Years ago, the husband of one of my sister’s friends was riding his bicycle on a deserted roadway near Eugene, Oregon. Something went awry, and the bicycle catapulted him into the top of a blackberry bramble while the bicycle itself disappeared into the brush, leaving no trace of anything amiss.
The poor guy was stuck in the top of the blackberry thicket for hours on end. There was no way for him to get down, and no one heard his desperate cries for help. Somehow he was finally found and rushed to the nearest hospital. He was in bad shape. He was terribly sunburned and dehydrated, and he was also suffering poisoning from all the blackberry thorns that had bitten into his skin.
His wife told my sister later that the whole time she was in the hospital waiting room, she kept praying that he wouldn’t die. “When people ask me what happened,” she said, “I didn’t want to have to say that my husband died of blackberries.”
So this week, Bill cooked an amazing dish—brussels sprouts covered with a baked crispy cheese topping. If you’re looking for a low carb dish, brussels sprouts and cheese can’t be beat.
I had downed several of those tasty little morsels when one of them went down the wrong way and stayed there. The interesting thing about brussels sprouts is that they come apart in layers. So sometimes I couldn’t breathe and then sometimes when the little layers slipped just the right way, I could, but only by making very peculiar and alarming sounds. The dogs didn’t like it at all.
Eventually, I managed to cough it loose in a very unladylike, layer by layer manner.
I can tell you that by the time it was over, Bill was very grateful that I was still alive and breathing for any number of reasons, one of which was not having to explain to the cops and to my fans that I died of brussels sprouts.
Glad you are alright. That can be so scary!!
Oh dear! So glad everything came aright eventually. And weren’t you glad (after you’d had some recovery time) that you weren’t out in public? That would be one of my big fears, comparable with a pratfall “in front of God and everybody.” It’s not the fall, it’s the process of getting myself up…
I have a rare disease called Achalasia, and it involves a lot of choking – and let me tell you, the fears that surround that are legion! It’s a scary thing to be so out of control, in the mercy of your body, and gravity. Glad to hear you’re ok. I love your books!
Hi Cory,
I can sympathize with your Achalasia, while I don’t have it ; I had a Great Dane that developed the disease late in life. I had to puree his food so he could eat it and then sit him down and stroke his neck until I heard the food drop into his stomach. I must have done something right since the dog didn’t drop weight as expected but gained.
I don’t mean to compare you to a Dog but the disease is the same no matter what.
Take care.
That recipe sounds so good. I love to put more than kind of cheese in a sauce. I like Brussels sprouts, too. Am glad you lived to tell us the recipe.
I found I had only seven Brussels sprouts in the freezer so modified the recipe a bit. I mixed shredded Cheddar cheese with a bit of sour cream and spread that on the sprouts. Tasted great. I think I might cut the little nippers in half when I make it again. Since these were frozen, I didn’t try as could see the knife slipping and blood all over the counter.
So glad that you are ok, very scary when that kind of thing happens. Recipe does sound delicious – will have to try it and be very careful 🙂
I am glad you managed to survive those pesky brussel sprouts! Stay Safe!