NotScarlett

THE REGIMEN: PART 2

The first time someone told me about a neti pot, I immediately shut them down. Pour what where? No thanks. However, as my sinus problems grew to nightmarish proportions, I reconsidered the idea of a sinus rinse. I tried rinsing in the shower, which helped when I was having one of my all-day sneeze filled allergy attacks, and thought, hey, maybe this neti pot stuff is more helpful than I initially thought. 

After a particularly bad allergy attack a few months ago, no amount of half-assed rinsing out my nose in the shower did any good.  I broke down and bought a neti pot. I was still a little wary of pouring a saline solution out of Aladdin's Lamp and into my nose, but I was so miserable I would have tried anything to get some relief.  Two rinses was all it took for me to become a believer. I use the neti pot daily now, and have fewer sinus headaches, virtually no facial pain/sinus pressure, less congestion, and have noticed a decrease in the duration and frequency of my allergy attacks. Bonus: I think I've finally found something that grosses the un-gross-out-able B out. Me using the neti pot in front of him was so NOT sexy.

Don't fear the neti pot. Embrace the neti pot. It is a thing of wonder.

One of the most annoying symptoms of my sinus issues is itchy ears. They feel all plugged up, I cannot hear worth a damn, and they itch so badly I dream of poking some size 1 sock needles in there to scratch away. I recently had about a week of discomfort brought on by my Eustachian tubes refusing to drain. I saw my doctor, he advised me to take some Sudafed and a nasal spray. Guess what? After five days of decongestants and steroids shot up my nose, my ears were still plugged up and itchy. Two solid weeks of itchy ears and yelling, "what?" when people talked to me. I was losing my mind. Nothing worked.

Then, while talking to my grandmother, I was reminded of the terrible ear infections I got as a kid, and that a guy at their campground did this weird thing involving my ear, rolled up newspaper and fire once, and I was ear infection free for months....which led me to try ear candling.

There is a lot of information out there on the internet about ear candling, and for the most part, that information tells you that ear candling is a dangerous waster of time and money. If you're trying to de-wax your ears, I'm inclined to agree. It's not gonna happen. Just use a Q-Tip. Wax is SUPPOSED to be there to protect your ears. Don't get all crazy with some kind of war on earwax. However, I wanted to give ear candling a try to see if the heat and dryness would help pull some of that moisture out of my ear. I picked up some ear candles at the health food store, and convinced B that it would be super fun to stick burning tubes in my ears. He agreed to help. 

I won't lie. It was weird. I was lying on the couch, looking at my reflection in the tv screen, watching a fireball get closer and closer to my ear. Creepy. B just sat there, staring at me like I had grown a second head. "Honey, is this weirding you out?" I asked. "Uh, no babe. Nope. It's cool." he replied. Liar.

Two candles later, my ears were draining and I could hear again. I don't think it was a coincidence, or that the medication I had been taking just happened to magically kick in. Will I ear candle regularly? Probably not, but I will definitely keep it in mind for future itchy/clogged up ear issues. Is it scary? Kind of...you DO have a cone of flame next to your head. Is it guaranteed to work? Definitely not, I can only tell you what worked for me. If you try ear candling, remember that it IS dangerous, and you should never ever ever do it by yourself.  I was lucky to have a brave assistant, make sure if you try it you have someone there to help you stay safe.

Next: Why yes, I DO take vitamins, and I also drink some really stinky tea.

THE REGIMEN: PART 1

If you know me in person, or have been reading this blog for any length of time, you know that I get sick. A lot. Specifically with sinus problems, which just seem to get worse the longer I live in this part of Florida. I've tried so may different things to keep from getting recurring sinus infections, and nothing seemed to work for more than a week or so. I've been to countless doctors, taking all kinds of medication, and still feel like crap 75% of the time. That is not a fun way to live, so I took matters into my own hands. 

 

After tons of research and discussing things with a new doctor, I've finally found a regimen that seems to be working for me. I feel better, have less days of snot and suffering, and have managed to keep from getting the nasty cold currently going around the office. I will share my little regimen here on the blog over the next few days, piece by piece.

 

Please keep in mind that I am not a medical professional, have no medical training, and cannot guarantee that any of these things will work for you. This is what has been working for me, and I'm happy to share it with anyone who may be interested.

 

First up: diet & exercise. This is a no-brainer. I admit, I've been pretty slack with exercise over the past few years, and the girl who used to be a total gym rat breaks a sweat even thinking about exercise. I love the way exercise makes me feel, and look, but man...I hate DOING it these days. Whining will get me nowhere though, so I'm forcing myself to exercise a little each day. Each week, I add on time to my cardio routine, and am building stamina. I'm hoping this will improve my cardiovascular health and reduce my risk of the respiratory infections, pneumonia, etc. I frequently have. I'm also re-committed to walking my best four legged buddy for at least a half an hour every evening, and playing a rousing game of soccer with him a few times a week in addition to my treadmill time.

 

 Diet is much easier for me to deal with than exercise. I love to eat, love to cook, and plan my meals ahead of time. Lucky for me I don't like sauce on my food, rarely eat meat, and love vegetables, so I haven't had to make too many changes. I've reduced my portions and added MORE veggies. I've sought out foods rich in nutrients that support immune function, like mushrooms. I used to hate mushrooms, but I've learned to like them in recent months. One of my new favorite recipes is a mushroom filled soup, perfect for staving off a cold and warming you up on a chilly day. The first time I made this, B devoured almost the entire pot by himself over the course of two days, and asked me to make another batch ASAP. Please feel free to adjust ingredients as needed to get a soup that works for you...using some turkey in place of the chicken would be a great way to cut down on some of those Thanksgiving leftovers!

 

Ingredients

 

1-2 tbls. olive oil

 

1 medium onion, diced

 

1 cup carrots, diced or cut into rounds

 

1 cup celery, chopped

 

1/2 cup of dried mushrooms (any variety, I used a mixture of organic locally grown mushrooms we bought dried at a farmer's market)

 

6-8 cups of chicken broth or stock (depending on how thick/thin you want your soup)

 

1-2 cups rice (any variety, I usually use brown rice...again, adjust your amount depending on the consistency you want your soup to have. I usually add in just over 2 cups, we like it more like a stew.)

 

1-2 cups of fresh mushrooms, chopped to a consistency you like (again, no specifics here...I've been using baby portabellas because they've been on sale and I love them)

 

3/4-1 1/2 cups cooked shredded chicken breast (we like to use the leftovers from a store-bought rotisserie chicken, quick and easy!)

 

Herbs/seasoning: I never measure this stuff, i do it a little at a time by taste. For this soup I've been using the dried herbs I have on hand, specifically, ground sage, thyme, rosemary, and some fresh garlic. I like the way the sage combines with the flavor of the mushrooms. Add spices/seasonings you like, start a little at a time, and add more as you go to get a flavor you like.

 

Salt & Pepper, add to taste

 

 

Soak 1/4 cup dried mushrooms in just enough broth to cover them, for about 30 minutes. Blend this mixture in a food processor or blender to create a "mushroom broth."

 

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add onion, celery and carrots, cook until tender but not mushy.

 

Add mushroom broth mixture and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring.

 

Add remaining chicken broth or stock. Add rice, mushrooms, and seasoning. Crush up remaining dried mushrooms into a powder, add to soup. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30-35 minutes.

 

Add shredded chicken and heat through, making sure rice is cooked. Add salt & pepper to taste. Serve it up and enjoy!

 

Next up: putting things in your ears and nose is not as gross or scary as it sounds.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The love, companionship, and blessings I receive from my loved ones mean more to me than anything tangible, and while we cannot all be together today, I'm thinking of them and giving thanks for each and every person in my life, near or far.

Take some time to reflect on what you are thankful for today, and remember to give thanks for those things long after the turkey and festivities of Thanksgiving are gone.

Happy Thanksgiving (or just Thursday if it isn't Thanksgiving for you) to you and yours, from me and my (blurry)little family.

FAILPOST

Obviously, as you can see, my post about part 2 of our trip is still not there. Typepad claims they are researching the issue, so I'm not touching that post.

The short version? We want to move to Asheville, N.C., Carrie and Jacob are super fun and B and I were amazed at how alike we all were, I got to meet HEJ and Anne Marie and I luff them, and we ate a lot of really good food in both Asheville and Athens. Oh, and I got a really cool piece of art in Athens for $4.50 and I am not "that kind of lady." Pictures are up on my Flickr stream, and are mostly described.

B and I have both re-entered reality with a renewed sense of what matters most to us. Being up in WV on the farm we were exposed to a completely different way of life. It brought up a lot of conversation in the many hours of car travel we had after our visit with B's dad. A few examples: we want to focus less on material things, work on living more simply, and we are really glad we have health insurance.

I'm knitting away on secret holiday knits, some killer socks for fake husband B, and I will soon have pictures to post. Right now I have to get back to Very Important Things, like waiting for our pizza to get here and drinking a glass of wine. I'll be back soon with a kick ass soup recipe to warm you up, as well as my new regimen for not catching every cold and flu going around, which, so far, is working really well.

ETA: Dude, what is UP with the formatting in the "new" Typepad?? Hate it. All these weird extra spacing issues...I never had any major issues with Typepad prior to this week, and I've been with them FOREVER...this crap is seriously making me consider changing services though.

Typepad, you suck

I wrote part 2 of our trip, posted it, confirmed it had been posted and was showing up....four hours later? the post is BLANK. EMPTY. NOTHING. Seriously, Typepad, where is my shit?

Southeastern Road Trip Extravaganza, Part 2

Southeastern Road Trip Extravaganza, Part 1

Leg One of the road trip: Tallahassee, FL to Orlando, WV: approx. 837 miles

Monday, 11/10: Day One

Today we got up at 3:30 am. I almost cried since we hadn't gone to bed until well after midnight due to my freakish need to thoroughly clean my baseboards, scour the sink, etc. prior to going on a trip. Not much happened today. I napped in the car a lot, I drove on occasion, in South Carolina, a man in a truck with a very large ladder in the back cut me off and I yelled "why don't you climb your ladder down to Hell, you asshole."

When it got dark, and we were on really windy roads, and everyone was going 70mph or faster, and I was thinking. "wow, so glad B is driving because I cannot see anything, and this is kinda scary", Brian said he was getting sleepy and asked if I would drive. Um, ok. So I did. And we lived. That's all I really remember.

We'd been on the road since about 415am, and arrived at my FIL's house around 9pm. We were slightly delirious. We went to sleep. The end.

Tuesday, 11/11: Day Two

We'd been advised that we were going to spend today gambling AT A DOG TRACK. Thankfully, those plans were scrapped by B's dad. We were awoken by the sounds of beagles baying, and advised that my FIL let two of his beagles, Boss Hog and Rascal, out to chase rabbits on the hillsides. We checked the thermometer....19 degrees. B cooked us a breakfast of bacon and farm eggs, with toast slathered with homemade applesauce. YUM.

After bundling up, we loaded up the four wheeler with a giant bag of deer corn and headed, I kid you not, vertically up the side of a giant hill. We stopped just above the chicken coop/house to see the small cave where a large mountain lion dens, then continued up to the top of the hill to see one of my FIL's fancy deer hides. It has a place to pull the four wheeler in, and a ladder you climb up to a carpeted, heated, fully stocked hunting area. My FIL uses it for hunting on occasion, but says his favorite thing to do is go up and nap in his hammock, or read a book, and watch the deer wander around.

B and his dad filled the auto feeder thing with the deer corn, and we walked around the hillside, shuffling through piles of leaves and checking out amazing views of the valley below. 

We hopped back on the four wheeler and rode the fence line, checking for sections that had been torn down by deer and needed to be repaired.

Soon we crossed over to another hillside, where my FIL showed us another fancy deer hide he built...this one had a recliner inside. We met up with Boss Hog and Rascal, and my FIL's "bodyguard" a crazy fast, uber-muscled black lab mix named Buster, joined us as well. The beagles took off after a deer, and Buster followed after us, never letting my FIL out of his sight. We rode up to the cemetery where most of B's paternal family is buried, and continued to ride the fence line of this section of property. From here, we had a great view of the valley below and the section of property my FIL lives on.

After riding all over this hill, Brian scared the crap out of me by doing a questionable maneuver on the four wheeler. It takes a lot to scare me when it comes to riding those things, and congratulations, B, you did it! Anyway, we crossed the field where my FIL's cattle were grazing, crossed the creek, and rode the rest of the property. My FIL pointed out the best place for collecting ramps when they are in season.

After swapping the four wheeler for the 4WD farm truck, we rode over to visit with one of the many cousins who live nearby.  After checking out his crazy new farm toy (some manly bulldozer/digger thingie) we drove up another one of those "that doesn't look safe" dirt trails up the side of a mountain to check out more hillsides and views.

A guy from the gas company was working on a road up there to provide better access to the many natural gas wells that fill the valley. I swear, I thought this guy was going to drive that bulldozer off a cliff. It was craziness.

After a quick trip back to the house, B and I went out to visit my FIL's other beagle, Peanut. Peanut is so super cute, we were ready to kidnap him and bring him home.

We also had a chore to do: go collect eggs.

Sadly, there were no eggs to be found. When we told my FIL this, his comment in reference to his chickens was "bitches are holding out on me." Laughter commenced.

The three of us headed into Weston to pick up my FIL's lady, and we all enjoyed a nice meal at a local Italian place. The pizza was so good it made me want to weep. After dinner, we spent some time visiting with the lady-friend and watching TV at her place. Then it was back to the farm for a good night's sleep.

(Note: I think this day we also went back up to the cemetery and cleaned all the old flowers and stuff off of all the graves. Maybe we did that the next day. Cannot remember. But we did it!)

Wednesday, 11/12: Day Three

Happy 39th birthday to my love! We woke up this morning and found that the wayward beagles had not returned. Apparently they do this from time to time, and my FIL put the word out to the neighbors that his dogs were missing. He assured us they would come home within a few days.

B's dad wanted to take us up to a nearby resort. At 1030 in the morning, will all kinds of people around, the deer were just hanging out in the middle of the parking area.

We went into town again, after picking up my FIL's lady, and had lunch to celebrate B's birthday. Once we dropped off the lady friend back in Weston, we stopped at the Citizens Bank. Of course, B and his dad had a relative working there who was happy to give us the grand tour, and let us go up into the old board room, etc.

This place was gorgeous...all that decoration is hand-carved wood.

We also cruised by the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. Apparently you can pay to go on a tour, but we just kinda drove around...the building looks like a French chateau (reminded me of my studies of Chenonceau in a way) and the stonework is incredibly beautiful. Also? Totally haunted.

On the way home, we stopped at Stonewall Jackson Dam, and then took a leisurely drive all over the valley my FIL calls home.

Seriously, all the people there are B's cousins. Very small community. We stopped to visit with B's favorite aunt, Velma. She's a crack up.  (and also used to work here.)

We spent most of the evening reading and visiting with B's dad, and packed up our things as we were leaving the next day....onward to NC!

To be continued!

With tears of joy in my eyes...

I am so proud of my country. I will never forget this day, as long as I live. Y'all, we made some serious history today.

President Barack Obama...simply amazing.

YES WE DID!

VOTE!

It's pretty clear who I am supporting in this election, as evidenced by that little badge over there on the left.

You may not agree with my politics, and I may not agree with yours, but no one can deny this election has provoked powerful feelings in all of us.

Most people I've talked to about this election agree that it has been a time of heightened emotions... I know I've been emotional... thrilled by empowering speeches, filled with hope and optimism in the difficult time our country is facing, motivated into action for candidates and causes that I feel strongly about,  and angered by demonstrations of hate and ignorance from supporters of both presidential candidates. All of the drama, passion and constant conversation about the election shows me how much people have emotionally invested themselves in this race.

 Tomorrow is the big day, Election Day. The time for speeches and stumping has come to an end, and now it's time to think about what you want...who do you want representing you? Who best to take care of our country, to lead us out of an increasingly bleak situation? Who will you choose? That's right...YOU. It comes down to you, to me, to the lady down the street, to the guy in the cube next to you at work, to your kids teacher.  I've already voted, and am feeling  just as anxious and excited and hopeful as a kid on Christmas Eve, waiting to open up his presents the next morning and hoping he gets what he asked for. 

I implore you, if you have not already voted, please make yourself heard. No matter who you are supporting, no matter what you believe in, please vote tomorrow. Exercise your right as an American. Stand up for the things that matter to you. Get out there and VOTE!