sweatin' with the oldie

    Recently i discovered one of the symptoms of Environmental Injury is the inability to sweat and rid the body of toxins. 

    When we came to the desert two years ago i thought it was a bit odd that i could be out in 100+ degrees and not break a sweat. Never felt uncomfortable in the heat of the day pulling weeds or walking to the mailbox. i was warned not to be out for long in such hot weather, since i wasn't acclimated but it was (and is) so wonderful to be able to get outside and walk down the trails without getting dizzy and feeling like i was drowning from the inside out. My Hubby noticed that i became a bit too rosy cheeked though so i realized i needed to be more cautious, not overdo. 

Since coming here & going  through a series of awakenings,  i've found others like me who are also discovering how to live with these crazy maladies brought on by toxic overload.  i will provide some links in time as i learn more about how this stuff works but for now it's just nice to be alive and know there is hope.

Anyway i learned we need to do these Detox sessions where we eat  cleansing foods ie: fruits,veggies etc. and drink lots of water.  A good fruit & veggie juice fast several times a year makes a body feel brighter, less sluggish. As a vegetarian many Moons ago, juice fasts became a staple of healthy routine and i'm beginning to think perhaps i might be worse off today if i hadn't done something good for those few years.  

   Exercise is a key component in helping the body clarify itself .... working up a sweat, then showering all that toxic waste off your skin. 

       Which leads me to the breakthrough. About two weeks ago, after a couple days on a juice fast, i realized my chronic reflux was improved, i wanted less coffee AND.... when i returned to the house after a walk, i Realized i was Sweating! Now i realize this is an odd thing to be happy about but this is a Big Deal for me. The next morning i was a bit spooked because i had a gnarly rash and felt like i had the flu but was encouraged when Hub-B reminded me that i had read that this might happen as the toxins can now begin to flush out of my poor dilapidated "Earth suit"...( lovely word..."flush"... isn't it?) As long as i keep showering the inside & outside with cool clean water and add only non-toxic goodies back these strange side effects will diminish, somewhat anyway. i don't expect to come out of this with a brand new baby body or some such nonsense... but the improvements are Huge to me... however small they seem to others who don't understand.

So Here's to Detoxifying and Learning to take better care of ourselves in spite of all the lovely additives and toxic waste sites we do our best to avoid.

Here's to 100+degree weather and my own personal dry sauna right outside my door... who needs a pricey Spa?

Here's to Birthdays that make you feel older ...

..........mini trampolines that make you sweat harder........

........ Kiddie Pools that make you feel Young & cool ........

and Awesome Husbands who make you feel Loved no Matter how Young or Old you happen to feel on a given day.

We're as snugg as two buggs in a .......... bad exercise video=D

Izabuggs life

   So maybe i didn't make myself clear.... Things that have no "known" affect on others make me sick... literally ... scented or unscented.... Man made, or Natural chemicals. As long as something off-gasses & i breath it, or it comes into contact with my skin, in any way shape or form, it can have a nasty affect on me.
 Not Everything, just stuff  one wouldn't expect. 

 Looking back down my 48 year corridor of time, from the very beginning there were many things that caused trouble for me. Not just a one time Toxic exposure but many events that most likely accumulated making life intolerable throughout early childhood... causing a conundrum for the people around me.... My Mother, Family, Teachers, Friends,Counselors, & myself.
i earned the Labels: Spacey, Shy, Reserved, Moody, Oppositional, Non-compliant, Avoidant. Yeah i like that last one; as if a child could not possibly have a valid reason why they might Avoid certain situations.

  As a child i could not understand what was going on in my mind and body. i had felt "weird" and disconnected most of my life Having had surgeries on my ears, tonsils, foot... and experienced the after affects of  the anesthesia: Ether..what do they call that now ...flashbacks? Yeah, i used to get nauseated and dizzy just sitting in my front row desk where the Teacher insisted i stay so i would "Pay Attention! "  (this was before A.D.D. was a Buzz word & Meds were the answer to Everything) i'd gotten caught staring out the window "daydreaming" with the obligatory giggles from classmates adding to my feeling of stupidity. How could they have known? 

   A boy i admired was humiliated when his teasing toss of a ball bounced off my head and i passed out after having the familiar "smell" of Ether swarm over me. He didn't mean to hurt me .. and really didn't, but everybody got scared and thought it was the mortal blow because i went down on the blacktop. It would have all been funny if  i had stayed on my feet and gotten perturbed instead. But the Principal scolded Him while pointing at me on the stupid cot they made me lay on. And i felt worse for Him.

[Disclaimer: Head injuries are not to be taken lightly and i Do appreciate the care the school took to make sure i was o.k. ]

Recently i heard  that Patchouli, a popular 'Essential oil' is a Neurotoxin. i have strong childhood memories of those who wore this potent oil. (it was the 60's People) To be fair i went in search for more info on this subject and while i found No scientific study(yet) willing to call this scented oil out as a Neurotoxin i did find out that Patchouli has long been used as an Insect Repellent. Used by the ancients who travelled the "silk road"  to discourage Moths from laying their eggs in linen and silk cargo. Also there's a type of Termite that is repelled by it.
Naturally this causes me to wonder how safe it actually is for people to be using it as a fragrance?
If the bugs can't stand it.......??

i also read how Patchouli is said to be beneficial in many ways... skin & hair care, mood lifter,
 not to mention ones Love life.
Who could disrespect that lovely idea!
It is added to many products, such as laundry softener, T.P. (yes toilet paper) and Air fresheners...which are anything but. 

Not to offend anyone who Loves this stuff .... but .... even Now when i come across a person wearing this popular fragrance.....i am instantly repelled...

 HA !
THAT'S IT !

It Must be true... i Am a Bugg !
**

dawg dayz of waat?

Here she is again our... 145# Pound puppy, Abby Norma. She had her first swimming lesson the other day....Today B.B. & i went looking for a Better spot. A more Abby friendly, gently sloped, Beachy spot. She is Such a Good sport.  She's got webbed feet so we thought swimming might come natural... but she does not know what to do but try to hang on to us and Float. We have a harness to hang on to and encourage her to follow us a little closer, but she's a very heavy pup... all skin, big bones and muscle so we also support her from underneath.

Looks like we will be investing in a flotation devise. Not that we're planning on boating with her but just in case she decides to go on a little adventure ahead of us, it's best to keep our Big girl safe.

The problem with the last spot that was recommended to us is that it is a boat launch that was kinda slick going in and once you got to a certain spot it dropped off  a little deeper than "Abbs" is tall ... So, No more just taking other peoples word for what they think is a Good spot for "Fifi" to drown... We found the perfect place...just down river a little. 

Teaching pups to swim is one of my favorite things to do. When they trust you and want to get in the water with you it's like taking them on a "Trust walk' only somehow we've already earned their trust and the whole goal is to kinda help them pace themselves and take it slow.

      This "Trust walk/swim" has benefitted me most, i think. Since losing time and place with this crazy illness; "Environmental Injury"; it seems i've forgotten much of what i know of myself: Things learned, experience gained, competencies once sure of.  Self confidence is absent & there's so much i am unsure of, where my abilities are concerned. Having this trust offered is a heartfelt gift i could not have imagined any sweeter. 

Since we adopted "Abb's" from the Pound when she was 3months old she's been very trusting of us... but she has issues with strangers. Specially if they smell of Alcohol.. She's almost full grown now and has only growled at a couple of people who reeked of booze...and stupidly tried to be too friendly Way too soon, as those who are  inebriated sometimes will do. It's a safe bet she was mistreated by someone who had a drinking habit. Or maybe she's just tuned in to whatever evil that lurks in their unguarded state of mind.

Pets are good at reading people. Our black cat CocoMoco has growled like a dog at people walking by on several occasions...loud enough for them to hear and Really Freak them out! There's one guy who now goes across the street when passing our house, even though CocoMoco is behind a locked screen door! Perhaps the sight of a growling cat and a large Dog sitting in the doorway is a tad intimidating.

i think they're outrageously cute.
(take a look at the 1st post=)

water bugg

This is a Water Bug day. After feeling so clear yesterday, i woke up to realize i Need to learn how to skate across these ponds that pop up out of the blue. So Much to learn, So little time.

 'we are but a vapor'...James 4:14

Humidity has passed  31 this morning.... in our house because i did not want to hear the air cleaner droning on.... All stinkin' Night! Boi... someones in a mood !

Bubble has Popped all right...and i'm under water lookin for the surface.

It's my own fault for wanting to hear the quiet. i adore quiet... but our world is so incredibly noisy. When we drove Truck we used the air-conditioner  creating "white noise" to drown out traffic, where'd they get that crazy description ? As we learned that in the South, we fondly call it "Waat No-ese" wit a liddle southu'n draawl;)

Usually we can have all the machines off at night as it cools down nicely but with Monsoon comes moisture, Hot, Soggy, clingy nonsense... our electric bill will be Up there in the stratosphere this month. Wish the water would just stay Up there. This only lasts about a month or so... according to the locals... the sog lasted most the year up North.

........ Great if your a Water bugg.

So, today feels as if someone snuck in last night and tied a girdle around my rib cage while i was sleeping. The bones keep spazzing with their symphony of instruments played by toddlers bowing down hard on out of tune string.... Oh, how lovely it is when is subsides a bit. It won't until the Barometer changes again.

Did i pray for patience or something?

Guess i must have but i could've sworn it was for the ability to tolerate People.

Ahhh... Now i know why *some people have been so ornery... i prayed for patience... i've been given an opportunity to Exercise it...how quaint....

( *i'm The ornery one, less patient with myself than others:(

o.k.....O.K. i get it !

Be kareful what you pray for!

shakin' it off

 A decent Nights sleep is important for ones health even if you don't have issues like Fibromyalgia. i emphasize Night for the fact that humans are on a biological clock known as the Circadian Rhythm that makes sleeping at night an actual need for our bodies proper function.

 i once was a night owl... preferred the night shift whenever possible. In fact my Husband and i spent our first year together driving Truck. He drove daytime, i drove nights. They said we'd be divorced before the year was up... little did they know! Who are They anyway?

      When this last health mystery came up i hadn't been sleeping well at night. So many things on my mind, being all wound up over crazy things going on in the community and the church as well as the stress of my job driving shuttle bus. Then there were family issues...but aren't there always family issues? maybe not. Anyway, sleep was elusive, life became a struggle, every day got harder to deal with. 

      i began paying attention to Them this time, those ones who have an answer for Everything and a criticizm for Anything they decide is their business, which it largely isn't. i tried the best i could to listen to Them since my own fuzzy mind was playing tricks on me and my body was freaking me out with this bizarre new thing. But my Dearest One, My Husband, did his best to remind me... that i knew better what was happening to me than Them... those ones he aptly calls "Well Intentioned Dragons": Those ones who mean Well... but end up Dragging you down & tossing you into the Well of despair...&  Well, that's just plain mean when all is said and done! Seriously.

................... Did i lose you there?

    Yeah...that's how i felt. Lost at the bottom of a well...one full of slimy fungus and creaturely apparitions: Toxic people. One of the toughest parts of my recovery was in learning not to listen to Them because, i love people. It was hard for me to see past all the negatives to recognize the faces of the true sweethearts that were nearby waiting to offer their Care, their Love and Encouragement.

       We left Oregon while i was still literally Under the Weather, as the inversion layer was squashing me down as usual. i did not say enough Thank You's and i Love You's to the good folks who helped launch our little old Buzz down the Bumble Bee highway in search of our desert Island.  

       This last week was a break through week for me. After following a Detox program... nutritionally as well as spiritually... it's as if a Bubble Popped in my head, the way it feels when given a big dose of  Oxygen... things that were fuzzy are clearing up... The sun seems brighter somehow...

 (i'm in a desert it's always bright...=)

 but somehow This is different... at last i think i'm getting clear of the muck...

&

 shakin' it off.

Paradise lost & found

Sweetie B. bought this picture from a Mexican-American Artist many years ago. It is his favorite and depicts his idea of Paradise. Funny, He bought it in the little Town of Paradise, Cal. He often wonders where the Artist went from there. There is No signature... only that of his brush strokes.
The tiny Oregon town we moved from was as close to this as we've been. Our cabin was in the middle of town on a street fronting the railroad but there was a large blue spruce right beside it, not unlike This Cabin, only ours was not of  Log construction.
   My Love gave up So much for me in coming to this place of complete opposition. Maybe not So complete? Instead of majestic Evergreen Spruce,  there are spindly Dr.Seuss Palms. The secluded shores of a serene lake, traded for the banks of a bustling vacation hot spot on the River. People powered Canoe exchanged for Jet engine power speed boats. i don't remember Cactus up north, Not Saguaro's anyway... and have yet to find anything resembling a Morel Mushroom here. Instead of Wood stoves to stay warm...we fire up the B.B.Q. to stay fed. Mmm... Yah, We both like the Bar-B. much better!
One day while negotiating a narrow mountain road in Oregon (My husband driving; i in the Catbird seat beside him & Mother in the back seat with the window open) a gnarly Pine Beatle of Horror Movie credentials...came crawling up my Moms leg ...i saw it first and tried to alert my B. but not in time to prepare him for the equally horrifying blood curdling screem right behind his Ears.
       i thought we were due to wreck at that moment but somehow through the numbness he found the side of the road and quickly evicted the creature from the car. Lucky he had a pair of gloves... the bug did Not want to leave his comfy ride and was chewing chunks out of the leather like the wild tree destroyers they are. "Rrrriiip..*.*.. Ptooeey<<***"
    Not sure if Mom will come to the desert any time soon... But i'll be checking Every Inch of land  before She gets a greeting from This environments Horror flick creature ...the Scorpion! Now i remember why my hair is turning white. Moms was white before that , bless her heart;} i'll talk about B.s Hair later....

Honey I'm Home !

CocoMoco has been serving as our alarm clock each morning since i can remember. i just don't remember when he decided 4:30 a.m. was The Hour ! It's like, Before the crack of dawn even... ggrrrrrrrr!( 
     Sweetie B. worked late last night so he hoped to sleep in a bit. Says He needs his Bee-auty sleep. Kiddles & i enjoyed the sunrise and  Humming buddies, How Quiet it is before the world starts buzzing about. At his usual time 'B.' got up and all seemed swell as we read The Word, had breakfast, packed his lunch n' waved our corny goodbyes as he drove off to work. About and hour later as i settled into some research on the latest political storms in our country Abby & i heard a car door close in our driveway and up the stairs comes My Sweets; His Boss had brought him home with a Migraine. He hasn't had one in a while, 3 or 4 X's a year is not unusual.
   immediately i brought him his stash of Raw unblanched almonds that seem to dampen the pain and effects very well. Then went around putting all the window shades in to darken the house so he wouldn't have to hide in our room the whole day. CocoMoco wasn't real pleased with losing his "Bird T.V." but We jump to the chance to do something for the Man who is our Hub and Hero; he's good for a snuggle at 'Dads' feet.
    My Hub-bub has been so sweet and thoughtful of me throughout this ridiculous health mystery. It's hard to believe one person can be so patient and encouraging but he has Never wavered in his cheerful support, even when i thought there was little to hope for. i was a major wreck while participating in a Med. study to approve of a new drug for this Fibromyalgia diagnosis..but we stuck with it hoping for a breakthrough. Finally the Dr. told Us the best place for me to be was 'Death Valley!'.... at least somewhere hot and dry. So...my Love gave up his Pastorship in a tiny little church, we left the tiny house with its porch where our Rocking Chair brigade was planned... a place for friends & family. We took the leap of faith and with the help of dear friends, lightened our load and packed the rest in a goofy half sized school bus. We flew off into the unknown and found ourselves here in the desert. What others see as a Dry & Weary land, we have found to be the Biggest Blessing. i have a way to go but here at last i can breath, i can walk around the block and not be winded, i am regaining my balance and slowly i am waking up...from what seems a Rip van Winkle night mare. Hope has found a place in my heart again.
"Honey i'm home!"

Helo my luvs!

CocoMoco adorez my Sweetie B.s shoez... This would make them the "Catz Meowz"...uh-huh.
   This "Young man" (as my sweetheart calls him) has been my main 'kare-kiddle' throughout the ups and downs of this journey through the fogbanks. He sleeps next to me and sometimes perches right on top of me like a mother hen hatching a very large egg. He walks with me everywhere i go, & his favorite place is in my lap Sitting like a little Gorilla so i can rub his chin and belly. "BellyWhompers"!
We learned long ago that He is sensitive to certain chemicals most people assume are fine for pets such as in Flea treatments. Also He & His Sister, Slippersdoodles, can not tolerate the additives and dyes most commercial companies use in cat kibble. So far we haven't had a flea problem here in the desert. The kiddles stay in-doors because of stray dogs and coyotes that roam the "Trailer-hood". We found a brand of kibble that has no dyes or other strange additives ... so they say... i read the label . We're all going through a "ratty" season though, Shedding and skin changes due to this dry environment. We're gittin' up there in age too... so ...... So there!
     i learned a new word today on our local Country (& a little bit more) music station... "Trailer-hood" ... instead of Neighborhood...Can't wait to ask my Neighbors if they've heard this one yet.!

Well Hello Kittie!

"Excuse Me ..... Were You looking for the Welcome Kitty Committee??"

Hows the weather out there?

They say Monsoon is arriving early in the desert this year. My body is our Barometer, i knew the atmospheric pressure was changing before it showed up in the low hanging clouds.Weathermen talk about "Upper level lows" How come i never hear about lower level Highs? There's much to learn about the Art of Meteorology... perhaps i'm a little old to become a Weather...Person(?) Or would that be Weather -Mam?

One can always improve on their knowledge base...

Despite feeling like i had a Mac truck sitting on me, i was able to enjoy some time with the "little people"; 2 adorable preschoolers who came to swim in our puddle pool for a little bit, while Their Dad and my Hub-bub caught up on stuff. i used to work in a Pre-school, but forgot how active they are... Whew! So much fun though, it's been too long. Little ones have a way of reaching in and pulling your soul back up out of it's stagnant swamp...with such impishness.

Abby, our Overgrown Pug thinks children are the Bee'z knees... Am i obsessed with Bee'z knees?

Apparently...

When i was on medications for all these things diagnosed...my legs were so swollen i didn't know i had knees! I'm off All those toxins now and i discovered i have Ankles too! Meds may be fine for some people... i needed to be free of those and so many other chemicals one would never expect to be so bothersome. This is why we moved to this dry and wondrous place. So i can Breath and feel Mostly human.

It Is So Humid here this time of year.

The running joke about the Desert is :

"It's a Dry Heat".

with a picture of a skeleton propped up against a Saguaro cactus.

Good Morning Sunshine!

It's 3:30 a.m. Here in this desert oasis my Sweetie B. brought us to. i can't sleep. Oh s-well! This is a common occurrence for me. So my entourage; CocoMoco & Slippersdoodles have come to the big window with me to watch the sunrise and the humming buddies feed.

CocoMoco is the funny belly-up kitty in my "About Me" Photo. i will post more Pictures of our funny little troupe of "Care Kiddles" as i learn How all this stuff works. Thanks for remembering that we've all got to start somewhere, and that my "somewhere' is Now.

Our neighborhood homes take turns getting Bugg Bombed throughout the month, So i stay In-doors with the air cleaner more than i care to. Yesterday i was pleased to see that a tiny Preying Mantis has taken up watch on our scrawny sun burnt Tomato plant. Since we're Fumigation free in our yard this is a great Discovery. i only hope he likes it here. the Humming buddies (birds) are also excellent bugg catchers . Our local Roadrunner has been absent so far this year and i'm wondering if the toxic bugg population had part in this. If i could protect all these amazing creatures i would... but people are too busy with their lives to take the time to cultivate healthy environments around our living spaces. It's easier to just spray everything down.

SunRises in the Desert are the Beez kneez!

hello world

... i am new to This world of blogging but not so new to the world if age be a requisite for such things. My heart is young; the body aging as it must; though seemingly faster due to a collection of genetic and environmental factors. My mind is re-awakening from the mire of what i have recently discovered is known as Environmental Injury or Multiple Chemical Sensitivity.

i have been an anti-label person most of my life yet have found much personal (and i know twisted) amusement in listening to all the labels Dr.s have prescribed for me to describe the maladies i have endured for pretty much all my life... short as it really feels.

According to the Professionals i possess these wonderful qualities:

Hypo-Thyroid
Attention Deficit
Reactive Airway Disease
Fibromyalgia

and now Environmental Injury

Put them all together and it sounds like a Radio Station!
HT-AD-RAD.FM ! on the E. I. whatever network.

i call it "k-rad.fm" for short because i am kare and This is my story of Re- awakening and sharing(broadcasting) what i've learned on a day to day basis; Recalling things already known; just forgotten or overlooked. Discovering most if not All of these issues seem to have their genesis within this umbrella diagnosis =Environmental Injury.

But when did this happen? It's hard to pin point one event... unlike some folks who encountered a specific event, my Injury seems to have been an accumulation of several events over the years.. so it just snuck up on me, til one day everything came to a screeching stop.

i know i am Not alone... there are others. Many who Know they are affected by things in the environment .................and many more who Do Not have the Foggiest idea What is Bugging them.

 Foggy is the word ...when not in a fogged stupor, We E.I.s are those annoying ones who run away coughing and gagging from:

* Smokers taking their last drag at store front doors....

*Sweet little ladies & gents, who've seemingly broken the bottle over their lovely heads.

*Cosmetics counter sales clerks offering a "spritz" of scent.

*Church services or other closed in meetings.

Yes ... we are the ones who can not quite grasp the reasoning behind the over abundance of toxic products we now must avoid ... When did society come to depend on All of these Chemicals ?

For many people, chemicals, scented and Non-scented seems to be no big deal.

For people like me it's as if the world is one big Bug Fumigator....