May 23, 2026 Sunday

Greetings!

Been another R&R week really.  Met my new rheumatologist on Monday.  Really like her!  She asked a ton of good questions, was a good listener, and had a good sense of humor.  Good.  Good.  Good.  Afterwards she sent me to the lab and to x-ray.  Had 18 vials of blood drawn and then x-rays of my lower back.  I go back June 10th.  She said it will probably take a couple of weeks for her to get all the test results back.  She told me many things it could be but until she got the test results back she wouldn't know how to treat it.  I like a doctor in detective mode.  

What we are doing right now is she told me that usually if a person is on the lowest dose of oral steroid (5mg) they usually don't get the side effects.  The low dose doesn't help with a lot of things but it often will help with the kind of hand swelling I have.  She wanted me to try it.  The dose is so low that if I get any side effects at all I can just quit.  So, I have been trying that for several days.  So far no bad reactions and possibly even a tiny bit less pain and swelling.  (I have good and bad days so it could just be my optimism--lol!)  But so far, so good.

Allie in the morning waiting for me to raise the blind.

Looking a big annoyed when it takes me a while to get the touchy app going on my cell phone--lol!

She lives the diva life, eh?

Last weekend Dagan and Leah unearthed the studio furniture that had been in the storage room.  The three drawer units.  Two that live under the taller die-cutting machine table in the corner and the taller skinny drawers right next to it that matches the lighter colored one.  

Those three I purchased years ago and IKEA didn't have the same color anymore but they still had the same size and shape of the taller skinny one for me.  

The wall shelf unit I bought on Amazon maybe 11-12 years ago they set in front of the art table that sits in front of the window.

I was shocked that Amazon still sold the same exact wall shelf unit and bought a second one.  They found the box and set it on the center table that used to be my kitchen table but will now be an additional art table--whoohoo!  The plan is for them to put the second wall shelf together today.

You may have noticed that they brought in a few boxes to put on the two tables on that wall.  I haven't started to unpack them yet, though.  Will start when the wall shelves are hung up either this week or next week...depending on time and energy of D&L  And of myself, of course--lol!

I got food poisoning yesterday.  My own fault for trying to eat something past its prime.  Duh!  The retribution was swift and memorable.  (I don't think I will want to eat hollandaise sauce again any time soon.)  

I ordered another crate pad type bed for Allie that is supposed to self-warm.  My guess is that it actually does--lol!

I got her a couple of new beds so she will have a couple for in the studio--new or old, doesn't matter.  She's a girl who likes her beds.

I drew this Wild Card and have been thinking on it since yesterday.  The only thing I can think if is probably the most typical answer most people have.  Listening to that negative voice in your head.

That voice that tells you you can't do this or that well enough...or that gets you to worrying about things you have no control over that just cause you loss of sleep and don't help anything (like before surgeries--lol!).  What about you? 

Of course not listening to that little voice in my head telling me maybe I shouldn't eat that and just throw it out...well, that got in my way big time yesterday--ROFL!

I'll leave you with happy Allie after I open the blind.

The light still bothers my eyes a bit so I don't open it all the way, but she is happy to watch the leaves dance in the window well.

We are supposed to head into 80s and even 90s!?  Goodness!  

Till next week, my friends.