Today just made up for the last two weeks of hell!

Item: Change. Da Boss has taken an SES job. He is leaving us. I've been with him for 11+ years.

Item: The new drug (humira) is WORKING! I have more mobility in fingers & wrists by late afternoon. Still have morning stiffness. Have acute pain, but not "baseline" pain. Not dancing a jig just yet, but being cautiously optomistic. Still practicing good judgement and continuing all the lifestyle changes.

Item: I've accomplished another of my (career) goals for 2009. I'll review to see what is possible for the remaining time this year.

Item: My presentation on Monday night at Vincennes University had about 140 people.

Item: I stopped at a local coffee store in a small town in Illinois and got a great tip for a scenic drive. Fabulous!

Item: I managed to get a project done last weekend. (under the nice cut tag - cuz nothing says lovin' like an lj-cut!)

Item: Also baked biscuits last night.

( weekend projects - garage and baking )
Yum!

With butter and honey. Strawberry jam.

Going to look at 40 acres about 75 minutes from town. $3600/acre. No improvements. No buildings.

Satellite from Goog

So, there I was. Thinking about greenhouses. Getting upset because the big project would 1) look like crap and 2) be horribly expensive and 3) I might not use as much as I think. Four season harvest not so good last year. This year, slightly better in the Fall. But what about winter? So Plan B. Getting glass windows for my raised bed to form a greenhouse. Where to get windows? Freecycle. No luck. Enter the crappy (and I do mean crappy) basement. My beautiful basement causes me so much trouble. I get that cleaned up. Thank you to friends who know friends who have mega- wet vacuum with outside exhaust hose to get the water OUT, out of the basement (and into the garden). Thanks to plumbers named Mark and Kyle (and their apprentice James). Now my back hurts and I have to take a muscle relaxer. Anyway, so I'm carrying up more leftover stuff (my stuff is stuff - your stuff is shit *g. carlin*) to get the wood scraps, copper pipe, old galvanized steel vent, and other leftover construction shit out of the basement area to facilitate drying when I find a plethora of screens and old aluminum single plane glass and plexiglass windows. None of them fit my (newish) windows so I assume they are leftover from the previous owners. Freecycle, here I come! Somebody who needs these exact size storm windows before the winter scores! Except for saving two or three of the big 3' by 4' (estimated) windows for greenhouse covers. How cool is that?

Today, I have to call the sanitary district so they can check their end of this thing. I need to spray bleach on the floor (tile or concrete) and along the baseboards. I'll have to pull off the wainscotting and check the drywall for mold/mildew and to let it dry. The dehumidifier is running nonstop. The fans are moving air through the basement.

At work, it is evaluation time. Stress. What did I do over the past year? What are my goals for this year? How did my people do?

It's also time to write my five year plan for research which is incorporated into the National Program. Can I project what will happen in 5 years? or 3? or 1? Sure, in my fantasy world where I always prove my hypotheses, the data form straight lines of correlation with R=0.9999 and equipment never breaks.

My hands. My arthritis is manageable. The bloodwork is normal. So Why Do My Hands Still HURT?? How about 10 years of typing? In 9 years, I've written over 50 manuscripts. I spend 60% of my time working on the computer. Repetitive Strain Injury. The solution? STOP typing. I'll see what I can do. I'm going for nerve conduction tests once I see Doc. I obtained the voice recognition software at work and am practicing dictation. It's different to say words I think versus type them. The lag period to hands allow for on-the-spot editing while voice does not. Work will be supportive. I need to pump out all my writing projects before T-day so I can rest over December and January for therapy etc.

Whoops...big update. Need to head to work.

A poem from my childhood

When all the cows were sleeping
And the sun had gone to bed,
Up jumped the pumpkin,
And this is what he said:

I'm a dingle dangle pumpkin
With a flippy floppy hat.
I can shake my stem like this,
And shake my vine like that.

Okay. Just...creepy.
******

This pumpkin made three dishes: salty roasted seeds, pumpkin tort, and challah bread.

( Yummy pumpkin challah bread )
beautiful egg-washed loaf of pumpkin challah bread - subtly pumpkin with ginger & cloves

I refilled my meds today. The pharmacy did not have enough pills of my MTX and gave me six only - one dose for this week. They will have the full prescription by Friday. They did not charge me for the meds. I tried to go without tramadol today and felt nauseous, dizzy and achy. Since this thing started back in October, I haven't really felt "right." My training sessions gave me a boost and a distraction to the overwhelming fatigue. I could close my eyes at any time and nod off to an unrestful sleep. My left hand is now painful to go with my right. I am no longer assymetric. I guess I'll call the doctors again since I can barely move my hands in the morning after a painful night. I have no grip strength and can't twist things. I've been wearing my braces to no discernable benefit.

I spent the weekend cooking. Pumpkin challah bread. Pumpkin souffle. Italian ragout. Pasta.

( tomato & herb goodness )

I took DitL pictures of the bread making from pumpkin to loaf. I'll post later.

Do not confuse perfection with excellence.

Do not confuse excellence with perfection.

Excellence is achievable. Perfection is not required.

A lot of TMI health news under the cut. Squickky.

Give me ten more crunches!!
( Good News )
Give me ten more crunches!
( Bad News )
Still taking tramadol and piroxicam and my vitamins (multi with Fe, B with folic, C, Ca with D) and probiotic.

I let Rh know that I am going to China next month. It changed his treatment plan. Ah, the joys of a compromised immune system!

Overall, though, I feel pretty good. I'm doing what I am able to do and making progress.

I spied a striking beauty amoung the oranges, yellows and reds:



she wasn't there last year.



Oh Joy. Oh Rapture unforseen!

Solstice!!

First thing in the morning, I'll head up to the Monastery and the good Sisters of Benedict. We are working at a Habitat for Humanity house - putting in a small vegetable garden. I turn the phone off and may not blog until Sunday night. I'll take the camera for some pictures.

Have a great Solstice!

Also
14. Develop a new social circle of friends that is not predicated on work or alcohol.

I started to repair the gate. It took me an hour and a skinned knuckle to admit defeat and call my new friend, L, to help repair the garden gate. She came over with a friend and promptly evaluated the situation, determined what was needed, obtained needed items, and fixed the gate. It took about two hours. We sat around and chatted for another hour. They liked my house and garden. L and her friends are a new group of people I am hanging out with through the efforts of L. We went to the German restaurant on Friday night. They called me the interpreter since I speak/read a little German and was familiar with the different German foods. A nice night, only a few people were drinking out of the 14 there. They have a regular first friday get together.

On Saturday morning, I went with my PT to the Farmer's Market. We acted as role models for each other when it came to cookies and fudge. I introduced her to the healthier alternatives like home grown veggies and grass-fed, local meats.

M&M and I are planning to go boating on the lake after work on Tuesday or Wednesday.

A good weekend.
A good week ahead.

I love the local farmer's market - only local produce, mostly organic!

Today's treasures:

romaine lettuce
red lettuce
kale
fresh mozzarella
string cheese
wild strawberries
organic whole grain boule

local pork chops - grass fed

The Pottsdown Meat Shoppe in the Metro Center whre I get my amish chicken is having a festival of local products - cheese, noodles, sweets, etc. They roasted a whole hog and were pulling it off as we were leaving. Tasty!!!

Edit: 12:23 pm: Courtesy of freecycle I got transplants of marjoram, two indeterminate tomatoes, and some raspberry canes!!!!

I can meet my goal of the 100 mile diet from June to November. I am getting better at four season harvest so I might be able to still get herbs, greens, a root veggies from the garden this year.

The wellness people were there, and I had my blood pressure checked - 115/75...It had been running 130/90 so I'm feeling good about the first week of "training."

through my thoughts
through my emotions
through my actions
experience my divinity
experience my humanity

Mindfully. Peacefully.

( the progress report )

I'm satisfied.

Bartenders everywhere are crying. I finally cleaned out the liquor cabinet. Never fear, the wines are still safely stored.



The GDP in PIA has dropped without my patronage. My CC bill is $300 less on average per month. Bartenders in all major cities (DC, CHI, DFW, BOS, SF) are filing missing persons reports, wondering what happened to me and the entourage. I was quite the party girl.

Finished the lawn care. Edged, trimmed, mulched. Patio set up. Marigolds planted near the toad house. Lemon tree repotted.

Still to be accomplished: strawberry fountain, patio palm transplant, new beds to be tilled, plum tree stump to be removed, water catchment installation, irrigation for beds, hanging baskets, bean poles.

Time enough to watch the birds. I saw a flicker this morning - red head, spotted back, white tail, black bib - on the ground scooping up ants.

The peonies are ready to burst. Tulips past their prime. Yellow is the color for the annuals this year; really pops out under the shade.

New this year: pak choy. The oregano is up. Lemon balm everywhere; delicious tea. Finally, tomato & cabbage plants, ready to be transplanted to the garden bed:

It snowed last night. I awoke to a winter wonderland.

I am participating in Earth Hour tonight, March 28 2009, at 8:30 pm local time.

The good Benedictine Sisters have invited me back to take a couple weeks of vacation with them. Perhaps in May.

6:30am wake and stretch. drink a glass of water with 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar. Yoga. Watch sun rise. meditate.
7:00am start decaf coffee and breakfast. Relax on the porcelain throne. Business.
7:15am drink coffee and eat oatmeal with cinnamon and raisins.
7:30am take medication. relax.
8:00am shower. drink final cup of decaf. massage body with lotion. dress.
9:00am-1:00pm work.
1:00-3:00pm go home. prepare lunch. relax. eat lunch. take supplemnets. read. tidy house.
3:30-7:30pm work.
7:30pm eat veggie snack. drink tea.
8:00pm riverplex. bike. elliptical. stretch. thermal hydrotherapy. drink water.
10:00pm home. drink tea. take meds. relax. read blogs. journal. prepare for bed. stretch. read. listen to sleep CD. sleep.