I guess I didn't post yesterday's entry, so here's a 2-in-1.

July 19, 2026

The bday party for grandson J was at their home, they just didn't hear the bell when I rang. I hate that because of my insecurity, my first thought was that they moved the party to a different location and didn't tell me. A lot of invited people didn't show up. Me, daughter and her two kids, and two of my son's friends were there. I could tell my DIL was kind of hurt by the no-shows. But as I told her today, the birth and the first birthday is a big deal for your childless friends, but everything after is not a great event for them. The party turned out nicely nonetheless. The kids played with the water table I gave J. I'm so glad I put it together ahead of time.

I think I have finally found the answer to my itchy burning neck! I think it was an allergic reaction to the fresh peaches and cherries I've been eating the last two weeks. Raw carrots and apples make my whole face itchy. Tree nuts give me hives and burn my skin when it comes out the other end. And because the only thing that has made my neck better is a benadryl pill (and not anti-itch creams or steroidal creams) it really points to an allergy of some sort. We'll see. This week I am only eating watermelon for my fruit which has not given me any adverse reactions in the past. If my neck clears up, we'll have the answer.

Went on a bike ride in the evening. 12 miles, 70 minutes, knees feel great! Still need to tilt my seat back a little. I put a wet washcloth in my fanny pack, and the second I felt a slight burn on my neck I stopped and wiped my neck down. That worked well.

July 20, 2026

Grandson E's birthday party was yesterday morning. At an indoor playground. With a couple dozen kids age 7 and younger. Oh my goodness. I had flashbacks of bday parties for my own boys of standing there watching in horror as boys that age behave as they do. They are wild animals lol! An hour after I got home from the party I received a text from son...I'm going to have a 4th grandchild!! He texted me the ultrasound pics of the baby boy due in February. So exciting! Since it was smoky outside, I spent most of the afternoon chopping vegies. Broccoli and cauliflower for lunches; potatoes, zucchini, red and yellow bell peppers, onion for dinner. Roasted with chicken andouille sausage, it turned out amazing: I sprinkled garlic salt on the zucchini and let it sit in a colander for 20 minutes before roasting, so a lot of the moisture drained out and the zucchini had some texture to it instead of being mushy. And I watched the second half of the world cup final. While chopping vegetables.

July 20, 2026 My neck has finally calmed down, I went all night with no itching last night. The skin on my neck is extremely and flaky though, as it recovers, much like a sunburn. I will try to go without the Benedryl today and see what happens. I was telling honey about the Benedryl finally being the thing that helped, and he made what I thought was a snide comment "Life is better with chemicals." He is anti-medicine, disparages people who take drugs of any kind, even ibuprofen. He doesn't seem to understand I have a very overactive immune system, and yes, a chemical to calm the histamine explosion does make life better. The irony is, as he holds himself up as so much better than the rest of us in that respect, he smokes, taking in the nicotine and formaldehyde 20 times a day. Who has a dependence on chemicals and who uses chemicals only when needed, hmmm?

Today should be the last day in the 90s, at least for a few days. I think we've had 10 days in a row of 90+ which is not typical. A thunderstorm came through around 4am with a half inch of much-needed rain.