4 Years!

My hubby and I have been married 4 years, as of yesterday, August 17th. I bought this card, with words made of wood. I loved it the moment I saw it...it's so "us".

Arcata...looked like a hippy town to me

We visited the town square, which is truly a square around a park. It was a beautiful day for browsing artisan shops full of local arts and crafts and walking past many bars with a few seedy looking types hanging around. The park had an interesting mix of "Joe and Jane Regular" and "Happy People" in dreadlocks with really big dogs. Yeah, it was a mix of weird. There was a really cool store with all products made from hemp. >>>Hemp is NOT marijuana<<< The shop owner was a happy guy from Jamaica, wearing dreadlocks, but they looked natural on him. I found a hat I liked, but it was $40. I didn't want a $40 hat. I bought a cool "Rocker" garlic press in another store.

Here are a couple pics of Arcata, sans weird people. The fuzzy dark circle to the top right is a permanent fixture of my camera now, since it is a point and shoot and not a DSLR, which I could open and clean. The photography group I belong to says it's a speck of dust.

Later we drove to Eureka, first stop, Target. I bought earrings and a vacuum. I really needed a vacuum. We were going to continue to the mall but I told hubby I was tired of shopping, and it was a long drive home. Vita Cucina was still open, so we stopped in for more yummy honey bran muffins.

Tomorrow...Arcata and Eureka!

Hubby has tomorrow off, so we planned an outing, shopping in Arcata and Eureka, about 80 miles south of us here in Crescent City.

I didn't know we had a live cam here. I wish I could just embed the cam but I don't know how.
Crescent City Harbor

Beautiful Summer Weather Today

Today and tomorrow are my days off. The weather is glorious. I'm not sick. All the bills are paid for the month and we aren't broke. Life is good.

North Coast air conditioning:

North Coast heat:

Sick again....darnit

Tourist Season is booming, I have customers from everywhere! Scandinavia, Canada, other states, who knows where else. Some pull into the Walmart parking lot in huge motor homes. Crescent City certainly is a vacation destination. Unfortunately I have heard a lot of coughing. I have been extra careful, but Tuesday night my throat was scratchy. My days off are Tuesday and Wednesday. By Wednesday I was full-blown sick. I sat on the couch all night, unable to breath laying down. I sucked on a lot of Zinc tablets. I stayed home today. It was my 4 hour day anyway. My chest congestion is already starting to break up with the help of some Mucinex. Hubby was worried. He wanted to rush me to the doctor, but I told him I will be ok, I'll only go if it lingers or gets worse. It's common in Europe for people to rush to the doctor for just about anything. After all, it only costs a couple Euros. It's hard to explain to him we really can't do that here.

Anyway, hubby has been working the early shift at Rumiano, so he gets home about 2 or 3 pm, plenty of time to grab a bite to eat and do something together. Tuesday we decided to take a walk. We had not done that since December or January. The dry weather is leaving its mark. We rarely get rain and I must water my potted plants every week. I hear there may be a change coming, which might bring mudslides to the people who live on cliffs in Southern Cal. It's always something, no matter where you live.

Pretty white flowers or grass, not sure

Skunk Cabbage (no smell this time of year)

A dead fern shines like gold

A dry field. I assume the green area in the distance is what it should all look like.

The Second of My Two Days Off

I got more done today, including the laundry. The other day, when I had the car, I bought a laundry cart, so I don't put my back out trying to carry everything to the laundry room. I be stylin' now :)

It is a glorious day sunny, mild, blue sky and pretty clouds. This is from the upstairs window. I can never get enough of the natural beauty here.

Oh Nuts!

I have been pain-free for three days now. What did I give up? Nuts. Tree nuts. I already know that peanuts (not in any way related to tree nuts) cause inflammation in my body. Years ago I found out (very painfully) that Hazelnuts and Cashews cause instant joint swelling and redness, and I do mean within half an hour. Very early on I discovered I cannot tolerate any plant protein that has been isolated (such as MSG, isolated soy protein, isolated corn protein, isolated whatever plant protein). I also have problems with Nitrites and Nitrates.

For the last couple weeks my hubby has been working 6:30 am to 3 pm, so we were getting up at 5 am. I usually work until 7 or 9 pm, meaning I come home and don't feel like eating, and barely feel like cooking, because it was already past my bedtime. So hubby was trying to make things easy on me. He bought sausage and hot dogs (quick to cook), plus other prepared foods, being careful to avoid MSG. I had already purchased a couple boxes of Biscotti (with Almonds) because I love to dip them in my coffee.

The result...not only was I exhausted from not enough sleep (although I did catch a nap on the days I work 4 hours, usually 2 to 6 or 3 to 7) but I was in pain, serious pain...massive leg cramps at night, back pain, sciatic pain, leg pain, foot pain, dragging myself through the work day and suffering cramps at night. Aspirin didn't cut it. I can't take the other stuff. One night, amid my husband's worried suggestions of "shall I go buy something for you" and "do you need a doctor", I was nearly in tears as pains shot though my legs and my feet throbbed.

I had already been to a doctor. She pinched the back of my hand and said I was dehydrated. Drinking more water and checking my hand has become a ritual. I'm no longer dehydrated. I keep Vitamin B-6 next to the bed for leg cramps, although they don't help much. I've been trying to remember to pop a multi-vitamin at least a couple times a week. I'm trying to push more fruit and veggies into my diet.

The big change came when I announced to my sausage-loving hubby that I'm sorry, I can't eat much of it anymore, even though he can. I also stopped eating anything with nuts and reduced my salt intake. Result...restful nights without cramps and no pain at work!

It's a bummer, because I love nuts and peanut butter and I'm not a big meat eater. I can get some protein from beans, but they give me lots of gas, not cool at work when I'm bending over, stocking or helping customers.

Well, it's a beautiful day, first of my 2 days off. I need to do everything but feel like doing nothing. <sigh>