with much acclaim when presented at dinner.

Butternut Squash and Apple Bisque (from Relish, newpaper magazine insert)

2 Tbs olive oil (or butter if you'd prefer)
1/3 C shallots (or leeks or other onions)
3 C chopped tart apple, such as Braeburn
3 C peeled and diced butternut squash
1 C peeled and chopped yam (the recipe called for a russet potato but I like how it worked with the yam)
1/3 C dry sherry
3 C low-sodium vegetable broth
1 C orange juice
1 Tbs honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1 1/2 Tbs curry powder
Coarsely ground black pepper
1 1/4 C milk (soy, dairy, half-and-half)

1. Warm oil in medium saucepan. Add onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add apples; cook until they just begin to soften, about 5 minutes
2. Add butternut squash, yam, sherry and broth. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer until potatoes and squash are tender, about 30 minutes.
3. Add OJ, honey, salt, nutmeg, curry powder, and pepper. Cool slightly. Transfer to blender or food processor and puree. Return soup to saucepan and add milk. Heat thoroughly over low heat. Do not boil. Serve and enjoy.

Gingerbread Apple (or pear) Pie (from Vegan with a Vengeance) - I had pears to use and really like pear with gingerbread. I haven't made it with apples but the pear version is outstanding.

For the crust:
1 1/2 C all-purpose unbleached flour
1/2 C brown sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 C oil
1 Tbs molasses
2 Tbs cold water

For the filling:
2 pounds apples or pears, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1/2 C brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground ginger
Pinch ground cloves
1/4 cup pure maple syrup (or molasses)
2 tsp arrowroot powder or tapioca starch

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Make the crust: Stir together flour, sugar, spices, salt, and baking powder. Add oil and cut in with pastry cutter, knife or fingers. Drizzle molasses and water over dough, mixing with fingertips until crumbs of dough begin to cling together. Set aside 1/2 C of dough. Gather together the rest of the dough and kneed into a ball. Press it evenly into bottom and sides of a pie pan and bake for 10 minutes.
3. Make the filling: While the crust bakes, combine in a mixing bowl all fo the filling ingredients except the arrowroot powder. Sprinkel the arrowroot over the apple/pear mixture and mix until the starch is dissolved.
4. Assemble the pie: Fill the pie crust with fruit mixture and crumble the remaining 1/2 C of dough over the filling. Cover with foil and bake for 20 more minutes. Remove the foil and bake 30 minutes more. The filling should be bubbling and the apples should be tender. Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!

the lowly stick is lowly no more

2008-11-07T12:49:00.000-08:00

I read in the paper this morning that the stick has been inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame at the Strong National Museum in Rochester, NY. The AP article stated that "they praised its all-purpose, all-natural, no-cost qualities." Previous inductees have included the cardboard box.

woo hoo!

2008-11-04T20:40:00.001-08:00

an obama presidency!!

A little Halloween humor

2008-11-01T12:37:00.000-07:00

A cabbie picks up a Nun.
She gets into the cab, and notices that the VERY handsome cab driver won't stop staring at her.
She asks him why he is staring.
He replies: 'I have a question to ask you but I don't want to offend you.'
She answers, 'My son, you cannot offend me. When you're as old as I am and have been a nun as long as I have, you get a chance to see and hear just about everything. I'm sure that there's nothing you could say or ask that I would find offensive.'
'Well, I've always had a fantasy to have a nun kiss me.'
She responds, 'Well, let's see what we can do about that: #1, you haveto be single and #2, you must be Catholic.'
The cab driver is very excited and says, 'Yes, I'm single and Catholic!'
'OK' the nun says. 'Pull into the next alley.'The nun fulfills his fantasy, with a kiss that would make a hooker blush.
But when they get back on the road, the cab driver starts crying.
'My dear child,' says the nun, 'why are you crying?'
'Forgive me but I've sinned. I lied and I must confess, I'm married and I'm Jewish.'
The nun says, 'That's OK. My name is Kevin and I'm going to a Halloween party.'

Does it really take 2 months to grade scantron forms??

2008-10-28T20:58:00.000-07:00

As my life thus far as a professional student, I have taken my fare share of multiple choice tests and would say that I am a decent test-taker. Yesterday consisted of 7 fun hours with #2 pencils answering question after question about children with fevers and other odd presenting symptoms that made no sense. This is otherwise known as the pediatric boards. I had done quite well on similar sort of tests of 200 questions at the beginning of each year of residency, all of which predicted that I would pass the boards (but didn't count for a hill of beans ...). As a result, my residency program director told me not to spend too much time studying. I'm glad that I didn't listen to him. The test was hard. However, I'm not sure more studying would necessarily have done any good. Some things you know and others you wouldn't regardless of what you study - minutiae that you never see in practice. So, I'll be waiting until mid-January to find out my score. They must have to do a lot of statistical analysis because 2.5 months to grade scantron forms seems a bit ridiculous.

Can we say addicted?

2008-10-21T21:08:00.001-07:00

Miguel and I play at least a few games every night of wordsplay (online boggle) as a team. Our best placement together is 6th or 7th but separately we typically get about 50th. I don't always agree with the dictionary choices of words - like "tuesday" wasn't an okay word, but it is a great activity as a break from practically anything else. If you haven't played before, enter the site with caution ...

la luna

2008-10-14T20:36:00.000-07:00

What is it about the moon? When I lived in St Louis, I'd be out in the early morning a lot running and would have a good sense of the phase of the moon at any particular time. Somehow, I lost track of this living in Portland. Is it that it is cloudier more in PDX than St Louis? Was I spending more time in doors during residency? Was I too busy with other things to notice all of the time? I dunno. I've started to be more observant of the moon again. It makes me happy to look up and see the little crescent just setting, the faint half-moon in the middle of the day, or the full moon just rising, as I saw tonight leaving the clinic.

Maybe it is being a woman, but I feel more grounded when I know the current phase of the moon.

Enjoy the full moon tonight.

Black Bean Chili

2008-10-10T11:01:00.000-07:00

As I'm sitting here in front of the computer eating lunch, I was wondering if others would like the recipe for the chili I'm eating. It is one of Miguel's and my favorite recipes. (It might appear hot looking at the recipe, but it is surprisingly not.) This recipe is from the Three Bowl Cookbook: The Secrets of Enlighted Cooking from the Zen Mountain Center.

6 cups black beans
3 Tbs olive oil
2 large onsions, peeled and diced
5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
7 jalapeno peoppers, seeded and chopped
2 Tbs chili powder
1 bay leaf
2 tsp brown sugar
2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted
28 oz can whole tomatoes
1 Tbs chopped fresh oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
3/4 C grataed strong Cheddar (optional of course)
1 bunch chopped fresh cilantro to garnish

1) Heat olive oil in heavy-based skillet. Add onion and garlic. Saute until they are softened and slightly browned.

2) Add jalapeno peppers, chili powder, bay leaf, and sugar.

3) Toast cumin seeds in small pan (don't allow to burn, no oil needed) then add to skillet along with canned tomatoes.

4) Once tomatoes have softened, mash them in skillet with potato masher or wooden spoon.

5) Add beans and oregano. Add water is mixture looks dry and continue to simmer until beans are heated through. Remove bay leaf.

6) Before serving, blend about 2 cups of the chili in food processor and return to skillet.

7) Season with salt and pepper to taste.

8) Top with cheese and cilantro if desire.

9) Enjoy! Serves 6.

Gathering wild food and cooking together

2008-10-09T20:11:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago on my day off, I went wild fruit gathering, which, I would have to say, is one of my favorite activities. I'm always on the lookout for edibles when out walking. So, this day I picked some red plums, blackberries and apples. I've made multiple batches of applesause this fall already. Here are some pictures of the produce and finished products.

And Miguel and I cooked pizza for dinner recently, with this as the result. (Notice scant cheese on only half ... guess whose half was which.)

And a view of spices before being added to a dish.

why a new blog

2008-10-09T18:56:00.000-07:00

I had to change my email address upon leaving residency, and blogger wasn't being very cooperative with letting me just transfer my gmail email address as the sign-in for my old blog. So, this is my new blog with a new name and everything. My goal is to be more diligent in writing as well now that I kind of have a fresh start.

The name is perhaps obvious, but here are my reasons for using this name: 1) my last name 2) liking wild roses, probably because the smell of them reminds me of Port Townsend - when I was in St Louis, they had wild roses that, at best, didn't smell, and, at worst, smelled bad, so I'm happy to be around wild roses again. The picture is from a plant I walk by on my way to work every morning and is the inspiration for the blog name.

Shaking a senator's hand

2008-10-09T18:22:00.000-07:00

Senator Patty Murray has been in Clallam County this week and visited the children's clinic and the hospital today. She is looking to put through an earmark (I've discovered these are not necessarily bad) in order to help the hospital purchase an electronic medical record system. So, she walked through the clinic this morning and stood in the clinic, listening to one of my fellow pediatricians and those high-ups from the hospital talking about why we need an EMR. This need was high-lighted by the chart of one of our complicated patients whose chart encompasses 3 large binders.

We were all a little giddy to have a senator in the clinic ...