See, I had this hunk of ham on the bone that needed to be used, so I
took it out of the freezer with every intention of converting it to a
couple batches of soup the next day. Well, the days went by, and when
I finally had the oomph to cook, the ham was brown and no longer had
that yummy ham aroma. Okay, it was rotten. So I decided not to use
in it the soups. Smart, huh?

Anyway, I have a pot of Bean with Ham Soup (adapted from the bean with
bacon version) and a pot of Spicy Split Pea Soup (also bacon-less) on
the stove. Both should be done within the hour.

It's been so long since I've made any legume-type soups, since one of
the roommates we acquired in September absolutely won't eat the
stuff. We decided that he's a big boy and can forage for something on
the days that we eat our yummy soups. Last time I saw him, he was
dishing up some strawberry swirl ice cream.

Sorry for vanishing as I did. Crash has been having major medical
issues and until recently was on a pain medication that made him
completely helpless. Now he's on something stronger, yet doesn't mess
with his mental and physical functioning. This has taken away a lot
of stress, and I'm finally crawling out of my shell a bit. I'm
actually COOKING again! Whoo-hoo! Slowly, but surely.

Been working on my spirituality during this hiatus, and have been
listening to hypnosis tapes for various things, including weight
loss. There's a visible difference, but I don't know how much I've
lost, because one aspect of the program is to not weigh yourself. So
I'm eating better for health, not for vanity. Although I don't really
mind looking 15 years younger, like I do when I'm less rotund.

Still have the occasional emotional flare-up, but am overall a nicer
person than I was when I left here a few months ago.

Hope I'm still welcome in these-here parts.

Smoochers!
Carol