She also said: “The key to life i accepting challenges. Once someone stops doing this, she's dead.”

Well, I ain’t dead yet. I am facing several challenges, but as someone once said about another strong woman: Nevertheless, she persisted.

I have long had asthma and allergies, but lately I’ve also developed a long-Covid condition called parosmia. Like I tell people, Google it. It stinks. Literally.

And for someone who enjoys cooking, and eating, this can be very depressing. I’m waiting on an appointment with a neurologist (as of July 2023), but it may be as much as another year before I am allotted one. Well, from everything I read my condition could still be around as much as 2 years from now anyway.

Covid was just one of the challenges faced in 2023. The other major event was my husband’s heart attack. He is healthier now, with one more stent in his chest – that makes three – and a good prognosis for the future.

Moving along, but not quickly

I have mobility issues. Initially caused by sacroiliac joint (SIJ) dysfunction, which makes it painful to walk or stand for any length of time. I’ve had injections. I’ve had radiofrequency ablation treatment. Neither worked. I’ve tried medicinal marijuana

for the pain, but it did nothing for me. I take lots of over-the-counter pain meds.

And I am waiting for another appointment with the pain management clinic – which, post-pandemic, should also take another 12 to 18 months waiting time. (Still waiting as of July 2024.) I had a CatScan and MRI in 2023 and the diagnosis was "moderate to severe arthritis" at the base of my spine.

I was going to the local pool for water therapy but that ended with the pandemic. I’m looking for water sessions that cater to those who depend on walkers and canes to get around, but I haven’t found one yet.

All of which means I can’t do much outside the house. I had a studio where I sewed and from which I sold finished products, but I had to give it up when the pain from sitting and standing became too much.

The upshot of this is that I am on my laptop and iPad a lot. And I cannot stand to be idle so I have looked for things I can do from my home and my recliner (the only place, besides bed, where I am comfortable.)

What can I do? Lots!

I crochet. And I sell finished products on Etsy and Facebook Marketplace.

I cross stitch, and design cross stitch patterns in digital format from a website I designed and manage – whatshesaidstitches.indiemade.com.

I assist my author husband by managing the print-on-demand production, eBook and audiobook production, and promotional efforts to sell his books in these formats. (Check out his and my work at terrymcconnell.com)

And, once again, I am an Epicure Selections consultant – victoriacharron.epicure.com - although now we are called Epicure Ambassadors – selling the company’s products online and via virtual events. I cannot do events – like cooking classes or farmers’ markets or fundraisers – in person because I can’t sit or stand for long periods of time. (Oh, I am also pretty much deaf now, having experienced hearing loss my entire life. Conversations are difficult and frustrating for all parties.) You can read all about my Epicure experiences at MyEpicureanKitchen.

I am excited by the changes that have happened at Epicure since my first venture with them 10 years ago, because the company has made it possible for me to work from home the way I wanted to all along. Before, they ocused on “cooking classes” held in other people’s homes. And they only shipped to Canada. This became problematic when my husband got a job in California and I joined him there.

We moved back to Canada in 2017. At which point I set up my studio and he started writing books. And things were moving along tickety-boo. Until 2020, and the pandemic. The lockdown restricted the activities that were helping me manage my SIJ condition and it worsened. And other back problems set in.

Fast forward to 2023, and I hear from my former Epicure representative that things have changed a lot at the company. The B.C.-based company has embraced e-commerce, social media and virtual events.

It also has a U.S. operation based in Utah. All of which makes it incredibly easy for me to once again market their fantastic products to Canadians and Americans alike.

My personal goals

Epicure’s products are a huge part of my regimen because every one is one or more of these profiles: gluten-free, non-GMO, vegan, halal, kosher and nut-free.

I am convinced that healthier eating goes a long way to relieving some of my pain. So, I am trying to maintain an anti-inflammatory diet that includes a lot of foods I enjoy, like salmon, kale, spinach, blueberries, walnuts and, where possible, red wine. I am also trying to minimize sugar, carbs and processed foods. I say “minimize” because I am also a chocoholic – although I do prefer dark chocolate, so there’s that.

The wine is tricky, because while, used judiciously, it may be anti-inflammatory and good for the heart, alcohol is also an agonist for RLS (restless leg syndrome) which is another challenge. Too much and it sets my legs a-twitching and there’s little sleep to be had.

Other things that can set it off include antihistamines (allergies, remember?), and anti-depressant (you’re probably not surprised to hear that I experience clinical depression.

Epicure’s seasonings, spices and mixes help me minimize the chemicals and preservatives that may be contributing to my inflammation and my pain.

Well, that’s my story.

I supplement my pension income with several alternative revenue streams including What She Said Stitches, Epicure Selections, 

And remember… #neverthelessshepersisted.