Habits, Health and Plans - It's All Coming Together

It's going to be a busy day today, so I got it off to a good start by 45 minutes on the treadmill. I had been feeling like an absolute slug, so it was a relief to get some exercise in once again. Next Tuesday I return to the swimming pool. I'm totally out of shape for swimming, but hopefully will be back on form within a reasonable time. It'll be great to see all of my water friends once again. 

It would be so kewl to run virtually in my den, 
but I don't think I really want to (1) spend the $, 
and (2) totally trust my balance in this case. 
The wise decision is to stick with my treadmill. 

DH and I are working on getting some items to an auction house in Santa Fe. We've had some of these since shortly after we opened the shop, and they have't sold. So ... time to try a different venue. We've been working carefully with an assigned agent, and should have things packed and sent off within another few weeks. DH decided to add some other items to what we had already proposed to them, so photos and descriptions are getting sent today, probably as soon as I get back from the grocery store. 

We're committed to a list of items that have been curated 
and will be shown and auctioned off by Santa Fe Art 
Auction. The representative we've been working with has 
been awesome. We don't want to send breakables, and this 
is just a test run. We have a LOT of items we'd love to send 
down and have sold, even though we might not make what 
we want for them, at least they're out of our inventory. 

The weather's been cooperative, and I appreciate that. Instead of one of those winters where we have snow almost every day, we've only had snow a few times, and then long periods of sunshine. It's still cold, but not sub-zero cold. This is definitely MY kind of winter (especially with driving back and forth from the various clinics over the past few weeks). 

It's fascinating how brain studies and understanding 
have progressed over the past few decades. The 
different areas of the brain and how they work were 
speculative when I was young, and have been 
isolated by now. There are still surprises - it's what 
happens in medicine and brain work - but it's such a 
vast improvement since I had to put Mom into an 
Alzheimer's facility. 

The next major event I have coming up is my extended memory test in Minneapolis on the 17th. That's a four-hour event, and DH has to accompany me. We'll both be interviewed, and I'll have various tests, etc. I have no idea what's really entailed in this. I don't think I'm nearly as bad as DH and Chickie think, but they're looking from the outside, and I'm looking from the inside. Our perspectives are dramatically different. Chickie Mama will come in to work with Chickie while we're at the clinic. Then I have a phone consult on the 23rd, and something else on the 30th. I think my phone calendar isn't 100% up to date. I'll have to check the printout to make sure. 

When I really thought about this statement, 
I realized it's actually pretty accurate. I've 
tried to accumulate positive habits for 
several years now, and I think I'm healthier 
for it. 

It's a crazy life I lead, and in spite and despite it all, I'm here posting six days a week. Habit - it's a hard thing to break - LOL. I hope you have a wonderful Friday and I'll be back tomorrow to wrap up the week. Cooking and computer work sound like the perfect combo for me today. Slava Ukraini. 

It Was Quite the Week!

It's Saturday, and what a week it's been. Yesterday morning was spent at a different clinic location for my first injection to help with my crappy bones. The Fosomax I've been taking forever simply wasn't cutting it any more, so I was referred to a specialist WAY across town who determined that we needed to switch from Fosomax to Prolia. It's an injection I'll need every six months. 

So the Fosomax I had been taking for several years 
simply wasn't working any more. Now I'm on Prolia 
injections every six months. I'll have to do a bit more 
research, but anything to halt my osteoporosis is 
a good thing - I have enough other things to worry 
about. 

I had a truly delightful nurse who was excellent with a needle, and the injection itself was in an odd place - the back side of my upper arm, closer to the elbow. Very unusual, but no pain, just a slight discomfort. So we settled down to chat while she made sure I didn't have any immediate negative side effects, and over the 15 minutes I discovered a lot about her. I won't share, because it's her story to tell, not mine, but we had several things in common and I felt we had a real connection by the time I was finished and released back into the snowy world. 

I love Google Maps on my Android 
phone. I've been sent to some places 
I've NEVER been before, and it has 
steered me correctly every time. Bravo! 

I have to say, thank goodness for Google Maps. I hadn't used them before the first time I needed to get to this clinic location, but I've used the feature several times now and I'm loving it. I suspect when I first had used it years ago, it wasn't something I enjoyed because Google hadn't surveyed everything on the planet - LOL. (I know they still haven't, but really .... isn't Google taking over the world?). It's such an easy app, and it can move with the flow. 

I used Google Maps to find my way to my nephew's house for the annual Holiday get-together last week. I'd only been to his place once before, and had no idea how to get there. While following the map, however, I got caught in traffic and ended up on a totally different main artery. The map just shifted along with me though, telling me exactly where to go and I found my way to and fro without any problem. I wish life were that easy. You know? "Get onto the road to college here. Oh, a detour for marriage? No problem. We'll put you on the road to your new family instead." 

Don't enjoy looking at a small screen while on 
your treadmill? Don't despair. Virtual reality 
treadmills are being developed and will absolutely 
become a "thing" for the people who can afford 
them and who will have the space for them. 

So, I'm jumping off the speculative treadmill here, and wrapping this up. I haven't been in the shop for days and I'm sure I have a TON of stuff waiting for me. DH barely spoke to me last night, so he's stewing about something too, and I have no idea what. Too bad. He'll either figure it out or he won't. Not my problem. Have an excellent weekend and I'll be back on Monday. Slava Ukraini. 

It's a New Year - Let's Make It a Good One

Happy New Year to all of my friends, relatives and readers. It's the 3rd on January, and after a couple of days off, I'm starting the new year out with a bang. Today is a Friday, so I have the "day off", but I have a 7:45 am appointment for a more thorough mammogram at a breast cancer specialty clinic. We'll see. I have "dense" breasts (not a surprise, I've been told that for decades) and they simply can't see clearly enough to determine if I have a potential problem or not. So, I leave my usual clinic behind and see a specialist this morning instead. 

What a way to start the new year. Still, there are many 
worse ways to start it. I always have issues with my 
mammograms - "dense breast tissue" causes problems 
with visibility. So, we'll see what we see. 

Tomorrow, after work, we head over to my youngest nephew's house for the family holiday get-together. It's only for three hours, and we're only able to catch the final hour or so, but we work at the shop on Saturdays, so we do what we can. I have only been to Joe's house once before, so I'll be relying on Google Maps to get me there - LOL. 

I'll be relying on Google Maps to get me to the clinic 
today and to my nephew's house tomorrow. I've been 
both places once before, but it's been quite a while. 

Then, next week on Friday, I get to go over the the clinic on the western edge of nowhere (not really that far, but it seems like it), and get the first of my every-six-months injections to slow down my bone density losses. Have I mentioned that it really sucks to get older? I'm far from old - I'm active, involved, I'm still in my right mind ... at least most of the time - LOL, and I have all of you to vent to. But time is catching up with me. That hunky dude in the black hooded outfit with a scythe will eventually ask me out on a date that I won't be able to turn down. I hope he's a great dancer, it's one major fail of DH. 

I think I'll postpone that dance with Death 
for a while longer. I'm sure he won't mind. 
He knows he'll win in the end, and everything 
on this Earth (and possibly everything in this 
universe) passes through his hands. That's quite 
the job for a single dude! I'm impressed! 

However, my plans don't include dancing with Death anytime soon. I'm going to try everything I can reasonably do to forestall that eventual meeting. I can't push it off forever, none of us can; and quality of life is just as important as length of life. If I can't feed myself, if my brain has taken a semi-permanent vacation, if I can't READ (that would be horrid beyond thought), then I probably want to climb onto the wheel once again and see what mischief I can get into the next go 'round. But I'm not there yet. No cute guys in black garb around me. I suppose that's all for the best. I don't need an early introduction. Have an excellent Friday, I'll be back tomorrow. In the meanwhile, start your New Year out on a good foot and be kind today. Slava Ukraini. 

A Traveling Phlebotomist (Who Knew?) and Hurricane Milton

Have you ever heard of a "travelling phlebotomist"? I was introduced to one yesterday, for my blood draw. The lab at my clinic is now being managed by an outside firm, although they are still located in the large building that houses the clinic. The older woman I had for my blood draw yesterday was having some difficulties getting one of my tests to be accepted in their new computer system, and we had a chance to chat a little bit while she was working things out. 

It's probably disrespectful, but I usually think of 
phlebotomists as "vampires" in a modern setting. 
Of course, phlebotomists are nothing of the sort, 
but I'm sure many of you also call them by that 
nickname. 

Now, I'm a horrible person for blood draws. I have VERY small veins, and usually they have to use baby needles on me for any success. Some people are great at hitting the vein immediately, but others make me feel like a pincushion. She was of the first variety. While drawing my blood, she told me that she's a travelling phlebotomist, and she accepts three-month jobs at a variety of hospitals and clinics throughout the USA. She had just returned to traveling after spending three months with her husband and his aged parents in North Carolina. But her job has allowed her to see many parts of the nation in short bits and pieces. It's been perfect for her, and she was GREAT. 

Usually after any blood draw, I'll have bruising 
at the vein or within the vicinity. This time I 
have no mark at all, and no blood on the gauze 
either. She was superb at her job. 

Usually I have a bruise, and a bit of dried blood on the gauze and bandaid, but not this time. Not one drop staining anything and my arm looks untouched. Brilliant! I wish I could have her every time I need a blood draw, but I'm sure she'll be in a different clinic in a different state when I need my next one. I wish her well on her continued travels and a happy and long life. 

Hurricane Milton is a monster, and so incredibly 
destructive. I have on-line friends who are in the 
affected area, as well as friends who have relatives 
living there. I hope everyone comes through safely. 

Our Great Leader for LJ Idol is being affected by the hurricane, and has put everything on hold until after he's able to return to "normal". I may survive to write another week through default - LOL - but I'll take it. I adore writing to theme, it stretches my mind and imagination. I hope he and everyone affected have pulled through this safely. It looked AMAZINGLY HUGE and quite frightening on the small screen of the TV, and I'm grateful that we only have occasional tornadoes up here. Yes, tornadoes are very destructive, but they have a much smaller area of direct impact. In addition, not that it matters, tornadoes are beautiful to see (from a distance). Have a wonderful Thursday, be safe and be kind. I'm off to the pool for my final swim of the week. Treadmill on Friday and Saturday - hurrah! Slava Ukraini. 

Positive Thoughts for Friends on Both Coasts

Yesterday, I learned that an old friend of many years who recently moved to the Atlanta area has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. It explains his headaches and balance issues, but it's really scary news. They're doing more tests, but it may come down to invasive brain surgery. He's heading up here to Mayo for an emergency consultation and possible immediate surgery, so if you could keep him in your thoughts, I'm sure it would help. Scary times for Brian, Dave and their lovely dog, Kirby. 

I know that Brian is very frightened about this diagnosis 
and how his body has suddenly turned against him. He's 
had balance issues and headaches and his local neurologist 
has diagnosed a brain tumor. Brian is determined to get a 
second opinion at Mayo before any surgery, so he's heading 
back here to Minnesota.

Yesterday was non-stop. It wasn't overwhelming, but it was constant enough that just getting the computer work I needed to get done was a push. I started working on stock and inventory at 9:00 am, after I had finished my beading panel for the day, and except for bathroom breaks, I was on the sales floor helping customers until I locked the door. That was great, and I did squeeze in some work between people, but I didn't get as much accomplished as I had wanted. 

Of course, days are how we create and perceive 
them - in many ways. However, outside influences - 
interactions with other people and things - can also 
affect the day. I want a steady, happy and creative day 
today. We'll see if that happens. 

Today might be different. At least Chickie will be back on the sales floor with me, so customers won't be entirely my responsibility. That gives me a little breathing space. I did have DH pull some product for me with the final customer of the day, because they wanted a lot of stuff that I find time consuming to locate and gather. Better to have him do ti while I'm gathering their other things. At the end of the day, I was pleased with my sales numbers and the fact that despite being busy (too busy to even drink my Ogre Juice), I still accomplished some of the things I had on my personal "to do" list. 

We all need some breathing space in our lives. Today
I'll get some of that while I'm swimming this morning, 
and hopefully while I do another beadwork panel 
in the early hours. It's all coming together for those, 
at least. The rest of my life might be a mess, but 
my projects continue. 

Today, hopefully, will be just as busy, but with Chickie helping, it won't feel quite as hectic. Maybe. LOL At any rate, I'm starting the day out in the pool, so that's one super positive thing to the day. I hope all of you have a super tremendous day filled with joy and sunshine, and maybe a bit of love. Aearwen is down to her last few days of moving stuff from the old house to the new. She closes at the end of the week and turns over the keys, then starting the next phase of her life. Exciting! Positive thoughts going out to her during this hectic week. 

I'm sending lots of positive thoughts out to Aearwen as she 
enters the final few days of moving her things from the old 
house to her new double-wide trailer. I'm hoping it's going 
to be one of the best ideas she's ever had. At least her 
maintenance will be less, and that's always a plus. 

So that's it. I'm off to the pool and then to the shop. Have an excellent Tuesday and I'll be back for my "day off" tomorrow. I need to make some "grab and re-heat" meals tomorrow. Time to check the freezer - maybe I can do this easily without a lot of fuss. Slava Ukraini. 

Hurry Up and Wait Once Again - Life Continues

Chickie is taking the day off today, so I'm working for her. She is getting an epidural injection early this morning for pain management of her scoliosis, and she'll be unable to get back to work until tomorrow. She's supposed to do absolutely nothing today, and if her cats allow it, that's exactly what she'll be doing. Personally, nobody is getting any needles anywhere close to MY spine - shiver!!! 

There is absolutely NO WAY anyone would 
be allowed near my spine with a sharp, pointed 
item like a needle. But Chickie is hoping it will 
give her some relief from the constant pain, and 
allow her to do her Physical Therapy with less 
pain as well. The effect of the injection should 
last anywhere from 3-6 months, ideally. 

Yesterday's eye doctor appointment didn't go quite as well as I had hoped. Apparently there is still some small bits of infection that need to be handled in my right eye, and my left, although doing well, should still finish the antibiotics. He prescribed another dose of antibiotics for Eye #1, though, so now I'm taking two (one for each eye) until the one for the left runs out, then only the one. My next appointment is on July 5th, so it's out there a few weeks. I'm not super pleased, of course, but in the calendar of my life, those extra weeks are minimal. 

I'm really getting used to eye drops. I now have a 
purple topped antibiotic for my left eye, and a pink 
topped eye drop for my right eye. When I'm not using 
those drops, I'm using regular eye drops to keep things 
moist and flush things out a bit. 

Today I'm heading over for an unscheduled swim since yesterday I was too crunched for time to be able to indulge in the pool. I do like to get my three days a week of swimming done, and of course, the outdoor pool is delightful. We actually do have an indoor pool lifeguard also, at least first thing in the morning. That means our friend Gail can swim her two hours every morning. She's a pretty amazing woman. She had both hips replaced earlier this year, and could hardly wait to get back to the pool. She's using a pull buoy for many of her laps, but not all of them. She's getting the exercise she needs and recovering very well. 

I had never heard of container houses before 
Gail mentioned it, but it makes sense. Apparently 
there are a lot of different floor plans and options 
available, and some of the houses are quite 
extensive and expansive. Hers will not be - she's 
just getting a single container renovated for her 
home. I suppose size-wise it's similar to many 
apartments, though. 

I suspect that she'll move to Costa Rica before the end of the year. Her daughter and son-in-law live down there in an American community of container houses. She bought a lot near them and her container(s) have been placed there, but still need to be converted into her home. She's looking forward to it. I think I'd be quite nervous, but she's a brave woman and if she's nervous, she's not showing it. 

So, I'm going to wrap this up and get my things together for my day. I hope you have a wonderful Friday and I'll be back to wrap the week up tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

If It's Not One Thing, It's Another - "Sigh*

Yesterday I got that tingling feeling and knew immediately - bad news. Bladder infection. How I got one, where and when exactly is a mystery, but I've got one and it's as miserable as I remember them being in the past. I put a call into my Doctor's office immediately and hopefully, if they didn't call in for medications late yesterday afternoon, they will do so today. In the meanwhile, it's driving me a bit crazy. I'm sure the men have something similar at times, but you women will know exactly what I'm talking about. ARGH! 

ARGH! I hate bladder infections. They're extremely 
rare for me, and they're SO uncomfortable. I really 
hope I can get meds from my Doctor without her 
requiring me to go in. I can take a quick drop in for 
labs, but I really don't have the time/ability for 
a full appointment this week because of Chickie's 
doctor appointments and my cataract checkup 
tomorrow. 

Of course, if my doctor actually wants me to come it and see her or get labs done, I quite literally have a short window open today and then not until Friday. I'd really like to have this under control before then! Although they can rarely clear up on their own, usually they actually need medications to get under control. Meanwhile, it led to a very uncomfortable Tuesday at the shop, and I'm sure it will also impact my day today. It's something I get very rarely, so I'm grateful for small favors, but it still needs to be handled, sooner rather than later. 

Yesterday's swim was made under total overcast with some 
rather interesting light and dark places in the clouds 
overhead. I like days like that - the UV bombardment 
is the same, but it just feels different, somehow. 

Yesterday's swim, on the other hand, was lovely. It was an overcast day, so we didn't have a magnificent sunrise, but that was just fine. It's always a wonderful morning swimming in the outdoor pool during the summer months. I dug out my larger flippers last night and added them to my swim bag. I only use the larger ones in the big pool, they're a bit of overkill in the small pool. I can hardly wait to play with them today. 

For those of you who may not enjoy roller coasters, I'm 
sorry. Life, in so very many ways, is a total roller 
coaster ride, complete with loops and steep curves, 
high highs and low lows. There's no escaping this 
particular roller coaster, so just hand on for the ride. 

So, as you can tell and as usual, it's ups and downs in my life, and since that's really how life is for all of us, I'm most certainly NOT a special orchid, just one more flowering weed alongside the road of life. Have a glorious day and I'll be back tomorrow (hopefully with medications to take for this damned infection). Slava Ukraini. 

ColoGuard - A Colonoscopy Alternative

Since I've wrapped up Sharon's trip and she's happily back home with her new kitties, it's onward with daily life. I had a physical "wellness" checkup with my Doctor a week or two ago, in late August. One of the things we discussed was a colon exam. I've had colonoscopies before and haven't had problems, but I had people relatively nearby who could drive me to and from. I don't have that luxury right now. The last time I had one, a friend dropped me off and DH picked me up. But instead of bringing me home, he brought me to the shop where I sat in the back room for the afternoon until closing before finally being able to return home to bed. That's unacceptable and I refuse to do that again. 

The ColoGuard exam was left on my 
front doorstep on Saturday. I would have 
preferred to have it sent to the shop, but 
apparently that wasn't an option. But, it 
wasn't stolen, so that's a plus - LOL. 

So I asked my doctor if she thought a ColoGuard test might be a reasonable option right now. After doing a quick check of my prior results, she agreed, and went ahead and ordered one for me. ColoGuard, for those who may not be aware of it, is a kit you can use to collect a fecal sample to send to a lab for testing. I received the box late last week, and plan to do the test tomorrow morning. Hopefully it will be easy and quick to do since I do have swimming tomorrow. If it takes a bit longer (on a tight schedule), I'll end up posting my blog a bit later tomorrow because I won't have the time for even a quick one. The key with the ColoGuard test is mailing it back to them within 24 hours of your actual bowel movement. Since it's a box, I'll need to take it to the Post Office, and that means Wednesday (or Friday) are my only days available. 

There are lots of rather interesting components 
to the box, and I read through the directions 
carefully. I'll read through them again tonight 
because I don't want to muck this one up. 

So if my blog is late tomorrow, it's because I'm sending a piece of me that usually goes into the sewer across the country instead. It's rather weird to think of collecting fecal matter to mail somewhere, but in this case, it's probably a really good idea. I'm hoping I have positive (no bad cells) results and can breathe a bit easier until I can get the more intense exam again late next year. 

So, I'm off to the pool. Have an excellent Tuesday and Slava Ukraini (so happy that Ukraine has some victories to spur them on). I'll be back tomorrow. 

My Schedule Might Shift Today - But Probably Not

DH had an appointment with his general physician yesterday, a person we refer to as "Doctor Ding-Dong". It's not a respectful title, but there's not a lot of respect for him from DH all around. As an indication of how in-demand the doctor is, DH can make an appointment with him less than three weeks ahead. My doctors, on the other hand, require a good six months before they have any openings. 

I've never personally met Dr Ding-Dong, but he 
certainly hasn't merited DH's respect over the 
years. I've encouraged DH to switch doctors, but 
the other doctors at the clinic aren't accepting new 
patients. Or so he says. 

Doctor Ding-Dong did the usual checks and questions, and then talked DH into having both a flu shot and a pneumococcal shot - and they were both in the same arm. Dumb! So, DH was complaining about how much his arm hurt throughout the evening, and was up at 3:00 am this morning, looking horrible and telling me that he had barely gotten any sleep at all. 

DH is feeling horrid. He's not getting any sleep, he 
aches and hurts, he looks his age (which is never 
a good thing at our age), but he's his usual stubborn 
self and refuses to switch days off with me. 
I'll ask him again when I get home from the pool. 

I offered to switch days off with him - I would work today, he could work tomorrow. Even though I have a load of laundry already in the washer, I could manage. In some ways it would be almost better for my schedule. But he turned me down, took some outdated Tylenol, and he's going to tough it out. He said he'll never get another pneumococcal shots, and maybe he'll remember this when he's approached about it again. 

This is a slightly newer model than my own Drumi 
foot-powered washing machine. The top of this 
version is clear, mine is not. But it works the 
same way and I do love my hand washing machine. 

It's my "day off" (unless he switches) and I have a ton of work to do today, including a hand-wash load for my Drummi. I got three sets of cold-weather hose from Amazon yesterday, and they need to be washed before I add them to my clothes drawer and start wearing them. That'll be an afternoon thing - the three new pairs of hosiery and a sweater dress I purchased a month ago and have worn a couple of times. It's a wonderful dress and I love it, but it does need to be hand-washed (ideally). I should also wash the cap I knitted for myself last year. I've been wearing it a lot, lately. It's been cold. 

I'm a bit of a gadget geek, I fully admit it. But 
when I can find something that does exactly 
what I want it to do and does it well, I'm 
delighted. My Drumi does my hand washed 
laundry beautifully. My new bone induction 
headphones for swimming and the treadmill 
are also a delight. I've had failures, but I tend to 
get rid of those quickly. There's no time in
 my life or space in my house for failures. 

On that note, I'm off to the swimming pool for my Wednesday swim. Have an excellent Wednesday, stay flexible (with your time and within your body) and I'll be back tomorrow. *hugs*

A Difference of Opinion and Running Late

DH seemed more human last night. He didn't apologize for his behavior over the past week or so, but he actually tried to engage in a short conversation. I totally understand that he's super stressed, but our problems seem to revolve around my food choices. He said he thinks WildFit is a cult, I, however, consider it a program that has taught me to pay attention about how food interacts with my body; which causes me to choose poorly or choose wisely for the things that I eat. Honestly, his opinion really doesn't matter in the long run, I'm quite pleased with WildFit and have no intention of changing my food choices at this time. 

It can be exhausting being married to DH. It's 
a whiplash effect at best. In many ways I think 
it would have been easier if I had never fallen 
in love with him, but when he's nice, he's 
a real Teddy bear. He's just been letting his 
Grizzly out too much lately. We'll see how 
long this "nice" stage lasts. I'm not holding 
out major hope. 

As for my bone scan ... well, the receptionist who scheduled me, scheduled me for a day when that particular clinic wasn't open. I'm trying again today at 8:30 am instead. *sigh* It's a PITA, but I want this done. So, we'll figure it out, I'm sure. 

I really hate feeling like I'm running late when it's 
only 6:15 am! There's something really wrong with 
that! LOL

I'm running super late this morning. Not sure why, except my emails took longer to handle than usual. I'm going to cut this short today to be able to get back into a timely schedule. I hope you have a glorious Tuesday and I'll be back tomorrow, hopefully with a bit more time. LOL Be kind and stay safe. 

I'm Cold, It's Rainy, and I Wish I Could Go Back to Sleep

Yesterday was the usual mix of extremely busy followed by exhaustion. In fact, I was so exhausted, I went to bed early - something that rarely happens. The day started by my going to work to hold down the fort until DH was finished with some doctor appointments. His eyes are getting worse, but apparently there's nothing to be done about that quite yet. It's frustrating, but they want to keep a close eye on it and see him again in another six months. 

Apparently DH has the beginnings of Age 
Related Macular Degeneration. My mother had 
this and it was frightening for her. I imagine 
it is equally frightening for DH, but he's a 
guy. He won't admit to feeling fear. 

Once he finally arrived, I grabbed my stuff and left, stopping at the grocery store (for yet more vegetables - I swear, I must be turning green - LOL) and the office supply store (because apparently two times in the past two weeks wasn't enough because SOMEONE didn't tell me we were on our last roll of Scotch Tape). I got home just in time to set up for my weekly check-in Zoom call, which was wonderful because I got to see many familiar faces in the group. We're in Week 10 of WildFit now, and the gang gathering for the Zoom call have become familiar friends. We get to see their children sometimes, and their pets. All good, all fun. 

Zoom meeting have become so common now, but 
until WildFit, I never was in one. Of course, I also 
didn't have a computer with a camera. Now, with 
"VooDoo" (my new laptop) and the need to join 
with the "Tribe" on WildFit, everything clicked into 
place. I have a computer with a camera, and I have 
a need to join the weekly Zoom call. All is good. 

After the call, I started work in the kitchen. I wanted to make more frozen coconut "fat bombs". (DH had a bite of mine last night. Hated it. Said it needed sugar - the LAST thing I would ever put into it). I got 24 of the coconut treats into the freezer and started on vegetables. I made more Alkagizer, I now have enough to get me through Monday. I washed and put away the vegetables I had purchased, so they are now all ready to use. I needed to cook some veggies from earlier in the week, so I boiled green beans, sauteed mushrooms, par-boiled asparagus and roasted Brussels sprouts. By the time I actually got to eat dinner, I was beat. I hadn't had a chance to sit down all afternoon. But the kitchen looked pristine when DH walked through the door, even though I had used and washed multitudes of pans, bowls and cooking sheets. 

I happen to really love my coconut 
"fat bombs". They use coconut oil, 
coconut milk and unsweetened 
shredded coconut. Mix the ingredients 
together, pour into small muffin cups, 
and put into the freezer for an hour. Voila! 
I taste a residual sweetness from
the coconut, but DH apparently 
was unimpressed. LOL

Today should be fairly routine. It's a Saturday, it's a bit cold and rainy, so we might be busy because it's not a great day for people to work in their gardens. Or we'll be dead because Minnesotans fear melting if they get into the rain. Either way, I'm really looking forward to my Sunday, I need a day to relax from my "days off" during the week. Have an excellent day and please, be kind, stay safe and wear your mask. I'll be back on Monday. 

Heat, Stress and Exercise

Yesterday was hot, but today will be even worse. I think I'm glad I'll be working today. At least I have air conditioning at the shop. At home, we have fans. They're great for moving the air, but when it's in the 90's, even the moved air is hot. 

We have an ancient box fan in the computer room, which
actually works pretty well, but it's loud. Each of us
also have standing fans at bedside - it would be impossible
to sleep without those. 

I gathered together and sent off my application with supporting documentation to the County for the grant, one day before the firm deadline. It was a pain to get the various information together, but we were successful, even with the "budget" requirements. The State Grant will become available sometime this month, and we'll try for that too. The City Grant was a bust - all we received was a terse email that we were not one of the recipients. But ... if we don't try, we won't get anything at all. We're getting pretty good at the documentation, too. That's a good thing ... I think ... maybe? 

I moved my father-in-law's chair to a different
location and set up my barre next to the treadmill.
I think it looks great - very minimal, and if I
need to, it folds into a compact square suspended
in the framework and on wheels, for easy put-away. 

When the barre is completely open, I have the wooden barre
raised properly and the workout mat extended. It comes with
the workout ball (and pump) and two different flex bands,
along with booklets and a DVD with Beginner,
Intermediate and Advanced exercise routines. 

On the health front, I am once again fighting a UTI. I was at Urgent Care first thing yesterday morning to get some meds before things got out of hand. The doctor said stress can trigger these, and I have to agree - I've been under some stress this year. But before this infection and the one prior to this earlier this year, it had been decades since my last one. I think I need to try and keep my stress levels a bit more under control ... during a Pandemic ... while trying to stay in business ... yeah. Right. In my dreams. 

Life has been a bit stressful lately - like during most of
2020. *sigh* I'm usually pretty good with stress, but
things have been a bit excessive - pandemic, etc. 

On that note, I'm going to wrap this up and start my day. I hope you have a terrific day and bring a smile to someone's face. To brighten the life of a single person is a mitzvah - a blessing. I'll be back tomorrow. 

Update, Medicines and a Look Towards Tonight

I finally made it to the Urgent Care Clinic yesterday morning and was the first person checked in when they opened at 8:00 am. Of course I would have rather seen my primary care physician, but she's a really popular doctor and is scheduled out for months. I was determined to get some help for what I felt was a bladder infection that was only going to get worse without some antibiotics. 

Allina Health Urgent Care takes the southern end of their very
large Bandana Square clinic, close to the lab testing department.
It's a comfortable space, geared to get people in to be cared for
as fast as possible and still provide a high level of care. 

Things actually went quite smoothly. After an hour, I had a prescription sent to my pharmacy for pick-up later in the day and was on my way home. I picked up the prescription late in the morning and after picking up the week's groceries, headed home to take my first pill. I grabbed a nap because I was exhausted and cold, then had a nice chat with Aearwen, made dinner, and took my night pill after my meal. 

I had a very nice MD, but it was a bit unusual for me, I
usually see female doctors. Still, he was very kind
and as soon as my labs were analyzed, got my prescription
going and I was on my way. 

I could tell the difference when the meds started really working around 3:00 am when I suddenly wasn't shivering with cold any more and was actually comfortable. I have six more days of meds to go, but I'm optimistic that I caught this quickly and I'll be fine. I took one more day off from the gym, but if I have a good day today, I'll be back on schedule tomorrow. 

We started Project Runway Season 18 with a lot of contestants, and
we're down to six tonight, four after tonight. It's been a great ride and
I'm looking forward to the last few episodes. 

A reminder - tonight is a Project Runway night, and since they didn't dismiss any contestants last week, two people are going to be sent home today, leaving the Final Four to move on. It's going to be a fun episode to watch because the theme is "Avant Guarde". Of course I'll take notes throughout the show and if the photos are available, I'll post them tomorrow, Saturday if the photos are delayed. 

Have an excellent Thursday and enjoy your day. It's nice to be back - I missed my posting.