Noreme's Coffeecake

NOREME'S COFFEE CAKE;

Noreme is an old friend of my mother, someone she went to college with in the late 1940s. So, this recipe has been tested by my family for about 55-57 years now ...

1 stick oleo (or butter)

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup sour cream

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

Mix sugar and oleo until puffy. Add eggs, vanilla and sour cream, then beat. Add dry ingredients and mix. Pour half of batter into greased baking pan (a loaf shaped pan).

Mix 1/2 cup sugar with tsp cinnamon. Pour half of this over the batter.
Put remainder of batter into pan and pour remaining topping over this batter. Bake in 350 F oven for 45 to 55 min.

prayers needed for my youngest brother...

My brother, Charles Andrew Bell, is one very sick man. He
is now 40 years and was a juvenile onset (around age 13)
type 1. He apparently is not shaking off the infection
that his ravaging his system. He has been in hospital for
several days now. Our Mother said he is now able to keep
some liquids down; they have debrided (i.e. removed) dying
or dead tissue from his left foot. This is most ungood and
pre-stages bad things.

Prayers for Charlie are needed!

One of our other brothers send me an email that included
this:
<blockquote>
"I think ultimately Charlie is not good. The vascular
specialist checked him and said the blood pressure in his
left leg was not good. So, you can read between the
lines."
</blockquote>

I can "read between the lines" just fine!

We're worried about him losing that left leg. He is
already having problems getting around and in holding a
job; losing a second leg will make a bad situation much
worst. He is the kind of person for whom welfare was
intended. We can only hope the State of Oregon will
agree...

Supporting him is stressing out the family quite a bit.

Now, if he can overcome the leg infection, the stomach
infection (which comes from a general systemic infection),
learn to live with no legs and get a job with an employer
willing to accept a hard worker (with an angry attitude)
who is going to be running up the company's medical bills,
then maybe I can hope to send him an AARP application in
ten years. (Family joke: when a family member hits 50, I
send them an AARP application and poems about getting old.
That is payback time! That will teach them for having
farted off my 50th birthday!!!)

I fear that he won't live that long and the waiting is
most distressing...

Presidental "Happy Holidays" message (AKA "Merry Christmass Message") for 2005

To all DOC employees (DOC is Department of Commerce)

President Bush sends the following Holiday Message to the Employees of the Federal Government:

"I send greetings to all Federal employees and your families as you celebrate this holiday season.

Federal service is a high calling and an expression of responsible
citizenship. By working to improve lives, advance prosperity, and protect
our homeland, you strengthen our country and help many realize the promise of America. Your spirit of professionalism and dedication
reflects the best of our society and contributes to the success of our
great Nation.

Laura and I send our best wishes to you and your loved ones during this
season of hope and joy. May God bless you, and may God continue to bless
America."

Signed George W. Bush

A facsimile of the letter can be viewed at http://www.osec.doc.gov/hm.tif

__________________________________
This message is authorized by ExecSec

meditations on my brother Charlie...

My youngest brother, Charlie, is back in the hospital with a very serious stomach infection and has been unable to eat or drink anything
since Monday, 12 December 2005. That was the day he was admitted to hospital. His right leg was cut off in mid thigh last year and now
his left foot is both infected and the infection is resisting the antibodies. He is unemployed and out Mother is paying his bills...
We are quite concerned for his foot and the curing of this infection (again?). My wife thinks I may be a bit over concerned with Charlie's
survival but I'm not sure. I do think he'll survive this episode (I hope and pray) but I think one of these near future years, he won't survive...

There is a rather horrible irony here.

For years, before I was diagnosed, my wife and I talked about "he isn't taking good care of himself". (Even he has admitted to this.) I used to
bitch: "He's not getting his blood sugar under control; how hard can that be?"
Well, having been "officially" a type 2 diabetic since 7 May 2004, I can answer my own question. "It can be damned hard!!!"

My Diabetics Coach changed me from a schedule of checking my blood sugar before dinner to checking it two hours after "taking that last bite". (I still do a fasting blood sugar before breakfast.) The results have been alarming. My AM or fasting blood sugar counts are generally good and in the 105 to 120 range, with a few spikes to around 133. My evening "sugars" suck!
They've been from 156 to 170!
The best I've had was two hours after eating a couple of pork chops, a small potato and about 1.5 cups of over-boiled broccoli flowers. I've also
found that "Lean Cuisine" meals aren't the diabetics best friend but in terms of portion control, they bet the crap out of what I prepare in
terms of portion control if not in terms of value. (i.e. in terms of carbs to blood sugar)

Back to my brother's sad story...

My brother was laid off but this layoff was perverted into a firing; the true reason for the firing was not that he'd screwed up his time sheets (his
immediate supervisor had read and blessed them!). The real reason was he was costing them a lot of money! Imagine a diabetic getting sick and actually using his medical insurance! This can't be allowed to happen! The
employees are supposed to be healthy and management is supposed to get a bonus for medical insurance not used! (This is just a wild ass guess but is probably accurate...)
Well, we can't have this sickly man being sickly so SHIT CAN HIM!
It was done...

Well, my feet are still good but I sure didn't tell our Mother that I'd stubbed the middle toe of my right foot and it has developed a bright red
blister. My wife talked me out of going to the Family MD and that was just as well: the swelling has subsided to what looks like a scratch. For a couple of years before I was officially diagnosed, I noticed that I was healing slower and slower. When I first started blood testing on 11 May 2004, I must have "stabbed" myself in the forearm 8 times. Those "wounds" healed very quickly. Lately, the needle holes have been taking two or three days to heal.
I have noticed a lot more "for diabetics" products.
The "diabetics comfort socks" are US$ 11.50 each and are 2.5 sizes too small. Their highest size is shoe size 12.5 and I wear from size 14 to
size 15.

Diabetics did lead to "erectile dysfunction" but Viagara cured that! I feel like I'm 40 again! (To quote my father-in-law; I'm 54...)