In flux

I am trying to decide whether I should switch to a different blog setup. I want to get the most readers and followers I can and I wonder if a change would facilitate that. Since I know just about nothing about blogging and getting my blog visited, I'm really writing blind here. Any and all suggestions that you dear readers would like to make, I accept gratefully. And here is a link to a practice switch that I am thinking about.  http://mindofahummingbird.tumblr.com/  Please visit it and let me know what you think.

Should I stay or should I go?

Car accidents that haunt you years later...

In 2008 I was driving along with my sunroof open and my windows rolled down, soaking in the late afternoon sun on a hot July Friday. Traveling at about 40 mph, moving with traffic, I saw a white flash out of the corner of my right eye and then BAM!  I was hit by a box truck that was exiting the freeway without stopping or yielding to the flow of traffic. The truck hit my little red Subaru on the A-pillar of the right side and smashed the car in all the way to the gas cap. My car was shoved across the busy street where I came to a dead stop. Miraculously, no other cars hit me. Thankfully my window was down so my head and upper body swung outside the car and then back in. Although I was sore and my kidneys were bruised, I did not sustain any immediate and more serious injuries.

Except that today, while visiting my French Homeopathic doctor for another treatment of my neck/arm and shoulder pain on the left side, he asked me if I had ever been in a car accident.  Um...yeah, why?

Well, this pain that I have been living with now for over 4 weeks may be due to that same car accident years ago. The tingling down my arm, the stiffness in my neck and the occasional left-side headaches that I suffer with are all long term injuries from that guy not obeying the traffic law, striking my car at 50 mph. It is a real possibility that I may have developed arthritis in my neck causing all of this pain, a condition that will only deteriorate as I...  wait for it.....AGE!

Arthritis....at 34.   So discouraging!

The next car I buy will have to have side-impact airbags!

Happy Anniversary!

Today marks the 3rd wedding anniversary of my step-daughter Denise and her husband David.

Dennis and I are not able to join in celebrating this happy day in person because thousands of miles separate us but our thoughts are with Denise and David and we wish them a happy happy day full of love and good memories and a lifetime more of happy anniversaries!!!

Homeopathic Treatment for My Pulled Shoulder Muscle

The fact that I am exercising and trying to lose weight would obviously lead to me hurting myself and possibly suffering a set back. Sigh

So I was using my husband's work out bands, doing some seemingly simply arm exercises. No  big  deal. I felt weak and quickly tired but nothing beyond what I considered normal for my current state of total muscle limpness.  Little did I know. 

Evidently I greatly strained and pulled the muscle running between my shoulder blades on both sides, (I'm thinking these could be my Lats) making any use of my arms and hands very painful. Of course! Typing, washing dishes, eating, even walking and moving my arms side to side..any simple movement that stretches the muscles back there delivers searing hot pain between my shoulders. And after, when I try to rest, there is a burning electrical sensation that runs up to my neck and down my fingertips on the left side. OUCH

3 weeks of this before I look for treatment. I self medicate with every drug I have in my substantial arsenal. Nothing touched it. I tried ice..I tried heat. N O T H I  N G helped. 

So I went to visit the local Homeopathic MD in my town. Dennis had to translate for me but he seemed happy to in the hopes that I would get some relief (and he would get some sleep).

The Doctor told us that he got his medical license but then he felt that too much emphasis was put on drugs and not on treatment. So he branched off to Eastern medicine and he continues to travel to China yearly to stay current.

So acupuncture needles went in all over my shoulders and back, even one on each ankle and another in my neck. I have done acupuncture before and was always pleased by the relaxing experience and boneless feeling I enjoyed after. My current state is much worse than anything I have done to myself before. Each needle felt like an electrical spark of heat and they never diminished during the 20 minutes I lay on the table. My treating physician explained that there was significant swelling and it may be some time before I felt improved. My life story.

But that is not all.  He didn't just stick me and leave me. He prescribed oral herbs to help reduce the inflammation and repair the strain. Also a cream of copper and zinc that Dennis rubs on my back twice a day. 

It's day two since my treatment began but I have to honestly say that I feel no improvement, yet. I am really trying to think happy thoughts and dispel the negative ones I automatically feel but still, my back is killing me with every hand and arm movement.

I do enjoy taking the herbs though. Each tiny white, minty pebble is dispensed in a tube with a mechanism that allows you to release one which you then drop under your tongue. You can't touch them with your fingers. I assume this is because the herbs cause crazy boils and rashes when they come in contact with the skin. Mmmmmmmmmm......? I don't care what it is, as long as it works!

 

Date night: A visit to the Cinema in Monte-Carlo

Being full-time caretakers to my 95-year-old mother-in-law here in France and working from home full-time running 2 Internet based companies, my husband and I have very little time for ourselves. Which also leads to very little time out and we are almost never alone together since my mother-in-law requires 24 hour care and we cannot leave her.

In this challenging situation, we are enormously grateful when someone can stand in for us for a few hours so that we can run errands or get our hair cut or buy groceries. We are even more excited when we can go out on a date because it is so rare! Since we came back from our 3 week visit stateside in December, we have not been on a date. Which is exactly what we were able to do last night. Our new friend Lisa came and stayed here for a few hours while Dennis and I went to the movies. It was delightful!

Living in the South of France, finding a cinema where I could understand the film is a little challenging. But, as it turns out, we just needed to travel to our neighbor country of Monaco. About five miles away, Monaco borders our town of Roquebrune-Cap Martin on the western border.

A short drive to Monaco, where we parked in one of the many underground parking facilities and a short walk brought us to the Cinema of Monte-Carlo. They offered 2 movies in English so we opted to see The Iron Lady. The theatre was spacious and clean. The popcorn was salty and perfect. The Iron Lady was heartbreaking and lovely. Such a great film!!  We finished the night by driving down to the Port of Monaco and sharing a wonderful pizza at a corner restaurant that sat directly opposite to the driveway entrance of the Palace of Monaco. Not my usual night at the movies!

Dennis and I hamming it up outside the Casino in Monte-Carlo. Not the average location for a movie theatre! 

I did ask for no mushrooms but pulling them off after the fact worked out just fine!

Wonderful date night! Thank you so much Lisa! We enjoyed every moment!

Any excuse for fireworks!

Here in the outskirts of Menton, France we are enjoying the continued celebration of the Lemon Festival.

Last night was another parade night with the rumor of fireworks. So at 9:30 P.M. we drove our 1980s Mercedes down to the town and parked as close as we could to the road block. Walking towards the parade barrier, we selected a lovely little street side restaurant where we enjoyed a delicious cappuccino and the taster plate of miniature desserts. As our server pointed out, if we couldn't choose which dessert to try, try them all! From the brownie to the tiny tiramisu, I was enthralled.

Plus, the tiny desserts were served, not on a plate, but on a piece of slate!

Soon, the street lights went out, cluing us into the start of the fireworks. We paid our bill and dashed outside, joining the crowds on the street as they made their way down to the steps that lead to the beach.

With the waves of the Mediterranean lapping near our feet, we watched as Menton light up the night, in tribute to Lemons.

So much fun on a Thursday night in March.

The Sunbathing dog

I know, you are tired of reading about people's pets and the funny darling things they do, when you don't think it's all that funny.

But trust me, MY dog Anna is different. She is more human than I am. And I was able to capture a few moments of her doing what she does that makes me laugh and I wanted to share:

Exhibit 1: Every morning, when the sun is out, you can find Anna sunbathing on the front balcony. Just look at her facial expression.          B L I S S.      I look just like that when I am sitting in the sun. All she needs is an exotic umbrella drink in her paw!

Exhibit 2:

Here I am proud to say I captured the absolute essence of Anna, when she is around tall grass. Usually Anna can't control herself around even short normal grass. She has to roll in it like a fool. But with this high ornamental grass, she throws caution to the wind and rolls like there is no tomorrow. She usually gets completely lost from my view and tangled by the time she is done.

That's all for now. I'm sure she will do something again soon that will be worthy of note. :)