Well, I learned late yesterday from the doctor's office that yes, I tested positive for Lyme Disease. I am already well into the 3 weeks of antibiotics AND the 3 herbs that worked for me before. The high doses of antibiotics caused a nasty yeast infection last time this happened, which was VERY hard to get rid of, so I am TRYING to take preventive action by popping probiotics twice a day and using 4 leftover herbal anti-fungal suppositories over the course of the 3 weeks, just for good measure.

I'm TRYING to avoid sugar and bread and cheese, but that's a bit hard.

Switching gear...
One thing that's been bothering me lately is how shabby and worn all the trim/moldings look around the doorways and windows here. It's an old house, so it's collected a lot of dings and dents in the wood, plus it's peeling a bit here and there.

So I decided to tackle the 2 doorways into the kitchen, since it's such a high traffic location, as well as the door (also in the kitchen) that leads to the basement.

I got out the small electric sander I've been borrowing from a friend for the past 6 months! (He hasn't seemed to be in any hurry to get it back.) I sanded all the wood down pretty good, then used some wood putty in a few spots and then painted everything white. It looks a lot better, I must say. I suppose a second coat is de riguer, but I don't know that I could muster the enthusiasm for that.

It's one small step toward getting this house on the market some day. Didn't like all the mess that electric sander made, though, especially since I had to wipe it all up so carefully in case it had any lead in it. (I was wearing a mask.)

Tomorrow after dropping J. off I think I'll pick up more probiotics at Wal-Mart (shouldn't it be kept refrigerated?) and some groceries at Caraluzzi's.

I made the most delicious Mediterranean Beef Ragout in the slow cooker tonight. I used my own tomatoes, of course. Maybe that's why it was so flavorful.

J., the guy I drive, was telling me about a book he's reading called Wheat Belly. Written by a cardiologist who feels that our obesity problems are caused by wheat in our diet, that the wheat we eat today is not the same thing as what our grandparents ate, and talking alot about the high glycemic index of whole wheat products, which everyone believes is "healthy."

Supposedly, refraining from wheat will really take the pounds off, even if you do nothing else different.

I looked it up in a glycemic index online, and I was actually very surprised that the glycemic value of whole wheat bread is pretty similar to that of white bread, and whole wheat pasta is pretty similar to regular pasta. Now, whole wheat products are still going to have a higher nutritional value, but if you consider just the glycemic value, well, that is interesting.

I might like to try a wheat-free diet for a while, once I use up all the wheat bran cereals and whole wheat pasta in the house. That may take a while, but I can't bear to throw it out.