My dream for almost my whole life has been to go to Africa and see elephants and lions in the wild. That dream came true in the summer of 2011 when my husband and I took a photo safari to Tanzania.

Tanzania is surprisingly much like Washington State because of its varied climates.  Tanzania has mountains, inactive volcanos and craters, coastal, grassy plains and forested areas.  We didn't visit the coast but saw other regions during July.  It is estimated that our safari drove about 1200 miles in the 6 days we were on the road.  I found the country beautiful and the people wonderful.

Baboon families with clinging babies were in the trees near Lake Manyara and our first hippos were seen in this park when our driver stopped for us to get out.  We looked out in the distance to the water and saw the hippos soaking to protect their tender skin from the hot sun.  Suddenly to the left something huge just appeared, walking around under the trees.  We all grabbed our guide, yelling "What is THAT???" and he calmly looked over and said it was a Marabou Stork.  Really?  they are 5-6 feet tall, have a huge pink gullett hanging down, blueish tinged back, cream chest, long yellow legs - carrion eaters - an amazing site.

In Washington State we see Bald Eagles, Osprey, Sandhill Cranes, Blue Herons, Tundra and Arctic Swans.....but none of those compared in size to this stork.

I saved for years to go on this trip and managed to get it done for my husband and I by using our Worldmark timeshare credits and paying our own airfare.  The airfare cost was HUGE (to us) because we were going to Arusha, Tanzania, instead of to Kenya where the flights are cheaper.  To stay within our very limited budget, I selected the least expensive safari  by Abercrombie & Kent that was offered through our timeshare.  Some British women we met in Arusha asked what company we were using and when we told them, they exclaimed that we were using the MOST expensive company.  A&K took great care of all the guests and we were quite happy we used them and would definitely use them again.

Sculptured Figures at Arusha Cultural Center

Our safari was broken out into 3 vehicles and the people in our vehicle got along well and enjoyed each other's company.  In the evenings during dinner we were able to meet those who rode in the other vehicles.  All 3 drivers and our guide were excellent drivers and provided narratives and useful information.

Future posts will include more details of this fabulous experience.

Helping Him Cross

My last blog talked about poor sick Miles.  I said I wished the pets could speak. 

Miles couldn’t speak and could barely breathe.  It was up to me, as his human friend, to try and understand his body communication.  I tried all kinds of foods and he would turn his head away, or move further away with his head away from me to tell me he didn’t want (or couldn’t) eat.  All Miles wanted to do was sit on my lap and sleep.  He drank water but was losing weight rapidly and losing muscle mass.

A humidifier in the room seemed to help ease his breathing some but it was still very noisy breathing and it looked exhausting.  It had been 7 weeks since we returned and found him ill.  We had tried antibiotics, steroids and all kinds of food.   He wouldn’t eat and his nose discharge was now from both nostrils. 

On Friday night I held him.  When I got up to go to bed, he turned his nose into the corner of the sofa and slept.

The next day, March 30, 2013 (day before Easter Sunday) morning, I arose, and had breakfast with my husband outside in the sun.  I got Miles out from his hiding place and brought him out to the sun so he could smell the fresh air, feel the warm sun and walk a bit in the yard.  Then I told my husband we were taking him to the vet.  He had called and so they knew we were coming.  I held Miles in my arms wrapped in the sofa throw he slept on and did not use the pet carrier.  We took him into an exam room that was softly lit with a lamp; the exam table had a soft cushion on it.

Our favorite vet came in, upon our request, to assess him, as she had not been following his case.  She pointed out how exhausting it was for him to breathe.  Miles went to the door that led to the back rooms of the clinic and loudly meowed.  The vet said she absolutely thought it was time and we were being kind in euthanizing him.  I alternated between deep breaths and loud sobs, dry eyes and rivers of tears.  We asked that they sedate him first and said we would be present in his final minutes.  I just couldn’t send him into the back room for his last breath without me!  I told Miles “You are a good boy, you protected me, you never got up on the counters; you are so sweet. You aren’t going to get better.   It is BAD.  We want to help you cross over.” 

When they brought him back in, sedated, he was hyped up instead and she said sometimes that happens.  He calmed a bit.  We told her we were ready and as she began to inject the substance into his leg, I panicked and asked quickly “What will happen??”  She replied they just slump down and as she said it, that is what happened and I turned away, sobbing hysterically, into my husband’s arms.  I couldn’t stand that his beautiful green eyes would no longer look at me, I felt like a murderer, again (3^rd euthanized pet). 

Miles lay on the exam table, with some nerve tremors under my hands that soon calmed.  We stroked him and talked to him, both of us in tears.  The vet calmed us and said we absolutely did the right thing.  She saw him as uncomfortable and it was time.  She pointed out how peaceful his face was and said “Look, all the nasal passages have drained and it was horrible for him to try and breathe – he was sniffing it back in and swallowing it.  He had kidney disease and a tumor in his lung.  This was a kind act.”

We gave permission to cremate him and have his ashes taken with others to Mt Rainier. 

Simba is still mewing for Miles daily, 9 days later and seems sad.  We are sad.  No longer do I see Miles peering at me from my closet or come into my bathroom to see me from the closet.  I took away the rug that was in the closet for him to lie on.  We don’t hear his slight snores he made in healthier days as he slept in the cat tower in our bedroom, hidden behind a sheet because of his crazy fear of my husband.  I took down the "hiding" sheet.

My lap cat who took naps with me is gone, and Simba misses the older brother who kept him in line no matter how hard Simba tried to assert himself.  Miles was always the Master Fighter with Simba the student. Miles was never afraid of Simba.  The photo of him (Tabby) grooming Simba and of them playing was taken a couple of years ago.   The last photo below shows Simba grooming Miles, and was taken in the last few weeks of Miles' life.

.

We all miss him terribly and hopefully our depression(s) will diminish quickly.  I talk to Simba and play with him to try and help him; but this joyful cat with a human sense of humor is obviously depressed and distressed that his “brother” Miles is not here and doesn’t come out when he calls for him.

Time To Let Go

When we returned from a 9 day vacation in February 2013, Miles, our older Brown Tabby (see previous post) was sneezing and one nostril was runny.  Our veterinary technician pet sitter said the issue had just begun.  The vet subscribed antibiotics while mentioning that a discharge from one nostril could mean a tumor.  One week later, the discharge was not better and he had breathing that sounded like snoring.  We tried another week of the meds with no result.  His appetite was waning.

I watched as he struggled to breathe and walked slowly.  Miles changed his hiding place from my closet to the office, where a litter box had always been placed, so consciously or not, this was better for him. 

I would bring Miles out from his hiding place after my husband left for work, and put him in the sun by the sliding glass patio door or on a blanket on the couch.  Simba and Miles sat in the sun. I watched as Miles ducked his head in what appeared to be fatigue and relaxation, as Simba groomed his head.  Miles was still able to fight off Simba’s naughty boy behavior such as chasing him, or biting his neck. 

Near the end of the 2^nd week of antibiotics, I called the vet office and suggested we do a dental on him to see if it was a bad tooth. The vet who was following him called late in the day and said he had very labored breathing (no kidding!) and she wanted to do a chest x-ray.  No word for 5 days, she was out – (what??  no word left with another vet to call us?  I was not happy).  Turns out he had a tumor in his lung and possibly one in his stomach.   We were already treating him for over 2 years for mild kidney disease.  All of this, with the nasal discharge, painted a grim picture.  The vet office recommended we take him elsewhere for a treatment plan with an ultrasound.  I opted not to do that.  It meant they would want more tests and more procedures.  He already had a bunch of issues and we had a large bill to pay for the x-rays, exams, medicine.  An ultrasound would be $500 and a nasal scope would be way more than that. 

I asked about steroids for inflammation to see if it will help him breathe better and it worked …. For 2 days…..he was waiting for me by my computer when I got out of bed.  Then he relapsed and hid in the office under the futon, with not much interest in food.  The steroids made him thirstier and I was warned would speed up kidney disease.    I was just hoping maybe for a few more months of comfortable living for him.

Miles had so many issues we didn’t want to put him through some crazy cancer treatment or surgery and we didn’t know exactly how old he was, just that he was older than Simba.  I held him on my lap in the evenings watching TV and on my chest to take naps together.  In his younger, healthy days, he would stretch out with me for a nap and reach up and place one paw on my cheek.  Now he was too weak to do that and I had to keep wiping his nose like a runny- nosed child.  Several times I thought I needed to take him to be euthanized but then he seemed to still be enjoying his life. 

The dogs sniffed at him (cancer sniffers?) and Mariah, the dog that doesn’t like the cats near her, even touched her nose to Miles’ nose.  My husband stopped walking so heavily and slamming the hallway door to the garage.  He became more subdued so as not to frighten him.  Miles’ eyesight was almost gone and his hearing was getting bad except for loud noises.

I was super stressed and unable to sleep well for worry about him and the euthanasia decision.  Several times each day I heated up food in the microwave to make it more palatable and fragrant.  I tried sardines, I blended food; I even tried some chicken broth (he was allergic to poultry) but he couldn’t eat much.  He slowly wandered through the rooms, and then went back to his hiding place. I knew the time for the decision was coming and I had to be the one to do it.  If only he could talk.........

Acceptance - Quirks of Pets

21 year old cat dies.  15 year old dog dies.  Within 2 months of each other.

Enter new pets, adopted several months later, fully grown pets, with issues known and unknown.  2 male cats, 2 female dogs, double down this time!  

First the cats were frightened of the dogs and hid.  Slowly all became aware that no harm was meant by any under this roof, and so it became a somewhat peaceable kingdom.  The cats play together and enjoy each other.  The dogs are inseparable, both have to go when one has a vet appointment; despite not knowing each other before we adopted them and being totally different breeds and dispositions, they adore each other.  Ruby is afraid of nothing!  Mariah is scared of all noises and became severely ill on her first 4th of July with us.  Which one do you think is which from the photo?

We tore out the carpet and put in hardwoods after that first 4th of July.  

Several years pass and the big orange and white Angora cat Simba (his name when we adopted him) becomes diabetic.  I have nicknamed the cats Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris, Simba being larger and not quite as fast as the brown Tabby, Miles, who strikes with the speed of a snake and finesse of Bruce Lee.  Miles (I contemplated long and hard for a fitting name for a handsome cat) has also taken to believing that my husband is the lead male cat in the house, the only male allowed, and thus hides in the closet when my Ralph is home.  Simba is the curious cat, the one with the sense of humor and he absolutely adores Ralph.  He is the smartest cat I have ever had and I've lived with many, many cats through my life.  Miles is like a cougar, long and sleek.  Simba is just like a lion, with large paws (tufts of hair in paws) and a beautiful mane.

Fast forward some more years when everyone is older now.  Miles (unknown age but older than Simba's 10 years) still hides when Ralph is home and will only come out when he is absolutely sure the "leader" is not around.  The problem is that these cats are indoor only cats and the litter boxes are not near the closet.  Miles won't pass by Ralph so I have to carry him to the litter box in the morning on weekends.  Ralph many times stays up late and he gets up early to give Simba his insulin injection.  This means less time for Miles to sneak out to the litter box, and means more stress for me, worrying if he has woken in the night and used the box, or slept through the night and then really has to go but is afraid to run past Ralph!

It's not Ralph's fault - he hasn't done anything to Miles and he has no mean intentions towards him.  We even had an animal communicator come over, early on, when Miles still crept onto the bed once we were asleep.  Miles told the animal communicator that in the wild there's only one male allowed but during the night everyone stays together for protection.  She tried to communicate back that we wanted him to join our family at all times, but he is just not comfortable.  I've tried pheromones, drugs, holding him on my lap next to my husband - no steps taken have worked.  

So now he lives here with acceptance - we accept his irrational fear of Ralph and I do carry him to the litter box to ensure he has gone.  As he gets older, we may have to change the location of the boxes, or isolate him in a room during the times when Ralph is home more such as weekend.

What is sad is that Ralph doesn't get to see how cuddly and sweet Miles is - he only sees him running away to the other side of the house into a hiding place.  He doesn't get to see Miles and Simba rough housing together.  Simba is still trying to show Miles that he is the king and Miles allows it because he knows he can take Simba down whenever he wants to.

I swear that when these pets die I will not get more pets.  I am tired of the stress, the messes, the hair, the expenses.  They are more trouble than children are.  

Yet, oh! the pleasure they bring to us, the love, the humor, the companionship....time will tell.......and everytime I see animals needing a home my heart softens just a wee bit. Then the logical mind screams in my ear, "Are you CRAZY?  Don't you want to travel?  I thought you were sick of accident clean ups, trying to find pet sitters!"    We'll see............

Trees, Yann Arthus-Bertrand was appointed by the United Nations to produce the official film for the International Year of Forests.

This video is wonderful and the images are breathtaking -
http://youtu.be/-HSaAlPRN-c

Clouds

Yesterday and today had the most fabulous clouds here in the South Puget Sound.  When I was small in Illinois, I would lay in the grass in the summer and watch the clouds.  We all could see different things in them shout it out to our friends - it might be an animal or a person's face or the shape of a flower.  Clouds in the Pacific Northwest are usually stratus clouds - flat and gray and all encompassing.  Cumulous clouds make me light up with excitement.    The cumulous and cumulonimbus ones are so magnificient - sometimes miles high, sometimes dark and threatening - a sky with these clouds fascinates and thrills me.
Perhaps the underlying current of a possible electrical storm, also are rare here in the Northwest, adds to this excitement.  Having grown up in the Midwest, I miss the electrical storms, the huge clouds floating across a sky that is usually blue, and the fireflies.  I do not, however, miss the humidity or the huge amounts of snow snarling traffic or the tornadoes.  Seeing mountain peaks everywhere (because Puget Sound is in between the Cascade and the Olympic mountain ranges), and the ocean and large lakes surrounded by tall fir trees gives daily inspiration and I never tire of these views.

The sky is still blue this evening and I now see stratus, cumulous and cirrus clouds.  Mt Rainier (about one hour from my home on winding, country roads, so large, it makes its own weather) is just barely visible now with a layer of various types of clouds above it, around it and moving toward it.

© Andrea Corwin

Myrrh and Goldenseal

Well, I said I would talk about myrrh in a post and this is it. 

If I eat too many walnuts the roof of my mouth gets sore; yet sometimes this happens without ingesting walnuts.  

During one episode I kept rinsing with sea salt for days and the soreness would not resolve.  Then came the big "ah ha" moment!  I had forgotten my herbal remedies!  Ta Da...........myrrh healed it within a day.  Sometimes I mix liquid goldenseal, an antiseptic, with the myrrh in the palm of my hand and then use a finger to put it onto the tender area.  Years ago I bought Dian Dincin Buchman's "Herbal Medicine," an excellent herbal compilation with in-depth information on ailments and herbs.  I believe there is an update to now to this book but I still have my original, falling apart copy.  I don't know if I found the remedy from this book or elsewhere but I do highly recommend the book.

Speaking of goldenseal - here is something I use during cold/flu season and when traveling by air:  I mix liquid goldenseal with echinacea in the palm of my hand and add a bit of water.  Then you close one nostril and sniff the mixture into the other one.  Repeat on both sides.  It burns a bit when it hits your sinus cavities in the cheekbones but that is all right.  Wait a few seconds and then you can blow your nose.  I use this regularly along with some other nutritional support (Shaklee of course) and rarely get sick.  The one time I was flying a lot and forgot to do this, I did get sick.  If I'm on travel, I use it before I leave for the airport.  Mixing the 2 together and using it this way puts a barrier to germs in your nostrils and is especially important on airplanes.

Shaklee Cinch Success:Matt

My last post was from an article talking about obesity affecting one's income in different ways.  Since I am an Independent Shaklee Distributor, I thought I would follow up that post with something about Shaklee's CINCH product.  Cinch has helped many many people lose weight, and INCHES.  I dropped a size in the top and the bottom by using this program.  I found that using this keeps your blood sugar levels more stable and can positively affect cholesterol levels (as it did for me). 

It is tasty, science based, fills you up, has variety, is very comparably priced and very easy to follow.  I lost inches but retained muscle and I have continued to use Cinch to keep the weight off.  The money I would normally spend on meals is redirected to the Cinch product and my tastes have changes - we rarely eat breakfast out any more because I have a Cinch shake. 

Some diets get the weight off of you, and many times that includes losing muscle; people also tend to gain it back after stopping the diet and it comes back as more fat. CINCH has scientific proof that muscle is retained, that is why this program is so fabulous.  Muscle helps to burn fat.  We watch the inches melt away with Cinch, and retain muscle.  This translates into:  changed body shape, some weight loss, possible improved blood chemistry, more energy.  You can view more about it at my Shaklee website. 

To Your Health,
Andrea

Finances suffer by being overweight (Jennifer Openshaw - MarketWatch)

OK, this article at link below if quite fascinating and brings up several items of note - and keep in mind, my comments below are my comments, not those of the link's authors):
1) if you are overweight, you eat more calories, thus spend more money on food
2) if you are overweight, your health can suffer in numerous ways, thus increasing spending on health care (either out of obese person's wallet, or tax payer if the person isn't covered by health care) - chronic disease costs a lot over the long haul and even more when you are elderly and have to be in a medical assist facility
3) life insurance costs more if you are obese because the actuarial tables show obese people have shorter lives - thus, are charged more for life insurance (and medical insurance - remember pre-existing conditions!)
4) and what I think is a weird study on BMI (body mass index) showing think people earn more (what about all those "fat cat" males who ARE big earners.......whatever.  Ms. Openshaw makes some good points in the article, so check it out.
What do you think?  Post comments and be sure to subscribe to my blog (at top of blog) and  follow my blog by clicking the Follow link, lower left.

If you don't lose weight your finances will Jennifer Openshaw - MarketWatch

Gulf of Mexico oil spill

Gulf of Mexico oil spill: How bad is it? - CSMonitor.com

We have people saying 'Drill Baby Drill' and here is a huge catastrophe hitting our Gulf coast. It can be seen from space and is currently about 600 miles around. The oil spill in Valdez, AK still has consequences after 20+ years. At first the oil company didn't there was a leak and then discovered it was indeed leaking. There is a valve that is supposed to activate to shut off the leak and it didn't activate. Now remotely operated vehicles (ROV) have been deployed to try and get that shutoff valve to work and stop the flow. Burning off the oil is being considered. This appears to be a very strange leak that is not reacting as the oil company is used to, like a rebelling child. Murphy's Law is in effect here.

Does this mean there should be more maintenance, more oversight, more testing, more emergency response test runs, old wells replaced with newer equipment, or....??

In any case, consequences for birds and marine life could be huge even though right now this oil slick is not as large as Valdez. If BP and all the agencies assisting them can't get it shut off, it could continue to grow. The currents will carry the oil slick toward land - then shorebirds will become covered in the oil - then they will die. Even with numerous ecology groups cleaning the birds and the gooey mess from the shore, it will be a disaster.

Of course some will say the ocean will cleanse itself, there are ups and downs in nature.........but when man interferes, the consequences are always larger and skewed. 

How about exploration for alternative fuels instead of more oil exploration?  We need creativity, thinking outside the box: electricity, microwave technology, microchips, lasers, satellites, etc. were innovations - we need that "100th Monkey" awareness and breakthrough with the oil and energy companies.

Adopted Pets Are The Best!

When Ava, my 21 year old cat died, it didn't take me long to want another cat.  Our dog had also died but it took longer to be OK with getting another dog.  I guess Ava had been around with me so long that when we had to humanely help her transition, she took all of her presence with her.  I needed a feline companion and kind of wanted to 2 cats this time.  I've had cats and dogs all my life.  I guess I am more of a cat person ('cause I'm a LEO?). 

My intuition told me to stop at the vet's.  Don't know why - they didn't adopt pets or sell them.  When I walked in the door, I knew why the little voice had guided me there.  On the counter was a picture of the most magnificent cat and a non-profit organization was adopting him out. He was in a 'foster' home.  I called the number and they set up a meet and greet. 

The cat was creamy orange, with Paul Newman blue eyes and Angora fur.  He was gorgeous.  He looks like Aslan in the Narnia film, with a large mane.  He had been somewhat abused and had 3-4 pins in his paw from surgery needed due to an untreated injury by the previous owners.   I took him home for a try and he hid under the bed because of the dogs we had already adopted (another story).  After a few days he came out and decided he would stay with us.  Now Simba runs the house, just like a king should.  We didn't change his name because Simba suited him and he had that name for 3 years.  A few weeks later I picked up Miles (renamed Miles from 'Tiger') and brought him home.  Miles was a stray and the same organization had him.  Miles is a much larger version of the old Ava, a brown tabby and looks like a cougar.   Miles is my protector.  He slapped Simba around when Simba was hissing at me right after I brought Miles home.  He basically let Simba know that good manners must be observed in the adopted household!  He also lets us know by hissing and growling if there is something outside the bedroom window (another cat? a raccoon? we never have seen what it is).  2 male cats who never knew each other and are fast friends - it's great to watch. 

They play rough, tumbling around, pouncing and swiping at each other.  Older and street wise (he was an outdoor cat), Miles tires of Simba chasing him and turns into Bruce Lee.  Simba is larger, but is the "student" and Miles is the Kung Fu master.  Simba is mischievous, getting into everything and going wherever he wants - he opens cupboards, tests his jumping skills, takes anything new as his own.........Miles is more reserved and nervous, especially when my husband is around. 

All 4 of our adopted pets get along - no issues or messes in the house. Simba loves the dogs!  (The Aussie mix Mariah doesn't like it when Simba gets too close).  Ruby, the Akita/Ridgeback mix allows Simba to rub on her and snuggle.  It's a great happy home, much of it due to the magnanimous nature of Simba and Ruby.    Our crazy zoo of adopted animals

- each with his or her own quirks or issues.

Non Profit Fund Raising with Shaklee

Shaklee guarantees the unconditional safety of its products and has supported environmental causes, Olympic Gold Medalists and was the first company in the world to obtain Climate Neutral™ certification and totally offset its CO2 emissions, resulting in a net zero impact on the environment. Of Time Life book’s 25 Greatest Adventures of All Time, seven were powered by Shaklee.  People want their purchases to count towards making a difference and now Shaklee has created a way to help non-profits, based on a simple concept called “Cause Marketing.”  Non profits can partner with Shaklee distributors to create a stream of income for their cause.  http://images.shaklee.com/library/shakleefundraising_041610.pdf

- Independent Shaklee Distributor

How Arnica Worked For Me

Years ago we were in a Bed and Breakfast in France.  Having taken 8 years of French in school, it was coming back to me nicely and I was acting as interpreter for my husband - sometimes well and sometimes with poor grammar. 

One morning we were speaking to the owner of the B&B in her office.  The room was one step up from the 'sunken' breakfast/dining area.  I stepped back, and, being close to the edge of this room's floor, I stepped backward and harshly down into the breakfast room, fell, and twisted my ankle.  Europe doesn't post all the warning signs that America does.  I had not taken note mentally to be careful at this exact location in the home we were staying.  It was my fault.  The owner was upset but not as upset as an American would be (probably because lawsuits don't happen there like in U.S.?). 

This was not just any twisted ankle.  Ice was brought and my husband helped me hobble back to our private room.  Then I let loose with my pain, extreme (!) - away from everyone but my husband.  The ankle swelled to twice its size and I was worried about the rest of our vacation.  We continued icing it and the next day went to the Pharmacie.  I was familiar with ARNICA's use for bruises and tried to explain that is what I wanted.  The staff didn't understand until I showed them my ankle and somehow imparted the quest for a product to help with bruising (contusions to them).  Arnica appeared.  It worked magic on my ankle.  I am certain that the Arnica we purchased there is stronger than what you can get in the U.S. health food stores but it is something I keep in my herbal "medicine cabinet" along with myrhh (will write about that in a later blog).
(I am not offering medical advice, just a personal experience.)

We’re not getting any younger - Progressive ideas needed to help aging population | Regional Voices - The News Tribune

The link below is to my local newspaper's article on aging. When I was young some people on the outskirts of my circle had grandmothers living with them. It seemed odd to me at the time because the kid my age had to take orders from both the mom and the grandmom. Mothers hung clothes on the outdoor clotheslines and talked across the fence (if there was a fence, it was not the norm then). Now elderly people are many times quite spry so their families forget they have been on this Earth as long as they have. They might not visit as often or offer help because they don't see the person's age or deny it in their own mind.

There are assisted living centers, and centers where one can rent a small apartment (very small) and have one meal a day or more. Long term health insurance came into being, became popular and now is considered more essential. The authors here pose questions about having multigenerational neighborhoods where everyone helps and cares for each other.

I think it's a good idea to look upon the elders of the community as a resource of wisdom and knowledge, having broad experience from one generation to another. The elders have seen many changes in their lifetimes and can contribute in ways that the younger generations may not have yet imagined. Just as visits to nursing homes with a pet or a child can cheer up the nursing home resident, so can an elder share time, fun, or stories with younger people and out of these experiences could come new innovations just from a conversation.

We’re not getting any younger Progressive ideas needed to help aging population Regional Voices - The News Tribune

How to Conduct a Home Fire Drill - wikiHow

I came across this article and want to share it because it is so important! 
How to Conduct a Home Fire Drill - wikiHow

Killer fungus seen in Pacific Northwest

In the past few years a fungus, Cryptococcus gattii (or C. gattii), has infected humans and animal, including cats, dogs, and dolphins, in Washington and Oregon .  It appears there is now a new strain that can cause respiratory illnesses in normally healthy people.  It is said that people do not need to worry about this becoming an epidemic or even a common condition.  It's good to know about it though.  A strong immue system is important to fight off everyday germs but even more important to fight off something unexpected that can hit you - ecoli, C. gatti, swine flu, etc.
       Here's a link to the article on C.gattii: http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/04/22/killer.fungus.pacific.northwest/

     Recommend you take an immune builder such as Shaklee's Nutriferon which boosts the body's natural interferon.  Its 4 plant extracts are shown in studies to boost the immune system.  Two caplets contains 500 mg of a patented, proprietary 2:1 powdered botanical extract derived from the flowers of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius), Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), the seeds of pumpkin (Curcurbita moschata), and Asian plantain (Plantago asiatica).

 http://www.physicians.shaklee.com/displayContent.htm?fileName=nutriFeronPDR.xml§ionName=shakProdInfo

Earth Day

So many activities for Earth Day are happening today and all week.  I am posting a link to 2 videos regarding cleaning products causing asthma.  Get Clean by Shaklee is green, safe and works.  Basic H2 is the reformulated version of the Basic H that Jacques Cousteau used (twice as strong).  When green was just a color, Shaklee embodied it.  Use safe cleaners, protect the earth and your in-home environment!  Save the landfills from containers of cleaners and save emissions from the transportation of all those products.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTpBru2Oaj4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CKGNZ8pWXA

Shaklee Get Clean® Is One of "Oprah's Favorite Things!"
On November 20, 2007, on her famous "Favorite Things" show, Oprah described the Shaklee Get Clean Starter Kit as "the perfect gift for someone who likes cleaning and also likes to help the environment." Millions of loyal Oprah viewers have seen the video clip.

Future Beauty

The Oprah website and magazine has a great article on what we can expect in the future - fewer gray hairs, fuller more firm skin, thicker hair, brighter teeth and more.  Different industries and medical specialties are studying all of this.  More in the pursuit of looking younger.  Let's hope the methods they come up with prove out to be very safe and that they are not testing on animals.  Let's hope that people decide to use prevention instead of waiting until they are ill or obese to look for help.  Prevention goes a long way in saving medical costs, lost time at work, keeping drugs/antibiotics out the body unless necessary.  You make sure you car has oil in it, right?  What happens if it doesn't?  The engine blows up and the car won't run.  So goes it for your body.  You must feed it, bathe it, exercise it and ensure nutrients get to the right places at the right time in your organs.  Supplements are important because most people do NOT get the nutrients they need from their food. If you didn't just harvest the food yourself, you don't know how long it was on the shelf, or how long it took to get to market.  Organics are great, but organic farmers can't control vehicle pollution near their fields.  Use products from a company that you can trust and doesn't use additives and can prove its claims. 

We can look forward to medical advancements but we need to still investigate new products/drugs/foods to make sure they are safe.  Analyze what the company is saying and look for science that is published and peer reviewed.

By Jenny Bailly, O, The Oprah Magazine
April 19, 2010
http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Beauty-Innovations-That-Will-Happen-in-the-Next-Decade/2

EARTH DAY

April 22, 2010 is the 40th Earth Day.  Many countries and people celebrate Earth Day, and the Green movement is still ongoing.  What are you doing to promote healthy living and sustainable practices in your neighborhood, family, workplace or city?  You can recycle, use CFL bulbs in your fixtures, energy efficient appliances and reusable shopping bage.  Plant trees and shrubs and use native plants in your garden whenever possible to cut down on watering.  Continue to spread the word because there are still those who don't believe in global warming (even though the glaciers are melting and polar bears are drowning because there is less floating ice for them to rest upon; even though weather is more violent and storms larger than before).  Yes, the earth goes through natural weather phases and warming/cooling trends but with all the over-population of the earth and carbon emissions, man has contributed greatly to global warming and the speed with which it is overtaking all of us.  Don't be fooled - every little action counts.  Do what you can to keep the planet green.  There is such a thing as finite resources - have you ever run out of sugar or bread?  The planet can run out of oil; water aquifers can be depleted and never restored (think Florida).........
Be kind to yourself because of your actions, big or small.  Green up your living space, and outdoors use sunscreen (after getting your 15 minutes of Vitamin D unprotected, put on the sunscreen)!
Here is an Earth Day short video from last year: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWlRuIiRrIs