Had a good talk with Betty. I'm confident, and so is she, that she'll be okay. Of course, we're both still nervous about it; even assuming a good outcome, this is major surgery. I'll call Carolyn about 4:00 our time. That's an hour into the operation and I don't expect it to be over, but want to touch base, then will call again later. I'll add any new information to today's post.
I seem to spend a lot of time in stores. Yesterday, I went to a shoe store in Manahawkin to buy sneakers. I couldn't find a single pair that fit right and didn't look as if they belonged to a basketball player. Forget the spike heels if you want to add height: These sneaks all have such thick soles you can practically look in second-story windows. They also cost what you'd expect to pay for a ball gown. Think I'll go over to Boscov's and look for my good old Keds.
As requested, here's the recipe for Crystal Pickles:
1 quart (4 or 5) small (Kirby) cucumbers, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 tsp. salt
3 cups sugar
1 cup white vinegar
Mix together first 3 ingredients and let stand for 2 hours in refrigerator.
Drain well.
Add sugar and vinegar. Mix well. Mixture will be very sugary. The juice should cover the cukes. Put into containers and freeze for a few days. Thaw and serve.
It's that simple. I keep individual containers in the freezer and just take one out on the morning of a lunch or dinner to defrost (more liquid usually has to be drained off). You can serve these anytime, but I think they're especially good accompanying summer meals (in addition to the banana bread you already have in the freezer).