Laryngospasms is the pits

Thursday I woke up in the middle of the night, unable to breathe. I was gasping as hard as I could and barely getting a tiny sliver of air.  I was terrified, sure I was going to die. Well, I didn't die. I scared the daylights out of Randy, but I didn't die. I also didn't go back to sleep. I propped myself up on the couch, afraid to lay down, and waited for the night to pass.

I think I've figured out what's going on. Back in January I got a really bad cough, probably from a cold. The cold passed but the cough remained, giving me several sleepless nights and a very sore throat. I've had a cough ever since, although it has diminished. 

There is a thing called Laryngospasms, where the vocal cords suddenly close. It usually lasts about 60 seconds (which seems a LOT longer when you are gasping for air), then eases up. It's caused by allergies, reflux or injuries. My allergies are mild, I don't have gastroesophageal reflux , but I did strain my throat. Bingo. 

Knowing what it is does help; I looked up a couple of breathing techniques and thought I would get a good night sleep last night. But when nighttime came, I was simply too afraid to go to bed. I spent another night propped up on the sofa, doing a little dozing but waking quickly. It's just so scary, not being able to breath. It can happen while I'm awake, too, so staying up all night doesn't really help, but I find it hard to fall asleep when I'm afraid of suffocating.

More rain in Vista

It was a quiet, rainy day today. When it rains, they close the Museum buildings and grounds because of the mud. We drove to Carlsbad to see the Flower Fields but there aren't many flowers in bloom yet; after these rains, a couple of hot days should change that. Next we went to a couple of grocery stores. The big Mexican store has, as usual, product we don't find in Stater Brothers, like Guajes, which look like long, thin pea pods, and Aloe Vera leaves called Penca De Savila.

Then it was back home for a nap and some laundry. There is a washer and dryer in one of the work buildings that I like to use because they are larger than mine. I gathered some laundry in a basket and set it in a chair, meaning to take it over there, but while my back was turned Shorty hopped into the basket and curled up. And didn't want to move. This is what "no" looks like. 

Rain is not a friend of the Museum

With California in a 4-year drought, the hard rain last night was welcome everywhere. But welcome or not, it makes a horrendous mess at the Museum. I thought that since the dirt roads are used by heavy machines, they would be packed hard. But all it takes is some rain to change that. Even golf carts make ruts or go sliding. 

And a long day....

I wanted to help at the auction today. The helpers met at 7:30 this morning... When Randy wants to get up early, he just tells himself "I have to get up at X time" before he goes to sleep, and it always works for him. So I told myself "I have to get up at 6:30 am".  I woke up every hour, on the hour until 3 am, when I skipped an hour and woke up at 5. But I made up for skipping 4 am by waking up every 20 minutes after that. I finally got up at 6:30, with a lesson well learned - SET THE ALARM.

I staggered out to meet the rest of the folks at the Assembly building, where they showed me how to use the Auction computer program. It's actually a pretty good program so no problems there, except when the credit card machine ran out of paper during a transaction. But still, it could have been a lot worse. After the auction started we still had a few people checking in until early afternoon, when some folks started checking out. They gave us their card number and we gave them their bill. After they paid, they went outside to the bullpen (just a big area under a tarp) where tables were set up with sold lots on them. Each card number had a specific spot, but some people bought enough stuff to take up a whole table or two. I switched from the computer to the bullpen to help there as more and more people were ready to leave. There were a few snags - items charged they didn't buy, or items they bought that were not charged. But eventually everyone got their stuff and left. Meanwhile Randy spent the day setting up tables, cooking in the kitchen, and breaking down tables. We are whipped tonight. Randy fixed me a burger and he had leftover pizza, then we walked down to the bonfire to visit with friends. And then the night was over!

Good day

What a sweet day. Here in sunny Vista the breeze was blowing enough to keep things cool. I got up late, took the dogs out, and toasted some homemade bread for breakfast. Then I set up my Ivory jewelry display in the office before wandering over to where they are setting up for another big auction on Saturday. Helped do some data entry, then we joined Ken and Patty for lunch at Ciao, a small Italian restaurant where they serve a very credible buffet. Back at home for a nap; Randy takes 10 minute naps, I sleep for 2 hours.  And while I was sleeping he baked bread again. The last time he made bread he created this wonderful sourdough-rye loaf. 

And later I joined a small group of people at the Assemble building for pizza. Life is good.

Mission San Luis Rey

Just 5 miles away from us is the historic Mission San Luis Rey, one of a series of California costal missions founded by the Franciscans. This one was started in 1798 and the current church was built in 1811, although half the belltower collapsed in 1926 and was reconstructed. The name loosely translates to "Mission of St. Louis the King", for Louis IX, King of France. This, along with its size, gave it the nickname "the King of the Missions". 

Across the well-kept grounds from the mission is a long wall, behind which is the old "lavanderia", where people would do their laundry. Going through the gate and down a zillion steps brought us to a brick patio and trough system. I imagine the patio area was a good place to visit with friends while getting a bit of work done.

A couple of the wider troughs have interesting stone heads as fountains. I think this might have been an Indian idea; I am not sure the  Franciscans would have approved. But then, they may have been familiar enough with gargoyles to accept this. 

Next to the church is a lovely courtyard which is closed to visitors, but viewable from the arched gateway. It houses the oldest Peruvian Pepper tree in California, which was planted here in 1830. Pepper trees get big but not outsized, but it appears that their trunks get thicker and gnarlier with time; by now this trunk is HUGE. 

The long galley walk between the garden and the main church houses the museum. The walkway is ceiled with boards that show lots of chop marks from the hatchets that created them. That's a lot of hard work.

The museum is the only place that charges entrance fee, and I thought it was worth it. The Franciscans lost the mission in 1834 when it was "secularized" by Mexico; the Mexican government kicked out the priests and Indians and used the building for military purposes. But in 1865, less than a month before he died, President Lincoln signed the deed that returned it to the Catholic Church.

The museum contains several day-to-day items (like a bag of chocolate beans!), and some really beautiful vestments. All this was made and embroidered by hand. Again, a lot of work.

The church itself is charming. It's beautifully decorated with hand-painted designs. The thickness of the old walls shows in the doorways and windows.

They don't call attention to what is original and what's not, but since the Mission fell into disrepair during its Mexican era, some of it is surely not. But near the door is the baptistry with a statue of St. John that dates from the 18th century. It's behind a gate now for protection, but available to view and appreciate.

And the 14 paintings of the Stations of the Cross along the walls are certainly original. The monks took them down when they left in 1834, then brought them back when the mission was returned to the Church. The paintings are very dark now and they hang high on the wall so it's difficult to fully enjoy them. But that's OK, they weren't really intended as mere art.

The church has 3 alters, a center one and one on each side. The central alter is topped by a statue of St. Louis IX, King of France (the original statue is in the museum), and the life-size crucifix below it is from the 18th century. 

The alter on the left is almost as large as the central one except it's just a one-story alter, not a double.  It's central figure is a unique statue of Christ - it's the first one we've seen that is articulated. Although it has moveable joints, the guide said that in the 15 years she's been here, the pose has never been changed. She also explained that it has real hair, which apparently is not uncommon for these statues. There is no record of who made this statue, but it's very good. 

And the guide also pointed out an unusual feature of this church: in the cheerfully decorated rafters there are painted swastikas. 

But the swastika used to be a simple good-luck charm. It wasn't until 1920 that Nazis ruined it. There are occasional talks about changing these but they were well-meant, harmless decorations when they were added, and are now just a part of history.

Outside the church on each side of the door are really old statues of monks. I really like these. I love the Brother Cadfael novels and I picture him looking a lot like this guy.

And to the right of the church is the cemetery. We thought the skull and crossbones over the door was interesting. This turns out to be a common feature for old Franciscan cemeteries, but it may not be original. Disney replaced the whole gate when they filmed here for their TV series "Zorro", so who knows if the original gate had that touch?

The cemetery grounds go on and on, and only the graves around the entrance are old. We found a couple of stones from the late 1800s, but most are more recent. It was nice to see that some of the old graves are tended; they must still have family in the area. 

There are 21 Missions along the California coast - can't wait to see the rest of them!

Four years ago: A night at the fights

A long time ago: 7th Day In Rome!

Sous Vide, and homemade Bacon

Randy has been wading into deep culinary waters lately. Not content with baking wonderful sourdough and rye breads, he has decided to cure bacon. It's a time consuming process but he doesn't mind taking time to create something special. I mind, because it means I have to wait several days after he starts the process, but the wait is always worth it. 

This is fully cured, but of course we cooked it hot and crispy before having it for breakfast. Amazing!

And now he has a new toy: a Sous Vide machine. This does a neat trick - it will hold food at a specific internal temperature for hours. If it's set correctly, the food will never get overdone. Randy used it today for the first time. He started by seasoning the meat and sealing it in an air-tight, leak-proof bag.

Then he put water in the magic machine, set the controls where he wanted them, brought it up to temperature, and put the bag in.

After X amount of time, the food is done! But if you don't want to serve it yet, just leave it in; it will still be perfect whenever you are ready.