Hmmm--what's new?

Sometimes I start a blog post with no idea where it's going, and that's the case tonight. I think I'm still in recovery from my hectic birthday day. But my house is lovely and cool, and I can't believe I took a three-hour nap today but I did. Still, I'm sure I'll have no trouble sleeping tonight. I think yesterday wore me out.
Sometiimes lately I'm afraid this blog will turn into a chronicle of how I went gluten free. A friend called from El Paso tonight and asked how it was going--I said it was too soon to tell. I mean I don't expect to see results for months--but I'm sticking to it. Went to Central Market today and bought broccoli, asparagus, and spinach, chopped sirloin, a lamb chop (big treat), Dover sole, and salmon. Froze everything but the sole, which I had for dinner tonight, along with the mushrooms and zucchini I had on hand. Dover sole is probably my favorite fish, so delicate in taste. Usually I flour it to saute but tonight I just did it in butter and olive oil and squeezed a bit of lemon over it--delicious.
After my nap I found Elizabeth had left me a birthday present--a book titled Gluten Free Girl, which she says she bought before I decided to go gluten free just because she knows I enjoy good food writing. And she left a bonus--a box of gluten-free brownies. I'll eat one tomorrow, when Jacob eats his chocolate cake.
Work? No, I haven't done any, though I can report over the past week good progess on my food book. Did you know that Wolf Brand Chili is so named because the man who started it had a pet wolf--it used to be Lyman Davis' Wolf Brand Chili. Or that Dr Pepper (note there is no period after the Dr so as not to confuse it with medical advice) because the pharmacist who doubled as a soda jerk and who put together the formula was intrigued with the flavor of the fruit ices he made in the late 19th century but individually none tasted like the aroma he inhaled when making all of them. So he made a blend of fruit syrups. Another day we'll talk about Dublin, which is legendary in Texas for the oldest bottling plant and the only one who still puts DP into glass bottles.
Food writing is fun--to read and to write.

Peaceful weekend--at least I hope

It seems to me my life has been hectic this week--maybe not by other people's standards but by my new relaxed retirement standards, it's been sort of frantic. So today I began what looks like a peaceful weekend--Jordan, Christian, and Jacob are in Coppell for his high school reunion (20 years I guess) and I have nothing on my calendar until a dinner Sunday night that I'm looking forward to. So today I went to the library for a couple of research books, went to the grocery, and have spent the rest of the day at home--reading, taking notes, finishing up the laundry from Jacob's accident yesterday, etc. Ask me about Dr Pepper--I can tall you a lot becauses that's what I've been reading about.
Thursday night I was telling Elizabeth about the tuna salad I like from Albertson's, because it worried me that it had such a long shelf life. She suggested I  read the label, which I know I should be doing, but when I read this one of course I found tons of sodium. So no more store-bought tuna for me. I'll make my own. And then I read the label on the deli-sliced ham that I like to wrap around low-fat cream cheese--a lot of sodium there too. I'm afraid Elizabeth has made a label reader out of me, which is good. It comes at a time I'm trying to encourage Colin to re-think his diet because of the flare-up of his Crohn's this past week. So, I too need to do better. If I haven't mentioned it, Elizabeth has a new blog--http://www.cowstoquinoa.blogspot.com. Her husband was  recently diagnosed with celiac disease so they're going gluten free. Now she's trying to go gluten free, dairy free, sodium free, and corn free. I don't think I can go as far as she has, but I'll take hints from her.  Corn products are apparently known to increase or aggravate the possibility of seizures. But then again, what is life without a good BLT on whole wheat bread?
I've had enoiugh studying for the day. I'm going to read, but I'm looking forward to a quiet lazy weekend. Since in the last few days I haven't even had time to exercise, I'll catch up on that too.