Evergreen of Celeste
Jan. 9th, 2020 09:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ismoBusy day yesterday. We got up before dawn--which isn't saying much in this season, but it was far too early because neither of us slept very well. I hustled out to the car to take the Sparrowhawk to his 8 am appointment to enter the research trial. It was snowing again. My hair, still wet from the shower, froze into crinkly icicles while I was scraping off the windshield! He arrived and was given various tests and paperwork to fill out. They kept promising to give him breakfast soon. I went back to the hotel to pack up and check out. When I came back, he was getting a tour of the kitchen. They have a refrigerator and snack cupboard, a microwave, toaster oven, and coffee maker. Based on the description we were given, we thought his diet would be controlled and standardized, but as it turns out, there's a lot more freedom. The schedule for eating is controlled, because food interacts with medication, so they have to eat at certain intervals based on the medication dose. Other than that, they can have any snacks from home that they want. And they get to order takeout from various restaurants, rather than getting institutional food, so that's a good thing. One of the nurses was toasting a bagel for the Sparrowhawk when I returned, and she very kindly made one for me, too.
There are six or seven very nice staff members who work with the test subjects. We wrote down their names as they appeared, because there are so many. I don't feel too happy about the environment. There's no exercise area. They have one (1) exercise bike that has to be wheeled from one room to another to give each resident a turn. They're allowed to walk around the parking lot if they sign in and out and take a cell phone with them. The room is like a hospital room, with a hospital bed, but it's also full of random supplies and supply carts used elsewhere in the clinic, so there's really nowhere to put any of his things. The nurse cleared out one drawer for his toiletries and one shelf that he can put things on. The refrigerator is also crowded already with staff lunches and basics, so not much room for the fruit he took with him. There's a window in his room, but it's a narrow strip at the top of the wall, so you can only see out if you're standing up, and you can't see much. He's not complaining, but I am! I would go crazy enclosed in such a cramped, indoor area for a whole month. Hopefully he won't, though.
I stayed to have lunch with him, and then it was time to go. I really hated that. Fortunately, it had stopped snowing before I got on the freeway, and the traffic was pretty light, so it was only slightly terrifying. I got home about 4, and sensed a dearth of vegetables. For some reason, I was inspired to make braised leeks and carrots--a dish from Jane Grigson's Vegetables cookbook--and a sort of deconstructed stuffed cabbage roll consisting of cabbage sliced up and sauteed with pine nuts and sausage, then cooked until done with tomato sauce. It was basic but satisfying. Then I made apple crisp with the remaining bag of Northern Spies. It was really, really good.
Today was also pretty busy. I wrote and mailed four cards for various people. I made three loaves of
bread. I called my new friend the Poet who had called while I was on the highway, and was ignored because I thought it was just the blood bank again, begging me to donate. I will if I ever get a spare minute. The Poet wants to meet again, for lunch, so we made an appointment. Then I did the grocery shopping. Then Tron and I went to a gallery we favor that has lots of pretty and curious things, to buy a Christmas ornament for her friend with whom she always exchanges Christmas ornaments. I bought a sparkly gold acorn and a hedgehog. I resisted the glass dragons, but the Sparrowhawk says we need one, so maybe I'll go back. We decided to have leftovers for dinner. My leftovers were yummy. I have to admit, I like my own cooking.
Tron took the Lumberjack to the doctor because she's worried that he's been sick for ten days and is still not well. The doctor was really not helpful. She said he probably had the flu, but there was nothing she could do about it. What they wanted was advice about over the counter medications for symptom reduction, but she brushed them off. However, she didn't see any additional cause for concern, so at least that is reassuring. Tron explained to me that if they don't get home by Monday, they'll have to stay all week, because her exam is a multi-day process. She can take it online from here as well as from home, but what she can't do is take a day off to drive home once the exam period starts. There's a bad storm coming tomorrow night, and there's no way they can leave tomorrow, so I have a feeling they'll be here through next week. This is fine with me if that's what works for them. I'll just have to think of some more things to cook.
There are six or seven very nice staff members who work with the test subjects. We wrote down their names as they appeared, because there are so many. I don't feel too happy about the environment. There's no exercise area. They have one (1) exercise bike that has to be wheeled from one room to another to give each resident a turn. They're allowed to walk around the parking lot if they sign in and out and take a cell phone with them. The room is like a hospital room, with a hospital bed, but it's also full of random supplies and supply carts used elsewhere in the clinic, so there's really nowhere to put any of his things. The nurse cleared out one drawer for his toiletries and one shelf that he can put things on. The refrigerator is also crowded already with staff lunches and basics, so not much room for the fruit he took with him. There's a window in his room, but it's a narrow strip at the top of the wall, so you can only see out if you're standing up, and you can't see much. He's not complaining, but I am! I would go crazy enclosed in such a cramped, indoor area for a whole month. Hopefully he won't, though.
I stayed to have lunch with him, and then it was time to go. I really hated that. Fortunately, it had stopped snowing before I got on the freeway, and the traffic was pretty light, so it was only slightly terrifying. I got home about 4, and sensed a dearth of vegetables. For some reason, I was inspired to make braised leeks and carrots--a dish from Jane Grigson's Vegetables cookbook--and a sort of deconstructed stuffed cabbage roll consisting of cabbage sliced up and sauteed with pine nuts and sausage, then cooked until done with tomato sauce. It was basic but satisfying. Then I made apple crisp with the remaining bag of Northern Spies. It was really, really good.
Today was also pretty busy. I wrote and mailed four cards for various people. I made three loaves of
bread. I called my new friend the Poet who had called while I was on the highway, and was ignored because I thought it was just the blood bank again, begging me to donate. I will if I ever get a spare minute. The Poet wants to meet again, for lunch, so we made an appointment. Then I did the grocery shopping. Then Tron and I went to a gallery we favor that has lots of pretty and curious things, to buy a Christmas ornament for her friend with whom she always exchanges Christmas ornaments. I bought a sparkly gold acorn and a hedgehog. I resisted the glass dragons, but the Sparrowhawk says we need one, so maybe I'll go back. We decided to have leftovers for dinner. My leftovers were yummy. I have to admit, I like my own cooking.
Tron took the Lumberjack to the doctor because she's worried that he's been sick for ten days and is still not well. The doctor was really not helpful. She said he probably had the flu, but there was nothing she could do about it. What they wanted was advice about over the counter medications for symptom reduction, but she brushed them off. However, she didn't see any additional cause for concern, so at least that is reassuring. Tron explained to me that if they don't get home by Monday, they'll have to stay all week, because her exam is a multi-day process. She can take it online from here as well as from home, but what she can't do is take a day off to drive home once the exam period starts. There's a bad storm coming tomorrow night, and there's no way they can leave tomorrow, so I have a feeling they'll be here through next week. This is fine with me if that's what works for them. I'll just have to think of some more things to cook.
