What. The. Fluff....

I mean, really. I refuse to ask "what now?" but I will say WHAT. THE. FLUFF...

Last week, at our women's group meeting, I said, "I'm sitting here and staying away from everyone, because I feel like I'm coming down with a cold."

By that Friday, I ended up at the urgent care. They said a vague "there's a crud going around, just watch so that you don't end up with pneumonia." Sent me home with OTC meds because apparently, some of the prescription stuff I'm on, they can't prescribe certain things. 

This past Sunday was our family's Thanksgiving. So Hubby made the turkey, I did the vegan stuffing, a soba noodle dish, and a vegan lemon cake. Oh, and we were planning home-made whipped cream (my sister adored Cool Whip - ugh - and the rest of us loved the stuff in the can). I had purchased a carton of heavy cream and didn't end up using it, so I figured we'd use our homemade vanilla and treat the fam to something interesting. 

But after the Friday appointment, I made the decision to stay home. I just didn't feel like it was a good idea to go. And when Kid #2 came over to do the spuds, I masked up and stayed away from everyone. I was hacking up a storm, but I had no fever, no chills, nothing. Oh, I was sore from the coughing, and lemme tell ya - a big honking cough with a 65-year old bladder? Yikes... 

Turns out it was a very good choice to stay home. Not because of Quinn, though I was worried about leaving her home alone for an extended period of time. Her potty calls are getting to be a bit more frequent, though she hasn't had any accidents in the house. 

On this past Tuesday, I went back to the doctor. I hadn't really slept since the Thursday-ish before because of the coughing. It wasn't getting better with the OTC stuff. And I had lost my voice. Cancelled my remaining PT appointments and pushed them back 10 days. 

Turns out, I have RSV.... Check here for what this is. The commercials you may have seen regarding either the babies or the elders -- they're not wrong. I am sick as the proverbial dog. Still no fever to speak of, the body aches are because I'm trying to sleep sitting up and I'm coughing like crazy. And what I have is considered "mild." 

It was a good call to not go, because we have a 6-month-old baby and my mom. There is a bright spot here... my mom and several friends, seeing how sick I am, have gone and gotten their RSV vaccine. 

They have me on an OTC med, tessalon pearls, a nasal spray and an inhaler now. The OTC med is ridiculously difficult to get open. I mean, I see the point, since the pills look like orange jelly beans. But I need scissors and basically a small knitting needle to get into the "tear here" portion of the package. 

This is supposed to be an expectorant and decongestant. Like in the Shrek movie, "Better out than in." The pearls make it so that you don't hurt when you cough. And the inhaler opens up the bronchials. No antibiotics - this is a virus. 

RSV is EXTREMELY contagious. Thankful for Hubby's wonky souped-up immune system. He's managed to not be seriously ill since he was in high school. I'm coughing into my elbow. Washing my hands. Staying kind of in my own area. We were supposed to have a small dinner on the "real" Thanksgiving, but I told everyone -- Hubby told everyone, since I can't talk much -- to stay home. 

I will be able to go to work next week, but I'm wearing a mask. My voice is still a little rocky, so I'll stay home from church, and I got a sub for my yoga classes; at this point, I can say a few words in a row, but that triggers coughing. 

And as soon as I can, I'm getting the blasted vaccine. I was waffling. See what good it did? I don't even know where I picked this up. But it sucks. And I'm over it. 

Thanksgiving... 

So everyone enjoyed everything and even ate the vegan dishes! Win-win! My mother has also decreed that "henceforth, we shall have home-made whipped cream," so I guess I need to buy 2 cartons for Christmas. 

The lemon cake was really pretty good. As Kid #2 puts it, there's no magic in vegan cooking - just using other ingredients. It was meant to be a layer cake, or a 13x9, but I did it in a Bundt pan. Not sure that I'd do that again. I have a nice 12" ring pan that might be better. 

The recipe had some erzatz "buttercream," but I'm told that if you use vegan butter and regular shortening, my own recipe for buttercream turns out just fine. Nonetheless, this one got a dusting of powdered sugar. Hubby managed to scrape together some whipped cream from the vultures... and so I had a slice of this with the whipped cream. It was really nice and moist. Good crumb. I would probably add more lemon zest in the batter. And I might try my own buttercream on this one, just vegan it up. 

The stuffing went well too. I did 4 kinds of bread: a French loaf, sourdough, pretzel bread and pita bread. Cut them up, dried them in the oven and then added all the veggies, dried cranberries, cut up a couple apples and tossed them in there. Leeks. Veggie broth and vegan butter. It was really pretty good. Just juicy enough, not soggy and not heavy. 

I asked The Kid about the "main" vegan dish, and ended up going with a soba noodle concoction with a Greek dressing. I diced up a butternut squash, roasted it along with mushrooms (white and mini bellas), shredded carrots, chopped spinach, and roasted red peppers. Tossed it with the noodles and the vegan Greek dressing. It was warm; but it could also be served cold or room temperature. You could also add beans to it, but I didn't this time. Funny enough, everyone ate some of it! 

We boiled the carcass with the veggies I stuffed inside of it (we don't stuff our bird). The fruit & veggies this year were: 1 lemon, 1 apple, 2 carrots, 4 celery stalks. Just cut 'em up and poke them into the cavity, and then the front end of the bird. The bird then gets a massage of olive oil, some salt & pepper, and rosemary under the skin and in the cavity. Roast it... 

So after we boiled the carcass and veggies, we plucked the bones clean, set that meat aside, and whizzed the broth. I made soup with thin egg noodles, and have been eating that all week. 

Seems like everyone liked everything, from the texts I got. And yes, they were appreciative that I kept my sick behind at home!

Reading...

I've been reading my usual mysteries, but I bought this actual book, Greg Louganis' autobiography entitled "Breaking the Surface." It's fascinating. And an easy read. I admired him during the Olympics, and now after reading this, I feel sad. Pick it up. You'll learn a lot. I was amazed, watching him compete, how a guy his size (I don't know - it was hard to judge, but he's not a small man like some of the Japanese divers) could rip into the water with nary a splash. Nobody does it like he did it. And he's still, in my opinion, the world's greatest diver. I don't think anyone has beaten his record of 4 golds in consecutive Olympics. 

I've been reading and going down the rabbit hole of YouTube, lots of Harry & Meghan videos. Though I did see the tiara that Katherine, Princess of Wales wore recently. I was so happy to see the Strathmore Rose tiara come out into the light of day. As I recall, this tiara was in contention for Meghan to wear, but once I saw her (not too well-tailored) wedding dress, I realized the tiara she wore actually matched it much better. 

Of course, Katherine could wear a sack and look good, but on this instance she was a real stunner... and the tiara was perfect. She's not suited to the bigger, bolder ones (except for the Cambridge Lover's Knot). Camilla can carry those big honkers off much better. The fact that this tiara was just kind of stuck in the vault for a century is kind of bonkers. But it suited her dress and her head. Here's some info on this little bauble..and also where I plucked this picture from, giving credit where credit is due. 

I do like the "flapper" version but I honestly don't think Kate could have carried that one off. The dress was too modern. It wouldn't have looked right. And if nothing else, she usually does try to make everything perfect. 

Knitting...

I'm also getting a lot of knitting done. The mindless Part 2 of the Bias Before & After scarf is coming along well. I'm really digging the "matcha latte" color. I think I've got about 31" or so. I can see the ball of yarn coming down, which is perfect. 

I really think this will be done if not in December, early in January, so I can block them both and still have enough of the cooler weather to wear them. Hopefully - they're calling for an El Nino winter and sometimes I feel like they don't even really know what that means. 

I kind of want to speed this along so that I can get to the beading. And I want to see how that updated provisional caston un-picks, considering that I really faffed up the one on the peacock scarf. It was just so clunky. 

After that, I may go back and finish the sock for the North-South-East-West pair to have them off my needles and in the sock rotation. And then I have to decide: The DROPS sweater? The black/brown Expression Fiber Arts shawl WIP? Start up the Long Sands? It's going to be tough. 

Oh, and an update from the Cascade Heritage Sock - the Petty Harbours that I finished? They washed up like a dream. Were so yummy to wear. And they didn't pill. Though I've only worn them once. So we'll see how they wear long-term. 

If nothing else, I'd buy a solid in that yarn and do the most warm and cuddly shawl. It would be awesome. 

Random Picture...

I was all set to give you an update on the ornaments, when I remembered I had already done that! Yikes. My brain... 

So instead, I reached back, WAYYYYYYYYYYY back, into the NAS and found this picture. 

It's St. Mary Lake, Goose Island in Glacier National Park. I can't even tell you how old this is. I am pretty sure I took this with my honest-to-God CAMERA, my Canon. 

This is one of my favorite spots in Glacier. We didn't go often enough. I'm hoping we will have time to go again. We haven't been back since my mother-in-law's funeral, and at that, we certainly didn't have time to go to the park. Being that it was in April, if I remember, the park wasn't open. It usually doesn't open till June. 

Now with the new hip, I'm in better shape to actually travel without being bound by the pain. Just have to figure out where we want to go. 

Into the Out and Over-Doing...

So I'm getting more out-and-about and of course I over-did it. 

It started Friday, after PT. It was a later session than I'm used to, but it is what it is. I was feeling pretty good and I said to Hubby, "Let's take a walk; just a short one, about half a block." The new neighbors were having a party and we figured we'd walk by and wave. Well, a half block walk is actually a block if you consider there and back. 

Saturday, we went to the Sketcher's store and I took advantage of their Before School Sale, and got 2 pairs of shoes, with the 2nd one 50% off. One of them was the step-ins, which need a little more wear before they're easier to slip into. I wanted to get shoes which I could slip into myself without Hubby having to help tie them (it's bad enough that I still can't put my own sock onto the left foot yet), and without me having to bend too much to use a shoehorn. And another pair we picked up are these purple shoes that Hubby picked out. Hey, if he's going to pick out shoes, I'm all in! I wanted colorful shoes, and he knows me well. 

The slip-in shoes are a taupe color. I can get those on by myself, but for now, he has to tie these purple ones for me - at least the left foot. I still am not supposed to turn out my hip, nor bend fully forward. I mean, I do bend to pick up something once in a while, but it's not recommended. 

I love the purple because it's a pretty ombre colorway and they're also very comfy. 

So that's what I wore to church on Sunday (this is all part of the over-doing). It was great to be back; and we're Episcopalian, so there's "pew gymnastics" (thanks, Robin Williams) - stand, sit, kneel, repeat. Sat for a while in Coffee Hour, and visited. Lots of hugs, a very warm welcome. 

Then we went to return a walker we'd borrowed, and then home. 

I woke up Monday sore as heck. But I pushed through and did some cooking. Mind you, I haven't been able to stand long enough to do more than maybe fill a water bottle. But see below for what I made. On none of these occasions (aside from PT) did I bother using my ice pack. Dumb idea, I know, but we got busy. 

Tuesday's therapy was a little rough, though I did use the ice pack again. 

The Knitting...

The sock is moving right along. I'm finished with the gusset decreases, and I'm on the first few rows of the instep. It currently measures 4" from the heel to the needles, and I'm aiming for a 7.5" foot. 

The only problem I have is that I've been hearing some bad things about the Cascade Heritage Sock yarn -- when you knit socks with it. There are rumors that it pills and doesn't wear well, which is what I was sort of worried about, because it is so soft. I probably should have frogged the first sock and done what I believe might have been a better use: made a shawlette. 

I don't know if I've shared this before, but I've been writing it on every sock pattern I have, for the SSK decreases. Normally, a K2tog looks really neat, and the SSK side looks more sloppy. There are several theories and methods to make it neater, but the one I like, and which to me sort of matches the K2tog is where I take the first stitch of the SSK knitwise, and the second stitch purlwise. 

Now I just have to remember that for the heel turns. I can't quite get them to look smooth on the SSK side. At any rate, the sides of the gussets now look really neat and I like how it feels on my foot. 

I think that I've decided to do a 4x2 rib on the Other Blue Sock, and that's what I'll be working on once this is done. 

That will make a total of 3 pairs finished (singletons + mates) for this summer, and I'll take that as a win/win. 

After that, I may start the Long Sands again or I might work on a baby sweater for the little one, before she grows out of the size kit I have! Of course, I have to see if I can do the sweater; it seems odd, since I can knit socks, and I can follow a pattern, but sometimes, it also depends on how the pattern is written. 

We shall see. It's a beautiful rose colored boucle yarn, so I think it's going to be lovely. I just have to knit it up. 

Cooking...

I spent some time in the kitchen, also walking without the cane for a bit, as long as I had a counter to grab if I felt wobbly. 

I made Lentil Potato Carrot Patties. I used green lentils, because that's what I had. I figured I could use them for lunch, and I could use a little more plant-based protein in my diet anyway. 

It felt good to get back to cooking. I subbed shallots out for the yellow onion (had those in the freezer) and used 2 medium carrots and 2 medium potatoes. 

I feel like I could've used more flour to make it more "batter"-ish. The first few cakes fell apart. 

I ended up using a scoop, because when I tried to form them by hand, everything stuck to my hands. I'm not moving fast enough to make a pattie, plop it in a frying pan, wash my hands and then flip the thing. The scoop worked well, and I gently flattened the scooped batter and made them about 1/2" thick. 

The oil was an avocado-safflower blend I had, and I should have had it get a smidge hotter. And I'd like to play with adding more herbs, like maybe some chopped parsley. 

I will admit I got frustrated at the first 3-4 cakes. I was almost going to just plop the whole thing into the pan like a ginormous potato latke but then I realized I would be unable to flip it over... So I ended up, once I got my frying groove on, putting 4 cakes in the pan at a time. They only took 3-4 minutes per side - enough to soften the shallots and carrots a bit, and the potatoes and lentils were already cooked, so they have a nice al dente feel. 

Maybe next time I'll use sweet potato instead of white potato - it's mashed in my version, so while it's a rough mash, there's the fact that the spud and the flour are the "glue" that hold this vegan dish together. I guess if I wanted to un-vegan it, I'd add an egg as a binder, which would also work. 

Or I could make a flax egg and add that for even MORE fiber. I use flax eggs for my black bean brownies. 

I tried a couple of the patties - they're best warm, after you drain the excess oil off, and yeah, I broke "vegan code," because I used ranch dressing as my "sauce." You can use whatever condiment you want; that was just handy and I was hungry. 

Looking at this, I can tell you that I'm not a professional stager of photos... you can see my essential oils bottles just lying there. Oh well. Focus on the food, kids!

If you were to make a meal of these, you'd probably want to add a green salad and maybe some fruit. 

They're going to be easy to transport once I get back to work, and I can do that for lunch with an apple and be pretty happy. 

Update on Hip...

Well, today, I did remember to use the ice pack again after PT. And today, I did a solo flight... I walked the length of the clinic back and forth without the cane. That was a little weird. I felt a bit wobbly, but I did it. He said I could take "short trips" around the house, as long as I wasn't trying to dodge the dogs. So I'll probably walk solo in the bathroom and bedroom, for now. Though I'll still have a cane handy for after I shower, for a little bit. Not that I'm unsteady - just for safety's sake. 

The PT will continue to build my muscle, regain my balance and keep me walking without the cane (at least inside). We're also going to work on stairs. Still no walking outside on uneven ground without a cane. Or actually, ANY walking around outside without a cane, for now. 

And I'm waiting on a step stool so that I can get in and out of my car on the driver's side more safely. It's just a tad too high. 

Otherwise, I'm also hoping that a good night's sleep will soon be my reward for...something. 

Random Picture...

I dug into the archives for this one, kids.... It's a church (I don't know which one, because there wasn't a sign on it) in Lugano. There were so many magnificent pieces of artwork but I thought I'd focus on the altar. 

I think that of all the places we visited in 2021, Lugano is possibly the place where I feel like I could live, if ever I was going to move out of this country. 

A friend of mine and her husband lived their dream by moving out of the US to New Zealand.  On a recent visit "home" (back here), they said the difference is palpable. Which is sad. 

While we were in Lugano, we found that it was all walkable, and seemed like they would welcome visitors whether long- or short-term. But then, maybe since it's in Switzerland, they wouldn't take us!

We in the US are at the cusp of some sort of immense shift. The climate crisis is catching up with us. We are more polarized than ever politically, our Supreme Court is a blasted mess, and there's a larger percentage of people than you'd think (though not mathematically significant if every Democrat votes in the upcoming presidential election) who would willingly install a dictator-for-life who's a criminal and a con man. If the DOJ can't put him in prison first. Which we can only hope for, at this point. Hopefully, his teflon coating is wearing thin. 

Perhaps in the next few editions of this blog, I'll go into the archives more. Who knows what kinds of pictures I'll come up with!