We went out to dinner last night. We were joining friends, so it wasn’t a celebration of the return of vegetables, per se, but it would have been as good an excuse as any to eat out. The Chile’s in our neighborhood isn’t a very good one, but I figured I could find something to eat, especially now. As it turns out, their entire menu is unfriendly to my gut. I eventually settled on the salmon as the least of the evils. The fish itself being very good for me, I could just scrape off the coursely ground peppers and spices, and still eat the starch and veggie side dishes. One of my friends ordered the other salmon plate. Imagine my surprise when the sides turned out to be seasoned rice with corn… and steamed broccoli! Not realizing that that was exactly what I had ordered, I tried to give it to my friend.

Obviously, I wasn’t paying attention when I ordered the meal. It was not my intention to dive right into half-cooked broccoli, even as good as it sounded. This time I was going to take it slowly and cautiously, one slightly more fibrous vegetable at a time. Oh, but the broccoli, now that it was in front of me, steaming gently in an oh-so-vibrant shade of bright green that promises such flavor, it called to me. I couldn’t just ignore it. I had to eat some. I had to. It was staring at me! Taunting me with its green leafy goodness!

The hardest part was only eating half, but I managed. And, for the first time in two years, I don’t appear to have suffered for it. Woohoo! So, my mantra for the next few months is, of course, MODERATION!

All the while I was on this writing hiatus, I kept hoping it would be only a short break. But, based on my track record, I didn’t actually think it would turn out that way. Even when I suddenly had BIG NEWS to share, I couldn’t get myself in the writing mood. First, because I wanted to tell the family personally, and then because there were still too many ethereal bits and I couldn’t organize my thoughts. (Translation: I was tired of spending all my waking minutes in front of the computer and needed some quiet time.) Technically, there are still a lot of bits to finalize. But now, now I have EVEN BIGGER NEWS and I just can’t hold it in. Are you ready? Okay, first the EVEN BIGGER NEWS, because it’s so good that I had to hug myself when I heard it. I just got back from a check-up and the doctor said…

I CAN EAT BROCCOLI!

Big whoop, right? It so, totally is! Let me explain sum up. Two years ago, I was diagnosed with a moderate case of ulcerative colitis, a gut condition that severely limits the foods I can eat without making my insides bleed. Broccoli was one of the first items to go on the illegal list, followed shortly thereafter by most of the remainder of my favorite foods. At first I thought I could get away with eating some of them anyway, in moderation. It took me a year and a half to admit that that plan was not going to get me healthy. Since starting my food journal up again, I have gotten to a place where I actually feel healthy again on a regular basis. My reward is vegetables. Go me!

Keep in mind that despite my love of broccoli, I have been having to treat it as the most “evil” of vegetables since I got sick. As such, I expressed my uneasiness about adding it to my regular diet again. However, just the fact that he said it at all tells me that I am getting better. During my consultation, we talked about what I have been eating and not eating, and how I’ve been feeling as a result. When he started listing off things I could try eating again, I distinctly heard the words “well steamed” and “vegetables”.

I am a happy rabbit. Dance rabbit, dance! (Whee!)

Okay, enough gut talk. Now for the BIG NEWS. I am moving back to my home state of Wisconsin this summer. Mym is going into grad school in the fall and though I never expected to live there again (the cold, oh the ~COLD~! …and the mosquitoes), I’m really starting to look forward to it. It’s going to afford me the opportunity to do something I’ve been trying to get done for years – get my pilot’s license. Plus, it’s time for the other side of my family to have me around for a while. It’s their turn. They said so.

Ta-dah, my first finished hat! It’s amazing how much easier it is to complete a project when you have the right tools. If I can find a box the right size, it’s going in the mail to it’s new owner today. Woot!

This also marks my first project on bamboo needles. Until now, I had only used aluminum and had no idea what a difference there was. The stitches don’t slide around nearly as much on bamboo. It wasn’t an advantage on this particular project, but I can see how it would be very helpful with a slippery yarn, especially on double pointed needles.

So, now that my 2004 christmas projects are finally finished, I’m rewarding myself with one of these in brown and green.