NEW SECURITY LIGHTS HELPING MY HEALTH

Today my handyman came to replace the backyard light since it stopped working over a week ago. Not sure what happened but it was working at 7 pm and at 10 pm it wasn't. Today my handyman took it down and replaced it. 

While he replaced the backyard light, I had him also replace the front light. The lights were bought at the same time and if one died I was sure the other one would die too. They both get about the same amount of usage. Sure the front yard light may have lasted another couple of months but the handyman was here and it seemed to make sense to do both lights. 

Such home decisions. I feel much safer with the outdoor lights. Safer takes away stress. Stress makes me get flares. So the lights will help my health. 

I went into the city and I had some time to kill so I went into Cartier to look around. Who doesn't like to look at diamonds? I was dressed in nice jeans and and a hiking type jacket and hiking shoes. I guess I did look like their usual clientele because not one person (and there were many) who worked there ask to help me. It reminded me of the scene in Pretty Woman where Julia Roberts character, Vivian, was dressed as a hooker and went into a fancy store, they ignored her and looked down at her. Then she went to another store and spent loads of money on clothes and accessories . She went back to the first store and said: "Big mistake. Big.  Huge. I have to go shopping now " . 

Until tomorrow...

GONNA BE SHORT

I have a big deadline on February 1st. So basically all I'm doing is working. No personal life. Maybe they'll be more to update tomorrow.

Until tomorrow...

CLOGGED PIPE FOR 100

The plumber came and wouldn't you know the drain drained like usual. I asked him to snake it anyway. It was gross. It seems my ex-roommate must have dumped grease down the drain. A lot of grease. It is all cleared now and the garbage disposal is working fine. I even ran the dishwasher this evening. So, all is good again. 

It was good to meditate today fir the first time since last Thursday. It's weird how I miss it when we don't get together. I feel more jittery and less calm. 

Until tomorrow...

FOSTER KID GOES BACK HOME

This morning I got up early to make my ex-foster kid some pancakes. He was angry I didn't make them yesterday when he woke up at 11am. In my house that would be called brunch! 

After pancakes we played a few rounds of Mad Libs and got in the car. I had to drive him about 30 minutes to the train but when we got there, we found a bus that will bring him closer to my home. Next time he can take the train and the bus. 

After saying goodbye, I came home and just sat in the silence. Then the phone calls came. Everyone wanting to know how it went. 

Until tomorrow...

BAKING WITH MY EX-FOSTER KID

Like a typical teenager my ex-foster kid slept until 11am. I am not sure he was sleeping the whole time. I think he stays up too late watching TV and social media. 

My contractor showed up to finally finish the water leak situation. It looks really good. 

When my kid finally woke up we made a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. It didn't rise much because we forgot to add the water. It is still good. 

After playing a few rounds of Mad Libs and Disney trivia, we made pizzas. I bought the pizza dough from the store, we added sauce, spinach and used the new plant-based cheese sauce. They turned out really good. He ate his whole pizza. 

We watched the movie Genie and I went to bed. 

Until tomorrow...

EX-FOSTER KID VISIT

My ex-foster kid came to visit. We haven't seen each other in person in years due to COVID and other reasons. He took the train to visit.

After picking him up, we got food delivered and played Battleship. Then we walked down to get ice cream. The lady at the ice cream shop put a candle in his ice cream for his 18th birthday. 

It was a nice day. 

Until tomorrow...

GOOD NEWS DAY

Today turned out to be very good day. First I got a text saying that my car would be ready today. I ended up picking it up at 1:00 p.m. it seems to be fixed and was great driving home.

Second I got an email telling me that I won the lottery to go on a hike in Zion National Park. The hike is called Angels landing and it is a timed hike. It is a very steep hike with a chain that people hold on to.

I decided today to use the REI gift cards family members gave me for Christmas. The two gift cards came to the same place as my annual National Park pass. While I was on the website I bought a pair of hiking boots. 

Until tomorrow...

DISASTER PREPAREDNESS PRESENTATION

I did my disaster preparedness presentation to my neighborhood watch tonight. I made a tub of items that are useful and used it as a prop. I thought it went well. I got laughs in the right places. People seemed attentive. 

I received a great compliment at the end. A neighbor runs a Toastmasters group and he said after my presentation that it was good enough for Toastmasters! Nice! 

Until tomorrow...

DISASTER PREP

Today I spent one and a half hours prepping for my disaster preparedness presentation that I'm making tomorrow. I am presenting to the neighborhood to try and get people to start to get prepared. They're all kinds of disasters you can prepare. There is fire, earthquake, tornado, hurricane, power outage, snow/ice, etc. I am focusing on what people can do to prepare themselves and their family for a disaster. This includes your home, pets, and at work.

I will write about how it goes tomorrow. 

Until tomorrow...

PLANNING FOR FRIDAY

The part for my car arrived today. I have to get up and take it to the garage tomorrow. 

I have been picking up and cleaning to get ready for my ex-foster kid is visiting on Friday. I dusted today. 

I have to move a bunch of stuff out of the guest room by Friday. I decided we are going to cook together and bake cookies for my neighbor. Let's see how this goes over with him. 

Until tomorrow...

STEW

Today it rained. And rained. And rained some more. We had to do indoor activities today. Like take a bath, cook some food and do some work.

I made a stew with cauliflower, Japanese potatoes, and chickpeas. It turned out really good and was great over rice.

That was basically my day.

Until tomorrow...

FIRST CONCERT IN 4 YEARS

I'm a little bit anxious and a little bit excited to go to my first indoor concert. It is a small venue and I'm going to be masked up. But it's something different to do. It's also somebody that I find quite enjoyable to listen to.

I forgot that I was going to this concert until one and a half hours before when I got a reminder on my phone. So I quickly got the dog settled, had a little food and called the taxi.

My day today consisted of putting away all the Christmas decorations that I took down before I went to Florida. Number of trips going down stairs and putting things back in bins. I was happy the Christmas was over. Until next year.

Well the concert went well. I was happy that the two people on either side of me wore masks as well as me. There was a lot of laughter and excitement.

Until tomorrow..

MEMORY CLINIC APPOINTMENT

Today my ex-foster kid turns 18. He is emancipated and now I can write more about him. 

This morning I went to the memory clinic to be assessed. I was told what to expect by someone in my meditation group. It was two hours total. The first hour was just questions about my background, family, and what has been going on. It was a bit exhausting. Then after a few minutes break, I had to do the medical part. Weight, temp, blood pressure, etc. 

Then I had another hour with a physician assistant to answer more questions, walk, and do physical tests. At the end, the physicians assistant told me that my MOCHA (or MOKA) score is lower than 6 months ago. I have now been sent in to the next level of testing in a few weeks. That will be a 4 hour appointment. 

Until tomorrow...

HOUSE IS A MESS

I am so happy my veggie and fruit delivery is today. When I got back from Florida, I had no food in the house  

I am still unpacking from my trip. There are still Christmas decorations all over the house. This weekend I will deal with it all. 

Until tomorrow...

UPDATE

Updates:

Lucky seems to be doing better. We have to wait a few weeks to see. 

My car is still waiting for a part. 

My work load is out of control. 

That is my day.

Until tomorrow...

BACK TO WORK

I jumped right into work today. It was hard. I don't feel very relaxed. 

My family is planning a big vacation. Today they chose the dates and place. It sounds like fun. I googled a list of things to do. 

This morning I felt Luckys neck and there was some goopy stuff. I panicked and took her to the vet. Turns out it is a really bad ear infection on one side and a minor ear infection in the other. Poor baby has been in pain while I was in Disney World. 

They had to shave her fur because she is so bad. They gave her a shot of antibiotics and that should make her feel better. 

Until tomorrow...

VACATION AFTERMATH

I'll make this quick. I woke up this morning and saw that my luggage was now on the West Coast. It was delivered around 4:00. I was excited to see nobody had been inside of the bag.

Around 11:00 a.m. I went to pick up Lucky at the dog sitters. She looked much thinner than when I left. At first I don't think she recognized me but I picked her up and she brought her little nose to mine, sniffed me and then relaxed in my arms. I will have to fatten her up.

Once I got home from taking lucky I got her settled and then I went to pick up Sunny the bird. I was happy to see that they trimmed his beak before I picked him up. He was whistling up a tune on the way home and even the taxi driver was impressed with his song.

I heard the part for my car arrived today so I'm hoping to get my car back soon.

Until tomorrow...

FINAL DAY IN FLORIDA

I only had a few hours until my flight takes off so we decided to take a walk around the neighborhood in the light rain. It was interesting to look at all the different houses and yards.

Then we went to a restaurant and had some lunch so I could have a big meal for my trip. I had my first non-meat Burger for my whole trip.

I put the last few items in my bag and we head off to the airport. It was about an hour's drive so I did a little last minute charging in the car. I was dropped off and the family member was very sweet and they walked me inside to check in my bag. For this trip I did not put my trip binder in my check the bag.

I got on the plane and there were already two women in my row. One of them was masked the other one not. About an 30 minutes after we sat down I mentioned that in a little bit I needed to get up and use the bathroom. Then the cart with drinks came by and we all got our drinks. So I waited another 25-30 minutes before I said could I please get up to use the restroom.  Both seatmates had eaten food but at that point they had finished. I asked again can I please use the restroom. The person next to me said yes. The person on the aisle asked me to wait until they come back around and pick up the trash because she didn't want to spill anything on herself. The person next to me and me so would you could put the stuff on one of our tray tables. She was adamant that I needed to wait another who knows how long to use the restroom. Now I had already been waiting for about 40 minutes at this point. I waited another 10 minutes and the person had not come around to pick up the trash and I really needed to use the restroom at this point. So I did what any rational person would do I rang the buzzer and explained that I was being held hostage and my seat until the trash had been taken. Well I guess the airplane was understaffed because the woman from the airline came out it seemed quite annoyed. She was annoying even before we explained what was going on but she did take the trash and leave. Now the person on the aisle got up and I was able to use the restroom.

The rest of the flight was less exciting until I landed. I went down to get my luggage like everybody else I'm moving behold my luggage never appeared. They make you wait until you know minutes after the carousel stops to make sure your luggage arrives. I waited but my luggage did not appear. I went to the desk they tracked it the first lady told me it was downstairs and then the second lady said it was still in Florida. I get out my iPad because I have trackers in my luggage and it was in Florida. I'm hoping they deliver it tomorrow. Years ago I stopped putting vital things in my checked luggage. If it's vital it goes in my backpack and I take it on the plane.

My travel binder I did put in my luggage on my way to Florida but on the way back I had a weird feeling and to listen to it and did not put my travel binder in my checked suitcase. I always say listen to that little gut feeling.

Overall it was a very nice trip with a mix of seeing friends, family, and doing fun things. The dog and bird come home tomorrow.

Until tomorrow...

SEVENTH DAY IN FLORIDA

My friend stayed over last night and this morning we went to a local store to buy some loose tea. I just love mixing loose teas together to make my own blends. This store has some wacky flavors like bourbon tea and mushroom tea. I bought some less wacky flavors like ginger turmeric tea. 

It was really pouring outside so we went home to eat lunch and have my friend pack up to go home. We drove her home and then went to a turtle rescue location. There were all size turtles in tubs. Some had only three fins instead of four where they had been struck by a boat or caught in a net. Our maybe attacked by a shark. Others were rescued from the Boston area where there was a cold spell. They will all be rehabbed and let free once they are well. 

This last photo is of a baby turtle. 

Until tomorrow...

SIXTH DAY IN FLORIDA

What a day. We woke up, packed up and drove back to my parents home. On the way, I used my new handy Internet thing. This allows me to get a Wi-Fi signal almost anywhere. I tried to use it on the way to Disney but I had troubles making it work. Once I got it to work, I was able to attend my foster kid's meeting from the back seat of the car. 

Once we arrived back home, I started to work. Then I had a meeting that ran into another meeting. We had to rush out to go pick up my friend who worked nearby. I haven't seen her since January 1st 2020. We went to Disney World together for years ago. 

It was so good to see her again. We went out for rice bowls and then went in the hot tub. She even joined me for my meditation group! 

After everyone went to bed, I had a long talk with my ex-foster kid. He will be turning 18 in one week. It is exciting but scary. He wants to come visit but I told him, he has to figure out how to get here or ask someone to tell him how to get here. He needs to do these things himself. 

Here are some photos of Disney World. Hollywood, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Epcot. 

Until tomorrow...

FIFTH DAY IN FLORIDA

We got up early and drove to Walt Disney World. On the way I needed to do some work for a client. I had iPad and phone problems and screwed up the project. 

We got to walk around Hollywood. We road on one ride.  Then we went and checked into our hotel. We came back to Epcot in time for dinner at a Moroccan place. We walked around Epcot until the fireworks went off. 

I had some decent food at both parks. I also found a vegan pastry. 

I'm falling asleep.

Until tomorrow...

FOURTH DAY IN FLORIDA

Well, I finally went outside to sit and enjoy the FL air. It has been raining so I mostly stayed inside. Today I had lunch outside by the pool. 

I mostly worked today. I was not happy about it. Clients are calling and having emergency requests. Ugh! 

Tonight we watched a movie call Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie. It was sweet and funny. The end of Adrian Monk, the detective. 

Health update: I am feeling better. I ate regular food tonight and it only hurt a little because I didn't take the icky liquid medicine. Progress! 

Until tomorrow...

THIRD DAY IN FLORIDA

We woke up and ate breakfast in the hotel. Then we got in the car and drove to my other cousins place. We stayed there for hours visiting with my cousin and her daughter. It was raining again. 

Late in the afternoon my parents came and wisked me to their house. We had some dinner and I started to do some work. 

Now I am going to sleep after another long day. 

Until tomorrow...

SECOND DAY IN FLORIDA

My cousin and I woke up and got on the road to my brother's house. We spent the whole day with him and his wife. We are outside at a lovely restaurant and then drove back to the hotel. 

It was fun spending the day catching up. Tomorrow on to the next group of family. 

Until tomorrow...

FIRST DAY IN FLORIDA

Today I woke up early and flew to Florida. The only issue was the guy in my row on the plane coughed. Not just *cough* but bronchitis or pneumonia type cough. Plus he didn't cover his mouth. Ew. 

I had a N95 mask on and then put another one on over it. I am not interested In getting whatever he has. 

My cousin picked me up at the airport. We drove to a restaurant and had dinner. Then we went to our hotel.

Here in Florida it is interesting. I am the only person with a mask outside of the airport. Inside the airport there were more masked people. 

My cousin picked me up and we drove to the opposite side of Florida to visit my brother. 

It's been a long day. 

Until tomorrow...

RECEIVED MY CHIP REFLUX PRODUCTS

Today I received the items the doctor told me to buy for my pain and chip reflux. I like the Reflux Gourmet gum. I really don't like chewing gum but this is gum with Alginate Therapy Sodium Bicarbonate. It is supposed to calm the reflux. It doesn't taste horrible either. 

I also got slippery elm and DGL licorice extract. I haven't tried them yet but I will. 

I feel a little bit better but I am still eating soft bland food. I'm also drinking a couple of cups of Throat Coat and chamomile tea a day. 

This weekend will be fun! 

Until tomorrow...

TEMPORARY DIET

I think I forgot yesterday to say that I am not supposed to eat food that is acidic, fatty, caffeinated, spicy, and crunchy. That pretty much leaves oatmeal, yogurt, rice and plain pasta.  I can eat apples or applesauce. I do want to eat a chip or cracker but no dice. It will just prolong this pain. 

I drank the Throat Coat tea and it seems to do something. The rest of the items will arrive tomorrow. 

I heard from the vet. Lucky's labs look great. Her kidney values have gotten better. That is good news. 

I heard back from the car place and the part has been located and shipped. They probably will start work on it on Monday. 🤞🏼

Last night I used my new Instapot to make rice. I have a rice maker but hearing the Instapot makes rice in 12 minute, I had to make it. It turned out pretty good. 

Until tomorrow...

IS IT COSTROCHONDRITIS?

I went to see my concierge doctor today. I am still feeling pain in my throat and my chest. My doctor said to come over.

She asked me a ton of questions, examined me and decided on her diagnosis. She thinks my acid reflux is causing some of the pain but there is something else. I was starting to believe I may have costochondritis. This an inflammation in the the cartilage. Most often it is in the breast bone but not always. Her theory is that I inflamed the whole area when coughing or just from the trauma of swallowing the chip. 

I am on a soft food diet. I have a list of things to buy to try to make me feel better; throat coat tea, slippery elm, licorice, DGL, and more. Then I need to take hot baths, heating pad and not up carry heavy objects. 

I'm hoping I will feel better quickly. 

Until tomorrow...

IS IT NEW YEARS DAY?

Happy New Year 2024!! My day started out early when I had to apply for tickets to something. 

Then after getting ready, I sat down to work. I needed to work on invoicing my clients. I was woefully behind. I did some yesterday and more today. I got two months of invoices completed. Now I have to do December soon. 

To be honest, that was my whole holiday. I didn't cook or bake. 

I did listen to old albums. I just love having a working turntable. I listened to Sonny & Cher, Elton John, Diana Ross (live), and the Eagles. It was so fun. 

Until tomorrow...