That frozen concoction that helps me hang on
I am sad tonight. We gave Yum, our old Isuzu Trooper, away to a fellow from our church congregation. We've had some fun adventures in that old car--it would go anywhere and do most anything we asked of it. It was about as frou-frou as an old VW Bug (my first car, and it broke my heart to lose that one to a major accident) and about that friendly too. I've had to blur my eyes and my brain a bit every time I look at the Trooper or think of it being gone ever since we committed to pass it on. We're working hard inside and outside to declutter our lives, so it's natural that this old mobile should go, but it's one of the hardest things to let go of. I guess it represents a time when Rob and I had the freedom and the ability to do things like camp and take little trips and follow interesting, seemingly-impassable roads. Yum could take it. The Camry, which is a much nicer and more reliable car, can't. And my grandma can't. Ho hum, well, we're in a different place now, but I'm half-crazy sometimes to be able to do some of those small outings again. Giving away Yum is a good move for us in that we need to cut loose all that isn't working . . . and Yum isn't currently working. We're not likely to have the money to pour into it anytime soon. So, tra la lee, it's an abundant universe, right? Maybe one day we'll troop again. I cried a few tears in the studio when the fellas who were towing it showed up, but it's time to move on.
It would have been a perfect moment for eating too many chocolate chip cookies, but I'm out of that groove, so I made myself a comfort drink that turned out nicely. Of course it's not your usual ingredients; it's me, remember? In the drinkable dairy world, I am currently only tolerating goat's milk, and I'm still supposed to be avoiding sugar. If you really can't help yourself, you could substitute sugar for my off-beat sweetener, but you would probably like it my way, and you will definitely not want to replace the goat's milk with anything else. It works like magic every time, fluffing up like it was made by the worlds most skillful soda jerk.
Strawberry Yum
Load blender with:
1 cup whole goat's milk
a generous handful of frozen, unsweetened strawberries
a splash of pure vanilla
a bigger splash of lemon juice
vegetable glycerin to taste (or sugar, if you must)
Blend on high till strawberries are liquefied and your drink is nice and smooth. Drink and be comforted.
11 comments:
geo, sorry to hear about the trooper but way to go with decluttering. i think in the long run that is always the best way to go. i think the universe will give back to you somewhere along the way. if gram could be dumped at our house you could go on a northern utah excursion!
where do you get goat's milk? and how is the vegetable sweetener? never heard of it...
I feel better this morning, now that I can't see the Trooper anymore. There's a nice empty place where an old, lonesome SUV used to be. Hurray! And I've got a fellow Freecycler coming this afternoon to unburden me of yet more clutter. Space! Wahoo!
THanks for the idea, but I know Gram would not agree to being dumped or even gently lain upon a feather pillow anywhere. She refuses to go to Pokey this weekend, and so far we haven't figured out anyone who can stay with her. Looks like we'll have to go up early on Sunday and leave after Scout's blessing. But that's better than not going at all.
Right now I am buying goat's milk from Macey's. It's the same as what's at the health food store only cheaper. There's a place down in Payson I spotted recently that sells raw goat milk, and the folks at my clinic told me about a great place in Draper that works on the honor system, but so far I've not ventured that far. I'd love to be able to find somebody here in town who sells it, but no luck yet. Macey's it is.
I am surprised to learn that I actually like the stuff. All these years I'd heard how strong goat's milk is, but I don't find it offensive in the least. I'm planning to make yogurt with some soon. The best yogurt I ever et was goat's milk yogurt made in a goatskin by a strange middle eastern man the Norrises knew. Divine stuff!
As for the vegetable glycerin, you can buy it by the gallon in the soapmaking section of the health food store! You can get smaller bottles there too, likely in the cosmetics section, but it's more money. It's very tasty--mild and sweet. I use it when stevia is too strong a taste for the recipe, and when I want to enhance a smooth texture. Those are the two sweeteners I've used since last fall, even very sparingly in the intial stages of the candida diet. Neither messes about with your blood sugar the way other sweeteners do, and they are both natural, so there's no nasty chemical replacing your blood.
I'm sorry to hear about your car. I still dream of our old vehicle (which was a real piece, now that I think about it...nostalgic). I really admire your decluttering put into action; mine's only really ever been in theory.
Did you concoct, and name, the drink solely in honor of the Trooper?
It just occured to me reading this that you are having lots of new mom experiences by "mothering" Gram. I remember having this sinking feeling when I sold back my car that summer after I quit work to stay home with Addie, feeling like I would never ever go anywhere ever again, and it's a good thing I did so many things before I became a mom because I was going to live out the rest of my existence in these four walls taking care of my babies. Of course that was the post-partum talkng, but I still get that feeling once in a while, even though I know now how fast the babies grow up and soon this whole period will have flown by and I will be out and about longing for quiet days at home ("Trapped") with my babies. I suppose there is always a longing for unfettered freedom once we are (however joyfully) bound by responsibility. It's definitely a trade off, with its own set of blessings and lots of growing. Your comment here answered my question about why Rob & Georgia haven't come to see us yet...;) That's an awful long ride for Gram! These virtual visits suit me fine these days!
PS: The post title is one of my favorite songs and makes me wish I were napping on the beach of the Sea of Cortez drinking those yummy frozen limeades (virgin margaritas, I guess). I never thought I'd live so far from Mexico...SIGH.
~j.: I concocted it last week, but named it last night, yes, in honor of Yum. It's actually pretty appropriate--Yum was a little on the goaty side from having been a hay-hauler for a while, red like a dusty strawberry, accused on occasion of being a lemon when things started going wrong in rapid succession, definitely not a sweet car, but a treat anyhow.
I remember a few years ago, I went on splits with the sister missionaries one night, and the young woman who travelled with me climbed into Yum and said, buoyantly, "Oh, I just LOVE these old junkers!" That was when Yum was still unmarred by traffic accidents. Harumph! Kids these days! ; )
jamie: I hope that one day good babysitters will be easier to find than gramsitters.
wow. it's so sad when you have to say goodbye to an era.
I have many, many fond memories of Yum. I shed a tear in my heart of hearts right now to know that those memories will be the last.
ah, well . . . life goes on.
It's strange how we get attached to our vehicles . . .
LYL
Your concoction sounds delicious! I told my sister about it - her son has become a much happier little boy now that she's feeding him goat's milk products. He had horrible colic when he was younger, and she figured out that most of his problems come from dairy and soy allergies. Hooray for goat's milk!
Also, did I read that you're on the Candida diet? I did that (before I figured out I have a wheat allergy). It's exhausting - trying to figure out what you can and can't eat. I admire you and I sympathize.
j'oga: I guess it's probably more important to focus on the good parts of the new "era", which, in this case are: air conditioning to keep The Ancestor from a heat stroke, reliability, better sound from the radio, four doors, a quiet ride (better for conversations), better mileage, safer, sun visors that stay up or down as you wish them to, decent shocks (no more washboard on University Avenue), drink holders, windows that don't slide open from the outside, no crunched fenders, no rust, slightly more professionally validating, less than 35K miles, and a BYU A Lot parking sticker (no, we don't use it--it just makes us feel important).
*sigh*
We'll have to make some new memories driving the new mobile (as yet unnamed).
emmie: I'm with you--huzzah for dairy goats! I've heard story after story like that about children with chronic health gripes until the goats entered in. Goats sometimes get a bad rap, but I love 'em.
These days I'm actually on the Candida Plus (or maybe that should be Candida Minus) diet. It's my own very special diet of progressive deprivation . . . you'd love it! I'm kidding, sort of. Yeah, I started the Candida diet last October, and was fortunate enough to find on online source of good information that helped me make sense of what and when and why. i printed out charts and stuck them on my fridge door and religiously worked away at the Candida. It helped a lot; I'm much improved on that count. Youre' right, though, that it can really wear you out trying to figure out what's the right course.
I really feel for you with the wheat allergy. I absolutely love breads and all things wheaty. Are you totally gluten-intolerant? I'm currently off ALL grains at my medic's insistence, because of some digestive problems that need to be resolved. The regular Candida diet now looks like a piece of cake (everything looks like a piece of cake anymore, thanks to my wild cravings) by comparison.
I used to roll my eyes at people who seemed to talk of nothing but their food intolerances and wierd diets, but now I understand.
No grains at all? No wonder everything looks like a piece of cake!
I can eat oats and rice without problems, but that's as gluteny as I get. I, too, love wheaty things - I still have dreams about homemade, whole wheat bread fresh from the oven... (excuse me while I weep quietly in a corner...)
It's not so bad now that I've figured out the best rice pastas. (An occasional indulgence in flourless chocolate cake also helps.)
I've also gone from eye roller to: "How fascinating! Tell me all about your spelt and seaweed diet!"
emmie: Your comment made me laugh! Hey, have you tried NottaPasta? That's the best one I found before I had to eliminate rice from the ol' diet too. Their website has a great collection of recipes.
My kind husband invented for me some yummy cookies (not too sweet) that we occasionally make with almond and/or hazelnut flour that sometimes really help me get through the cravings days. I'm afraid I woofed down the last batch a little too fast and now there's nothing in the house that looks like a treat. *sigh*
I understand your need to weep for breads. I happen to have married somebody who bakes as a hobby and has just about perfected the whole wheat loaf--the French bakery's got nothing on him. I do mourn for the Saturday loaves hot from the oven . . . .
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