THE APPEAL OF CIGARS

When I decided to try a cigar, I was blown away at how ''creamy'' it felt in my mouth. 

Since that first puff, I had to learn all I needed to know about cigars and why people love them so much.

Surprisingly, I have found a lot of women are enjoying a great stick (cigar) and it has really opened my eyes to what people think and why people indulge in cigars.

Cigars are not a habit; it's a hobby. A hobby that takes time 

Cigars are not something for the faint of heart. It is for the person who wants a new level of relaxation.

It is for the person who wants to enjoy at least 45 minutes of quiet time, alone with their thoughts. 

Do you have the dedication to unwind, unplug and just BE?

Why 45 minutes?

Cigars are different sizes. They are:

Petit Corona	4 1/2	40 to 42
Corona	5 1/2 to 6	42 to 44
Panatela	5 1/2 to 6 1/2	34 to 38
Lonsdale	6 1/2	40 to 42
Lancero	7 to 7 1/2	38 to 40
Churchill	6 1/2 to 7	46 to 48
Robusto	4 1/2 to 5 1/2	48 to 52
Toro	6 to 6 1/2	48 to 50
Presidente	7 to 8 1/2	52 to 60
Gigante	>6	>60

The smaller ones are about 45 minutes in smoke time. The larger, anything over 5.5, is about an hour to an hour in a half. 

In the times we live in; who can actually put their phone down for 5 minutes; let alone 45 minutes. 

After smoking my first cigar, which was actually a cigarillo. Yes, that is actually the name of it. 

A cigarillo is a smaller cigar; about an inch in diameter and only takes about 15 minutes to smoke, but it is the same concept. Unplug, Unwind and Just Be.

More about cigarillo's in another post. 

Getting to know all that I can about cigars, I began what I normally do. 

I hit the internet and YouTube. 

Boy did I find out a lot of information. There are some amazing women who own cigar lounges, cigar products and who have taken on the male driven industry and come up with a cigar line.

This ride that I am on right now is amazing, won't you join me.

Please follow this journey and you will know more about the cigar industry and the people who are in in.

New past time

 In recent months, I began smoking cigars.

Yes, women smoke cigars.

After having Covid-19 and not having any sense of taste or smell for 6 months, (my smell still has not come back) a friend of mine introduced me to the 'art' of cigar smoking.

I have always enjoyed the smell of a nice cigar but since I didn't smoke, I never tried it.

Well, it is not like smoking cigarettes'. 

Cigars are not inhaled; they are only puffed on. Yes, there is a difference. Puffing a cigar is like sucking through a straw without swallowing. 

You fill your mouth with the smoke and then you simply blow it out. 

It is about the enjoyment and the relaxation. 

Smoking a cigar has also helped with my writing.

In my next novel; Matthew smokes cigars. He has a humidor in his home and with my new found love of cigars; I am patterning his favorite cigar to smoke after someone that I have met who is a Cigar Sommelier. 

Yes, there are sommelier's for cigars just like there is for wine. 

I will go into this more next week. I hope you take this journey with me and who knows; maybe I will convince some of you women and or men to give it a try.

Until next week, keep writing and keep reading. 

LIFE CHANGES AND LOVING THEM

Since April, I have been dealing with being a ''long hauler''. 

Since having Covid-19, I still cant smell, my taste came back about three weeks ago but I continue to suffer with fatigue and the massive headache.

I'm a long hauler.

One thing that has gotten me through is my friends. The other thing that has gotten me through are books and the last thing that has gotten me through is cigars.

Yes, you read that right. CIGARS.

I camp a lot and some friends was telling me of the soothing effect that cigars have on their moods and how it just makes everything going on seem less important.

Expressing an interest, that I have always had, Walter and his wife Pam began telling me about the joy they experience when smoking cigars.

After they told me all of this; I told them that I wasn't sure I would be able to smoke it because I don't like inhaling.

That is when they told me that you don't inhale, you only puff. As in suck in a little then blow out. Even showed me and then they gifted me with my very first cigar. +TheStogieCo. Grape was the one they gave me and I loved it. I couldn't taste it, I felt it.

Yes, you feel the creamy, silky smooth vapor in your mouth. It feels like cold vanilla ice cream. Not that store brand ice cream, +HaagenDazs Vanilla. 

I have been in heaven ever since. Cigar heaven. 

It has helped me deal with the headaches and it has helped me deal with no smell. 

In the coming weeks, I will be talking to some people who smoke cigars and why they do, how they started and what it does for them. 

Stay with me cause this ride has just started.

This life change happened and oh, so did retiring after 27 years in the Charles County Public School System.

Yes, my life has changed and I am living my BEST LIFE.

What about you?

COVID KITS AND DAILY LIFE

These pictures represent what my life has become. This box arrived and when I opened it; I was shocked. Bottles of hand sanitizer, bottles of shampoo and body wash. Bottles of hospital grade disinfectant. More thermometers and oxygen reader. Oh, what's this; paper plates, forks, knives, spoons, cups and what is this? Blue bags...wait! There are hospital grade trash bags! 

Oh if this doesn't make you understand the seriousness of having Covid, I don't know what will.

Daily life won't be the same for a while because what the news doesn't tell you is that your life will be different.

You can't use your regular dishes because even though you will wash them, you will contaminate them once you put them away or take them from the dishwasher. You can't share a bathroom with ANYONE because you will infect them if they use the bathroom after you. You must wear gloves when you decide to cook because you can infect the pots and pans. Check your oxygen because you don't want to go below 95%. Check your temperature because you don't want to go an higher than 100.4. Use the shampoo and body wash because it will help with the irritation you feel when you get that Covid rash.

Oh this is insane. I never heard of any of this on the news and I guess it will make for boring television to share all of these details. 

The nurse tells me that when I run out of these supplies that I need to IMMEDIATELY call for more. 

I don't want to make that call but this is day 30 of what I thought would only be 14 days. 

Wrong! 14 days is a "on the low end" the range is 14-21 and longer depending on when you get the other symptoms. Yeah, they don't announce that on the news either. 

I'm such an over achiever that I have 14 different symptoms. It's no wonder they haven't found some that they didn't think were symptoms. 

I can take the chills and the heaviness. What I can't take is not being able to smell or taste. I have burned up at least three pots because I'm so tired that I fall asleep while cooking and since I am not smelling the burning of food; I only know that the food is burned when the smoke alarms start going off. Tasting food is out as well. So all I feel is hot and cold in my mouth. I know what it should taste like and I try to remember but it is no use.

Even though I have no taste; I still put sugar in my coffee and add cream. Why? Habit....I sit and try and enjoy the coffee but it's no use but I continue to drink coffee every day. One cup in the morning followed by two or three cups of teas during the day to knock off the chills.

I shower at least three times a day because my body hurts and the water makes it feel a little better. The steam from it helps open up my nose from the congestion. 

I was sent elderberry for tea and it helps. My FB friends are the best! I was able to type all of these blogs during moments of energy. 

You have to take the small things when they come because being in isolation is the loneliest feeling.

 

Covid is not something I would ever wish on anyone. 

 

COVID RESPONSE TEAM

A couple of weeks ago, I talked about having a Covid Response Team.

They are a team of nurses that check in with you when you have Covid-19.

They make sure you are checking your oxygen levels, your temperature, eating, and resting when necessary.

They sent a box to containing my "Covid Kit".

Yep; they came up with a ''survival" kit for Covid-19.

It was delivered by FedEx a day after being diagnosed. 

The box was huge. 

It had flash cards with everything from how to wash your hands to how to disinfect. 

Did you know that if you have Covid-19, they recommend that you wipe down surfaces that you come into contact with but that you don't deep clean until AFTER all of your symptoms have gone away. 

It also contained the following: 150 masks, 1 bottle of disinfectant, 6 small bottles of body wash, 2 bottles of hand sanitizer, another thermometer, alcohol swaps, 50 hot/cold cups with lids, 50 biodegradable paper plates, 50 spoons, knives and forks and 6 blue trash bags. 

Yep blue trash bags. The kind they use in the hospital. The kind that has tape attached that says "biohazardous material"

Did you know that you aren't supposed to use regular dishes while having Covid-19? 

I didn't. 

It's because even though you are washing your dishes, you still have to touch them once they are clean. You are contaminating them again before using them.   

You must put your trash in the blue bags because everything you touch will still be infected with the Covid virus after you use them. 

Now that they are saying you have to double mask, I have enough masks to last at least two months. That is if I go outside every day; which I don't.

My Covid Response Team, or someone from my team, calls every day. 

Without fail. 

My phone rings at 9am every day and I am on the phone with them for at least 30 minutes. I have had a nurse come by to check since I'm an "over achiever" and have so many symptoms.

It's good to know that someone is looking out for the ones of us that are not hospitalized. 

I just wonder; if you don't have insurance; do you still get this level of care?

WHY CAN'T I TASTE MY FOOD

Why does my mouth feel like this?

It feels like my taste buds have become swollen at the same time. My mouth is watering like I'm about to vomit. 

I have a blister on the inside of my mouth but I'm sure it's because I have been drinking so much orange juice that it's from the acid.

I make myself dinner and although I'm a pretty good cook, I burned the oil I was going to use to fry the chicken in. 

Hmmm, why don't I smell that? I guess I'm spraying way to much LYSOL.

I outdid myself today. Even though I'm sick it doesn't mean he can't eat well.

I make fried chicken, asparagus and sweet potatoes. 

I am not hungry but I try and eat anyway.

Hmm, that's strange.

I take another bite. 

I say out loud, to no one, funny I don't smell the fried chicken smell.

Then I take a bite.

Hot and nothing.

Wait, I can't taste the chicken. WTH! I can't taste the chicken. I CAN'T TASTE THE CHICKEN OR THE SWEET POTATOES OR THE ASPARAGUS. 

Sweet baby food Jesus!

I've lost my taste and my sense of smell. No wonder I didn't smell the oil burning. No wonder I didn't smell the chicken cooking. 

Ahhh Lawd! 

This is horrible. No wonder my coffee tasted funny this morning. Or maybe the lack of flavor. I kept adding sugar and cream. I thought maybe I forgot how to make it. 

Geezus! Of all things that is happening to me; this is the absolute worse! 

How can you eat when you can't taste food/ 

Eating is pure torture. Drinking is even worse. 

I tried having a glass of wine...yep; can't taste it. I can't enjoy food. 

This has to be the BEST DIET EVER!

Said NO ONE!

WHY AM I STILL FEELING LIKE THIS

Today is February 11 and I feel like crap.

I can barely sleep. I'm exhausted. My body feels heavy and I am sweating like its 100 degrees. 

I don't have a fever but the damn cough and sneezing has come back. 

Shouldn't I be feeling better now?

I am boiling water with ginger, lemon and orange peels. I'm standing over this pot like it's my life line. I am still trying to NOT go to the hospital but today, I have no choice.

It has to be better than this.

I dress, which takes almost an hour. Not because I am trying to be cute but because I have to keep stopping to get more energy.

WTF!

Man, they don't tell you about this. 

As I dress I just hope this is not the last time I will see my house. I hope it's not the last time I will chat with my kids or my friends. 

Yeah, people that don't wear masks don't understand that the people who do everything to protect themselves and still end up with; have to deal with this.

Ask me if it's a hoax! Ask me if it is fake news!

Dehydration is the cause of this. I try and eat but I really can't without having an upset stomach. 

I cook but still can't eat.

What's the use of eating when you can't taste the food?

Oh I didn't tell you about that?

Well, next week I will.

Thanks for hanging in here with me and this journey.