You get used to anything...

I am getting used to the horrid taste of the instant coffee and have almost forgotten what a decent cup of coffee tastes like. I guess that's a good thing. If I am going to drink this awful stuff, I may as well get used to it and not find it as horrible as I did in the beginning. It does what it is supposed to do and that is get me alert enough after I wake up from sleeping or if I'm having a dip. 

The fact that it has caffeine in it is the most important thing, although I did have my doubts about that when I first started drinking it. I even looked on the jar to make sure it wasn't decaffeinated coffee. At first I thought it wasn't doing a thing for me, but I've since started making stronger cups of it. That's working quite a bit better. 

The sad news is that my older sister was not able to come down here. She is in too bad a shape to make it. She called me this morning and was very disappointed. She had a packed bag all ready to go but had to cancel her trip. She is going to try and come later this month if she can get her illness under control better but I doubt she is going to be able to. I think until she's seen the specialist, she's just going to have an awfully hard time. 

At least I will be able to save most of the foods I bought for her stay here. Most of them can go into the freezer and the other ones can stay in the cupboards. I'll have to eat the bananas but that will be no great sacrafice.  I was looking forward to fixing the food but it will wait. It's more fun to cook for two people than it is for one.

I did go and have brunch with my younger sister and her family. She had all sorts of foods and a nicely laid out table. I had a hard boiled egg and a little bit of fruit salad but there were many more things to choose from. One of them was the special Easter bread which looked great but which I'm unable to eat. I was awfully full when I was done eating and felt like I had eaten a ton of food. I wish I could have, it all looked so good. 

Instead of going for a walk with them after the meal, I went home and took a nap to help digest my food. I was better able to sleep than to walk. My stomach was that uncomfortable. The nap was a success and I felt better afterwards. The dog woke me up because he wanted to go for a walk, so I briefly went out with him. I wasn't quite ready yet for the bigger work. 

Now I'm sitting here drinking a glass of milk and I'm waiting for the day to come to an end. It went by quickly and I haven't done much. I don't have much to show for it, except for a bloated stomach. An idiot would have more to show for his day.

Happy Easter all of you!

Ciao,

Irene

In an uproar...

My stomach has been in such an uproar for the past 24 hours that I've only been able to eat two rusk toasts and as a result I am very hungry. I don't dare eat anything else, though, and am glad the rusk toast stayed down. I've been trying to drink something besides water and I'm now trying to drink a much needed cup of coffee. So far, so good. I don't tolerate milk very well at all. I did miss the coffee very much, though. Who am I without my cups of coffee?

I can only think that this is a case of nerves about my sister coming to stay here and in case it is that, I have taken a tranquilizer about an hour ago. I do feel myself getting a lot more relaxed now and I think it may be doing me some good. I was also getting my headache back and I've taken a painkiller. It's very possible that stress translates itself into physical ailments in my case. It wouldn't surprise me at any rate. 

I do have a tendency to let things bother me more than I realize and they build up inside of me until the very moment that it starts to count. I seem fine until that very moment. In the meantime, subversively, the stress is creeping up on me and shows itself suddenly in less expected ways. It seems to always do that in the form of some physical dysfunction. Lately it has been my stomach that seems to be the weak spot. Of course with my gastric band it is bound to be that way. 

My domestic help didn't show up today and this was just on a day that I really needed her. I'll have to do the housecleaning myself now. It's not something I was counting on, especially not with an upset stomach. I hope I'm doing much better by tomorrow. 

The Exfactor was here this afternoon to do the groceries, but we postponed getting them until tomorrow because I was in no shape to go to the supermarket with him to get them. I went to bed instead and took a much needed nap. I sure as heck hope that I'm  in good shape tomorrow because I'll have enough to do. I also have to clean the patio. 

So you see, I'm not doing all that great. I do wish I'd get over it and I hoped that by writing about it I would. There's nothing like putting your problems down in black and white. Or in black and green as the case is here.  Through it all, I'm slightly neglecting the animals and that's unlike me. I do have to make amends as soon as I feel better. I feel most sorry for the dog who feels that something is wrong. He's my most loyal pal and about to notice it. 

I've been able to drink my coffee with some success. I would like to drink some milk now, but that may be pushing my luck. It would be nutritious anyway.

I hope you're all having a good day.

Ciao,

Irene

In total good health...

I had a doctor's appointment at the god awful hour of eight o'clock this morning. I don't rightly know how that happened either. Somehow I got talked into it. It turned out not to be too bad, really, and it did make for a good start of the day. The doctor has a cheerful personality and a friendly face so she is nice to see first thing in the morning. 

The good news is that I don't have a vitamin deficiency, or anemia, or an infection, or a incorrect thyroid hormome level. All I have is a minor cold and a chronically upset stomach for which she is now prescribing the medication permanently. I'm happy because it alows me to eat more with less problems. 

My cold is just a minor issue. My lungs sound clear and I'm just a little congested. The doctor was very impressed with the fact that I'd stopped smoking after having smoked for so long and so much. She said I should be proud of myself. I said I was. She also said I should treat myself nicely. I said I was doing that too. I don't think we need to worry about that.

I'm just glad there's nothing else wrong with me. I'm in good health and that's my main concern. I have some nodules on the lymph glands in the back of my neck, but they are not anything to be concerned about. It's good to know that. I was a little worried about them. 

I felt awfully relieved when I left there and walked home. I felt like I had a new lease on life, especially after hearing that my lungs were clear. You don't excpect that after all those years of smoking. I suppose I will have pink and squeaky clean lungs yet. 

This is a new doctor for me. She is kind and very young and I have a huge amount of confidence in her. She shares the office with the original doctor who took over the practice when the two old doctors retired. I think I will have this young doctor be my main carer always. I've got to make it a point to make all my appointments with her. Seeing as though I seldom have an emergency, this should always be possible.

I've got to hang up the laundry to dry and do the dishes. I'm trying to be industrious today. It's quite cold outside but I've got the heater turned up. At least in here it's comfortable. 

I hope you'll all have a good day.

Ciao,

Nora

Please skip the scepticism...

I think the medication for my stomach is beginning to work because I can eat a little bit better without it causing me as many problems. Needless to say, this is a great relief. It's a great thing when you can eat something without your stomach going in an uproar. I can't eat a lot, but just enough to satisfy my hunger and I can eat four or five times a day. 

I can't believe how much my stomach problems influence my mood. I used to think it was the other way around, but it isn't. I can be in a perfectly good mood until my stomach starts to act up. I get so uncomfortable and frustrated then. I stay uncomfortable for at least two hours, so it takes a while to get back to normal. It's good to realize which comes first. I'd go through life thinking I was one heck of a frustrated person. 

I'm very optimistically minded, really, and I'm usually in a good mood. As long as my stomach agrees with me, I'm one happy camper. 

The day went by quickly and I hope that the weekend goes by quickly also, although I do look forward to being a bit lazy. As a matter of fact, I look forward to that a lot. There's nothing better than lounging around in your bathrobe and making the morning last as long as possible. Postponing the start of the day with a cup of coffee and navel contemplation is very pleasant. 

The dishes have been done, the bed's been changed and the laundry has been washed and hung up to dry. The apartment is all clean too. That doesn't leave much for me to do. This weekend I will have to start reading again out of self preservation. I have several new books to choose from, one of them in Dutch. I will have to see which language I will want to read in. 

I have to watch the news and be a well informed person again. I haven't watched television all day. I don't know what's wrong with me. 

Ciao,

Nora

Post haste...

Outside it is raining hard and it has been almost non stop all day. Whenever I think about taking the dog out for a walk, it starts raining again so he has only been able to go out back. He's not too enthused about it and doesn't really want to be outside. Neither does the cat who's been very cozily staying in all day. I think we are hibernating today. 

I'm glad it wasn't this weather yesterday when I had to go out twice. Once to go to my GP and once to go see my therapist and to go to the pharmacy. I would have been miserable on my bike if it had rained like this. I do always seem to get lucky and avoid the worst of the weather. It's usually on my days off that it rains so bad. 

I saw my GP for the stomach problems that I have been having for quite a while now. I can't eat or drink anything without it causing me trouble and I very often have a stomach ache or cramps. I thought it was more than high time that I had it looked at. For now she prescribed some medication that should start working in a couple of days time, but I have to see her again in two weeks. 

I also had to donate some blood to run some tests on and to also check my thyroid function which had not been done in two years. I was one year too late with that. It goes to show you that I don't go to the doctor enough. I kind of neglect that.

I had not seen my therapist in a long while and had to fill her in on the latest news. I did that in the shortest amount of  time possible without making it sound dramatic. The conclusion was the most important thing to tell. It's what lesson you learn from your experiences that counts. How much wisdom do you gain? 

I made an appointment with her for a month from now. I want to be self reliant and not be guided in every step of the process along the way. I think I should be my own support and inspiration.

I am well on my way to having figured out a lot of things now and I know that I can count on myself a lot when it comes to making decisions. I'm wiser than I thought I was. The wisdom just gets snowed under now and then by my sometimes fragile emotions, but less and less so. 

The seed of optimism is growing larger inside myself and taking up more room. It's hard to get around its presence anymore. It has taken on a life of its own and exists whether I want it too or not. It is an almost independent entity. Pretty soon I'll call it the tree of optimism. 

I think I have to take the dog out now. It has been dry for a while. I will have to take the chance.

Have a good day.

Ciao,

Nora

For better or worse...

Through the course of the day yesterday, the bug I had moved from my throat and my chest to my stomach and my belly. In other words, it made its rounds. I felt the worst in the afternoon when I laid down in bed and had a fitful sleep and stomach spasms. I was aware of feeling very sick and making it a point to try and not wake up and consciously experience it. 

That did get me through the bad part, although I had the chills for the rest of the day into the evening. Now that I'm up in the middle of the night, I feel better and I think the worst of it is over. I don't nearly have the aches and pains in my body that I had and my head feels more normal too. It doesn't feel in a sick state anymore. 

It must have been a 24 hour bug and I should be fine in the morning. I told you that I never do get properly sick like other people do for days on end. I get being sick over and done within the shortest amount of time. 

Except for the bother of the aches and pains, it was very boring to be sick and I hope I don't have to repeat it any time soon. You can't do any of the things that you regularly do and on top of everything, I missed my appointment with my therapist. Food and drink don't taste very good either and are no diversion. At the end of the day I ate some crackers, but that was it. 

I crave a milkshake, but I'm having some ice cold milk instead. I wasn't able to drink that yesterday. It's a good sign that I can drink it now without my stomach protesting.

I've got to go back to bed and finish sleeping. I look forward to being a healthy person again the morning. 

Ciao,

Nora

The same, but different...

I've already slept well and longer than I usually do. I made the mistake of waking up all by myself and in the process waking up the dog who was peacefully lying down beside me on the bed. That was a shame because he'd had no plans to get up until I woke him. 

Once I did, he wouldn't let me go back to sleep, of course, and proceeded to lick my face every time I tried. I blame it on the fact that he enjoys my company. I enjoy his too and would have searched for him immediately if he had not been beside me when I woke up. We are that attached to each other. 

I made just enough coffee for two cups, but I only drank one until my stomach protested and I switched to cold milk. I'm much happier now and my thirst is quenched. 

I've not been drinking nearly the amount of coffee that I used to and I can only think that this is a good thing. As a consequence, I've had to figure out how to make a little bit of coffee in the coffeemaker and I've got that down to a science. I don't need so much coffee to wake up with. A little bit of caffeine goes a long way. My coffee consumption is cut in half. 

Today I'll go on a mission of much importance and I've got to make sure that I'm properly turned out because I have to make a good impression. I have to look like the sensible good woman that I am. Or at least of what society's idea is of that. I've got to put some thought into what I'll wear. Somehow I think that will lend more credence to my words. 

I hope you'll all have a great day.

Ciao,

Nora

Great and small...

I'm having my second much needed cup of coffee after experiencing serious brain drain when I got up from my nap this afternoon. I slept a little longer than I had intended to, but I must have needed the sleep. As a result, I was a little foggy when I got up and needed the caffeine very much. 

I was reluctant to make a pot of coffee because sometimes my stomach revolts against it and I never know when that is going to be. I sat here bleary eyed and had no other choice but to make one if I wanted to get anything done and be in a good mood. 

Luckily, the coffee was quickly made and the first cup not only agreed with my stomach but also put my mind in working order in no time at all. I was tremendously cheered. I felt that I had triumphed over evil forces and that the goodness of the caffeine was allowed to do its healing work. 

Outside it is raining hard and the wind is whipping it against the windows. I don't think the dog and I will be going for a walk any time soon. The weather has been bad for the past few days and I don't know exactly when it is supposed to improve. I'm hopelessly out of touch with the latest news. I haven't been watching TV at all.

My daughter and her father are on their way back to the States. I'm in the process of getting used to their absence and that will take me a while. I must be careful not to fall into a big hole and I have to hang on to the sense of optimism that I got out of the visit. It did me a lot of good and I feel like a reborn woman.

I have made some resolutions for the new year and I hope I can stick to them. They are not too complicated and some of them are just continuations of ones that I had last year. Others are new and take some effort to get used to as new goals. It's easier to leave everything the way it was, but not wiser. 

There is such a thing called emotional investment and I've decided to do much more of it. In the past I've always been afraid to take the chance in case I got hurt, but now I'm willing to invest. It's going to be a theme throughout my life this whole year and I'm going to put a lot of effort into it. It's not just going to be a hobby that I do on the side. 

The focus will not be on me but on other people. My look will be outwards. I will not be self centered but social. There is enough of me to go around. 

Have a good day, all of you.

Ciao,

Nora

It takes a while...

I didn't really appreciate the dog barking at me tonight. I was sound asleep in my bed, after all. It was a wake up call. He had to go out back to do a piddle. 

I think he could have waited a few more hours to do that and have let me sleep a while longer, but apparently he doesn't think in such terms. When he has an urge, it has to be satisfied immediately.

Standing outside by the back door wasn't such a bad thing because it was nice and cool out there. It was a clear night, although rain had been predicted. I let the dog take his time and enjoyed the pleasant night air on my warm and sleepy body. This woke me up a bit more. 

When the dog came in, I reluctantly went inside and locked the door. I was sufficiently cooled off anyway.

I turned on the computer and made a pot of coffee. Having learned my lesson last night, I have been making the coffee less strong and this has been a success. It still is strong enough to wake me up properly and get me in a functioning mode. It's not so strong that it upsets my stomach, which has been known to happen. 

I have also been making less coffee all at once, so I'm pouring less down the kitchen drain and I feel very economically sensible. 

That's the terminology you use nowadays instead of saying that you're frugal. Frugality is an old fashioned concept and something our grandparents practiced. We could all draw a lesson from them and learn how to live sensibly. It was waste not, want not in those days. 

All we need to do is go back and have the mindset of those days. We'd be satisfied quicker and learn to get by with less.

The wind has picked up and is blowing the fallen, dried leaves through the street. We may be in for a change of weather. Rain was predicted for the night and possibly it will arrive now. I'm looking forward to it and I hope it will gently fall soon. There's nothing better to listen to while I'm lying in bed.

Except for the gentle snoring of the dog, of course. 

I hope you'll all have a nice Friday. 

Ciao,

Nora

It's hardly surprising...

I made the coffee not so very strong, necessitating me to drink more of it to get the equal effect. I actually like the taste of it better this way, although I always claim to like a strong cup of coffee. I guess it really isn't so and I'll have to remember that the next time I make a pot of coffee. I do always have to learn my lesson the hard way. I hope I can always manage to put less ground coffee in the filter.

I will enjoy my cup of coffee better and it will not be such an onslaught to my stomach which is protesting less. I'm sure a cup of strong and bitter coffee is not what it wants. But I am like a donkey who kicks the same stone twice and it will be a learning process that I will stubbornly go through until I get it right. Remind me not to brag about the punch the coffee carries and what a kick it gives me. It will be because I'm on the wrong track. 

I also have to remember not to dawdle and put my bathrobe on right away instead of sitting here in my pajamas getting cold. It's like that doesn't register immediately and I wonder why I am so uncomfortable. Once I do put my bathrobe on, I'm immediately aware of the difference and I chastise myself for not having had the sense to do it right away. It makes me wonder how well I really function when I first get up in the middle of the night. 

I think I'm not as logical as I could be and have to wait for it to slowly catch up with me as the coffee starts working. I'm only a ghost of the potential me when I first get up, although I'm never in a bad mood. I'm just a bit slow witted and function below par. I really shouldn't make any big decisions in the first twenty minutes, although I'm happy to say that none are expected of me. 

I'm fine now and warmly enveloped in my bathrobe. I have socks on my feet and couldn't be more comfortable. My brain is functioning and I couldn't think straighter. I could do any sort of task now. It's a pleasure to be up knowing that I will go back to bed again shortly and finish sleeping. It's the simple things in life that make it worth living and sleeping well is one of them. I always do that best early in the morning.

Getting up the second time is a little bit harder. My body and mind do protest a bit more. It takes me a while longer to get my act together. I give myself an hour to sit in my armchair and become a semblance of a human being. I'm actually one before that time, but I like to start out slowly and to gather up my bravery to face the day. That is always a bit harder than facing the silence and darkness of the night. Looking presentable and walking the dog are big chores in the morning. They are not to be taken on lightly. 

The dog is snoring on the sofa, but he will follow me back to bed. The cat is already there waiting for us. 

Today will be lovely weather and that's something to look forward to. The sun will be shining all day.

I hope you'll all have a great day.

Ciao,

Nora

 

Picking up the routine again...

I had a cup and a half of coffee and that's all I wanted. It didn't taste as good as it usually does, nor did it quench my thirst. I needed a glass of cold milk for that. It's a good thing that the Exfactor will be here today to do the groceries because I'm running out of milk and the dog is almost out of dog food. I think he has about four bites left in his bowl. The Exfactor will be greeted with open arms. He will be a welcome sight.

Of course, I'm burping now from the milk, but it's not as bad since I stopped taking the B-complex vitamins. I think those upset my stomach too much. A dear blogging friend suggested that they might be and I think she was right, proving that you can't very innocently take just any pill or supplement. They do affect your system. If this is not pointed out to you, you keep very naively taking them and think there's something the matter with you. You don't suspect vitamins and supplements, after all. 

I'm slowly getting back to normal and am not so harried and stressed anymore. I think I'm coming down from the anxious day that Friday was. I achieved this partly by talking about it with my personal helper who does have her positive aspects when I'm willing to see them. I have to be in the right frame of mind to do this and lately I have been. I appreciate her much more than I used to. She helped me get my head straight about the subject anyway. 

It's with some amount of relief that I look forward to the rest of the week, although I have nothing special planned. It will just be the same old routine that it always is and that almost isn't good enough. Something will have to be done about it. I will have to make some plans to fill in my time better. I do wish to sleep later in the morning because I don't do as well when I get up early. My mood is not as good. I think that may have to do with the time of year. I have the need to hibernate.

The weather has been lovely and the sun has been shining every day. The temperatures have not been bad either and I only have to close the windows at night and sometimes turn the heater on for a little while. I do it when the dog starts to shiver in the bedroom. It does get cool in there and is all day long. It's the best room to be in the summertime, but now it's a little bit cold.

I'll have to go back to bed. I must get the rest of my sleep. That's the sensible me speaking. The one who knows not to stay up all night. It's nice and warm in here now, so going to bed will be extra special.

Ciao,

Nora

Intelligent life...

Tonight I was smart and made coffee immediately instead of waiting until the need became unbearable. I wasn't about to assume that I could function without a cup or two. I do have to add that I was in a good mood the moment I opened my eyes. I ever so cheerfully stepped out of bed and almost as cheerfully made a pot of coffee. 

Doing any kind of a chore is always a bit of a bother because of the potential frustration factor. I did it flawlessly, however. Maybe the problem is that I do want to do it flawlessly. I must worry too much about the potential mishaps, such as spilled ground coffee and too much water in the machine. Aha, the psychology of making coffee. It does need some looking into. 

Then, of course, the dog had to go out back. Not once, but twice. I stood out in the very cold night air by the back door and looked at the stars and tried to find the Big Dipper. I think I may have seen it, but I can't be sure. I'm not well informed enough. It could have been the Little Dipper. When I went out the second time, it had moved behind the roof line. 

I found out yesterday that my therapist had had the same stomach bug I have been battling, so at least I know the source of my illness. She had it a week before I did. She also reported on the long stubborn nature of it. I feel that I'm getting back to normal, although I'm saying that with some hesitation because every time I make that claim, my stomach acts up again. 

I've been sleeping a lot and can't seem to get enough of it. My bed is one of my favorite places to be, especially when I have the heater on and the apartment is nice and warm. My excuse is that I'm getting over being sick, but I just may be hibernating in the cold weather. I'm warmly dressed when I take the dog for a walk and don't stay out there too long. Yesterday on my bike, I should have worn gloves. 

I'm going back to bed to sleep under the warm duvet. I've got many hours left to sleep. No doubt the animals will join me to get their share of the warmth and comfort. 

Have a good night.

Ciao,

Nora

Wakefulness during the midnight hours...

It's only normal that I'm awake now. After all, what else should I be doing in the middle of the night? God forbid I should sleep like normal people do. That would be unheard of and it would be an unimaginable act. I may wish for it to happen, but that's like wishing for the Titanic not to have sunk. It would be a miracle in the annals of history. Not that I put that much importance on myself. 

I always make the best of it and enjoy these hours as much as I can. When handed lemons, I make lemonade. Actually, I think that is one of the things my stomach couldn't handle right now. It would go into a major uproar if I tried to drink that. 

But making these midnight hours as pleasant as possible is my goal. I'm not going to sit here in a state of dejection because I'm not asleep like I'm supposed to be. I know there will always be enough time to sleep and that in the end I will not suffer a shortage of it. That's the benefit of my lifestyle. I do decide when I can take a nap to catch up on it. I do love my afternoon naps, after all.

I'm sitting here with my funky reading glasses from the drugstore on. They are really not so very good and I have to be an exact distance away from the screen in order to be able to see the words properly. But then again, they are probably not the right strength and they were cheap. 

I'm expecting much improvement when I get my varifocals, although I have no idea what kind of experience that will be. I imagine that I'll have to peek through the bottom part of the lenses while I tilt my head in order to see right, but maybe it's not all that bad. That's one of the reasons why I'm impatient to have them. I'm imagining too many different scenarios right now. I bet none of them will be the right one. 

Trying to drink a glass of cold milk now is only partially agreeing with me. My stomach is protesting a bit. It doesn't quite want to co-operate yet. I was awfully thirsty and wanted something nice and cold. It's hard to figure out what to eat or drink. The chicken soup that I had last night settled well and it's the first real food I ate that stayed down. I will have it again tonight and every night until my stomach is completely better. However long that will take. 

I will go back to bed. I can sit here forever and write all sorts of nonsense about whatever enters my head. It is time to get some sleep however. I do have a comfortable bed to go to. It's not the bed fit for a queen that I'd like to have, but it will do for now.

I hope you're all having a good night and that you'll have a good morning when you get up. 

Ciao,

Nora

Almost cured at last...

My cup of coffee tastes especially nice now in the middle of the night and it's the second one I'm drinking. And no, my stomach is not in an uproar because of it. It is behaving quite normally, almost as if it is completely back to normal, although there are still some odd noises emanating from it. I just pretend it's practicing behaving like a regular stomach again. 

So, I'm very cheered that I get to have my cup of coffee and right now I think that all is well with the world. I can claim happiness and contentment for at least a little while. I'll actually try to make it last for as long as the night and day are long. That shouldn't be too hard to do. I don't expect anything to stand in my way. I do feel that I must choose the side of optimism. The glass is half full. 

It's an amazing thing that you have to be miserable to really appreciate what you've got, but that's how I feel right now. I'm so relieved that I have been able to drink and eat a few things again, that my whole disposition has been affected by it. I'm grateful that my stomach is healing and that it's not permanently going to cause me problems. 

I was very concerned about that and it's an enormous relief to find it getting better now. I suppose there's nothing like good health and even the threat of bad health is enough to put a scare into you. Imagine if something had been seriously wrong and how that would have affected me. I mustn't think about it. It would have been a huge burden to live with and my heart goes out to the people who have to.

Yesterday was a seriously nice day. The weather was wonderful and the sun was out all day in a bright blue sky. Luckily, I really got to appreciate it because my sister and I sat outside the front of her house in the sunshine in the afternoon and even got some color. We stayed there until it was time for me to go home. Her house sits on a sheltered street and we weren't bothered by the wind. It didn't interfere until I got on my bike and rode it home.

I did chores on and off while watching sports on TV and I've been watching the rugby championship that's being played in New Zealand. I'm becoming more knowledgeable about rugby and what a good and tough sport it is. I still don't understand all of the rules, but I'm learning. 

The Netherlands won the world championship baseball competition. We beat Cuba to do it. We do feel a certain amount of pride at that. It was a big deal over here and it is hoped that even more kids will start playing baseball now. A lot of our players come from the Dutch Antilles where baseball is a big sport. We have an American coach who speaks Dutch very well. 

Of course, there was the football competition and I do give a running commentary on that with the dog as my single audience member. He does look at me funny as he tries to decipher what I'm talking about. I do very clearly state my opinions. It's a good thing that there's no one else here to get into an argument with. Yesterday, during one game, I would have handed out many more red cards than the referee did. 

Still, I managed to change the bed and do the laundry. At least one load of it. The second one is for today. It was pleasant to get into a clean bed last night. I think the dog appreciated it too because he very cozily cuddled up to me. For a change the cat wasn't around to hog all the attention and he was happy about that. He didn't have to bother chasing her off the bed anyway. 

I must get ready to go back to bed now because today is Monday and duty will be calling this morning. 

I hope you'll all have a good day.

Ciao,

Nora 

Getting back to normal...

It was with some relief that I got up a while ago and realized it was Sunday and not a weekday like I initially thought. I'm more than ready to have another day off. I'm not nearly ready for the week to start and I still need to change the sheets on the bed. 

I feel that I wasted Friday and Saturday being sick to my stomach and I really want to enjoy today being not so. I had a rice dish to eat last night and it agreed with me amazingly well. This gives me hope for future foods. I may be able to start eating more normal soon. 

Next Tuesday, when the Exfactor goes grocery shopping, I will put some innocuous food items on the list and hope for the best. With a little bit of luck, they will be things that agree with me well. I'm thinking of rice and pastas and puddings.

I'm drinking a cup of coffee and it's not putting my stomach in an uproar. I've got no heartburn anyway. And the caffeine is making me feel good, so what more could I ask for? But I can only have one cup of coffee. A second one would be pushing my luck. 

Getting off the caffeine is not such a bad thing. I was too dependent on it to get myself started and now I have to do more of it on my own. I found out that I really only need the one cup and not several like I thought I did. It's great to get a caffeine kick, but it's not necessary. 

I've switched to cold milk now and even that I've got to drink carefully and slowly. I can only take small sips and not drink too much of it. I'm undecided if milk even agrees with me. I have serious doubts about it, but I like it a lot and I hope it does. I may end up having to drink plain tap water and nothing else. 

This afternoon I'm seeing my sister and we will be able to sit outside in the garden. The weather has been very nice this weekend and sunny all around. The temperatures aren't all that high, but the sun makes up for a lot if you are in a sheltered place.

I've got to go back to bed now so that I'll be able to get up at a decent time in the morning. There will be a few chores to do and a stomach to tend to. I will have to treat it kindly and give it something good to eat. 

I hope you're all having a good weekend and that your weather is treating you right. 

Ciao,

Nora

Don't want to feel like that...

Going on this drastically new diet has not been a good idea. It has not worked out well at all. It turns out that all the things I started eating did not agree with me and gave me a stomachache and very bad heartburn. I also could not drink coffee or tea, not even if it was green tea or rooibos. Everything that I had to eat or drink was a disaster. 

As a result, I was pretty miserable yesterday and the antacid tablets weren't working. I spent a lot of time in bed lying there as quietly as I could, barely moving. I was hungry, but couldn't eat. Finally, I called the Exfactor and asked him to bring me some milk, as I thought that was going to be the only thing that was going to save me. 

He was over soon with two packs of it and I very carefully started drinking it and over the course of the evening my stomach started to settle down. Good enough so that I could go to sleep for a while. I'm up again now having some more milk. I really want a cup of coffee, but am afraid to have one. I don't want to upset my stomach again.

I'm going off the new diet immediately and going back to the dairy based one. Meat and fruits and vegetables don't agree with me. That much is obvious. I've seldom been so uncomfortable. It was an adventure I don't want to have again any time soon.

I've dared make a cup of coffee after all and put lots of milk in it. So far, so good. And it tastes delicious too and it's just what I needed. I hadn't had a cup since early yesterday morning. As you know by now, I'm not myself without my cups of coffee. It pleases me very much that I can drink this one and feel so good as a result of it. 

Today is Saturday and the day to do with as I please. I was afraid it was going to be a day spent suffering from heartburn, but now it looks like it is maybe not going to be. Thank goodness for small favors. For big favors, I should say. I will appreciate the day all the more for feeling good and not take it for granted. 

The first thing I'm hopefully going to do is sleep late because I'm in need of that after yesterday. It wasn't exactly a restful day. It was sort of an anxious day. Some cultural programs and some sports on TV will be nice too. No doubt I will not have to do without them. I envision a day of leisure and that's what I'll probably get. 

I hope you're all having a good night, or a good day, whichever time zone you're in.

Ciao,

Nora

Getting colder...

It's in the middle of the night and I'm sitting here acting like I'm awake, which I may not quite be.  I'm waiting for the coffeemaker to get done so I can have some much needed caffeine. I'm only half the woman I can be without it. Never let it be said that I can function without my cup of coffee because it isn't so. I need it like flowers need rain.

I can't believe today is Friday again. The week has flown by. It seems like only yesterday since I started out so cheerfully. At least, that's how I remember me starting. It went by very quickly anyway and I think I got enough done. It was a full week by my standards. The most fun was picking out my new glasses, although I now have to wait a while before I get to wear them. 

We've gone from wet, windy weather to the cold, sunny kind. Yesterday I had to close the windows and turn on the heater because the dog started shivering from the cold. I can't have that. I did feel awfully sorry for him and am thinking about buying him a sweater at the pet store. I think he's too naked in his newly trimmed fur. 

I've got heartburn and I'm not a happy camper. I've had it ever since I had ketchup with my dinner last night. I hadn't eaten it in a very long time and it didn't agree with me at all. I've been chewing antacid tablets and now I've only got one left. The coffee isn't really agreeing with me either. What I really need is something very soothing. I'll just have to drink water, although I wonder if drinking some sort of tea would be better.

 

I've got to go back to bed. It isn't nearly time to stay up yet and I've got some hours left to sleep. Going back to bed in the middle of the night is always a pleasure because it's when I do my best sleeping. It's when I'm no longer dependent on my sleeping pill. 

It's a short post, but that's all I've got in me right now. Blame my stomach's  discomfort. 

I hope you will all have a nice day once you are up and about. 

Ciao,

Nora