if I've learned anything from all this

it's don't  make all your various healthcare checkup appointments in a two month period. So whatever the rash was, it was not shingles...not in the right place and didn't look anything like it. I've decided it was chilblains. It's the only thing that matched from location to the way it looked and felt and duration. And my wrist/hand was getting better, in fact I didn't wear the brace at all yesterday, until I did a stupid thing last night at yoga by doing this pose

image via dreamstime.com

except the soles of my feet were together in prayer position and yes, I'm bragging and my wrist was decidedly not happy about that so I wore the brace during part of the night and this morning. It's much better now, several hours later, so hopefully no great set back.

I was supposed to get my new crowns today but they were too white, like beacons, so they were sent back to see if they could be darkened, dentist says probably. I thought they mixed up the porcelain or ceramic the color selected but apparently, the color is a stain or paint and then it's coated with a glossy something so they can remove the polish and re-stain/paint and then add the coating again. Nothing is easy with me so I spent an hour in the dentist chair and left with the same temporary crowns I arrived with. Made my grocery store run, had lunch, loaded up the car with the recyclables and took them, walked the dog and now the day is done.

Yesterday at SHARE we got all the donated food sorted and stored and Thursday the monthly food delivery from the food bank in Victoria arrives. One of the volunteers had stayed on Saturday and unpacked the boxes and bags on the floor and my station was swamped. There wasn't a square inch of unoccupied space on the counters and more than one layer. Once we got all the food examined, we have to check the expiration dates on every single item because some people will just empty their pantries of all the old stuff hanging around (it gets tossed unless one of the volunteers wants it which no one does, some of that stuff was up to four years old), and put away I stayed another hour to organize my station, just the kind of minor OCD stuff that I like doing though if you were to see the condition of my desk and large and small work tables in the studio room in the house you would never believe it.

The other thing I did yesterday was upload to one of the glass art groups on FB the formulas for the colors of sand in the glass frit that I used on the drowned feather pieces. I had seen a post by someone looking for guidance so I thought I would share.

OMG, hundreds of people responded! They left comments, I got private messages, all very thankful and appreciative, several people said I should package it up and sell it. Nah, I was happy to just share it, not like I spent a month coming up with them, just a day messing around.

All but one of the Chinese fringe flower small trees are blooming,

something they haven't done well for a couple of years, and the little climbing jasmine is putting out its buds and the azaleas are opening their first blooms (still very pink out there)

so of course they're predicting a hard freeze Saturday night. Last night they were saying a low of 21˚, this morning it was adjusted to 25˚, and I looked just now and the predicted low is a very tolerable not so hard 31˚ so if it stays that way I won't have to cover the ponytail palm that takes two people to accomplish and all the new growth on all the other tenders might survive.

Well, it's almost dark and time to migrate to the couch with my book.

another test and the first blush of spring

I'm writing this part Thursday evening and as of Thursday evening, the whatever it is on my hands and feet has resolved itself and it has pretty much cleared up. Tuesday was probably the worst day. Even so, there was a bit of drama going on here this afternoon. We got a phone message from one of my readers expressing her concern (for which I am grateful) and suggested I look up covid toes and wished me to be well. That had not occurred to me this whole time so I did, it strikes the toes and fingers, hands and feet, palms and soles and the redness and swelling and sometimes lumps so it was sounding too possible. Also said it can be mistaken for chilblains. I did read about chilblains as it had come up in my searches and it described it perfectly but I discounted it since, one , it doesn't get that cold here and two, it had been warm the week I broke out.

I called my sister...so, this happened. Call your doctor, call your dermatologist and see what they say. So I called both but only got a call back by the dermatologist so far. So, this happened, I told her, and what did she think since she hadn't seem to know right off oh this is...whatever. She's waiting to see the results of my blood work and wants to rule out a few things but she did bring up that covid toes is similar to chilblains and we talked about that. Mainly that chilblains is a vascular thing, and maybe stress, and as such, I guess not limited to cold triggers. OK, that's logical. But, she says, it's entirely possible that you could be infected. She suggested getting tested again.

I had already tried to register at the local CVS which does free testing or I could wait for the once a week free countywide testing that changes location from city to city and I had just missed it here last Tuesday. I didn't qualify at CVS because my symptom wasn't listed and I don't think I have been exposed. So the dermatologist called the CVS to see if they would accept a 'script from her for the test. No, I would have to register online. But her symptom isn't on the online list. Just have her select something. So, I lied and I'm getting tested Friday. I really don't think I have covid. Covid toes with zero other symptoms or likely exposure seems very unlikely (and a call back from my PCP's office this Friday morning confirmed that it is rare but go get tested). I think the most likely reason is chilblains. But we'll see.

So much for the latest installment of, as Mary Moon calls it, how it is for old people.

----------

This Friday morning the sun rose on a clear blue sky which didn't even last a half hour before it started clouding over and now it is completely overcast. The bird feeder was empty again, they empty it in a day, the birds and the squirrels. I'm seeing all the usual...sparrows, goldfinches which I expect will continue their migration soon, a house finch or two, cardinals, chickadees, titmice, white wing doves, inca doves, I think maybe the little warblers that winter over here are gone, hard to tell through the screen and dirty window.

And now the sun has won out burning away the overcast though still a little hazy, temperatures in the high 50˚s heading for the mid 60˚s. The red shouldered hawks are out calling for mates during a stroll around the yard in which spring is emerging pinkly.

The various roses,

these so vibrant that even in the shade the camera can't pick up the detail in the flowers,

another small chinese fringe flower tree in bloom,

the blooming maple tree,

the first open blooms of the woodland petal pink, invasive little things that they are,

it's not all pink out there as the anemones are also showing off. 

And the pansies and violas, the only thing blooming until a few days ago during the short winter.

fingers and toes, palms and soles

This weird rash is getting better even as it continues to spread though I think it has stopped spreading now. Maybe. I don't even know if 'rash' is the right word. A small sore spot that becomes a hard spot that becomes more painful and bigger and red on the surface with a whitish spot in the middle, sometimes a bump, that burns and itches but not the whole time, just once or twice a day that is near impossible to resist, sometimes I can, sometimes not and I scratch and rub until it no longer provides any relief, becomes a throbbing numbness, and then it subsides. Mostly just painful when any pressure is applied which, yesterday, made it hard to walk as it had spread to my left foot as well and hard to type or grasp things so I took Linda Sue's advice and stayed off my feet as much as possible yesterday reading, napping, much to the dog's dismay as no walk happened.

I've been using the ointment mostly on my feet and on my hands only before bed because it is a greasy ointment, then socks, then some slip on soft soled shoes which more or less immobilize my toes which is good because it helps keep them from getting stimulated and itching like mad. The first spots that appeared are mostly gone now, fingertips no longer sore but fingers and palm on my right hand are stiff, can't make a good fist. I think a couple more days and it will be over.

My daughter's no nonsense response to my less than optimal report one after another was “Yeah, I’m gonna need you to pull it together.”

Meanwhile spring is springing along. Today would be a good day to work out in the yard except...hands and feet. And wind, it's a bit windy out there but the woodland violets are blooming all over the yard,

the 10 petal anemones are getting in gear, new growth is showing on everything that froze down, easter lilies are growing well and the climbing rose in the crepe myrtle and oak is starting to bloom, the fringe flower tree outside my window is blooming,

the yellow trumpet flower surprised me by giving me one more bloom

and of course the bluebonnet giving flower #2.

I had the door open Monday and a little wren flew in with nest material in its beak, got alarmed, dropped the dry grass and flew out. Another one flew in later and perched on the edge of the cardboard box with the last of the cracked pecans in it, checked it out and then flew back out. I love the little wrens who often come in the house in the spring and fall when I have the doors open. Curious little birds.

I'm still hesitant to take all the plants back outside and out of the garage as it is still just January and we have at least one more month for a freeze to surprise us.

I nearly finished my book yesterday, have about a dozen or so pages left so gonna do that and then a trip to the library.