Slow as molasses in January

My fans (that is, my mother) have been requesting a new post, as it as been some time.

Today as I set out for Day 4 of teaching, I began to coast down the driveway on my bike and realized that I didn’t have my keys with me. Not the end of the world, but that meant I wouldn’t be able to lock up my bike or get into my office once I got to school. Luckily I had my phone with me, and it was near Rob’s lunchtime, so he was able to come home and let me into the house where I quickly retrieved my keys.

It has been treacherously cold out, with a smattering of snow and ice. On the plus side, Rob put the studded tires on my bike and I love them. As much as I am struggling with this winter weather, I feel that I’m prepared for the worst. At least in terms of the bike. Otherwise I am ill-equipped. I am cold all the time. Sometimes I will be working on the computer, then get up to go do something and catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror, and my lips are blue. I generally wear at least 2 layers of pants and 3 layers of shirts at all times when I am in the house. The worst is my feet. I’ll wear a couple of pairs of wool socks plus slippers, and they’re still like blocks of ice.

I’ve found ways to cure just about anything that ails me, but I cannot get rid of the cold feet. Armed with a toolkit that includes raw onions and garlic, honey, lemon, 100% aloe vera gel, blackstrap molasses and plain organic yogurt, I’ve cured ear infections, sore throats, and tick bites just to name a few. When I told my mom about my latest thing (blackstrap molasses—its high in iron and calcium), she said, “You have turned into your great-grandmother!” This was corroborated by the fact that I also had begun using a hot water bottle to try to warm up my feet.

But to no avail. My feet are still cold all the time. Maybe I need a different kind of bottle. I was using a heating pad for a while, until I literally wore it out. I haven’t found a home remedy yet for cold feet, but I read somewhere that soaking your feet in a bucket of hot water with cayenne pepper would improve circulation and your feet would get warmer. Its worth a try. If it doesn’t work, maybe some blackstrap molasses would help. If anyone has a suggestion, let me know.

In other news, Rob is famous. Check out his latest invention (which believe me, cost more than the quoted $15 in supplies when all was said and done). It has been featured on the Make Magazine blog. I’m still not exactly sure how he made it or what it does, but its cool that Rob is now world famous.

Thanks for reading.