Masala chai at home

by Blossom of Light

Image via Wikipedia

I find comfort in a cup of tea. I drink herbal tisanes, flavored and plain, green and black teas. I’d been drinking various versions of chai at home made with teabags from different companies for some time before I learned how to mix my own. I had added warmed milk and a little sugar. Recently I learned how many Indians make chai at home. I have a new client who came from India as a youngster and she showed me how she makes it.
I had already gotten a packet of Assam from a shop in Seattle. Assam is black tea from India. I also had all the spices I needed! I had whole green cardamom pods, whole cloves, fresh ginger, cinnamon stick, and whole black pepper. 

Skinny Bitch

Image by Green Heat via Flickr

I want to talk about an unspoken type of reverse discrimination.

When I was a baby the doctor asked if my mother was feeding me. I was very active and ate, as she said, “All the time.”  I was 20 lbs at a year whereas my brothers were 25 lbs, though. It was how I was.

I was a thin child. I was one of those tall, thin girls. My mother said she couldn’t buy dresses for me with ties that come out at the side of the waist because when she went to tie the bow in the back, the sides of the dress would meet and the tie ends went to the ground. She had to sew pants and tops for me so they’d fit. All the girl’s pants were too big around. In 4th grade she was buying small patterns, patterns for 2nd grade sized girls, and adding 2-3″ length to everything. I also never got knee socks because they’d fall down. I wanted knee socks very badly but had to wear bobby socks.  

*Mammograms, Bad Family and Fear! Oh my!

The following post comes to us from one of our readers. She has taken the opportunity to Tell Her Side. Take a look and let us know if your own life parallels hers. What kind of comfort can you offer her? Do you have some sound advice? 

“My maternal grandmother had breast cancer and a double mastectomy. I don’t speak to my mother any more, but I heard she had one too. This isn’t really about them.

Since I already knew about Grandma, I went in and asked for a mammogram at the age of 35. It was uncomfortable, but worth the peace of mind. Then I went in and had another when I was 40, and was then told I had to have one yearly so I got one the next year.

That year was a bad year. I was fresh off a 20 year marriage, my parents had betrayed me, sided with my ex for custody. I lost primary custody, I lost my trust in them, my home, and a lame husband but I was still taking care of myself so I went in. After the mammogram I got a notice in the mail that said the test was “inconclusive” and to please reschedule ASAP.