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| Morning Tea |
'Twas the Sunday before Christmas and all through the house,
Not a single decoration in sight, not even a felt mouse!
I woke up feeling better today than I did yesterday. Since I hadn't done the dishes, yesterday, I took out a different tea cup from the china cabinet for my morning tea. This tea set had belonged to my step father's mother. I never knew her, but I remember drinking tea from these cups when we'd spend weekends in my step father's house in his home city. There's an imprint of a geisha at the bottom of the tea cup; it appears plain white when one looks down on it, but once the cup is held up to light, the geisha appears in color, as if by magic. There are only two tea cups remaining from the set. So, after I drank my tea, I carefully washed it and put it back in the china cabinet!
Today, I cooked milkrice for brunch. After brunch, I washed all the dishes from Friday night's dinner and yesterday. Then, I called one of my neighbors to check how things were with her, as her husband was rushed by ambulance to the hospital, late last night, and to ask her if she needed anything. She said her husband was still in hospital but her daughter was with her and she didn't need anything.
Afterwards, I went to the pharmacy. While I was there, I got a cramp in my right index finger, and thought, not again! I got scared because that time when I fainted, I had just finished doing a bunch of dishes and had a cramp in my right thumb. So, I went and sat down on one of the chairs for a few minutes and checked my blood pressure on one of their machines. My pressure was OK; a bit on the low side for me, but similar to the readings I've been getting at the clinic the last couple of times. So, I waited a little longer, texted my daughter, and then, drove myself home. Then, I spent the afternoon on the sofa, resting.
I was worried that the cramping was somehow related to fainting. But my daughter says no, the fainting was due to dehydration and I am no longer
dehydrated; the cramping was due to something else. It was just a
coincidence that I had the cramp and then fainted, last time. I guess I shouldn't handwash a bunch of dishes at one time! Maybe it's time to open that package of paper plates I bought for the almsgiving! Bad for the landfills, but saves water! In Sri Lanka, we often serve food on banana leaves, partly because we consider the flavor it imparts to the food as a good thing but mostly because we didn't use to have paper plates and banana leaves were plentiful. It is also a more environmentally friendly alternative to paper plates.
I hadn't bought the magnesium supplements that were recommended for cramps and this was the first time I've had a cramp since the time I fainted. I will buy some as soon as possible and start taking them. In the meantime, I ate a banana since bananas have magnesium as well as potassium and I remember my mother's doctor recommended she ate up to three bananas a day after she fainted and fell, once.
One of my friends called me today and invited my daughter and me to Christmas dinner at her home. Another friend, too, called to check on me.
For dinner, I made pasta with a portion of the frozen shrimp scampi I had bought on sale for $2.99, and a salad:
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| Dinner |
Considering I still can't taste things that well, the frozen shrimp scampi wasn't too bad. There's enough leftover for two more meals - I will share with my daughter when she comes home, next week. A tangerine for dessert (but I didn't take a picture of it).
Then, I washed the dinner dishes and video chatted with daughter.
I had planned to decorate the tree after I returned from the pharmacy, but the cramping frightened me and I decided it would be more prudent to rest, instead. So, the tree remains bare, except for the angel on top. Well, they do say that less is more, don't they?
Today, I am grateful for:
- I didn't faint!
- I was able to drive to the pharmacy and back, safely.
- My friend inviting us to Christmas dinner.
- Friends who call and email.
- Video chatting with my daughter.
Monday's To Do List:
- Put away washed dishes
- Take the trash cans to the curb
- Holiday related things depending on how I feel
How was your Sunday? Are you just about done with all your holiday preparations?
I think you got the most important decoration on the tree. Less is more these days.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Live and Learn. Less time decorating; more time contemplating and soul searching! Focusing on what is important and letting go of the rest. :)
DeleteAs you know I appreciate Google's help. If you will Google "occasional cramp in fingers", there are lots of clues there, none of which you should take as absolute but they will make you think about what might be going on and you will be able to be more specific when you talk to your doctor.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Marylynn. It never even occurred to me to look it up! But I have, now, and it makes more sense. I am taking calcium supplements because I am on Anastrosole as part of my cancer treatment and one of the side effects from that is bone loss. I will ask about increasing the dosage. And I will get those magnesium supplements today and start taking them, as well. And, of course, drinking plenty of water. I drank almost 10 cups, yesterday.
DeleteIf I don't put out another Christmas thing, it will not be missed, guaranteed!! But I do have to tidy up and put away a lot of items. I am overwhelmed with the clutter of day to day living. I have to squirrel away piles of stuff so I can get to the business of dusting, vacuuming,and washing before I can even move into the kitchen to bake a few cookies and things. I keep telling myself that when January comes and my son and GF move out their belongings and I purge through my belongings, I will have the neatest home ever, in the history of the world. Not....but one can dream.
ReplyDeleteYes, all our belongings can be overwhelming at times. I want to do another round of decluttering in the new year, although I don't know if I will start in January. I will let you know when I do, though, so we can de-clutter together. :)
DeleteGreat idea to take ghe recommended magnesium supplements, Bless. Hope your finger cramps end soon. It's wonderful that you and your dear daughter will celebrate at your friend's home. Will be nice that you can relax and enjoy the day. Have fun!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Carolyn. We couldn't do anything last year because I was feeling the side effects of chemo. We are looking forward to a better Christmas, this year. :)
DeleteI hope you get rid of the cramps soon. I get terrible ones in my legs and feet. Ow ow. My poor Mum does too. Is Magnesium supposed to help with them? Once in a while I get one in my hand and my fingers do something funny.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have a lovely visit with your daughter! Glad you're feeling better able to do something this year.
Oops! I deleted my own reply to your comment by mistake!
DeleteYes, the magnesium is supposed to help with the cramps, according to my nurse practitioner and what I've since read on-line. I've been reading up on magnesium rich foods, too - leafy greens, nuts and seeds, yogurt, bananas and avocado, etc. Also, the cramps can be a sign of low calcium and dehydration, as well as low magnesium.
I'll have to see if I can get some more into my diet. I knew about the dehydration thing as Mum told me. When we went on a long coach trip one year we both had terrible leg cramps that night. This time when we went we made sure we both took lots of water. It certainly did help!
DeleteI'm sure eating more of the magnesium rich foods can't hurt. If not, maybe you can ask your doctor about taking a supplement.
DeleteYou did well to rest. It will pay off in the long run. I hadn't thought about eating bananas for magnesium, what a good idea. I do take a magnesium supplement but I believe there is a better version on the market and must research it. I hope you don't get any more cramps in your fingers or thumbs.
ReplyDeleteIf your angel was on my tree it would be looking rather drunk, as the top of my tree is quite bendy! The star is threatening to become a "shooting star". I agree with all those who say "less is more" and I have cut back on what I have put on my tree and will probably donate some of the items. But I will sort them later and probably put them away to donate next year as I know the charity shop doesn't have a lot of storage space.
Bushlady
And I mistakenly deleted my reply to your comment, too!
DeleteYour comment about the angel and the star made me laugh. My angel looks a bit bewildered about being perched on top of an untrimmed tree, but is being a good sport about it. :)
So, I guess you have put up your tree?
I've been reading up about magnesium-rich foods. Leafy greens, bananas, avocado, nuts and seeds, certain types of fish, yogurt, etc. I already eat some of them on a fairly regular basis, but not enough I guess.
I, too, want to donate some of my Christmas decorations, but I will wait until next year to do so.
Hope you enjoy this week of preparations for Christmas.
That teacup is such a treasure! I have never heard of one like that before. My grandmother used to collect teacups and I believe they are packed up somewhere at my mother's house. I have all the rest of the family china and silver here now as no one else wanted them. Sometimes I feel sad that these things that were so lovingly saved for an collected over the years are no longer cherished or used.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Debbie. I have the remnants of two of my step father's mother's tea sets. The cups are thin as eggshells and very delicate. My mother and I brought them in our hand luggage. I generally use the saucers and the sandwich plates during my almsgiving, which, unfortunately, didn't take place this year. :(
DeleteWe had a set of six teacups like those - they were beautiful and malevolent cat managed to trash the lot! I think magnesium is the way to go, but for a folk remedy, try putting a cork in the bed. Personally I prefer doctors but sometimes just doing stuff for luck, even if you know it isn't right, is a bit of a hug. Prayers and good vibes continue x
ReplyDeleteOh, I am sorry your cat trashed your tea cups! Dancer likes to bat coasters off the coffee table and the top of the piano (my favorite armchair is next to the piano and I use the piano as a side table!) But he hasn't tried to push off tea cups!
DeleteA cork? Really? I've got to try that! Currently I sleep with a flash light under my pillow and a hard hat next to my pillow, in case of earthquakes! Dancer is going to have fun with a cork! :D
My late father had a lot of trouble with getting cramp in his legs when he slept but he said he was fine when he had a cork loose in the bed, so who knows? It may not be the same for you, and it is probably hokum, but sometimes it just feels like at least you're doing something! x
ReplyDeleteI will definitely give it a try - must find a cork, first! I don't drink anything alcoholic, so not too many bottles with corks handy.
DeleteAlso, malevolent cat was known as malevolent for a reason. She was at them at any opportunity and I didn't have a cabinet. x
ReplyDeleteShe sounds like she was quite the character! :D
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