Food Poisoning

If you're sensitive to hearing about vomit you may want to stop reading now.

I hate throwing up. Detest it. Despise it. I don't know how people with bulimia do it. And then there's my mother-in-law, and my husband and my son, who will cause themselves to throw up at the mere hint of a stomachache, if it will make themselves feel better. Ds1 has always had a stomach of iron. He can throw up, come out of the bathroom and eat pizza or tacos, or chips and hot sauce. Agh. My mother-in-law says she is the same way. One of my sisters had to be hospitalized, if I remember correctly, for six weeks to learn to get over bulimia. So it's probably a good thing that I don't have a penchant for vomiting.

We participated in the Tea Party on April 15th and went to a Mexican food restaurant before we walked down to the Capitol. I think that's where I got food poisoned. We ate around 4pm and when we got home by 8:30 my stomach wasn't feeling "right". I had a feeling puking was inevitable, but there's no way I can do that voluntarily. If my body makes it happen, then I have no choice in the matter, but I'm not doing it purposefully.

Finally the puking commenced around 10pm. I hoped against hope that once would be enough. I know from past experience that two times is more likely. I lost count when I'd puked five times. The wretched heaving, feeling light headed and weak as I bowed over the Porcelain God. I slept fitfully, in between visits. Finally by 4am Thursday morning, my stomach started settling down. No more vomiting, thank God. I woke Kev at 3:30am to see if he had a ginger ale in his stash as I wanted something light and fizzy to help settle my stomach. I managed to eat one saltine cracker. Thankfully my stomach continued to stay settled. Dh found some beef broth in the freezer so I had that and he also made me some chicken broth. A few hours later the diarrhea began. I ate light throughout the day, mostly broth and crackers. By evening I had some brown rice in chicken broth. That was pretty delicious.

I would loved to have stayed in bed resting the entire day, but my back won't allow that. If I'm in bed too long, it starts stiffening and the pain is too much to stay in bed. I have to get up. I then have to stay up for several hours, standing up and sitting up before my back will allow me to lay down again. I went to bed exhausted at 8pm. I slept well and woke at 4:25am. I'm feeling weak this morning, but my intestinal system seems to be nearly back to normal. My ribcage is aching and sore.

I decided I'd better try to get something down besides broth and carbohydrates and had two scrambled eggs for breakfast. Dh said he'd milk but I told him I really needed to get a bit of exercise so that my back will loosen enough that I can come back in and lie down and rest. Dh wrangled each milker for me, I pretty much just sat and milked. Then I watered my garden, which was last watered on Tuesday evening. Everything looks good, and of course bigger, as often is the case when I don't visit the garden every day. Seven sunflower seeds have germinated. The corn is much larger than it was just three days ago. The tomato plants are bigger, too.

It's 9:30am. I think I've been up long enough that my back would allow me to lay in bed and rest, so I think I'll get off this computer and go back to bed for a while.

Until next time.

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Why can't I just be a sheep and follow the flock?

So my latest conflict between allopathy and natural healing... I have a new cavity that is very close to the root of one of my molars. My dentist advised me over 3 years ago that I should get a crown for a molar that has a large sized pocket which gathers food. Ironically, this pocket serves a purpose in that I can't go without flossing for too many days because the food packed in the pocket is bothersome. However, it appears that I've been too neglectful in the last few years and since my last appointment 2.5 years ago, I now have a cavity in the molar behind. The dentist was pretty concerned as he says the decay is close to the root.

But apparently it's not an emergency because they didn't schedule my appointment for next week or anything. The tooth isn't hurting, there is no heat or cold sensitivity.

On the positive side, I don't have gum disease, and the new cavity was the only problem area.

I have read some about folks healing their cavities and thought maybe I would give a stab at that. Here are the links I have found on this topic.

How to Heal Cavities Through Nutrition from Cooking Traditional Foods forum
The "Secret" to Save Your Teeth by Ray G. Behm, Jr DDS - very simple, starts out with healing gum disease with the use of baking soda, salt and aloe vera (hydrogen peroxide is recommended UNLESS you have amalgam fillings which I have)
Cure Tooth Decay
Cure Tooth Decay and Cavities - YouTube testimonial
How to Regrow or Repair Bad Teeth Naturally
Some discussion about Tooth Soap

Products:
Perfect Prescription Tooth Soap CINNAMON Shreds
Tooth Soap
Hydro Floss Oral Irrigator recommended by Dr. Behm
Perfect Prescription CINNAMON LIQUID Tooth Soap
Waterpik Ultra Dental Water Jet
Butler G-U-M Gum Stimulator
Butler G-U-M Gum Stimulator Refills (3)
Trace Minerals Research - Concentrace Trace Mineral Drops, 8 fl oz liquid
Blue Ice Pure Cod Liver Oil - High Vitamin Cod Liver Oil 8 Oz

Books:
Good Teeth Birth to Death by Gerard F. Judd
Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston A. Price
Root Canal Cover Up by George E. Meinig

So much to think about, so much to do. Which is turn is so very stressful. So far here are my thoughts on going forward with this experiment:

• change my appointment from end of March to sometime in the future, maybe late summer
  
• increase my consumption of our raw goat's milk 2-4 cups daily
• start taking cod liver oil again
• eat plenty of yogurt
  
• start taking kefir again
  
• stop using my Tom's toothpaste which contains glycerin, an ingredient said to prevent re-mineralization of enamel (I stopped using fluoride years ago. Read more on why you should never use fluoride at this site.)
• floss daily, paying special attention to problem area
  
• use baking soda, or variation of "tooth soap", possibly ask Kev to make me some bar soap with ingredients appropriate for healthy teeth
  
• purchase Trace Mineral Liquid
  
• make and consume bone broth
• stop eating white flour and white sugar again

Until next time.

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I Miss Dairy - Update Post

I started getting sick on Friday the 9th with a cold that exacerbated my asthma to the point where I called my asthma allergy specialist in desperation on Tuesday morning. My ribcage was wracking with pain due to the coughing and my throat was so sore I was sure I would be coughing up blood eventually. I was terrified the soreness in my chest meant pneumonia and terrified of the thought of being sick for a solid month. Kev started working recently and DH's business is finally picking up, and I barely made it through the last bout with pneumonia (in 2002) and they were both taking care of me. So that is mainly what prompted me to call my doctor, I had to prevent getting pneumonia, if at all possible.

DS1 was on a course of Prednisone last June and my doc asked I had any on hand, I had coincidentally just found the Prednisone, I thought DS1 had finished it all. He told me to take Extra Strength Tylenol for the pain and start on the Prednisone, and use DS1's nebulizer to do breathing treatments using Albuterol every 2-3 hours.

And asked me to come in the next morning. He put me on a 10 day course of Prednisone. He wanted to put me on antibiotics, he insisted I had to have them (when I asked exactly how necessary did he think they were) because he said he heard "crackles" in my lungs and I could be getting bronchitis. I decided the Prednisone was enough of an assault on my immune system and body, and gave myself two days taking natural antibiotics before going with his prescription drugs. I made it through without the allopathic antibiotics and am actually feeling much better today, although I am working from home. I am having trouble sleeping, I believe due to the Prednisone. I am trying to make healthy choices for eating, as I know Prednisone can also cause voracious hunger. When I first started getting sick, I wasn't too worried about it, because I've been sick with a cold since I've been diagnosed with asthma and I've always been able to handle it just fine with extra usage of my rescue inhaler, even as often as every 2 hours, but this time the rescue inhaler wasn't cutting it. The nebulizer treatments weren't affecting my wheeze much either, that is why I panicked and called my doctor. Anyway, I wasn't too worried and so I continued to eat dairy products which I know gunk me up but I love dairy too much to let that bother me. Well, when I couldn't control the wheezing even with the nebulizer, I stopped dairy. And sugar.

I've had dairy one time in the past 8 days. DH made a noodle dish using a "little bit" of sour cream and "little bit" of cheddar cheese. It made a noticeable effect on my breathing status, so I became even more determined to stay off it until I'm completely better.

I miss dairy. I miss sour cream, cream, and cheese. I even miss milk, but not so much for drinking but for cooking. I've been eating a lot of chicken soup - DH made some of his famous stock.

Kev is also sick, this is his second go round. He was sick first, then I caught what he had. I am praying that DS1 doesn't get it, because it will probably affect his asthma in the same manner.

A couple of other things of note to mention. I got my tomato and eggplant seeds planted (yesterday in the seed cage in my master bathroom), and am preparing my seed purchase list for February/March plantings. Time flies! The garden is doing great, I just wish I had more energy to get out there and work in it.

Also, I don't know if it's the anti-inflammatory components of Prednisone, but my feet are not hurting me at all! I like to think it is because they have finally healed, after the energy injury last July. I am able to walk on my bare feet to get up and go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, without falling over from the pain. I am continuing to wear my "casual" men's shoes that are oh so comfortable. I don't ever want to experience foot pain like that again. I am finally able to sleep at night without having to wear that uncomfortable brace on my foot. It is so lovely to just lay in bed peacefully, my feet nestled together, sleekily, without the brace holding one foot taut.

Until next time.

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Tough Times

It's been over a week since my last post; I thought Blogger forgot about me when I tried to log in this morning and got the above screenshot instead.

But no, it turns out I just mistyped my password.

I'm not doing so good. I seem to be in a funk, and can't seem to find my way out of it. It's busy, as usual, and my job is even more stressful than normal. Everyone here is sick with some throat thing and I always panic when ds1 gets sick because his Down Syndrome prevents him from thinking rationally about his asthma. He thinks I'm being mean when I make him do more than one breathing treatment a day. He doesn't realize if he just bears with the discomfort of not being able to breathe properly it could lead to him needing to be hospitalized. I've been using my rescue inhaler 3 or more times a day, so I know he needs to be doing his breathing treatments.

I'm convinced my biggest problem is hypothyroidism, which has yet to be confirmed by the medical establishment. But my very low basal (waking) temperatures are a strong indication that my thyroid is low functioning. We're talking as low as 96.3°F. Temps under 97.5°F all but 5-10 days out of each month. I don't feel like I have the energy it takes to find a doctor who will take me seriously, and make the call for the appointment.

It is very common to go in to your primary care physician who sends you to the lab to have your blood drawn, and then your results come back normal. This happened to me. My doctor at the time suggested medication for depression. Okay, I'm experiencing some depression. Hello? Do you realize depression is a symptom of hypothyroidism, doc? Typical reaction from a doctor.

The Barnes Basal Temperature System
Thyroid Disease Information with your About.com host Mary Shomon
Better Body Care - Low Thyroid
What Your Basal Temps Reveal About Your Thyroid by Marilyn Shannon
Doctor's Nutrition
Mayo Clinic: Hypothyroidism Signs and Symptoms

Here are some symptoms of hypothyroidism. I certainly don't have all of them, but I can count more than twenty symptoms that I experience regularly, if not daily.

1. muscles stiff in morning, need to limber up
2. fail to feel rested, even after sleeping long hours
3. feel "creaky" after sitting still for some time
4. heart seems to miss beats or "flip-flops"
5. nauseated in morning
6. start slow in morning, gain speed in afternoon
7. motion sickness when traveling
8. dizzy in morning or when moving up and down
9. cold hands or feet
10. hair scanty, dry, brittle, dull, lusterless, lifeless
11. hair loss from outer third of eyebrow
12. flaky, dry, rough skin
13. sleeplessness, restlessness, sleep disturbances
14. poor short term memory, forgetfulness
15. impaired cognitive function (brain fog)
16. poor response to exercising
17. hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
18. high cholesterol, cholesterol deposits on eyelids
19. constipation, less than one bowel movement daily
20. "go to pieces" easily, cry easily
21. dislike working under pressure, dislike being watched
22. low libido
23. gain weight easily, fail to lose on diets
24. difficulty concentrating, easily distracted
25. yellowish tint to skin on hands or feet
26. cracks in bottom of heels
27. clogged sinuses
28. low pulse rate
29. low body temperature, especially at bed rest
30. recurrent infections
31. headaches
32. puffiness of face or eyes
33. swelling of hands or ankles
34. irritability, mood swings
35. multiple food allergies/sensitivities
36. lumpy breasts, cystic breasts
37. menstrual irregularity, excess flow, PMS
38. these worse at night: coughing, hoarseness, muscle cramps
39. slowed speech and a hoarse, breaking voice (Deepening of the voice can also be noticed)
40. hives
41. increased sensitivity to heat and cold
42. sluggish reflexes
43. dry puffy skin, especially on the face, and hair loss, especially thinning of the outer third of the eyebrows
44. depression (especially in the elderly)
45. anemia caused by impaired intestinal iron and folate absorption or B12 deficiency from pernicious anemia
46. slowed metabolism
47. fatigue
48. anxiety/panic attacks
49. Choking sensation or difficulty swallowing
50. shortness of breath with a shallow and slow respiratory pattern.
51. muscle cramps and joint pain
52. brittle fingernails
53. osteoporosis
54. paleness
55. irritability
56. yellowing of the skin due to impaired conversion of beta-carotene to vitamin A
57. abnormal menstrual cycles
58. impaired kidney function
59. thin, fragile or absent cuticles
60. infertility or difficulty becoming pregnant
61. elevated serum cholesterol
62. acute psychosis
63. poor muscle tone

If you think your thyroid may be low functioning, you may be able to locate a knowledgeable physician at Thyroid Top Doctors. At this site you can read patient reviews for thyroid friendly doctors in your area.

Until next time.

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Basket Case

I'm still sick. My asthma has been giving me a LOT of trouble. I am sure if I called my allergy/asthma specialist he would prescribe prednisone, which I abhor.

I figured out something. Every time I start feeling the tiniest bit better physically, I start trying to get the house cleaned up again. (I also considered the thought that maybe I really AM allergic to housework?) So today being my only day off, I decided I can't do anything. I did clean out the truck this morning, and go through 3 months worth of mail.

I seem to get sick physically every time I get an emotional crisis. Last Sunday our herd sire was sick with a condition that is sometimes fatal. I was very upset and crying over that. He recovered and we will make sure to treat for that condition. I found out that the Ammonium Chloride for which I paid $16.00 for a pound, can be bought on the Internet for $1.60 per pound. Great.

Thursday was very emotional for me at work. I've been basically railroaded into changing an area of the way our agency runs from manual to electronic. The person doing the manual thing doesn't want to switch to electronic and threatened to quit. It is scary for me to confront this person but I had to. I was very nervous and upset after the big scene. Later, this person came back to my office and apologized, but I was still very emotionally disturbed by it. I WAS feeling better on Thursday morning, but then I felt worse on Friday morning. Another emotional crisis = sicker. I don't think I'm just imagining things.

Then Friday morning I discovered that a website I worked on to customize for dozens if not hundreds of hours had been deleted from the webserver. I am positive it wasn't intentional, but the person who downgraded the website has been out of town and so I was freaking out worrying about that. This is not just a site that belongs to someone else. It belonged to a few ladies and we all sold items from this site. However, everyone is now wanting to drop out, but I want to keep the site and keep selling my things. Just very emotionally distraught again. Finally my friend got back to me and she's been out of town. She is going to see what she can do to help me get the site restored and into my name. So that helped me feel better, but the emotional stress. I have been crying about it since Friday, several times. I'm sure being sick isn't helping me feel any more positive about anything.

I was away from home most of Friday. Ds2's appointment was at 9am, once again frustratingly inconclusive. His legs hurt and we have ruled out blood clots and poor circulation. This is the third doctor he's seen for his legs hurting, only each and every doctor instead of listening to ds2's complaints of leg pain chose to concentrate on the sores on his shins. Which do not itch or hurt him, and are not on his calves, thighs or anywhere else on his body. This doctor was a hematologist and thinks it's strictly a "growing person" thing combined with ds2 being a "big boy". He suggested ds2 continue to get plenty of exercise and do what he's been doing to continue to lose weight. Once ds2 and I got home, dh and I took off again for town, to pick up the "shred" and run errands and grocery shop. So I was gone from home from 8:30am to about 5:30pm. Yesterday (Saturday) we left home for the big city (dh helping one of his coworkers with his evaporative cooler) and were gone from about 9am to 6pm.

One neat thing yesterday. Costco had a really nice drill on sale for $29.97. It is cordless and comes with two battery packs. It was $34.97 on March 31 and Costco gave us the difference back. We actually bought a second one, because dh will be using his for work and we need a drill for around the house.

So today I have tried to do as little as possible. I did nap from 10am to 1pm. I'm wheezing a lot, even though I'm using my Flovent medication twice daily on schedule I'm still having to use my rescue inhaler several times a day. Since I'm sick, it's to be expected that my asthma is acting up. The last thing I need to do is take prednisone, which I'm pretty sure being a steroid depresses the immune system (which Flovent is a corticosteroid, so probably has the same immune system depressing feature) At least now I'm not coughing up thick green phlegm. I'm taking fenugreek as an expectorant, the herbal version. I'm also taking grapefruit seed extract, vitamin C and The Grapefruit Remedy (a family recipe used for 35 years). I am feeling better, but I'm still sick. I'm starting to wonder if this is going to be the story of my life from now on. I have known people that get sick again and again and again and again. And have to take off work every couple weeks for being sick. But that isn't me and has NEVER been me.

I haven't been doing Nourishing Traditions hardly at all. My health has declined since falling away from many of the traditional foods. I did make my kefir last night for the first time in a couple of weeks. Poor grains, in the fridge starving for new milk. I should go check on them now.

I haven't done our taxes for this year. I think I'm going to file an extension as there is no way humanly possible for me to get them done within the next week. No time.

Since I was with dh yesterday, I did get a chance to work on the knit baby sweater. That is one true thing about being out with dh when he's working on side jobs. I at least get to sit around and do nothing for the most part. Otherwise I would have been home feeling compelled to tidy up the house. I got about half of one of the front sides done. I ordered another of the Yarn Harlot's books, Knitting Rules, it arrived by mail and I've been reading that in the past few days. It made me want to knit more. I already want to knit more, but there is no time for that at all on Monday through Thursday.

I hope I'm feeling well soon. In the meantime, my dh is the Energizer Bunny and keeps going and going and going. He needs only four hours of sleep each night and drinks coffee and eats whatever he wants. He never gets sick and never gains a pound. I have also discovered drinking even four ounces of coffee affects my immune system (caffeine stresses out the adrenals) I wish my body was a little bit more like his. Today he finished fixing my toilet (fixed the handle which I didn't have the muscle to finish -- some little chain thing you have to snap into the plastic part of the handle and I could not do it -- and adjusted the float so it flushes properly now), has been cleaning off the porch, built a new bee box (our old one was warped beyond recognition) and I don't know what all else he's done today. We would still like to have bees, but have not ordered them for about three years. Dh is hoping a swarm finds our bee box. Or maybe I should post on Freecycle and Craig's list like a friend of mine has done.

Until next time.

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Sick Goat Doing Good

On Sunday our herd sire could not urinate. Urine was still dripping steadily from him, so it wasn't a complete blockage, but I immediately suspected it was urinary calculi, a problem especially for male goats. I was so worried I was crying because it can be fatal and Bambi is such a nice buck. I have heard horror stories about bucks who are aggressive and dangerous to have around. This boy leads easily and is gentle with the does when breeding. I would hate to have lost him.

We called a vet - not many vets "know" goats, but there are handful who have some experience with goats, and are willing to give advice on the phone. (Vets make their money on horses, cows, dogs and cats, so tend to concentrate on those). The vet we called on Sunday does house calls, but not to our area of town, and he doesn't work on Sundays anyway. He said the other vets probably wouldn't come out on Sunday either. I read on the Internet that Ammonium Chloride can be given as an emergency treatment, so we set off to the nearby town we like to shop in to see if we could find any. None. A lot of things we look for to treat the goats is like that. No one seems to know what we are talking about. We ended up buying some herb combinations from the health food store. One was Uva Ursi and the other was Planetary Herbals Stone Free. Both items that humans would use for kidney problems or kidney/gallbladder stones. I made the "onion cure" which consists of one large onion, 6 cloves of garlic and the juice of four large lemons, cooked until the onion turns clear. I then strained the mixture and watered it down just a little bit. I opened several capsules of Uva Ursi and crushed several of the Stone Free product. Mixed into a gravy like mixture and drenched the buck with it.

He was straining so hard to urinate, poor guy. I was worried about him all night, and then dh and I had to leave to work on Monday and I was afraid we'd come home to find him dead. But we got home and he was not only alive, but peeing and headbutting with his buddy! I had managed to find the Ammonium Chloride from a chemical store in the big city and we drenched him with a heaping teaspoon of that mixed with water, just in case he had any other stones that still needed to be dissolved.

So that was a big relief. Now we will need to figure out what to do for maintenance. One of the big problems is bucks should not be fed the same as does. The does get alfalfa hay and wow, what a difference good hay can make! Two of my milkers that normally give me around 2 pounds of milk each day are now up to over 3 pounds! The hay we'd been getting delivered from the nearby hay dealer is apparently poor quality hay for goats. I guess they call it horse hay, and handpick it for horses. They like the hay to be stemmy and have hardly any tender green leaves - to prevent the horse from bloating. Tender green stems and leaves is what the goats need to make more milk. It is hard to find anything but alfalfa hay in our area. And to complicate matters, the bucks hate grass (bermuda) hay. AND since the grass hay is harder to come by, it is more expensive than alfalfa.

So today is day four of mine and dh's four day work week. Ds2 has really taken up the slack for us regarding cooking. We've had hot meals ready to eat upon arriving home, which helps a lot since the first thing we have to do upon arriving home is chores and milking. Then it's a quick shower, dinner and off to bed shortly. 3:30am gets here really fast. The past three days have not been too bad, but I am, as usual (how did you guess?) tired. I have also been sick again!! I am really frustrated at my body's low defenses against illness. This time it started out on Monday as a tickling cough and then a really tight feeling in my upper chest/lower throat. I have been taking grapefruit seed extract (gross stuff, tastes like drinking a shot of dishwashing detergent) and lots of Vitamin C and today I'm coughing up nearly clear um, stuff. That is better than it was!

It's now 10 to 7:00. I'd better get busy working.

Until next time.

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New Couch

I found the perfect couch today. I was going to wait until the 24th and go into the "big city" where the Goodwill's would be having their 50% off sale. But I decided instead to take our big truck with me into the little town where we do our grocery shopping, and check out the thrift stores to see what they had.

First off, I decided to buy a bookcase which was marked $31.25. Pressboard, but I thought it was an okay price. I should have pictures of it tomorrow, if everything goes as planned. When I got up to the register I saw a sign behind the cashier that said, "All Children's Clothing $0.75 each. Everything Else 50% Off". So I asked the cashier if *everything* was 50% off. She said it was. So my bookcase only cost me $15.63! I also bought two more frames, they were $1.13 and $1.37. They had shades of blue.

There was a couch there that I liked for the shape. See, I'd already decided color shouldn't affect my choice, since I could make a slip cover, hopefully for not too much. But this couch was $174.95. Too much, even at 50% off. I looked at a few more couches, each one more and more expensive. I contemplated purchasing the one for $174.95, but started looking around some more and found a couch for $99.95. It had shades of blue and was very pretty and clean looking. I took some measurements on it and called home to consult with ds2 and we decided to go for it. So it ended up costing $49.97. After I saw this pretty one, I decided the other one was going to require several hours of time making a slipcover, plus it was dirty looking.

After I paid for the bookcase and frames, I paid for the couch. I wasn't done yet though. I went looking around again and found a nice chair, that cost me $7.47. I initially purchased it to go with the new couch, since the colors are similar, but I may end up giving it to ds1, we'll see. I bought three more frames that I liked. I'm going to put pictures with frames in shades of blue and gold all over the accent wall. I can't wait to see how it looks!

While the man was loading up my furniture, I saw a VHS cabinet that I wanted, cost $6.63.

I decided to go home and unload, then change back to my Pathfinder. I love my little SUV. It has air conditioning and a wonderful stereo system. The big truck has neither, and it was getting pretty hot out today.

So I switched vehicles and took off again. I still had to buy groceries and run errands. On my way back, I decided to see if the lamp and end table I'd liked were still at the store. They were! The lamp was $4.25, complete with lampshade. The end table was $7.13. Then I drove back to Lowe's and bought a Minwax Wood Finish Stain Marker. $4.98. Once I got home, I spiffed up the end table with the stain marker, and shined the glass. It is a handsome looking end table, and the wood matches the wood pieces on the couch. Oh, and the lamp is blue, too!

All in all, a good day, full of blessings! The really cool thing is I asked the lady at the thrift store how often they have 50% off sales and she said not very often. I asked her if they had them at certain times and she said they never know when, the main office just calls them and tells them to do the sale. So I felt like God heard my prayers asking for a couch to match the livingroom colors, and he sent me looking on the 50% off sale day!

I hope to have some wonderful before and after pictures tomorrow and Sunday. I'm concentrating on the livingroom this weekend.

My right ear is now involved in this illness. It feels funny... clogged and like I might be getting an ear infection. I had ds2 put 3 drops of warm olive oil with garlic into my ear, hoping to stave off an infection. I also took 15 drops of grapefruit seed extract. I have been taking echinachea, vitamin C, and extra cod liver oil (Vitamin A). I'm also trying to get enough (more) sleep. My tonsils are less inflamed, but I did feel feverish today while running all over the place... Tomorrow I do have to leave the house to purchase hay and chicken feed, but I should then get to be home for the rest of the weekend.

Until next time.

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Oh, The Things They Recycle

From a recycling company in "the big city". A HUGE pile of toilet paper remnants.

My tonsils have been getting better, but I awoke at 1:30am and could not fall back to sleep again until it was time to wake up at 3:30. I snoozed until 4am, but had to eventually get up. I don't get sick time since I'm not full time and I only have eight hours comp time that I am saving for the last Monday of this month. So off to work I went. My tonsils are still hurting, the right tonsil is worse today. Not getting enough sleep last night did not help. It sure felt good to get home and gargle with salt/cayenne water. I should have brought some to work with me. As it turns out, once I finally got up, I was VERY hungry. So that is probably what kept me awake and I forgot to just get up and have a glass of milk or something quick.

I'm trying to get into bed early tonight.

Song of the Day: All In by tobyMac (Portable Sounds 2007)

Until next time.

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Relapse

I'm sick again!! I seem to recall at least two people telling me I should be extra careful with myself in couple of weeks after being sick because it would come back on me again. Well, on Thursday evening my throat started feeling sore, this time my tonsils felt swollen. I began taking my "get well" stuff, to include echinachea/goldenseal, vitamin C, vitamin B, cod liver oil, and whatever else seemed logical. I have also taken some L-Lysine because I know it helps with healing mucous membranes. Speaking of mucous... I've also had to take that Guaifenesin stuff. It's supposed to help the mucous thin out. I don't know if I'm having more trouble for having used this stuff, but it seems like I've needed it every day. I'm also fully on my asthma meds (Flovent *and* Albuterol).

But so many things have happened in the past week. First off, dh will be back home with us in two weeks, we are all so happy that he will be back with us. It is hard to fill the shoes of another person who does a major portion of the household, yard and critter responsibilities!

Our air conditioner stopped working about a month ago. I discovered we should have something called a low ambient cooling kit on our unit since we run it year round, no matter how cold it is outside. Dh has mentioned it is "hard" on the unit to run during the winter, but I don't remember him ever mentioning the low ambient kit as a solution... anyway... we finally got the house cleaned up enough to feel comfortable having a guy come out.

About that... the first guy I called verbally attacked me during the conversation. First off, he charges $85.00 for a checkup on the system, and $65 per pound of freon. I'd called another place a week earlier and they charge $55 and $12 per pound of freon. I knew the $65/# was very expensive. After I got the information I needed I said I'd have to give him a call back. He then says to me, "You've already called twice before, are you going to have me come out and fix your AC or not?" I was flabbergasted and responded with, "Excuse me?" As the conversation went on, he demanded to know if I was working with another shop. Finally he seemed satisfied that I wasn't someone out to get him and he said, "Okay, I just wanted to make sure you weren't doing recon for another company." Whew. It was so distressing to me once I got off the phone I started crying a little bit. Wishing we could just wait until dh gets back home so he could take care of this for us.

Then I called the other guy who advertises in our local newspaper. He said he charges $59.95 and $28/# for freon. He was much nicer. We were still going to try to wait until dh got home, but then it got up into the high eighties and was nearly 90°F in the house. It was making all of us cranky, especially ds2. So I talked him into calling the guy out on Friday morning. He came out, and he was a really nice person. We ended up talking a bit, and come to find out his wife leads a church in town. We want to start attending church, and we might try this one out. We went by the church on Friday late afternoon and the daughter was there. She is probably 18 or 19 and getting ready to attend college. So back to the AC. It was kind of weird because he didn't actually fix the unit. I'd mentioned that dh can repair AC units, but he doesn't have the gauges, etc. So this guy says he would be happy to let dh use his tools. Dh doesn't understand why the guy would do that... but I think he was just trying to be nice and give us a break. So he ended up putting FIVE pounds of freon into our unit. From what I understand... if you need less than a pound in a year's time, that's almost normal. But five pounds? That means you have a leak. The guy told me there were two ways to find the leak, but it was expensive. So I guess because I didn't say "find the leak" he didn't want to charge us as much money as it would cost. He also thinks it still might be the inside coil is dirty, deep down in the coils and he told me about a cleaning solution that I could get from Home Depot, which he says is about $4.00 a can. But he charges $120 to do the cleaning, so he told me how to do it. It ended up being $8.xx per can, and he said to buy one for each side of the coil. We haven't tried cleaning it yet.

What was happening with our unit is the inside coils were freezing over, which was in turn causing the unit to run and run and run and run and in spite of running constantly the temperature in the house was staying the same. That's a very bad sign. Air conditioners are very costly, running into the thousands to replace. Most people don't understand all the care that goes into them and wonder why they break so often. It's because air conditioners need regular attention. We have been using these cheapy filters and I wanted to buy something that was washable and found these on the Internet. When I first saw them, they were $70 each and they recommend you buy two. I asked dh about it, and I'm glad I waited! Sheesh!! I was looking around at Walmart yesterday and found they have washable, reusable filters for under $4.00!!!! I bought two, so we can let one soak and be thoroughly cleaned and have a clean, dry one to put in.

Ds2 asked me when I was going to start doing a "Song of the Day". I guess I will start, but his SOTD is one for every single day that he posts. I don't see being able to keep up with one song every single day. So today's "Song of the Day" is tobyMac's Lose My Soul from the Portable Sounds album.

As a surprise for me on Wednesday, ds2 switched out my toilet for my new one. Unfortunately, it is flushing veeerrrryyyyy slowly. You can see here in the photo to the left how very close the water is rising to the top of the rim. We have done a bit of troubleshooting, but this might be one of those things that wait until dh returns. It could be a number of things wrong. Ds2 says the back part of the toilet foot is sitting on carpet, which could cause the carpet to be unbalanced, which could cause a slow flush. Or there could be something in the toilet pipes, which is causing a bit of a clog. The holes under the rim could be clogged, although I poked through each and every one of them with a nail. Anyway, lots of things we could try, but we haven't had the time or energy.

Ds2 has been cooking like a mad fiend all week long. He made himself a daily menu and stuck to it, really liked the idea and the ease - no stress each day "What's for dinner?" so he's asked me to generate a meal plan each week. AGH. Like I need one more thing to do. I figure if we have four week's worth of meal plans we can just do them over and over and over again. Right?

Let's see, he's made Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo ala Alton Brown. He also made my version of Posole, made with chicken instead of beef. The first time we had it was with a good friend, I believe it was her birthday and her neighbor made the dish for her, which was one of her favorites. That version was made with beef, but I prefer mine made with chicken breasts He's also made a very expensive, rich, but tasty Salmon with Cream Cheese Dip. Pineapple Upside Down Muffins, which brings me to another thing that happened this week. Ds2 cut his thumb pretty bad. I'll spare you the closeup, gory pics he took with the cut laid wide open. You can trust me, it was GROSS looking. He cut it with a serrated-edged knife whilst trying to open a jar of maraschino cherries. I was out milking and I heard this, "Raaahhhh!" sound from the porch. I thought... "Is he trying to scare me? What was that about?" He disappeared right away, and I put the girl away I was done milking and got the next one out. Then he comes to the porch again and yells, "Come see all the blood!" GREAT! I left the goat on the stand and went inside to see what was going on. He tells me he cut his thumb to the bone. He was letting it just bleed all over the place, so I asked him to rinse it so I could see how bad it was. I really don't think they do stitches in fingers or thumbs, so I told him I didn't think a visit to the ER was necessary. I had him rinse it, checked it out and then had him hold a paper towel to it. He said he wasn't feeling so good, so I had him sit down so he wouldn't faint on me. He was pale looking by that time. We got the bleeding to stop and I went back out and finished milking. When I came back in, I immersed the bucket of milk into the chilling bucket and did a bit of Internet research. I then took a trip to town for butterfly bandages, steri-strips and other assorted bandaging items, plus some finger cots (a small condom-type covering to place on your finger if you need to wash dishes and don't want the cut to get wet or exposed to bacteria while cooking).

I got my sister's birthday gift sent off to her in time to reach her on her birthday! I took a clock and made a new face for it, using a picture of her children when they were younger. A picture from four years ago. She loved it, and she cried when she saw it. She has it in her kitchen. I'm so happy she likes her gift.

On the knitting front... I've actually made a bit of progress on the newest baby sweater. I started out last week with a goal to knit for 30 minutes each evening, but that was really far too much relaxation time spent on knitting, for it was cutting into sleep time after all the chores were completed. I did get another few inches completed though. It takes me about 15 minutes to complete one inch. So it will be slow going on this one, but at least I'm staying with it. I have felt so crappy I haven't even had the strength to knit. Ugh.

I heard that a young lady who helps with blood draws for goats was in town yesterday. I asked to see if she could squeeze me in. Thank God, she never called. I do want to get all the goats tested again for CAE. The only little girl that we sold last year has come up positive for CAE. But the gal who owns her, had a lot of babies from that time period show positive for CAE. She called to let me know, and ask me if I wanted the little girl back. I told her we didn't. It is too hard to deal with. I'm pretty sure our herd is negative, as we keep a closed herd and the only doe we've brought in from was a CAE-free herd. However, we haven't tested for 2-3 years now. And this disease can pop up unexpectedly. Your does might be clean one year and positive the next, simply because immune systems are weaker and they succumb to the virus. At least, this is what I've heard.

On the FlyLady front. I've done NOTHING. I have been too tired, and sick. I have not even shined my sink in probably two weeks now. I have continued keeping ds1's room clean, and today is the day we clean his room again. I still feel tired this morning, and don't want to get any worse so I am not sure what all I'll get done today. Ds2 asked me yesterday, "Why do you put so much pressure on yourself to get things done? Why not take it easy?" Well, easy to say my dear son. He knows how much work it takes to keep this place going.

Let's see, anything else... oh yes. Yesterday I went to a rummage sale. I got a few things there.Coffeemaker for dh. It's a Black and Decker Spacesaver model, $5. Hope it works! His old one leaks and make a black mess on the counter. There are eight of the glasses, $2.00 for the set. The Crockette was $1.00. The two necklaces and two bracelets were a quarter each. Both necklaces look well made and ds2 saw 14kt on the serpentine necklace. (I wonder if they are worth anything!?) There is a 14kt on the heart necklace, that one cost $0.75. There is a pair of hoop earrings that look like 14kt. I've been wanting a pair of hoops, but haven't wanted to pay the price for them. These were $1.00. My ears will be able to tell, since I can't wear anything less than 14kt or my ears start itching and turning red. A brand new, never been used Windows keyboard for $2. Always good to have a spare on hand. Two Reader's Digest magazines for ds2 which the lady let me have for free. I spent $16, or maybe $14... what else did I get? Hmmm... I think a couple of things were left out in the car.

Well, I think that about catches me up for now. So many more things happened, like on Friday it was so hot that the critters drank up all their water and when we got home after being gone for six hours their buckets were turned over and bone dry. Now we have to get either more water buckets in the pens or start filling them every single day. And now it's time to throw hay.

Until next time.

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Homemade Egg Noodles

I have been making homemade chicken soup since I got sick last Friday... well, three batches and I have one more chicken thawed out. I've been making chicken salad sandwiches with the extra chicken.

On the first night that I made chicken soup, I also made homemade egg noodles.

The recipe I followed was from my old La Leche League cookbook. Very simple and easy. I paid ds2 to milk, feed and water on Saturday night, while I stayed inside and made dinner. Chicken vegetable soup with egg noodles.

Especially since our hens are laying again. They were on strike again and didn't lay for about three weeks. We actually had to break down and buy eggs from the grocery store (four dozen).

Anyway, crack two eggs in a bowl, scramble well. Mix in 1 teaspoon salt. Now mix in some flour - between 1.5 to 2 cups until the dough is pliable. Don't knead, just mix it together well. Roll it out on a floured surface until the dough is about 1/8th of an inch thick (or thicker if you prefer a thicker, more dumpling-type noodle). Use a pizza slice cutter to cut the noodles to your preferred length and width.

I like to strain the broth from my soup temporarily, bringing the broth/stock to a boil to cook the noodles. They take seconds to cook. You can tell when they are done because they float. You can also remove a noodle from the pot and taste it for doneness.

Until next time.

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I Lost My Balloons!

Not today. When I was five years old.

My Grandpa brought some balloons over to our house for me. I don't remember if it was my birthday... it could have been my birthday as the weather was fair out. There were several and they were helium balloons.

I don't know what possessed me, but while my mom was napping on the couch, I took my balloons out in the front yard and let... them... go... Ohhhh!! I was very upset, I ran in to rouse my mom, and I remember crying and crying about my balloons. I seem to recall that she didn't get up, so I ran back outside and watched them float all the way up into the sun.

I had nightmares for YEARS and YEARS over my lost balloons. Even today, when I see balloons floating away, it conjures up feelings inside me. Feelings of great regret and angst from what I said to myself as a small child and for years during those nightmares, "How stupid could I have been? Why didn't I just reach out and grab them? Why didn't I just grab the string?!" I wonder if perhaps my mom said those very words to me? I seem to recall trying hard to wake her up and she wouldn't get up.

Anyway, so ds1 and ds2 are both sick with the cold that I had, except that theirs turned into really bad sore throats, with coughing. I decided to take them in to the doctor instead of wondering and hoping they were going to be okay. Ds1 had a rash on his face which really made me wonder what was going on with him. He wasn't quite as sick as ds2 yet. Ds2 was dying of the sore throat pain. We tried all kinds of over-the-counter meds, none seemed to do much for him.

While at the clinic, waiting to get my ds1 and ds2 signed in, a little boy was holding onto a Valentine's Day balloon... helium filled... he was moving his arm up and down, bobbing the balloon in the air, and suddenly... he let go of the balloon!! Oh no!!! The balloon floated up, way up high to a part of the clinic that had very high ceilings. The poor baby starting crying and his heart was just broken. His pregnant mother was talking to someone at the clinic and did not even notice the crying, sobbing, angry little boy at her feet. I couldn't stand to hear him crying, so I went over to the mother. I asked her first, "Do you speak English?" She said she spoke just a little bit of English. So I went on and asked her if she bought the balloon for her little boy and did she know how much they cost? The lady that she'd been talking to translated as I spoke to her. She said someone had given her little boy the balloon, so she didn't know how much they cost. So I offered her a five dollar bill and asked her if she would please buy him another balloon and I asked her to please tell him that she was going to buy him another one, so he wouldn't cry anymore. He seemed to cheer up after she told him she was going to get him a new balloon, and I patted him on the head and told him it would be okay now, mommy will get a new balloon for you.

Another lady who worked at the clinic saw him crying, and she tried to see if they had a ladder, but couldn't locate one. She ended up getting two books for him to take home with him.

The physician's assistant did a quick strep test and the results came back showing positive for ds1, of which they say his rash is a symptom. Both boys are now on antibiotics for the next ten days. The PA asked ds2 if his throat feels like he is swallowing glass and he said it did. She said she had this same cold just last week, so she was really empathetic to the pain they were in.

I have to give thanks to God for the fact that I didn't get as sick as the boys. I am sleep deprived due to them being sick, and being up during the night with them, but I did not get the sore throat and I am able to keep going and doing everything I have to get done. Like milking for example. It would be very difficult to be as sick as the boys are, and still get milking done every evening. I have taken the entire week off at work. I don't have the comp time to do this... but I will make it up. I am going to work for a few hours from home tomorrow to try to get some of the billing completed.

Until next time.

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Sick Again Already

I normally don't get sick for a year or two at a time. I was sick with a head cold back in October and now here I am sick with a head cold again. I know why, because I haven't been taking care of myself properly. By that I mean I haven't been getting enough sleep, and have been drinking coffee just to stay awake.

My typical day for the past couple weeks has been getting up at 3:30am, I'm driving and away from home for 11.5 hours, coming home milking, then getting to bed at 9pm if I'm lucky. On Friday night I started feeling like my throat wasn't right. Just a bit scratchy. This has been my last 24 hours.

5am - 7am Cleaned kitchen, swept floor. The kitchen wasn't too bad, but it did take me 2 straight hours! I have not been able to "shine the sink" this entire past week. Daily upkeep makes a HUGE difference in weekend cleaning time.

7am - 7:15am Threw hay.

7:15am - 9:30am Sleeping.

9:30am - Noon Finished knitting the scarf I started on Friday. Don't remember what I was doing but I was up and awake and busy.

Noon - 3pm More Sleeping.

3pm - 8pm Awake. Helped ds2 clean coils on the outside part of the air conditioning unit. Cooked dinner (chicken soup with homemade egg noodles). Paid ds2 (who was not showing any signs of being sick yet) to milk. Watched a terrible Pay Per View movie called _Crank_. Yuck.

8pm - 2:30am Sleeping.

2:30am - 4:00 Hungry, warmed up some chicken soup. Computer time.

4:00am - 7:15am Asleep.

7:15am - 7:30am Threw hay.

7:30am - 8am Tidied up, vacuumed ds1's bedroom. Washed his bedding. He did very good this week. Not even *one* dish in his room! And he used his garbage can all week long. Very nice job.

8:00am - 11:00am Not sure what all I did... but do remember one outstanding thing. I sewed with my new machine. I made a cover for the top of the sewing machine cabinet, to keep it looking new. My new machine is incredible and amazing. I can only say the smoothness of it makes me think of cutting through butter. The motor is quiet and it is so smooth.

11:00am - 3:20pm Back in bed, more sleeping.

3:20pm to now Some computer time. Also dragged the old three story rat cage off the porch. Started my clothes in the washer. Heated up some cream of chicken soup for ds2 who is now sick and very thrilled about it. He's the weirdest person. He longs to be sick and looks forward to it. He got lucky this time. Normally he doesn't get sick. He's been sick maybe 8 times in his 17 years. I attribute his strong immune system to two things. Extended breastfeeding, and no vaccinations.

I was stressing because our air conditioner is not working. It is icing up on the coils. We cleaned the coils both inside and out. We were so excited to see how dirty the outside coils were, because we were sure that was causing the unit to ice up. But alas, once we got it all nice and clean, the unit still started icing up and is not cooling the house down. It just runs and runs and runs. I have learned more about air conditioning units in the last few weeks than I've ever known in my entire life. What with dh not being here, he is the one that usually keeps up with the maintenance on the a/c unit.

Speaking of another thing dh does, the oil changes on my vehicle. Now that ds2 is sick, he isn't going to be able to change the oil this weekend for me. I think I'm already past 5000 miles. Agh. Now is not the time to start falling down on oil changes - my odometer just turned over 200,000 a month or so ago, and now it's close to 204,000. We've been very faithful with oil changes at 3000 to 4000 miles for the entire time we've owned it. It has been a wonderful, reliable vehicle. I would always recommend Nissan Pathfinders. Mine is the 1996 model. Very lovely vehicle. The nicest I've owned in my entire life.

I just talked to ds2 and asked him how long he thinks we can go without the air conditioner. Reason being, it is stressing me out because I'm sick, he's sick and I don't want anyone coming into our home without a bit more work on our part. The boys' bathroom still needs some serious attention. It is a terrible mess. I wouldn't want to have someone come over and need to use the toilet and see that disaster area. Also, ds2 did some decluttering in the livingroom yesterday, cleaning out a shelving unit and threw away four bags of "stuff". It was really annoying as I was on the computer for the first time in days and he kept asking me if he could throw this or that away. He was behind me, so I had to keep turning all the way around to see what he was talking about. He did a great job decluttering though and even cleaned up and vacuumed the living room after he was done. So the living room is fairly clean. Except he put four bags of garbage on the back porch, which is the main entryway to our home. And the garbage can is already full. So I have nowhere to put that garbage. Plus 2-3 loads of bedding and clothing from last week's cleaning of ds1's room is still sitting on the porch.

See I was thinking I need to get someone out immediately, since it is already starting to heat up here. But ds2 said he didn't think we'd call anyone out for a couple of weeks at least. That really takes a big load off my mind. Because now I don't have to force myself to clean the boys' bathroom, the porch, etc.

It's time like these that I embrace my faith, refusing to let life get me down. This is all I need, is to be sick. I have always thought the reason I rarely get sick is because of my devotion to getting the proper hours of sleep for my body. I have been running myself ragged the past couple of weeks, and now it's time for me to cut way back on the things I'm doing. As much as I hate the thought of it, I am going to have to. There is also the worry of getting so very ill like I was back in the summer of 2002.

Did I mention here yet that my job finally approved my extra day each week? That's what you call cutting back, yessiree. ;-)

Seriously, we need the money. Speaking of money, I haven't had time to look at our money for weeks again. I have no idea how much we owe and to whom. I should get off this computer now.

One more thing. I'm doing all I can to keep this virus from getting any worse than it is now. It basically feels like a head cold and I'm just really tired. Every time I exert myself physically I start to sweat and then I get really worn out tired. Even sitting at the sewing machine made me really tired.

Until next time.

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Playing Hooky

That's what it feels like. Because I have been conditioned all my life to go, go, go, no matter what, unless I'm deathly ill. Heck, in my twenties, I went even when I was deathly ill. I worked in a warehouse, driving a forklift, unloading trailers, loading the small Toyota longbed which we sent out on daily deliveries. Every Thursday we rented a big truck which our truckdriver, Melody, drove. I admired that woman to no end. She was one tough momma.

I remember one day there, laughing hysterically about something and I could hardly hear myself laughing because my ears were clogged with infection. My tonsils were infected and swollen and I could hardly swallow. My throat ached, my eyes were watering, my nose was running. But I didn't have sick leave and I had been programmed all my life that you don't stay home from school/work unless you are so sick you have to crawl to the toilet. Not that I was sick much. I pretty much just kept going, no matter how I felt. Especially since I worked for minimum wage, had no medical insurance, or sick leave. Other jobs I've had, the State for one, required a doctor's excuse if you were out more than three days in a row. Who went to the doctor for a mere cold? You had to, if you didn't want to get written up.

In the summer of 2002, I started getting sick and I kept pushing myself for days. I had already been under a great deal of stress as we were looking for a new place to live, and the thought of moving alone is always stressful for me. Before I knew it, I was deathly ill. My eldest son ended up having to be hospitalized with the same illness, pneumonia, for ten days. I was out of work for an entire month. I was so weak and so ill that I couldn't sit up in a chair for more than an hour at a time. After I finally was able to go back to work, I couldn't work more than four hours at a time, and had to drive to my friend's house, who lives near my job, to lie down and take a nap before I could manage the hour long drive home. I also had to use those drivable shopping carts that the grocery stores provide for people who are handicapped. Those suck. I can't tell you how many times the battery ran out on me, and I'd be stranded in the back of the store. I'd have to walk slowly up to the front and ask to speak with the manager about the situation. I was so weary. It was a very scary time in my life, as I've always felt strong and capable.

During that time, my youngest son was the best nursemaid you could ever ask for. He waited on me hand and foot. My dh strung a piece of rope from my bedroom into the living room and attached a bell to it, so I could ring it whenever I needed something. I was experiencing bouts of violent coughing. I was not hungry at all, but suddenly I'd become ravenously hungry, which would quickly escalate into nausea. I had to eat something, quick, but everything made me feel like puking. So I'd ring for ds2 and ask him to list off what we had on hand that he could make for me. Buttered noodles were a favorite, quick and easy. I was trying to keep myself hydrated so instead of the guys bringing ice water in to me all day long they'd bring me a bucket of ice in the morning and a gallon container of water. I remember I started having trouble drinking plain water, and found I liked it a lot better with just an ounce of juice or so per 8 ounces of water.

I was experiencing a lot of fear. We were right in the middle of signing the contracts to buy this place out here, and I was sicker than a dog with Parvo. I found the only thing that kept me comforted and calm was to keep my Bible near me (under my pillow), and my mom gave me a little booklet called 40 Thought Conditioners by Norman Vincent Peale that I read over and over again. I prayed a lot. I had grown distant from my God prior to this sickness, but I felt I was spiritally reawakened and renewed my relationship with God because of it.

I had gone to the doctor; he said it was a cold and gave me antibiotics and cough medicine. The cough medicine made me have horrible nightmares. I had a series of four in a row. One of them convinced me to stop taking the cough medicine. I was sitting in a darkened room, a large oval table with chairs and several suit-dressed elderly men sitting there with me. I said to the one nearest me, "So what? Am I here to meet my Maker?" He replied, "You will be if you take another dose of that cough medicine."

Uh, I did not take one more dose. A couple of weeks into being sick, my chest started feeling constricted and I couldn't breathe. I also couldn't sleep. I thought I hadn't slept for three days, but my mom tells me it was really nine days. I went in to Urgent Care and they told me I was having an asthma attack. They diagnosed me with bronchitis-induced asthma and gave me medication to use. It must have been Albuterol and it did help me to breathe. I lost 15 pounds in that month while I was sick. And of course gained it back within six months.

Eventually I got better. But I became afraid of my body's ability to heal itself. I was so weak. It took me a good six months until I felt like I had some strength. I'm now very careful not to push myself too hard. Luckily, thank God, I rarely get sick-sick. I think I've been out sick from work one day since summer of 2002, and that was because I injured one of my tonsils trying to swallow too big of a piece of dry pork which I hadn't chewed well enough. My tonsil became inflamed and infected, and I felt like crap and thought I was getting a cold. But it turned out that it was only the injured tonsil causing me to feel so crappy. Actually I have been able to prevent tonsillitis for over a decade now by gargling with strong salt water.

I'm baking Baked Maple Egg Custard as I type. Ooops, the timer just went off, I guess it's done. Of course, I futzed with the recipe. I used 2 1/4 cups milk and 6 eggs. I was trying to think of something to make that will help to use up some of the milk and eggs. We are getting over one gallon of milk each day and we have not yet started to use it for anything much more than drinking it and I've been freezing either a half gallon or gallon every day. A friend of mine has offered to send her cream separator in exchange for the website work I've done for her. We're pretty excited about it. She is hoping to get it shipped today.

So... I feel like I'm playing hooky, since I'm not deathly ill. My brain feels fuzzy, and I know I would have gotten nearly nothing done if I had gone in. At least this way I can nap if I'm tired, I don't have to be stressed out about everything I'm trying to do in not enough time. It was hard to make the decision to not go in, because I have so much going on this week. And so much left over from last week.

Ds2 just woke up and said he thinks he's stepped into the Twilight Zone, because the house is cleaned up (courtesy of dh) and I'm home on a Tuesday. One of ds2's birthday gifts that he requested was "The Aligner" by DMT. I found mention of The Aligner on this website, with this comment, "To a chef, there is nothing more important than his knife. It is not only an extension of his hands, it is an extension of his very personality. The knife is a chef’s paintbrush." Wow. That is cool. See, ds2 loves to cook and is such a good cook, I envision him becoming a chef. I know he would make an excellent chef. I love that he is so knowledgeable about cooking things, and many times I can just ask him questions, instead of having to go to the Internet and do a search. He seems to absorb the information by osmosis, a true sign to me of extreme interest. There are just some things I'm interested in, and others I'm not. I get pissy if I feel I'm being forced to learn something I don't want to, because it's HARD to try to cram that information into my head! But if I'm interested in it, I just suck the information right into my brain and remember it easily.

I am going to take advantage of this opportunity to figure out our budget and do some more crocheting on the baby sweater! I also just tried the custard and it is delicious! So smooth and delicate tasting, and SO SIMPLE! Just put all the ingredients into your blender My maternal grandmother used to make egg custard in little cups. I never much cared for it as a child. I wasn't much of an egg fan. I think part of the problem is sometimes the whisk that Grandma used didn't thoroughly blend the eggs.

Until next time.

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