Home again...

I am home again after a week of many emotions and many activities but I do have to say that, as sad events go, at least we were able to take care of everything that needed to get done and deal with our emotions as well as we could. We weren't always as successful at the latter as we could have been but for the most part we rounded off the week well. 

When I finally got home, one of the first things I did was have a good cry because that was something I had not got around to doing yet and I have to say that it came as a big relief. I cried for the suffering that my sister went through and was glad that it didn't last long. She was very brave. 

Tyke was a very happy dog when he saw me. The Exfactor had brought him home before I got there so he was waiting for me behind the front door.  He's not in the least traumatized for me having left him for such a long time but he is trying to get some extra attention by misbehaving a little. I have to make sure I give him many spontaneous cuddles and hugs. He is very happy to be walking through his own neighborhood again and is sniffing and peeing in all his usual spots.

One of the other things I had to do was go grocery shopping and I also went to the Turkish vegetable shop and for a very reasonable amount of money bought all the ingredients to make four huge pans full of vegetable soup for the next week or so. Soup is my main staple, it is what I live on so the soup goes quickly. I eat two bowls of it at nearly every meal.

The Turkish vegetable shop is a wonderful place to hang out at. Everything looks so fresh and appetizing. When I see the abundance of different vegetables, I feel like looking up all sorts of recipes. Not being able to eat lactose or gluten does eliminate a lot of dishes though.

My sister Marianne's specialist told me that not having an over abundance of iron in my blood most likely means that I do not carry the gene for hemochromatosis and I am greatly relieved. I no longer worry about it and since have learned that intestinal problems are not necessarily the disorder's symptoms. It's more likely that Marianne and I both had/have food intolerances/allergies. 

 Marianne always drank a huge amount of milk and ate a huge amount of dairy products. When she was put on a diet in an attempt to slow down  the speed of development of her disorder, her intestinal problems almost disappeared. Unfortunately, she didn't stick to the diet and her problems reappeared.

I've unpacked my suitcase and I have to iron one dress jacket that suffered badly for having been folded up in there. I must remember to fold it differently the next time I pack it. That will be when I go to Houston in December.  I can't wait.