Purim: The Hamentashen Hunt

Purim commemorates Queen Esther's saving the Jews of Persia from extermination over 2500 years ago. It's a joyous celebration of survival, marked by special pastries called hamemtashen.

Hamentashen are named after the triangular hats worn by the enemies of the Jews. Theycome in  two types: the danishy kind and the harder, cookie type. I prefer the pastry version. They actually look like tri-corn hats (think Paul Revere) and are filled with apricot jam. Some bakers  add almonds and dates  to the mix, but since I don't like nuts and dates give me the runs, I stick with jelly.

Growing up, I got spoiled. One of our big supermarket chains, Stop & Shop, was owned by Jews. Their store bakeries stocked hamentashen. Who would think that these delicious bits of pastry goodness would be avilable year round in goyishe New England?But they were.

Then I moved down to Florida.With one of the largest Jewish communities in the country,I expected similar luck. There wasn't a hamentash to be found. Not in Publix, not in Winne-Dixie, not even on Purim.
So I decided to make my own. Disaster. The Pillsbury Doughboy and I aren't really on poking terms. Rolling out the dough, shaping and filling it doesn't seem too hard, but the reality was that every year they'd fall aprt. I'd wind up with shapeless rolls topped with apricot jelly. Obviously, this baking thing was harder than it looked.

After years of culinary failures, this year I surrendered. I walked down to Winne-Dixie and bought some apricot turnovers. They are triangles-isoceles triangles- afterall. I said a kiddish over them, and prayed for peace between modern-day Israel and Iran. Then I bit into one. Bliss. It wasn't Stop & Shop, but it beat my past culinary efforts. And it was nice to think of Esther and the survival of the Jewish people, o this day, rather than my latest culinary disaster.

Take care,
Tracy

Adventures in Thyroid Land

Hi Efurryone, Raja here.  We haven't posted in so long. I've really missed it. But Mommy had health problems.  A zillion years ago, before I came to live with her, before I was even a kitten, she had a bad disease called cansur.  The hooman vets cured her.  The treatment damaged  her thyroid, though. She takes pills for it.

Mommy explained that the thyroid is a gland in the throat. It's shaped like a butterfly. We kitties have one, too. If the thyroid doesn't work right your body doesn't run right. Some kitties take the same kind of pills as the hoomans do.

Well, Mommy was taking pills, but her thyroid stopped responding. She started not feeling well. She had mini panic attacks, rapid heart beats, nausea, lightheadedness and shakiness. She was so upset. She would hold me and cry. As long as she didn't use me as a furry kleenex, that was okay.

She finally went to the hooman vet. The lady upped her dosage of medicine.  Within two weeks my Mommy was back. She wasn't crying or worried anymore. I am so happy. But she wants to talk now, so I'll let her. I love her so much and was so worried when she was sick. We were all scared.

Tracy here. I just want to warn people that your thyroid influences your whole body. I should have paid more attention to my symptoms. The mini panic attacks, when a frisson of panic would repeatedly shoot through my body, should have been my first clue. The pounding heart  should have been another. I developed both symptoms when I became hypothyroid. Instead, I worried about my blood glucose level, fretted that I was going to wind up in the hospital ( and who would feed the kitties?), and blamed myself for being depressed and anxious. I even accused myself of giving into depression, just like my mother had. Instead I was just sick. 

I'm on a higher dosage of Synthroid now, plus Ativan for the panic attacks (which  I'm needing less and less). My heart still beats funny (I do have mitral valve prolapse), and next month, when I see the doctor, she may increase the Synthroid again. But I spent six weeks attacking myself for a medical problem that I should have picked up on sooner.

So, the moral of the story is, when your body doesn't feel right, check out the thyroid. It's not nice to scare the kitties...

Raja Reveals All!

Hi Efurryone. I thought I'd share some secrets about me (blushes,giggles,covers face with paw):

1.)  I hate sharing my house with other cats. I growl, I snarl, I swat them, but the little monsters won't go away. I stay because I love my mommy. She rescued me from the shelter. This is my home.

2.)  In addition to my regular food I like people food. Mommy always shares a few bites with me. Even vegetables are tasty. But not Coca-Cola. That's icky.

3.)  Even though I have a nice dish of cold water, I like to drink out of the toilet bowl. One time The Man  left the seat up. I didn't look before I jumped up and fell in. I didn't enjoy that.

4.)  I love,love,love the smell of Gain detergent. Mommy uses this hypoallergenic crap with no smell. She bought a sleep shirt at a yard sale and it'd been washed in Gain. I couldn't stop sniff, sniff, sniffing it.. It smelt so good...Where was I?

5.)  I know who peed on the couch, but I'm not telling.

6.)  I like to sneak up and cuddle with Mommy while she sleeps. She needs a bigger bed, though.

7.)   I'm not fat: I'm fluffy.

8.)  If I was a hooman lady I'd wear nail polish, jewerlry and hair bows.

9.)  Yesterday I ate a lizard.

10.)  SometimesI put Panda up to knocking over the trash. He's always happy to oblige.

That's all folks.

Raja

To Tree or Not to Tree......

To tree or not to tree, That is always the question. We always had a Christmas tree and I've always been ambivalent about it. We're Jewish. Christmas is not our holiday. I used to say that when I was on my own I wouldn't have a tree. Then my daddy died......

My parents had health problems and poor coping mechanisms. For over a decade they were the focus of my life. I willing and gladly took care of them. Then my father died in 2006 and my mother passed away in 2009. I now have no family here. Sometimes it's really hard to go on... What helps is visiting my mother's grave or sharing memories of them with my friends. And come December, our little Christmas tree reminds me of my father.

His name was Larry. He was actually my step-father. He was a Christian and Christmas was sacred to him. He also loved the tree. For the last five years of his life that little green bush brought him tremendous joy. It's pre-lit, so what I did these past two years is simply plug it in. I didn't even decorate it. But seeing it brought me closer to him.

So what do I do this year? I still have three kittens to rehome. Those manic munchkins will wreak havoc

with the tree unless I tie it to something.(When the menorah is lit the babies will stay in the bathroom.)I'm not  really celebrating Christmas. Do I tree or not....

Stay tuned..

Tracy

PS Squanto is continuing to do well.

Squanto Update

Hi, Efurryone. Raja here. We have a new fanily member. His name is Squanto. and he's a fluffy tabby kitten. He came to us last Tuesday. Two kids knocked on Mommy's door, They'd found him and couldn't keep him. Would she take him? It took Mommy all of ten seconds to say yes. He's now sleeping next to me on the electric blanket.

Squanto's only about eight weeks old and a little emaciated. He's eating a lot, though, and is getting stronger. After about a week of ignoring the little guy the others are warming up to him. He's getting more active and hopefully will play with the fosters soon.

He loves to cuddle. Mommy's been keeping him near her. Everyone else is now begging for more cuddles too. Mommy doesn' t mind. She brushed me for half an hour last night, then held me and told me how beautiful I was. Who doesn't like that? If Squanto gets us all more attention, then good for him.

That's all for now.

Raja

Thanksgiving

I'm fascinated by the history of Colonial New England. I genuinely like the Pilgrims.They were people of great courage and faith. Unfortunately they had zero survival skills. Half of them died that first winter. If it hadn't been for Squanto and Massasoit the whole colony would have perished. Massasoit had  diplomatic skills the equal of any educated Englishman. Had he not decided to make the Pilgrims allies instead of enemies the fate of this entire country may have been different. Although they never fully trusted each other, the English and Native Americans were able to form a bridge between cultures, which set a precedent for today.

The Pilgrims also avoided the religious feuding, witchcraft trials, hypocritical behavior amd Christianity-based nastiness that plagued the Puritan colony of Massachusetts Bay. (BTW: The settlement of Connecticut was helped along by Puritans fleeing the stringent theocracy of Massachusetts and Roger Williams brought religious freedom to New England, allowing Catholics and Jews to settle in his colony of Providence.) Plymouth Colony also treated the Natives more fairly than the other English settlements in New England did.
One great place to learn about the Mayflower settlers is at Plimoth Plantation, in Plymouth, Massachusett, It's a re-creation of  the Pilgrim settlement of 1627 that functions as a living history museum. The village, a Wampanoag homesite and a replica of the Mayflower are open to visitors from March to November. . The rest of the time Plimoth Plantation's website, http://http://www.plimoth.org/  provides basic information about the the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag. Check it out.  

Snowbirding on Medicare

They're called snowbirds- northerners who spend at least part of the winter in warmer climes. It's an ancient and honorable practice, dating to shortly after the Civil War. But the advent of managed care has made receiving medical care while snowbirding a little more complicated.

 For starters,snowbirds need to make sure their Medicare HMO (also known as a  Medicare Advantage or Medicare Complete plan) is valid in the state they'll be wintering in.  The easiest way to do this is by calling the plan's customer service number (found on your mrembership card) . Or check  the company's website..If  a plan isn't valid in your winter area, you need to make other arrangements, possibly changing HMOs....

 Medicare recipients have until December 7, 2011 to change plans, UNLESS they are switching to a five-star rated plan. Then they have all year. . A five-star Medicare Advantage plan is one of a select few rated excellent by consumers. Or, between January 1, 2012 and February 14, Medicare recipients can switch back to original Medicare A & B. They won't get many of the extras (hearing,dental, etc), but more doctors wiill accept it. To find a new plan valid in both residential areas, go to ww.medicare.gov/find-a-plan. Consumers who switch back to straight Medicare A & B also need to pick a prescription drug plan  (Medicare Part D).

If a plan is accepted in your winter area, the next step is to find a primary care physician.. Most of the major Medicare HMOs have categories on their websites to help members locate participating doctors. Just type in your new zip code and the site will come up with a list of physicians accepting new patients.

Once settled  Tenna C. Wiles, CEO of the Palm Beach County (FL) Medical Society, recommends visiting your new doctor.. "The fastest way to establish a relationship is to make an appointment before you're sick. Go in with a summary of your medical records and a list of all  your medications. Discuss your concerns and get any prescriptionsor specialist referrals that you need.."

With a little planning snowbirds on Medicare can secure their health care while enjoying their winter nests.#