California Spaghetti Salad

I have to eat more healthy so I will be posting more "heart-smart" recipes.  Although, do not be surprised if I post something that may not be all that healthy we still need to enjoy life.  Today's recipe came from Facebook and was originally posted by Homemade Recipes.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound thin spaghetti broken into 1 inch pieces
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes chopped in half
• 2 zucchini medium, diced
• 1 cucumber large, diced
• 1 green bell pepper medium, diced
• 1 red bell pepper diced
• 1 red onion large, diced
• 2 cans ripe olives 2-¼ ounces each sliced, drained

Dressing:

• 1 bottle Italian salad dressing 16 ounces
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

• Cook the pasta according to package directions.
• Drain using a colander and rinse in cold water. 
• Add cherry tomatoes, zucchini, cucumber, green and red bell pepper, red onion and olives in a large bowl.

To make the dressing:

• Whisk together italian salad dressing, parmesan cheese, sesame seeds, paprika, celery seed, and garlic powder.
• Pour over salad and toss until coated. 
• Cover and refrigerate from 3 hours to overnight.

Time Is Relevant

Last Thursday, I reached the half way point of my initial post-surgery recovery.  What I have found interesting is how the same phrase can mean very different things.  If I raise any concerns with my family doctor about my recovery, his response is "it has only been 3 weeks".  However, when I am doing well or feel like I am ahead of schedule, people also say "it has only been 3 weeks".  The only difference is the inflection.

Big Day

Wednesday, May 8, will be a very big and busy day in our household.  We have to get up around 4:00 so I can get the wife in a cab and off to the airport by 5:00 for her 7:55 flight.  Then I have to sit down and talk with the nurse, my surgeon, and everybody else for my bi-pass surgery pre-admin appointment a few hours later.

Out With The New And In With The Old

This weekend my wife and I started to transform our second bedroom.  It is being converted back from my mother-in-law's room to our office/craft room (can you guess which half is mine and which half is my wife's?).  Next weekend we will finish by setting up our L-shaped desk again, which we had planned for last Sunday but we both kind of overdid it on Saturday.

Got To Stick Around

While I now have a surgeon for my by-pass surgery I still do not have a date.  However, whenever my surgery is, I learned that I have to stick around.  My wife would not survive if I died.

I do not mean she would be devastated although I am sure she would be.  What I mean is she has no idea how to run our house.  She would be lost.

Case in point:

1. We have lived in our building for 5 years and she did not now where the garbage room was.
2. She does not know her online banking passwords or Canada Revenue password.
3. She can not reach the controls on the dryer (we have a stackable set)
4. She did not know she had to take the dishwasher soap pod out of its plastic wrap before putting it in the dishwasher.

So regardless of when my surgery finally takes place I have to stick around...so I can keep her alive.

Thought Of The Day

For the last couple of days I have sent my wife a "thought of the day" e-mail.  It is actually an excuse to send her a dad joke to hopefully brighten her afternoon.  She shares them with her colleagues and then they compare whose husband has the worst jokes.

For example, I have sent her...

• What do you call a fish with no eyes?                                              a fsh.
• Which side of a turkey has the most feathers?                                 the outside.
• What is red and bad for your teeth?                                                 a brick.

It's My Calling

You know that you were meant to be an accountant when you get excited at tax time.  In grade 9 and 10, I just barely passed math; but in grade 11 I took grade 13 accounting and aced it.  Prior to retiring, I spent most of my adult life working as an auditor at various hotels across the country and now account for the household finances.