TAKING CARE OF PA

by Danna Shirley

          My mother, age 90, fell July 9, 2009 out of the house and backward down three steps into the garage. She didn't break anything but was bruised internally. She stayed in the hospital four days. I arrived in Napa, CA July 16, 2009 to take care of her, which meant I helped her get up and down in the chair and in and out of bed and provided ice packs and pain medication. It took several weeks for her to mend but she fully recovered and returned to her usual routine . . . eating, reading, and napping. 

          By the time I arrived in CA, my dad, age 88, was diagnosed with congestive heart failure on top of prostate cancer surgery just five months earlier. My sister, Nan, my daughter, Kristen, and my niece, Rhonda, joined me to be caregivers on a rotating basis.  Nan and I were there together for the first three weeks. Nana was my patient and Pa was Nan’s patient. We were trying to get some calories into Pa because of his lack of appetite so Nan did all of the cooking; eggs, biscuits and gravy, oatmeal, grits, etc.    
          When Nan left, the cooking fell to me. Since I don’t like to cook due to my many disastrous experiences in the kitchen, I was in a panic to cook just the way Pa liked it. I thought the oatmeal and grits went pretty well but Pa said they needed to cook longer.            

          The calamity occurred when I opened a can of Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls and popped them into the toaster oven. I read the directions carefully, “Bake at 400° for 13 to 17 minutes.” Then I set the timer and went on to prepare the rest of his breakfast.        I trusted the directions on the package but they failed me miserably. After only ten minutes, I peeked through the window and saw nothing but black. 

The story of my life—another cooking disaster!

          The tops were burned and the insides were still doughy. Nana tried to make me feel better by blaming it on the toaster oven . . . bless her little heart! We cut off the top and insides and served the bottom crust. 

          Pa gave it one look and joked, “Take a picture of this. I want everyone to see just how well you’ve been taking care of me!”  J J J J

I looked on the Pillsbury Website under Frequently Asked Questions. It read:      

Can I bake the Sweet Rolls in a toaster oven?

Answer:  No, we don’t recommend it. A toaster oven's small size often results in uneven heating, and the dough may burn.

Well, you live and learn J