Where to begin, where to begin. Such a year. When the holidays are done and the final day of December has been put to bed I am going to tear the last page off the 2017 calendar and feed it into the paper shredder never to be seen again. OMG.
The last few months have been jam-packed with a whole lot of crazy. Rick, the love of my life and my BFF, contracted meningitis the beginning of August. Leave it to Mr. Rick to have to be a showman when it comes to getting sick. The doctor in charge of his care said he had only seen six such cases in all his years in medicine. Thankfully, we caught it immediately. Not doing so might have resulted in less positive reporting. Once diagnosed the seriousness of the situation dropped over me like a trawler’s net over the catch of the day. The future appeared blurred, the road ahead uncertain.
Funny how one day can alter the course of your life. In the blink of an eye we went from our daily routine to Rick fighting to reach the surface and me praying to find a familiar piece of him in the fiery hot being lying in the bed before me. Awful simply doesn’t describe the feeling when someone you love is threatened in such a way. Helplessness washes over you. Strength is drawn from places you had no idea you had stored it for such an occasion.
While he was in ICU I was at the hospital more than I was home. Once in the house I fed the cat, took a shower and found the bed to attempt to catch an elusive couple of hours of sleep. Each time I laid my shoes out to slip them on the neglected Boo, Queen of Cats, offered me the feline version of the stink eye turning her back as I exited the house. Life, she has discovered over the last sixty days, does not always revolve around her ever spreading white furry behind.
At first the progress was disheartening. Meningitis is an inflammation of the brain and a serious thing to contract. The inflammation causes error messages to be sent out to other parts of the body much like pistons misfiring in the cylinder of a car. For the first two days when asked who I was by the attending physician, Rick would answer “the lady who sits in the chair by the window”. For me the response elicited immediate tears, to Rick is his addled condition it seemed logical indeed. As staff moved in and out he asked me several times why they kept changing their faces. These hallucinations were attributed to both the infection curdling his nerve centers and the heavy drugs being administered to keep the intense pain at bay. All this I’m sure was terrifying for him, and for me immobilizing.
On the third day when I walked in his room I was greeted with “Hi Baby”. Wow. I was so glad to hear those two words.
His daughter flew out for several days and was here with me easing that feeling of total isolation rapidly creeping over me. I was reminded of when I was infected with the norovirus six years ago. Visiting my mother when I fell ill I was admitted to a hospital with unrelenting diarrhea and vomiting. Tucked in a hospital bed in a room marked “isolation” in an unfamiliar hospital I was too sick to be afraid. Hospital personnel dressed in full contagious disease garb cruised in and out of my room checking vitals and seeing to my needs. “ET phone home kept coming to mind.” I had no visitors during that week lest they either get the virus from me or carry it out to others. At the time it was epidemic in the Bay Area and health authorities were beating the drum to slow down the spread.
Thankfully I came up out of that mess a size or two smaller but in tact much as Rick will out of meningitis. He is home now after 21 days in the hospital. Yesterday he insisted that though the virus hadn’t done him in he was fully convinced the kitchen staff at the rehabilitation hospital were doing their best to finish the job. Ah sarcasm, Rick’s back.
This is such a delicious substitute for potatoes and looks so “fallish” on the plate. Yum.
Cauliflower and Carrot Puree
1 head of cauliflower florets
3 carrots, cut in chunks
2 Tbsp. butter, plus 1 Tbsp. divided
2 celery stalks, diced
1/2 of a large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp. white pepper
1/2 tsp. chicken bouillon
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup whole milk (more or less as desired)
Salt and pepper to taste
Cook vegetables until tender. Drain well.
Heat butter in medium saucepan over med-low heat. Add celery and onion. Cook for 6 mins. or until vegetables are tender. Add garlic. Cook for 1 min. Add white pepper, chicken bouillon and wine. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 min. Toss with vegetables. Allow to cool slightly.
Place in food processor or blender and pulse until roughly pureed. Add milk gradually (use more or less to achieve desired consistency of mashed potatoes). Add salt and pepper as desired. Top with additional pat of butter.
Serves 4
Oh my! An experience like that sure puts things in perspective, doesn’t it? What a month! I applaud the fact that you (1) are still standing, and (2) that you can tell the story with clarity and even a touch of humor. It was horrendous, I’m sure. So glad Rick is better, and that you are back with good recipes and outstanding stories. Thanks, Susan!
Thank goodness for early diagnosis and modern medicine. Your good cooking should also aid recovery.
Linda Lewis
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