I may have crossed a line ...

So ... Target had pet apparel in their dollar section.

 

And I couldn't resist.  This one is too small, but still cute.

I may have went a little overboard ...    Herc needs to work on his modeling skills.

But to my defense, I got one for my mom's cat too.  Here Herc is getting into it.

And of course, we have to remember those cold winter nights.

Now he's hamming it up!

Sonic hearing

I've never really admitted this to anyone before.  But I hate going to the doctor ... and I try to avoid it at all costs.  There are some superficial reasons like I'm overweight and embarrassed to step on the scale.  Also,  for a long time, like many Americans, I either didn't have health insurance or it wouldn't be fiscally feasible or budget-friendly to go.

But the issue goes deeper.  Four years ago I was miserably sick and the doctor told me it was all in my head ... basically telling me that I was making it up.  It took four months, four different medications that either did nothing at all or made me feel worse before I was diagnosed.

My father has a long running history of hospital visits.  I've written about his kidney transplant before, but we've also had multiple hip replacements, knee replacements and extended stays with battling infections.

I do what I can to stay away from the examining rooms in our local facilities.

This summer I really felt I had no other option.  I've had a sinus headache pretty much since June.  That in itself, other than inconvenient and annoying, is something I'm relatively used to.  Summer time = allergies.  One morning I woke up to nausea and vertigo and had what may be my first sick day of working life.  I tried to tough it out ... after all I didn't have a fever or any other issues.  After the symptoms subsided a bit I noticed a pressure in my ear. The symptoms came and went: nausea, vertigo, hot and cold flashes and fogginess. I self diagnosed maybe a sinus infection or ear infection and figured with a little rest it would go away by itself.

It didn't and I gave in.  I was terrified that they would tell me there was nothing wrong with me.

I didn't have any infections and my diagnosis was pretty lame, but at least it gave credence to what I was feeling and didn't brush me off.  I guess that's the difference between a good doctor and someone who shouldn't be in a field where they need to interact with people.

All the allergies and sinus pressure were putting pressure on my inner ear.  They tested my ears/hearing and found I have highly sensitive hearing -- the doctor literally told me I have sonic hearing, one level below what dogs can hear and better than 90 percent of other people.

(As an aside .... I may have found my superhuman powers from my tick bite: Sonic Hearing!)

My treatment: be more religious about taking my allergy pills before I feel sick and use my neti pot more often.  But I'm back on their radar again and I may have to overcome my fears and insecurities and start going to the doctor regularly.

Unravel and Unwind

I had a long and somewhat stressful day.  But there were two things that kept me going ...

My sparkly necklace and pretty nails (that match my outfit perfectly!)

(Ignore my short, ugly fingers)

And then I got home and saw ...

Wahoo!

Yay, pretty wedges!

And of course, as always, there's a little furry friend who makes me smile and melts my stress!

Hercules

Sparkly, pretty, furry and cuddly... that's what matters in life, right?

No Kitty, that's my water bottle!

No, Hercules, I don't care that it's Valentine's Day.  You CAN'T put your paw in my water bottle!

You'll hold the ranch and you'll like it!

I had an interesting experience at that one sandwich shop today.

First it was probably a 20 minute wait, with people looped around in line.  It was a pleasant wait, a couple of cute young guys (gee whiz, they do exist) and one friendly one to chat with.

Fast forward to the veggie and sauce part of the line and I say no sauce/dressing,  Sure, I ordered a bacon, chicken ranch  ... but I didn't want the ranch,

Guy behind the counter was shocked.  Really, dude?  If that's the strangest request you received, you need to go answer phone calls for a human service nonprofit agency for a month.

Then we'll compare our "strange" notes.

Foodie Fumbles - Crock Pot Lasagna

I love food.  Discovering new flavors, making new recipes and enjoying new treats with friends.  I also love reading food blogs and magazines and watching food shows.  Folks, I think I'm a foodie.

I'm your average foodie -- when I try new things, sometimes the recipes are mind-blowing fantastic that they are saved, printed and filed for future use. Sometimes .... I fumble.  Good recipes go bad .... or there are indeed, just bad recipes.

Last week I made crock pot lasagna.  It was a spur of the moment thing, I had intended to make a beef roast, and thought I had taken out a leftover half roast, and it turned out to be a leftover pound of hamburger.

Foodie Fumble #1: Label your leftovers well -- especially those vacationing in the freezer.

I didn't follow the recipe carefully use a recipe.  I looked up the basic ingredients and flew with it.  Pasta, stewed tomatoes, onions, browned hamburger, garlic, oregano, basil, tomato paste ...   And boom! Four hours later, bland tomato-hamburger mush.  I'm not quite sure what went wrong -- it tasted great before I put the cover on to slow cook.

So I had to either freeze, throw away or find a use for my bland hamburger mush.  

My first attempts to doctor that night were not successful.  It tasted better the next day, but the lack of texture was still a problem.  So I converted a lazy meal stand by to fit my dilemma.  I topped a baked potato with my mush, a little steak sauce and broccoli (usually made with pulled pork or bbq.  Yummy!

My second meal was mush with bbq sauce over rice with veggies.

Tonight I finish my mush by transforming it into Shepard's Pie with gravy, veggies and seasoned mashed potatoes.

So until next time my foodie friends - keep cooking and don't let a bland meal go to waste.