Guardian of the Fallen

Guardian of the Fallen

Bonaventure Cemetery

Savannah, Georgia 

Caregiving, the overlooked organizational leadership skill

I am staring at a packed suitcase in amazement, ready to fly home for my father’s 68^th birthday.  The amazement…..he wasn’t expected to make it to 63.

The equation of an incredibly rare disorder + numerous life threatening events striking the very systems we take for granted = a poor probable outcome.  At the helm of my father’s life raft I had no idea where to start.

As I watched the morphine drip, I began with the question I’ve been asking for years when someone brings me a problem – we’ve identified the problem, who do we need to help us break it down into manageable pieces so we can move forward?

Questions in hand, I spoke to everyone involved in my father’s care, always ending with my favorite – What am I not asking, because I don’t know enough about this to ask?

As with the workplace, his team began to form.  Knowledge sharing led to the establishment of providers and insurance to address his medical needs.  Rather than battling alone, a crew of over 20 now helped me navigate systems and establish a safe harbor.

With the support of his team, my father overcame the odds and left the hospital.  Unable to sit, stand, or walk – but alive.  Today he walks unassisted, is President of the Resident Council, and has established a General Store that funds field trips for all of the residents at the nursing home to enjoy. 

He has blossomed, just like I’ve seen employees and organizations do over and over again when their leaders/managers/supervisors trust the expertise of their employees and collaborate with them.  I’ve been in the unique position to watch innovative solutions solve incredibly complex situations when a leader understands it is stronger to value the expertise that surrounds them while providing guidance and direction to stay on course.

Many have to choose between caregiving responsibilities and work, but organizations suffer the loss of individuals who have learned to build teams and provide focus in complex, multi-faceted situations.  Recognizing the transferability of these skills opens up the opportunity to encourage employees and foster leadership throughout, ultimately providing a more effective, resilient customer focused organization.

Basil, pizza, and Ahi tuna????

If you come from a family like mine, waste is a 4-letter word.  I get it, it's 5 letters, but you understand what I am saying.......

Earlier this spring, Mark and I planted 3 basil plants.  Mark's theory is that we love making Caprese salad - the traditional with tomatoes and an alternative with peaches - and we are always buying basil, so why not grow it.  Seemed logical enough.  That is until the basil started resembling small trees, shading the house, and providing nesting areas for the birds.  But I digress.

Inundated with copious amounts of basil, and not wanting it to go to waste, I've been on the hunt for new ways to use basil.  Trust me, there are only so many Caprese salads one can eat.

Weekends are great times to Google and merge recipes, and this weekend, I merged some winners. Try them for yourself, and share them with your neighbors.  I certainly will be.   There is nothing like cooking to bring neighbors together and create community (and not waste basil).

Basil Pesto Caprese Pizza:

This is a merge of 5 different recipes - none of which had basil (yep, that's how I roll).  Rather than a traditional tomato base I made pesto with basil, garlic, and pine nuts.  Spread on a store bought crust and topped with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, canadian bacon, capicola ham, and black olives.  Twelve minutes in the oven at 400 degrees and topped with fresh basil kept it light and full of summer with a hint of heat from the capicola.

Seared Ahi Tuna with Soy Dandelion Greens and Spinach: 

My Grandfather would tell me all the time how his Grandmother would dig up all the dandelions and eat the greens at their home in Detroit.  It was why they couldn't have a dog (seems like a good health measure).

Well, I have a dog.  So when I ran into dandelion greens at a local market here I jumped at the chance to try them.  Combined with a wonderful fresh piece of Ahi Tuna from Costco and dinner was born. Originally the salad was supposed to be cold, but the greens tasted a little too bitter.  I wilted them with spinach, basil, and sliced mushrooms with a dash of soy sauce and topped with seared tuna crusted with sesame seeds.  A word of caution, it doesn't take many dashes of soy sauce to become overwhelming and salty.  I would cut back one dash next time, but I am not a big salt person.

Seared Ahi Tuna topped with Capers, Tomatoes, and Basil:

Costco's portions are a little big, but the fish is fresh enough to eat on day 2 without smelling like fish.  It was Sunday and a garden bed that was just supposed to be 'cleaned' up ended up being a weekend project with new edging, dug out tree roots, and new soil.  Simple was the name of the game.

The tuna was again seared but it was only seasoned with a little salt and pepper.  I made a sauce by sauteing garlic and adding tomatoes, capers, and basil.  Placed on top of brussel sprouts I found in the freezer (one of those pop in the microwave, ready in minutes kind of deals) it was a hit.  I even have a request to make the sauce again.  Good thing because the basil tree needs another pruning.

Let me know if these inspire you to throw a neighborhood basil-eating block party and how you put your personal spin on these ideas.

What to do with all of those glorious summer veggies

What to do with all of those glorious summer veggies...........

After reading Steven Gundry's Diet Evolution, I've been incorporating more and more veggies into my meals.  I figured there was not a lot of downside to this experiment.  Afterall, no one says you should eat less veggies.

It also feeds my new creative outlet - cooking.  I enjoy cooking for others.  I love when I google 2 leftover ingredients in my fridge that have no apparent connection and find recipes (pork and olives anyone?). And one of my favorite creative endeavors is finding a recipe, having about 1/2 the ingredients, and saying 'Of course I can do this'.

Tonight's challenge is what to do with the tons of Basil in the garden, the ripe cherry tomatoes that were just dropped off from another garden, and summer squash in the fridge.

The result turned out better than expected. Using Miracle Noodles as a base (I've learned they don't have all the downsides to pasta but look and feel like pasta), I quickly sauteed garlic, red onion, bell pepper, summer squash, and halved tomatoes.  A quick toss in the pasta, mixing in the basil leaves and even the non-veggie/non-Miracle Noodle eater in the house raved about it!  Not a bad win for a Tuesday night.

Faith's Morning Birthday Walk

It's Faith's 5th Birthday!

Her morning walk included lots of balloons and amphibian friends.