It's time for your injection

    I jammed the syringe into Margaret’s leg; her agonized shriek tore through the stillness, finally bubbling down into a low moan as she ran out of air.
    Not really.
    Margaret’s rheumatoid arthritis went out of control two months ago. Her doctor had stopped the monthly injection that kept it at bay for reasons that I shall not elucidate; that’s her story. The result was that she had two visits to the emergency room for out-of-control pain and was confined to a local nursing home for six weeks. A month ago, the doctor prescribed daily injections of steroids to try to subdue the pain. They worked; she was able to return to her home ten days ago. But, the visiting nurse will not come daily; someone has to give her the injections when the nurse isn’t scheduled, three or four days a week.
    Margaret has a friend who is a LPN but she can’t come all of the time. So, I observed injections a few times then took home a syringe and an empty medication bottle. I bought an orange to practice on. I called my sister, who has been an RN for many years, and got specific instructions on how to give an intramuscular injection. And I practiced on the orange. Every time, I talked myself through the process.
    First, I pulled about .5cc of air into the syringe. Then, I used the needle to pierce the rubber stopper on the little bottle. With the syringe sticking out, I turned the bottle upside down, pushed the plunger to squirt air into the bottle, and drew a little more than .5 cc out of the bottle and into the syringe. Then, I turned the syringe needle-up and flicked it with a fingernail to move the air to the top. Then, I squirted out the air, leaving a small bubble of liquid at the tip. Next, I wiped my target spot (for the real thing, I used an alcohol wipe), darted the needle one inch into the flesh of the fruit, pulled back to check for "blood", then injected the contents into the flesh. I used the wipe to press against the side of the needle as I withdrew it, then applied gentle pressure for thirty seconds. Finally, I capped the needle carefully.
    I injected the orange fifty or sixty times, refilling the bottle as needed. At first, I was very clumsy but with practice, handling the needle became less difficult. Finally, I felt like the orange had taught me all that it could.
    On Thanksgiving Day, I had my check-ride. I went up to Shelburne Falls and waited for the visiting nurse. She was late; her first patient had more problems than she had been informed, so he took longer than she had budgeted. Finally, she arrived. I told her my set of directions; she said that I had it all down. I fumbled a bit as I drew up the medicine. She gave me a few hints, then showed me how to find a muscle. Margaret relaxed and I tried to insert the needle. I couldn’t do it; the needle wouldn’t pierce the skin. The nurse guided my hand to help me to place the needle. I completed the injection. Margaret didn’t scream or anything. She said it was pretty painless. I was pleased. I went home, cooked the turkey and baked my Black Forest Cake. I planned on giving the cake to John, so I did not add the alcohol called for in the recipe. We brought the cake to John just before Jack and I went off to the Black Friday sales. I had a slice, too. It was pretty good.
    Today, I soloed. Margaret looked away as I cleaned the spot with an alcohol wipe. Once again, I had trouble getting the needle into the skin; the skin just dimpled but I gave the needle a little wiggle and it popped through. I completed the injection and, as I drew the needle out, I looked at Margaret’s face, searching for an indication of whether or not I had hurt her. She looked back at me with a slightly puzzled expression and asked when I was going to give her the shot. I grinned and exhaled with relief, then told her that it was all done. She hadn’t known when I gave it to her. Success! No agonized shrieks!

Schwarzuälder Kirschtorte (Black Forest Cherry Brandy Cake)
                     16 oz. Semi-sweet chocolate
    Shave softened bar to make curls. Freeze. (I melt the chocolate instead, making a circular sheet for the top and two large rectangles for the sides. I cut these so each slice of cake gets a pie-shaped wedge on top and a tall rectangle on the side)
    Preheat the oven to 350̇ degrees
    Cake - directions makes one ten inch round layer. You need three (I only have one pan, which is why I give single layer directions).
    Clarify 7 tablespoons of unsalted butter by melting the butter slowly, then discard the floating solids by skimming. The clarified butter is the pure, clear oil; throw out the milk solids on the bottom, too.
    Combine     4 eggs
                      2/3 cup sugar
                      2/3 teaspoon vanilla
Beat at high speed until tripled in volume (about ten minutes)
Combine in a sifter
                       1/3 cup flour
                       1/3 cup cocoa
Gently fold 1/3 of the butter into the egg mixture until the butter is absorbed. Sift in 1/3 of dry mixture, folding gently. Continue adding the butter and dry ingredients alternately until combined. DO NOT OVERMIX! You worked hard to get a lot of air into the batter; don't lose it!
    Bake at center of oven for 15 minutes, until a inserted toothpick comes out dry. Remove and cool for five minutes. Turn out onto a rack.
    Repeat two more times to make a total of three layers.
    In a saucepan, combine
                        1 ½ cups sugar
                        2 cups cold water
Bring to a boil, stirring only until the sugar is dissolved. Boil briskly, uncovered, for five minutes. Cool. Add
                        2/3 cup kirschwasser
    Transfer cakes to waxed paper and prick lightly with a fork. Sprinkle with syrup. Allow to absorb for a couple of hours.
    Thoroughly drain two cans of cherries packed in water. Discard the water.
    In a cold metal bowl, beat
                        1 quart heavy cream
until peaks form. Add
                        1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
                        1/4 cup kischwasser
Stir until mixed.
    Assembly.
    Place one layer on a serving plate. Distribute half of the cherries on top. Spread with whipped cream. Add the second layer. Repeat cherries and cream. Add top layer. Frost cake and sides with remaining whipped cream. Press chocolate onto top and sides. I put the pie-shaped pieces on the top at an angle, so it looks pretty.
    Refrigerate overnight for best flavor. Some of the liquid will ooze out around the edge, so be prepared for a mess if you do not remove it with a baster.
    Makes twelve generous or sixteen normal portions.