Fighting the Flu

Note: None of this is meant as medical advice; I'm just sharing what works for me. You should always consult a trained medical professional about your health.

I've had the joy of dealing with the flu this past week and a bit. I don't handle illness super well, but this time the misery was compounded by bad weather and an unexpected allergic reaction to medication! But more on that in a bit. I've been sick enough times in my life that I've ended up with a list of go-to remedies to help myself through it. Here's what I've found works for me...

Zinc

This is more a preventative, but I've found that since I started taking zinc supplements (50 mg chelated zinc, every other day), I've caught far fewer viruses. I'm prone to zinc deficiency because I have a harder time absorbing zinc in the first place, so I need to supplement. Someone without this issue, who gets enough zinc in their diet, wouldn't get much benefit from supplementing.

The berries of Sambucus nigra, aka Elder

Elder

Although it doesn't do much for the common cold, Elder is fantastic for the flu. I personally prefer to use syrup made from the berries (available at health food stores and some pharmacies, or homemade). Elder zaps a fever, eases aches, and generally makes the flu more tolerable. During this recent bout, I used it twice during the worst of the illness, and afterwards didn't feel bad enough to need it again. If I can't find the syrup, I'll have elder berry or flower tea instead.

 

By Kimchifan, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20653196 

Greek Mountain Tea 

Also known as Sideritis (S. syriaca and S. scardica are two of the most commonly used species) and Ironwort, is the perfect tea for what ails you. It's soothing, tastes pleasant (it's the only tea I liked as a kid), and any Greek (Bulgarian, Albanian, Turkish...) grandma will tell you it'll help you feel better. If you don't live where it grows, you can find it in Greek bakeries or European grocery stores (let me know if you've also found it elsewhere). You can find more info and instructions on making the tea here. Serve with honey and/or lemon, if you want.

 

Warm Liquids 

I love my coffee and tea iced, but when I'm sick, warm fluids are the only way to go. While I think Greek Mountain Tea is the best, any kind of tea is good, especially with some honey in it. Soups and broths are a must. Anything warm is soothing, and helps with the chills too. 

 

Ibuprofin 

The flu generally comes with all kinds of aches and pains. Ibuprofin is anti-inflammatory, as well as analgesic. You can get it under various brand names, or as generic ibuprofin. Whatever it's called, it has made my life easier. 

 

Daytime and Nighttime Cold and Flu Meds

I used to be opposed to taking any kind of medication-- I'd suffer through with natural "remedies" that didn't really do much. Nowadays, I'd rather sleep through the night and be able to breathe. I can't stand the taste of medicine, so I'll get this stuff in pill form (I like Buckley's, which is Canadian) and it's a lifesaver.

 

Fresh Air 

Maybe it's an old wives' tale, but I feel better when I can get some fresh air when I'm sick. If I have the energy I'll go for a short walk, but it's also okay to just sit outside or open a window. Unfortunately, this flu coincided with some of the coldest temperatures and biggest snowfalls we've had in decades. Luckily it warmed up this past weekend, so I managed to get some walks in, and (after the first one, which wiped me out) I feel stronger and more energetic for it. Coincidence? Placebo? Maybe, but it works for me.

Throat Lozenges 

This flu started with a sore throat, and I was extremely grateful for the existence of throat lozenges with benzocaine, which I've never used before. These lozenges are numbing and kill the pain of a sore throat. Awesome, right? Well... When I started having a few minor signs of an allergic reaction, I thought it was just part of the flu. But when I ended up covered in hives on my torso, I did some reading and found out benzocaine is chemically similar to another drug I'm allergic to (bactrim, an antibiotic), and can cause cross reactions. I obviously stopped using those lozenges, and the hives are mostly gone now (I've also been taking allergy pills to help minimize the reaction). Sadly, there will be no more numbing lozenges for me. Stupid allergies.

 

The Flu Shot! 

Yes, I got the flu shot back in October, and still got the flu. The way flu shots work, every year the shot is chosen based on which strain is likely to be prevalent in the upcoming flu season. Sometimes, an unanticipated strain ends up spreading. The flu I got this year was one of those. But because I got the shot, I wasn't as sick as I could've been, and that's huge. I haven't always bothered to get the shot, and the last time I caught the flu when I hadn't had the shot, it was miserable, and wiped me out for weeks afterwards. That was the year I started regularly getting the shot. Zero regrets. I've had the flu a couple of times since, including this year, and it has never been as bad as it was the year I didn't get a shot. Influenza (the flu) isn't like the common cold-- it can hit you hard and it can kill you. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm not getting taken out by a virus.

 

Rest 

I know there's pressure to never take a break, never take time off, work through the pain, always be doing something. That's a great way to get sick and stay sick (and spread the illness to even more people too). To get better as quickly as possible, your body needs rest. Whether that's more sleep than usual, or just lying on the couch and doing as little as possible, do what you can to do nothing. It's more important than we realize (or want to admit).

 

If you're up for it, reading is a great way to pass the time when you're not feeling your best. Distract yourself with my books (links follow)!

 

What works for you when you're sick with the flu? Share in the comments...

 

Cheers,

Aspasia 

My Book Links

Love Lies Bleeding

Bleeding Heart

Blood Magic

Tooth & Claw

(Links take you to all available stores. Love Lies Bleeding and Bleeding Heart are also available in paperback.)

 

PS: Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com. 

 

 

Snow Days

I've always loved snow. Probably not a surprise as a Canadian. According to my mom, the first big snowfall of the year happened the night I was born. When I was younger, I would always be out playing in it. I don't play so much anymore, but I love walking in it. The fresh air, the crunching underfoot, and the quiet [Edit: I forgot to add how fresh snow sparkles in the sun]. Not only are there fewer people around in general, but snow somehow muffles background noise. Yes, shovelling sucks, and the cold isn't much fun (still better than the summer heat!), but I'd hate to live anywhere without at least one good snowfall a year (preferably on my birthday).

Here are a few photos I took recently...

Off in the distance you can see a tiny figure. I tried to get a better shot but she's a fast walker. We've gotten to know her a bit on our walks, and she's apparently out every day picking up litter. She also gave us tips on watching out for coyotes-- never underestimate the toughness of tiny older women.

Speaking of tough women, download my books and read about some whose fangs would put a coyote's to shame...

 

Love Lies Bleeding

Bleeding Heart

*Blood Magic

*Tooth & Claw

(Links take you to all available stores. Books marked * are free everywhere other than Amazon. Love Lies Bleeding and Bleeding Heart are also available in paperback.)

 

Are you a fan of snow? What's your favourite winter activity? Share in the comments...

Cheers,

Aspasia

PS: Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com. 

All photos by Whimsy Bower/Aspasia S. Bissas

Christie's Antique and Vintage Show

Today was a long day that was a long time in the making.

Several months ago I was reading the latest post on one of my favourite blogs (see it here), and discovered the existence of Christie's Antique Show. Well, as soon as I saw the photo of an entire table covered in jadeite (AKA jadite, green milk glass, or that awesome green stuff...) I set the date in my calendar.

Yay antiques!

Today the big day finally arrived and the SO and I set forth to Hamilton (about an hour west of Toronto), coffees in hand and excitement rising (okay, I was excited; he was wondering how he got suckered into this). Despite getting turned around in the wilds of Hamilton (at one point we saw a valley with numerous plumes of smoke/steam rising, which led to comparisons with Isengard and jokes about Orcs), we made pretty good time to the show.

If I hadn't already pre-bought the tickets, I might just have turned around and gone home at the sight of all the cars lined up to get in. I don't like lines. Or crowds. Or small groups. But jadeite is a powerful motivator so we forged ahead (another Isengard reference for you). I'm so glad we did. The lines and crowds really weren't bad, and there was so much to see. Tons of glassware and metal signs, a surprising number of vintage wooden crates, some great furniture pieces, plenty of Canadiana. Some weird stuff too, like an actual life-size mugwump from David Cronenberg's movie Naked Lunch. If you thought those things were creepy onscreen, you have no idea (I should've stopped to ask where they got it or how much they were asking).

And there was lots of jadeite. Two places with large selections, and a few with smaller offerings or only a couple of pieces. The shock was the prices. Why didn't I start buying this stuff years ago when I fell in love with it and it wasn't super popular? Now everyone's into it and the prices reflect that. Sigh. I should probably just wait until it's out of fashion again. But I couldn't resist getting a couple of pieces anyway. I'm stupid like that. Keep reading for pictures of the show and to see what I ended up getting...

The tents beckoning in the distance...

Jadeite in all its glory, along with accompanying sticker shock

Awesome little dollhouse. Note the bird and nest on the window ledge, as well as the letters in the mailbox.

old-school gas pump

The table of jadeite that lured me to the show in the first place

The show was being held at Christie Lake Conservation Area.

John McClane would be so jealous...

Big Boy indeed--this thing was taller than the corner of the tent.

What's better than Bohemian glass?

That's right--two Bohemian glasses.

I was so excited to take the picture, I didn't notice the glass was wet. Sorry about the spots.

I couldn't resist this set of three covered dishes. All the jadeite I got today is 1940s era. Side note: the table cloth is one I got at the market in Carpentras, Provence.

Fire-King sticker still there 70 years later

A better view of the design on the lid. Not sure how the colour ended up so off in this shot.

The best part is how it glows when the light hits it

Shadow stopped by to see what I was up to and then promptly got distracted by everything else.

You can see this flour shaker in the first jadeite market shot above. I especially liked it because I actually needed something like this. It's a darker green than the other pieces too--extra pretty.

Another useful piece. I justify my magpie tendencies by at least trying to get things that are useful and not just dust collectors (although I have more than enough of those too...)

All my loot. Can't wait for the next show!

 

Oh, and we ended our visit by treating ourselves to some mini donuts, made on the spot and tossed in powdered sugar. Those were worth the trip on their own...

 

[Edited to update links. Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com] 

Getting Steamed: Pros and Cons of a Clothes Steamer

This is the Salav model I have

One of the things I most appreciated about having a mom who was a professional seamstress was having access to her tools. My sad little Brother sewing machine felt a lot like the Scooty-Puff Jr next to her Senior-level Juki (we won't talk about my skills in using those machines compared to hers). But my favourite item she had was a garment steamer. Why did I covet that steamer?

• Easier to use than a regular iron
• Faster than a regular iron
• Can get the wrinkles out of spots on clothing that are awkward to get at with a regular iron and board (fussy bodices, narrow areas like sleeves, gathers and pleats...)
• Can get wrinkles out of clothing that you can't really use a regular iron on (e.g., suit jackets)
• Can quickly and easily use on large items that don't fit well on a standard ironing board (tablecloths, sheets)
• Handy for non-ironing tasks, like getting wallpaper off a wall or sneakily steaming open letters

With all these benefits, I don't know why it took me so long to get my own steamer. I guess, as useful as it is, it's not quite as much fun as buying obscene amounts of books and craft supplies. Still, even I can be practical sometimes and I finally went for it, getting the Salav model in the picture above.

So, what's the verdict? On the plus side: it heats up fast, it's easy to use, and a little water in the reservoir goes a long way. Not so great: It was a pain to put together/set up (why does *everything* require assembly these days?). I also wish I'd noticed it had a non-slip base instead of wheels. I'm sure a stationary steamer has many advantages (not that I can think of any right now) but it's heavy and awkward to move. I've had to set it up permanently next to the ironing board because putting it away and taking it out every time I need it would definitely result in it never getting used. But aside from the issue of no wheels, I'm happy with the new addition to my own sewing room. Anyone have any wallpaper that needs to come down?

2024 Update 

A few months after I wrote the original post, my steamer stopped working. The problem was mineral buildup from using tap water in the reservoir. In my defence, my mom used tap water in her steamer and it never had any problems (not to mention that it's decades old at this point and still works. My sister will probably end up passing it on to her kids). Also, I thought mineral buildup could be cleaned out. But no. Once we realized the problem, we tried cleaning the steamer (and switching to distilled water), but nothing helped. So without any warning signs, it broke and can't be fixed. This steamer was too expensive to be so flimsy.

Final Verdict: I do not recommend Salav garment steamers. 

[Edited to expand title and add an update. Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com]

Sometimes "Good Enough" Is Good Enough (+ Chinese Tea Eggs Recipe)

It's been a while since I've posted anything other than book reviews--sorry for the repetitiveness, guys.

These last couple of years have been insane, stressful, and traumatic. There have been major losses. Plans fell completely apart. Dreams were shattered. Reality has left me emotionally battered. But things are slowly starting to feel okay again.

I keep having this conversation with a friend of mine about whether it's ever okay to accept something is "good enough." He's pretty adamant that you either do it right or don't do it at all. That's an excellent attitude to take if you're, say, a brain surgeon or a structural engineer. For the rest of us, though, I think we should cut ourselves some slack. Because if we don't, life will make sure to do it for us.

When our house was destroyed in the ice storm of December 2013 the day after we sold it, we had to spend the next several months (most of the year, actually) fixing it again before the sale could be finalized. It demanded so much of our time and attention, we could barely accomplish anything else. Should we have spent even more time and energy fixing the house to the buyers' preferences (that is, rebuild it with the upgrades and renovations they wanted as opposed to way the house was when they bought it) or was it okay just to restore it and make it livable again, or "good enough," so that we could finally move on with our lives? They bought it the way it was before the damage (which wasn't exactly horrible), so that's what they got again in the end. Good enough.

When our sale finally closed, we started looking for a new house for us, but the search wasn't going at all well. Rather than buy something out of desperation, we decided to temporarily rent a house while we keep looking. Renting got us out of the tiny, dreary condo the insurance company had stuck us in, gave us a place to call home again (with our own stuff back!), and gave the cats space and light. This house is far from perfect (in fact, it's got tons of issues), but for now, it's good enough.

When I'm too tired or stressed to continue the seemingly endless task of unpacking and setting up the new place (sadly compounded by all the damaged items we keep finding; damage caused not by the ice storm, but by the movers and restoration people who were supposed to be taking care of our things. Maybe they should also be part of that select group for whom "good enough" shouldn't be an option). At those times it's good enough for me to just read or cook or do something crafty. And that's perfectly okay.

In the spirit of Good Enough, I've decided it's better to post something rather than scrap a post because the timing is off or some part of it didn't turn out perfectly. So, I present you, somewhat late for the lunar New Year for which they are a traditional treat, pictures (taken with my phone because I wasn't up to dealing with the fancy SLR) and the recipe for Chinese Tea Eggs, or Cha Ye Dan, based on this recipe. It was an enjoyable process and resulted in smokey, slightly sweet, subtly spicy eggs (and not as salty as you would expect, given all the soy sauce). They didn't look as pretty as the one in the original picture, but they were good enough :)

Spices, sugar, soy sauce, and lapsang souchon tea are the basis for the marinade

 

The eggs needed a good, long soak to attain the marbled look

Chinese Tea Eggs

[My comments/changes in brackets]

½ cup soy sauce
½ cup sugar
½ tsp. whole black peppercorns
½ tsp. fennel seeds
8 whole cloves
2 whole star anise
2 sticks cinnamon
1 tbsp. loose-leaf smoked tea, such as lapsang souchong [I got mine from a local tea shop, but you can try a good supermarket, or get it from Amazon or another online store]
8 eggs

Bring soy sauce, sugar, peppercorns, fennel, cloves, star anise, cinnamon, and 2 cups water to a boil in a 2-qt. saucepan; remove from heat and add tea. Let steep for 10 minutes. Pour marinade through a fine strainer into a bowl and keep warm. [You'll need a deep bowl that can hold all the eggs. It's also not necessary to keep the marinade warm.]

Place eggs in a 4-qt. saucepan; cover by ½″ with cold water. Place saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. [This is where I started diverging from the recipe. I found the instructions somewhat unclear, and the comments also indicated that they didn't work well. I ended up hard boiling the eggs. I used tongs to remove them from the water, placed them on a plate, and used the handle of a butter knife to gently crack the shells all over. I then placed the cracked, *unpeeled* eggs in the bowl with the marinade. I then placed the bowl in the fridge. After a couple of hours, I checked one of the eggs by peeling it. The colour hadn't really penetrated. So I left the eggs in the marinade overnight. The next morning I peeled the remaining eggs and had the results you see in the pictures above. You can marinate the eggs for a shorter period if you don't want the marbling to be so dark. Serve cold.]

Makes 8 eggs

Photos ©Whimsy Bower

[Edited to update title and add photo credit. Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com]

Before the Dawn

Photo from freeimages.co.uk

 First I'd like to wish everyone a happy, healthy, and generally fantastic 2014!

Now on to the less pleasant side of life...

For those of you who know me or have been following my posts, you know we've been trying to sell our house. Well, we did it. On 20 December, with much happiness, we accepted an offer. On 21 December, Toronto was hit by an ice storm. And then we were hit by official incompetence and apathy. I won't get into details but I will say that if proper and sensible measures had been taken by those in charge, a lot of suffering across the city would have been avoided.

After several days of freezing temperatures and no heat or power in our house, and despite the SO's valiant efforts, the inevitable happened. A water pipe on the top floor of our house burst. The SO had checked on things at midnight and did what he could to warm things up. We stayed at his dad's place, since he at least had heat. When the SO returned to the house at 6 am he found our house had been destroyed.

Thankfully, no one was hurt. The cats, the SO, and I are healthy, safe, and coping. But two floors of our century home need to be completely gutted, which leaves me gutted emotionally. The top floor will also need repairs. Miraculously, damage to our belongings could have been much worse. The bookcases took the brunt of the water and nearly all the books remained dry. On the other hand, the piano my now-deceased father gave me when I was eight was right under the main gush of spewing water and most likely can't be saved. It's just stuff, but some stuff means more than others.

The insurance company has been fantastic--moving lightning fast and being so supportive. Workers were in there almost immediately drying things out and beginning demolition. They're packing and storing what wasn't affected and doing their best to salvage whatever can be saved/refinished/restored. They've also put us up in a nearby condo, so we have a place to call home in our own neighbourhood while repairs proceed. I'd also like to add that if your insurance company offers you the option of paying a little more yearly in order to restore a historic house to historic standards should something devastating happen, take it! I'm so glad we did. The original details might be gone but something just as good (or as close as possible) will be returned to us. That will make all the difference.

Our sale is now up in the air. The buyers are debating whether to cancel the whole deal or to take advantage of the mess and have the house renovated to their liking. If they cancel we'll just have to try again as soon as the house is ready. If they decide to go ahead with the sale then we need to figure out where we're going to go (the deal closes 24 January). Unfortunately, when this happened my excitement at going to Nova Scotia evaporated in a haze of panic. The thought of something like this happening while I'm alone in an unfamiliar place (the SO would be staying behind to work and tie up loose ends) horrifies me. Yet my dream of living by the ocean hasn't died. Clearly we still have a lot to figure out.

Right now life is about staying positive and hopeful while looking forward to the future, which really isn't a bad way to start off a new year.

Happy Victoria Day!

Me via text this morning:

>There was something in the air last night.
>The moon was bright.
>Fernando?

The SO's response:

>Those were fireworks.

 

It's good to share the silliness sometimes :)

HAPPY VICTORIA DAY!

The Lentil Loaf that Turned Me into a Carnivore (with Recipe)

It's alive!

And by it I mean me. As some of you may have noticed, it's been a long time since I last posted. I'm not entirely sure where the time went but I've spent a lot of it trying to figure out my life. As part of that exciting process I gave up meat for a while.

Anyone who knows me wasn't surprised by that decision--I'm a crazy animal lover with a strong sense of guilt. I've actually been a vegetarian before as well (for five long years), but I really thought this time I'd stick with it. I was prepared to give up so many foods that I love (bacon, BBQ, burgers...) I was willing to put up with the ridiculously limited vegetarian options available at most restaurants. I was okay with cohabiting with three unrepentant carnivores (two feline, one human). And I was more than happy to live with a clear conscience.

And then came the lentil loaf.

Don't get me wrong--I actually really like lentils (including in loaf form). And I like cooking. What I don't like is wasting hours (nearly four!) and multiple ingredients to make something completely blah. It was unsatisfying. It was too sweet. It was way too high in carbs for something that wasn't a dessert. And suddenly it occurred to me that for way less time, effort, and ingredients I could have had a delicious and satisfying meat loaf. And my resolve collapsed. There's a reason why there aren't more vegetarians in the world, I realized. With apologies (and thanks) to the animals I'm back to eating meat. Delicious, delicious protein.

I still feel guilty about it, of course. I fully believe animals have intelligence, personalities and souls. I guess I'm putting some major black marks on my karma. I am trying to mitigate the badness of it, though. We're making a point of getting humanely raised meat (we've just signed up for a CSA program with local farmers--I'll let you know how that goes). I also will be getting and reading The Compassionate Carnivore (although given the pile of books I got for Christmas that could take a while). I'm also happy to hear your (constructive) thoughts on the issue. Anyone else struggling with being a meat eater?

For you curious types, here's a few pictures of the lentil loaf process (as well as the recipe)...
 
The ingredients, including a package of vacuum-sealed dates:

Freshly ground nuts

 

Cooking the first batch of ingredients

Mmm...appetizing. I think this is the stage where I first started worrying.

Getting ready to mix it all together

Ready for its first stint in the oven.

Preparing the glaze.

Just what the loaf needs--another layer of sweetness!

Now it's ready to go into the oven for the second time. I really started worrying when it was finally finished yet still looked exactly the same.

Vegetarian Meat Loaf

[Found online a while ago but I can't remember the source now. Please speak up if this is yours. My comments in brackets...] 

You need:                 

A food processor (you will save yourself a lot of headache, trust me.)
1 cup dry brown lentils
2 medium carrots, grated or shredded
1 cup finely diced dates (I did mine in the food processor) (these are essential to a meaty flavour) [There was no meaty flavour. The dates just added unnecessary sweetness.]
1 medium onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon cumin
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons HP sauce [I'm not a fan of HP sauce so I used BBQ sauce]
1/2 cup ground or very finely minced pecans (did 'em in the good ole food processor)
1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
3 large eggs

Sauce for Topping Loaf:
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

First, note that you can do all your chopping in the food processor. You might as well, because you need it anyway to get the lentils the right texture, so if it's already got to be out, you may as well take advantage of it. Do the pecans first, then do the onion, celery, and carrot, and lastly the dates, because they are sticky and you  want to minimize the cleaning effort.

1. Cook your lentils in plenty of boiling water for about 20 minutes, or until they're very soft but not yet mush. Drain them really well and set aside to drain more.

2. Meanwhile, saute the onion, carrot, celery, and dates in the butter over medium high heat for 6-8 minutes, until things are getting soft (like the onions) and there isn't a lot of liquid. You should stir a lot to make sure all the liquid gets a chance to evaporate. Add the garlic, cumin, soy sauce, and HP sauce and cook for another minute.

3. Pulse the lentils in the food processor until they're smooth. Put them in a big bowl. Pulse the cooked vegetables in the food processor until they're smooth. Add them to the lentils in the big bowl. Mix all this well and make sure it's cool enough to not cook eggs.

4. Add the rest of the ingredients for the loaf to the bowl and mix well. Make a sling with tin foil and put it in the bottom of a loaf pan. Grease the bottom and sides of the pan for easy removal. Spoon in your loaf mixture and cook for 20 minutes at 375ºF.

5. While it's cooking, add the sauce ingredients to a small saucepan and cook on low for 5 minutes, until thickened. After your loaf has cooked for its 20 minutes, take it out and slather it with the sauce. Then put the loaf back in the oven for another 20 minutes.

6. Let it cool for about 10 minutes, then slice and serve as you would normally serve meatloaf! In our house, that means with lots of ketchup. [The ketchup surprisingly did help--probably because it actually added some flavour to the thing.]

I'm curious if any of you try it to know what you think (just remember you've been warned). As for figuring out my life I'm still working on that. The only thing I know for sure right now is that I have an ongoing passion for crafting, decorating, reading and gardening--everything that this blog is about. I don't expect to be taking any more long breaks anytime soon. 

 

Photos by Whimsy Bower  

 

[Edited to update title, link, and for formatting. Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com]