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Some weeks feel like a collage: a cough that won’t totally quit, a cat who ignores dinner when the heat rises, a dog who thinks every block is a parade, and a lawn that finally answers back with the thinnest line of green. This conversation sits right in that mix—COVID recovery that’s mostly there but not quite, and the tender work of reclaiming energy, taste, and laughter one small step at a time.

We get candid about what healing actually looks like when it doesn’t follow a clean arc. Tracy shares how she managed post-COVID fatigue, the odd flatness of flavor, and why masking and vaccines still matter. The thermostat ping-pongs between AC and heat, and the pets set the pace: insulin gets adjusted for a finicky, diabetic cat; the dog’s longer loop becomes the day’s quiet victory. Meanwhile, years of drought thinking meet a rainy season and a stubborn front yard. Seeding the lawn feels like a bet on the future, and the first sprouts reward patience despite canyon shade, crabgrass, and flying debris from next-door construction.

Grief and news fatigue land hard, too. The passing of Catherine O’Hara stirs memories of SCTV and the offbeat humor that shaped a personal voice, and it pairs with the emotional strain of watching relentless headlines. We talk about protecting empathy, setting media boundaries, and choosing where attention can actually heal. Through it all, the theme is steady: care for what is yours to tend. That might be a garden, a glucose meter, a hoarse laugh, or a half-mile walk that proves the lungs are learning again.

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The Covid cough won’t let me laugh yet, and somehow chocolate lost its spell. What in the hell happened to me??? That’s where this story starts: a real-time look at COVID recovery that trades drama for honesty. I talk through the positive test, the decision to get to urgent care quickly, and how Paxlovid likely kept things from getting scary. Then we get into the long haul—chest congestion, a thin appetite, and the strange peace of simple food. Soup, no dairy, low salt, and the slow work of rest have become the rhythm, while my dog negotiates for longer walks I can’t quite deliver.

I’ve also been thinking about the forces that shape us, and one topic came to me: gullibility, especially through the lens of being an only child. Without siblings as a reference point, I learned some lessons the hard way. I share a childhood moment that rewired my instincts and trace how those patterns show up in adult relationships. We explore practical tools for spotting red flags without turning cynical: listen for consistency, compare timelines, and ask calm follow-up questions. When stories wobble, it might be deceit, it might be privacy, or it might be someone telling you what they think you want to hear. Either way, let boundaries do the heavy lifting and match your trust to the reliability you see.

If you’re curious about how health choices intersect with everyday life, there’s plenty here—COVID symptoms, treatment, taste changes, and why vaccination matters even when you’re otherwise healthy. If you’ve ever struggled to balance generosity with discernment, you’ll find scripts and signals to keep your heart open and your eyes clear. Press play to join me for a grounded, candid conversation that puts care and truth at the center. If this resonated, follow the show, leave a review, and share it with a friend who could use a little honesty today.

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A scratchy throat, a stubborn cough, and a little denial—then a swab that changed the story. We open up about the week with a confirmed COVID case, the scramble to start Paxlovid, and the practical steps that made each day a little easier. From hydration habits and cough management to why gentle movement beats bed-bound stillness, this is a grounded walkthrough of what recovery really looks like when life refuses to quiet down.

You’ll hear how vaccine timing shaped the experience, what delayed boosters taught us, and how age and secondary infection risks sharpen the stakes. We talk through the pharmacy and insurance hurdles that can slow treatment when minutes matter, share the foods and routines that calmed symptoms, and explain why soft meals, no dairy, and steady fluids made a difference. We also get real about living through chaos: sunrise beeps from a major home renovation next door, sleep disrupted for days, and a stressed-out cat who needed extra care right when we had the least energy to give it.

This candid, step-by-step account blends personal experience with practical takeaways: get vaccinated, seek care early, move just enough to keep lungs clear, and build a routine you can sustain. If you’ve been on the fence about boosters or unsure when to go to urgent care, consider this your nudge to choose the safer path. Listen now, subscribe for more honest stories, and leave a review to help others find the show. What’s the one habit that helped you bounce back from being sick? Share it with us.

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Rain soaked Los Angeles, the Rose Parade turned soggy, and my holiday lights kept tripping like they were on a timer from the weather gods—so I used the mess as a nudge to start fresh. I share how a wet week, a sick spouse, and a very determined 14-pound chihuahua pushed me to restart my daily walks, rethink my habits, and listen to what my body and data keep telling me.

We get practical about movement with cranky joints: what helped my feet, how copper socks lowered the barrier to longer walks, and why walking in short bursts still builds strength and eases back pain from arthritis. I unpack a local research lab visit where I tested lipoprotein(a) for heart risk and opted into a blood-based screen tied to early Alzheimer’s risk. The results were a mixed bag—good news on risk, an A1C at 5.7 nudging me toward steadier routines—and they landed right as holiday stress made better choices feel harder. Instead of aiming for perfect, I map out realistic daily steps: move more, keep meals simple, and let sleep and stress management carry their weight.

Our little dog Brownie steals a few scenes too: refusing backyard drizzle but marching miles on a leash, guarding me from the mailman like a fluffy sentinel, and somehow knowing when our car turns onto the block. Those small moments reminded me that accountability can be playful and that consistency often starts with a leash, a timer, or a friend. If you’re facing rainy weather, borderline lab numbers, or a calendar that keeps slipping, you’ll find ideas here for building momentum when conditions aren’t ideal—plus a link to the socks that saved my feet.

If this resonates, tap follow, leave a review to help others find the show, and share it with someone who needs a gentle push to get moving today. What tiny change will you commit to this week?

"Magic" copper compression socks mentioned in this episode:  

https://tinyurl.com/7cyrtaur

To participate in the research study and find out about your risk for heart attack and Alzheimer's, here's the link to sign up, plus you will receive a stipend for your participation.  Locations throughout the United States.  

http://friends.careaccess.com/7f8Gfv

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A holiday decorating contest turned into a masterclass in rolling with the weather. The atmospheric river drenched our front yard display, shorted the circuits, and left our ten-foot Yeti with gravity-defying soggy fur. We didn’t take home the win, but we did find something better: perspective, humor, and a reminder that the brightest moments often come after plans go sideways.

From the driveway, the season threw another curveball—a couple inches of water pooled on the driver’s side floor of a ten-year-old SUV. We talk about quick fixes, patience, and the reality of aging seals when the sky refuses to cooperate. While mapping out an early-morning plan to catch the stealth bomber fly over the Rose Parade route, we navigate recovery needs and choose accessible viewing spots that make the tradition doable without a hike. Along the way, we reflect on the artistry behind parade floats, the powerful glue that holds petals and bark in place, and what happens when rain threatens months of volunteer work.

Back at home, our rain-averse dog adds comic timing to the mud and maintenance, and we get honest about what communities save—or don’t—when stormwater rushes to the ocean. Sleep becomes our north star, fueling recovery and the small daily choices that add up to resilience. If you’re juggling holiday expectations, weather setbacks, and the hope for a dry New Year’s moment, you’ll find solidarity here and a few ideas to make next time gentler and more fun.

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Holiday cheer meets home reality as a Southern California storm rolls in and puts a target on outdoor lights, inflatables, and carefully planned yard magic. I talk through the tradeoffs of beauty and safety—what happens when circuits shut down, mud takes over, and the sky ignores your calendar. There’s relief that it’s rain and not wildfire winds this year, plus a real wish that weather would wait until the decorations have their moment.

The season’s other curveballs pile up in honest, relatable ways. A mysterious wet patch in the backyard becomes a puzzle for the plumber, complete with delays and a side of anxiety about water damage. Caregiving shapes the daily rhythm as I clear paths, move pet obstacles, and celebrate the small win of steady walking inside the house. Fatigue shows up without warning; sleep helps, but the bigger fix is giving myself permission to slow down. Rest becomes a strategy instead of a last resort.

I also share the ongoing washing machine saga: laundromat trips, machines judged by smell, parts on backorder, and why a working washer might be the most underrated holiday gift. We keep the celebration simple—no indoor tree, no gift exchange, just a low-key plan with movies, easy meals, and dog walks that shift when neighbors travel. Through it all, the show’s community grows to 68 countries and nearly 700 cities, which feels like a gift of its own.

If you’re juggling storms, repairs, caregiving, and the pressure to make it all feel festive, this one’s for you. Press play for humor, practical perspective, and a reminder that “good enough” can still feel good. If you enjoyed the conversation, follow the show, leave a rating and review, and share it with a friend who could use a calm, cozy listen.

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Joy doesn’t always arrive in a big moment; sometimes it shows up in a box that claims “25 minutes” and actually takes four hours, a friendly text from a great PT, or a yard that glows just enough to make strangers slow their cars. We set out to simplify holiday decorating after two hospital stays shifted our bandwidth, and we found a sweet spot between ambition and energy. With a giant Bumble from the 1964 Rudolph classic anchoring the display, seven inflatables, and a sensible trim of poinsettias, the lawn became a gentle celebration of resilience, community, and choosing what truly matters.

We walk through the real calculus of “scaling back” during recovery: getting help from a friend who can lift and assemble, honoring a body that’s still learning to sit up again, and embracing the small victories that rebuild dignity at home. Our farewell to Frank, our stellar home PT, marks a tender transition toward outpatient care, and we share the routines and mindset that bridge the gap. Along the way, the city’s holiday contest becomes less about winning and more about finishing something joyful, on our terms.

If you’re navigating a tough season, you’ll hear practical takeaways for right-sizing traditions, setting boundaries that protect your energy, and designing a celebration that sparks delight without tipping you into burnout. From neighbor reactions to the quiet satisfaction of a completed project, this story pairs twinkle lights with honest talk about healing, support, and the power of choosing one bright thing. Listen, share with a friend who could use a lift, and if the show brings you value, follow, rate, and leave a review so more listeners can find it.

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Caregiving rarely looks like the neat checklist people promise. We open the door on a week of small wins and stubborn setbacks: a partner recovering from bulging discs, the push to trade bed rest for hallway laps, and the work of finding motivation when every step aches. The house hums with real life—pets reacting to disrupted routines, a cat throwing up from stress, a dog glued to our sides—and we talk about how self care shifts from bubble baths to basic sleep, food, and the nerve to ask for help.

To keep our spirits up, we lean into seasonal rituals. A supposedly “eight-minute” Rudolph build becomes a comedy of tiny screws and a paperclip-sized hex key, and a storm-tossed Halloween hearse gets reborn as a Christmas carriage with garland reins. It’s playful, sure, but it’s also a blueprint for resilience: turn what’s broken into something joyful and keep moving. Along the way, we get honest about the creative itch that caregiving often sidelines. A late-night show about comedians sparks a question—do you miss writing?—and the answer sits with the limits of time and the promise to find space for art again.

We also pause to honor a friend’s dog, Boomer, and the kind of grief only people who love animals truly understand. That goodbye opens a wider reflection on the comfort pets bring and the gratitude they teach, even as loss lingers. If you’re navigating recovery, caregiving, pet anxiety, or the tug-of-war between daily demands and creative dreams, this conversation offers practical warmth and real companionship.

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Caregiving isn’t a tidy checklist; it’s a constant recalibration of energy, emotion, and logistics. In this episode, I'm talking about life after back-to-back hospital stays and what it takes to keep a home running when helpers still need help, the dog thinks every visitor is a threat, and the cat needs a calming plan to handle the foot traffic. That swirl forces hard choices, and I get candid about the small moments that protect sanity—like holding a long-delayed hair appointment as a promise to myself.

The heart of this conversation is practical compassion. We talk about why “put your oxygen mask on first” sounds simple yet feels impossible when physical therapy schedules collide with neuropathy flares. Thanksgiving becomes a lesson in doing less on purpose: skipping big cooking, embracing reheats, and spending a sunny afternoon in the garden reclaiming calm leaf by leaf. From there, we reset expectations for the holidays—lighter decorations, a friend’s help to swap seasonal boxes, and permission to live with a garage that looks like life happened, not like it was staged for a catalog.

We dig into the essentials that keep us steady: guarding sleep, making peace with imperfect routines, and treating the 20-minute dog walk as a micro win for body and mind. Working from home makes this season possible, but the weight is real, and we share the honesty of sore backs, tired mornings, and friendships that get fewer check-ins than we’d like. If you’re navigating caregiving, chronic illness at home, or just a season of overwhelm, this story offers validation and a playbook of small, repeatable choices that add up to resilience.

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Dry turkey on one side of the family, rum-soaked pudding on the other—somehow neither tasted like home. This week it's a re-release of my favorite funny Thanksgiving episode, and I'm pulling you into a holiday world where salt was outlawed, bay leaves did all the heavy lifting, and stuffing came from a box you didn’t want seconds of. It’s funny because it’s true, and it’s tender because it’s about more than food: it’s about learning to rewrite rituals, find the middle between deprivation and excess, and choose the kind of Thanksgiving that actually feeds you. The scary part? This actually happened to me!  

I trace the arc from childhood meals that missed the mark to the first adult revelation of a table with real flavor—where seasoning has courage and the stuffing finally delivers. There’s a detour to Skid Row with a volunteer badge and an unexpected lesson about impact when good intentions outnumber the plates. Then comes the career war story: an all-nighter on government proposals, a nap on a dining room floor, and a raw-turkey showdown at dawn that turns into a crash course in timing, triage, and gravy without a safety net.

By the end, we land in a realistic, humane place: smoked turkey, smart store-bought sides, one ambitious homemade dish, and the logistical comedy of someone who really wasn't raised to cook. The heart stays steady—gratitude for partners, pets, and the freedom to craft traditions that fit real lives. If you’ve ever laughed at a lumpy gravy, dodged a crowded grocery store at 8 a.m., or wondered how to make the holidays yours, you’ll feel seen here. Listen, share a laugh, and tell us your most chaotic Thanksgiving victory or fail. Subscribe, leave a review, and pass this one to a friend who salts first and explains later.

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