It looks like we have a full plate--me of course, and the Democrats

Fried fish sandwich with homemade tartar sauce & white onions, roasted broccoli and some very spicy jalapeno macaroni & cheese

This is what I usually have for dinner on Fridays (with a big glass of grapefruit soda) but enjoyed it early tonight (Thursday) just to shake things up a little.  But I couldn't help thinking, while dishing up these big portions, that I wasn't the only one with a full plate after this week's mid-terms.  

There's not a lot I want to say here.  This afternoon my friend Margaret wrote a terrific editorial on the recent elections which you can read here.  We're on the same page opinions wise, though I can't express my feelings as eloquently as her.  And right now my brain is pretty wrapped up in it's own struggle with long covid and chronic inflammation.  

But I did want to say I very much enjoyed Tuesday night.  I felt like a kid again on Christmas Eve.  As the results began coming in, I baked oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and made a pot of hot coffee, stayed up late and enjoyed the show.  

Some of my favorite people live in the great state of Texas, but I know good people who live in Ohio, Kansas & South Carolina too.  Their own excitement was contagious.  And man, Georgia is a rock star!

I don't know where the Democrats plan to start in January, but I hope they make restoring those extended subsidies to healthcare premiums a priority--along with reinstating Medicaid and food stamps for the needy.   And end those goddamn tariffs and that godforsaken war!!!  Oops, there I go...

Y'know, the irony is I don't consider myself a radical liberal.  I see myself as a loyal Democrat with some conservative leanings, the older I become.  But these last couple years have been positively horrific.  Unless you're a fascist or asshole, that is.

Oh well, on that hopeful note... thanks for reading, I hope everyone has a great weekend!  

Thinking out loud: It's the day of and the day after... this

Sunday night I awoke around 3am with the left side of my face wet and one eye closed up.  This is how it looked Monday morning, after cleaning up.  

One side of my head feels like it's in a vise, a pretty hard return to my earlier days of long covid.  I can't help but wonder if this will ever end.  I was pretty bummed, it was a beautiful day and I was hoping to go into downtown Pittsburgh, to claim my long-awaited Senior Card for Pat Transit.  

People 65 and over get to ride public transportation--buses, the subway, the Incline all for free.  But you have to apply for your special ID card in person at the Port Authority downtown.

I'm so frustrated, so damn angry at how long this condition has gone on, I keep reminding myself things could be worse but when you're in daily discomfort it can be hard to do.

Over my birthday, an old friend reached out to me just to say hello.  It was wonderful hearing from Brenda again, the last we spoke was 10 years ago and before that, nearly 30 years.  In the 1980s, we were part of a group of twentysomethings that hung out together on a regular basis. 

In March 2024, shortly after I got long covid, Brenda's husband Mike, also part of our 80s group, died from cancer.  They were together 40 years.  Anyway, Brenda is seeing someone new now--actually, her first high school boyfriend--who's wife contracted covid the same time I did, but didn't make it.  I'm happy for Brenda, but what a damn curse this covid has been for so many.  At least I'm still here.  Still...

Can I share something silly?  It's dorky but honest-to-God true.  Yesterday afternoon I was in my kitchen making dinner, and had Youtube on the TV in my living room.  Some guy named Philip Mershon (who has a retro channel) was talking about terrariums, and when I heard him say "Here's some other 70's decor people used to cozy up their homes"  I hurried in to see what he was talking about, and saw this.

Look familiar?  I did not get the idea to buy my macrame owl from Philip--I got my owl last week, 4 days before he posted this video.  I just thought this was a weird coincidence.

I'm probably going to start seeing owls everywhere now.  As a matter of fact my blogger friend Margaret just posted a photo of one.  (Her neighbor set out a clay owl to ward off crows in his backyard. )

Well, I should wrap this up and get my day started.  My head isn't any better, but my eye is, at least.  Maybe it wasn’t even LC related.  I'm sorry for the dull read, I just felt the need to share.  I'm already working on my next post, which I hope is more interesting, so please don't give up on me just yet.  

And speaking of not giving up...

                                              Come on Blue Wave

It's a Boo-thday alright... meanwhile, some wise eyes in the room

This is a birthday card my dear friend Pen made me.  (She's a real whiz at her Cricut machine.)  "Boo-thday" does seem appropriate this year, and not just because my day falls on Halloween.

1. The mid-term election forecasts are making me pretty antsy.
2. I've been dealing with a pretty serious long covid relapse for a couple weeks now, and it's wiping me out.

I wake up every morning around 5:30am with a lot of inflammation in my cheeks and jaw.  I use the bathroom, then head to the kitchen and hold ice packs over my eyes while I gargle with warm salt water for 15 minutes.  When things calm down, I pop a Lemon Mint Ricolla Lozenge in my mouth, go back to bed and watch Youtube videos on my tablet until I doze off again.

I wake up an hour or so later with an aching face and a jaw that is very sore, stiff as a board.  Things don't ease up until mid-afternoon or so.  Around 5-6pm, oral inflammation sets in.  Ugh--I really am sorry for sharing all this, no one wants to read it.  I'm just burnt out.

This January will mark my third year anniversary of dealing with long covid.  All I can do is try and manage the symptoms one day at a time, and when I get 1-2 days of calm, rejoin society (like a couple weeks ago, when I was able to meet up with friends from the Senior Center at Chili's).   

Other than that, I'm just hoping I see some long-term recovery in 2027.

As long as I'm here... have you ever bought something and wound up doing something different with it then originally intended?  A couple weeks ago I was on an arts & crafts site looking at the different things for sale, and saw this macrame owl crafted by a young woman in Bali.

It immediately reminded me of the 1970s, when macrame seemed to be everywhere.  Hanging planters, ladies fashion... I bought her last macrame owl, intending to hang it beside a piece of artwork above my couch.

When it arrived yesterday (even nicer than I expected), I hung it on a magnetic hook on my (metal) front closet door while I ran to get a hammer.  But when I came back and saw it perched there...

I think this owl had found it's home.  It sure is a nifty looking thing, isn't it?  The eyes and nose are hardwood nuggets.  I love it.

On that note...I don't have much else to say.  I just wanted to get something new blogged.  I'm not very fond of my last post with all those former birthday photos, it felt a little too self indulgent.  Plus it makes me pine for healthier, happier times.

But I did enjoy all the very kind feedback, thank you again.

I hope everyone has a great Halloween, and (sorry my conservative friends) I hope we get that Blue Wave and a Democratic House & Senate again, and a cure for long covid while we're at it.

Thanks again for the lovely cards Kim, Robin, Pen, Bobi & sister Shawn.  Bobi, I loved that wood bookmark, thank you.  And Shawn, thank you for the scratch off tickets.  🧡🧡

And thanks to everyone as always, for being here.