Last Day Of September 2016

This picture was taken years ago, when Riley was young, slim and very shiny.  Today, I am wearing the same socks and rolled up jeans.  Today's jeans are only rolled up to the top of my shoes.  I often wonder why my jeans are always too long.  I am 5 foot 6 inches.  Short waisted which I think is the term used if you are more leg than torso. I have never liked having my pant hems drag along the sidewalk.

And, I was 5 foot 6 inches in high school and I am still 5 foot 6 inches at 70. Quite a thrill for bone density.

Yesterday's acid reflux is now gone.  None of the excess weight that came with it has disappeared.  I am going to make a smoothie for lunch even though I don't think I will enjoy it now that the weather here in Maine has "gone cold".  It even feels like time to turn on the furnace.  Drinking something cold seems.......unpleasant.

The covered green bean plants were still producing.  I picked the few eggplant still on the plants--small but eating baby vegetables is a treat.  I cubed and roasted a large pan of eggplant.  I also pureed every ripe tomato I had ripening on the kitchen floor (on brown paper bags) into 3 pints of marinara.  G had some with meatballs. There are more waiting for their chance to get cooked.  Pepper plants were good--only none of the peppers had achieved any color---I may have to freeze the rest as green pepper strips.  Today is sunny (but not warm) and they might start to color.  Once they start I can bring them into the house to finish turning red.

I pulled up and dragged (too large to carry) the huge pattypan squash vines to the compost bin.  Took three trips.  They are sitting on top of the bin with yellow flowers still upright.  Don't want to give up.
It's like science fiction!  The Zombies of the Garden.  And they are shaped like little flying saucers.

I don't feel like doing much of anything today.  Tonight is the 10x10 sale of artwork.  Benefits the Arts Are Elementary program.  Brings working artists into the schools to work on projects with the students.  I don't understand why the artists can't do this for free.  But they expect to be paid so we have the art auction to raise money to pay them to work in the schools for a few weeks. I have two pieces in this year's auction.  I have sold one out of the five things I have entered so far.  Another fiber artist makes only seashore landscapes.  Sells all of them.  And they all look the same.  Shoreline, pine trees, sunset pinks on the blue water.  Dyed strips of cloth.  Well, as she said to me--if it works, why not?  Perhaps I should just do appliqued carrots year after year. That's the one that sold.

This year I have a very nice patchwork of silks (golds) and velvets called Blackberry Hedgerow.  And another made of commercial batik and my own painted fabric.  Soothing greens. I like them both very much.  I really liked the carrots.  Perhaps that is a good sign they will sell?

Making More Marinara

I use an old-fashion hand crank food mill to crush the tomatoes.  I cut them in half and remove all the seeds (bitter) and then, skins still on, run them through the food mill.  Nice, thick puree.  Makes a very good sauce.  Takes an hour or more--possibly two hours--to get to the consistency I like.  Then into freezer containers.  I never have gotten comfortable with canning tomatoes.

Up next will be a tour of the garden.  Picking more peppers.  Freezing them as well.  I gave a very generous bagful of peppers to the gal who cuts my hair.  She has the same name as my sister.  And she gives me tomato seeds and even seedlings if I forget to start the seeds she gives me.

Picking more green beans. I hope.  We have had some cold nights.  I'm hoping the row covers I pulled over the beds in the garden saved the peppers and beans from frost damage.

A young guy at work promised me more tomatoes from his very large garden and even some freshly dug potatoes.  Yippee.

I am still eating stuffed cabbage.  It was having a very low calorie effect on my weight until yesterday.

I have had the rash and weeping, burning eyes for about a week.  Today, still dry skin but no wetness from the eyes.  Acid reflux.  We ate Chinese yesterday, and I absent-mindedly dipped my dumpling in the soy sauce bowl.  That was enough, I guess, to get the acid reflux going and gain 3 pounds overnight.

I have an appointment to see the dermatologist--In January of next year.  The Allergist's office has never called and I don't remember the doctor's name.  I think the Allergist is going to be more responsive to a rash than the dermatologist but who knows.  By January it will be gone.  It usually is.

While the sauce cooks, I am going out to the garden.  Then I am going to read a book.  G has gone off to weed at someone's seaside vacation home.  Riley has finally eaten his breakfast and lunch and is now full of food and taking a nap.  I am wondering what to have for lunch that would be soothing to acid reflux.  We have NO gummy candies to treat my reflux.  And that cute fireman hasn't shown up with a bottle.

How One Red Pepper Became Too Many Red Peppers

The garden is producing (presenting) 8 to 10 peppers a day right now.  I have a tray filled with a dozen and the freezer contains large bags of frozen pepper strips for future Winter meals.  I have taken some to work to give away. Sigh.

Perhaps I did grow too many?  I am reminded of the Elimination Diet and my JOY at adding red pepper to my limited vegetable list.  Those red peppers were purchased.  Long before the garden even was thinking of making any.  I think lunch will be a French dish of red peppers, onion, a bit of chili peppers and some tomato.  Piperade.  Saw it on Cook's Country last weekend.

G decided he didn't actually like stuffed cabbage.  And I have so much packed in containers.  Yesterday, at work, I had one serving for my lunch at 3pm.  I had a second serving for my supper at 7 pm.  Then a very hot shower.  Pajamas.  The Debate.

After 30 minutes of the debate, with one person constantly interrupting and the moderator not doing anything to stop the rude interruptions---I got up and wandered off to my sewing room, too irritated to watch anymore.   Somehow in my sewing room, sorting things, stitching things etc.  I returned to a calmer state and 2 hours passed peacefully.

I like Lester Holt.  But now I am disappointed in him.  He faded when he should have been strong. I hope this is not a foretelling of what might happen in November.  Not being strong.

My day at work had gone well until about 4pm.  Then the really difficult customers seemed to be coming back to back.  Customers already angry before even speaking to me.  Customers interrupting when I tried to answer.  It was that kind of day.  That kind of atmosphere.

Today it's cold. No sun.  Wet.  I may need to find a sweater to pull on and some socks.  Perhaps find the down lap throws and a good old fashioned mystery to read.  The water has boiled and the tea is brewing.  The dishwasher is running.  The dog has gone for his walk.  I need to turn on some lights, before 12 noon.  Summer might be over.  I already miss it.

I'm A Little Teapot-Short & Stout

Remember singing that?  I had a lovely electric kettle which I used for over 12 years to boil water for tea and anything else that needed boiling water added to it.  Then it started being fussy about if and when it would work.  I had to buy a replacement.  White plastic from Sunbeam.  Couldn't find something I liked.  Wasn't going to spend "good money" on something I didn't like.

Now---that has changed.  I like this.  I like it's handle and I really like it's spout.

Worked all day today and then home to pick peppers, eggplant and green beans before tucking all those beds under cloth--we are expecting a freeze tonight.   We also dragged the Fig Tree into the house (only sacrificed one green, unripe fig) for safe keeping.  All the front porch plants were moved to the house wall and then covered with cloth.  Our huddled masses.

Spent Friday running errands.  Mailing things.  Goodwill shopping.  Goodwill returning.  Church clothing sale.  Ice cream.  Staples to buy a  desk calendar.  Highway robbery.  But they had 4 large boxes of Kleenex for $3.90.  I got two packages.  Then grocery store.

G asked for stuffed cabbage so that is what I am cooking tomorrow.  Had to buy all the parts.  Huge cabbage for 50 cents a pound. I guess I'll be eating a lot of stir fried cabbage next week.  I like it with onions, red peppers and anything else I can find in the produce drawer.  I haven't made stuffed cabbage in years.  I hope I remember.  There never was a written recipe.  I hope there is some "body memory" to help me remember.  Mixing, rolling and then the tuck (pushing the cabbage ends into the roll).  Then into the oven and hope it all turns out.  What's not to like about cabbage, ground beef, tomato soup and rice???

They had a pile of snacks at work today.  Some for employees and some for customers.  Cookies, donuts, more cookies, ice cream treats in the freezer, carrot cake and finally pretzels.  I had a handful of pretzels.  Period.  Even though the donut was a raspberry jelly filled.  The kind I LOVE.

It was okay saying "no".  I am getting used to it and, unlike 9 years ago, the saying no isn't making me angry.  Saying yes would mean the chance of making the rash come back, having acid reflux etc. so, saying no to tempting foods is the best thing to do.  Not easy, but the smart choice.

Having Just Enough Stress

Making a second batch of Winter Sauce from Anna Thomas's The New Vegetarian Epicure.  I didn't start with the 100 pounds of California sun ripened tomatoes that her recipes is for.  I just don't have or need that much of anything anymore.

I have "just enough" which has been enough for my entire lifetime.

I will try to remember to wear my apron this time.  It seems I am always wearing a freshly washed white linen camp shirt when I make things.  Ending up with "stain removal" tactics.  I even got blueberry stains on a lovely long sleeved white linen shirt--which I "found" in my closet and instantly wanted to be wearing every day.  Right on the front.  All the stains have come out--so far.

Yesterday, the Day of all Days, I had my long awaited annual exam with my doctor.  And, of course, as LIFE would have it no other way, I had regained any weight I had lost in the intervening 3 months and packed on an additional two pounds by the morning of the visit.  I had also gone into a "full allergic" reaction.  Swollen red eyes and face, leaking eyes etc.  I was a MESS!!!!!  G asks if I am allergic to the doctor?

This morning, after suffering with vaguely flu like symptoms (at work) yesterday, swollen eyes etc, I awoke to a loss of three pounds, decreased rash and no eye leakage.

G says I should do and eat exactly the same things today, that I ate yesterday.

Well, yesterday I was pretty miserable.

Which brings us back to the Marinara Sauce.  Which looked so amazing that I "just had to eat it" with PASTA not zucchini noodles.  Now, that didn't cause the rash--I already had that for at least 3 days--but it did cause the rash to sort of "explode" into something truly amazing.  When the entire left side of my face is inflamed as well--I know I am in deep trouble.

 Very red, very dry, very uncomfortable.  Today I am taking Zyrtec.  I am going to alternate Zyrtec and Claritin.  Neither is effective for more than two days.  The Alaway eye drops are working to stop the burning and watering of my eyes.  But now my nose is running.  Yesterday (at work) I had to add Benadryl to the mix.

And yes, there is ragweed growing along the edges of the property at work-- along with acres of grassy weeds just behind us and next to us and across the street from our parking lot.

The Garden Gives Me Green Beans

I worked yesterday and it was very slow.  I got bored.  I also was thinking of all the things I could be doing if I wasn't stuck at work.

Well, today I am doing those things.  I went out to the garden after breakfast.  It was toast day.  New York Rye toast with butter and apricot jam.  Coffee.  I picked peppers that were almost red.  I picked cherry tomatoes.  Regular tomatoes (won't they ever STOP?).  And green beans.  I ate about a third of the harvest of beans right there in the garden.  With dirt.  And I hope no bugs.

Now I am stirring a large pot of tomato puree, waiting for it to be thick enough.  Homemade marinara.  I have olive oil, homegrown garlic and some seasonings in the pot.  I have the remaining green beans (minus the spider) in the hot oven roasting.  They get sort of leathery and chewy.  I like that about roasted green beans.

 My eyes are bothering me again.  My daughter reports the same problems (heredity) and she uses allergy eye drops (over the counter) so on my birthday I went to the grocery and bought some.  My eyes still burn a bit but no water is leaking out and causing my skin to burn and my eyes to itch.  Does make my nose stuffy.  Not really motivated to do laundry and vacuum.  G is out "landscaping" for the day--somewhere near the ocean.  The dog is napping by the front door.

It's sunny outside but dark inside the house.  A nap does sound good.  I am 70.  Old people like me nap all the time........???  Tomorrow morning the doctor and my annual physical.  My annual lecture on my weight and BMI.  Then, all jolly from that, I go to work.

Everything In It's Place: A Virgo Birthday

I often have a good hardy laugh when I read about the Virgo trait of perfection.  I have "perfect" thoughts but my house isn't perfect, tidy, or even clean most of the time.  Like today.  My Birthday.

I am Seventy Years Old Today.

Well, that's something isn't it.  I don't feel old.  Inside I am somewhere in my 40's I think.  Perhaps younger.  I read somewhere that if you want to have fun--wake a sleeping person and yell "how old are  you?" before they are fully awake.  The answer is the true age we hold in ourselves.

No birthday cake.  No chocolate candy.  I am hoping for Nachos.  And perhaps a Margarita. When I returned from a long 9 hour day at work yesterday I asked if there was a pile of birthday cards in the mail?  G said no.  So, I took a much needed shower, sat on the couch trying not to fall asleep and then went with G and the dog to get a medium vanilla cone at Dairy Queen.  No dinner.

This morning my son's call from Vancouver woke me.  We talked for 90 minutes.  I am so thankful that I am the kind of mom that can talk to her grown son about a range of topics for that long.  With both of us having so much to say and share.  And I am shocked that he was awake that early!!!!!

My horoscope mentioned this being a year of significant turning points.

Stay tuned.

Married Forty Eight Years Today

It hasn't been a smooth ride.  Bumps and upheavals along the way.  Twelve houses.  Two children.  Three cats (not at the same time) and one dog. Packing boxes from years ago--still unpacked.  Still finding treasures in the attic.  Still comfortable sitting and saying nothing.  Taking care of each other.

Yesterday back to work.  Spent the day talking.  Seven hours of the day talking.  So many people missed me and, I guess, I missed them. Mostly they talked about how different I look.  One customer said I looked smaller.  Another, that my face looked so thin, smooth and wrinkle free. I have to admit that last comment had me wondering about my June appearance.  When she last saw me.  Another who wished me well that last day in June (at work), told me of her Whole30 diet and how good she felt.  Funny how our paths were linked while I was gone.  Trying to find health and happiness in our diets.  She eats whole fruit and fruit juices.  I eat the whole fruit pulverized in the Vitamix. I think that's okay.  I'm still eating the peel and the fiber.  Whole30 smoothies?  yes or no?

The suggested birthday donuts (Saturday) were given a thumbs down.  Okay if the baker wanted the employees to eat them.  Not me.

I was still unsure about returning while I packed my salad of Romaine, red cabbage and carrots yesterday morning.  Not enough lettuce so I fine cut some kale leaves.  Skipped the red onion.  Not good for customer service. Packed up EVOO and Balsamic, S&P in a small container to shake and pour before eating the salad. I may add diced roasted beets to the next salad.  I also took a jar of smoothie to work.  I drank it at about 5:30.  Seems to be the way to go--moving forward.  I'll be at work all day Saturday.  Big perennials sale.

One of the packed treasures in the attic was two boxes from my dad's house.  Ball glass jars.  The kind with the glass lid and wire "bale".  Even had fresh boxes of the rubber gaskets.  I brought two down, into the dishwasher.  Now sparkling, like new, clean.  What shall I put inside???  Pints and half pints.

I have tomatoes to "handle".  Need to do something with them before they spoil.  More peppers.  The garden to water (promised rain failed to fall).  Everyone had an epic garden this summer.  Everyone has too many tomatoes.  I heard of one Farmer's Market stand selling them for $1 a pound.  Just to get rid of them.  Also need to stop by the Farmer's Market to buy garlic with BIG cloves to plant in October. Seeds for leeks for my Winter Milk Jug garden.

Gardeners.  We garden for this year with memories of last year and the promise of next year.  I already have containers with the seedy pulp from my very tastiest tomatoes breaking down.  When the gel releases the seeds, I'll dry them.  Start them in February or March for the 2017 garden.  It's just like being married in some ways.

How Can I Make Sense of The World We Live In Now

The world is a difficult--different--place than I am used to.  I don't quite know how to deal with it.  I know that any change begins with ONE.  Yourself.  How can I make a difference?

There are days when I feel hopeful.  But more days that I feel like something really horrible is about to happen.  Something we will all regret but have to survive.  Does it have to do with 9/11?  Does remembering that day make us more afraid?

Anyway that is where my mind and my heart is these quiet September days.  Worrying.  What Virgo does better than any other sign.

I am also wondering what to eat.  There is plenty in the fridge but none of it quite "goes together" to make a meal.  I may set some rice to cooking in the rice cooker.  Rice seems to help things go together.  Pasta is another item that helps odd items to come together into something tasty.

My garden.  It's tired and rather sad looking.  I will miss it.

Me.  Had a teeth cleaning appointment with the dentist.  It hurt.  They want me to get a crown.  I worry it will hurt.  Will it?

The peaches I bought for smoothies--well, when I cut them open there was mold growing on the pit. Inside the peach.  I have never seen that before.  So--no peaches in the smoothie and it doesn't taste as good.

I return to work on Wednesday.  Ambivalent.

Eating My Way Through The Summer

This little Bento box lunch is very cute.  I eat all these things but my presentation isn't as nice.

Yesterday, in the oppressive heat and humidity, I pulled up all the zucchini squash vines.  Today I will haul them to the compost boxes.  I also pulled beets.  I tried to pull the big and medium ones and leave the smaller ones (to grow some more) and was only 50% successful.  I pulled carrots the other day.  Most of the large carrots had had the bottoms chewed off by chipmunks.  They have tunnels all through the garden.

Not as hot today, so I will be roasting beets.  I find cold roasted beets to be a very fine lunch.  Cubed in a white bowl with EVOO and Balsamic vinegar. Some salt and freshly ground pepper.

Carrots I like in a salad with Romaine, red cabbage and EVOO and Balsamic.  I also enjoy carrots with a sesame-free hummus I make.  Chickpeas and parsley and lemon juice.  Trouble with this meal--- I eat too much.

The green beans are only flowers at this point or one centimeter long baby beans.  When they are big enough to pick--I like them right out of the garden (still dirty) eaten while I pick.  Otherwise, I roast them in the oven with EVOO and eat them--sort of leathery and chewy.  Delicious.  Now that I have found the Coconut Aminos--I can make a Chinese dish out of them.  Roasted or fried beans, cashews, rice and coconut aminos.  Cashew Greenbeans.

The Claritin seems to be working.  There is a period of time, just after I wake up and before the morning pill takes effect, where things are pretty miserable.  Itchy, burning, leaking eyes.  It's  been a few hours and things are settling down.  Perhaps I will have to set the alarm for 2 hours before I need to be awake--take my pills and go back to sleep.

I am just starting a new book by a favorite author.  Close Your Eyes by Michael Robotham.  His books are dark and pretty violent but I like the way he writes.  I don't like the violent murders but they don't take up more than 20 to 30% of the book.  Which leaves me with enough to enjoy.  I just finished the latest book by the two Danish women who wrote The Boy In The Suitcase.  I sort of wish this series of books could be made into something.  Like HBO's True Detective.  Well, the first of that series.  The rest, not so much.  I waited for the "free" week and watched the first season.  Wonderful. I think the Red Cross nurse- Nina would be very "watchable".  She certainly knows how to to get into trouble.

I am trying to think of a fabric and thread project to do.  One that doesn't involve the sewing machine. I'm not quite in the mood to make Christmas ornaments out of felt yet.  Any ideas?  It could be purely repetitive.  I have circles I could appliqué to squares--a project I got into for quite awhile but then, when I realized I hadn't made any headway in the weeks I had been sewing----lost interest.  I could, of course scale the project down to making--- what?  A four foot by four foot square?  Placemats? Or I could make a center square and then design an appliquéd border to go all the way around.  The fabrics are French inspired.  Reds, blues, golds.  But I don't need a quilt.  Or do I just want something smaller and less "project" oriented.  Busy-work.

There is a woman who just sews.  Doesn't make anything.  I am too Virgo for that.

September Heat & Humidity

And my best friend.  Benadryl.  See the second line on the left?  Itchy, watery eyes.  That's me.

Yesterday I went to the grocery store.  I had been going every day and spending a fortune ( I have the proof as my credit card bill arrived)--so I have been trying NOT to go to the grocery.  Yesterday, well, I needed to see if there were any peaches (for the smoothie I now love) and I needed deli ham and swiss slices for my "roll ups" (just a slice of ham with cheese on top, rolled up into a cigar shape) which I eat instead of a sandwich.  I loved roll ups for lunch when I was doing Atkins.

Anyway, back to what I was saying.  I stood in front to the allergy pills section and decided to try Claritin. For allergy.  I have tried all the rest.  So far, one hour in, my eyes are drier than usual, I am not sniffling and except for the tight dry skin around my eyes, I am feeling pretty good.  Of course, we have the AC on.  I'm thinking that days when I am feeling great, are days when the AC is on.

The library called.  I now have FOUR delightful books to read.

I made G a very nice 9 inch square lasagna the other day.  Using the items in the fridge (which I purchased on my frequent shopping trips).  Ricotta cheese, frozen spinach, fresh pasta sheets, frozen ground turkey (for testing turkey).  I wish I could say I used my own oven roasted tomatoes for the sauce--but G only likes commercial sauce.  I had a salad late in the afternoon and the last of the blueberry peach smoothie in the evening.  I'll be going into the kitchen to make more smoothie when I finish typing this.

My employer should be calling this afternoon to let me know what days I will be working next week. I'm hoping for three short days.

The figs on our potted fig tree are starting to turn color.  Getting ripe.  I think there may be over 50 figs on the tree, perhaps even 100? We finally learned to water, water and then water some more.  The young "bush" fig (not a tree shape) has 4 figs.  A good beginning effort.  This, I believe, is year 4 for the potted tree.  I will be able to make quite a few jars of fig preserves.

The part of Maine where I live is now in a "drought".  We are 5 to 6 inches short of the normal rainfall.  Wells are drying up, farmers haven't enough hay to cut and feed to their animals, a goat farmer hasn't enough grass for the grass fed goats.  The rain goes by us to the north.  Hermine brought us nothing but humidity. My vegetable garden looks like a disaster.  I am going out to water the few things still growing.  Eggplant, beans, carrots and beets.

The Up Side of An Allergy Attack

I have been medicated into submission (sleepy) and been sitting on the couch watching all of Chef's Table on Netflix.  Even the French version with subtitles. Trying not to rub my eyes. But rubbing them feels so good.

Reading is impossible and I have a sweet stack of good books.

The skin on my face has the texture of sandpaper.  None of the creams and salves I own do much. I had thought the homemade calendula salve would be soothing.  At least it doesn't burn when I apply it.  My nose has started to participate.  Alternating between stuffy and running.  A few sneezes.

I'm going to go sit on the couch, close my eyes and drift for the next few hours. Perhaps the lunch fairy will bring me something to eat?

September Garden: Carrots

I think every regular Reader knows how much I love carrots.  I used to love them sliced on the diagonal with a tub of plain hummus.  I would eat until the tub was empty.  I haven't had any chickpeas recently.  I haven't tested sesame seeds.  I have been eating my garden carrots plain.  Just carrots.  Colorful food is beneficial to eye health.

Yesterday I went hunting for a pickled carrot recipe.  One I could "can".  There are plenty of pickled carrot recipes out there but since carrots are a low acid food--tricky to safely can them.  So, in the interest of adding (at best) 30 to 60 days of longevity to my carrots, I am going to try refrigerator pickled carrots.  Of course I can always use the porch fridge for "cold storage" by setting the fridge temp at 40 degrees.

I also like grilled carrots.  Carrots fried in butter until golden brown and carmelized.  Carrots cut into sticks with my regular mixed greens salads.  And Italian Carrot Soup thickened with white beans. I'm not too worried about being able to eat all the carrots.

When I pull up the carrots I will also pull up the beets.  I like the beets roasted, chilled and served with EVOO and Balsamic vinegar.  By the time this happens there should be green beans on my Blue Lake bushes.   Vegetable Stir Fry of beans, carrots, peppers and onions from my garden.

The green peppers on my "many" pepper plants are starting to change color.  To red.  I have a tray full in the freezer (cut into strips) ready to be packed in freezer bags.  For stir fry and chili during the winter.  I enjoy the bounty of the garden, but bringing in the heavy harvest basket--signals the true end of summer.  September.  In the next few weeks the Concord grapes should be ripe and Patty and I will be making grape jelly.  Oh, and my Fig Tree is heavy with figs.  Fig preserves.

Ah, well.  Planning for next year's garden isn't far away.  And I return to work next week.  Yes.  Going back to work.  I promised my employer I would return.  Already scheduled to teach three classes.  Before I know what's happening, I will be decorating wreaths.

Back To Detox--- my eyes are almost swollen shut

I don't know any more about what causes this than I did 2 months ago.   I feel like the whole thing was a total waste of time, energy and the money spent buying all these special foods.

I look like someone used my face as a punching bag.  Disfigured.  Ugly.

And of course the weight I have lost in the past week or two has piled back on.  As I said before, the same five pounds gained and lost--over and over and over.  This post will be short-- in no time at all I won't be able to see to type.  Then, cold compresses and the couch.

Last year, this continued until a day -a morning- in October when I woke, looked in the mirror and it was gone.  I check for allergen counts, pollen counts, mold spore reports.  Trying to find SOMETHING to explain this.  But there is nothing.

I am feeling defeated, depressed and on the verge of tears--which will burn as they run over my swollen face.

I have made the pineapple, strawberry, kale, mint detox smoothie and will be drinking that today.  And hoping it helps even a little bit.  A few days ago, I felt wonderful.

Nachos!!!!

 It's my birthday this month and during all this "detox" stuff the past 60 days or more--I just kept hoping I would not be reactive to any of the ingredients in NACHOS.  Cuz, that's how I want to celebrate my 70th birthday. And that's what I want to eat ALL month.

 Had nachos today (September 2nd) for a late lunch out on the porch of the Seadog.  I should have also had a Margarita but I am under the influence of Benadryl.  Lots and lots of Benadryl.  My eyes are watering, the skin around my eyes is burning and to make the face a party--my nose is either stuffed up or running.  Of course, it goes without saying that the eczema on my eyebrows is red and itchy.

Nuts to my primary care doctor--I am asking to be referred to an allergy specialist when I have my annual checkup on the  21st.  I'll even pay out of pocket for the ALCAT.  This isn't just "dust".

And, I was totally inflamed since yesterday, late afternoon (when I ate chocolate).  The nachos aren't involved in this reaction. This is why the Elimination Diet people want us to eat the new food three days in a row--as often as we can.  So that, by day three, you can explode into an allergic reaction-- if it's going to happen. No question.

I do have four containers of dark chocolate caramels.  I will miss eating them.  But I can give them to people as gifts. Sadly, I didn't eat any of the caramels during the three day test.   And I certainly am not eating any of them now.  My eyes would swell shut.

Finished watching Marcella on Netflix (good but strange).  Have watched Cooked (very good).  Have watched 2 episodes of Chef's Table (rather pretentious).  Am almost caught up on Mr. Robot (very strange).  Have to watch during the afternoon when G is not in the house.  He can't follow any of the story lines and I get annoyed trying to explain everything while watching. In Mr Robot there are "people" who are imaginary and dead.  So I am watching saying; real person, imaginary person, dream, awake etc. Also the action is sometimes current and often backstory.  It's a lot of work to watch this show.

Had my second Larabar.  Carrot Cake.  It was very tasty.  I purchased two rings of dry pineapple so I can make homemade Carrot Cake Bars. I even got dried banana chips in case I like the Banana Cream Pie one.  No dried apple rings or chips so I can't make the Apple Pie bars.