Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Cartoon, My Buggy Life,

I just stole this cartoon from How To Geek as I thought it was so appropriate. No doubt they did too.

Sadly I have to report that our bug problem has NOT gone away. Sunday night/Monday morning I was bitten at least half a dozen times. We sprayed everything in sight in the hopes of eliminating the problem. Being a holiday of course nobody can get hold of anybody - the control people would say don't spray, but I am the one being bitten, not them. We had got as far as unpacking our china and glass but have decided to stop until we have some kind of response.

Because of these bugs, our foot nurse couldn't come to see us. Today I decided I had better cut my toe nails at least. I haven't done so since my hip operation some years ago. I ended up making myself bleed. Duuh. I knew my finger nails were brittle, hadn't appreciated that my toenails were too. Guess I should check up on what the cause is. I take Vitamin B7 which is supposed to help one's nails. Seems I might need something else.

No bowling either, because of the holiday. They cancel the league as they have lots of kids who want to bowl. OK for the kids but what about us league bowlers? Matt and I will, of course, be bowling on Tuesday this week.

Who doesn't like chicken soup. It is a real comfort food.

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup


Cooking Light

Chicken noodle soup is probably the top comfort food of all time. You'll need to start a day ahead to prepare the tasty homemade broth. A serving of this soup provides about 200 micrograms of vitamin A, just shy of one-third of the RDA.
  • Yield:8 servings (serving size: about 1 3/4 cups soup)


1 (4-pound) whole chicken
2 carrots, peeled, cut in 1-inch pieces
2 celery stalks, cut in 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced
6 garlic cloves, crushed
4 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
6 cups water
1 1/3 cups chopped carrot
1 1/4 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
2 teaspoons salt
8 ounces uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Lemon wedges (optional)
Coarsely cracked black pepper (optional)

Preparation


1. Remove and discard giblets and neck from chicken. Place chicken in a large Dutch oven. Add 2 chopped carrots, 2 chopped celery stalks, and next 5 ingredients (through bay leaves) to pan. Add 6 cups water; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes.

2. Remove chicken from pan; place chicken in a bowl. Chill 15 minutes. Discard skin; remove chicken from bones, discarding bones. Chop chicken into bite-sized pieces; cover and chill. Strain broth mixture through a sieve into a large bowl; discard solids. Cool broth mixture to room temperature. Cover and chill 8 to 24 hours. Skim fat from surface; discard.

3. Add enough water to broth to equal 9 cups; place broth mixture in a large Dutch oven. Add 1 1/3 cups carrot, 1 1/4 cups onion, 1 cup celery, and salt to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add reserved chicken, and simmer 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Keep warm.

4. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Add pasta to pan with chicken and broth mixture; stir in parsley, rind, and juice. Garnish each serving with lemon wedges and cracked black pepper, if desired.

Have a great day
 

19 comments:

  1. Hi Jo - those bugs .. I hope someone gets the better of them soon. Nails aren't the easiest .. a good soak is the thing. Chicken soup for the soul ... a great idea and especially in times of stress - take care and all the best - Hilary

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    1. I hope so too. Touch wood I haven't been bitten since I sprayed thoroughly so maybe it was a stray - I hope. Normally I don't have to worry about my nails as we have a foot nurse to do them, me having diabetes and Matt pre diabetes. Chicken soup is good for the soul Hilary. You are right.

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  2. Oh Jo, the bug issue must be so frustrating. I do hope the pest people come back soon - and you finally get rid of them. I'd second Hilary Melton-Butcher. Try soaking your nails before cutting them. Mine shatter unless I do that.

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    1. Cross your fingers for me Helen, but I haven't been bitten since so maybe the spraying did the job. Normally I have a nurse cut them, see My reply to Hilary.

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  3. I just Googled 'getting rid of bed bugs'. I had no idea how difficult it is. They talked about MONTHS in terms of time to starve them out and kill their eggs. I think I'd just leave everything and move, though that is not possible for most people. I wonder if these bugs were all stirred up or brought in by your building being worked on.

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  4. OK if you can afford to leave all your furnishings and everything you own Denise. These days they predominantly use steam heat treatment which they figure does the job best. I don't think it was anything to do with the workers, in our case it was our neighbour who didn't realise he had them and therefore didn't report them. This latest set of bites seems to be the end of it as I sprayed everywhere. Knock on wood, cross your fingers, do what you can for me.

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  5. We've been staying at hotels recently and I shudder every time wondering if we will be bringing "guests" home with us. This has indeed been an ordeal for you and your hubby! I know when we leased our house here, one of the things we had to sign as part of the lease was that we would notify property management immediately if we suspected bed bugs, so I guess it is a problem all over.

    betty

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    1. I know what you mean about hotels Betty. The bug people told me that all hotels have them but some control them better than others. It is a major problem everywhere because they have become resistant to pesticides. It is a remarkable study in survival as they call them living fossils. However, I would prefer a T rex to these things.

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  6. Fingers crossed you've seen the last of your unwanted bed bugs Jo. We're off to India on Thursday so taking lots of repellent just in case

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    1. Unfortunately we haven't and I am now having a kind of row with the superintendent's wife Sue. Dunno about bugs in India, but bed bugs just shrug off insecticide. I guess you really, really liked India last time. Are you doing a special blog again?

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    2. Yep, hope to Blog regularly as its a good record for ourselves. So easy to forget where/what you've seen otherwise. Main difference this trip is we're not doing a coach tour. We've selected where/what we want to see/do and will have a car/driver/guide at our disposal most of the time. The Blog link is http://clinxxii.blogspot.co.uk/

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  7. The bed bug issue really creeps me out. I'm afraid to travel now, unless we somehow are able to afford to buy an RV. Even the Disney Hotels have them. He suggested we buy cheap clothes to wear to FL that can be thrown away down there, and buy new to come home in. lol

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    1. I can't believe they told you that JoJo. What about them biting you down there?

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  8. How are they living in the boxes of china without a food source? Are they sure they're bedbugs? Or am I confused? I thought they died if they didn't have blood to feed on?

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    1. Thanks to the Internet Liz, I have discovered they can live up to a year without a human to munch on. I have now ordered a hand held steamer to deal with them myself.

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  9. These creatures are just plain nasty. I wish i knew something to help you more. My mom always soaked her feet for quite a while first before doing her toenails. I hope you get more answers today now that everything is open and hope you had a good time bowling:)

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    1. They sure are Birgit. Hope I don't have to do my toe nails again, but I have lots of advice if I do. As for getting answers I got more row than anything. Enjoyed bowling but Matt beat the pants off me today.

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  10. I read somewhere that if you break open a vitamin E capsule and rub it into your nail beds it can help with dry nails. You poor things with the bugs. Can you apply personal insecticide before bed?

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    1. Lots of things can help I guess, thanks for that tip though Pinky. I don't think there is an insecticide to prevent bed bug bites.

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