12/22/2024-12/28/2024

Last night I sold 17 boxes. Even went great. But now I have to start gearing up for Christmas. I need to sell a lot at Christmas. 

My Christmas Eve I delivered my last boxes and then I got in the car and drove down to my godmother's house where I spent Christmas. It was nice and she invited another orphan person to Christmas dinner with us. It was a very small little dinner but they had theirs and I bought my own dinner. Honestly it was not very good and I could have made something so much better. Altogether I sold about 40 boxes for Christmas. 

I drove back home on the 26th. On the 28th I went to see Peter Pan Panto. If I don't know what a panto is it's a way of putting on a play that sort of turns the play on its side and makes it funny. I quite enjoyed it and can't wait till next Christmas to see what play they put on then. 

Until tomorrow. 

12/18-12/21/2025

One word: chocolate. I am spending every waking moment making chocolates for a vegan event. It's my first chance to sell boxes of chocolate. 

Until tomorrow...

12/17/2024

Today started with me attending court for my ex-foster kid. I needed to speak to the judge and make it clear my ex-foster kid is struggling. I think the judge heard my concern. 

Then another trip to the post office to send more boxes. 

Today I finished off 42 chocolates and started 66 chocolates. Making chocolates is a 4 step process. 1. Put the chocolate in the mold, let it set

2. Add the filling, let it set

3. Add the bottom, let it set

4. Decorate the chocolates

I usually have multiple mold trays going at once in different stages of this process. 

I made three sales today. I sold 7 boxes. Very exciting. 

Until tomorrow...

12/16/2024

Such a busy day. Mailing gifts, running errands, work, chocolate, business class and wrapping presents. So much to do. 

Until tomorrow...

12/15/2024

Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate. 🍫🍫🍫

Until tomorrow...

11/11/2024

I spent the whole day getting ready for my trip. I have to get the automatic plant waterer to work, make sure the bucket is in place to catch my mail, pick up prescriptions, all sorts of last minute things to do. 

Until tomorrow...

11/10/2024

Now that the van/camping stuff is organized and ready to go, I needed to pack my clothes, shoes, boots, food. I made both Bolognese and chili to take for the first few travel nights. I hate having to cook after driving 4.5 hours. I bring items in a plastic bag and heat them up. How do I heat them up in a van? I boil water and then put the ziplock bag in the center of the pot. The edges can't touch the sides. With the Bolognese, I cook the spaghetti and put the plastic bag in with the spaghetti. Dinner is served! 

Until tomorrow...

11/9/2024

Now it is time to prep for my final trip in 2024. I leave for Joshua Tree in a few days. I took all my equipment out and reorganized it. I have these bins that hold different things: 

* camping/RV stuff like an axe, first aid kit, folding shovel, flashlights, etc

* Kitchen stuff: measuring cups , small food processor, plastic bags, etc. 

* Pet stuff: paper for the bird cage, food, snacks, dog life vest, etc 

* Entertainment and electronics: small game, coloring books, colored pencils, ear buds, mini projector, mosquito repeller, etc. 

It's easier when I am organized. 

Until tomorrow...

11/8/24

I am spending a lot of time perfecting my fillings for the chocolates. Did I put too much orange juice? Do I need more instant coffee? Over and over again to get it just right and written down. 

Until tomorrow...

11/7/24

I went to a "Marketing your business" class and then an orientation for a program that helps small business. I'm on my way!! 

Until tomorrow...

12/14/2024

I had a packed day. Making chocolates, mailing boxes, etc. Tis the season. 

Then in the evening I had my "starting a business" class. Tonight was not that exciting so I made chocolates while class was on. 

Until tomorrow...

12/13/24

What a busy day! First I woke up and made some chocolates. Then I went to my doctor, where she put in for some tests. I can't believe how different I feel since the last time I saw her last week. Pretty much all the pain in my chest has gone away. 

Then I came home and finished making some chocolates because I was going to take them to a client in the afternoon. I also had to box up chocolates to get into the mail. I got on the road and got part way to my clients when I realized the traffic was horrible on a rainy Friday afternoon, so I turned back. My client was very nice and saying I can bring them over tomorrow. 

Then I went to my acupuncture appointment. I'm having this weird pain under my jaw. So she did some needles supposed to help me deal with that. 

Then I raced to the post office to mail the box. Then I raced home to get on a zoom meeting with my new bookkeeper. She's a colleague of mine when I worked at a client years ago. We've kept in touch.  Now she is going to make sure my chocolate business books are good. 

Then I came home and decorated some holiday chocolates that I made. I brought them to my neighbor's holiday party. It was a busy day. 

Until tomorrow...

12/12/2024

Busy day with lots of things to do. Scheduling doctor's appointments, buying concert tickets. Yes I know I said I wouldn't be going to any more concerts. This concert is not until August 2025. I like to have things to look forward to. 

Until tomorrow...

12/11/2024

First I went to the dentist to get my teeth cleaned and got a very good report. 

Then I was shipping out my first chocolates. As you know I started making vegan chocolates and I shipped out a couple of boxes and then had a delivery of another box. I'm hoping that this chocolate business takes off. It's been a lot of fun making chocolates. 

Until tomorrow...

12/10/2024

I had a very busy day today. It started out with me having a meeting with my ex foster child and his group. There were some concerns about his welfare. 

Then after many hours of work, I had my arthritis group meeting. My co-facilitator and I spent over an hour making a holiday game and no one showed up for the meeting. It's really a shame. We found out that the reminder invite did not go out so people didn't remember there was a meeting. I'm hoping this gets resolved by January so we can do our holiday game in January. 

Until tomorrow ...

12/9/2024

I had another kitchen license course today. I'm really trying to make this business work. The licensing process is so confusing and long. 

Until tomorrow...

12/8/24

After taking a bath, I got to work decorating my chocolates. I think they look good. 

I think they look good for a fledgeling chocolatier. 

Until tomorrow...

12/7/24

I woke up early so I could be at the USPS and UPS offices first thing in the morning when they open. I got to the post office stood in line and then realized I forgot my wallet. I went back got my wallet and got back in line to buy stamps and get boxes. Then I went to the UPS to make more photo copies of the items I couldn't copy yesterday. They were the labels for my chocolate boxes.

I spent almost the entire day making chocolates. I went to an open house for about a half an hour and took a small plate of chocolates. I finished up the peanut butter, coffee and hazelnut chocolates. Tomorrow I just have to decorate them. 

My handyman came and put my solar powered camera by my door. After the alarm going off in the middle of the night it made it clear to me that I needed a camera so I could see without having to go outside. But it's up now and I feel much better. 

Today's the first day I didn't have to sit down during the day because of pain. Progress! Is it that the pain went away just from time or did the acupuncture help? I guess I'll never know. 

Until tomorrow...

12/6/24

After some appointments I went to UPS to make copies of labels and flyers for my chocolates. I made business cards to give out. Later in the evening I cut the cards up. They seem to be a hit because they're shiny metallic. I wish I had a printer at home so I could print them at home but my metallic paper makes it hard to find a printer. 

Then I started making chocolates. I made all the shells so I can fill the chocolates tomorrow. 

I had acupuncture for the first time in over a month. I was in a lot of pain during the acupuncture but not because of the acupuncture. I'm hoping that this assists in decreasing the pain in my chest. 

Until tomorrow...

12/5/24

I went to my eye doctor today for my checkup. Luckily it didn't have to get my eyes dilated but I had to do various other machines. I like the one where they show lights and you have to press the button when you see one, visual field test. I hear a lot of people don't like it but it reminds me of the old fashioned video games. 

Instead of resting, I had another full day of work. After working, I made some chocolates. I'm feeling a lot of stress about the fact that I have not started making chocolates. I've also been working on my website. I feel like it's done. 

Until tomorrow ...

12/4/24

I honestly cannot wait for this week to be over. I have so many client meetings and I'm not feeling well. The pain has not subsided. If this is what fibromyalgia flares are like, I don't want another one. 

Once again I should be resting but I'm not. I have to work. 

Until tomorrow...

12/3/24

I'm still in pain. I went to my doctor to get checked out. She saw the pain I was in. One topic she brought up was going out on disability. So now I have to decide if I want to go out on short term disability or not. 

I'm working today because I have a big client caseload this week. I honestly don't want to be working I want to be laying in bed recuperating. But that's not in the cards this week. 

Until tomorrow...

12/2/2024

I woke up this morning and my chest was killing me. The pain was also going into the back of my shoulder. I called the doctor and she wanted me to go immediately to the emergency room. I did finish up some work took the dog out and then went to the emergency room. I had to reschedule three meetings for work. 

In the emergency room they checked my heart they checked me for blood clots they checked my blood work and they found nothing. Which is good! They think it's my fibromyalgia that is causing me to have pain. So they gave me Advil then sent me home. 

I had a webinar about selling my chocolates in the evening and now I am trying to go to sleep. 

Until tomorrow...

12/1/2024

Today is World AIDS day. I wish I felt better to do something for the day but I still feel horrible. 

I haven't been eating much and the pain in my chest is getting worse. I don't know what's going on. I have a bunch of work to do so I'm going to sit in the chair and get the work done so I can hand it in. 

Until tomorrow...

11/30/2024

Once again I spent most of the day laying on either in bed or on the couch. I just feel so crappy.

Until tomorrow...

11/29/2024

It's a day after Thanksgiving and I feel worse. I woke up in the middle of the night with the upset stomach and a massive headache. I feel pressure on my chest.

Two days ago I tested myself for covid and it came up negative. I don't have any more tests available so I have to wait until some more get delivered. I don't think it's covid because other people are telling me that there's a cold going around that is similar to my symptoms.

Basically I just laid on the couch and watched TV all day. 

Until tomorrow...

Happy Thanksgiving

Miss Vivien and I went on a walk with a group of other Senior dogs called the Tofurkey Trot. We walked with the group a sort of short distance and then after the group picture this Vivien and I walked about two more miles. 

Only got home after relaxing a bit and watching my favorite Thanksgiving movie Free Birds, I took out my vegan Thanksgiving dinner that I bought from a local store. It was very good although I started to continue to not feel well. 

Until tomorrow...

11/27/2024

It's a day before Thanksgiving and I am starting to not feel well. My nose is running, I'm sneezing, I have a massive headache, and I just don't feel very good. So I'm going to take it easy even though I have work to do. 

Until tomorrow...

11/26/2024

Today I went and picked up my vegan Thanksgiving dinner from a local store. This year instead of cooking I decided it would be more fun to get my dinner prepared for me. I got a vegan Wellington, sweet potatoes with cranberries, green beans, garlic potatoes, mushroom gravy, and sweet potato curry soup. It looks delicious. 

I had a video meeting with my cardiologist. She wants me to wear a halter monitor for 2 weeks and get a ultrasound. 

In the evening I went to a concert. I went to see Cyndi Lauper and her final farewell tour. I thought she was very surprised for 70 and her voice held up really well. Not a incredibly huge fan of Cyndi Lauper but boy were there some in attendance. 

When I was coming back home I tried to get a taxi but the first one wanted to charge me double the amount to drive me. I turned to the line of taxis and yelled out is anyone want to drive me for the amount that I'm willing to pay? The taxi driver stood up and said he would take me. I hate price gougers. 

Until tomorrow...

11/25/2024

I can't believe it's been around a year since I started planning my month-long band trip this past spring. Now it seems like that trip was so long ago. And yes I've already started planning my next band trip. Yay!! 

It has been such an amazing year of trips and exciting things to see. I can't wait for more amazing adventures. 

Until tomorrow...

11/24/2024

Over the past two days I've been making a bunch of samples of my chocolate. These symbols are for the Chocolate festival that I went to today. It was a small chocolate festival and I decided I would take some of my chocolate samples with my business card and how about. I got some good response and I made a couple of connections. 

The Chocolate festival was kind of interesting it was all different kinds of chocolate.  My friend A went with me to help me because I can't eat many of the chocolates. I wanted to know what they taste like she had lots of fun eating a lot of chocolates. 

Until tomorrow...

11/23/2024

It's almost Thanksgiving and I do not have any plans. I really don't like traveling on Thanksgiving. Many many years ago I flew to the East Coast for Thanksgiving. My flight (not because of weather) was delayed so much that I didn't arrive until 7:00 Thanksgiving night. I completely missed Thanksgiving. I was supposed to arrive on the day before Thanksgiving but it didn't happen. I then had to literally turn around and get back on the plane and come back. That was the last time I traveled on Thanksgiving. 

Also being vegan Thanksgiving is not one of my favorite holidays. It's all centering around killing a bird and then tearing his little bones apart to eat it. 

Until tomorrow...

11/22/2024

One thing that is always hard with having a rental van is that I have been of stuff to take on these trips and when I come back they're all a mess. Before I go everything is organized in the right bin and labeled. When I get back things are all over the place. I need to get a system if I'm going to keep renting these vans so that when I return everything isn't just shoved in the easiest bin. I'm not sure how tha I'm going to do that but I have hope I'll figure out a system. I think maybe the most important thing is I take too much stuff with me. By decreasing the amount of stuff that I take, it might be easier to organize. 

Until tomorrow...

11/21/2024

It's always such a letdown when I get back from one of my trips. I know I have work to do and cleaning to do but a very large part of me wants to be back in the van exploring. I know we all need to get back to our regular lives. I just find it sad and depressing. When I was younger and I would travel I'd be excited to come back home but now I don't have that excitement. 

Until tomorrow...

11/20/2024

I woke up early again so I could finish cleaning the van. I had to have it back by 11:00 a.m. After a quick clean, I got on the road to return the van. After returning it I walked a 30 minute walk to a train. I took the train to the station and then a taxi the rest of the way. It's a bit of a long trek. I didn't get home until mid afternoon. And then I had to finish putting things away or at least out of the way. 

Another trip checked off in the books.

Until tomorrow...

11/19/2024

We woke up early and I took Miss Vivien Butterfly for a walk. Then another friend came over and I gave a tour of the van. After a bit of hanging out, Miss Vivien and I started the drive home. 

Once we got home I emptied out the van and did a little bit of cleaning. I was super tired and just wanted to sit down. 

Until tomorrow...

11/18/2024

Well, today is the start back home. Last night I packed up as much as I could into boxes. Emptying out all the cabinets. We drove from Palm Springs to Fresno where I stayed with a friend. Of course I arrived an hour and a half late and she was so sweet to hold dinner for me. 

Until tomorrow...

11/17/2024

My friend and his wife invited me over to their home to go hiking. They invited Miss Vivien butterfly and sunny the bird also. Sunny stayed in the van but Miss Vivien had a great time in their backyard sniffing everything. Then the three of us went for a hike. 

Until tomorrow...

11/16/2024

I forgot to mention in yesterday's post that's why I send and his wife took me out to dinner. They live near Palm Springs and they took me to a nice restaurant in Palm Springs for a lovely dinner. I left the dog in the van, the weather was quite chilly, and she did really great. 

This morning Miss Vivien Butterfly and I got going early to Joshua Tree National Park. Since this was day two for me, it meant hiking. The rule at National Parks is that dogs are allowed on roads, parking lots, and picnic areas. They're also allowed 100 ft from any of those places. Since Joshua Tree has most of its sites within 100 ft of the parking lot, is Vivien was able to see some things.

I did a little bit of hiking. I can leave the dog and the bird for about an hour hour and a half without any problems. 

Joshua Tree National Park you're very unique landscape. It's very rocky with super large rocks. Since this is not my first time here, I think I've had enough of Joshua Tree for quite some time. 

Until tomorrow...

11/15/2024

Crystal day at Joshua Tree National park. But first I dropped the dog off at a doggy daycare to spend part of the day while I drove around the park. The boarding facility was 5 minutes from the entrance to the park. My first went to the visitors center to get my passport stamp, t-shirt and map. 

I decided to do the 26 mile Loop while the dog was in the boarding facility. That way I could drive the whole thing and map out what I wanted to do in the next day. I only had until 1:00 because I had to take a zoom call and National Parks do not have any Wi-Fi. 

The park was great it was a very relaxing drive around since it's off season. It was not very crowded and I made a plan for the next day. 

I use the doggie boarding parking lot to make my zoom call and when I was done I picked up the dog and we went back to the campsite. 

When you walked all around the campground after dinner and then bought some TV. 

Until tomorrow...

11/14/2024

Got up early and got going. We had a long day of driving ahead of us to get to Joshua Tree National Park. We were staying in Desert Hot Springs at a very nice Campground. 

Once again I had to get up early to give the dog the medicine so that she would not be stressed out in the car. We got to the campsite late afternoon and set up camp. 

This campsite has a lot of amenities and I chose it so that we'd have things to do at the campground since it was a desert. Campground has mineral spring type hot tub, heated pool, unheated pool, bocce ball, kids playground, dog park and more. I'm looking forward to them mineral bath. 

Until tomorrow...

11/13/2024

Got up early to give the dog her new motion sickness medicine. She has to get it 3 hours before we leave. So I started packing the van. 

Once I could put the dog in the van, we took off. The three of us going down to Joshua Tree. Our first stop was Solvang. Unfortunately, since we stopped to buy a water hose, the one provided for me was bad, we ended up getting to Solvang at 4:45pm. The town literally shuts down at 5 pm. We walked around a bit and went back to the campground to heat up chili. 

Until tomorrow...

11/12/2024

Got up early to get a taxi to a train and then hike for half an hour to go get the van. Once again the van pick up was less than perfect. It was still water in the gray tank which is dishwater and shower water. There was also a lack of water hose. I decided instead of arguing with them I just go by my own water hose. 

But I finally got it and got home, put all the dishes in the dishwasher, wash the whole van down. You may ask why when supposedly they clean it. I don't trust that they actually clean it. 

Then I started loading things in. I loaded up all the things except valuables. So clothes, food, dishes, etc. that takes me a couple of hours of walking back and forth to the van. Luckily my neighbor allows me to park the van in his driveway and I give him free candy and pastries. 

All of the rest of the stuff and the pets in the van tomorrow morning. 

Until tomorrow...

11/6/2024

After having groceries delivered, I began making chocolates. This time I made more coffee and a batch of peanut butter. They look great. 

Later in the evening I decided to decorate them. 

I am not sure which of the dark chocolate stars I like best. The roses are decorated with some edible glitter. Just having fun. 

Until tomorrow...

11/5/2024

I had no client work to do today. I was supposed to have a meeting but it was cancelled 15 minutes into the meeting time. 

I have a love/hate relationship when clients cancel meetings at the last minute. On one hand I have more time to do other things. But on the other hand, I most likely didn't schedule something that I needed to do because I had a meeting scheduled. I may have rushed to get to my office for that scheduled meeting. I also think it is rude to schedule an hour of my time and just not show up and send a text saying the meeting is cancelled and not because of some emergency. Maybe it is just me.

After walking the dog, I started to make chocolates. I tried a new version of the coffee chocolates and they are great. I may not sleep tonight but that may also be because it is election night. Ugh. 

Until tomorrow...

11/4/2024

I didn't have much work to do today, so I decided to experiment with some chocolate. I made a vegan ganache that I hope had staying power. I also made some dark chocolate chili with Pepito's. Delicious. 

I had the gardener here to finally put in my front garden. It is a small space but it needed something. He put in 6 succulents with purplish rocks around them. It looks just as I pictured. Partially because I copied it from a house in my neighborhood. They say copying is the greatest form of flattery or something. 

I spoke to a friend and her son has a tortoise. I always wanted a tortoise (and a panda but only one is attainable) but couldn't figure out how the logistics. She says her son feels the tortoise should be rehomed. I am all in. That would make a bird, dog and tortoise. 

Until tomorrow...

11/1/2024

I had to go to the dentist to get a tooth checked. I was worried that the feeling was falling out. But it turns out the tooth is fine. The dentist just had to file down a little bit to make it flatter. 

Other than that my day was pretty chill. I walked the dog a couple times I met with a friend to continue working on her website and told her my finished vision board. 

Until tomorrow...

11/3/24

Today the clocks were turned back an hour so I slept in. After taking a bath, I walked the dog. Then I did laundry and most dreaded task: invoicing clients. I was proud that I finished invoicing by dinner. In-between invoices, I roasted brussel sprouts and baked some tofu for dinner. 

It was a super nice day and I wanted to go hiking but life got in the way. 

Until tomorrow...

11/2/2024

We got up early and went on a hike. It was an hour away and had elevation and switchbacks. Just what the doctor ordered for Vivien. She did okay with all the movement. I'm going to go again next week to see how she does.  I don't want to drug her to get in the van but I will if I have to. It's just a little relaxing pill.

The hike had great views and a .7 mile loop that we did twice to get our steps in. 

Until tomorrow...

10/24/2024

I decided that the dog needed to be washed today. She took a dip in the water in Olympic National Park and hasn't smelled great since. So today was the day she got dunked in the water and washed. She smells so good now and seems happy. 

Later in the afternoon I started to not feel well. I don't think it's from washing the dog, I think it's from from not feeling well. And yes I tested for covid but no it's not covid. I just laid down on the couch and took a nap until it was time to get up dog. 

Until tomorrow...

10/31/2024

It's Halloween. I dressed up as a doctor/surgeon. Miss Vivien Butterfly dressed up as a bumblebee. 

 

Adorable, right!?!

We had about 10 kids come by. 

Until tomorrow...

10/30/2024

Not much going on except I was in a foster care meeting with my ex-foster son. He has not been speaking to me since I told him a) I had no Internet while on my last trip and b) he needed to do his homework himself. He did not like either of those answers. He did not speak to me in the meeting either. The holidays are approaching so I'm sure I will get a phone call. 

Until tomorrow...

10/29/2024

Today was fix the house day. First I had the pest guy come by. I have had rat traps in the garage for about a year. This week I caught a rat in the garage. You might be asking why all the rats? They are digging up water pipes in the roads all around me to replace the pipes. The rodents are being displaced and moving into everyone's yard. One go into my garage. I also found a dead little baby rat on the ground. It was so sad. 

I also found a hole where I think they are getting into the garage. The pest guy filled the whole with cement, took away Mr. Dead Rat and set traps in the garage to see if there are more. 

Let's recap: my home has been attacked by raccoons, termites, yellow jackets, and rats. I'm afraid to ask if there are anymore wildlife left. 

Then my handyman came by and fixed a couple of things, including my shower. Years ago I had a plumber fix something in my shower. I guess I never really tried to get cold water in the shower before but I tried this past summer when it was in the 90's. The shower only had hot/luke warm water but no cold. The handyman fixed the shower and some other things. 

My friend gave me a TV so I had my handyman move the old TV so I could set it up. It has something wrong so I have to contact the company. 

Until tomorrow...

10/28/2024

Once again I did not feel very good today. Luckily I only had one meeting scheduled. After the meeting I walked to the dog on a short walk and then laid down on the couch. When I feel like this, I have this nagging feeling that I need to get up and do things. I have learned over the years to ignore that voice if I'm feeling this bad. It's more important that I rest then to push myself and feel worse the next day. 

Until tomorrow...

10/27/2024

When Miss Vivien Butterfly got altitude and car sick, the veterinarian I told you I needed to push her in the car, driver around and take her to the places she enjoyed. So today I drove the Long Way to the park. She enjoyed running around with the other dogs. There was one puppy who wanted to play with her. The puppy would run up barking at her, she would bark and charge back at him and he would continue coming back for more. The owner told her dog to stop but I said it was good for Miss Vivien to get this kind of exercise. It was super funny to watch them. Miss Vivien did great in the car.

Until tomorrow...

10/26/2024

Besides cleaning the house, making chocolates, walking the dog, and doing laundry, I also met with my friend about the vision boards. We decided to do that vision boards on canva, a program. It's very interesting to do a vision board on a computer as opposed to doing it on poster board with photos and words that you cut out from magazines. I did a vision board during the first year of covid and I still haven't hanging up where I can see it everyday. I have completed almost everything on my vision board. I guess it's time to create a new vision board. 

Until tomorrow...

10/25/2024

It was a busy day. I got up early and took my new paperwork down to City Hall. I'm not sure if I've talked about why I had to do new paperwork but it's because to get the kind of permit I need I have to take the word vegan out of the company name. So I went down to file more paperwork to have this accomplished.

And then that was a friend to talk about our vision boards. We both decided to make vision boards for the next year. I think I have a clear idea of what I want to happen in the next year so it wasn't that difficult for me. 

I needed to go give blood and I was feeling pretty good today so I went down and did my blood test. I've already heard the results and they look good. 

And I met with the person that I met at vegfest. She's super nice and watch me through a bunch of permitting process, home inspection, and pitfalls in the process. I took lots of notes. 

Until tomorrow...

10/23/2024

This morning started with a webinar on an accounting program. I wanted to learn more about it. I need an accounting program for my chocolate business if it ever gets off the ground. 

Then I went over to see my dermatologist to see if she can cut something out. I know that sounds dramatic but I have had for a number of years he bump along my scalp and it itches constantly. I wanted to see if she could cut it out so this itching stops. She made an attempt but decided that it is a nerve ball and it's dangerous to cut something like that out. So instead she gave me a shot of something that's supposed to stop me from itching. Right now my scalp is a little numb. 

Until tomorrow...

10/22/2024

Good morning started with my nutritionist appointment. I meet with my nutritionist quarterly to discuss any medical issues that may interfere or conflict with my diet. This time he was very happy to hear that my weight was down about five pounds and I seem to be eating well, especially during my van trip. 

In the evening I had a phone call with a friend of a friend who used to own a chocolate business. He had his chocolate business for one year before he closed it down. As he admitted, they tried to start big and it became too much for them considering they had full-time jobs. He gave me some very interesting information that I can use. Such as trying to figure out how many chocolates you can make so you can figure out how many orders you can take. Very helpful. 

Until tomorrow...

10/21/2024

I am not sure if I mentioned this before, but one of my clients has decided to go with another consultant who happens to be the owners good friend. So I'm only working with them for a few more weeks to transition to the new consultant. I had my first meeting today and the new consultant was very nice. Then at the end of our meeting the new consultant told me he was very impressed with my integrity of passing on all the information I was. I just assumed that was being a professional. 

This evening was the arthritis facilitator monthly meeting. For some reason they were using a free zoom account and the meeting had to end part way through. I was walking Miss Vivien so I was unable to get back into the meeting after it ended prematurely. 

Until tomorrow...

10/20/2024

They was Vegfest day. I got up and went over to the festival see if I could talk to some of the vendors. I ended up not getting any food because I couldn't find anything that I liked enough to buy. I did try one vendors cardamom chai and that was really good I also tried another vendor's lemonade. That was so so. I think I make better lemonade. 

I did get to speak to three or four vendors to ask them their experience going through the permitting process. One of the vendors agreed to speak to me later in the week. Another vendor told me that they had commercial kitchen space. It was a good day gathering intel. 

Until tomorrow...

10/19/2024

This will be short. After a taking a bath and taking the dog to the park, I laid on the couch. I'm still feeling under the weather. 

Until tomorrow...

10/18/2024

Well, I think I am a bit sick. Imagine, this is the first time I have been sick since pre-Covid. Washing hands and wearing a mask was great for me because I didn't get sick for over 4 years. Now that I am wearing a mask less often, I guess it is my time. 

The doctor gave me the new triple test (RSV, flu and covid) and it was all negative. It is just a cold making me miserable. 

Until tomorrow...

10/17/2024

I trained my replacement at  a clients company today. Yes, it sucks but as he pointed out, I could have said that I wouldn't train him. I'm a professional. I may not have liked it but of course I'm going to do it. Turns out the new guy is super nice. 

I'm not feeling very good (not covid) so I am going to bed. 

Until tomorrow...

10/16/2024

Early this morning I took Miss Vivien to the vets office to be checked out. He thinks there's nothing wrong with the dog other than the fact that she probably had altitude sickness and car sickness as I suspected. He did give me some medication to try to see if this does anything for her. He agrees that I need to figure this out before the next trip. 

Until tomorrow...

10/15/2024

Before I left on my trip I organized some deliveries when I got back. Today I had fruits and veggies show up as well as more drinking water. It's helpful that now you can have these things organized while you're away to show up when you get back. 

Until tomorrow...

10/14/2024

Happy Indigenous People's Day. I drove to a store to buy two plastic containers in order to organize all my RV stuff. There is a lot of stuff. 

Until tomorrow...

10/13/2024 Van Trip 2

I was up before 7:00 cleaning the van from top to bottom inside. Because this was such a rainy and muddy trip, it took me forever to get all the dirt out of the van. 

Once I got it cleaned and took a shower I then proceeded to take the van back to the rental place. This time I decided to walk the 30 minute walk to the train station instead of taking a bus or a cab. It was actually a very pleasant walk after being in a van for so many hours. Then I cut the train and a cab and finally was back home. Exhausted. 

Another amazing trip and it's only 30 days until I take trip number three. 

Until tomorrow...

10/12/2024 Van Trip 2

It is the final day of the trip. We left Mount Shasta and drove for four or five hours to get to home. 

Once home I had to unpack the animals and unpack everything from the van. By the time that came around I was so exhausted I could not clean the van. I want to wake up early tomorrow and clean the van before I drop it off. 

Until tomorrow...

10/11/2024 Van Trip 2

Once again woke up super early so we could get on the road to get to our campsite near Mount Shasta. On our way out of the Willimette Valley Campground I saw a young buck and the most beautiful tree. 

A view of Mount Shasta on our way into town. 

Until tomorrow...