12/08/2020, Tuesday

Dry, cracked, bleeding fingers is something I have dealt with for some time. I have always chocked it up to the grooming, hand washing I do as a teacher, etc.... I have tried several remedies, including prescription. I have found 2 very good remedies:

Bag Balm and Working Hands hand cream. I prefer the Bag Balm because I can use it during the day. The working hands cream leaves a bit of a stickiness I don't like. The Bag Balm is greasy, though. It is my favorite before bed treatment.

Bag Balm

Working Hands hand cream

Hope one of these works for you. I currently have a crack on my left thumb that is a real doozy! Hurts like the dickens when it gets knocked or I have to use it.

Thanks! I've used working hands quite often but right now it almost stings. I'm not sure if I'm allergic to it or if my hands are just so bad that I need to get over that bump first.

Golly, I didn't realize so many people had this issue too! You realize you use your hands for every dadgum thing you do!

A few days ago I was to the point of dreading making the girls dinner because that would mean washing them up and dishes and my poor hands tremble at the though. I do think now that I have overnight gloves, we might be on the mend. Also my sister (who's in med school) recommended I wear latex gloves on top of my saturating gloves and just dispose of them anytime I would've washed. For a little while. To give my hands a break. I have yet to try that but desperate times...

You just reminded me!!!!!! The other problem for me with the Working Hands cream is that when I have a split or a crack that cream stings like hell!!!!!!

The Bag Balm is very much like Aquaphor - the active ingredient is petroleum jelly. Bag Balm has two things over Aquaphor for me: It is far less expensive, but more importantly, I can use if frequently throughout the day without having to wait for my hands to soak it up. The Aquaphor was WONDERFUL for my post tattoo healing and is fantastic for night time use. But for price and ease of day use, I like the Bag Balm. I also like the smell of the Bag Balm... It is a bit foresty and mediciny all at the same time. You wont' go wrong with either.

165.8. Slowly...slowly.... (Cecily, I am inspired by your steady and patient approach = results over time.). I am 13 # down from my highest this year- haven't been this low since sometime in July. I was 153 last January 3- lookin to see anything south of 150.)

Ocean, do take care! The whole of waiting a week to get test results seems to negate the purpose of getting tested other than to add to some statistical tally of verified positive cases.

Hospice was wonderful and my big sis, Chris walks on water as she had been with Dad for close to 2 years as his health (cancer) began to fade.

What was a true blessing to me in all of this was knowing as I traveled down to be with Dad - that there was no unfinished business between us- only love to share. There was much awfulness and dysfunction growing up in my family and into adulthood. It is a hard thing to change and takes great courage, but a number of years ago my Dad was offered (I believe by the grace and mercy of God) a do-over. My father took that opportunity and he was able to love me as his daughter and I got to have a true Dad to love in return. My children remember him as a great grandfather (and he was).

We have a sunny and mild day here and am off directly to take advantage of it-

Smiles to all.

I love that you healed your relationship with your dad. What a gift for both of you!

For all of its horrible destructiveness, and the pain it brings, cancer does sometimes offer us the gift of goodbye. I'm glad you had that gift. Accompanying my beloved Grandmother through hospice is, perhaps, the most sacred thing I have ever done.

What an amazing testament to God's grace! That's awesome!!

On the subject of Covid living on surfaces... I watched an infectious disease doctor from UCSF yesterday who was saying they've learned a lot about Covid and that surface transmission would be very difficult. Those tests are done in a lab under ideal conditions and the presence of lab dectectable amounts are still unlikely to infect people. She was specifically talking about playgrounds and said you'd need a hundred people to sneeze on a surface to make it an infection point. So I'd put my money on a droplets you inhaled from a person!

Then again, what BB said yesterday is true - all of our experts say different things confusing everyone!

Weight down again, but that could be because it's so dry here it's sucked the water out of me!

I got the estimate from the landscapers. It's not a small number, but they are doing a lot - trimming my out of control trees, replanting 3 trees from giant pots into the ground, pulling out most of my plants, planting 72 5 gallon plants, bringing in 6 yds of crushed stone, converting all my sprinklers to drip irrigation, replacing all my lighting with LED lights... Some of their plant suggestions are outside my comfort zone but I am taking a leap of faith. I have a pergola repair guy coming Saturday to see about replacing some of the timbers in my pergolas that have rot/termites.

My walk yesterday really did burn off some anxiety. I think I'll do it again today as I'm still feeling anxious. It gets triggered when I have things going on that are outside of my normal routine. I think my normal routine has gotten so small this year with Covid, it doesn't take much to set it off.

Hope everyone has a good day and that DianeO and husband start to feel better!

Just got the results...NEGATIVE !!