Ron and I are getting more and more into “the land” and being self-sufficient. I continue to enjoy raising chickens - and I’ve got a steady customer base for the eggs my chickens lay. I get around 7 dozen a week now. Not a huge amount, but enough to keep me busy at times. Ron set up two beehives this week - and we should start reaping the sweet rewards of that endeavor in about a year. So summer 2013 we’ll try the first honey from our bees. And our garden this year is beautiful! I already use the herbs almost daily in my cooking.

Yesterday I cooked a pot roast, and it was very satisfying to walk a few steps outside and pick parsley, rosemary and thyme to go with it. The roast was so flavorful.

Today I ordered a food dehydrator. It will be here in a couple days. I plan to start now with drying herbs and packaging them for later. I still have some of the herbs that I blended with olive oil and froze last fall. So I imagine when I dry them this year, I’ll again have way more than I’ll ever personally use. However, I can share with friends and family. I’m anxious to dry stevia and see how easily I can use it for sweetening things. It’d be great if it will work out for that. Stay tuned.

I have a friend, JeNan, who started a blog a few weeks ago. As I read her posts, it reminded me of what this blog was like in the beginning - before I got bogged down in political writing and trying to write things that were SEO-friendly (Search Engine Optimization). I put Google Ad-sense in my blog - hoping to make some money - and I did. Not much - but some. I would search Google “trends” and work hard to write a story on whatever topic was the hot trend at any given moment. Anything to get more traffic since Ad-Sense pays more when more people see their ads.

I learned about how to use key words in my posts so that they’d hopefully show up on the first page of Google searches. If you Google “Remarrying Ex-Spouse, ” a post I wrote 6 years ago comes up on the first page of results. I still have people leaving comments on that post. If you Google “Silence Your Rooster” TMS shows up. Even with no new posts in over a year, I still get over 200 hits each day. Apparently there are quite a few topics that will still put The Median Sib on the first page of Google results.

So I got away from the purpose and inspiration for this blog. In the beginning of The Median Sib, I wrote almost entirely about things in my life - what I was thinking about, my family, my experiences.

The Median Sib will get back to that original purpose. Starting now. If JeNan can write daily for a month, then surely I can write two or three times a week. I’ve always wanted to be a writer, but I haven’t done much writing lately.

So what DO I want to write about? I’m retired now. For the first time in my adult life, I HAVE the time to write. My goal over the next week is to think about the direction I want to take in my writing. Do I want to write a children’s book? Do I want to write non-fiction? Fiction? However, I want to take JeNan’s advice and WRITE - not just think about it.

I saw a quote this morning - “Life is a roller coaster. Ride it!” I love it! And that will be one of my goals for 2011. New Years Day is a perfect time to make a new start, to write resolutions and plan for the coming year.

However, to REALLY celebrate the first day of 2011 appropriately, one must EAT appropriately. And that means the traditional Southern New Years Day meal - but with a little Carol-ism thrown in - just to make it personal. Here’s what I’ll be preparing and eating today:

Menu
Hoppin’ John

Cooked Cabbage

Cornsticks

Sweet Iced Tea

Recipes

Hoppin’ John

1 can mild tomato/jalopena mixture (RoTel) If you like things a little spicier, use regular RoTel.

2 cans black-eyed peas

1 can diced tomatoes (optional)
1/2 lb link of turkey sausage

Cut the turkey sausage into bite-size pieces - dump everything together and cook. You can serve this over rice or mix some rice in it, or eat it by itself with no rice. It’s delicious riceless or not.

Cooked Cabbage

Core a cabbage. Then chop it into small pieces. Place in a saucepan, add about 1 cup of water. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add some butter (1 or 2 Tablespoons). Bring to a boil and simmer gently until tender.

Cornbread Sticks

2 cups cornmeal MIX

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 egg, well-beaten

buttermilk (enough to make a good batter)

Pour into cast iron cornstick pans that have been sprayed with Pam and pre-heated in a 425 oven. The batter should sizzle when you pour it into the pans. Bake until golden brown. Serve hot. I like to crumble a cornstick or two into my hoppin’ john.

Sweet Iced Tea

4 family-size tea bags

1 gallon water
1 to 2 cups Splenda, sugar or Truvia (depending on your preference)

Put the tea bags in a 1 quart glass measuring cup, fill water and microwave on high for about 10 minutes. Let it sit (steep) for about 5 minutes. Pour into a pitcher and add the remaining water to make one gallon. Add the sweetener and stir. DELICIOUS and refreshing!

SYMBOLISM

The blackeyed peas in the Hoppin’ John symbolize coins - a sign of prosperity for the new year. May there be lots of that in 2011. The turkey sausage symbolizes my American heritage - the wild turkeys from the first Thanksgiving. For me, it also reminds me of the land where RT and I live - dozens of wild turkeys reside here. The tomatoes and jalopenas symbolize good taste and spiciness. May I never grow too old to be spicy.

The leaves of the cabbage are a symbol of folding money - currency. Again, may there be lots of that in 2011.

The corn in the cornsticks is another symbol of my American heritage. Enough corn for good health, enough oil to smooth out the rough places in life, an egg to remind me of the newness of life, and the buttermilk to remind me that the sour places in life make the good places all the more sweet. Baking the cornsticks in cast-iron pans reminds me of what the American pioneers used in their travels cross country to explore new lands.

The iced tea is symbolic of my Southern roots. Sweet iced tea is pure Southern!

There you have it! A New Year’s day feast with some traditional and some Carol-grown symbolism attached.

This morning I took a walk through the woods on the acreage around our house. Since I was walking alone, I took my cell phone and my handgun. As I walked the paths that Ron had so painstakingly made, I was thinking about the uneven ground and how I had to be careful. After awhile, I arrived back at our house. Since I was a couple minutes under my planned 30-minute walk, I decided to walk around the yard for a few minutes. As I walked on the side of the yard near the AC units, I suddenly stepped into a hole - a hole that I didn’t see because the grass covered it up. It was maybe six or seven inches deep. Wham! I immediately pitched forward, landing hard on my right wrist. My cell phone and gun both flew out of my coat pockets. The gun was in a small holster - so there wasn’t any danger of it going off. I just report how they flew out of the pockets to show the force of the fall.

My first thought was “Oh no! Did I break anything?” I used my walking pole to help me sit up and then stand. I picked up and re-pocketed my phone and gun. And then started to gingerly limp around - testing my foot and leg. My hand was a little sore - but okay. My left leg and foot - not so sure. I kept walking - limping - trying to figure out if there was any significant injuries. I called Ron. Of course, being me, I couldn’t talk to him without crying. He wanted to hurry home and take me to the emergency room. After talking for a few minutes and continuing to walk, I convinced him I was okay.

It is now an hour later. I’m sitting in my recliner, and I’m no longer sure I’m okay. I’ve wrapped ice and ace bandages around my foot and leg - and both my foot and leg are aching and throbbing. I walked to the kitchen to get some cereal (hadn’t had breakfast yet) and had a really difficult time getting there and back. Damn! I sure hope I didn’t break a bone.

So why did I title this post “Ironies”? Because I was worried about being injured on the uneven wood trails - but in our yard where I walk all the time, where there are no apparent dangers and where I never considered being injured - that’s where I fell.

55 days until I retire after over 30 years of teaching. I’ve taught 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, 6th grade and 7th grade. The past six years I’ve been a reading specialist. Probably a third of my years of teaching were spent in 2nd grade. I think my favorite grade, however, was 5th grade.

And now, I’m 55 days away from the end of my formal teaching career. I am certain that I will be a teacher until the day I die - whether it’s teaching the grandkids to cook, teaching s Vacation Bible School class or tutoring to pick up some extra money.

What are my plans for retirement?
(1) Will get my pilot’s license. Yes, you read that correctly. Ron has his pilot’s license and owns a small airplane. I fly with him often, and I think it would be great for me to also have my pilot’s license and be able to do the flying occasionally. Plus, I’d feel more confident on flights if I knew that - should the need arise - I could land the plane myself.

(2) Get my house in order. I start days off with lots of energy and the go-getum to get a lot done. By the time I get home from work, I’m exhausted with only enough stamina to do whatever is necesary. Thus, there is a lot of organization that is lacking in our home. I don’t like clutter, and I am looking forward to having the time to get everything organized and in order. A place for everything, and everything in its place.

(3) Raise money for Lily’s Garden.

(4) Volunteer in some capacity to help children who are dealing with cancer.

(5) Spend more time with my granddaughters - including my new one - 2-week old Evey.

Today has been a very laid-back day. We celebrated on Christmas Eve with a dinner for everyone on our branch of the family tree. Ron and I have enjoyed a fire in the fireplace all day long. The Christmas tree lights have been shining all day. I’ve crocheted a good bit on Evey’s afghan. We drove over to Joey and Meleah’s house to feed their dog and let him out for awhile. We attempted a walk - but it was so cold and windy that we came back inside after only a few minutes. Now we’re watching the Titans being thoroughly whipped by the Chargers.

In 2009, I probably only wrote maybe 10 posts altogether. Just checked - I had 33 posts in 2009 - much more than I thought. I used to average three posts a day - and even after the first couple years of blogging, I managed to write at least one post per day. 2009 was a different kind of year, though. With Lily’s leukemia diagnosis last December, I lost any desire to blog about the things I’d spent time on previously. Politics? I had no heart for it. Education? no heart. Social issues? no heart for it either. The only thing that I really WANT to write about is the need for money to fund childhood cancer research. However, that’s like spitting in the ocean. Everyone is interested, but no one wants to talk about it or do anything about it. It’s like all these suffering children are just swept under the rug of conscious thought. Let’s donate to St. Jude and the Ronald Mcdonald House. Let’s collect toys at Christmas to take to the children’s hospital. However, funding for childhood cancers remain only a tiny percentage of the funds provided for research into adult cancers.

So, will I be blogging more frequently in 2010? I don’t know. This blog is too public. I have a private blog that is for only myself - where I don’t have to be concerned with censoring what I write. And I’ve written there occasionally over the past year. Maybe that’s where I’ll concentrate my efforts in 2010.

The only acceptable answer is “YES!” No doubt about that one. There are children and adults battling cancer who have compromised (or non-existent) immune systems. They call it “neutropenia.” Neutrophils rise and fall depending on the body’s reaction to chemotherapy. There’s no exact science to control it. So a child might have enough neutrophils to protect her from germs, bacteria and viruses one day - and then the next day the bottom falls out of her counts, and she’s totally unprotected. Until she goes to clinic for her weekly or monthly blood counts, she doesn’t know she’s so vulnerable and unprotected. They can wear masks and use hand sanitizer religiously but that still won’t protect them from everything.

Now just imagine that this child goes to the grocery store with her mom. In the store is someone who has the flu. Not a bad case - just a little congestion and slight fever. No big deal. The person sneezes or coughs or put his hand on a cart - and one of those flu viruses just happens to find its way to the cancer kid. It’s not likely, but it could happen. It does happen.

So the flu which was no big deal to the healthy person, ends up putting the cancer kid in the hospital. . . or worse. In the past year I know of two precious children here in Tennessee who died because they caught a stupid virus - something that a healthy person would barely notice. But for a child with a compromised immune system, it ended up deadly. It’s not just the immune system. Chemo is so hard on a child’s body. It weakens the heart and other organs. Sometimes the fight that the body must wage against a virus is more than the weakened heart can manage.

And so a child is left fighting for his/her life while the person who passed along that virus has no clue of the damage he’s done.

I’ll be getting the seasonal flu shot AND the H1N1 flu shot. What’s a couple of shots compared to the possibility - however remote - of passing along a life-threatening illness to a precious cancer kid.

I challenge you to watch this video. It is 5 minutes long. Invest five minutes to watch something that is profoundly important. Then DO something about it by following THIS LINK:

Just watch this all the way through. This is the woman that the left would have you believe is “strange” or “unqualified” or “dangerous.” The truth is that Sarah Palin is brilliant, a gifted speaker, a person who lives her beliefs, and she is exactly what the United States needs to get us back on track. With John McCain and Sarah Palin as our leaders, America will once again gain the respect of the world. The left knows this, and Palin scares the crap out of them. She betters Obama on all fronts. That’s why they’ve attacked her so ruthlessly. She shows them for the empty suits they are.