Aches, pains, need for sleep.

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Rough.  And, yet, not?  Down at 8:30, up right at 20:00.  It got cooler, out there.  Still, very nice for spring, mostly.  A bit darker?  Cooler for certain.  As well, health issues just linger.  Will try to get things arranged, tonight.  Clean up the kitchen, or at least start.  Get a shower.  Figure out some food or other.

The hope is that sometime this week I will be ready to cook again.  Then, will get to the store.  I must admit, roasts, in the crockpot, really work well.  Though, rather than cooking during the day, now that I have an idea of how long it takes, and how to cut root veggies so that they don't turn to mush, I may set up the crockpot at night, put it on a timer to start a few hours into my sleep, so that by morning it is done, or a few hours after waking.

When did I go down?

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Not too awfully long after the last post.  I got my shoes and socks off?  Shoes off.  Was going to take my socks off.  Got one of my shirts off.  Was trying to figure out how to get more off.  Though it would be easier upstairs, if I didn't think I could sleep.  Got up there, got my trousers off.

Then, sat, to get my socks off.  A group, both a compression sock under, and a knee high thick wool hunting sock over.  Added compression, and some warmth.  What a struggle.  Got those off, finally, after serious work.  My legs are swollen, badly, though just in the lower areas, not up above the knee.

A new brew?

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Not really a brew.  A bit more beef froth, half of one of the cauliflower heads broken down to somewhat larger bites, and the rutabaga sliced as apples... and sampled.  Turnips are good, fresh.  Rutabaga are just a bit sweeter.  One is closer to a neutral potato taste, without that dusty flavor.  The other is closer to an apple, just not quite as sweet.  Even with a bit of that crunch I miss.

Set to go, on high, in the crockpot, with the liquid from the previous 'brew' cooking poured in as well.  I'm giving it two hours.  Then will test. If things seem reasonable, I'll add the meat and any other veggies back into the pool.  I am hoping that the cauliflower will make a solid potato replacement.  Cauliflower can be a bit solid, in my gut.  But I have been mostly eating it raw, or just slightly cooked.... blanched really.  I'd like to see what a longer cook time will do.  Mash and butter, have with beef, or pork, or else.

Chislic?

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Had to look that up.  Oh, yes, sounds very good.  I made a beef form of it, with the leftovers of my last steak.  My problem?  I chopped the dices too small.  So, they were a bit overdone.  Not horrible, but... just... not as good as it could have been.  Like?  Yes, yes I like.  Lamb, beef, pork... deep fried, or solidly seared, cubes, I'd say closer to half to full inch squares, or half by inch bits, I'll... be working on sizing, and how to fry it better.

I am burned out on steak, as whole cuts.  But could still eat it this way.  Lamb would be fine, too.  If that is pretty pricey.  Pork as well.  With beans?  In a soup?  With lettuce in keto tortillas?  Lots of ways you could do that.  A simple salad, with these added as the crunchy salty bits.  Oh, yes, I think so.  Sort of... excited.

Sure takes a while.

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It smells like roast in here.  Of course.  At about two and a half hours in, I checked it.  I mean, it could be called done.  By how I usually do things, this would be called done.  Overdone, really.  And, yet, that isn't how pot roast is down.  My way, to date, has been to take a chuck and turn it into something between a prime rib and a ribeye steak.  It has a lot more bite to it, my way.

Do I even like pot roast?  I'll... find out.  Though I will go to the less done side of things?  Will see.  Hoping to have the pulled beef sort of texture, without it having no structure whatever.  I'm not sure if that is possible.  I really do want to have pulled beef, for tacos, taco salads, and such.  Burger is... just... off, lately.  I think they have started filling it with the bone slurry they pull from the carcass.  Or is it just that they store burger, or the meat they grind it into, too long, sometimes?  I just can't be sure.  Just that burger isn't very good lately.  It seems... off... too squishy.

Steak.

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Baked, at 350, for fifteen minutes.  Just to... get it up to temp.  Then, five minutes on medium high, to high... flipped and the heat turned to a medium low for three minutes... in a thicker pan that holds the heat.  Pulled it, set it for five minutes, then started in.  Very good.  Not as absolutely rare as I like it, but for pan frying, this is as good as I can cook a steak.  The limit being that it is a a new york strip, and the fat on some of them (including partially on this one) is off.  I was able to cut the outside eighth of an inch off, and the fat under that was good.  I... love the fat, save on new york strips.  At least I didn't have to cut it all off.  Rancid, or something.

I ate half of it.  The rest is for tomorrow.  Very good though.

In digging.

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I found my sous vide equipment.  Never did use it.  Thinking about it.  My only real problem?  I am not sure, at what temperature, plastic begins infusing the food.  Yes, it's... a concern.  Does it infuse food at any temperature?  Is it a time thing?  I just don't know.  But, yes, I do think about it.  With the dishwasher, I may go completely glass, for fridge containers and else.  Washing those things, to now, was simply too much.

Though, while pondering, and considering doing research regarding plastics, what is safer (honestly, if maybe they don't know or would simply lie), various notions about this and that, I found a video about how to optimize the use of the system.  And... an older video about why not.  Just... to add a few other opinions.

The steak is good.

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I opened the package.  Did a visual and odor checks.  Checked firmness.  Looked it over closely.  Looks good.  It's a ribeye, not prime but it will do.  So I salted it lightly, peppered it just a bit, wrapped it back up, then put it in the (cold) oven to brine for forty minutes.  Ah... the timer.

I'll go get the grill lit and going.  Then, in twenty minutes, if it is going well still, or then, I'll put the steak on.  As well, a salad.  If... the lettuce is still good.  Blood sugar is down to 122, a 29 point drop.  Will keep trying to stay with carnivore.  Though, I think, instead of trying to buy steaks in advance, and freezing them (or other meat)?  I'm going to get to town, try, at least weekly.  Getting fresh burger, fresh steak, fresh... whatever meat.  To be eaten in days.

At least there was that.

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The chicken was... okay.  It was edible.  Not tasty, not really juicy, but the way I did it left it moist enough... even the breast meat.  My main problem?  Everything tastes like cardboard.  Meat... chicken, steak, pickled pork, meat sticks.  Tastes like cardboard?  Okay, no?  No... it does.  But there is more to it than that.  It also feels, in my stomach, as if I ate cardboard.  Bread and canned corned beef, I'll bet even sardines... tasting very bland, and feeling like I have what of my stomach I can fill, filled with cardboard.

Why?  I can't say.  No nausea.  There is that.  But there is a sense of hunger.  I WANT to eat, feel full, get nutrients in there.  But it's as if I really don't need it.  Want versus need.  But the want is almost rising the the level of need, just... not an actual nutritional need?  The need to be fed, to eat, not to get vitamins and minerals, fat, protein, and some carbs in.  Though, maybe there is some need for that?

Sleep was generous, gorgeous.

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Yes, the wool blanket back on did the trick.  Why so hot that one night?  I think it is because it was a hot day, I did a lot of work, hadn't properly cooled off, pushed my body and it was still running on all twelve cylinders, and I tried to sleep.  To be fair, some days my body gets stuck in high gear, and I can't do much about it.  That was partly it that day, the other part was that my mind was so weary, it couldn't think through to solutions.

All good.  Oh, and I am sleeping, mostly, in the buff.  That is such a comfortable way to sleep... if you are clean.  Just so nice.  No place gets too hot.  Every place gets some breath.  No binding or pulling or hot spots, or else.  Very nice.  As well, the way this bedding setup works, it is SO easy to make the bed in the morning.  I love getting into a freshly made bed.  The other blankets and such were so heavy!  It amazes me that I slept so cold with the old way, and so nice and toasty with these light items.  The loft in the duet, but the space in the woven cotton, and even the nicely textured wool blanket.  The blankets, while dense, are also airy.  And the duvet is pure puffery.  Beautiful.

Still awake.

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Six o' five, as I start this.  A bit of work, some gaming, and a blood sugar check.

Dishes.  I got a bunch of things in.  Things I... thought I might end up having to throw away.  And, may still, or gift.  Half gallon jars.  And some quart jars.  Had been using them for kefir... Which... with some thing arranged, I may get back to... that really helps with... the body, and the gut.

Finally.

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I got out, to the post, and that.  Then remembered to check the steak.  It seemed okay so got the grill going.  Wow.  Took all day to do that little bit more.  No, haven't looked out how to set up a cabinet, or thereabouts, solo.  However... if I can find a hammer, and heavier nail?  I might be able to craft a swivel point, and, then, maybe put a holding point on the other side... leveling it as I go.  Then... maybe... get that working?  Maybe.  Still, I'll look.

I am planning on crafting homemade ketchup, and then barbeque sauce.  Of a keto nature.  Not sure it will work, but I have some recipes, and some of the ingredients in... some on the way.  Why?  Because sugar really will screw with you.  Those who only drink a few sodas a week?  Cool.  but when sugar is in everything you eat, or effectively the carb counts?  You might as well be drinking three or four sodas a day.  It's bread, breading, past, many vegetables, all fruits, honey, other sweeteners, and so much else.  Just... saying.

Right.

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That was a lot of cat litter.  But, finally, got the litter boxes emptied, and that out to the bin, then the bin out to the roadside.  About killed me.  I... have gotten weak.  Still, all good.  As well, I reset the best litter boxes.  I am considering keeping all three in play now?  Or just two?  If I keep up on them, they aren't too bad.  Though, perhaps three would just be too much to juggle?  I'm... thinking.

I enjoyed the last of the soup, and coffee.  Water until just a bit ago, then I went in for tea.  I played the game a bit.  But... ran out of steam for even that.  So went to reading, looking, listening.

Wonderful.

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Thought I would shower after getting trash and recycling out.  No... just couldn't get to it.  Haven't gotten to it yet.  But... maybe, shortly.

I did get a salad together, and eaten.  Crumbling half the small, pricey, pack of gorgonzola.  Oh, that was delicious.  After a bit, I got half the remaining two thirds of the steak cut and began frying it.  Three minutes, on each side, twice.  Oh, my word, that was delicious.

Boi, was that HOT.

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I had put together an 'italian' dressing a while back.  Forgot it, and the romaine.  Strangely enough, the lettuce is still good.  The dressing is fine, having been put into an airtight container, if left at room temp.

Olive oil, the best and surest I could find at an affordable (enough) price, apple cider vinegar with the mother, salt, both black and white pepper, several italian favored spices and herbs, and of course some heat.  I think I even used the older hot spice, just a bit more of it.

Awake.

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Woke just after noonthirty.  Not feeling great, but not as bad as it has been.  The aches and pains are back, but lightly.  The toe knuckle isn't screaming, isn't even swollen?  The skin on the feet still burn, if more gently.  Hobbling about is doable, mostly.  And without agony, just slight suffering.

Exhausted, if not sleepy.  A form of being tired that simply means I don't have much energy, focus, or access to memory all that well, and yet can't really sleep.

Up at five thirty, again.

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I'll keep trying to pull the bedtime back to 19:00 even.  I think I was awake, as it turned out, until 21:00.  A bit after, no more than half after, more like just after?  I can't remember.  I checked my last post, but that wasn't it.  Couldn't remember how late that was.  But it turns out to have not been near bedtime.

A good warm sleep.  Forgot to turn the furnace down, so it was a warm wake too.  The heat doesn't get upstairs, even with the door open.  But it sure stayed nice and toasty down here.

More stew?

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It's what there is.  I forgot to pull meat to thaw, which is fine.  I'll say, after the last update, on spices and adds, even the burger stew wasn't too bad.  At it is warming.  I have been freezing, absolutely chilled, lately.  Stew helps with that.  Stew, hot tea, and coffee piping hot, all... help me feel a bit more alive, for a while in the day.

Can only imagine being truly cold blooded, but this gives me some sort of idea.  As it gets cold, at night, finding a rock to crawl under, that retained some heat, is a little slice of heaven.  For me, those "rocks" are warm food and drink.  Heaven.  Oh, and I have been refrigerating my water.  As it cools, I can probably stop that.  Just drink it at room temp.  Beer, unless German, absolutely forbidden.  Soda?  No way.  But fizzy water 'tis okay.

I took a chance.

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Added, to the stew/soup a bit more heat.  Just a few sprinkles.  Too much isn't good.  It doesn't make it too hot, it cancels itself out, becomes chemically tasting rather than hot.  It was already spiced, but just not quite enough.  As well, I added a pat of butter, and then sour cream.  Hoping that wouldn't make it too rich, too hot, too... bleh?  Or such.

It did the trick.  That stew not only thickened a bit, not something necessarily intended, but a good thing.  As well, it added flavor, and life, to the now real stew.  Oh, my.  I love it when a plan works.  I'll go ahead and finish it off, I do believe.

I ended up crashing.

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An hour after that last post, or less, everything began shutting down.  Getting to bed before my body failed became the simple focus of everything I could muster.  Imagine being in a massive building, and the electricity is slowly going out, as fuses/whatnots, break, linearly, and all you can do is run for the doors before being plunged into utter darkness, in a maze you don't/can't know.

A place where even daylight would never reach, for there are no windows.  Opening the doors is a complicated endeavor, if simple.  Just not something that could be done in the dark.  Well, that is what it was like.  My body was failing, quickly.  I ended up crawling into bed, hoping I would make it to the mattresses.