This morning, I awoke thinking of pies. Usually, I don’t spend much time thinking about pies. Still, after dreaming about cooking for a large dinner party and making pies for dessert, I put together a comprehensive grocery list from Whole Foods on the Amazon website while still lying in bed, switching back and forth between my favorite two pie recipes, neither of which I’ve made in a long time.
For Tom, seasonally relevant, I’ll be making pumpkin pies. Since I don’t have a food processor to make my usual Martha Stewart pie crust dough or a rolling pin for a suitable alternative, I purchased four ready-made pie crusts and enough ingredients to make four pies. The organic pie crusts, a unique brand from Whole Foods, should be good.
I’ll most likely make four pies from the ingredients for Tom’s pie, keeping one out for him to savor and freezing the rest, already baked and carefully wrapped in foil.
Also, I’ll make my favorite dessert, a low-carb cream cheese pie with a homemade almond flour crust. I’ll only make one of these since they don’t freeze well. Lately, going through all of this medical stuff, I’ve wanted to treat myself with this pie, which I’ll savor in small pieces over the next several days.
With no opportunity to dine out without a car, no willingness to pay the premium prices in nearby restaurants, and the cost of an Uber each way, we’re trying to enjoy a few treats based on how I’m feeling and motivated to bake. When I awoke this morning, although still feeling an irregular heart rhythm, I decided I needed to become more active instead of sitting and waiting to feel better.
I’ve pampered myself long enough, and it’s time to get in motion. Yesterday, for the first time in weeks, I could do one corridor walk, albeit slowly and tentatively. Today, I will try for two walks, and in the days to come, I will gradually increase the pace and distance. Since we’ve been here for over a month, the most corridor walks I have been able to do have been five walks in one day. We’ll see how it goes.
Carefully monitoring my heart rate is crucial while I hope to regain stamina and strength. Cooking is a suitable means of getting used to standing on my feet for a few hours here and there. Plus, it’s comforting to have special meals, and in this case, desserts, which add to our enjoyment during this confined situation.
In the past few minutes, I completed one walk, about 500 steps. It wasn’t easy since my legs didn’t want to cooperate. The problem is more with my legs, which feel like lead, than my heart beating too fast. Plus, I am unsteady and stay close to a wall in case I tetter along the way. I refuse to believe I will need to use a wheelchair for the remainder of my life.
Walking around in the hotel room is relatively easy. It’s a short distance from room to room. The living room, dining area, and kitchen are one spacious room, and the bedroom and bathroom are separate. Every hour, I make a point of getting up and moving around to avoid sitting too long. It’s easy for hours to pass without getting up, which is ultimately bad for everyone’s health.
Hopefully, I’ll feel well enough to make the pies by tomorrow. We’ll see how it goes.
Be well.
Photo from ten years ago today, October 2, 2014:
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| Here we are at Liliuokalani Gardens in Hilo. Sam, our friendly taxi driver, took the photo. For more photos, please click here. |