Crock Pot Turkey Soup

This takes about 2 days to do.

In a crockpot, put in smoked turkey legs/wings/tails and enough water to cover, put in some celery and cook for about 8 to 24 hours.

Remove the solids and drain out the grot.  Remove the meat from the bones and toss the bones and celery.  Chop up the meat or shred it, throw it back in the stock with cut up potatoes, carrots, and onions.

Cook for another day or so.

It will freeze, and keep for about a year.

suture check

Today's "me" shot:

I had a chance to see a cousin who is an RN (went to visit her), she told me my stitches look ready to come out.  They would be coming out today if I'd followed the ER schedule, but then, this visit/checkup would've occurred on Thanksgiving.  We also talked and caught up.  She decided at 50 to get a BSN (Bachelor's of Science in Nursing) and then to get a Master's.  Good for her.

I hope to hook up with the practice I went to when I worked at Mistras Group, I'd hoped originally to go there on Saturday for the check up, but they no longer take walk-in patients.  I'll call tomorrow for an appointment.

One thing the ER did, they gave me a tetanus shot because the last one I had was a while ago (2008-2009).  Recording it here so I remember it.

status shot from yesterday

and this morning

accident report from November

Getting this down on electrons before it fades.

(from the accident report is in plaintext, my non-report related comments in italics

Exact Location Where injury/illness Occurred: __Outside of 369 South Warren Street ______________________it was on the Market Street side of the H&A (Health and Agriculture) building at that address. 
Describe how injury/illness occurred: _I was walking in to work (I was running a bit late and was walking at speed) and caught my toe on an unevenness between two slabs of the concrete sidewalk before the steps, the uneveness is between the last slab and the one further out, it rises about an inch, and I think I placed my right foot just before that, and when I went to lift it, it caught and I couldn't compensate.  I also might not have lifted it enough to clear the edge.  I didn’t have a chance to catch myself and fell rolling right, given the injuries, hitting my head on the edge of the step, I heard a "krump" on impact, but not, thank god, a "crunch" as when a bone breaks..  Someone who was walking in at the same time as me, a white woman (I did not get names, people will be identified by gender) helped me sit up and let me hold her hand with my left hand while I tried to breath (it took me about a half to a full minute to catch my breath) I think I hit my ribcage hard and still have sore ribs, but only when I take a deep breath.  Another person let me sit with my back to his legs until assistance came.  Someone (unknown) got a wad of paper towels and held them there until I could take that over.  I took the paper towels down at some point to see if the blood was clotting, but when I saw the glob of blood about an inch across on the top of the towels and everyone was loud, I put it back.  Adrenaline is a strange thing.  I asked someone to tell Steve (Dantine) and Dee (Demetre ... need her last name) that I'd be a bit late and they came out, along with Dave Kelly and Russel Smith (fellow contractors).  I asked Dee to take my non-purse bags (work stuff/book, lunch, and knitting).  She also took my glasses which had fallen off and had a deformed temple so I wouldn't lose them. Dee brought a blanket she had in the office out for me, because the concrete was cold and I guess I was starting to shiver.  They stayed with me until the ambulance, I think.  After the first bandage was put on, and it looked like the ambulance was delayed, they got an office chair, transferred me to it and rolled me up the ramp into the lobby of the building.  That was scary, the seat wheels were low and the seat post caught on a couple of spots at the foot of the ramp, the top of it, and at the threshold).  I called Farnk and told him I was going to the hospital and not to worry too much about me. (timestamp of call was 8:53am)

When the ambulance arrived, the paper with my information was handed over. I was able to get up  on the stretcher with assistance, but I could stand.  I was able to select Helene Fuld because it was close and had a trauma center, as opposed to St. Francis (also close, no trauma).  

Describe the nature of the injury/illness: I opened a (deep) gash on my forehead just above my eyebrow (I think my eyesocket was protected by my glasses.  I scraped my right hand (surface scrape), right knee (a layer of skin, through the denim) and right elbow (sore only) on the concrete, I hit the sidewalk hard enough to make it hard to breathe for about a minute. My ribs still hurt, but only when I take a deep breath.  and mainly right where the underwires lie.

Was first Aid Administered? Yes/No, If type of First Aid Given: Someone let me hold her hand while I caught my breath, she kept hold of it until they put me on the chair.  Another person got paper towels to hold to the cut, later, another person (the same person?) the person was first aid/emt certified got a first aid kit from the building and wrapped a bandage around my head/the cut. It was probably overkill, as it almost covered my right eye, but better too much than too little.  I know the first aid/emt certified people there grumped at bit about having to replace supplies for the box, so a smaller pad might not have been available.  I remember the back of my head hurt, but inside my skull, so it might have been the brain reacting to getting banged around inside my skull)  ambulance was called, and another person also first aid/emt certified? took my information down to give to the paramedics.  Someone (bandager?) took my blood pressure (it was 110 over something)

At the hospital, they put me in bay 21 and I was able to crawl into the bed on my own, though the paramedics stayed close and had hands out and ready.  They took my information (no, no insurance, I was going to sign up, but after I got my first "real" pay check, which comes in on friday), listened to my story of the triage nurse at Mercer who despite having proof of insurance, implied that I wouldn't be seen if I didn't write them a check for at least the minimum ER visit payment).  They replaced the "blind one eye" bandage put on at S. Warren  with a smaller one, and I was able to get a selfie of the mess.

The ER staff also got to listen to me complain about having just washed my shirt.  Luckily, I didn't get blood on my fleece vest or my overshirt.

Then they left me alone.  I talked with a 70 year old man with a bad chest cold, but he was allowed to leave when they determined he didn't have pneumonia, and the old woman who came in after him got the curtain closed.   When I realized I had dried blood on my throat I asked for and was given a warm wet wash cloth to clean it off.  Then the brought me a neck brace, in case I'd strained that

Then I got bored and realized I should've kept at least my book with me.  Someone brought me a 4 year old issue of WebMD.  I read articles, waited, and they moved my bed out of the cubicle.  Someone gave me a blanket  (Dee's blanket stayed with Dee), and I was more bored.  They did let me go to the bathroom on my own at least, but it was awkward washing my hands with an ot monitor on one finger, and a badly broken nail on the adjoining one.  It took three requests for a bandaid or clippers before they brought me bandaids.  No clippers allowed unless handled by a doctor, and I guess the doctors were all busy.

They took a CT scan of my neck and head to make sure I was okay there, then back to the hallway until they were ready to sew up my forehead.  I told them about the scrape on my knee and they wanted to see that, too.

They didn't want to sew me up in  the hallway, and moved me to an empty cubicle.  They took the bandage off, washed the site with surgical scrub as gently as they could, it still hurt. The person doing the stitching (surgeon?) had an assistant/trainee.  They gave me the local anasthetic.  It hurt so much I started to cry, they let me have tissues for that, then I closed my eyes when they put a shield over my face to keep the area clear.

They needed to put in 3 layers of under-skin/dissolving stitches for the fat layer, the muscle sheath layer, and the sub-cutaneous layer, and then 11 stitches to hold the laceration closed.  I was told fencing was off the table for the next two weeks.

They needed the bed and the cubicle after that, so I was demoted to a chair in the hall until I could be discharged.  I was told I could take Tylenol (though ibuprofen was allowed, I don't like acetaminophen), nobody gave me any.  The nursing (nursing assistant), took the collar and they tossed it.  I asked her if she'd been verifying my name all day because of possible concussion, and she confirmed it, and let me know that my CT scan was clear, and I could be discharged, once a doctor took a look at my knee.

That took place in the trauma center, with all of us (me, the same nurse, and the doctor taking care not to contaminate anything, including us), where I dropped my pants and the doctor agreed that I'd scraped some skin off.  She also washed some of the blood out of my hair, which I hand't gotten because it was covered by the bandage.

Frank called (timestamp of call was 2:05pm) when I was out in the hall in the chair again, and I told him I'd bee discharged "soon" and coujld he pick me up.  He said he would, as he had some errands to run.  He called when he got to the hospital, but I still wasn't sprung (timestanp of call was 2:35pm).

The ER told me I had to get the sutures checked in 2 days, and get them out in 5 days.  That could be done at the ER if I didn't have a doctor, but it would be more expensive.  I found out I didn't qualify for Medicaid because I am making too much, but I might for charity care for part of it.

The entrance Frank went to was the wrong one, but we met up, he took me back to the office where I got my things and told Dee and Steve I'd be in tomorrow and we went home.  I told security that my vehicle would be staying in the parking lot overnight, but I'd pick it up tomorrow.

The next day I went to work on the bus, and walked down from State Street to the building ... I took the ramp up to the entrance, and put in a full day of work, checking in with Kevin Jennnings about timesheets and finding out if the accident would be covered under workman's comp (he thought it would be, because I was on my way into the office at the time.

I got forms from Apidel, who is my employer to fill out (extract above).

I'm going to see if one of the nurses in the building can take a look at the sutures to see if everything is okay, and if they don't or won't I'll go back to the ER after work.  I'm trying to take pictures of the whole mess to document the progress.  Today is an ugly bruise that's making my eyelid droop and swell and it's a lovely shade of "bruise"

Making Candied Orange Peel

This comes with a story.

dredging (almost done)

My grandmother was not a good cook (there is a family tale involving her cooking a ham, "cloves" and "why does the ham go 'clink' when I carve it?"  Apparently carpet tacks were involved.).  My mother preferred to cook if they were both eating.  She did make certain things well, but dining at her house could be ... interesting.

One thing she did make decently was candied orange peel.  When I decided to try my hand at making it, I went looking for a recipe.

This was the early 1990's everything I found featured corn syrup.  I went looking through the collection of cookbooks. (6' of bookshelves, with odd items in it, like a Junior League cookbook from New Orleans, and Elinor Fettiplace's Reciept Book).

I finally found a usable recipe in a book that dated to WWII, I think my mother was given it as a wedding present, complete with "Wartime Ration Supplement"

Ingredients:

peel from 4 oranges

2 cups sugar

1 cup water

additional sugar (about 4 cups)

(this recipe scales well, so long as you keep in mind the 1 orange, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 water ratio, I made it for 200 for a coronation dayboard many-many years ago)

Cook the peel submerged in water until the peel is soft (I have found it takes about 90 minutes.  Don't forget about it.  The peel smells dreadful if it burns.  The peel will try to float, but if you put a plate or bowl on the top of the peel, it will stay submerged.

from l-r
pith, scraped peel, unscraped peel

Remove the saucepan from the water and pour the water off, and either reserve it or use fresh water as the 1 cup used to make the syrup.

Using a cutting board and a cooking spoon/tablespoon, scrape the pith from the peel and discard it, keeping only the zest/orange portion of the peel.  The pith is bitter, and the cooking makes the peel soft and seems to alleviate the bitterness.

sliced peel

Once all the peel has been scraped, cut it into strips about a 1/4" wide and put it aside.  It will fill a bowl, and drain any excess water.

Make a simple syrup of the water from cooking the peel, or use fresh water if you like.  When the sugar has dissolved and the syrup is hot, add the peel back in.  (even if you've drained the peel, there's a great deal of water trapped in it).

cooked until translucent

Cook the peel, stirring occasionally until the peel has gone translucent  (it will take over an hour).  Remove the peel from the syrup and spread it on a cookie tray on wax paper to dry overnight.  If you want to keep the syrup (it goes nicely in hot tea), filter it to get the last of the peel out of it, and to get rid of any other bits of orange that may have crept in.

drying over night

In the morning, dredge the peel through the additional sugar and put it in a sealed container.  It keeps decently in the refrigerator.

proof of concept waster for Montante Rule drills (draft)

My local practice has begun drilling the Rules (drills/katas) of Montante.  We've been using a variety of swords, some shinai, some oak wasters, some two handed swords, even a rattan greatsword.  The greatsword is too long and awkward for me (the grip is too thick for me as well), the oak waster has too short a grip, and the shinai have a slightly too short blade, and no guillons to differentiate between a revez cut from a talho.

I wanted one of my own, so I could work on this outside of the practice, but a commercially made wooden one was $100, and it was too long for my purpose (to use it within an SCA context, the limit is 60"), as well as being too long for me to use.  I'd rather not have a sword that's as tall as me, thank you.

I also wanted to have to stop having to use a borrowed blade at practice, and to have one that I could break down for travelling..

So, to the web to find out if the local big-box home improvement place had what I needed.  It did, but not in the correct size.  I wanted the option of a 45" "blade" the hardwood dowels were only 36" long.  Pine was available in 48" and cheaper.  If I was able to construct something usable, I could re-build it, providing I could find something the correct length (probably not from a big box, they're not specialized enough).

I went to the local big box this morning with my fencing gloves, and tested dowel sizes until I verified that the 1-1/8" dowel fit my hand (the 1-1/4" also worked, but going up much past that started getting too thick.).  I picked out the straightest available (not easy, another reason to go to a

Fittings came next, and I was destined for disappointment, the copper fittings wouldn't fit on the dowels, and besides, didn't have the 4-way joint I wanted.

pvc joint (the essential bit)

Off to the pvc boxes, there I found a 4 way joint, but pvc increases in quarter inches, and runs tight.  After some fiddling, I was able to pick out two dowels that would work, they could be wedged into the joint,  they weren't too badly warped, (some of the stock was) and I could fit my hand around them.

The total cost for the three bits was under $12.

Once home, I measured the dowels, 45" from the bottom of the joint to the end of the blade, cut.  The blade ended up being 43-3/4" (111 cm) long, although I would fit the wood to the joint before measuring it next time.

15" from the top of the joint to the pommel (the end of the grip).

I measured the quillons/cross guard pieces to match the approximately 3"-5" waste cut from the blade.

Partially assembled

Assembled, the blade looked decent, but there was nothing to hold it together.  Catastrophic failure of a sword is frowned upon, as is flying sword bits that might hit members of the practice.  I went to the garage and found some finishing nails, figuring I could hold the grip in the joint at least (the plan has always been to have the joint permanently attached to the grip).  I forced the grip into the joint until it entered  the cross opening, then considered how to place a nail so that the grip and cross guards would be held firm.  Eventually, I figured I could nail into the grip, with the end of the nail into the guard pieces, though it took 2 tries, and I ended up hammering the nail into the guard then pulling it so I could reverse it to nail into the grip.

It still wobbles a bit, but I think application of glue should fix that.

the assembled waster

Seating the blade was a bit harder, there was still the potential of catastrophic failure.   I placed the blade into the joint, and drilled a small hole through the pvc into the wood, and put a small nail/brad in.  This serves to hold the blade in place, and is removable. With version 2 I'll probably use this method to hold the guard and grip in place, but for the moment, glue and finishing nails will work

Ingredients:

2 - 48" long 1" dowels, or a size that fits your hand
1 - 4-way joint, probably pvc (make sure the joint will fit the dowels)
2  - nails (I used 2-1/2" finishing nails)
1 thin nail (I used a brass picture nail)
glue
tape measure and handsaw are givens

Helen measurements 1/13/2015 - 1/15/2015

waist - 37-3/4"
bust - 42"
hips - 44"
shoulder-waist (front) - 23"
shoulder-waist (back) - 18-1/2"
waist-floor
outseam - 35"
inseam - 24-1/2"
neck-shoulder - 6-1/2"
neck - 15"
arm(shoulder-wrist-straight) - 22"
arm(shoulder-wrist-flexed) - 24-1/2"
armscye (shoulder-armpit) -
around fist - 9-1/2"

(more as measured