TALK ABOUT MY HEALTH

 This was a big work day. I tried to get all the laundry done too but I could only get 1/2 of it done. Tomorrow is another day.

Update on Lucky: she seems to be doing better. I took her for a short walk because I had an appointment. Also my sister called and we talked while Lucky and I walked. I didn't see Lucky limp but I didn't give her 100% of my attention.

I need to talk about my health. This is after all a blog about rheumatoid arthritis. I have not been doing well for about five days. I thought it would go away so that is why I didn't write about it before. 

Last week I started not feeling well. Then I realized I had a UTI. That is an infection and my body does not like infections and it rebels. I did not take the Orencia because I am now on antibiotics. My hands started to hurt quite a lot last week. So much that it is hard to hold a cup or a glass. Scissors hurt my hands. I think you get the idea. As usual I pushed through. My hands have not gotten better and I wake up and they are swollen. 

In the mornings my feet hurt and my joints are red hot. It has not been a very fun time. I know it will be better and I just have to keep keeping on. Last Monday I took it easy because I was so fatigued I basically could not move. I think I need a day or two more like that but I don't know when that will be. I have clients, taxes, a dog and a bird that have to be handled. 

Today I decided to go through a cabinet in my kitchen that held my dog's medication. I had not gone through it since my sweet Happi passed away. Happi had a number of medical issues at the end and took a lot of medication. Plus I have the small amount of medication that has expired from Lucky. The lot of it filled almost a whole paper shopping bag. I can now find a disposal location. I think I will clean out my own medications too. I am sure there are a few expired medications in my cabinet even though I did a clean out right before lockdown. I have a lot of room in my kitchen cabinet now and could move some stuff around.

I am making my kitchen easier to cook and bake. It makes me so happy to have more room. At one point I was cooking in a space that was about 2' x 2'. It was really hard. Now I have a much larger space. 

Until tomorrow...

THE COOKIES ARE DONE

 

 It took two days but the cookies are done. They are decorated with a "Y" because that is my neighbor's alma mater. I thought it would be fun for him to get cookies with his alma mater on them. 

I took Lucky for a long walk while the cookies were drying. She is still limping a little bit. I gave her a small amount of the painkiller when we got back. It is good she is getting better. 

Until tomorrow...

MADE COOKIES FOR MY NEIGHBOR

Just like yesterday, today did not go as planned. I think I have the ant situation under control. I only saw a couple of stragglers but the many dozen I saw yesterday are gone. Unfortunately I saw a couple of ants downstairs now. I did a cleaning and will have to wait and see if that took care of them. This is a yearly event. Every time it gets hot and then it rains the ants come out. I call it the fifth season. Rainy season, earthquake season, fire season, tourist season and ant season.

Unfortunately I think I have a UTI. No, I have one. I am not happy about it. Luckily I have the medicine to take so I just started taking it. 

I took Lucky on a short walk today. Her limping seems better. But we didn't go far. 

I am made cookies for my neighbor today. I am excited to ice them tomorrow. I am decorating them with a surprise for him. 

Until tomorrow...

FELT LIKE PRE-PANDEMIC DAYS

 Today didn't go as planned. The ant situation got worse and then better. The ant bait caused lots of ants to come to the ant bait. It poisoned them. But some are still living and I am trying to deal with them. I ordered more ant bait to arrive tomorrow. The ants arrived in another place in the kitchen so I had to do another cleaning and moving items. UGH!

No baking occurred today. In fact I ordered takeout food because I didn't want to cook in the kitchen and make any mess that would attract the ants. 

I ordered food from a vegan restaurant I never got food from before. It was really good. I probably would not have gotten the fries since they were spiced and soggy. Next time. The sandwich was really good. 

Other than that, I worked all day. All Day. Felt like pre-pandemic days. Weird. 

Until tomorrow...

BARTERING FOR COOKIES

 The soapy water cleaning the area is working. The soapy water is used to clean the area not to catch the ants. As it is told to me, the ants are basically blind so they leave a trail of something when they crawl so the other ants know where to go. If you just kill an ant, the other ants will come because they will follow the trail so you need to clean the trail and the best thing to use is soapy water. You should not just clean the space but take something like a paper towel and wet it and put dish soap on it and wipe down the area leaving it wet and soapy. That will leave a film of soapy water the ants do not like. So every time I see an ant I wipe down the area and where I think the ant came from. 

Today I resorted to putting out an ant bait trap. I know I love all creatures and I don't want to kill them but I love them outside and not attacking my kitchen workspace. I need to work tomorrow so I hope the ants are gone. 

What do I have to work on? My neighbor and I have decided to barter. I need someone to look at some documents that I can't figure out and he loves my cookies. So, I am going to bake him some cookies and he is going to review and summarize my documents and help me navigate them. It helps that he works in the legal field. I am thinking of decorating them in his alma mater's colors. 

I took Lucky on a longer walk today. I wanted to see if she was ready to go with the dog walker tomorrow. She is not. She was still limping when she walked quickly. I also talked to the Dr. about the weird reaction she has been having after taking her medicine. She has been quite anxious on this medicine. The Dr. told me to cut the dose in half and I gave her some this evening and she seems much better. The Dr. said Lucky is sidelined until at least Monday. If she is still limping she will have to get an x-ray. 

My new whipping cream dispenser came in the mail today. I will be able to finish my chocolate dessert now. Yay! I threw the other one away.

Out of the blue today, someone I met a few weeks ago contacted me and hired me as a consultant. I was happily shocked. I start working for her tomorrow. 

Until tomorrow...

ANT INVASION

 I am feeling much better today. The fatigue has subsided somewhat. I still have most of the pain in my hands. I definitely feel this is a step in the right direction. Yesterday was pretty brutal. I haven't had a RA day like that in a long time and yes, I did think it may be COVID for a split second. I did some reading and there were not enough symptoms and they would not have stayed for one day. It was a flare. 

Now that the fear of having contracted COVID is behind me, I took Lucky out for a short walk. I wanted to see how her limp was. She is only limping a little bit. I only gave her the knock out drugs after the walk. 

To make the day interesting, I had an ant invasion. I was about to take a shower when I saw a couple of ants and then I saw more. I had to clear out the whole area and clean everything off. My pest guy says soapy water is the way to go. So now my kitchen is all in chaos until I can solve the ant invasion problem. They are looking for food and water. Ugh!

Until tomorrow...

DEFECTIVE WHIPPED CREAM DISPENSER

I woke up this morning, tried to whipped cream dispenser again and it didn't work. I emailed the company and was surprised that I got almost an immediate response. After giving them my information, they said they were going to send me a brand new one. They said obviously the dispenser was defective and covered under warranty. I should have a new dispenser by the end of the week.

Today was a hard day. I didn't feel great yesterday and trying to deal with the dispenser made the day much harder. I woke up late today and then stayed on the couch almost the whole day. I have been so fatigued and my joints are killing me. Before anyone jumps to COVID, these are the symptoms of RA. I started my Orencia shots again last week and I think I am having a reaction. I'm sure I will be fine in a week. I just need to rest. 

Lucky update: she is officially going stir crazy. The meds are not working as good because the effectiveness wears off so she does not stay asleep as much. But she seems to be better. 

I put covers on my lemon tree and blueberry bush tonight because it is supposed to get really cold tonight. Hopefully it protects them from dying. It has in the past. 

Until tomorrow...

DAY TWO HUNDRED NINE OF COOKING COURSE

 Today is President's Day. I spent the first part of the day relaxing. Then I decided that today was the day I was going to finish off the 2nd to last dessert for the Chocolate & Dessert Cooking Course. I want to move on to another chapter. This dessert is a 3-step dessert. I made the first step which was a Chocolate Espuma. It had to be put in a canister and put in the fridge to set. Then I did the second step which was a Chocolate Biscuit. Then I made the Chocolate Crumble. The last two parts were perfect. I took the Chocolate Espuma out of the fridge and let it defrost. Then I put the top on and put the C02 cartridge on. Nothing came out. I tried to take the top off the canister and it would not come off. Nothing worked to get it off. I asked two neighbors to get it off and they could not get it off either. It is stuck. Here are all the things I have tried: hot and cold water, putting it in the freezer, hitting it with a wrench, hitting it on a counter, using a wrench to turn it, and trying to pry under the cap with a knife (desperate times). It is not opening. 

 

I have an unfinished dessert that I hope to give away and try tomorrow. I gave my neighbors the chocolates I made yesterday. I got my first review: They are delicious!

Update on Lucky: she seems a bit better. She limped when she went out to pee today. She is really getting stir crazy. I left her alone to deliver the candies and she barked the whole time. She never does that. She is really clingy. 

Until tomorrow...

VEGAN DARK CHOCOLATE PISTACHIO WHITE CHOCOLATE CUPS

 Vegan dark chocolate with pistachio white chocolate, peanuts and golden raisins cups. These cups are decadent and delicious. The cups didn't come out of the mold perfectly but some of them came out and I filled them. My neighbors are already lining up to get them even though they are not perfect. 

I learned a lot about chocolate and I plan to learn more. I really like working with chocolate and flavors. 

Update on Lucky: She has been taking the painkillers and sleeping a lot. I was told to keep her immobile and I intend to do just that. I already have a text scheduled for the dog walker letting him know she will not be going with him this week. 

Until tomorrow...

VEGAN DARK CHOCOLATE CUPS

 I tried to make vegan dark chocolate cups today. I will find out tomorrow how successful they are. I popped one out and it was 1/2 way successful so I added more chocolate to the cups. I am hoping they are successful so I can fill them.

It was really fun to play with chocolate today. I have been thinking of doing this for a couple of weeks and finally got down to doing it. 

Early this morning I took Lucky to the veterinarian's office. It was all outside but they take the dogs inside. They checked Lucky over and they think Lucky hurt her back not her knee. They gave me pain meds for her and she is currently knocked out. Lucky has to stay home for a week. I am glad they gave me pain meds because it will be hard to keep her immobile for a week. If she is still showing signs of limping after a week, they will do an x-ray or ultrasound and see what is going on. I also had them cut her nails and check her over. They said other than her back she looked good.

I am not sure why there is a huge fireworks display going on right now but it is loud. Weird timing. 

Until tomorrow...