(4/25)...streaming -- no strep

So far so good. The rapid strep test was negative. I haven't heard the news from the hospital lab, that I had to drive my own sample to, in a biohazardous waste bag. Lovely.

As I waited in the outpatient lab at the hospital for someone to take my sample ("no specimens on the desk, please" as if I had just urinated on the wood), I imagined that will be the future of health care. Why would the government pay someone to pick my sample up from the doctor when they can make me do it myself?

The hospital lab said the culture probably wouldn't be read until tomorrow. Amazing how the Children's hospital lab has results the next morning.  If you have no idea what I am talking about you probably need to read yesterday's post. Or just ignore me. That's ok, too.


The girl is still on the sofa, but for the moment the fever is gone and just the sore throat remains. No barfing since yesterday. I probably went to the doctor too soon. If I had waited until today she wouldn't have had to go. But the dance recital is just a few weeks away and I was afraid if I waited she would miss dance class tomorrow.

Faith has a tendency to get a sick stomach when she has a fever. But often strep comes with sore throat and sick stomach, so it's all a big guessing game. It would be nice to have over-the-counter strep tests. I imagine that will be in the future so the government doesn't have to pay the doctor and the lab if you have a sore throat.

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The cardinal eggs have started to hatch. One baby so far. The picture is a little fuzzy because I didn't want to keep mama Cardinal away too long.

He is very sweet, isn't he (I always assume babies are boys unless I know otherwise, probably because I have a really soft spot for baby boys)? I hope his brothers and sisters hatch soon.

I know this sounds really stupid, especially if you already knew this, but did you know that the Northern Cardinal is named after our very own Roman Catholic Cardinal robes? I guess I never really thought about it before. My dad had a great fondness for Cardinals and used to whistle their call. I have always loved them for that reason, but I love them all the more now.

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I watched a really good film last night while I worked on a rosary ~~ Sarah's Key. I read the book a few years ago and I must say the film is one of those rare instances where the film is at least as good if not better than the book. It's a story with two simultaneous plots about a Jewish girl who almost became a victim of the Holocaust via the round-up of the Jews in Paris in 1942. The modern-day journalist played by Kristin Scott Thomas discovers the young Jewish girl's story and becomes obsessed with her outcome. Much of the film was subtitled (which makes it hard to work on a rosary) but is so very worthwhile.

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I started the cream cheese today which involved heating a gallon of whole milk and one pint of heavy cream to 86 degrees, stirring in a package of buttermilk culture and 4 drops of rennet and setting it aside until tomorrow. I'll let you know what happens after 24 hours.

Now I'm off to make chicken, bacon and cream cheese taquitos for dinner, with store-bought cream cheese, and maybe some chocolate chip cookies. Yum.