When you wake up on Friday morning and your world is covered with snow your mind immediately turns to food.  I have not shared with you that I have been following the Keto diet for about four months and have lost about 22 pounds.  I have not had any bread, pasta, potatoes or deserts in that time.  Now, I want to tell you why I am doing this.  The chemotherapy left me with a bad case of neuropathy as one of the side effects.  Believe me at eighty I know full well that too much weight will leave me looking like a prune and I know I will achieve the look of an 80-year-old.  I hope that by losing some weight that it might relieve the pain and make me more steady and assure me that I can continue to live alone without the fear of falling.

 

Now back to food.  I have a great longing for soup.  I cannot have any pasta or potatoes in it but I will substitute zucchini noodles or cauliflower rice and I will admit I truly enjoy it.  I use these substitutes in pastina and vegetable soup.  Well if you have good neighbors like I do with the Ritz's you know they will send you a bowl of Carl’s delicious soup almost weekly. My friend, Donna Belcastro also shared her vegetable soup.  Another delicious staple for the diet is cauliflower pizza. If you see me eating at a restaurant probably I am enjoying a good steak with veggies and a salad.  I must admit the one thing I miss is fruit.  I can have berries but I would like to have a juicy orange or a peach every once in a while.

 

Well to continue my thoughts on this snowy Friday, I am considering making a pot of vegetable soup and keeping it warm in the crockpot for the weekend.  I know my thoughtful son, Mike, will be home and we will go out to dinner, but the soup will even satisfy my nighttime cravings.  So much for snow, fat and food.

 

The local Sons of Italy club had their monthly meeting this week and it was so rewarding to see about 25 people gathered there to enjoy dinner and friendship.  I truly wish I could encourage some young folks to join the club.  In its day, the local club was so vibrant.  It could return to this status with a few active young people.  Spread the word.  Becky Sprout is the President.

 

Please be very careful about coming in contact with the flu and viruses.  They seem to be rampant and could be fatal to us seniors. Seek medical attention immediately if you have any symptoms.

 

Valentines Day is the perfect time to express your love for family and friends.  I cannot express to you just how much a card, a call, a flower or a visit will mean to those you love and care for.  

 

My love and prayers to all my readers and til next week “Now You Have Heard It Through The Grapevine.”