This week, we have been all about using up the the last bits of foods that aren’t getting any fresher. We even managed to put away some in the freezer for an undisclosed date in the future (of course, in a container that has seen so many iterations that three dishes ago I Sharpied in…
Category: Life With Ben
Benchiladas
Have you ever wondered, when you’re staring into the gaping maw that is your family’s ravenous hunger, what would Ben do? Well, wonder no more. This is what Ben would (and did) do. Benchiladas. If, like us these days, you aren’t quite up to doing all that, Benchiladas are the perfect solution when you need…
Until Then, Keep on Traveling (Or not!)
This story has its start 30 years ago, when Phil and I went to his sister’s wedding in Amsterdam, and followed it by accompanying Mary and Rachid on a trip to Morocco, where Rachid grew up. Between Holland and Morocco, we traveled through Brussels, Belgium with them plus their friends who also made the trip…
Hip, Hip, Hooray! Happy Valentine’s Day!
Ben is recovering beautifully from his hip replacement and we are all tickled pink that he is home now, growing stronger every day. Frankly, the only thing holding him back is his killjoy parents who continue trying to keep him from overdoing it! He spends his days with his companions, is doing the exercises recommended…
#Hipster
Thank you all so much for the love, support, prayers, and offers to help! This has been a really tough week, and most of the time, we couldn’t even take you up on your kind offers to help because Ben just needed us with him, providing comfort and overseeing his care. We do deeply appreciate,…
The Hip Bone’s Connected to the Heart String
As many of our readers already know, Ben had a seizure on Friday with spasms so intense that his right hip dislocated and the ball of the hip joint was broken off. He had hip problems as a toddler, but had never had a seizure before. A lengthy, complicated surgery on Sunday gave him a…
Not-Cho Average Friday Night!
For the third time we had to cancel our trip to Virginia this weekend to visit Ben’s grandparents. Dicey weather and a pesky cold that has wiped me out meant that we had to sit this Friday out. Ben felt that nachos and family movie night were an appropriate salve to the canceled-plan wound. I…
Snow Day!
Wherein Ben eats all the things.
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
Remember when the world shut down and we spent our days wandering around in a daze, worrying, staring at screens, growing unkempt, cooking all the things, and gaining about 50 pounds? No? Just me? As I look back now, I realize that most of that time actually produces positive memories for me. The pandemic was…
There will be other Christmases
Though Ben is symptom-free, his recent Covid positive experience seemed a little too close to travel to Virginia to visit my parents in their very tight, energy-efficient home. Ben was crushed, but we are working on managing expectations, starting with the consolation phrase, “There will be other Christmases.” Would my elderly parents have made it…