See You Again Next Year

Thanks to warm temperatures recently, some of the plants in our yard are putting on another color show. The clematis vine (right) has bloomed several times already this season. But we thought the rose bush that produced the speciman above was done for the year. Instead, it put on one more bloom. The zinnias, like the yellow one above, have been blooming for quite a while now. Very cool night time temperatures are predicted this week, though, so I imagine we'll see the last of these flowers soon...until they visit again in 2008.

Halloween Costume, Chili Recipe, and Crustless Pumpkin Pie Recipe

My husband spared no expense in designing his Halloween costume this year. A few puffs of breath and he is instantly transformed into a "leaf blower."

Since we live a few miles outside of town, Halloween around our house is pretty quiet. It has been several years since trick-or-treaters have knocked on our door, partly because the kids who live near us are now too old to trick-or-treat, and partly because the businesses downtown, and various churches, hold events for the kids.

Our concession to Halloween is brewing up a pot of chili, and baking a crustless pumpkin pie for dessert. Here are the recipes, both of which are diet-friendly:

Chili

1 lb. 96% fat free ground beef
1 package of onion soup mix
2 cans of Mexican style tomatoes and juice
2 cans of ranch style pinto beans
1 (1 lb., 10 oz.) bottle of spaghetti sauce - traditional, garden combination, or your favorite
3 tablespoons of chili powder
1 to 2 teaspoons of cumin
1 teaspoon of Mexican seasoning (optional)
1 teaspoon paprika
1 and 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (in a jar)
Pepper to taste

In large pan (we use a dutch oven) sprayed with cooking spray, saute' ground beef and minced garlic until all the pink disappears from the meat. Add remaining ingredients and simmer about one hour.

Crustless Pumpkin Pie

1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin, or 1 and 3/4 cups of cooked, fresh pumpkin
1 (12 oz.) can of fat free evaporated milk
1 cup of Splenda sweetener
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup egg substitute

Mix ingredients together thoroughly and pour into a 9-inch glass pie dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes, or until a knive inserted in the center of the pie comes out clean.

A Colonoscopy? Yikes!!

For several years, my doctor has urged me to submit to a colonoscopy screening, but the very idea made my toes curl. My husband has had it done twice now, both routine, and both revealing no problems. My son and daughter-in-law have had it done, as has my stepdaughter...no problems with any of them. But I am a coward and preferred to put it off as long as possible.

Now, I'm pretty diligent about taking care of my health. I eat right, and exercise, have annual physical exams that include Pap smears, mammograms, bone density tests, and so on. I submit willingly to blood work and immunization shots. But I absolutely cringed at the thought of a colonoscopy.

This year, though, I decided I should get it over with. So all last week, I followed a low-residue diet that shunned popcorn (which I dearly love), as well as corn, seeds, and nuts. I don't like being hungry, so I dreaded liquid-diet Sunday, the day before the procedure.

I stayed in bed until around 9 a.m. that morning, and then watched DVD's most of the day, so I wouldn't have to expend much energy. I found that the fruit juices I drank satisfied my hunger.

At 3 p.m., the fun began. I took the prescribed four laxative tablets. And at 5 p.m., I mixed a prescribed laxative powder into blueberry Gatorade, and started drinking it. The whole idea is to clean the colon, and boy howdy, did it ever!

I could have no liquids after midnight, but I wasn't hungry or thirsty anyway. At 7 a.m. Monday, I was at the clinic, where I was prepped for the procedure. I was nervous, despite being told that the Sunday prep was the worst of it.

It's true, the Sunday prep was the worst of it - and that wasn't horrible. Once I was given the medication to make me sleep, I was aware of nothing until I got back home again (the medication produces amnesia...several hours of it for me).

I'm pretty sure the procedure was more of a trial for my husband and mother than it was for me, because the amnesiac state caused me to repeat questions endlessly, sort of like a brief attack of Alzheimer's Disease. It's a wonder my husband's eyes didn't roll permanently up into his head.

By the way, I got the all-clear from the doctor who performed the procedure. And next time, I won't be such a coward.

Kermit the Frog, and Others

Last Saturday, we traveled to our state's capital city to see an exhibit of the world of Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets of Sesame Street. I was disappointed that Big Bird wasn't there, but other Muppets and Fraggle Rock characters were on display.

Of special interest was the original Kermit the Frog puppet, fashioned by Henson from his mother's discarded green spring coat. Bert and Ernie were there, too. The exhibit also included scripts, storyboards, photographs, television and movie props, and sketches and doodles, as well as TV excerpts of comic commercials and experimental films created by Henson in his early career.

Henson was a fantastically talented artist, who died suddenly and too young in 1990. But his work and legacy continues to fascinate, entertain, and appeal to the child in all of us. Two and a half hours at the exhibit flew by like minutes.

Or as Kermit would say, "Time's fun when you're having flies."

What's For Supper?

We wanted to go out to eat tonight, but my husband, my mother, and I had trouble deciding which restaurant to patronize.

"Chinese?" I suggested, but 85-year-old Mom said no, because she's not a fan of seafood, or spicy foods, so it's a problem for her to find much to satisfy her at a Chinese restaurant.

"Mexican?" No, food's too hot.

"Italian?" We just had Italian last Friday.

"Okay, then where would you like to go, Mother?"

"You choose," she said, "I'll eat anything. I'm not picky."

So we ended up at Catfish Wharf.