Cold and overcast outside Monday. Sunday low rumbling thunder began just before dawn and it rained all morning til about noon, thunder, lightning, heavy rain at times. Little dog was already trembling and panting when we rolled out of bed so I gave her a half of the CBD chew that worked so well last time. 30 minutes later gave her the other half but while she wasn't quite as manic she didn't stop the trembling and panting til the rain stopped. Almost 3” of rain.
So I went and had my covid test on Sunday. She handed me a bag of stuff through the drive-up prescription window...a vial of liquid, the swab, an alcohol wipe, a page of info. First loosen the cap on the vial, next unwrap the swab and stick it up one nostril, make 3 revolutions inside your nostril and let it sit for 15 seconds, stick it up the other nostril and repeat, remove the cap off the vial and stick the icky swab inside using the edge of the vial and the notch on the swab stick to break off the stick leaving the icky swab in the fluid, cap it, place it back in the zip lock bag, use the alcohol wipe to lift the top of the metal container beside the window, deposit the bag and wipe the entire length of the top of the metal container, throw the trash away at home. It was uncomfortable but not painful, made my eyes water but I was more afraid it was going to make me sneeze while it was up there. Now I wait. So no yoga class til I get my results. Tomorrow maybe. And I had to reschedule my dermatologist appointment.
Sunday was warm, high 70s, wind coming from the south until about 3 PM when it shifted suddenly coming from the north very gusty and the temperature started dropping. I managed to get the half dozen or so plants back in the house or garage before the rain really started coming down Sunday morning because while it was warm then, Sunday night hit mid 30s. The yellow angel trumpet enjoyed its few days outside and now has three open blooms on it.
Marc and I both have been researching KETO diet and also pre-diabetes diet and basically, I already eat all the good stuff, already don't eat the bad stuff, don't need to and shouldn't lose any weight so that just leaves carbs. I tried the riced chickpea rice substitute Sunday night (several other types out there) and it was OK, just nothing like rice, more like a creamy orzo. And I confess I did make another crostata but I had already thawed out the peaches and it was just half peaches and half dewberry and blueberry.
And I checked the patient portal to see what my A1C is...5.6 with 5.7 and up being considered pre-diabetic so the A1C puts me in the normal range if only just while my blood sugar puts me in the pre-diabetic range.
So like I said, cold soggy and overcast yesterday, and today the same, only supposed to hit mid 50s so I'm inside all day again though the library called yesterday and they want their book back which I just finished Sunday night so I slipped it in the outdoor book drop but no browsing for something new to read. Guess I'll just continue to shell pecans, my evening activity all last week which is also my book reading time and why it was so overdue that the library called.
What an exciting life I lead, right? I did get the little table inside cleared off that I use for drawing so maybe I'll get motivated to try a watercolor again. And remember those two packages of two year old sweet pea seeds I planted a week or so ago? Well, 7 have sprouted.
And finally, a picture of Emma and Big Mama hanging out together.
Well, getting a covid test sounds pretty exciting. A rite of passage I have no experienced yet.
ReplyDeleteI do love the picture of Emma and Big Mama. Looks like you interrupted their conversation.
That crostata looks delicious. I will have to try to make one of those soon. Can you use one of those refrigerated pie crusts and a can of pie filling?
ReplyDeleteHope you get your COVID test results soon and the results are negative.
I use the Pillsbury pie crust in the refrigerated section because it uses lard. the store version uses veg oil and I don't think they are as good. I've never used canned pie filling. it's just so easy with fresh fruit. use berries then you don't have to skin and slice the other fruit.
DeleteInteresting step by step about testing. I haven't done that yet. But now I know more about it, thank you.
ReplyDeleteI once tried a canned pie filling, just to see. Decided fresh tasted better and I could decide how much sweetening it needed.
Hi. I don't know how you feel about this, but..... our dear Yorkie, Sheba, who is no longer with us,
ReplyDeleteused to go absolutely ballistic during thunderstorms. On top of me, panting, etc. At least until she got really old, and was pretty much deaf. Our vet gave me a prescription for Diazepam. I kept it on hand, and it really helped. I called those Sheba's thunder pills. It was a very small amount; 1/2 or 1/4 a tablet. Funny thing, the directions said to give "30 minutes before impending storm" ----as if our weather predictions were that accurate! At least, when I heard the storm approaching, I could give it to her and sit with her until it took effect. She never had any adverse reactions. And I could relax a little.
Yes, I did that. They did it to me through the window tho.
ReplyDeleteBy the Goddess that's a beautiful cat.
ReplyDeleteEmma is a pretty girl. Glad you got tested just because. I have yet to go through that but cases are minimal up here and i do not go anywhere or see anyone, going a little bit crazy. Dennis has cut out all carbs and i do mean ALL. but his case was rather extreme. He eats fat. You are so healthy , you will be just fine!
ReplyDeleteHope that Covid test comes back negative, and then you can sigh a big relief, breathe out without worry.
ReplyDeleteYour kitty cat Emma is quite a beauty. Love Big Mama too.
Wow, we are not allowed to test ourselves (yet?) and instead have medical students in full protective gear poking down our throats and/or nostrils. You should have symptoms by now, so chances are you'll be negative, yes? YES?
ReplyDeleteLibraries are shut here, I have started to listen to audio books while cleaning because otherwise they put me to sleep.
My drug store administers Covid tests every hour they are open. They reopened the pneumatic tube to dispense prescriptions. Sometimes I can't get through the Covid line to get in the prescription line. I wonder if Big Mama and Emma know how to speed it up.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first looked at that photo of Big Mama and Emma, I didn't quite register where they were. It looked as though they were on top of a shiny car, and I couldn't for the life of me figure out how that turtle got up there!
ReplyDeleteYou don't even want to hear my exciting story. In short, I'm home and my car is in a mechanic's shop in Bandera. It will sort itself out eventually, but I'll sure be glad to have all the complications over with.
that's so weird, isn't it, when your brain refuses to make sense of a photo you're looking at. Bandera? How'd you get home?
DeleteI really must make the effort to make a Crostata--Joanne Noragon makes them all the time and they look so delicious. I like that you put a coffee filter (yes/no?) or parchment under your crostata to keep the mess from your pie plate. Good call!
ReplyDeleteparchment paper. and they are so easy. I like them because they only take one pie crust and are smaller as there are only two of us here.
DeleteDo-it-yourself Covid testing was a revelation to me. We do not have that option here. And this evening I watched a news item about a company here in Australia who have developed a Covid DIY unit and gained approval for the American market.
ReplyDeleteThe yellow angel's trumpet is spectacular. I've just finished reading a book about the deadly angel's trumpet, the narrative alternating between contemporary Australia and England and Chile in the mid-nineteenth century. Mystery, intrigue and dirty work at the crossroads.
Emma is a princess among cats!
Alphie
another reader also said they aren't allowed to do it themselves either in Germany. it's not that difficult. I mean how hard is it to stick something up your nose and twirl it around? I guess they were just extra cautious at the CVS (pharmacy) as Texas is #2 in total infections and #2 in deaths in this country.
DeleteApparently, there was a study recently with a large group of teachers who were testing themselves - with a youtube video, a detailed printout explanation and a 24 hrs call-in service for questions - every third day or so to assess a) how reliable self testing is compared to administered tests and b) how self assessment prior to testing works out (from "I feel fine" before a positive test to "oh really, I do have a sore throat and shiver") and the result was mixed with 30% false negative and/or positive results from self tests. This being Germany, it's not good enough for approval, yet.
Deleteinteresting. I can understand how you might get a false negative but a false positive? either the virus is there or not. still, I think I'll stick with my self administered negative. and I really do feel fine, have zero symptoms.
DeleteI hope your covid test is negative, sending good thoughts on that front. The man and I, who DO need to lose weight, flirt with the keto diet, but I dont think either of us has ever truly spent a day in ketosis. We've come to love all the cauliflower disguises, though, mashed cauliflower with garlic and Parmesan is especially delish.
ReplyDeleteooo, mashed cauliflower. I'll have to try that.
DeleteI'm glad your sweet peas have sprouted, and the fact that your librarians have to call and harass you makes me feel better -- I always feel like such an ogre when I have to badger people about books, but I guess it really does just go with the territory. The trumpet flowers are beautiful! Fingers crossed on the covid test. It seems like it would be hard to stick that swab far enough up your own nose.
ReplyDeleteI hope your Test comes back Negative! Your A1C is great, if only I could get down to that! *Le Sigh* That last Image is everything~!!
ReplyDeleteThat last picture looks like an illustration for a children's book. You should write one! Emma and Big Mama Save the Day! :)
ReplyDeleteI am type one diabetic so have to watch what I eat which is a bit of a pain with all the good stuff going around at this time of year. The Sweet Peas are something to look forward too this coming year. I saved some seed from last years plants and a few germinated so I will be looking forward to see how they do. I also bought some fresh seed too which are doing well.
ReplyDeleteWould "yellow angel" be a cultivar of Jimson Weed (aka Jamestown Weed, aka Loco Weed)? Interesting stuff that. Decades ago, I flirted briefly with the prospect of getting high on it, but concluded that it was likely to be more than I was emotionally--if not physically--prepared to handle.
ReplyDeleteThis is a season that I had rather live where you live because while the Willamette Valley doesn't get snow much, the days are awfully short, chilly, and drizzly, and they stay this way for months.
I very much enjoyed the photos. Ship cat ASAP and throw in turtle for good measure.
the flowers are very similar but they are not related. the jimson weed is a datura and the flowers are upright. the angel trumpet is a brugmansia and it's flowers hang down. I wouldn't try to get high on it though cw is that it's a hallucinogenic but it is also very poisonous. I have had datura in my flower bed. it usually reseeds but I didn't get any volunteers this year.
Deletetoday turned overcast and it's supposed to rain tonight and tomorrow and get colder. but it only usually lasts for a couple of days and then we get sunshine til the next front moves in.
sorry, can't have the cat or the turtle. the cat is about 13 and like to come in in the middle of the night when she hears me stir and stand on me for petting. if I'm not responsive enough, she will stand on my head with her front paws. our son brought the turtle home about 30 years ago after fishing her out of a golf course pond at my parent's when she was about the size of a 50¢ piece and she never died. she has graduated from one fish tank to another to a wading pool to a preformed pond to finally a 600 gallon stock tank. at this rate, she'll outlive me.