Oh, Poo....

Did you know that if you heat chicken broth too much it tastes like...boiled water? Well, it does. Why, you ask, are you heating up chicken broth? Flu? Tummy troubles?

Nope. Nothing that thrilling. 

I'm prepping for my "regular" colonoscopy/endoscope adventure. It's been a little over 10 years, and I'm a bit overdue. What prompted me was the combo of the food poisoning + the antibiotic for my Traitorous Tooth. Trashed me tummy fer sure...

So - in a hunt for "whatever else is going on," my gastro guy has scheduled this. 

I'm just as thrilled as you can imagine. The 20-minute nap is not the problem. It's the prep, the day before. And don't be fooled by the "weight loss." About 85% of it is water anyway. One matcha latte and I'm back to square one. With a sore bum...

Clear liquids, nothing red, and citrate of magnesium. Which some fool thought would be good "flavored." Ummmm. It's not. It's disgusting. 

I can't even have my "bugs" tonight -- that super-duper probiotic. Because, why? I mean, seriously, they're not gonna stick around. I've tried to avoid having them in yogurt because I didn't want the extra calories, but most times, that's the easiest way to get them down. The stuff in water tastes like yeast, which isn't pleasant. Once all of this is over, I'm hoping that everything (tummy included) is back to normal. 

I'm still going to talk to a nutritionist about the lingering symptoms of IBS. The gastro guy said that they could last for a long time. I'm still not sure what triggers it; just knowing that it's a possibility is really not fun. I don't know how those folks who live with this condition even function. 

I'll tell you though: the organic chicken broth I bought was kind of a genius move. The protein is helping my stomach. Last time around, I over-dosed on pineapple gelatin. I'm thinking that all that sugar was not a good idea. So I got the broth; it's fat-free, and I think next go round, I'll add a touch of olive oil to it. I'm not starving; and I've skipped plenty of meals. But I know with the reflux, I need to do something to keep my stomach reasonably happy, all things considered. And this helps. 

Birthday Goodies...

I had a birthday recently and several nice things happened. First, Scone Guy at the office brought scones for us! A few days before my actual birthday, but still... Mine has a decorated label-- well, they all do, but I thought this was terribly cute. 

And what was inside? Well. I did NOT share with Hubby. Call me cruel. But I didn't, so there it is. I actually traded with "C" in the office; he'd given me 2 of them with jalepeno peppers. Not happening, even WITH a decent gut.  These beauties are (on the left) a chocolate chip scone and two "bacon and cheese" scones. 

Ummmmmmmmm. I make a decent "double raisin + cinnamon" scone, but he's got the savory stuff down. The funny thing is, that chocolate one? He's allergic to chocolate. He's got no idea how they taste. Except when we tell him. We really appreciate the treats. And this timing was perfect. I was up to my eyeballs in insurance verifications, and was what my granny would call "stagger-blind" from an office with a set-up whereby I'm this|close to the monitor and frankly? I was kinda cranky and my eyeballs ached. These? Fixed me right up!

And to my own chagrin, I thought Hubby had forgotten (long story...). He texted me when I got to work to say, "I didn't forget - mornings are hectic" -- which they are, truly. Crazed. Insane. 

I had mentioned a while ago that I'd like a Morganite pendant. And this is what he came up with. I'm delighted. 

It's set in rose gold; matches my earrings and the ring he got me a couple of Christmas' ago. I love the tiny diamonds around it. I'm horribly hard on rings, so we do keep it simple with those - I'm either reaching into the bowels of a machine, pulling something from under or out of a dog, or gardening and forgetting that I'm actually wearing rings. 

I've worn it a couple of times and it's just a lovely, simple piece that means a lot to me. 

Then, since my birthday was on a Wednesday, we didn't go out anywhere. My mom kind of yelled at me, but he's got to get up before the chickens, and I get up WITH the chickens. Normally, both of us are fighting to stay awake past 8 p.m. 

Maybe after the "colon cleanse" is done, we'll go out somewhere. God knows, both of us will have earned it by then! 

But anyway, I was eating a sandwich I think. And I wondered if I'd saved a few of Kid #2's "Surprise Ganache Cookies." Lo and behold!! Dessert! 

And, Hubby doesn't particularly like them. He's honestly not a fan of chocolate; but he did ask me if I wanted a candle stuck in one of them... 

These are a "mistake" -- or more properly, an "experiment." Kid #2 was trying to make a rolled cookie, but somehow, the dough slouched a bit, the ganache held, but oozed beautifully, and he then dusted it with cocoa. 

Well. Yum. That is all. I told him that these were my "new favorite" and that henceforth, they were to be included. 

That's what you get when you're a competent baker. 

Knitting with Crystals...

Well, I don't knit with crystals. But I was knitting on the Diamond Smackdown shawl, and my eyes kept being drawn to my crystal bowl full of crystals. 

Good news: I'm past the half-way point and have started the decreases! And as luck would have it (whisper here, so as not to tempt the Knitting Gnomes...), I managed to work it so that it landed just about where it should on the scale, so it should be clear sailing to the end. 

The crystals? Well, there's a rather nice piece of Labradorite, several amethysts, an opal and a citrine + amethyst combination. Allegedly, citrine is "before amethyst" chemically. All I know is that the pale tone of this nearly crystal stone is kind of nice and oddly satisfying to hold. The Labradorite is that greenish hunk up there at the top left with a sheen to it. The opal is right next to it. The striated amethysts you can see. The clear lavender stones are at the bottom of the heart. 

Every so often, I take them in my hands and just meditate. I was an idiot and didn't put them out on the window sill for the blood moon, but I tell myself that we didn't really have a good shot at it anyway. The one window nearest? Our house has large eaves - so you can't see much "up" when you want to. 

One of my friends did "moon water," bottles of water that were set out in the moonlight. I figured that at 22* outside, I'd have had "moon ice," and that wouldn't have been cool. (see what I did there? pun?) 

Anyway, back to knitting. Still absolutely loving this. The decreases are coming along nicely, and I need to ask Hubby how to catch the sparkles of the silver threads running through this yarn. So far, I've had no success, but I'm sure I need to use the Big Camera to do that. 

It's smooth sailing and I'm so looking forward to blocking and wearing it. 

And like I said a few blogs ago - I seem to be monogamous with these projects after a certain point. I've got single socks to do and I really should start some "stash baby" gifts, just in case. But - I'm plowing along on this one. 

I've got another one in mind, as well as finishing a few WIPs that are staring at me since I've tried to reorganize my space. Which I should also be plowing through, since I'm sitting here, but my excuse is "bathroom calls." And I'm sticking to it. I have weekends to mess with that ongoing project of "I need my office back." It's a giant step forward that the laptop is now back here permanently. 

Blood Moon...

So, we talked about Hubby's and my schedules. There was apparently "the only blood moon of 2019" and we missed most of it. He said that at 4 a.m., it was "ok" but not red. I stayed up till a little past 9:30 p.m. and caught...not much of anything. I know folks got better pictures, but it is what it is. My phone's camera is crap, I'm telling you. I didn't buy it for the camera. It's a phone. 

But I tried to catch a bit of the magic through the tree, figuring that would help with focus. Nope. I will tell you, though, barring the freezing weather, I could've just sat and watched. 

To me, the moon is magical. There's a reason for all the lore, and the songs, and the tall tales. Last night, I saw the "face" in the moon and it was so big and so bright... I wish I could've stayed up to watch the whole thing, but 2 a.m. was way too late for me. 

On my drive to work this morning, though? The full moon was wearing a veil...the pinkish clouds were swathing Sister Moon, and the icy air captured some of last night's magic. 

I work in a fairly dull municipality, and often, honestly, I'm on auto-pilot on the drive there. I mean, I'm well aware of traffic because of all the freight -- too many trucks sometimes! But normally, I'm not looking up. 

Today, I had a hard time concentrating because I kept looking up. Sister Moon was in her lavender sky and I was just a-gog. 

The Women's March 2019...

Yes, we marched again this year. There's some sturm-und-drang with the national organization so my friends at Southwest Suburban Activists pulled together with a number of other grassroots groups and "Hey, kids, let's put on a march!" (2 points if you get the Judy Garland/Micky Rooney reference there. Three points if you can name the movie!)

I took pictures, as I usually do, and yet I still wanted a sign for the march. Mary Englebreit provided some beauties for the march, as she always does. This is the one I chose, and I also printed out the 11 x 17 version, which I'll frame and put in my office. It's black-and-white; I added color to make it more visible, and Hubby gave me a long stir-stick and put together a cardboard support, then "laminated" the whole thing with packing tape. 

I stuck it behind my neck as I was wandering around photographing the event. I must've been approached by about a dozen people. Many women wanted ME to use their phones to take pictures of THEM holding MY sign! A few folks wanted to take a picture - of the thing sticking out the back of my neck... Oh well. The point is...the sign. Here are a few more pics from the event...Your Random Picture(s) for this entry of the blog. 

The buttons... tons 'o buttons. 

 That'll teach you to call us "snowflakes."

As long as it's snowing, you may as well enjoy yourself before you march...  
 

 So many kids and parents... 

And the one that "won the signs." 

They're Done...

Yep. The Dreaded Teal Socks are done. DONE. D.O.N.E.... It's taken me what? 5 years? I finished them the day after my 60th birthday (more on that later). 

It's a long time coming, and I'm so glad they are finally done. I think I broke the "Addicted to Sock Knitting" FB page - I posited a question: Should I spend my 60th birthday finishing these or starting something new?

Well... a couple hundred opinions later, a friend said, "Just finish them and get them off your back." So I did. 

As one comment said, "You must've loved them at one time - the stitches are beautiful and I love the yarn." I did love them. Honestly, my "dislike" happened at the heel of Sock #2 - I lost the pattern, couldn't figure out then which heel I was doing, and ended up totally mucking up the heel of that sock. And I was bored of the ribbing. 

If you look closely, you'll see two things: (1) I was literally 1" from the toe decreases -- far too close to finishing to rip the second sock out. And what would I do with a single teal sock??? and (2) there are two distinctly different heels. One is beautiful. One... Isn't. 

And the second sock is about 1" smaller in the circumference and about 1/2" shorter in length - even though I measured it. I think my tension was pretty crapped up, honestly. I was so frustrated at this pair of socks, it was destined that they wouldn't turn out to be a perfect pair. 

Though... if you think about it, my feet aren't a perfect pair either! And I bet yours aren't either -- most of us have one foot larger than the other by a little bit. And then, as we get older, our feet actually grow. I remember (back a long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away), when I was in high school. My shoes were size 7. Now I'm a size 9. 

The needles are the Kubics squares. SUPER-sharp, great for lace. But not great for a person who's a "pusher," like me. I push the needle with my left index finger. Yeah, I know - but each of us has our ways. Those needles are extremely sharp, and I've got a callus on that finger now, rivaling that of my guitar calluses. I had to let my finger rest for about a week before I could pick up the Petty Harbour socks again. 

And I have to say, Petty Harbour is starting to get on my nerves. I love the pattern, and I love the yarn. I love the way this is working up. But the purls are driving me nuts. The 4-row repeat is quick enough, but the "sort-of" ribbing look is a pain in the rear end. Then again, maybe I'm spoiled because my last two pairs have been plainer. The yarn had done all the work in those. This one, it's me and the pattern! There's really no discernable progress, so I didn't bother with a picture. In a few more inches, maybe. I'll be working on them tonight. 

ProFlowers Debacle...

So my 60th birthday was just recently. My oldest friend tried to send me flowers using ProFlowers. Well. The first time was a total mess. 

They were supposed to be delivered on my birthday. Which they weren't. They came a day later. And were left on the porch, because of course they were delivered in the 45 minutes that Hubby was out with the dogs. 

It was a "barely-two-ply" cardboard box, with no insulation, and the flowers were bare - no plastic or anything. 

So -- wilted lettuce. Icky. And I know she paid a good penny for them. So she called and they were supposed to be delivered on the next day. 

Which they weren't. I complained on their Facebook page, and they emailed me. By that time, my friend had arranged a refund. They were supposed to send me a "comp" bouquet. 

They finally arrived on the Thursday. Stargazer lilies. They usually arrive closed, so they can open and you can enjoy them. 

I think they are beautiful, except that the scent isn't what I need right now. 

It'll be interesting to see when (or if) the "comp" bouquet arrives. I think I'll be delivering that one to my friend for all her trouble. 

I don't think I'll be ordering from ProFlowers ever. I do order online when I have to, but I prefer to use a local florist; even if I have to ship flowers somewhere else. I think supporting local businesses is important. 

After all, you CAN get yoga videos on YouTube - but I'd rather you came to my studio. I care about my students, and I can't run a studio without students. Local businesses need you! 

60 Years...

So as I noted, it was my 60th birthday recently. A friend has told me this is "the best decade." I'm not sure. I'm feeling weird because I'm now older than my dad - he only lived to 59. I'm not sure how I feel about that, because even though we weren't close - it still stings a bit. 

I would have liked him to know his grandkids. 

I had somewhat of a melt-down on my birthday; miscommunication was rather the order of the day, and that, coupled with frozen flowers? It just sent me over the edge. It wasn't pretty. But it happened. Time to take a deep breath and go at this thing called "life" again. In a way, this IS a milestone. I'm looking at what my life was and what I am now. And what's next. And I'm so unsure. Maybe the insecurity comes first, and then the "best decade" comes later. 

Chicago Women's March...

...Or the march where we showed (once again) that we despise the Mango occupant of 1600 PA Ave. I went with 299,000 of my new best friends... We were 300,000 at Grant Park. This time, Chicago was prepared, and streets were shut off for us to use - so we actually did gather THEN march. Here we are, the three ReSISTERS as we call ourselves. My friend Sue had her artist hubby make her "sign" - and I'm telling you, we were photographed about every yard or so! Her aunt is the one in the middle. It was her first time. 

What I loved, aside from seeing everyone PEACEFULLY protest, from seeing the young as well as old, the diversity, the creative (and sometimes crude) signs, the joy and the common purpose we shared? Was seeing Sue's aunt's face. She glowed. She was overwhelmed by the energy and the vibe that was at the march. 

It's a transforming experience. And in Chicago - a place I normally avoid. Not because of crime or anything. Just that I don't like the hustle-and-bustle of the city. I'm not a city person. I'm a slower-paced person who's not always racing here and there. Anyway, on this day, everyone slowed down. Everyone took time. We talked. We chanted. We marched. And we made an impression. Following are some photos; I took nearly 200 of them, and though I deleted about 50 or so which didn't turn out, I had a ton to post on social media. These are just a few of them. Enjoy... 

I made a double-sided sign, and this one quote from Shirley Chisholm is one of my favorites. Elizabeth Warren kind of co-opted it, and her version was on the other side. 

One of my favorite signs. 

My backpack - snacks and a spare scarf, just in case

Truth there!

Love the fighting grannies!

A new day indeed

#Resist

...and he DID think it was all about him!

Wait till we all sync our hot flashes!

How Things Are Going...

...Well, we're planning my mother's 80th birthday party. The birthday has already happened, but with other stuff (including the birth of her most recent great-grandchild) going on, it got busy. 

So my SIL texts me and says, "What are we doing for your mom's b-day? [Brother] has no idea."

Well. It was HIS idea. And he even set the menu! After consulting with Sis, and agreeing that Brother was a MORON, I texted back with a repeat of the menu and we have it all straightened out. 

I dropped off some cake totes to my mom (shower, baby, which I thankfully didn't have to attend!), and we discussed it. She asked, "Are you letting [Brother] pay for all the main course?" Well. Yeah. You're dumb enough to forget what you said you'd do, you get to pay for it. 

Besides, I'm doing cupcakes, tortellini salad, baked beans and likely something else. For years, I've organized these things - time for someone else to step up... 

I'm making small cupcakes. Mom likes cupcakes. And I'm using these Russian frosting tips. I have 3 of the tips set aside - the complete set is something like 20 tips, and there are no numbers on them, so we have to figure out a way to identify them all, and lucky me - I get to play with all of 'em to see what they make! Mom and I talked, and she prefers the smaller ones - cupcakes, I mean - particularly since this is a LOT of frosting! I'm going to practice, and we'll see how they come out. I'll just fiddle with some waxed paper. I want to get a feel for them. All I should have to do is make a batch of frosting, tint some green and tint some pink, and maybe coral. She likes pink. So - roses and tulips. 

Clean Eating...

I'm working toward clean eating. Or at least cleaner than I used to eat. One of the things is that I have to clean out my kitchen. Today, at the store, I saw this. 

Look at the ingredients lists. I've circled them. Yes, the Daisy costs more. But look at the INGREDIENT in it. 

The store brand is more economical. And the ingredients include something double-starred that says "an ingredient not normally included in sour cream." Yikes... What the heck?? Bad enough that one of the ingredients is cellulose. That's wood fiber, folks. 

I have also cleaned out my cleaning equipment. I've gotten rid of the toxic stuff. I use vinegar and water for windows, I use Thieves Fruit & Vegetable wash on the produce I buy. I use Thieves cleaner for the rest of the cleaning. I use a natural dish soap. 

I've also cleaned out my personal care products. Got rid of everything that I found with formaldehyde (nail polish), parabens, phthalates, triclosan, SLS, toluene, and propylene glycol. 

And yeah - left my shelves pretty bare. But the stuff I'm using? At least I know I'm doing the best I can to "detox" - and I know that in today's world, it's impossible to totally eliminate toxins from your body. But I can do what I can do. 

And it can start with something as simple as sour cream. 

It's a Dog's Butt...

So Quinn's at it again... There's a cyst that's bothering her. I'm using an essential oil and ointment to calm it down. The vet doesn't want to do surgery on it because of the location. 

Tonight, she got a treatment with Young Living Essential Oils Animal Scents line. I cleaned it off, used Puriclean, then used InfectAway and finally, Mendwell. I sealed it all in with just a dab of Animal Scents Ointment. And yeah - she's in the "inner tube of shame," so in order to assuage her doggie dignity, I gave her a smidgen of cheese. 

Her dignity will be further affronted when Hubby trims away some of the hair, so that the area has air circulation. Even though I'm "sealing in" the beneficial oils, the Elkhound double coat is pretty dense, and it can be a problem with wounds healing. 

She's in the bathroom, only mildly offended. Tippi sniffed, but left her rear end alone. 

Each of them got a little head-rub with Lavender, since there are fireworks going off, but they're not as bothered as they were on the 4th of July. Of course, the entire neighborhood wasn't shooting them off tonight either!

I'm hoping that the essential oils work. Many oils are good for animals and many oils are good for the skin (human and canine). Essential Oils have been used a lot. It's something you do have to get your dog used to, and some dogs - they just don't like them. Like humans, they all have opinions. 

I've been gradually introducing them to the dogs, and I think they're at least getting used to them. 

Random Picture...

So I went into the bathroom this morning to brush my teeth. This is my furry grey bathmat (who had her head up and was smiling till she saw the phone...). And somehow, it hit me... She's going on 10 - she'll be 10 in January. 

Our Elkhound group has had a lot of losses lately. The dogs - they don't live forever, and that 15 or so years? Goes by in a blink. And with Tippi? It's less than that because we didn't get her till she was around 2. So we're in the dark with the actual history of her mom and dad, and any potential health problems. 

So far, we've been lucky, though she REALLY needs to lose weight. And no, we don't feed her a lot. She gets fed 3x/day, and in total gets about 1 1/4 cup of high-quality dog food. It's not a lot of food. She got really heavy after she was spayed, and it wasn't because she was getting treats. I don't use a lot of treats. Even in training, I was breaking those things up - practically into molecules!! It's like the weight just gloms onto her. 

Kind of like what it does to me... Hmmmmm. Maybe I was an Elkhound in a prior life??

So anyway. It hit me. One day (sooner than I want - no matter how long she lives), I won't have my furry grey bathmat. She won't be here. My heart actually dropped. 

I've had a few special dogs in my life. She's one of them.