Sue Grafton

One of my favorite authors is Sue Grafton, who created the "alphabet series"--"A" Is For Alibi, "B" Is For Burglar, "C" Is For Corpse--you get the idea.

I like this author for several reasons. I grew up in a family of bookworms, and we mostly like mystery novels. I remembering being hooked on the Nancy Drew series as a girl. Kinsey Millhone, the central character of Grafton's book, reminds me of a less-than-perfect Nancy Drew. Kinsey has weathered tragedy, mistakes, self-doubt, and has had a run of odd luck which rivals that of Lucy Ricardo...much like my own life has been, minus the threat of murderous bad guys after me, thank goodness.

As a struggling mystery writer wanna-be, I enjoy reading, dissecting, and learning from the writing styles of skilled authors, including Sue Grafton. Kinsey Millhone novels are filled with twists and turns, each book a page-turner. If I ever get my book published, someday you can say "I knew her when..."

Sarah Palin

When John McCain announced his choice for Vice-President, I joined the whole country in unison, saying "Sarah who?" Now, a few days later, I know who Sarah Palin is and what she is all about.

I'm a Republican, have been for many years. I don't always vote Republican, I vote for the candidate I like the best, whether he/she is Republican, Democrat, Martian or Venusian. I've been an admirer of John McCain for many years and I've always wished he would run for President. Now that he is two months away from potentially sleeping in Lincoln's bedroom, you would think I'd be happier than a hog in mud (yes, I'm from Texas). The truth is, I'm very undecided about who gets my vote this year. Earlier this year, there were many candidates running, all of whom had good qualities. I told my pastor, who loves following politics, "Wouldn't it be nice if we could morph the best qualities of all the candidates into one really awesome President?" But we can't.

There are things I like about Barack Obama, and things I don't like. And I don't care if he doesn't have experience. The President doesn't govern alone, and Obama has proven his ability to surround himself with quality advisers and his ability to actually listen to their advice.

There are things I like about McCain. He is strong, not afraid to do what he believes need doing. He is respected on both sides of Congress. What bothers me is that McCain does what he wants to and he doesn't care if anyone (including those he represents) likes it or not. He didn't plan his campaign well, ran out of money, and I have serious doubts that he would listen to advice from others, even if he did surround himself with a great Cabinet and advisers. There are things I don't like about each of the candidates. We aren't electing a Messiah here, we can't expect them to be perfect.

Obama made a good, solid, safe choice of running mate in Joe Biden: experience to balance out the inexperience. Those two would be good in the White House. John McCain seemingly made an unusual, sudden, wildcard choice in Sarah Palin. At least that is what I thought at first, that it was strictly a marketing ploy to get himself elected by appealing to women, the working class, and former Hillary Clinton supporters. This is probably true. The last part of the campaign will hinge on marketing.

I've said for years, politics is the best soap opera in the world. This one is going to be a cliffhanger right through the first Tuesday in November, maybe longer (can you say "hanging chad"?) Last week, it was all about Obama bashing. Now the media has a brand new target in Sarah Palin. There's a lot for them to pick on there, but they are really scraping the bottom of the barrel, and so quickly, too. Yesterday on CNN, I watched a ten minute analysis of the fact that Sarah doesn't have a passport. So what? 83% of U.S. citizens don't have a passport. All these analysts did was reinforce the fact the Sarah Palin is just like most moms in this country. As for attacking her children....don't even go there. I'm easy going, but I become a tiger when I feel my children are threatened. The media is bashing a governor with an 86% approval raing, higher than any other governor. Now that she is running for VP, I expect that rating to increase.

If Obama gets elected, I believe he will do well as President, and be reelected in 2012. If McCain gets elected, he may or not be popular. Sarah will be wildly popular, and we will see more of her than we have ever seen of any Vice-President in history. Whether he serves four years or eight years, when McCain leaves the White House, Sarah Palin will likely stay on for another eight years. If John McCain loses this election, I wouldn't be surprised to see Sarah Palin announcing her VP choice about four years from now.

The most interesting thing to me about this election is that in the past candidates have been elected in spite of their choice of running mate (think Dan Quayle, Al Gore). For the first time in history, a candidate may be elected becauseof his choice of Vice-President: Sarah Palin.

Treasure Hunt

"Save your pennies, and your dollars will take care of themselves." I don't know who said that originally (Benjamin Franklin?), but I have come to realize its true. In this age of soaring fuel costs and increasing costs of food, utilities and just about everything, those pennies are looking better to me all the time. Especially since I haven't been able to work for several months because of health problems.

A few months ago, our church conducted a penny drive, to be combined with donations from other Methodist churches to benefit a specific charity. Our church raised over $200.00. That may not seem like much, until you realize it's 20,000 pennies and our little country church only has about 18-20 members who attend each week.....so the 20,000 pennies was collected in one week. I was so impressed with the power of the tiny penny, that I launched a change-saving campaign at home. We live on a tight budget and every little bit helps. My husband was already in the habit of saving quarters, but the pennies, dimes, and nickels didn't get much attention. Now, we save all the pennies (these go to our church penny drive, which we have decided to keep going all year for the big annual penny drive), David still saves quarters, and I have laid claim to all the other silver coins. In no time, I had a coffee cup full of silver--about $15 to be exact. Again, if you have a lot of money, $15 may seem like chump change to you. I guess I'm a chump, because to me that $15 was treasure that had previously been hidden in plain sight. I would've had the same gleeful feeling if I discovered a ten and a five I had tucked away in a book somewhere and forgotten. (I've done that before, by the way.) That $15 bought us a meal at my favorite local hamburger joint...and we don't often have money to dine out, so I was tickled about the "free" meal. And there was change leftover.

Are you frugal? How do you save money?

Lasik Facts--What Is Lasik & Should I Have It?

I got my first pair of glasses when I was 12. I had no idea how near-sighted I was until I could see clearly. It was like someone lifted a gauzy curtain and everything was interesting and colorful to me. Over the last ten years or so, my vision has changed very little. Sometimes I wear contact lenses outdoors, because I drive a convertible and I like to wear sunglasses. But then the distance vision began to change a bit. Now I'm 49 and I got my first pair of bifocals two years ago. I hate those things. It seems as if I can't see with them and I can't see without them. I think my existing neck problems have been enhanced by the cervical contortions I must perform to find just the right spot on the lenses to see an object clearly. I can still wear my single vision contact lenses, but then I have to wear inexpensive magnifying lenses to read. Life shouldn't be this aggravating.

My thoughts have begun to turn to Lasik surgery. I know nothing about this. I have known two people that have had eye surgery...whether it was Lasik or not, I don't know. Jimmy had his about fifteen years ago, when this was still fairly new. He was told he would have to repeat the procedure in about ten years. And it was pricier than a good used car.

Scott had his eye surgery about seven years ago. Again, I don't know if it was Lasik or some other type of vision enhancement surgery. Scott has had chronic problems. His eyes burn and are always so red, he looks like he just got back from a three-day drunk. Scott isn't a complainer, but his eyes bother him so much, he mentions it often.

Some years have passed and medical technology advances at lightning speed. Scott's case is probably not typical, and newer surgery techniques might last longer than ten years now. I decided to do some research, and here is what I found.

LASIK stands for laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis, a surgery in which your doctor uses small laser cuts to reshape the surface of the cornea to correct vision. Side effects can include severe dry eye, eye pain, blurred vision, and an inability to drive at night. (Go to fda.gov and search for "LASIK" for more information.) Recent Lasik patient satisfaction data shows a greater than 95% rate of satisfaction worldwide. That's pretty impressive to me.

Choose your surgeon carefully, from a reputable place that does extensive screening and evaluation of your eyes for this procedure. If possible, get some recommendations from friends who are satisfied with their Lasik procedure, or from your family physician. Ask the doctor how many LASIK procedures he/she has done. The doctor should be fellowship-trained in corneal diseases. All these things will be factors in a successful vision correction surgery for you.

As for me? Sounds good in theory and I will seriously consider it. A big consideration for me is cost. I don't think my insurance company will pay for any of it. Apparently they consider being able to see without tripping over things or running into walls to be a luxury for the those who can afford it. And I don't know if I qualify for Lasik, with my having diabetes, myopia, astigmatism. I will look into it further, and if I decide to go ahead with it, I will let you know how it turns out.

Living With Diabetes--An Overview

Last April, I was diagnosed with diabetes. When I heard the news, I had a meltdown. I know many diabetics, but I've been particularly close to three.

Five years ago yesterday, my good friend and boss, Gail, died from horrible complications of diabetes. She had a triple bypass surgery, and never recovered. She lingered for seven weeks following the surgery. I can't even give the details, it still pains me to think about how awful it was for her.

Three years ago last month, my good friend Wilma almost died from non-Hodgkins lymphoma, while hospitalized to have her enlarged spleen removed. Diabetics are more susceptible to various cancers. She was in the hospital for six weeks. Her condition worsened, both physically and mentally. The prayer chain operated 24/7. Last rites were administered. Doctors removed Wilma's breathing tube and feeding tube. An hour later she woke up and started talking, asking who was this Katrina person on the news causing all that trouble in New Orleans. Truly a miracle.

And one year ago this month, my nephew, Philip died at the age of 39 from severe complications following his second pancreas transplant leaving behind five children. Little Abby still remembers him, but she was so young her memory will fade. No wonder I flipped out. Who wouldn't?

Since then I have calmed down, been educated, gotten my sugar under control and done a lot of research on the subject, although I already knew a great deal about the disease. I now understand that Gail, Wilma, and Philip are extreme examples of what diabetes can do to a person.

The bad news is: I have always been a health nut, raised on a farm, I love vegetables and eating healthy foods--yes, I like Dr. Pepper and chocolate chip cookies as much as the next person. I am aware of good nutrition but I'm not fanatic about it. For 25 years I have been studying about nutrition and downing large doses of vitamins and minerals, avoiding toxins and sunburn....all of this did not prevent me from getting diabetes. The good news is, my healthy ways seems to have helped me a lot with this disease. Other than diabetes, I'm perfectly healthy. I have no heart, kidney, pancreas, or liver damage as out of control diabetics usually do. My cholesterol is low. My blood pressure is excellent (except when I get mad). My diabetes is well under control and my blood sugar stabilized in just three months, which my doctor said is "amazing".

More good news: I never thought I would say this, but I'm glad to have diabetes. It forces me to think before I eat; to eat regularly and not to postpone exercise till tomorrow. To be aware of signals my body sends me, like a headache or just feeling weird. I do something about it promptly and that keeps my blood sugar in check. I know which foods raise my sugar and which ones don't, so I know what to eat to bring it up to normal or bring it down to normal. (On a side note, my friend Joe has diabetes. Joe doesn't eat breakfast, doesn't eat lunch, doesn't eat snacks. He works twelve hours, comes home, gorges himself on huge, heavy meals, has a few beers and watches sports. Joe has already had one bypass surgery. He is a time bomb, ticking away.)

The best thing about having diabetes: No matter how you act, you have an excuse. Cranky today? Sorry honey, my sugar is high. I'm trying not to bite your head off, but it's difficult to control. I love you! Stay out of my way!
Forget something important or say something "blonde"? My blood sugar is low, I can't think straight today. My husband never makes fun of me when I'm "blonde" and he has learned to back off when I'm grouchy. Bless his heart, he is a saint. Love ya', David!

On the subject of medication. I have always avoided drugs, I don't even like to take ibuprofen. There are so many vitamins and minerals that can fix your ailments better than drugs. Doctors have been wrong before about drug treatments. In the 1800's, doctors thought arsenic would cure syphilis. It cured it all right. In the early 1900's, they thought cocaine was just the thing to cure a heroin addiction. Look how well that worked out. In the 1950's doctors freely prescribed an anti-morning sickness drug called Thalidomide: thousands of babies were born without limbs. And now the FDA has approved this drug again for treating symptoms associated with AIDS, Behchet disease, lupus, Sjogren syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, macular degeneration, and some cancers: stand back and watch what happens there. It's like watching two trains barreling toward each other on the same track.
Many drugs have been approved by the FDA, then later yanked off the market amidst a wave of class action lawsuits: Thalidomide, Fen-Phen, Viaoxx, Fosamax....the list goes on.

So now I have to take pills three times a day and insulin once a day. I take Metformin for my blood sugar and a very small dose of Lisinopril--a blood pressure drug that has the happy side effect of preventing kidney damage from diabetes. I take a long-acting insulin just once a day at bedtime. Insulin is a hormone, not a drug. Ya' gotta have it to live. My stepmother had diabetes. She was diligent about her diet, and took insulin several times a day for many years. Suddenly, her body began to process insulin effectively and she was able to stop the insulin. She is the only person I have ever known to do that. And my doctor tells me I may be off insulin before long, too.

How do I feel about taking these drugs? Although I am a die-hard natural remedy, alternative medicine person, I absolutely believe modern medicine has its place. Metformin is a plant-derived drug, the least dangerous one on the market, and even helps me with weight loss, which is helps with the diabetes control. I would rather take my pills and feel good than face the alternative of feeling lousy, myriad health problems, poor quality of life, and early death. My children thank me. My grandchildren thank me.

The moral of this story is diabetes is manageable. It's not like cancer, that may or may not be cured, may or may not kill you, may or may not go into remission. Diabetes will not go away. You can't wish it away, you can't will it away. But it is totally, 100% manageable. For me, that meant only a slight change in lifestyle. For others, it means a major change in lifestyle. But if you don't do it, you will develop complications and die. It's your choice: manage your diabetes or die slowly as associated diseases insidiously creep in and take over your body and your life. So please. Adopt the appropriate eating & exercise patterns (which I like to call healthstyle), take your medication faithfully, live long and prosper. Be well, be happy.

About me and my blog

Hi, my name is Phyllis. This blog is about my life and what I have learned in my nearly half a century of existence. I have had many interesting experiences, and I have many interests. I will be posting about any topic that crosses my mind or that I read about on the internet, newspaper, magazine or anywhere else.

I've had wide range of experiences. I was born and raised inTexas, and I lived there for 40 years. I've lived in Washington State, Colorado, Arkansas and now Maine. I've been a hairdresser, I've worked in a prison, and in a group home for developmentally challenged adults. I've been a Special Olympics coach. I've worked for a mortgage broker, a title company, and I've been a real estate agent. Some of my interests are cooking, baking, books, movies, surfing the internet, photography, church, alternative health and natural living.

I have been studying and learning about maintaining good health through the use of vitamins, minerals, and other supplements, as well as massage, healthy food and other "alternative" ways of maintaining health. None of these are new, many are centuries old. I will be discussing these topics frequently.

I also like to garden a little bit. I don't exactly have a green thumb, but it has lightened up a bit from brown thumb to a light yellowish tan. Maybe it will be green next summer.

I have an African Grey parrot named Casey. You will be reading about her antics and I will soon post a photo of her.

I like dogs and cats, although I have neither one now. My dog, Brandy, died at the age of 14 two years ago, just before I moved to New England. My last cat, Poco, died a the age of 16 in 1996. I miss having a cat. But if I got another cat, then I would soon miss having a parrot.

I hope you will enjoy reading my blog as much as I enjoy writing it. Go Red Sox!!