Killing time…

How do you kill time while you are recuperating and on bed rest? Well, I am going to tell you. The new antibiotic I am on seems to be working. Thank God! Things were looking a little dicey there for a bit.

There are a lot of possible warnings and side effects with this strong-ass medicine I am taking. The good outweighs the risks if it means getting better to me.

One of the warnings, maybe the biggest one, is not to lift anything or strain myself. It can damage or rupture tendons.

Well, that scared the crap out of me and shut down production for the rest of the week. This forces me not to overdo it not only for the five days I am on this medicine, but I will have to take it easy and not jump in with both feet when I am better.

So what in fucks name have I been doing with all this time of rest? Well, since I am tired of the usual stuff after 22 days of sickness, I’ve had to shake things up a bit.

I’ve been reading a bunch of stupid shit on the internet, but one thing intrigued me. How to make your home smell like Williams Sonoma or Pottery Barn. I love shopping in those places, so I decided to try the “recipe” out.

I did a small batch because I hate wasting ingredients. Speaking of the ingredients to make this potpourri, remember in the 80s when potpourri was all the rage?

Well, this isn’t a bunch of mauve and rose-colored pretty-smelling things wrapped in a clear cellophane bag with bows; but culinary items, stables in people’s kitchens. How convenient. This, I could definitely get behind.

I cut a leftover lemon into wedges and threw it in a saucepan along with about 10 peppercorns, rosemary branches, and a tsp of real vanilla extract. I added water to the saucepan and put it on a simmer.

You know what? It smelled like Pottery Barn and William Sonoma! I kept sniffing the house, saying, “Well, I’ll be damned.”

Realtors bake cookies before a house showing so the place smells good. This homemade potpourri would be better, in my opinion.

Everyone doesn’t like the smell of slice-and-bake cookies. The smell is clean and homey. Sophisticated with a scent you can’t quite put your finger on but like.

I got the rosemary branches for my potpourri from when I trimmed dead branches on my rosemary plant in the morning. My friend Marcia gave me this last May when she moved back to France. I vowed to keep it alive.

One side of it was iffy when I got it and is still iffy. I prune away the dead stuff so the energy can go to the healthy side. I talked to my plants and gave them a drink of water. That took about 10 minutes, but it kept me restfully occupied.

I’ve been wearing crazy shit I wouldn’t wear out and isn’t black. I don’t have anything that matches since I got the pajama bottoms from goodwill.

It works and is super comfortable. Last night, I picked out a new ensemble for today. I keep wearing the same things and washing them.

The highlight of my day was waiting for Marty to get home from deliveries and a shopping trip to Trader Joe’s. I gave him a list of things we “needed.”

Things like praline pecans, dark chocolate peanut butter cups, waffles, corn chips, and a bunch of healthy, easy-to-prepare foods while I am recovering.

What I wanted the most was their frozen GF macaroni and cheese. I was craving it. More sick cravings.

It can be baked in the cute little tray, but I microwaved it so I could eat it faster. I did add a little milk because I like it creamier.

The thing about macaroni and cheese, whether from a box, tray, or homemade, is that I always put ketchup on it. And it has to be Heinz. Before you say, “eeewww,” I assure you it’s delicious.

I’m not sure if this is only a Jersey thing since I’ve been eating it that way since I was a kid. Many of my friends growing up ate it this way. It’s the perfect acid that cuts through the rich cheesiness of the dish.

I told you long ago that chefs invented condiments to enhance food and keep it in balance. Think ketchup for a big beefy cheeseburger. A side of pickles on your plate. Vinegar or lemon with your fish and chips. Mustard and or sauerkraut on a big greasy hot dog or sausage. See?

Without acid, the dish isn’t balanced with your palate; it won’t taste as good. The key word here is they are condiments, to compliment your dish, not drowning your food with ranch dressing or ketchup.

The exciting thing we are doing tomorrow is making soft pretzel nuggets from a bag of Trader Joe’s GF pizza dough. People keep posting the ones they made on the Gluten Free Albany Facebook group, so we want to see if the hype is true.

I hope I didn’t completely bore you to death with this post, but this is my life for now.

Happy Friday! Looks like we are in for a big snowstorm tonight; let’s see if they are right this time. 😜