Going Green

Soooo... this is a little bit gross.

I can't remember if it was just before or just after Anja was born that I made a big pot of chicken-vegetable soup. Whenever it was, it was right around the time of her birth. I put it in the fridge in its soup pot intending to eat it as leftovers, but the rest never got eaten. And, scarily enough, it never got thrown out either. So we've had a pot of soup sitting in our refrigerator for sixteen months. SIXTEEN MONTHS. That's almost a year and a half. We would notice it every once in awhile (mostly when we ran out of fridge space) and laugh about it, then say we'd eventually get to it. Finally today, while putting away groceries, I mentioned that I'd better include a note to our families when they are caring for Anja here at our house NOT to lift the lid of that pot, or they will get a very unpleasant surprise, which, unfortunately, can't be blamed on that old "science project" excuse. As I was going to write the note, Martin declared it time to get rid of the thing. So he took it outside to The Jungle (I watched out the kitchen window) and kicked the lid off with the toe of his shoe. I thought for sure he'd start vomiting when he looked in, but he just looked in and shook his head a little bit, then picked up the pot and dumped out its contents into the trash. He left the pot out there and poured some boiling water in it, but when he came in he told me it had just looked like soup. He described it as "a little faded" but said that every ingredient still looked like itself. All the chicken was at the bottom and the top was just a nice layer of fat. AFTER A YEAR AND A HALF, THE SOUP STILL LOOKED LIKE SOUP!!!!!! So my question is... how? I'm completely baffled. It was just chicken and vegetables. Do I really need to start watching the salt content of my cooking? Did the fat keep everything from rotting or molding? Did the mold grow and then melt away again? Martin said there was no mold on it. I am SO CONFUSED.

I'm sorry if any of you are majorly grossed out by this. I realize it is really disgusting. But more than that, it's downright weird. I am VERY confused. Maybe there's a scientist reading this who can either give me a good reason for my soup remaining soup for sixteen months, or tell me that it really is time I start buying Organic.

And speaking of going green, I have made The Big Switch from plastic to paper bags at the store. We've always saved and reused or plastic bags so I never felt bad getting them. But Karenin doesn't make a poo on her walks except for rare occasions (unlike Baxter who would ONLY poo on his walks, causing us to call around to our families for grocery bags on a number of occasions when we had run out) so we finally started throwing them away. Plus, I started really needing paper bags for a lot of different things. So I started asking for paper, and it's GREAT!! Not only do I now have a steady supply of paper bags under my laundry room shelf, but it's also amazing the way they pack them at the store--this week's groceries fit into THREE paper bags!! Last week's fit into only four!! This compared to the ninety-zillion plastic bags they give you is a real treat! So until we need plastic bags again (that'll be awhile) I am always asking for paper.

In other news, the palms of my hands and the bottom of my feet have begun itching like crazy. Maybe that same scientist who knows about immortal soups can answer questions on weird itching as well.

Today we went to my aunt's house for a little family get-together and my family members told me I don't look ready to have a baby. Great. Just when I'm beginning to feel like there never was a time during which I wasn't forty pounds over my normal weight, they tell me I just don't look big enough. *sigh*

...however, Martin thinks it'll come at any minute.

Though the storms today didn't do much to push me in that direction, so I am doubtful. I'll probably go two weeks late, have to be induced, and then have a c-section. That would be my luck!