Today’s post is both short and late. I was up all night with a sick kid, then spent all morning at the pediatrician’s office and at the hospital for lab work. I am struck sometimes by how blessed we are. Excellent health care is a given for my kids. I live in a state with universal health care. A lot of blogs talk about how entitlement programs are driving this economy into the ground. On an economic level, I can see what they mean but as the adoptive parent of two kids with significant special needs, I am mighty glad to be able to get my kids what they need. They are both terrific kids, happy and productive and a joy to live with. Both would be either dead or in long-term care facilities without the care. It is impossible for me to be objective about it.
As I was exhausted by lunch time, I made a preparedness lunch of mac and cheese and 2 of the last 4 jars of our canned peaches. That is another preparedness argument. When time is short or I am not able to cook, it is lovely to be able to pull out something the kids can fix and have a meal on the table in minutes. The mac and cheese is too salty for everyday use but on occasion is acceptable. The canned peaches are simply fabulous. I put a little brandy in some of the jars. This makes an elegant dessert when served over vanilla ice cream.
I put up snap peas last night. I steam them for 3 minutes, chill in ice water, wipe dry and freeze on a cookie sheet. When frozen solid, I packed them in food saver bags. Now I can pour out what I need and put the rest back. I am considering switching entirely to mason jars for freezing. I got the food saver attachment that pulls the air out of the jars. It would mean practically no waste as you can reuse the canning lids. The problem is obvious. This is going to use up a serious amount of space. I need to buy a second freezer this year. If I switch to jars, I will have to get an upright which will use more energy but make getting out the jars a lot easier. I sure wish there were more no-brainer decisions for this sustainability stuff. Every thing has pros and cons. No wonder some people give up and opt for convenience.
We are taking a trip next week. My son’s in laws have invited us to visit at their summer place in Western Virginia. I have not seen my Ben and his dear wife, Maggie since last Christmas. Maggie’s family is Mormon and I am sure a lot of talk will be around food storage. We are not Mormon and while we disagree on many things both theologically and politically, we agree on food storage. These are very nice folks and we are looking forward to spending more time with them.
June 26, 2009 at 5:25 pm
Sorry to hear about a sick kid….and the ped’s office, that’s just adding insult to injury, huh? At least ours is. Wonderful doctors and nurses….most horribly, disorganized office (and staff) ever. If there were more than one pediatrics office in our area, I’d switch in a heartbeat.
Enjoy your time next week…bring back lots of food storage tips for us!
June 26, 2009 at 5:47 pm
I have the world’s best pediatrician. They have walk in fron 8:00 AM to 9:30. You don’t need an appt and there are 5 doctors so you walk in and get seen with no waiting. If you have an appointment you can count on being seen on time. They have a contract with an ambulance company and really sick kids are transported to an area hospital without any hassle. The MDs are warm and compassionate and you never feel rushed. When Phoebe came to us she was 7 months old, had not had any medical care and serious special needs. The doctor took one look at her and told her assistant to put her next 4 appoints with the on-call doctor. We left with scheduled appoints to all of the specialists she needed. They are the kind of doctors who call to check on a kid after they have been ill. This is all paid for by our state sponsored health insurance as my kids were adopted through the social service system.
June 26, 2009 at 10:56 pm
We drove to the big city today for a doctor’s appointment (which is how I spend my summer with kids) and stopped by Sears to look at the freezers. I need to replace my deep freeze and I still can’t decide between an upright or a chest. I know I can get more in the chest freezer and it won’t use as much electricity, but I am tired of it taking up so much floor space and searching for stuff on my head. My freezer is located in my big walk in pantry, but the freezer is so old and heating up my pantry to 78 degrees. I can’t get the temperature to drop and this will shorten the shelf life of my stored food. I am hoping a new freezer will not heat up the room so much.
I’m sorry to hear your little one was sick. It certainly builds patience in moms as we deal with all the health issues. We just found out that our 16 year old (adopted) who had no health problems until a year or two ago, may have spina bifida occulta. Not sure what that will mean long term, other than more doctor’s appointments.