Tuesday, October 15, 2024

Three Beautiful Things 10-14-2024: Blood Work and Gallivanting, Fixing Food for Family Dinner, A Pet Gate! and Good Yakkin'

1. I left the house at 6 a.m. this morning, excited to have blood work done at Providence Sacred Heart and then gallivant around Spokane, Spokane Valley, and Coeur d'Alene for a little while. 

As I write this entry on Tuesday morning, I haven't heard from the transplant team yet regarding my blood work. I've studied it and I really like about 95.7% of what I see and the one result I have questions about might not be that big of a deal. I'll know that it's not a big deal with the team if they don't address if when they message me later. 

I read many of my test results on my phone at Great Harvest as I blissed out on a Morning Glory muffin and a couple of cups of coffee. To my surprise and delight, Great Harvest was selling bread on a buy one get one free special and I purchased a loaf of Harvest Blend and a loaf of Dakota bread. 

I then popped over to Trader Joe's to pick up a few items related to family dinner tonight and some other fun things.

I left Trader Joe's and wound my way downtown to Auntie's Bookstore and picked up two books I'd ordered and they were holding. 

Kenna Morgan spotted me in the store and stopped me to say hello. We chatted for a few minutes and, as I got into the car, I thought of at least two things I wanted to say -- so I'll send her a message. 

I was actually so shocked to hear someone in Spokane, not at Sacred Heart, call out my name that my mind went kind of blank when we visited. 

Outside of the hospital complex, when I roam around Spokane, I never expect anyone to know who I am. And, until today, no one has known me! 

I blasted onto I-90 and after several miles glided on to Indiana Avenue in Spokane Valley and made a quick stop at Barnes and Noble to purchase a paper fold out, old-fashioned, but current, street map of Spokane and vicinity. I've been wanting to get some details about Spokane's layout and roadways clearer in my mind and I find the paper map is far more helpful than looking at maps online. 

I ended my string of stops at Pilgrim's Market in Coeur d'Alene where I bought more produce for dinner, a bag of ground Craven coffee like they serve at Great Harvest, and a few other items. 

I enjoyed all my stops, maybe more than a reasonable person ought to!, and it was time to rocket back to Kellogg and get family dinner preparations underway. 

2. Back home, it was time to spiff up the house a bit,  focus on chopping vegetables, thawing chicken tenders, fixing a green curry sauce, and, a bit later, getting out the wok and preparing tonight's noodles and stir frying the chicken for our dinner. 

For dinner, I steamed three different kinds of gyoza, potstickers, and dumplings. I also stir fried a variety of vegetables in the wok and added fresh basil and cilantro to the stir fry and blended in the chicken and noodles. 

I made a Trader Joe's dipping sauce and Trader Joe's Peanut Satay available to dip the potstickers in and Debbie, Molly, Paul, Carol, and I could choose to use the dipping sauce or the green curry sauce I made as sauce for the stir fry. I also put out peanuts for the stir fry. 

I love fixing food in the wok and I love experimenting with stir fry sauces so this was a fun dinner for me. Luckily, the rest the family enjoyed it, too. 

We missed Christy, but for the best of reasons: she has been away in the woods of North Idaho, staying at a rental cabin, resting, relaxing, retreating, and recharging her energy.  

We also missed Brian who had important matters elsewhere to tend to. 

3. As I've mentioned about 70 million times since Debbie put it up in July, we've had a game changing pet barrier up to make life more peaceful for both Gibbs and Copper. 

As an instrument of peace and contentment, it's worked magnificently.

One problem: Debbie and I have had to climb over it for the last nearly three months.

A few weeks ago Debbie said the magic word: ENOUGH! 

She purchased a pet gate. 

After dinner, Paul installed it. 

What a difference for Debbie and me! No more anxiety about falling as we climbed over that barrier. We can walk through the gate. 

Not only that, but conversation tonight that ranged from Tina Turner to pet care to teaching challenges to family news to care of the soul to life at Kellogg's latest food and wine and oddities joint, Nocturn -- where Molly is the manager -- was fun. 


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