Anam Cara AF April

[Lavande]

Sorry gang - not a fan of the zombie shows, ha ha!!

Cyn, I sure hope you are feeling better. Do you think allergies are at least partly responsible. Everyone seems to be feeling them here to some extent.

Dill, I hadn't seen that particular article but I am very aware of the effects of those drugs. our aging brains need the best care we can provide which is why I am almost fanatical about food, supplements & staying away from all the neurotoxins in our environment. That is no easy task, is it??

Pauly, I have eliminated most commercial cleaners in my house & am using more natural stuff like baking soda, acv & essential oils. Yes, I do still have a bottle of bleach in my laundry room that I use sparingly for things like disinfecting my kitchen sink after preparing raw chicken. I won't spray anything into the air anymore. I need to preserve whatever brain cells I have left!!

I decided to go pick up my granddaughter this evening & keep her here with me for two nights while her mama finishes up her finals this week. There's a lot of stress going on there, oh boy! We had to carry her in from the car & put her right into bed. I hope she doesn't wake up in the middle of the night & freak out, ha ha.

Peace to all tonight!

[SnoopyC]

Good morning all...

Nice posts, we all have important things to say!

We are not looking at a new house necessarily, just looking at zillow in our area, and someone wanted to look at that particular house. No more zillow that is for sure. I think constantly looking breeds dissatisfaction with what you have, for some, with me, it made me realize I appreciate my smaller house. And for size, it is a three bedroom ranch with a bonus room, two car garage, so it is not really a smaller home. But some of the properties we looked at were for families. We are just the two of us and I am now holding firm on staying here. I am going to order granite counter tops for my kitchen in the next few weeks and continue to get improvements and make this into my own. I cannot and willnot be stressed out about wanting MORE. It is not for me and will make me sick emoationally and maybe physically. So, thanks for your input, I appreciate it.

Lav, my swollen fingers are from arthritis, my grandma had it too. Does B-12 help with that? Just kidding. I notice that when I eat sugar, salt, processed food it gets worse, actual swelling in the joints. Isn't that crazy? For some reason weeding really hurts too. Playing the piano has not hurt, but I can only practice for a while. Do you have arthritis symptoms and what do you do? Any suggestions are appreciated. The moon must be affecting my sleep too, I woke up three times for no reason last night and had a hard time falling back to sleep. Annoying. Lots of coffee this morning. Really nice of you to babysit for your daughter, she is really lucky. Getting her degree will open so many doors for her.

Dill, Pauly, I am not into zombie stuff either. The weather is still so wonderful, I love spring.

The boss is gone at work for a few days, it just takes the pressure off, even though my boss is the greatest. Isn't that funny? Have a great AF day.

[SnoopyC]

Cyn, hope you are feeling better too. I agree with you that we DO have influence regarding our attitude and where we will live. Affer all, we women do most of the moving tasks, it just seems that way to me. I want peace, simplicity, and realize that I can't, "Have it All," whatever all is. I bought this book about being more intuitive (not psychic) and it talked about two ways to be: Love or Fear. So if you focus on love, peace, joy, kindness, gratitude, etc., you feel different and are on a higher/better level emotionally. I agree with this. Always wanting more, more, more, I wouldn't know what to do with it if I got it! Not that striving for better things is wrong. But, material things can become an obsession.

Pauly, I wanted to say I saw some of those really small houses and I would go crazy! Even if I lived alone. I like high ceilings. Ha. OK, I'm done for today.

[treegirl]

Morning all -

Lav - MiMom to the rescue! You are a rock to step in like you do -- all your kids and in-law kids are lucky to have you make their lives work so well. I'm sure your daughter will do a great job on the finals, and will be great when she starts working! I obviously still need to do some repair work on my gut; my immune system is not pushing this bug out, and I remember last year not being too overwhelmed with allergens - I must have been a bit stronger then. I made a 'super-immunity' soup yesterday: turmeric, shitake mushrooms, onion, garlic, cubed butternut squash, cayenne, ginger. If that doesn't cure me, I give up!

Dill - thanks for the heads-up about the cold and flu meds. Darn, and just when I was about to resort to that! Just kidding... I do think we will eventually find out that most of those meds come at a price for our bodies. We'll have to get over the 'take a pill!' mentality! Hard to break that habit --

Pauly - I hope that Kell takes your advice - her boss sounds like a real abuser. Like Lav, I make my own cleaners now -- I noticed when I used a commercial cleaner the other day, my cold symptoms got much worse, sheesh.

Star - I think you hit it right on the head with arthritis. Inflammation!!! Refined sugar and preservatives are the worst. Years ago, diagnosed with fibromyalgia and osteo-arthritis, a rheumatologist put me on a regimen of 4 naprosen a day (now I shudder to think of it!). Since I have cut out all refined sugars and preservatives, I take no - NO pain meds of any type. Freedom! Curcumin (turmeric, cumin, those spices) work well for me if I need some pain help. Check it out... I love the sound of that book you are reading. And I just read something from a immunologist/cell biologist that said that even on a cellular level, it works that way. Cells can either be in a 'protective' mode, or a 'growth' mode. Isn't that fascinating? I think we are finding that our minds, bodies, emotions, thoughts, are all totally connected...

Wishing all a great AF Thursday -- enjoy the sun before the storms come!

[paulywogg]

Morning friends, seems like there's been new info popping up about these OTC meds lately,first the heartburn stuff now the cold meds,I give them all a miss except I absolutely HAD to take pepto bismal when I had that tummy trouble a few weeks ago,it was midnight and I couldn't sleep,had to work the next day so I was grateful I found it in the cupboard, made my tongue black though so its not without side effects either, I took some vitamin d last night along with mag and some almond milk and everytime I take it I feel weird,last summer I was on 5,000 mg a day (doctor given) and I felt awful the whole time,I think I'll pass on it,I'm tired of all these vitamins that just make me feel like a space cadet,hello Lav,Cyn,Star and Dill,hope we all have a great Thursday

[Lavande]

Greetings friends!

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, ha ha!
Mr. Rodgers & his positive, happy tune is always playing somewhere in the back of my mind

Star, Cyn is absolutely right about inflammation being at the root of all of our health problems. we really need to think before we consume anything anymore especially refined sugars, artificial colors, preservatives & the like. My real education started about 35 years ago, after reading Dr Feingold's book about ADHD & diet. I had little choice but to forgo a lot of processed foods to keep my son off of the ceilings - no kidding. At the time I didn't know the harm that all the additives were doing to the rest of us as well.
It sounds like a major pain in the a$$ but you can get by without all the store bought processed junk. I used to make a big batch of pancake batter for him once per week & just use what I needed each day to feed him breakfast. From scratch pancakes & waffles are good . I even made mayonaise for him, stuff like that. Inflammation is also at tbe root of heart disease in adults, we don't want that either!
Be happy making over your home little by little. Gives you something to think about, that's for sure.
My daughter has a degree in English/Communications which was always her passion but the job market didn't have much to offer her. I think she was smart looking into working in healthcare ( even if it is super frustrating at times), ha ha!

Cyn, some day you will have to write your own book detailing how you you beat back the fibromyalgia & osteoarthritis with natural foods. You would be helping a lot of people!
I don't have asthma or any respiratory problems BUT I noticed myself coughing & wheezing when using spray bathroom cleaners & anything with ammonia like window cleaners. Ugh!!

Pauly, vitamin supplements are not causing you to feel like a space cadet. I say that with all confidence, ha ha! Hormonal shifts, blood sugar shifts, B/P shifts are more limely the cause.
I remember feeling so freaking light headed at work 20 years ago I checked my own blood sugars & B/P, they were fine. I think it was the hormones causing it all. I was checked repeatedly for anemia & thyroid problems but had no problem there either. It was all due to hormones, or lack thereof. Find a better GYN & get that stuff under cintrol, you'll feel better!

Hi to Dill. Hope your day is wonderful too.
OK, time to go play My Little Ponies, Lol

Lav

[dill]

Hello AF friends, what great posts today! Thank you all for sharing your lives.

Mr. D and I watched an absolutely wonderful film last night called The Lady in the Van. The lead role was played by Maggie Smith and she was, as always, phenomenal. It's based on the memoirs of Alan Bennett and is a "mostly true story" about a homeless woman who lived in his driveway for 15 years. Wonderfully told, IMO.

Yes, I do watch a lot of movies! LOL!

Lav, Cyn, Pauly, Star and readers, have a peaceful and af Thursday evening.

[SnoopyC]

Good morning all...

Up early as we had visitors who drove to the airport with an early flight. We live close to everything, and are happy to help out with an overnight stay. Great posts, I agree. Feel badly about Prince dying as he was so young, 57. Wow, what the heck, can there be complications from the flu? Yes, I guess there can be.

Lav, I realize inflammation is the cause of so many diseases, I know my mother ate crap for 20 years and got heart disease and cancer. She was never told to stay away from processed foods. We would go out for fast food, her treat, and then feel like crap all afternoon. That is when I started to realize that I needed to stay away from that stuff. It does seem that a degree in a healthcare field would make it easier to get a job. And with student loans, that is very important. It has been raining here bit still stayed warm and we needed the rain. A rainy night tonight too, that is OK with me. I will be working on my house, it is good that we had the look at the bigger house, it has just confirmed my decision to stay put!

Cyn, hope that soup works! I made soup the other day with fresh veg and chicken bone broth and it is sooooo good, I felt great and went for a walk last night during a break in the weather. I also think rest is so important, when I was sick last time, I would feel better, then sleep for hours, till I healed. Hope you can do that.

Pauly, hope your daughter is doing well in her new job. I remember keeping a job in my early 20s that literally made me sick with anxiety and then IBS. I thought I had to keep it, and now looking back realize that the piece of s*** boss was not worth my time. Neither was the stupid job. Hope things are working out for her.

Dill, I love a good movie too, have not watched one in a while. Mostlly taping old TV shows and then watching them later. Hope this mild weather lasts, it feels so gentle.

Have a good one, AF Friday!!!

[treegirl]

Morning all!

Star - I wondered why you were up so early! How nice you are to have people stay before an early flight - they were lucky! I was thinking about your hands and gardening - I warm up my hands with stretching before I go out to pull stuff; it seems to help a little with the stiffness. That repetitive motion can really be a killer.

Pauly - hope Kell is doing well. Great that you are taking magnesium - I think that is a 'feel good' sup!

Dill - glad you enjoyed your movie. Have you seen 'Death comes to Pemberly'? It's based on a book by P D James, the mystery writer, and it takes up where Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice ends... Beautifully filmed, and great acting. In 3 parts - it was a BBC mini-series a while ago.

Lav - I hope that you enjoyed you 'pony' time! Granddaughter must be thrilled to be having time with you. Good luck to your daughter. YOU are the one that should write the book - gosh, I haven't even thought about the Feingold diet for ages... now, there's a man that was ahead of his time.

I'm still struggling with this dang cold - sheesh! Added in ginger/ACV tea last night, hoping that it pushes it out. It's a holiday weekend (Passover) for my husband - SD is coming, and there's lots of cooking to be done, so I hope I rally today. It's going to be a smaller feast than in the past, that's for sure!

Happy TGIF AF day to all -

[Lavande]

Good morning friends, happy Friday

The clouds are rolling in bringing afternoon thunderstorms but it's heading up to 80 degrees. We have actually had fire watch alerts every day this week so we really need a bit of rain.

Star, we really are what we eat, huh?
Turns out Hippocrates knew what he was talking about when he said 'Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food'
This is why I am so irritated about what the greedy chemical companies have done to our food supply. Yes, I am talking about Monsanto. They are poisoning our plants & soil with pesticides & fooling around with the seeds we plant by injecting foreign DNA into the seeds. I object very strongly to this concept & this is the reason my younger brother won't talk to me anymore. He works for a biotech company now owned by Monsanto.
Check out the list of companies & products owned by Monsanto:
Help take down Monsanto by boycotting these food products - NaturalNews.com
Even my 7 year old grandson is aware of this issue. We have talked about the list of foods I will no longer buy!

I had a real adventure yesterday afternoon on the way home from a trip to town with my granddaughter. A flat tire!!! This old granny will not change a flat tire, believe me, ha ha! I called YB for assistance but would have had to wait an hour & a half for him to get there. Luckily my son was off & available. He came, put the spare tire on & took the flat tire to be patched then brought it to my house & out it back on the car for me. What a good kid!!!

Hello to Dill, Cyn & Pauly too. I hope everyone has a great AF Friday.
My daughter & son-in-law will be here for dinner & to collect Lily. Guess I need to figure out something for dinner.

Enjoy the day!
Lav

PS: Yesterday the California EPA (where my brother lives & works)decided to add glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup to the list of known carcinogens. We need to stay away from this poison & GMOs.

[SnoopyC]

Good morning...

Cyn, please take care and don't cook too much! I was listening to NPR on a segment about Passover food and the woman said she always makes chicken soup with matzo balls, that would be good for you! All the food sounded so good. Have fun. What type of stretching exercises are you referring to? I have never heard of that, but that doesn't mean anything. Any websites or suggestions?

Lav, that would not be fun to get a flat tire, I am going to ask my husband today what I should do if it happens to me. Better to be prepared than not. I am going to help babysit my grandson today and tomorrow with the other grandma, parents are out of town. It will be fun, I will be busy. The weather here is 60s and gradual clearing, so some park time may be in my future.

Hello to Dill and Pauly, to all, have a great AF Saturday.

[dill]

Hello Af Friends, did any of you happen to see the Pink Moon? The full moon rose yesterday and set today. I saw it as it was setting. It was not actually pink! LOL! The Pink Moon is the smallest full moon of the year and it falls in April.

Star, have fun with your grandson!

Lav, so nice your son came to your rescue!

Cyn, don't over do it! I know that's easier said than done, but do try to take care of yourself.

Pauly, how did Kel feel about the new shop?

My volunteer job yesterday went well. I got flustered a couple of times when it got busy but over all I really enjoyed it. Yesterday was my first time being there on my own.

Let's all have a nice AF Saturday!

[Lavande]

Good Saturday morning friends!

Geez, I was until after midnight, haven't been up that late in ages, ha ha.
My SIL was nice enough to help YB get most of the home weight bench put together. I was delivered in three super heavy boxes that I couldn't move off of the driveway. I purchased it for YB to use & hope he actually uses it. I will see what I can do with it myself on the days I don't go to Curves. YB also bought an elipitical from a neighbor who no longer needed it. I will get a picture of all this when it's finally done & I figure out what to do with the furniture & toys in that room, LOL

Cyn, Happy Passover to Mr Tree.
There is nothing wrong in making these holidays a bit smaller as we get older. I am doing the same thing here, believe me.
I have problems with getting cramps in my hands when I use them a lot. A day in the kitchen, the yard or even a long day in my shop causes these weird cramps. I've had my serum electrolytes checked out a few times thinking maybe something was off but they are fine. It's weird & uncomfortable.
Enjoy your day & be kind to yourself!

Star, I hope you have a great grandma day! It's so nice to build real bonds with the little ones.
Your rain arrived here overnight but that's OK.

Dill, I read about the full moon of Scorpio or Pink moon & realized we all have a good excuse for the weird happenings this week, ha ha!
Glad your volunteer day went OK.

Pauly, how are you & what did Kell decide to do about the job?

I need to get moving & get caught up with stuff around here.
Have a great AF day everyone!

Lav

[paulywogg]

Morning friends, did see the moon it was tiny haha,Kell is going tomorrow again to check it out,she's still Leary of quitting the other job,grr,off to hit the shower hope everyone has a great Saturday

[SnoopyC]

Good morning...

Had so much fun with gson yesterday, and going back again to day. Then this afternoon I have shop, clean, finish up laundry, but it is OK, the other grandmother needs the help and I love being with him.

Lav, how nice to be able to exercise at home if want...you will be in even better shape soon. Interesting that you too have hand problems with all day/prolonged work. My husband again tried to push me to look at bigger houses and I just straight up refused. There is no need to be looking at something that you do not have any intention of buying, and I am stopping this nonsense now.

Dill, great that your volunteer job went well, bet you were super busy then all day.

Pauly, hope things go well for your daughter.

Cyn, let us know how your dinner turned out, is the weather nice there?

Have a good one.