We did the early run to Cherry Hill to get the covid swab. I was told it was going to be a nasal swab but when I got there it was a throat swab instead. So when I got back home I decided to look up the CDC recommendations for the swabs. The most accurate is the nasal but throat swabs are acceptable but do have a higher margin of error. So do we know what we need to know or don’t we.

The process was like going to a drive up except you didn’t go to a window. Cars were directed into a curved driveway a nurse came out wearing a hazmat suit and a container with my name and two swabs. She verified the information, asked me to raise my mask to uncover my mouth slightly and to lean back a little. The swab inspired a gag reaction that was close to a vomit moment. I coughed and choked into my mask. I wished I had brought water with me to get that dry sensation off the back of my throat.

Bonus, dunkin donuts was .4 tenths of a mile away so I got a cup of coffee and a vanilla creme donut. So my day definitely improved but now the waiting game. Wednesday, I will get the call whether I’m clear for the procedures on Thursday.

Crocheting and Short Story Critiquing:

I’m taking a brief break from my rose sweater to crochet one of the writers in our group a baby blanket. She’s having a boy. I worked on it last night while we discussed Division by Zero” (5600 words) by Ted Chiang, whose novella “Story of Your Life” was the basis for the movie Arrival.   Our protagonist fell out of love with math at the same time her husband realized he didn’t love her anymore. It was an unusual approach to relationships and how one can be oblivious to the signs because we’re so wrapped in our worlds. Our protagonist is so involved in mathematics that she has lost sight of the importance of balance professionally and personally. Her husband had a lot in common with her but had discovered what he was lacking in his life and that she wasn’t the one to fulfill that need.

It’s fun to dissect a story together because it gives us practice in critiquing without hurting anyone’s feelings because the author isn’t there. I had to read and re-read this story to really understand it. I found the math references a bit over the top and distracting though I do realize the math messages helped identify him and her. Each time I read it I discovered different levels of the character’s personalities.

Cancer toolkit:

I’ve been slack in sharing the last few days. My humblest apologies.

Rosemary is a digestive aid as well as being anti-inflammatory. Bet you didn’t know it increases blood flow to the brain.

Saffron is also a digestive and anti-inflammatory.

Sage, there’s more to this herb than burning it to cleanse one’s space. It’s anti-tumor. It’s part of the mint family and mimics rosemary in its medicinal purposes. There’s a study going on with its oil for skin cancer lesions. So for me personally, I have a lot drying right now so I can cleanse our next home before moving in.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5133115/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3996758/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4003706/

This song has been playing over and over in my head as I go through things in our home. So many questions, so many unanswered ones yet.   “Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You’re Going To)” is a song written by Michael Masser and Gerry Goffin. It was initially recorded by American singer Thelma Houston in 1973, and then by Diana Ross as the theme to the 1975 Motown/Paramount film Mahogany.”- wikipeida.  It’s funny, I remember when I first heard this song forty-seven years I had a ton of questions then too!