I’m OK, but…

March 22, 202233 Comments

A bit shell shocked.

I have been having a bit of memory problems for the past year or two. It was worrying me. The most obvious clue was not being able to remember the names for rosemary and tarragon.

In the case of rosemary, I could see the plant in my head, but when I tried to find it’s name it was like there was an empty bubble in that spot. Now with tarragon I could remember it’s nickname, The Dragon, but not the herbal name.

Then I went out to make a video of my garden flowers out front and suddenly couldn’t remember the names of many of them either! So, now I am really freaking out! These plants are perennials and biennials that I grew from seed and suddenly I can’t think of their names.

I didn’t post the video because I was embarrassed about my lapses. I will post it at the end.

Bringing this story to a rapid close I will share with you that after a visit to the neurologist and a massive amount of testing, I have apparently has several small strokes in the past, which he claims are normal for my age. He says it isn’t Alzheimer’s, but still prescribed medication for memory. I need to do a lot more research on this, because before being prescribed the medication, and with a concerted effort, I was able to make a new pathway to the name for rosemary! If I can do that without the memory med, then shouldn’t I be able to make new memory paths for the other lost names?

OK, so here is the embarrassing video.

One last thing, finding all this out and being able to retrain my brain has really lifted my depression. Not being terminally depressed has made me a maniac in the garden this spring, and having Bob home full-time to help me (yes, he is finally retired) means that I, make that WE have really gotten a lot done in preparation for spring and summer this year. Color me very happy!

❤ ❤ ❤

Video tour of Garden changes coming soon

In the News: and you won’t believe it

July 10, 2014July 10, 201433 Comments

You have no idea how many times we are asked:

Why did you leave California?

This is why!

The people in this news report are my sister and her husband.

Nuff said?

My Friends, it’s crazy out there.

Blogging: what we often hesitate to share

May 29, 2014June 10, 201448 Comments

Sometimes things happen and we feel as though we don’t want to talk about them. I really wasn’t intending to share this, but then thought,

If I do will it help someone else out there? Could my experience actually make a difference?

Perhaps, perhaps not, but on the small chance that it may help, I have decided to share.

~*~*~*~

Recently I found what I thought was a scab on the top of my head. I tried to think what I could have bumped my head on, but came up blank. I didn’t give it another thought. Then, a month later I noticed the same scab and thought it was weird that it was still there, but was not overly concerned.

Maybe it’s a wart I told myself.

Three months later it is still there, and thinking it was psoriasis, or some form of creeping-crud, I made an appointment with my GP. She thought it was nothing much, but made me an appointment with the dermatologist.

I told the dermatologist how long it had been there, and that I thought it felt like a scab, but that it felt like it went deep into my scalp, and never went away.

He took one look at it and said,

It’s Skin Cancer

Apparently, this kind is a fast grower, but does not start out evil. Ignoring it will cause it to continue to morph into something awful that will command more intensive treatment and may cause serious harm. The following information is quoted directly from the American Academy of Dermatology.

actinic keratoses Symptoms

Most people who get AKs do not have any symptoms. They only notice changes to their skin. Symptoms can occur. A few symptoms to watch for are:

Rough-feeling patch on skin that cannot be seen.
Rough patch or growth that feels painful when rubbed.
Itching or burning.
Lips feel constantly dry.

(Clicking on this link will take you directly to the page for more information on Actinic Keratoses)

I have very fair skin and my hair is sparse on the top of my head. Hence as an adult I never work outside without a wide-brimmed hat. And while I have never been a sun worshiper, simply because I have always burned so easily, I have nevertheless had some extreme sun exposures in my youth. Knowing my predisposition, and as an adult taking all the precautions, I still have incurred skin damage. Hence this post and my encouragement to you to do the following:

No matter your skin type, please take care:

Limit sun exposure.
Wear your sun screen and a hat!
Don’t ignore changes in your skin’s appearance.
If you do notice changes in your skin, then go to the Doctor and get them checked.

~*~

Thankfully, I got my condition checked early. I had an easy in office procedure and a sample was sent off to the lab. Because of this, I will most likely never have serious trouble.

The consequences of ignoring this condition could have been very serious.

~*~

My friends, please be wise and stay healthy!

~*~

UPDATE!

Sometimes the idiocy of the bureaucracy can only astound you.

A school has outlawed the use of sunscreen on field trips? Yes, they did! See the video HERE (SORRY FOR THE ADD)

The reports of our demise are greatly exaggerated…

April 29, 2014April 29, 201464 Comments

Dear Family and Friends,

We are OK.

Well, we are OK, although my knee is not overly ecstatic about its three trips into and out of our storm shelter last night. After having been operated on a mere three weeks ago it was not primed and ready for the marathon stair climbing of last night’s tornado warnings for our little town… I am not complaining. adrenaline will get through adversity every time, and you will just feel it later. It is later. ‘-)

Thankfully, only a *small section of Charity Lane and Bobo Section Road were hit in our town last night. This does not diminish the loss of property that anyone there has suffered, it only states fact. So many other areas were hit much harder, and have lost so much more in lives and property.