28/ Recipe

The whine is that I forgot to include this in our food month. It was Lizzie's #1 requested food during her visit. And it's my original recipe--first time sharing it! But don't feel obligated to try it (seriously). If you do, I hope you like it. And you can use tofu instead of chicken.

Susan's Original All-in-One Baked Asian Chicken

2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup Japanese (Kikkoman) soy sauce

1/3 cup smooth natural peanut butter

1 tsp. curry powder 

2 cloves garlic, pressed

1-1/2 tsp. Asian hot chili sauce

Four skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Combine all ingredients except chicken and mix well.  Immerse chicken in sauce.  Not necessary to marinate.  Simply coat chicken well with sauce and place in roasting pan.  You may crowd the chicken.  Spoon remaining sauce over the chicken and bake at 400º (one level above middle rack) until cooked though…45-60 minutes.  Serve whole as entrée or cubed as appetizer.

27/ Shoes

Sierra Trading Post is my favorite place to buy shoes online. I don't buy them often, and they're always off-season clearance items. I've had mostly good results. But (you knew there would be a but) the last pair I bought—months ago—are too narrow. They're a 9M, but they fit like a 9N. Wedge-heel sandals with one gold strap and one tan in a snakeskin pattern, they're so pretty (although you might not have guessed that from my description, so here's a photo!) and otherwise so comfortable that I couldn't bear to send them back. I convinced myself that they weren't as narrow as they seemed, and they might very well fit me when summer came. I was wrong.

26/ Betrayed by a Cat

My son and DIL  have two cats, Oscar and Emmy—brother and sister. I've known them since they were kittens, which must be about 8 years now. Emmy in particular is laid back, infinitely patient with the little boys. I've had multiple cats of my own for decades and are always attentive to these two when I babysit. I never had an issue with them. Until this month.

I fed them for five days a few weeks ago when their family was away. For the first four days, Emmy hissed at me—something she'd never done before (with anyone, as far as I know). On the fifth day she attacked my lower leg. I was wearing boots—grateful for them!—and she didn't connect with my skin.

This weekend I'm back on cat-feeding duty. When I arrived there this morning Emmy was lying on her back. She let me pet her, and even let me lightly scratch her tummy. Her ears didn't go back, and everything seemed back to normal. But as I got out the cat food, without any preliminary hissing she attacked—above my boot this time. It hurt!

A little while later, as I was finishing up, she did it again.  I checked my leg when I got home, and I was bleeding in four places. Major sting when I cleaned up the scratches. But my feelings are hurt most of all.

25/ Nosebleeds

I can't remember the last time I blew my nose, even gently. It would be guaranteed to trigger a nosebleed. I get them often, and the ENT doctor couldn't find the weak spot responsible. Occasionally I get one that's hard to stop, but usually they're not a big deal. Just annoying, and especially so when I wake up with one. Like this morning.

24/ Just Call Me Chicken Little

Trump isn't a temporary blip. Even if he lasts "only" four years in the White House, all those young Federal judges he appointed will have their jobs for life, and people like the thoroughly scary Stephen Miller aren't going away. He may well find lots of people ready to vote for him in any capacity, especially now that white supremacists and other haters have gotten a thumbs-up from those in power. In 2016 millions of Americans voted for a con man—a charletan. An ill-informed, ego-driven, perpetually lying, mentally unstable TV personality. The presidential mold has been broken, and I don't see a way to put it back together again.

I recently talked with a friend who said he has distanced himself from the news. He used to be a news hound, but now he steers clear of it because there's nothing he can do about it. Instead, he pays attention to his family, his work, and his community—things he can impact. I understand why he made this decision, and I'm well aware of the effect the current White House has had on my health. But I'm afraid that the action he has taken is likely what many in Germany must have done in the 1930s—before the sky fell.

23/ Heat

Eighty-seven degrees today, and climbing to 95º on Sunday. This afternoon I was out in the sun, long pants tucked into rubber boots, feeding the chickens, changing their water, and moving the "broodies" off everyone's eggs: five under one, nine under the other. One was unreachable to lift, so I had to use a hoe to gently pull her off. Sweaty work.

Since I whined so much about the unseasonably chilly spring, I thought it only fair to whine about the heat.

22/ The Obligatory Whine

I had my hair cut this week . . .

21/ Time Flies

I had a lovely time visiting with my granddaughter, Liz, who is up from Florida this week. We played rummy and Scrabble yesterday, and I made her food requests for dinner. Then my son and his family came over for chocolate egg creams, after which Liz and I watched a movie ("The Disaster Artist"). This morning I made another food request for breakfast, and then we drove to town. Hit the library first (she helped me pick out books to buy for our favorite 4- and 6-year-olds), then Salvation Army (she found a cute rain jacket), and then her favorite European-style restaurant for lunch. The whine: It all went by so quickly.

20/ Since you insist . . .

It doesn't seem right to whine when your granddaughter, so loving and beautiful and so much fun, who lives in Florida, is spending a couple of days with me. But since you insist, I'll tell you that when I stepped outside on this gorgeous morning I discovered deer had eaten all my hostas. Worse, it was my own fault for not being conscientious about spraying Liquid Fence.

19/ Sleep

I feel strongly that we (or at least I) need sufficient sleep to stay healthy. Sleep is when we heal. But I suspect I didn't do much healing last night. I had trouble falling asleep, and when I did, it was well past 1:00 a.m. Then I awoke at 5:20 and couldn't get back to sleep. So I got up. I can tell right now, at 8:15, that I could easily fall back to sleep any time this morning. But my granddaughter and I have plans between now and about 2:00 p.m., which will get me home no earlier than 2:30. I see more coffee than usual in my future.

18/ Insect/Arachnid Care

This time of year before I tend to the cats in the morning I have to tend to smaller creatures: Save fireflies that got into the house and need to get out. Remove various moths from various walls and windows. Check sinks for spiders large and small. Check cat beds for ticks (none so far—yay!), but do not save.