Category Archives: Daily Life

Day to day happenings, the usual stuff, about me and life

April went by in a blur and Hey it’s May!

I am well. No more surgical issues at all. Been really busy though with the garden as the weather is dictating we move faster than usual. I have a few photos to add here soon.
But the lettuce and salad beds are producing salad. Several of the other raised beds have been amended and raised a board higher. Not as many flowers as last year.. but some.

I spent last Saturday in Arcata with friend Kim at the Farmers Market and totally enjoyed steel drum band Steel Standing! Ate at Renata’s Creperie, don’t miss this place if ever in Arcata, I will be going back. Was really nice to get out and visit with a new friend.

This Friday our own Farmer’s Market in Garberville starts up, and I will be there looking for those hot weather starts, like peppers and basil and tomatoes.

The last 6 months were difficult, but the spring into summer is happening fast and I am looking forward to it!

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6 Weeks Post Surgery

Well it’s been 6 weeks since the hysterectomy. The first week was horrible, the second & third week I had a really bad head cold that Russel had. The third week also saw us visiting my doctor, who said everything was peachy, but the trip wiped me out.

I had some discomfort, was back on Advils 3 x a day for awhile, now maybe once a day dose. At 6 weeks I had thought it would be a dim memory but it is not. There are still things I am dealing with, more annoying than hurtful.

Taking Estradiol, low dose for about a week and it really makes me bitchy, do not think I will continue with this.
I will see my doctor again this coming Tuesday and discuss.

Trips to Eureka wipe me out on good days, the last trip wiped me out for several days. I hope this one goes a bit smoother.

Meanwhile a lot of very nice weather passed by, where I could only look at the garden and not do anything. The last week or so I put in some salad greens and that’s about it.
Now it is grey and raining just enough to make the grasses grow ..not bring the river levels up.

But spring is here and the pendulum is swinging upwards again 🙂

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Another surgery coming up soon

Well here we are with beautiful spring like winter weather for the last few weeks. So nice having the sun shine, makes me want to get in the garden..too bad the veggie garden doesn’t get much winter sunshine.

Not that the weather has anything to do with the fact that I will be in hospital and having surgery on Feb 12. Doctor says I will have to take it very easy for 2 weeks and maybe longer. So no gardening will be happening until March for me.. see that is where it all ties in. And who knows what the weather will be then.

This is not a life threatening surgery, but needs to be done. If you have questions … well email me. I will post back about it all after the fact.

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Gall Bladder Removed

Those that know me know I have been struggling with digestive problems for quite awhile. Things really started ramping up almost 2 years ago. Since that post I also have had several ‘up all night with incredible pain’ attacks that I supposed was the gall bladder passing stones. Well finally got that ultra sound done and yep.. a very sick gall bladder.

So on 19 November 2012, I had it removed, laparoscopic surgery.

It’s been 2 weeks now and the small incisions are mostly healed, and the soreness is going away.

As to what foods I can eat without pain, well the fact is I also have inflammation (gastritis) of my stomach lining due to use of Advils over a very long period of time. This was one reason it was so hard to diagnose just what was going on with me. So I still am off coffee, chocolate, spicy food, and fried foods. I have to be careful with onions, garlic and peppers, but I am not giving them up.

They say that the lining will heal with the use of PPI (prilosec type drugs) and I have been using that one for awhile. It will be wonderful to be able to go to a potluck or out to eat and not be afraid of food. At least now I can eat knowing I won’t have one of those horrendous gall bladder attacks ever again!

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Loma Prieta Earthquake – 1989

I lived in Marin County, just north of San Francisco for most of the 1980’s. I don’t remember feeling many if any earthquakes until the October 17 1989 Loma Prieta quake.
At the time I was working at the Good Earth Natural Foods store in Fairfax on Bolinas Road, and doing housecleaning jobs all over Marin.

This particular day started out normally, I did my morning job and then went by the store (GE). While I was there I started getting this real ‘hinky feeling’, for no reason I could explain I called and cancelled my afternoon house cleaning job down in Sausalito (just north of the Golden Gate Bridge). Then I proceeded to buy large bottles of water, candles, matches, easy to prepare food stuff. I felt like I was in a daze, not quite all there. I drove down to the Post Office in Fairfax and ran into a couple friends, we both commented on a ‘strange day feeling’ and went about our business.

I drove to San Anselmo, where I lived at the time. I parked my 1968 VW bus in the driveway of the house where I lived, which wasn’t something I usually did. (The owner didn’t like it.) My room was the lower floor of a 2 story brick older home.

I remember setting the bags on the floor in the middle of the room and I sat down there too. This was not the ‘normal’ routine. Nothing about the day felt normal.
The next thing I remember was hearing a very loud ‘CRACK’ sound, my first thought was that something in the adjacent garage had been knocked over, but before I could get up the TV which was on a wimpy tv rack was on my back. I got that back in place and realized what was going on.
I opened the door to the driveway and watched as my bus bounced up and down, back to front – over and over again. Imagine what a rug looks like if you shake it out, the ripples in it.. the earth was rippling under my feet.

I looked up at Mt Baldy and the trees were doing hulus.. I had never seen anything like this before.

It seemed to go on for a very long time.
I went in and turned on the TV.. and got the news feed coming from the World Series at Candlestick Park in SF..
In a daze it became apparent this was a big quake.

Outside in my neighborhood people were screaming and running with babes in arms..where to I don’t know or understand. My landlord called and said, “Don’t let the old man next door turn off our gas or we won’t get it back for weeks.” I did stop him from turning the gas off. There was really little damage in San Anselmo, or Marin, a great shaking up but nothing like what was happening in the city, or really further south in the Santa Cruz area, where this quake’s epicenter was at.

I became glued to the tv watching all the horrors of pancaked houses, freeways, and bridges collapse. For days.

More than anything, I started to pay attention to this ‘feeling’ I had had that day. I call it my earthquake radar, and many times I have felt it before a quake hits, sometimes I get a ‘hinky’ feeling days in advance of something big. Mainly I need to get out of the way and pay attention to it.. it is right more times than not.

Here are some links:

lomaprietastories.wordpress.com

www.vibrationdata.com/earthquakes/lomaprieta.htm

Google Images

USGS

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Remembering Carolyn

Today I planted out a Lavender bush in honor of my departed friend Carolyn. Today is her birthday.

Carolyn Winthers

Carolyn Winthers nov 2006

There you go
Swimming deeper into mystery
Here I remain
Only seeing where you used to be
Stared at the ceiling
‘Til my ears filled up with tears
Never got to know you
Suddenly you’re out of here

Gone from mystery into mystery
Gone from daylight into night
Another step deeper into darkness
Closer to the light

Walked outside
Summer moon was nearly down
Mist on the fields
Holy stillness all around
Death’s no stranger
No stranger than the life I’ve seen
Still I cry
Still I begged to get you back again

Gone from mystery into mystery
Gone from daylight into night
Another step deeper into darkness
Closer to the light
~Closer to the Light by Bruce Cockburn

Listen here:

Loved you.
March 31, 1953 – October 31, 2007

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Spring Equinox 2011

Well where have I been you wonder?

Quick recap of the last 3 months:
Digestive disorders the beginning of the year, quit eating most everything to figure out what was going on.
Heartburn (I guess I never really had that before) that made me realize why people go to the hospital thinking they are having a heart attack. Apple cider vinegar // and or apples // and or tums works for me.

Any way,
I quit coffee with cream and sugar, replaced by green tea with honey.
I quit my 2400mg of Advils a day habit.
I cut way back on sweets & breads.
I added in tons more vegetables (and we eat a lot of them any way) – steamed yams (yummm)
I added in apples every day.
I started using digestive Essential Enzymes, and mostly can eat whatever I want again.
I have to be careful with chicken, overcooked or reheated is a trigger. And it seems garlic 🙂
Oh and I lost 10 pounds so far!

And then the other big change was I quit my hormone patch!
I had 5 weeks of brain power and energy before the hot flashes started again.

During that time I started the reconstruction of another old website of mine into the WordPress format. I am still working on that but almost have it ready to be filled with the content.
Brain power is so important, and sleep.

The hot flashes are effecting my sleep some, but if this is a bad as it gets I think I can tolerate them finally. I would love to get where they are not happening at all. Maybe by 60!???

Weather wise we had beautiful spring time weather most of January and some of February. Then the winds and rain started again almost daily, and snow and hail and some freezing temps.

The latest storm (March 18) brought big redwood trees down in Whittemore Grove which we have to pass through to get to town.

Redwoods down on Briceland Road

Briceland Road down to one lane

(Photos from Jac Hargrave’s Facebook page)
More Photos here at Kym Kemp’s blog
That area of Briceland road is now one lane, with a slide above, and an undermined road to the creek..not good. It is a main artery and busy, and if it goes all the way out will really cause a major disruption in our lives as well as others.

And then more snow:
Kym Kemp’s blog

And I have been busy on the CockburnProject, as the lead in to Bruce’s latest release Small Source of Comfort was happening. Lots of interviews and reviews, and lots of work getting the lyrics and liner notes uploaded.
I also bought tickets for his show June 2 in Napa and his solo show June 26 at Kate Wolf Music Festival in Laytonville. At least I have something to look forward to 🙂

Of course I like many others have been glued to the TV and internet for news surrounding Japans 9.0 quake, tsunami (we had little ones here and bigger ones just north and south of us) and resulting nuclear disaster.
What can I say about this?
We (many of my generation) tried to stop the proliferation of nuclear plants for energy in the 70’s. Some how we failed miserably at that.
Just now solar is gaining a bit in peoples minds, even Japan’s wind power energy plants survived the 3 punch disaster they have had. NO MORE NUCLEAR POWER.
And prayers for the Japanese people.

And this is another huge shout out to Kym Kemp for being the best news source and information hub concerning all here in SoHum, be it roads, radiation, crime, or whatever else is affecting us. She beats out all other blogs and radio stations to keep us informed. Thank you Kym!

So with that, I wish new beginnings for mother earth and peace and power to the people of the planet to make it so.

Happy Spring!

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