A Shocking Realization

Yesterday I had that EMG/NCS done.  Its a test to see whether you have carpal tunnel syndrome and what level of damage you have.  So while the doctor was adjusting little metal rings on various fingers and shocking the daylights out of me, we chatted.  I told him I had just retired.  And he asked that same old question, “well, what are you going to do?”  And because I was there to get some help for my poor hands, I said, “well, I retired so I could work full time at my art quilting!”  Zap!  Somehow that plan had gotten a little forgotten along the way.

(Ack!!! Can I just say that this complete post was written, and all the pictures loaded, and the internet blinked and the whole thing was gone, except the above paragraph.)

So this morning I made a plan* to spend a part of each day working on my quilts, and to let some of the regular chores wait, just like would happen if I had a regular job.  That worked pretty darn well, and I managed to get quite a bit of housework done this afternoon, as well as giving the big guy a bath!  (*subject to change without notice, and for those of you who are interested, the plan does include several hours a week trying to figure out how to use Etsy, so at least I can get some of my quilts listed.)

Apparently, getting a bath is almost as exhausting as taking a long walk.  Who knew?

Back to the hand test.  I could be the poster child for unpleasant exams.  Just like my colonoscopy, this test wasn’t nearly as bad as several friends and the internet had described.  He only put one needle in each hand, or I might have a different opinion. At the end he pronounce that I had medium grade carpal tunnel in both hands.  I could have saved him a little time and told him that.

I got home and found a message saying that my appointment with the ortho hand specialist had been cancelled, and would I mind coming in two weeks later.  Well yes, as a matter of fact, I would!  Between the carpal tunnel, the trigger thumb, the mild arthritis, and THE WRINKLES, I am very concerned about my hands.  I only had to be a little b@%^&y to get an appointment next week.

On to more exciting topics:  FOOD.  I have new information on the froyo front.  Remember that last batch I made, that I pronounced too ‘strawberry-y?’  Well I took some of that, and mixed it with an equal amount of my plain homemade yogurt, along with some splenda for sweetening.  Aaah.  That’s better.  It was still a little icy though.. What’s up with that?

Today I took some of this new batch out of the freezer and put it in the food processor to soften it up.  THAT was the missing ingredient.  That’s probably how those machines work in the frozen yogurt shops, and also brings new meaning to all those cartons labeled ‘double churned.’  Unfortunately, it was so tasty I forgot to take a picture for you.

Here’s the before and after  shots of the frozen yogurts:

"Before"

"After"

For lunch I had a great taco salad:

Taco salad

For dinner I decided to go vegetarian:

Veggie dinner 'a la Monk.' (vegetables not touching.)

That is the brussel sprouts sauteed with some walnuts and dried cranberries.  And the Cauliflower potato bake.  Yumm!  Those little round things in there are the small Russian banana potatoes that I got at the Farmern’s Market this week.  Nice texture and very tasty.

I also decided to try the Magic Rolls again.  I had the same trouble as last time, with the dough being a little too liquidy.  I left out one egg, and I decided to put them in muffin pans to bake.  They came out perfect looking–I’ll try one before posting this to let you know how they taste.  I plan to use them as individual strawberry shortcakes.  (for those of you interested, these are EXTREMELY low carb, with about 100 calories per roll.  They taste similar to a cream puff.  without the cream.)

Please ignore my poor muffin pan. It works just fine.

Here was the scene on either side of me as I sat on the couch working on my rug last night.  I think the doggies are enjoying my retirement too.

I’m off to enjoy what’s left of this evening, after writing this post TWICE!!

The finished product:

Why yes, it does taste as good as it looks!