One book down, the next one to go

I finished my first braille book for this go around at braille - actually, I read it four times. It was called The Tiny Family and was all in grade one braille, a nice refresher. I still remember my alphabet pretty well, but have forgotten so many contractions.

So, I have another book I'm working on that's in grade II. I review a few contractions every day and then just force myself to slog through the book in grade II braille. It's like working out a secret code or puzzle. Some of the contractions will come back to me, and others I'll figure out from context - and then others I'll just be completely stumped on and only half a sentence makes sense until the next day when one of the mystery contractions is in the bunch I'm reviewing and is a whole new part of the puzzle.

Today my friend Echo brought me some more books - and some more in grade one braille too. My next little book - Thomas and the Naughty Deisel.

My mind must really be in the gutter because the first words out of my mouth were - what on earth did you bring me?

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Ratner's Cheesecake

Here's another recipe from Toby! Thanks Toby......and I'll get the others posted soon! Ratner's Cheesecake and plain cookies Ratner's was a Jewish dairy restaurant in the lower East Side of Manhattan. This recipe, from my disintegrating, no longer in print Ratner's cookbook, is the closest I've ever gotten to reproducing the rich, heavy cheesecake my mother made when I was a kid. It's worth the time it takes to prepare and every last calorie. Dough Can be prepared in advance. Makes enough for two cakes. Can be frozen or used to make cookies – see recipe below. 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup shortening 1 teaspoon lemon extract 1 cup butter 2 eggs 3 cups sifted cake flour ½ teaspoon salt 2 cups all purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1. In a bowl, combine all ingredients with hands. Refrigerate 3 -4 hours, or preferably overnight. Filling (for

The next generation with Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome

I'm so behind on posting about the trip to Puerto Rico. Since the episode of Mystery Diagnosis on Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome ran right after we got home, it's been a little busy. These, however, are my favorite pictures from Puerto Rico. I know, not pretty senery etc - but these little guys and gals inspire me. They are the next generation of folks with HPS, and if we keep up the hard work, they will live better lives because of it. They motivate me.

Some good news about Pirfenidone

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Living on the frontlines

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