2021 - Bon Appetit!

 I had my three-month check-up last week and figured I should write a corresponding three-month blog update. I'm not going to spend time writing about the check-up though because THERE IS NOTHING TO REPORT. That's right, for the first time in years I had an appointment that really didn't need to happen. Everything is as it should be, which is just great. 

I'll start with a belated Happy New Year! I hope you and your families had a nice and relaxing holiday. We had the best Christmas we've had in years. Scott and I (and Barney, of course) spent a couple of weeks just hanging out, eating, avoiding emails, and enjoying each other's company. We also spent a fair bit of time with my parents and their dogs. I was spoiled rotten, which was very nice;) 

Life is falling into a relatively boring and stable routine and I wouldn't have it any other way. Well, I'd love my full mobility, energy, career, and hairstyle back, but let's not get carried away. I spend my days cooking or baking, doing my physio exercises and futzing around the house. I'm still incredibly paranoid about Covid, so limit my outings to physio and the grocery store and my social interactions to Scott and my parents. Like everyone else I'm waiting for my vaccine and hopeful for the day that I can come out of hibernation. 

The kitchen is really turning into my place of Zen. I've always loved cooking and baking but have taken things to a new level over the past year. I've become obsessed with fancy cookery. I spend my evenings reading books about cooking and baking and try to make something new or challenging several times a week. I've had to back off on baking a little as my gallbladder and waistline were starting to complain. I now pick one sweet thing for the week and try to share it with my parents. It's tough, but we get by.  

My hair continues to grow in weird and surprising ways and shades. For awhile I was sporting a puffy afro with natural highlights that I was hoping would develop into something cool and funky-looking. However, it didn't want to behave and decided instead to form itself into a helmet that reminded me of my grandmother circa 1998. No thanks. It being a pandemic and all, a visit to my hairdresser is not in the cards, so last week Scott decided to add to his skill-set and cut my hair. It actually worked out quite well! We didn't need to go to plan b and bring out the number 4 buzzer, at least. I now have a short, kind of curly, very black and coarse do that I attempt to tame with copious amounts of product. I miss my 'normal' hair immensely. It's funny, I knew I would loose my hair but never gave much thought to the regrowth phase. I'm finding this harder to deal with both practically and psychologically than being bald (though I'd also rather not be bald again. I'm very hard to please sometimes).

Speaking of my psychological self, I've become a bit of a hypochondriac. I guess it's understandable but I have a really hard time not freaking out and Googling every little weirdness or symptom. I'm working on this and every month that goes by without a new issue certainly helps to calm me down. I'm trying to stay focused on the positive and to make the most of my new life away from constant medical surveillance. It's actually quite pleasant and relaxing when I manage to forget about my health for a time. This is where things like cooking, baking and my new-found enjoyment of chess come in. Also exercise.

This wouldn't be a proper blog post without mentioning my latest physical feats of strength. I've made huge strides (literally and figuratively) in physiotherapy. I'm gaining speed and stamina on the treadmill and my strength and balance are improving beyond where I thought possible. I've met my short-term goals and am busy coming up with new ones. I recently found that I can do some standing yoga as long as I keep my shoes and afos on. This is a huge deal for me. I'm waiting for the right snowfall to try out my next big thing - snowshoeing. Updates as events warrant on that one.

I'm still limited by fatigue, nerve pain, and hands that refuse to cooperate when writing or knitting. I also have brutal carpal tunnel that limits my time on the computer and phone. But in the grand scheme of things these are minor annoyances that may yet improve. When I look back on myself over the past six years I'm amazed at how far I've managed to bounce back. And I'm just getting started...

I'll leave you with a little food porn (nope, not gonna share my hairdo). This is a Caramelized Onion, Olive, Feta and Ricotta tart that I made last night (with homemade pastry and ricotta, of course!). 

Until next time, stay safe and stay home...