Scottish Traditional Vegetarian Breakfast, Priestville Guest House
I can’t get The Reclamation Project out of my mind. In fact, just reviewing it this morning reminded me of what happened in my gut while D and I were in Scotland.
I have challenges when it comes to food Read the rest of this entry »
When we got married September 11, 1965, we weren’t thinking about what it might mean to celebrate our anniversaries early in September. Nor did we know that both of us would become graduate students and then geeky academics who have to show up for teaching and other duties during early September no matter what!
Bottom line: Yes, we celebrated over the years, but it was often low-key. You know. Dinner out, wherever and whenever we could afford it. Cards and the occasional gift that stood out from the others. Now and then we settled for a substitute day, usually on a weekend.
Then we got into academic administration. Not at the same institution, mind you! But we got into it, and that meant duties began in August. When September came around nobody was even thinking of taking a day or two off. At least we weren’t.
In 2011, I retired from my position at the seminary. D, however, decided he would like to work for an indeterminate number of years before retiring. We’re virtually the same age, so this wasn’t about age. His work involved a lot of international travel, sometimes on the date of our wedding anniversary.
As of this month, however, D has actually retired! Sort of. He’ll still do some traveling, and help with projects during the transition. But we now have no excuses about not celebrating properly, and we have missed opportunities to redeem—if that’s possible.
Since it’s our 50th, we decided to take 2-3 weeks and just do whatever we want to do. I won’t tell you what we’re going to do. So don’t ask. But I will say part of it involves day trips, restaurants, hiking, birding, museums, lazing around and whatever else strikes our fancy.
Why am I telling you this? Because I’m not going to do heavy-duty posting for the next 2 to 3 weeks. That means things like my Faculty Wife series will be on hold. Hopefully I’ll have some lighter posts that you’ll enjoy. I will be checking in from time to time, so don’t stop coming by!
Thanks for your faithful reading—which doesn’t mean reading everything (unless you really want to!). It just means showing up regularly or as you’re able, to listen in and be part of the conversation.
I can’t help heaving a big sigh every time I think about it. Fifty years of living with D! Maybe I’ll have a few things to say about that in the next 2-3 weeks.
I pray God’s blessing on each of you, in whatever ways you need blessing right now.
Elouise
© Elouise Renich Fraser, 31 August 2015
Photo credit: DAFraser, June 2015
Children’s Garden in the Longwood Gardens Conservatory
Some of you may already know about non-diabetic fasting hypoglycemia. It’s relatively rare. I have it. I’ve had symptoms for several years—mild, and always tamed by eating. But until now I didn’t have a clear diagnosis.
In the last couple of years the symptoms got worse, and I ended up collapsing twice and losing consciousness. No seizures, coma, or other bad things that might have happened. D was there both times to catch me on the way down.
The cause is simple: low blood sugar as a result of fasting. No, this has nothing to do with fasting and praying! It’s about the amount of time between snacks/meals, especially during the night.
Besides non-diabetic fasting hypoglycemia, there’s a related non-diabetic hypoglycemia disorder called insulinoma. It’s caused by a small, usually benign tumor on the pancreas that causes blood sugar to drop as insulin levels soar. Thanks to many blood tests and, yes, fasting (!), I do not have insulinoma, which can usually be resolved through surgery to remove the tumor.
So now I pay attention to the amount of time between meals and snacks, and especially between my late night snack and breakfast the following day. When I get up in the morning, I have a snack. Food as medicine! Not bad.
If I feel early warning signs, I take glucose tablets even though I just had a snack. Then I wait about 10-15 minutes so the glucose can kick in–or I need to take a couple more tablets.
Once the symptoms get going, they escalate quickly. They affect my eyesight, ability to talk, balance and coordination, muscle strength and ability to think clearly.
I usually notice my eyesight first. Things get slightly out of focus and jump around. Or my arms feel weak and heavy when I dry my hair. When the glucose kicks in, I get to the kitchen for breakfast. Passing out means it’s time for someone to call 9-1-1.
There’s a bright side to this. I’m not a candidate for diabetes. I get to nibble away at food all day long. I don’t have a problem gaining too much weight. Best of all, I know what’s going on.
Do I worry about it? Not now. At first I was apprehensive about whether I could manage this when D was away. But I’ve gotten myself through several episodes that ended happily. Which means I didn’t lose consciousness. I’m also ordering a medical ID to wear.
In the end, I not going to live in this world forever. I’ve had an amazing journey with God and with the women, men and children whose lives have intersected with mine.
For several weeks I’ve been erratic about visiting bloggers, and haven’t posted regularly. I just wanted you to know why. I was spending time with doctors, nurses, and other friendly medical staff.
Maybe you or someone you love has this condition. If so, I’m in good company!
Thanks for reading. Right now it’s time for another snack….
Elouise
© Elouise Renich Fraser, 21 August 2015
Yummy Photo from hummusguide.com
This morning I set out to respond to a post by my Australian blogging friend, John–at his invitation. I had no idea it would be this long. So, please go read his post first. It’s called “Take it. It’s free.” You can find it here. Two great, brief stories. The text he mentions at the end is Romans 6:23.
Here’s my response to John.
Your second story hits a nerve Read the rest of this entry »
Dear Readers,
We’ve had a death in my family–Sister #2’s husband. The sister with whom we had a double wedding nearly 50 years ago. I’ll be checking in from time to time, but don’t know when I’ll resume regular postings. Probably not for several days.
If you haven’t already, Read the rest of this entry »
Outdoor Display, Longwood Gardens
Thanks to each of you for showing up and reading! When I began blogging I knew what I wanted to write about, but I didn’t know what would happen next. Now I know, nearly 380 posts and just over 27,000 views later.
Here’s how I picture it: Read the rest of this entry »
Thanks to two of my esteemed followers, I’ve been nominated for a Real Neat Blog Award not once, but two times within the last 24 hours! How neat it that? Read the rest of this entry »
Things don’t always go smoothly at the office. Here’s an example of something that didn’t go smoothly for me. It may seem small and inconsequential. But most big things in my life started out small. Read the rest of this entry »
Dear Readers,
Yay! I’m still basking in the joy of having completed the write-up of our Courtship and Engagement! Here’s what I’ll be posting this coming week.
White and Female
Tomorrow, Sunday, I’m posting a piece I wrote several years ago about myself as a white woman. Issues of race and gender Read the rest of this entry »
Warthog kneeling to eat grass,
Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
Dear Dad,
I dreamed about you last week. I was surprised; you don’t usually show up in my dreams. Read the rest of this entry »
Telling the Truth 