Fingernail

Today is a great day. The sun is shining once again, the birds are singing, and this morning my pinkie fingernail finally fell off. A few weeks ago, my little finger accidentally got pinched in our new gate as Sparky was closing it. It hurt like hell, I cried in fact, the finger turned different colors. I had a feeling that I would lose the little fingernail that eventually turned an unnatural shade of grayish blue. But that little nail was tenacious, and it held on to dear life for weeks. The nail itself became detached from the nail bed, but the cuticle would not give it up. So I had a dead, plastic looking fingernail that flapped around, getting caught on things as it went about its business. Sometimes I put a bandage on it to hide it from the world, especially when I was in public, but it always felt much better when I let it air out, free from its cover. Sparky and especially Bee were totally grossed out by it, and whenever I asked if they wanted to see it they would yell "No!" and run from the room. I continuously wiggled that nail around, much like a first grader does with a loose tooth, willing it to fall off. And this morning I managed to peel it away from the cuticle, and it's free at last! I was kind of sad to see it go as it was my favorite fingernail, but I'm hoping that a new and improved one grows in its place. I decided to keep the nail for prosperity (I had to hide it from Bee and Sparky), but I won't include a picture of it or my nail-less finger as it is kind of yucky looking. It is such a relief to finally get rid of that thing that I feel almost reborn in my new, lack-of-little-fingernail-state, ready to take on whatever may come my way. All is right in Peanutland once again.

Savory Sauce

Every week, because I've usually got the time, I bake a couple of loaves of bread, make a big pot of brown rice, dog food for Glenn, maybe some pinto beans, maybe some vegetable stock for soups and stuff, and always a jar of Savory Sauce from The Spot. I heart this Savory Sauce. I guess you could say that I'm addicted to it. I put it over/on top/in everything, including Mac and Cheese, which Bee loves. I thought that I would share it as it's too good to keep to myself. It's from the "world famous" vegetarian restaurant in Hermosa Beach called The Spot, which has been around forever. This sauce, as you probably have guessed, is very savory and tastes great over brown rice, steamed vegetables, tofu, you name it.

3/4 cup almond or safflower oil
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup Bragg's Liquid Aminos
1/8 cup brewer's yeast (flakes or powder)
1/2 tsp kelp powder
1/2 tsp Spike seasoning
1/2 tsp basil
1/8 tsp granulated garlic
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice (I add more because I always have a ton of lemons)
1 1/2 tsp tamari (or soy sauce)
1 package firm tofu (16 oz)

Put it all in a blender and mix until creamy. You could easily halve this recipe or freeze it. Make some today and you won't be sorry.

Hit And Run

Most people were very alarmed and concerned when they heard about the drama of our car crash disaster, wanting to know details and calling for updates. But not Sparky's mom. She didn't seem too fazed by it, and in fact was rather lackadaisical about the whole affair. But it turns out that she had problems of her own. They kind of trump ours, really. Her troubles concern a hit and run situation where a bicyclist was hit and severely injured. And the hit and run driver was her! She hit him as she was making a left-hand turn, knocking him off of his bike. She then proceeded to run right over him, and kept on driving. She did not see him, and at the time thought she had run over a curb or something. (At 84 she is not the world's best driver, and according to Sparky, she was never very good even when she was younger. But she likes being independent, and she still has good health.)

She read about the hit and run accident in her local paper, the Rushville Republican a couple of days after the incident. She got to thinking after reading the description of the car (small and blue), the description of the occupant (a single female driver) and the time and place of the accident (shortly before 9:00 a.m. on Third and Arthur Street) that she could have been the hit and run driver. She went out to look at her car, and sure enough, there was a huge dent in the front of it that hadn't been there before. So she decided that it must have been her, and she turned herself in. Luckily, she was commended for coming forward, and no charges were made against her. I'm not sure how she didn't notice that she hit and ran over the bicyclist, but she is pretty short, and she is old, and like I said, she is not the world's best driver. Her insurance will cover everything, and hopefully that will be the end of it.

I don't know how the bicyclist is faring these days, but he is out of the hospital and recovering at home. The nutty part of this story is actually his situation. He is a 62 year old divorced man who is living with his ex-wife and two other men who were also once married to this ex-wife. Three ex-husbands and one ex-wife all living together in a little house outside of town with no car, no phone, and one mangled bike...

Anyway, Joyce has been rather embarrassed by all of this, but is thankful that things were not worse. And an update on our situation: today, after almost 6 weeks, I have my car back. Finally! They washed it and detailed it, it's all sparkly and clean and looks like a brand new car again, only without that new car smell. Now we just need the stairs repaired. Or we could just install a rope, ladder, and slide. Bee would like that, but not so much Glenn the Dog. Or me, for that matter. I'm guessing that in another six weeks, we'll have it fixed, too.

Car Crash

Almost four weeks ago, some crazy lady crashed her car into our gate, taking out my car and the staircase to our house in the process. Bee and I were not home at the time of the crash, but Sparky was. He said it made a terrific noise. He went out the front door to see what happened, and saw her SUV smashed up against the bumper of my car, the metal gate twisted up between the vehicles with broken glass everywhere. The passenger jumped out and said "Don't worry, she'll pay for everything. Don't worry!" A shocked Sparky attempted to walk down the still intact stairs, and the second he stepped on them they fell out beneath his feet. As he plunged down twenty feet, he grabbed the railing but this too gave out and he was dangling like Indiana Jones until he was able to break his fall by swinging away from the debris and letting go. As Sparky stood up among the rubble of the stairs, the passenger kept assuring him that everything would be taken care of.

Apparently the driver, who was picking up the passenger from our next door neighbors, thought that her car was in drive and she tromped the gas pedal in order to go up the hill. But her car was really in reverse, so instead of going uphill she went downhill right into our property instead. Just minutes after this dramatic event occurred, Bee and I returned home. I was very surprised to see a SUV in our yard, and I thought for a second that I must be seeing things. But no, there it was. The driver was still in the car, and I went over to ask her what the hell happened. Sparky and the Passenger were next door at this point, so I wasn't sure what was going on. The driver, Amber was her name, seemed completely out of it, and I asked if she was drunk. No, she said she wasn't. Amber said she was sorry, and that her insurance would pay for everything. At that point, Sparky and the Passenger returned, and the Passenger told me that Amber had a "medical" condition. Amber was definitely on something, I mean how to you confuse reverse with drive (unless you're a Republican)? It seemed so nutty.

Anyway, the police and fire department arrived, reports were taken, insurance information exchanged, the SUV was towed away, and to our amazement Amber wasn't arrested for driving while incoherent. Her mother came to pick her up, and away they all went. Sparky, Bee and I were left with a useless gate, broken stairs, and smashed car. It will be four weeks tomorrow since this happened. We now have a brand new gate that is like a penny, shiny and new. However, I still do not have a car. They are having a problem getting a new bumper for it. Also, no stairs! We've grown used to only using the downstairs as our only means of egress, but after it first happened, I kept trying to go out the front door, only to be confronted by a pile of rubble. Some day, hopefully soon, this too will be remedied. But it's funny what you get used to.