I know I’m a little late coming to the sourdough party. Bread-baking got really popular during the pandemic, when most of us were locked down and looking for things to do at home. Banana bread and sourdough bread seemed to be at the top of the list. I never got into bread-baking then, although I really like sourdough bread. I remember one time – long ago, during a vacation in San Francisco – buying a packet of sourdough starter from a little shop on Fisherman’s [...]
I’m taking the next three weeks off from writing – other than the journal I’ll be keeping during some traveling and exploring I’ll be doing over the next few weeks. You’ll hear about some of it when I return and settle down again in July. In the meantime, I hope you are enjoying the summer. Please stay safe, cool, and well-hydrated in this dangerously hot weather we’ve been having. Have a wonderful Father’s Day, 4th of July, and anything else you will be doing or [...]
It’s been an odd week. I did another COVID test on Friday and, like the one I did the week before, it was positive. This wasn’t particularly alarming, since I heard from several people – including a doctor and a pharmacist – that positive test results are not uncommon for a while after having COVID, even after symptoms are gone and it’s safe to start going about your normal activities again. My symptoms by that time were almost completely gone. I just had a slight [...]
Okay, it’s my turn. I felt like I was coming down with a cold yesterday. It was worse this morning, with a few extra symptoms that were annoying, but not alarming. Still, I remember a friend of mine saying not long ago that he had had what he thought was a cold, but turned out to be COVID. So I did a home COVID test, and – sure enough – it was positive. The first thing I did was call to cancel the dental appointment [...]
I spent most of last weekend at the Georgia Writers Museum, helping with their first Annual Writers Retreat. As a member of the Board and the Programs Committee, I was thrilled to see how well-attended it was, how enthusiastic and involved everyone seemed to be, and how smoothly the entire event flowed. As a writer, I appreciated the knowledge I gained, the other writers I met, and the inspiration I received. As I drove home from the retreat each day, my mind was filled with [...]
I had my annual wellness visit with my doctor last week. I guess they don’t call it a “physical” anymore because it’s not just about checking physical health. There’s a mental and emotional health component as well. They’re all related, of course, so some of the questions on the form I had to fill out asked if – and how often – I’ve felt sad or depressed in the last four weeks, and how many days, if any, I had trouble falling asleep or getting [...]
I’ve learned a number of things since my husband had a heart attack two weeks ago. Among them are how many steps it takes to circle our house, where to find tofu in the grocery store, and how quickly you can get used to something when your life depends on it. Actually, I already knew that last one, since I had to make a number of dietary and lifestyle changes years ago when I sustained severe heart damage from chemotherapy. Until then, I never thought [...]
“You should get some good stories and blog posts out of this,” my husband said. He was right. And the reason he made that comment is the same reason I didn’t get a blog post out at all last weekend. Last Saturday morning, my husband had a heart attack. He was at the health club working out, when he felt a tightness in his chest. Nothing serious, he thought. The kind of thing that happens every once in a while, for any number of reasons. [...]
One of my fond childhood memories is working on jigsaw puzzles. We’d set up the card table in the living room, and work on the puzzle whenever we had a chance. As the puzzle got close to completion, my sisters and I were in the habit of taking and hiding one of the pieces, because we each wanted to be the one to put in the last piece. I don’t remember what negotiations were involved in bringing out the missing pieces, but we always got [...]
I was doing housework in my sleep last night. Not doing it, exactly, but dreaming about it. Apparently, we were having company, and in my dream I had just finished vacuuming, and cleaning the mirrors and windows, and was in the process of sweeping the floor. Thankfully, I woke up before I had to scrub the toilets. I don’t recall ever dreaming about doing housework before, and whenever I wake up remembering a dream vividly, I like to try to figure out what in my [...]