Oh my--I'd pay to see that entire scenario onscreen--you intrepid lady you!

My favorite quote from Julia Child, as she scooped some food off the stove (not where it was supposed to land):
"Remember, you're alone in the kitchen."
But I would have loved to see you open that bottle of wine.

Good for you! For fun, google opening a wine bottle with a shoe.

When I cut pieces all different sizes, I call it rustic! I have a mental picture of vegetables flying around the kitchen...LOL! You are an amazing woman. I hope your hand heals quickly.

Lynn, that sounds like an episode from "I Love Lucy". Absolutely hilarious :-).

btw I think of you every time I struggle to open up a jar...your sharing your experience was a wake up call to only use a jar opener, human or non human!

Why to go Lynn - don't let those carrots get the best of you!

Oh, Lynn, what a scene! I can't quote a favorite part (they all were) but " "Remember, you're alone in the kitchen" also came to my mind and I agree with Marlene. It really does sound like "I Love Lucy".

What a trooper! (No wonder your daughter survived the fire travails: she comes from great stock!)

I Love Lucy or Saturday Night Live when they parodied Julia Child, except I'm really glad you didn't chop off a finger, Lynn! Bravo! I too was laughing with the visions of your chopping madly and opening the wine. And I was thinking, 'I hope she poured a glass for herself after all this'.

Next time you need to open a bottle of wine, wrap a rubber glove around it before you clamp it into your armpit - it'll keep it from spinning with the corkscrew! Been there, done that. Looking forward to more tales from the front - you'll have to take your usual cooking style down a notch or two :-)

Congratulations on dinner and a story!

As an aside, we have used venison sausage in a similar type potage, it definitely hits the spot on a dreary, cold day.

Thank you all. After all the frustrations today, it was cathartic to share the humor and craziness of it all. My hand is hurting, so I'll be brief. The soup, French Green Lentil with Sausage and Kale was delicious. The vast differences in sausage and veggie sizes didn't distract from the flavor, thank goodness! DH got a big kick out of my soup saga. I took 3 pics to show you. BTW, this is a great, healthful soup. I served it with a chunk of English Stilton cheese with apricots, a pear, pecans and the rest of that bottle of wine (LOL!).
Lynn

I admire your determination. I would have been using my one good hand to call for takeout or playing my invalid card to my husband. Actually I am a stubborn independent type so can imagine that I may power through like you. Soup looks delicious too.

Next chapter...how to put on a bra with an arm in a cast?

Too funny, Kellie! At just 3 weeks post-op, I am still frustrated that putting on a regular bra is impossible! I can only manage the step-in stretch ones.
* I part my hair on the right side and can't seem to do that either now.
* Cutting anything with ANY pair of my scissors is totally impossible!
* I've taught myself to write with my left hand, as it will probably be 4-5 more weeks before they pull the pins out. I'm proud to say that I can now print and write in cursive as well as any second grader!
* I still clunk DH in the head and shoulders with my cast while we sleep, poor guy!
*My long-time dentist would have a fit if he knew what chores I use my teeth to help me with these days.
* I can't tie my shoes, button buttons or zip up my winter jacket, so I spend most days in yoga pants and sandals. Socks are a nightmare to get on!
* DH has to cut much of my food and I eat like a toddler, aiming my food straight into my mouth which, I'm sure looks so strange!
* My wonderful, ingeniously designed (expensive) arm cast cover works like a charm when taking a shower. I just pray all arm circulation is not permanently damaged by using it. Still, I'm staying clean and I don't stink (LOL)!
* I 've learned the hard way to check if my cast will fit through a sleeve BEFORE I slip a top or sweater over my head and try to shimmy my cast through!

But, it's getting a bit easier every day, so I can't complain too much. In the whole grand scheme of things, life could be a whole lot worse. I'm just glad that I can laugh at myself.
Lynn

You are such a trooper, that soup looks amazing !!

The mental image of the carrots flying around is wonderful! That soup looks delicious!

When my wrist was broken, I took to signing just my first name on credit card receipts. No one fussed about it.

Thanks all!
Graywings, good idea! I tried your suggestion yesterday and it worked like a charm!
Tish: wow, venison sausage! Do you make that yourself? Another overcast, chilly day today. I'm thinking more soup, as DH is home today and can help (LOL).
DLM: than for the helpful hint! I'll be using that one for sure.
Sue: I was thinking that same thing! too funny!

Another lesson for the one-handed: poultry shears are perfect, albeit kind of big, when you're trying to cut anything from coupons to meat. Mine has a spring type of feature that allows you to squeeze down and the spring action reopens it right up. Wish I would have thought to try it weeks ago!

Grocery Shopping: It is painful on your good arm, and very hard on your shoulders and back to push a shopping cart with one hand! Get over your embarrassment and use one of those electric carts most grocery stores have now these days. It's a bother having to jump off and on to reach for some items but other shoppers are so darn kind and many will offer to help. On the long empty aisles, it's tempting to see how fast these babies will move. Sadly, NOT fast! And always keep in mind which lever moves you backwards so that you don't accidentally back into displays, other carts and other shoppers (don't ask)! Hmmmmm . . . in retrospect, this is probably the reason the makers set the speeds to slooooow (LOL)!

The soup looks wonderful! Thanks for sharing your saga. So glad you are getting stronger, and more adventurous, day by day. We obviously are enjoying your stories.

No, we do not make the sausage ourselves. It was a gift from a hunting relation. DH and I have talked about raising chickens for meat but for the most part, I prefer my meat processed by somebody else and are quite thankful for what comes our way.

Lynn,
I was thinking of you this morning. I wear disposable contact lens and the little package is awkward to open with two hands. I thought this would be impossible to do one handed, I hope Lynn doesn't wear contacts. Since I only open a package every two weeks I'm sure I wouldn't remember to get my husband to open it before he left for work. Even if I did remember to ask him, I can't imagine his giant fingers deftly opening the tiny little container.

I admire your tenacity and creativeness in preparing that nice meal above.

I got caught in an awkward situation yesterday. The stitches are out after my recent hand surgery, but the pins through the bones in my hand will be in for another few weeks. The constant pain is gone, which is a relief, but when it 's not hurting I tend to do too much with "the stump", which is what I've taken to calling it. Anyhoo, to keep the swelling around the pins down, I need to ice it several times a day. Ordinary ice packs are heavy and press against the pins and/or fall off.
Out of sheer desperation, I've found the perfect thing to ice down my sore hand: our rapid ice sleeves that we use for keeping white wine bottles chilled! They last for quite a while, are lightweight, circular so they stay on and they actually act as padding so that my sling doesn't press against my hand pins.
So, yesterday I forgot that I had one on as I answered the door. My UPS person gave me the strangest look and asked if I had some designer cast on. (LOL) . DH says it looks like I 'm toting a wine bottle inside my sling. Mine admittedly looks a bit weird, but it works so darn well. I took 2 pics to show you . Because I took them myself, I couldn't get the camera very far away, but you get the idea. I'll bet they'd work equally well for any sore wrist or hand.
Lynn
My right casted hand in it's sling, normally. The strap on to of the sling is my camera's strap:
{{gwi:1501499}}

And with my new "cast cooler". I wish it was a little less colorful, but it's what I already had(LOL):
{{gwi:1501502}}

Lynne, using the wine cooler is a great idea! I'm going to bring mine over to m'dear ol' dad who broke his elbow, it'll be easier than frozen peas wrapped in a towel...

Dad sometimes uses a walker at home, but like the shopping cart one-handed pushing doesn't work. So he's using his cane, but then he can't carry anything.

Have you started hand therapy yet? Dad starts tomorrow, to keep his fingers active and the swelling down.

Out to lunch yesterday we chatted with a woman in a splint, and later another in a cast. I hope arm trouble isn't contagious! And I hope you are ambidextrous again soon :)