HURRICANE! Sandy

This is the largest hurricane I have experienced by far.  We are all
blessed that she is a Cat 1, albeit a very tight and intense storm,
but not with 100 plus mile per hour winds.  Being so far in the
mountains and listening to the winds howl around the house, well,
I am very glad she is a Cat 1. I have been in one Cat 4--and that's
enough for me.

No birds at the feeders. I haven't seen any birds at all.  I guess the
wind is too much for them.  We are continuing to put food out for
Frankie the Friendly Marsupial.  The house is quite tight, warm,
and cozy.  We have lost power three times, but only for a minute
or two.

There is a 70% chance of snow/rain tonight and tomorrow.  School
has already been called off--so he gets a break from that long trip
to and from school.

The wind is whistling around the corners of the house. My sister
and one neice are in the Washington DC area.  I hope they
don't lose power and, most of all, that they stay safe.  Hurricanes
are dangerous and tricky. 

All for tonight

Early Morning Full Moon

The time  was 0530; I had been awake since 0400 as I went to bed at 1100
last night.  I had been perusing gardening books at Thrift Books (good site).
This was prompted by an ad from Rodale for a book on Composting that
was priced at 31.95.  Outrageous price, especially when you consider that
most "hobby" type books are eventually discarded and some never used.
I did a search under the heading of discount books and then went under the
heading of gardening.  I know I cannot purchase all I have chosen, but their
are very pocketbook friendly with free shipping.

While I was looking at gardening books, I glanced out the window of the
sunroom and got a surreal view of a full moon in the early morning mountian
mist.  I stepped out onto the deck for a better view and felt the first winds of
winter wrap around me.  The wind was blowing.  The air was cold.  I did not
stay long on the deck before re-turning to the warmth of the sunroom.

Yesterday was quite warm.  We went to the curb market, and then to Saluda
for lunch.  After lunch at the Purple Onion, we went to some of the little shops
nearby.  I wish I could recall the name of even one of them.  I bought only two
things--2 bars of soap.  The price was 6.00 per bar which is the same price my
co-op charges--but these were bigger bars.  I was hoping to be making my own
soap by now, but I did not allow for 5 months of a drug reaction that made doing
doing anything nearly impossible.  When I get caught up, I will resume making
soap for myself at least.  I love my soap. 

After leaving Saluda, we went to Flat Rock to Rainbow Row, and I wandered
through the artsy little shops.  I saw "frilly scarves" in both Saluda and Flat Rock.
"Frilly Scarves" has been a recent topic of discussion in yahoo bead group,
beadsandmore, about the making of these scarves, so I looked these over with
interest.  One of the members of  my group has a store called Jamestown Soapworks,
she sells these scarves,  her hand made soaps, and, of course, jewelry.  Her prices
are low--she depends largely on tourist sales, so this is a shameless plug for her
business. Check the site out--the prices are amazing!  That soap was my only
purchase; I did note that the price of the same exact soap was 2.00 higher in
Flat Rock as opposed to the 6.00 price in Saluda.  We stopped at a few other
places; by the end of the day, I was exhausted.  I wasn't accustomed to "going"
that much in one day.  No shortness of breath though, just plain fatigue from
being inside for too long.

I did some reading (fiction) after returning  home--and just lounged.  Felt really
good.

I started a group on yahoo called BlessingsAndAffirmations--it is a continuation
of my positive thoughts blog that I have on my computer.  It is written for myself,
started after my injury, but others may benefit, so I made it into a group format,
so that others could benefit also--should they wish to read.  Everyone copes with
Life in different ways.  I write.

All for today. 

The Chickadee and the Cat

I have all kinds of small birds visiting the bird feeder on the back porch. 
Some, I have still to identify, but the chickadee is present and was easy
to identify.  He flies back and forth to the feeder, then to the tree.  He's
quite fast and moves about the tree so fast that a picture has been
impossible.  He is well aware of Daisy, the cat.  I guess the chickadee
felt like playing.  So the bird flew onto the tiny ledge between the two
halves of the window.  First Daisy froze, then she launched all 14 lbs.
through the air only to hit the window, and slide down behind the desk
in a most undignified fashion.  She crawled out from behind the desk
with a "I planned that" attitude, which only made me laugh harder.
For the next hour the chickdee taunted Daisy.  Daisy wanted that bird,
but didn't launch herself at anymore windows.  The Chickadee was
joined by another smallish bird, also very fast in flight and movements.
I know it is yellow-green in color, but in size and color it could fit a
member of the finch or warbler family.

I have had no other hummingbirds, and did not expect any, but someone
has been drinking nectar as it is nearly gone.  I will continue to keep
nectar out, at least the one feeder, until no bird seems interested in it.

Still planning my garden of flowers and lettuces.  The lettuce in the
planter on the front porch is doing fabulous.  Nearly ready to pick.
The Shrub at the very sunny corner of the house, the one I plan to
remove--well I know its claim to fame now.   In the autumn the
leaves turn a brilliant red.  So I may break it up and transfer it to
some other place.  But it isn't going to continue keeping all that
wonderul sunshine for its own.  I want flowers planted there--and
maybe some tomatoes.  But definitely some flowers of all colors.

So many leaves have fallen that the houses around us  are now visible.
The autumn foliage peaked last week--and the yard is filled with
gold, crimson, and rust colored leaves.  The mountains have the same
colors marching to their summits. 

Today I am going to the Curb Market and the library--beyond that,
I have no plans.  I did buy 3 solar lights at Harbor Freight--they
were on sale for 10.00--a hummingbird, a butterfly, and a dragonfly.
I also bought a small very cool digital scale for beads and such.
I am gearing up to sell beads and/or jewelry!

Living without shortness of breath is wonderful.  Since it started
gradually, around the time I was injured, I blamed all on the
injury and the Raynauds.  I feel so positive about life now.  Such
a difference.

All for today

Hummer OK

It made it through the night and was gone when my partner went outside
and carefully checked the ground and the bush.  So it flew on to where
ever its destination was to be.  The level in the feeder was lower this
morning, so I think keeping the light on was a good idea.

Tomorrow I must work on bringing some of the plants inside.  Daisy
loves to destroy plants.  Personally, I think she is jealous of anything
that draws my attention away from her.  I think I can hang a few of
these plants.  The large ones must go downstairs--or I could wait
to see how cold it's going to be and only bring them into the living room
at night and lock Daisy in the bedroom.  Then the snake plants that,
per family legend, are to bring one good luck when placed on the
front porch--then the snake plants could continue generating some
of that good luck.

I receive a lot of email.  As I was looking through it, I found one for
Gardening Supplies--a lovely catalog with wonderful things for birds
and plants and the yard.  So fun to look and dream about the distant
Spring.

All for tonight

Hummer at the Window

About 9:30 PM,  I heard a noise at my window--it was a hummingbird
attempting to get in.  It's chilly outside and due to get much colder.  I walked
towards the window and it flew feebly towards the window again.  Then it
slid down.  There is a huge bush right below the window, so I feel that its fall
was broken.  I have learned they are much tougher than they appear.  But I
was still worried, so I put on my shoes and a coat; picked up cat's softsided
carrier and a LCD flashlight, and out I go.  Did I mention I am really night
blind--have been all my life--and the flashlight was tiny, tiny one?  My
partner was sleeping, so it was up to me to find the hummer.  I couldn't find
the little one.  I went back inside and moved the feeder on the front porch
to the back porch and turned the back porch light on.  If it finds the nectar,
it will be able to feed frequently and keep its body temperature up.  That is
all I know to do.  But I will worry about it just the same.

Last night I was gathering old cornbread and catfood for Frankie the Friendly
Marsupial.  It looked to be a bleak meal, so I topped it with a bit of whipped
cream.  He seemed to enjoy the meal--there was not even a crumb left this
morning!

The mountains have reached their color peak,  absolutely gorgeous.  Most of
the larger trees in our yard are nearly leafless now.  Winter is not far away.
I will get to see and get to know the winter birds.  I saw one today that I
have not identified yet.  When I find it, I will post a picture.

All for tonight.

Autumn Rains

I have been absent for a while due to being ill, I thought. But now I believe
that after years of being on the same cardiac meds, I am  the victim of an
undiagnosed drug reaction.  It was time for a refill, and after that was taken
care of, it occurred to me that I had not checked what the side effects are
for my cardiac meds.  I am posting this here because I think it is very important.
Just because you initially tolerate a drug well does not mean you always
will tolerate it.  Keep a list of side effects in your pocketbook.

The following 3 drugs which I reviewed for side effects are below--the side
effects I listed are only those that I have experienced:

Azor 10 mg

side effects--dizziness, water retention, flushing, heart palpitations. itching, rash.
                    unusual hoarseness, change in the amount of urine produced, chest
                    pain, fainting, shortness of breath, sudden unexplained weight gain,
                    swelling of ankles and hands, tremors, weakness, insomnia, cough,
                    bronchitis, pharygitis, sinusitis, increased respiratory infections.

Imdur 60 mg

side effects--dizziness, headache, nausea, rash, itching, difficulty breathing, fainting,
                    sudden shortness of breath, vomiting, flushing, syncope.

Norvasc 40 mg

side effects--water retention, fatigue, dizziness, nausea, flushing, light headedness,
                   fainting, rapid weight gain, depression, anxiety, unexplained rash,
                    itching, wheezing, difficulty breathing, difficulty in swallowing, shakiness,
                    loss of appetite, vomiting, back pain, hot flashes, dry mouth,
                    insomnia, constipation, thirst.


I have been dealing with all of the above since the end of May.  I have seen 2 PA's,
talked with 2 more PA's over the phone in regards to my "Sinus Infection".  I have
taken 20 days (2 full scripts of Cefnid, one full script of Z-Pack,  & 7 days of
Keflex, 9 days of Biaxin--I did not take the final day of Biaxin as I developed a
suspicious rash that reminded me of drug reaction.

This reaction to my well-tolerated drugs could have killed me.  And I am not
exaggerating.  No one picked up on it.  And I didn't keep a list of side effects
handy.  So make that list--it could save your lie--seriously.

Back to Bird House channel--it is early in the morning; I woke up at 0400 to
the soothing sound of rain.  I caught another glimpse of the yellow/green birds,
but not enough of one to identify them.  Only one hummingbird  feeder is still
hanging.  The others have been brought in can carefully cleaned.  My wasp
traps came a few days ago.  They will be ready to catch yellow jackets next
year.  Hopefully, in the next couple of days, I will feel better and more like
cleaning all the bird feeders for winter.

If anyone is looking for a bat house, I found them at Amazon for a very reasonable
price.

All for today

Hummers Gone for Winter

This occurred on the 7th of October. They have definitely migrated now. 
I miss them already.

The air is cooler now--using heat instead of air conditioning.  Leaves are
coloring the palette of the mountains in golds, reds, and burnt orange.

On a different note, we have 4 feral cats catching our ground squirrels,
so we put out a trap for them--baited with cat food.  And, of course,
the first night, we caught Frankie the Friendly Marsupial.  I woke up
early in the morning and saw him in the cage pacing back and forth.
I went outside and released him--and he's still coming to dine here,
but has kept his distance from the trap!  Who says possums aren't smart!

All for tonight

Addendum to Bee Problems

I checked out the Humzinger and two of the wasp traps listed on worldof
hummingbirds.com.  Here is the skinny on them.  Go to Amazon.com,
type in wasp traps.  I was particularly interested in the yellow one,
shaped somewhat like a hive, which was only slightly above 8.00 on
Amazon, which was much less expensive-- and the 6 pack of plastic
soda bottle converters, also costing slightly more than 8.00.  I ordered
both of them.  Amazon is a great price checking tool.  I maintain a prime
account which pays for itself easily, as the majority of items on Amazon
ship for free with a prime account.  I wanted to share this information with
readers before calling it done for tonight.

Bee Problems and Solutions

On  Thursday the 4th, I did not see any hummers until the afternoon.  I was
concerned and thought their migration time had finally come.  That afternoon,
as I was at my desk in the sunroom, a hummer flew and hovered at the window
in front of me, but did not go to the feeder.  I looked out and saw there was plenty
of nectar remaining.  The hummer flew around the feeder, but never lit to feed
as if she was trying to tell me something.  I went onto the deck to closely
inspect the feeder.  Then I spotted the yellow jacket. Even though I am afraid
of bees, I went after this yellow jacket. I managed to run it off once, but as I
stood guard, it came back.  I had read somewhere that the bees secrete a
toxin into the nectar that harms the hummingbirds.  I didn't locate that reference
this morning before writing this entry, but I did locate in world of hummingbirds.
com that yellow jackets have been known to sting hummers to their death.  All
I knew Thursday afternoon was that I was angrier than the yellow jacket.  I
actually ran it off several times. Then my partner joined me--and we were both
angry--he killed 4-5 yellow jackets in his endeavor to rid the feeder of yellow
jackets with no luck.  He then brought the feeder inside and thoroughly cleaned
it. but the minute he took it back outside, the bees were after the feeder again,
and he brought it back inside.

We checked the ones on the front porch, and they were free of bees, so we hung
that feeder on the front porch.  As we are rarely in the living room, we don't
get to observe them as often, and they don't fly up to window to commune with
us.

As I googled  hummingbirds and yellow jackets this morning, and went to
World of Hummingbirds .com, I learned some valuable information.  They
recommended a hummingbird feeder called HumZinger.  I haven't checked
it out out--but they have something called WASP TRAPS--it is a one way
entrance for yellow jackets.  I will purchase some next year.  This nectar
season is nearly over here.

So if you're having problems with your hummer feeders and yellow jackets,
the solutions can be found at world of hummingbirds.com.

That's all for today!

The Hair Post and More

For the past 2 years I have been letting my hair grow longer and longer.  I had
some hippie notion that I would love it hanging down my back.  Close to 2 feet
long, today I had it cut--short--and drastically thinned out.  Why?  Well,  my
hippie notion of having this long hair conflicted with reality.  I had no idea how
thick it was until I tried wearing it in a ponytail.  My hair was so heavy that I
had headaches.  And I won't even discuss the tangles.  It took 30 minutes to
comb the tangles out before going anywhere.  I ended up wearing it in ponytails,
one on each side of my head.  Not a great look.

After the great cut was completed, I looked at the beautician's floor.  Are you
familiar with Married With Children and the comments made about Peg's "Big
Hair"?  Honestly, there was enough hair on the floor to make 2 Peg wigs!  I
couldn't believe it. 

On leaving, I felt so much lighter, freer.  I'll keep it short.  I have definitely out-
grown hippie heydays--in more ways than one!

The hummingbirds are still here.  Feeding heavily.  I am amazed that they're still
here.  Everyday I expect to find them gone.

I am still halfway sick; I feel so much better until I try to be very active.  The fever
comes back and all I can do is sleep.  I am still working on getting the house
cleaned before my partner's mother and brother arrive this weekend.  And the
endless rain and fog is supposed to be gone by then.

All for today.