Life as I knew it was over after COVID-19.

I couldn’t taste, or smell anything!

It hung on F-O-R-E-V-E-R.

And trust me, I tried my best to find flavor in anything.

Something salty.

Sour.

Vinegar chips!

I whined and ate to keep up my strength then finally hit on something that sorta tricked my taste buds into believing it was food.

Shells and tomatoes is a dish my mom made that son Nick loved, and I found a bag of noodles in the cupboard, and some canned tomatoes in the garage. There was also some feta cheese in the fridge from a magazine recipe that I’d never used, so I added that on top of the mixture. It was yummy.

Maybe it was the acid from the tomatoes that sorta got through to my taste buds, but soon after I turned into a dog who’d just eaten peanut butter.

When I checked it out in the mirror I saw there were slit marks on my tongue, along with white spots.

Great! More COVID fun and games, I thought. It may have been, but I was told it’s from my inhaler and breathing therapy.

It’s been 23 days since my positive COVID test, and I’ve felt well all of that time, unless you count that lingering inability to taste - or smell.

You wouldn’t think that would be such a big deal to lose that sense. I mean it’s not like losing your sight, or hearing. Or touch for that matter, but I had a couple of the best hugs from our girls last Saturday.

I even made them chicken noodle soup for lunch since they aren’t tomato fans.

That night I made my usual noodles and tomatoes with oregano and feta cheese, and always seem to just want food that’s warm, or hot.

That includes the peach cobbler that I’m also addicted to after I found one of mom’s recipes.

It’s a good thing I can’t eat out because I realized I eat as if I’m starving.

It feels that I can’t get enough food.

Maybe that’s why people say you put on 19 more pounds with COVID-19.

I’m up 15 pounds.

Holy cow! I forgot, those scales are off five pounds. And not in a good way!

COVID just won’t let me alone.