Well hello, 2:58 a.m. How are you? We haven’t seen each other in a while, and I can’t say as I’ve missed you all that much, my lovely little witching hour. You are neither late night, nor yet early morning. You are neither. And I don’t like you very much. No, not very much at all.
School starts tomorrow!! Yay! Can you hear me hollering for joy through the computer? No? I’ll try again…
Labor Day. You know, celebrating the working person is just not the same ball of fun when you are going on 21 months of unemployment. So, um, you can have your cake and eat it too, I’m going to just hang out by myself in the corner. Don’t mind me- continue with your celebrations. Carry on…
Breaking news! I have a bona-fide wheat allergy. Meh, I’m allergic to everything else under the sun, why not throw in EVERYTHING else good in my life? Like carbs. Because the only pleasure I had left, since I can no longer afford to visit my cheese monger, is BREAD. Go ahead, life, take it all way. Fine. You’ll find me celebrating labor day in the corner with my rice crackers.
When I was a kid, my allergist said the only two animals on earth I was not allergic to were goats and pigs. Yes. Goats. And pigs. My parents got a goat. It ate my hair. I cried. Their Greek friends ate the goat. The end. (Maybe the goat was food all along and I just thought it was like my pet. Hmmm. This is groundbreaking, kind of like my grandma throwing the Monopoly games…)
I do feel better without the wheat. I’m on day 6, I think, and it’s been dreamy not barfing or having asthma attacks. Because honestly? The only thing that could possibly keep me from eating bread is the threat of my lungs clamping shut and not having an epi-pen on hand. Kinda makes the bread not look so interesting. Almost.
Speaking of, there is wheat in freaking EVERYTHING. Soy sauce. Tater tots. Nougat (Yes, nougat!). Sausages. Beer (yeah, that’s not going to a big issue) (But it does mean the Beer Cheese soup is out at The Duke of Edinburgh when I visit my parents. Oh no!) And did you know blue-veined cheese are sometimes molded with wheat mold? Egad! The abomination. What will I do??! My CHEESE, people! And on it goes.
Beanie is on his fifth primary teacher since January. I won’t even go into how much fun that is with an Asperger’s kid. I’ve just given up and take him with me for 2nd hour Sunday School. My kids love him, and we’re all happy. Sort of.
For the first time in my life, I have ten long beautiful strong natural fingernails. Well, except the middle finger on my right hand- I keep that one filed shorter. NO, not for that. For my thimble. Anyone who hand-sews, and I do, needs to have a fine English thimble. My secret? Not for the thimble, for the nails: Nailtique. Mo recommended it, and after a lifetime of thin, weak nails, I have nails of steel. And honestly, it rocks. I had no idea strong nails were so useful!
September is stacking up to be whopper of a busy month. If there was a job buried in there somewhere, that would be just divine. In case anyone is asking.
There is a giant moth trying to commune with Mothra and throwing itself like a sacrificial virgin at my desk lamp lightbulb. Should I turn it off and confuse it’s dogma forever?
My mom phoned from Deadwood today, where she’s touring the Black Hills and communing with Gustav Borglum. She sent Beanie his birthday present early, and now both boys have new bikes. Bean is happy happy happy.
What’s going on in your neck of the woods? Come on, divert me…
Dandelion Mama 
I’m glad you are feeling better, but this is a really bad time to get a wheat allergy, since all those gluten free products cost an arm and a leg. You should really have a talk with that body of yours. I know, they don’t listen, I’ve tried talking to mine.
Yea for school starting, I can’t wait, maybe my headaches will stop?
Thanks for the tip about fingernails, I’ve never had a good set.
I also appreciate the tip about the fingernails. Mine rip insanely easily. I will have to try that stuff. Sorry about the wheat allergy, that sucks.
We finally have something approaching fall weather (not supposed to get above 100 today, hooray!), which I am excited about. I am contemplating baking a squash pie.
You will feel soo much better with no wheat. I bet you drop some weight, too. I have a good friend with Celiac and we cook for her all the time, so I do get it – how it’s in so many hidden things. Like so many other medical things, it’s a pain, but eventually it’s just a part of your life. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t grieve it, though. It’s a loss. Give it time.
One of the harder things for her is going to Relief Society dinners and such, she has to bring her own food, and it’s difficult for people to bring meals in.
Check your lipsticks. Yes, really. Look on the manufacturer’s websites to see if they have wheat in them.
Do you have a Trader Joes? They have some great stuff for a lot cheaper than the regular grocery stores.
What made you even think that it might be wheat? Did you read it somewhere, or did someone mention it, or what? And is your whole family going wheat free, or just you?
I was crushed when I had to drop wheat from my diet, but it turned out to open me to a whole new world of interesting grains. If you like to cook and experiment, which it seems you do, it can really be a fun adventure. Cooking with alternative grains can be a great experience and lots of fun. And frankly, I now can make artisan breads with other grains that taste way better than the wheat ones. It takes time to figure it out, and yes, those grains are often more expensive that wheat, which sucks. (I also found out I couldn’t have wheat during a time of unemployment.) Try some pre-packaged things first just to get the feel of the taste of different grains, then experiment on the theme. Watch out for Campbell’s soups, it’s in most of them, and it’s in a lot of canned beans. Why do you need wheat in a can of beans??? I’m sorry you have to deal with the allergy, but it makes a world of difference in your health once you know you have the allergy and eliminate the wheat.
Only a week into being wheat-free, and it’s already made a HUGE difference. I almost don’t need my allergy meds now, and I’ve only had to take my asthma meds ( a constant companion for 20 years) a few times this week. Weight loss would just be a bonus- because I feel so much better already it’s worth it.
Lipstick, huh? Wow, didn’t even EVER think of that one. Criminy.
No Trader Joes here, but I have been waging a letter-writing campaign for over a year now, so hopefully they will get tired of hearing from me and just open one up.
Oh, and you can get the Nailtique stuff at Walgreens. It is honestly the only nail polish you will ever need. My nails are like IRON now, Iron, I say!
My son is allergic to wheat (amonth many others) and it was a pain in the nether regions. Now, going on year 8 of knowing- life is much better. However, we did find that some things he’ll just have to deal with, and the big whoppers he can ignore. (He can have “wheat” in minute amounts, but no whole wheat nothin– if that makes sense.
Our neck of the world. I started back at school 2 weeks ago. The kids will be invading my classroom tomorrow as well. My hubby was laid off in June- blech. We were in Deadwood the weekend before Sturgis- super good times. 🙂 Oh, and this pregnancy is officially dying, D&C not scheduled because Bro/Doc L wants to see if my body will flush it away since it was barely hanging on.
Lovely stuff going on here.
Oh Melzie, I’m so sorry….
Wheat allergy approved cookies = MONSTER COOKIES!!! yep yep yep! I have several friends who have cyliac disease and they are approved. I’ll ask dh about the job thingy. I need art for my kitchen. 😀
Allergic to wheat? The humanity!!!
The wheat thing sucks. My bipolar daughter is wheat sensitive. But she hardly eats anything so she won’t give up wheat. Maybe someday. Rice pasta is pretty darn good. Betty Crocker has a new line of gluten/wheat free goodies. There is a brand of hamburger helper type stuff called Mrs Leepers it’s really very good. We actually get all of these at out local Smith’s grocery store. Watch out for deli meats, some of them contain gluten. Boar’s Head does not. Good Luck!
We haven’t seen each other in a while, and I can’t say as I’ve missed you all that much
I love that line, made me smile when I needed it.
Tracy–I cook gluten-free at my house (son with Celiac) and would be happy to pass along any tips or answer questions. 🙂