April round up: Scotch eggs, neighborhood mischief, and surgery

The end of April has certainly been eventful around here!

Easter, besides being very late this year, was extremely wet. The trip to the park I had hoped to have was out of the question. I still cooked a big meal, ham and fresh new potatoes, green beans, and strawberries for dessert. And I finally made (and got to taste) Scotch eggs. Somehow I didn't expect them to be as big as they were:

Scotch eggs!

The verdict? I thought they were very tasty. My husband loved them, and finished them off one by one over the next few days. I used a super-mild sausage, and next time will try a spicier one. (I thought they were just a tad bland). They're too much trouble to make very often, and it's really just as well. It's not exactly health food. I only ate one, because I've been having stomach issues for months now and a big chunk of meat and egg like that could really cause me some pain (more about that later).

Easter would have been a fun, cozy day spent at home with good food and movies--except we had and incident in the neighborhood that soured the rest of the afternoon. A sweet lady that lives across the street from us had her house broken into while she was at church Easter morning. Someone kicked open her door, ransacked her house, and stole some valuables. This occurred in broad daylight! If we (or any of the other close neighbors) had happened to look out of a window at the right time, we would have seen it happening. It makes me so angry. The lady is a widow and lives alone, and she's now afraid to stay in her house. She's been staying with one of her adult daughters since it happened, and I don't really blame her. Seeing her house swarming with police cars, and then finding out what had happened, was a real downer on a holiday morning. I surely hope it was only an isolated incident.

Back to the stomach pain I mentioned earlier. In March I had an upper GI endoscopy which revealed a hiatal hernia and acid reflux. I also had an ultrasound of my gallbladder. The ultrasound revealed lots of gallstones and apparently that's responsible for the intense pain I would have from time to time. Both the ultrasound technician and the surgeon noted that I have extreme tenderness on my right side directly under my ribcage. This indicated some inflammation of the gallbladder, due to the stones inside.

So, lucky me. I have to have my gallbladder removed on May 14th. This will be the first surgery of my life, and while I'm not scared, I dread the inconvenience of it all. Not to mention the added medical expenses. But there's one silver lining to the cloud: my work will pay me short-term disability while I'm out, and the surgeon says that even though it will the easier form of the surgery, that he prefers that I stay out of work for 3 to 4 weeks. So I will get a bit of a vacation from work, without having to use up vacation or sick hours.

That's it for April!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to all of my blog friends out there! I hope everyone is enjoying the arrival of spring and all the wonderful things that go along with it.

I'll be cooking a big meal tomorrow, even though it's just the two of us. Hams were on sale at the grocery store this week, so I'm cooking a small one. It's going to have the Coca-Cola/brown sugar glaze I used on the Christmas ham. I'll also be cooking fresh little red new potatoes and green beans purchased at the market yesterday, and there will be deviled eggs, as always. (It's not Easter without deviled eggs). Speaking of eggs....

I'm finally going to attempt to make Scotch Eggs! Are you reading this, John Gray?! I've never had one, and no one around here has ever heard of them, so I had to find a recipe online. I'm quite excited to see how they turn out. Photos and a recipe review will be forthcoming early next week!

To finish off our holiday meal, I picked up some of the first local strawberries and a coconut cake from the bakery down the road. Perfect festive spring desserts!

The best part of Easter, for me, will be spending time with my husband. Our days off don't align very often, and it's going to be nice to spend the holiday hanging out together.

Wishing everyone a joyous day!

Still around!

I quick hi and an update before I dash off to work this afternoon.

I interviewed for the job I mentioned in my last post, and although the interview went well and I was offered the job, I turned it down.

The funding for my potential salary would come from a grant that must be renewed every third year. It has one year left before it must be renewed again, and the last time they cut the salary and hours some, so who knows if--and for how much money--it would be renewed next time. I'm looking for a more stable situation than that.

Another reason I declined the offer was my potential new boss. She gave the interview, and I saw right away there would be problems. She kept fishing to find out what church I might attend, for one thing. That made me extremely uncomfortable. After the second "hint" I dodged, she admitted religion is a personal topic, but said that I could "recruit volunteers from among your church family" so that's why she was bringing it up. Sheesh.  Surely she knows that it's illegal to ask questions about religious affiliations in a job interview...but we're overrun with evangelical Baptists around here and there would be no consequences for her if anyone were offended enough to report it. I'm used to this sort of thing, sadly. Another thing-- Ms. Church Lady Executive Director kept receiving (and sending!) text messages during the interview! Unbelievable.

So the job search is back on. I'm disappointed, but imagine I will have to sit through a few more interviews before the right job appears.

Meanwhile, the whole world outside my window is exploding with soft Easter-egg colors. A thousand shades of green, as well as purple, pink, yellow, white mark the arrival of full-on, wonderful spring. I'm enjoying every minute of being outdoors right now!

Yes!!! A bit of luck!

I'm so excited folks.....after months of looking for a job, I finally have an interview this week!

This is the first "bite" I've gotten, and it's for a job that I would dearly love to get.

It's for a position as Director of Volunteer Services with our county branch of the Senior Citizens Association. I would be in charge of recruiting, placing, and scheduling elderly/retired folks in volunteer positions around the county that match their skills and interests. Some of the agencies that accept volunteers from the SCA are hospitals, the literacy council, the domestic violence/child abuse coalition, the humane society, and there are many, many more. I would also get the opportunity to write grants for new programs for the SCA.  I would finally be using my degree in Human Services, and making a real difference in the lives of people in need as well as in the quality of life of our area seniors. It sounds wonderful, and I think I would be very, very happy with it.

Although I've barely used my degree since falling in to retail management over the last several years, I've kept a toe in the field by doing volunteer work. The thought of finally getting a paid job in the helping field thrills me. And best of all, it's a Monday through Friday, 9-5, salaried position. It would mean no more weekend, night, and holiday work, and no more being forced to sell things for a living. And never having to see my current (hateful) co-workers again? That's would be the icing on the cake!

My interview is at 3pm on Thursday. Please, everyone, wish me luck! I'll take any and all good thoughts, wishes, prayers, etc!

Just what the doctor ordered!

I just finished up my short (5 day) vacation, and I feel about so much better! Apparently the stress in my life has been weighing on me more heavily than I knew. A week away from work, the job search, and social media has made an amazing difference in my mood and outlook. I can't believe how much more relaxed and happy I am!

My birthday was Sunday, so I spent my days off doing whatever I wanted. There were several meals eaten out, including lunch (and margaritas) with a friend at a new Mexican restaurant, and lunch at a new seafood restaurant with my mom and dad. The seafood place is a real find: it was initially a small market where fishermen from the coast sold fresh seafood. The market was thriving, so much so that just last month a couple of the guys opened the restaurant. It's been a smashing success, on a very modest budget, and has gotten great reviews from locals on social media. It's just down the street from my house, too. I love seafood, so I was excited to try it out. Plus, the menu includes one of my all-time favorite dishes:

Shrimp and grits. It was delicious.

 I also had lots of good food at home during my vacation. Grilled salmon and steaks, early strawberries, and an Italian Cream cake. Yes, eating was definitely one of the best parts of my time off!

Another great thing about being at home was spending a whole lot of time with Ginger and George. I bought some new dog toys Saturday afternoon, which George in particular loves. I've never seen a dog appreciate new toys as much as him. Ginger has always been somewhat indifferent to toys.

George seemed to thrive on all the extra attention he got in the last week. I spent over half my time playing with the dogs, taking them for walks, and working on simple commands with George. He's gotten somewhat calmer, more affectionate, and seems to be trying harder to learn what we want of him. He's such a handsome, lovable guy, and he's forever doing funny things.

All in all, it was a very nice break. Just what I needed!

Spring happiness

Spring equinox has arrived! It's been a long, cold, dreary winter and I'll be glad to see the last of it.
March has been so chilly and overcast this year that everything is blooming and budding on a slightly delayed schedule.

Daffodils are still going strong, and the ornamental pear trees that line our street seem to be holding on to their blossoms longer than usual. It's nice when spring takes it's time arriving.

The lengthening days make me happy. I love the new young grass, the flowering trees, and the smell outside after it rains. The wild birds are getting the nesting season underway in earnest these days. There are new sparrow babies in the old birdhouse outside our kitchen window.




Goldfinches only stop here briefly in the early
 spring. They like to spend their summers further north.

My birthday is Sunday, and I'm giving myself the best gift ever: I'm taking almost a week off work! Five whole days, to do whatever I want and to enjoy myself. The plan is to take a little break from the Internet during this vacation, to avoid wasting any of the precious hours. I want to hang out with the dogs, and spend time outside enjoying the beautiful weather, and maybe work on some craft projects I haven't had time for recently. It's going to be great!

I'll be catching back up with everyone at the end of the month. In the meantime, I hope you all are enjoying the arrival of spring and having a happy month of March!

Well at least I know I'm not crazy

My endoscopy was this morning and the procedure was easy as pie. The only painful part was getting stuck about a dozen times (by two different nurses) when they had to start an IV. My veins have never been cooperative when getting pierced by needles. Thankfully I'm resigned to the fact that getting blood drawn or IVs started will mean several failed attempts almost every time. I felt sorry for the nurses though. They were getting visibly stressed after a few failed attempts. When they finally got the line started I think they were more relieved than I was!

So the verdict: I have a hiatal hernia and "significant" acid reflux. I also have to go back tomorrow for a gallbladder ultrasound. The doctor thinks I may have some issues there as well.

At least I know now that all of the pain I've had in the last few months wasn't all in my head. The last few tests and exams had not resulted in any answers, so I was beginning to der. Maybe now I will have not just answers, but also some relief.

Procedure in the morning

Tomorrow morning I go in to the hospital to have an upper GI endoscopy. I'm surprised at how nervous I am about it. Until today I didn't think of it as any big deal. It's only an outpatient procedure, and maybe I will finally find out what's been causing my constant stomach aches. But the thought of being put to sleep frightens me. At least it will be a short procedure and I should be awake and back home by mid morning.

Time to turn in and try to get some sleep. I have to be at the hospital at 6:30am. Wish me luck.