17 October 2017 / leggypeggy

Go on, Potsie, get well quick!

Potsie (in his Dame Edna apron) and me in his old kitchen in Dallas

A little time out from travels to tell you about my very dear friend, Potsie. Pots and I met more than 10 years ago in the community boards of a food website called Recipezaar.

We hit it off instantly and spent many years running amok on the community boards and the website’s contests and adventures. We were also co-hosts (with three others—Stella Mae, Rinshinomori and Celticevergreen) on the Asian Forum there.

He calls me his Mommie Dearest (ala Joan Crawford because I ‘adopted’ him for a cooking game) and I’ve called him all sorts of ‘witty’ names, but I think he most enjoys his alter ego as Dame Edna.

Potsie lives in Dallas Texas, and Poor John and I have visited him there several times. In fact, we fly to the USA though Dallas now, instead of Los Angeles.

If you follow this blog, you will know I am in China and will soon be travelling west to St Petersburg Russia on the Trans-Mongolian Railway.

Let me tell you now that I will be worried sick for every minute of that journey—and here’s why. Facebook doesn’t work in China. In fact, no international social media outlets work here. So my network of communication is faltering.

Yep, he’s a dog lover

But Recipezaar friends have let me know that Potsie has had a stroke or something equivalent. His left side is immobile and his speech is slurred. He’s in hospital and tests are to be done. That’s about all I know for now.

Potsie’s dear friend, James, is doing his best to look after Potsie’s place and dogs, be of comfort and prepare for Potsie’s return home. His real mother, Bobbie, is on deck too.

In all honesty, Potsie isn’t religious, but I know he believes in the interconnectedness of people and the world.

So in a push to help make Pots well again as soon as possible, I’m asking everyone to make a gesture of solidarity.

Please do something that sits well with your personality and your view of the world—send good wishes, channel the vibe, say a prayer, shed a tear, smile at a stranger, open a door for someone, give a beggar a dollar, send someone a card, read a book, bake bread, buy an apron, call your mum, hug your children, kiss your spouse, count your blessings.

Seriously, I think even the list of suggestions might even bring a smile to Potsie’s face.

I’ll keep you posted when I know something.

Go on, mate, get well! We’re all cheering you on! Thanks James for being there for Pots. And I almost forgot to mention that Potsie (and my sister, Susan) were the ones to start calling my off-sider Poor John.

P.S. Our beloved Recipezaar has changed hands and names, and is no longer the community we cherished. If it still was, the members would be doing a cook-a-thon and signing up to make and review one of his recipes to cheer him up. So if you’re looking for a sensational recipe, check out Potsie’s Mexican Rice or one of his other gems.

P.P.S. I forgot to add that we board the train in about 12 hours time. I’m likely to be completely out of touch for 36 hours after that.