COVID finally caught up with me!

 After almost 3.5 years of dodging the 'rona, I was really starting to believe I was some sort of super human, incapable of contracting the virus - with a butt-kicking immune system. Just... you know... more fierce and in control than all the other humans!  

And the universe said "hahahahaaa!"

So what did my 13 days in the strong embrace of COVID-19 look and feel like?

Day 1 - maybe?  I dunno. It was a Wednesday night and I felt a little chest tightness. The occasional cough escaped. To all intents and purposes it felt like asthma. I only get asthma in high humidity conditions and it had been raining for a month. The ground was saturated and the air too. I took my rescue inhaler and felt normal again. Tested for COVID - just in case. Negative.

Day 2 - or maybe this is really day 1?

The cough was back but not bad and my throat felt a little scratchy - which I put down to the coughing. I took the asthma inhaler again and forgot about things.

Day 3 - Friday. Sore throat, bit of a cough, aching body and chills. Oh poo! Tested postive for COVID and cancelled all my in person appointments. Took the dog for a long walk and with the help of Ibuprofen, felt pretty good. 

I also contacted my Dr to get general advice and inquire about Paxlovid. I was told my symptoms were mild and I didn't get Paxlovid. Tough it out, sister!

Day 4 - FELT LIKE CRAP! Yep, had all the virus symptoms now and moved like I was 100 years old. My throat was killing me, sinuses were blocked to the point the pressure forced tears out of my eyes and gave me a headache/faceache, cough was increasing, body aches no longer manageable with Ibuprofen, chills and mild fever came and went.  Actually the chills were super controllable with meditation and I'm grateful I figured that out quickly. Mark sourced me some quality New Zealand Manuka honey with healing properties and I spent the day flushing my body with lemon, ginger, honey tea.

Overnight I spiked an admirable fever and this, I believe, was the beginning of my body doing battle with COVID. I woke with sopping wet hair and pj's, damp sheets all they way through to the comforter. 

Day 5 - Sunday morning at 6am I was changing the sheets and showering myself but boy did I feel better! The body aches, chills and fever were gone. They never came back. What was left was the sinus infection and that darn cough - now almost as productive as my sinuses. I relied on over-the-counter daytime flu remedies and lots of tissues to take control of my symptoms. Even managed a short dog walk!

 I began measuring brain fog by timing myself doing Expert Sudoku. At 13 minutes and with few mistakes, I can honestly say I could be smarter under the influence of COVID! (Relief!!!)

Day 6 - Why was this just as bad as Day 4?! I stayed in bed most of Monday - only making it as far as the balcony off the bedroom.  Misery did NOT like company but Wrigley the cat overruled me and we cuddled the day away. I didn't lose my appetite but I did lose my sense of taste pretty early on. Spicy, sweet or salty was the only evidence I had of flavor and it took most of the joy out of food. (But at least my tongue was still working!)

I had been quarantined upstairs for days now. Even had a toaster and kettle station!

Day 7 - 11 - Slow progression from infected sinuses to just runny nose. Cough became less productive and took on the "seal bark" quality that everyone loves to listen to! I've been taking Tessalon cough pearls for the better part of a week. Who would have thought in 2016 when I got Whooping Cough that the leftover meds would be so valuable 7 years later. (I think that's how long it's been since I was sick! No wonder my ego is so bruised.) 

Some days I take walks in the open space with Teddy and Mark. Walks are short. I'm tired... not because of the COVID but because this cough is writing checks that my abs can't cash. It's hard work!

Yes... it has stopped raining (kinda, mostly) in Boulder. The open space is looking more and more like the Florida Everglades and I have taken to just stomping around it, like Teddy. Even the Prickly Pear cacti are flowering in STANDING WATER! This year is really testing nature.

** It used to look like this....

My Sudoku game continues to break records and if this super-unscientific study is anything to go by, I conclude that my brain is feeding off virus and at the cost of the rest of my body, has become smarter, faster and more focused. LOL  Oh yeah - I got a real estate deal under contract today too. (That might be a better measure of my mental acuity.)

Day 12 - Still testing positive. But the line is lighter and takes longer to become visible on the test. The cough persists but all other symptoms are almost gone now. I want to see people, return to the gym and do my own grocery shopping.... But Im being patient and responsible ... grrrrr... 

Day 13 - COVID NEGATIVE! Still barking like a seal in spasm but 100% convinced I'm not a danger to society any more. 

The question is... Will I be able to cough and swim at the same time? :-)

Footnote: July 4th I returned to the gym/pool after almost 3 weeks. Turns out I don't cough in the pool (only everywhere else) and swimming is completely back to normal. 40 laps, done and dusted. I'm back, baby!

The Isolation Cafe : 10 months later

Not trying to brag or anything,  but I've been successfully creating, plating and serving an array of delicious dishes at the Isolation Cafe for 10+ months now. 

In a covid pandemic, 10 months in the restaurant business is an achievement. 

Ok, ok... so maybe if you give away all the food and don't pay employees (me) it's less admirable and can hardly be defined as a restaurant.

But here's the thing; I'm still meeting expectations and achieving goals so IMHO a little self congratulations is warranted anyway. 

 

What were the goals?

Eat well. Healthy,  varied and interesting. 

Use this time to try new recipes,  perfect older ones.

Learn more about myself, food and kitchen appliances. (Yes,  you heard me correctly. Don't tell me you are familiar and use, all the bells and whistles on your appliances.)

Avoid the temptation to luxuriate with in-restaurant dining despite the risk - because it is one of our little pleasures.

Thai sticky rice: I'm on the right track but it's gonna need some tweaking to increase the stickiness. This dessert, like many Thai recipes, appears to improve overnight. Perhaps the challenge is less recipe-based and more about learning patience? (Oh boy...)

Banana cake/bread: A recipe I've been using and fussing with for 20 years.  I hold dear the belief that because it contains whole wheat and fruit, I can justify the addition of chocolate chips by the handful. In this case, a little online grocery purchasing error meant we were in possession of a crazy quantity of bananas - and 6 of them were dark brown in the fruit bowl at the end of the week. That's mandatory banana bread baking, right there!

Bread pudding with a twist: 

The day I found chocolate cranberry bread in the supermarket was the day I new bread pudding could be WAY elevated!

This version features increased amounts of cranberries and chocolate, by my own hand. The whole deal is drowned in a sweetened egg mix and baked till the edges are golden and crisp.

It was served with a measure of heavy cream... while the pudding was still slightly warm. 

I could live off this. 

Flaxseed Muffins: Little bites of something that tastes like carrot cake, but in fact is better for you and therefore can be eaten for breakfast, without guilt! I took many of the cues for recipe altering from taste-testing over YEARS in Aspen. One of the cafe's there has something called "kitchen sink muffins" and I think I'm getting close to replicating them. 

Scones - the real kind.... how they are made in England and New Zealand. You'll think they are more like an American biscuit, than the US version of a scone. Not sweet. Just buttery good and then you plonk on some lemon curd or jam, and a dollop of heavy whipped cream or clotted cream. 

Uh-huh... the freezing and thawing of mini-pies was an experimental success. We defrosted slowly and warmed them again in a muffin tin. Seriously though, they are 99% as good as when fresh. 

Lattes are also improving.  While I'm proud of my milk foaming skills now,  I'll be the first to admit that you're unlikely to see hearts, ferns or swans gracing the top of any drink I make you. Your choices are: Blob of foam. Or no foam.  The end. 

Cozumel 2020

I think this sums up everyday....  

A relaxing walk through glistening jungle-gardens to an immense buffet. The call of flamingos and parrots and peacocks in our ears, saturated colors and earthy smells. Little waves on the shore, Spanish music, smiles behind masks, massages, minty mojitos, great company and conversation. 

Lots of gratitude.