August 2007 Archives

tears in my eyes

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Navelgazing Midwife: A Birth Unfolds in Photos
warning - graphic photos and some language issues

Traumatic brain injury

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A teenage girl, a terrible injury and a will to recover

Traumatic brain injury did not end up in PVS or death.....

food and other delights

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I know that the blog has been all Emma, all the time, but now I am going to branch out into a few other areas of interest. Food, for one. We have been blessed lately with an extravagance of fresh vegetables from our CSA AND there are several local Farmer's Markets. I have made a batch of pickles from the cucumbers and also some dilled green beans. I have frozen peas, green beans, and corn on the cob for the winter. My tomato plants and squash have not yet revved up to full speed, thank God, because the bounty from the CSA has been almost more than we can eat.
Here are a few recipes for what we have been eating. Amounts are variable and feel free to adjust to suit your needs.
LAZY GAZPACHO
The original recipes I have call for either making a puree of the ingredients or adding in a commercial tomato juice base. I have found that doing it as I describe below works just fine.
In the bottom of a fairly large non-reactive dish (glass bowl, ceramic dish) put a layer of peeled and sliced or chunked cucumbers ( I prefer the chunks). Salt liberally with a non-chemicalized salt (I use kosher or large crystal sea salt). Then add in a layer of onion (again, slices or chunks). Salt the onion lightly. (The idea is that the salt draws out the juices). Then a layer of bell peppers, your choice of colours, and if you choose, maybe a hot pepper minced. Use a garlic press and add some garlic puree to taste - I find that 2 or 3 cloves work pretty well. Then take your freshest local juicy ripe tomatoes. Hold them over the dish to slice them and add them as the top layer. You don't want to miss any of the juice. You could peel them if you wish, but it isn't always necessary and it take time. On the other hand, if you peel them you don't end up picking tomato skins out of your teeth....
After you have layered all the veges, sprinkle the top with some red wine vinegar and some quality olive oil. About equal parts of each. Cover the dish and let it sit in a cool place (fridge or some such) for a while. Maybe an hour. You can sip your beverage of choice or work on other meal items while you are waiting. Then, take the tool of your choice and amalgamate the ingredients to some degree that will also express more of the juices. I personally like to take my freshly washed hands and smoosh things together, but you could also use a spoon or a spatula.
Serve in small bowls with garlic toasts or croutons on the side.

Ratatouille
Prepare a large cooking pot with thick bottom, put in plenty olive oil.
Chop 1 or 2 onions, put them into the pot and start it cooking slowly. Slice and garlic (about 6 cloves).
Cut up 1 or 2 bell peppers into small strips, and stir in.
Peel an eggplant, cut it into big chunks, then throw them into the pot. Do the same to some zucchini and/or other summer squash.
Wash the tomatoes, chop them up in big chunks, and throw them in (no peeling) and stir in well. You need 2 or 3 big beefsteak tomatoes, or an equivalent amount of other tomatoes.
They then need to be stirred down frequently until they've merged with the rest of the ingredients. If you wish, you can add in some fresh chopped basil, parsley, thyme and similar herbs now or at the end. Other possible additions are capers and mushrooms.
This can take as long as 45 minutes and I suggest that you have the pot on the lowest possible heat. Depending on your tomatoes, you could get caramelization and that is not the goal here.
Ratatouille can be served as a main course, as a relish over meat or fish, on pasta or potatoes, or as a side dish. It can be served hot, warm, or cold. You can roll it in crepes or put it in an omelet. It is delicious and versatile.

The other thing I have done with my vegetables lately is to oven roast the root veges. Fingerling potatoes, onions, carrots, and beets, with some garlic (of course!). yum.


translations and impact

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Ihave long thought that the NAB (official bible translation in the USA) is a little bit dumbed down. Take the epistle from a few weeks ago. The NAB reads
Colossians Chapter 3:1-11
If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.
For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory.
Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry.
Because of these the wrath of God is coming (upon the disobedient).
By these you too once conducted yourselves, when you lived in that way.
But now you must put them all away: anger, fury, malice, slander, and obscene language out of your mouths.
Stop lying to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices
and have put on the new self, which is being renewed, for knowledge, in the image of its creator.
Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all and in all.

Here is the New Jerusalem translation.
Colossians 3:1 - 11
Since you have been brought back to true life with Christ, you must look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is, sitting at God’s right hand. Let your thoughts be on heavenly things, not on the things that are on the earth, because you have died, and now the life you have is hidden with Christ in God. But when Christ is revealed – and he is your life – you too will be revealed in all your glory with him.
That is why you must kill everything in you that belongs only to earthly life: fornication, impurity, guilty passion, evil desires and especially greed, which is the same thing as worshipping a false god; and never tell each other lies. You have stripped off your old behaviour with your old self, and you have put on a new self which will progress towards true knowledge the more it is renewed in the image of its creator; and in that image there is no room for distinction between Greek and Jew, between the circumcised or the uncircumcised, or between barbarian and Scythian, slave and free man. There is only Christ: he is everything and he is in everything.

the New Revised Standard edition
So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your* life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.

Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). On account of these the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient.* These are the ways you also once followed, when you were living that life.* But now you must get rid of all such things—anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive* language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. In that renewal* there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all!
The Vulgate
# igitur si conresurrexistis Christo quae sursum sunt quaerite ubi Christus est in dextera Dei sedens
# quae sursum sunt sapite non quae supra terram
# mortui enim estis et vita vestra abscondita est cum Christo in Deo
# cum Christus apparuerit vita vestra tunc et vos apparebitis cum ipso in gloria
# mortificate ergo membra vestra quae sunt super terram fornicationem inmunditiam libidinem concupiscentiam malam et avaritiam quae est simulacrorum servitus
# propter quae venit ira Dei super filios incredulitatis
# in quibus et vos ambulastis aliquando cum viveretis in illis
# nunc autem deponite et vos omnia iram indignationem malitiam blasphemiam turpem sermonem de ore vestro
# nolite mentiri invicem expoliantes vos veterem hominem cum actibus eius
# et induentes novum eum qui renovatur in agnitionem secundum imaginem eius qui creavit eum
# ubi non est gentilis et Iudaeus circumcisio et praeputium barbarus et Scytha servus et liber sed omnia et in omnibus Christus


Of interest is that one word is translated "fornication" In every translation EXCEPT the NAB. I wonder why? Is it that the word no longer means anything to the average English speaking american?

this should not be happening

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history

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totally hilarious!!

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How True!

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what emma wore to church sunday

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Local news from elsewhere

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medical risks of vasectomy

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local news

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flash flood
I was on call Monday August 6 - that is from 0700 to 0700 the next day. That night, it started in with lightning and thunder so close that it sounded like I was inside a fireworks display. Of course, the pager went off - a patient needed to go to the hospital. I told them to go but to please be careful, and tried to get back to sleep for a few minutes, knowing that it was probably going to be a long night.
A little later, I decided I needed to get to the hospital - so headed out as usual, wipers going full tilt. This hospital is 2 1/2 miles away - usually a 5minute drive. Well, I tried. I needed to go north, and every road I usually took was flooded at the low point. At one point I was stuck on a high spot in the road, between the not as shallow spot I had foolishly driven through and a near torrent. I called the hospital and gave orders over the phone, and told them that I was stuck. Eventually the water receded a bit and I tried again but had to turn back, and eventually (about two hours later) made my circuitous way back home. By morning, the waters had gone down enough that I was able to get to the hospital and eventually to the office. I did a lot of praying, that's for sure.

new blog, via dawn

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RIP

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Karen Marie Knapp of the Anchor Hold has gone to her eternal reward. I just learned of the news from Apologia, who learned of it through the usual chain of bloggers.
I had the pleasure a few years ago to meet Miss Knapp in person. I am certain that if she did not go directly to heaven, her time in purgatory was muchly decreased by her sufferings in this life. The few hours I spent with her were precious. She gave me a hand-knotted rosary that my husband still carries and uses. I am sure that she will be doing more good for us where she is now, and I am glad that her sufferings are now ended. But her presence in the blogosphere will be missed.

Diabetes is a nasty disease. I have lost both my father and two uncles (one maternal, one paternal) to its complications. To some degree is may be preventable, but not always. I am continually angered at the cavalier attitude of some patients and health care providers about diabetes. It is possible with some sacrifice and good advice to get it under control and minimize the suffering. But first, it needs to be diagosed and then treated in a holistic way - lifestyle, medication, and monitoring.

I know that Karen did what was needful. I pray that her family finds peace. I am sure that she will hear the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

adorable

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adorable.jpg

On the post below, a commenter asked if I had relocated. The answer is no, I have no plans to relocate - I've not been where I now am for even a full year! The reason that I was asking about midwives is that in a couple of months it will be down to me by myself as the sole CNM in the practice. We really need to bring in at least two more, preferable three, due to the volume of patients that are seeking hospital based midwifery care. Anyone who is interested can contact me directly (email is in the sidebar) and I will let you know where to send your CV. The rest of you can pray that the Lord sends the right people to our doors!

ahhhhh

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first%20bath%20at%20home.jpg
Miss Emma relaxes after her bath.

On a different note, the practice I am in is looking for a few good midwives.

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