unique love note

Last night, I left Hubby a reminder to empty the dehumidifier before he went to work. It just said, 'Dehumidifier'.

When I got up, this is what I found--a unique way to say 'I love you.'

I guess you can make a love note out of anything!

cream cheese danish in a pan

I adjusted a recipe from a FB friend to create this scrumptious dessert or snack.

For an 8 x 8 (20 x 20 cm) pan of goodness, you will need:

2 savory pastry sheets (or crescent roll dough) cut to size
1 8 oz (250g)package of cream cheese
1/2 c (125g) sugar
1/2  t vanilla
1 egg

Glaze:
1/2 c (125g) powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons milk
1/2 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 350F (170C) and spray pan with oil.

Mix cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and egg until smooth.
Layer one pastry sheet in pan; spread cheese mixture on top.
Add second pastry sheet.
Bake for about 35 minutes, until top is golden. Remove from pan and cool for 20 minutes. Top with glaze. Cut with pizza cutter.

the things I learn

I have learned a lot of things since I've been blogging. Really.

I enjoy posts that have gorgeous photos and then a bit of historical facts to go with them. 

I love it when bloggy readers help me out with identifying flowers. 

And I enjoy  seeing places that I will probably never see for myself unless I win the lottery.

What I never expected was what I learned at the doctor's office yesterday. I went in about my back. Again.

All three times I called the clinic for an appointment about my back, they were backed up with patients because the doctors were out of the office for some reason or other and I had to be squeezed in.

The first one I saw was not my regular MD. He got me started on my way to recovery, but I re-injured myself at the end of the second week and saw my regular doctor the second time for a repeat of meds.

Well, I seemed to almost be well and I thought that time would make it all ok. But it didn't. I seemed to get worse.

So, I made a third appointment. Again, they were all backed up and I was asked if I wanted to see a Locum (which is British for temporary replacement). I wasn't particularly fussy so I agreed.

And, that's when the lessons began. He actually knew my history and connected some dots for me. 

1. I had thyroid problems about 20 years ago and take daily meds for thyroid hormone replacement since. Now, in retrospect, I know my lower legs lost strength because of this problem. For example, if I sat on a seat that was lower than my knees, I could not stand up like everybody else. I had to re-position myself so I could use my arms to hoist myself up. I've never had a doctor tell me this was true, but I know for a fact that my thyroid caused this problem.
And I felt a bit like the Lone Ranger in this knowledge until I saw the Locum. He knew that thyroid problems caused muscle problems! Yay! And so he suggested that maybe that was part of my back problem.

2. He noticed that I am taking Methotrexate for psoriasis. Apparently, my case is quite severe since the dermatologist told me on my last visit that he was worried about me when I first came in. That's something you want to hear. Not. But I digress. Anyhow, the Locum informed me that psoriasis is one of several diseases that can lead to arthritis. Neither my regular MD nor the dermatologist mentioned this possibility. Because of this, the Locum said that if this medication doesn't help we should take xrays of my back.

The prescriptions that he game me are for the same pain and anti-inflammatory that I had before but in different dosages. Even after a day and a half, I feel a lot better. Weird, huh? But, I'll take it!

As Bette Davis said, 'Old age ain't for sissies.'

'nuff said

Ah, spring!

Spring technically arrived in New Zealand on Sunday. The weather has been leaning toward springtime for a few weeks, so I'm happy that it's 'official' here in the southern hemisphere.

I don't understand the fiddly details of the making of seasons and how they progress through the heavens between the sun and the earth and beyond. I do understand the earth's tilt and the earth's orbit and how they affect our world. But, I have no clue what  makes one day more officious than another. I understand warm, hot, chilly and cold. That I get. It's logical--I feel warm for a week, it shouldn't be winter. Makes perfect sense to me.

But the technicalities of equinoxes (or is is equini? I'll have to look that up later) and all that stuff to determine the time of year--that makes my brain hurt. I suppose it's because there's so many different things that are involved and I need to understand each part to understand the whole concept. I'm all about logic and simplicity. It makes me feel secure.

And, so NZ is earning points with me when it comes to seasons. They We are just plain logical. Four season--each get three months--thus:

• Spring - September, October, November
• Summer - December, January, February
• Autumn - March, April, May
• Winter - June, July August

Now if I could just find a handle on that metric system....