Gift of RA

This is often considered to be the end of summer weekend.  For us it is very warm and with more fires all around us, very hazy, smokey and hot.  Sinuses are not happy but not a lot we can do.  Meanwhile, my two sisters are having Seattle summer weather.

My younger one in Nashville had rain from Harvey but no flooding; my older sister on the Jersey shore is also having comfortable weather and some rain.

Nashville

Ocean Grove, N.J.

We are having spectacular sunsets and sunrises because of the air quality.  Some people think people in Seattle are wimps because it seems we are  never satisfied – not enough rain, too much rain, etc.  I would not trade places with anyone, this is definitely my place.  People with all kinds of chronic illness are having difficulty with the weather and conditions, it is tough on the body physically, especially with a compromised immune system.  What I also know is that so far my survival rate from difficult times is 100% and I will make it through this as well.  Patience has been something I have had to learn – I will admit to times when it is stretched to it’s limits.

I was looking back at the beginning posts I wrote back in 2009 – I had forgotten a lot of it and it was a good reminder to me.  It also gave me a subject for my radio show this week – I wouldn’t be surprised to find quite a few more.  My contract with the radio station is up at the end of October, I have been working on finding sponsors to continue the show for another year.  I have three possibilities that I hope will come together.  We now have a metaphysical shop in Burien and they are an oasis for me.  I was there last week and one of the owners was saying that by tomorrow when Mercury goes back home and several other planets and eclipses occur, things will come together.  It is a matter of patience.  My problem is that I want it all settled and “in the bag” right now before my deadline.  I will see what unfolds in the next few days and weeks with as much patience I can muster.

THURSDAY

Tuesday morning I left for my show and it looked very odd outside – almost a green tinge similar to the eclipse.  When I came up the hill, the sun was a red disc – very odd.  I had never seen it that way before.  The fires are getting worse and growing – it has been so difficult for the firefighters to access the slopes and put out the fires.  For several days the smoke has made the sun red, there was talk the moon is also red – hard to see it.  I have sinus headaches and once again I am coughing with a dry, scratchy throat.  I hate to think what it is like for people with major respiratory problems.  I’m having a hard enough time with my body.  My rheumatologist’s office called yesterday because they were concerned my sed rate went up after finally going down.  I told Jennifer my body has been very uncomfortable since the fires started and the smoke hasn’t helped my sinuses.  She said a lot of patients are having trouble as well.  I am hoping when they do blood work again at the end of October, I will have lower labs again.

Now when I look at Texas and Florida, this is no big deal – it just feels that way at times.  I can’t imagine losing everything or the threat about to arrive as it comes toward Florida.  I was in one hurricane in Connecticut – spent the time curled up in a fetal position on the sofa.  Eddie was out of town and driving back – I wasn’t sure he would make it.   I didn’t want to be in the hurricane alone, but if I had to, I could do it.  To take my mind off it, I taped windows – wow, I had no idea how many we had!  Just as things began to rock and roll, Eddie got home.  I was so glad to see him.

I also saw my first Nor’easter there, we were in East Haven on the shore.  I sat and watched from my dining room window.  The Sound came up to the fence on the other side of the street – one of those days when I was glad we didn’t have beach front.  Things were flooded out on both ends of the street, but we were okay.  Afterwards it was a little tricky in places, never quite knew what would be flooded and what wouldn’t.  There have been other kinds of weather I’ve been through, I can certainly relate a small bit of how it is.

I know this too shall pass, I just like it to get on its way a little faster and bring some rain the clear and clean the air and help put out the fires.  The pictures I’ve seen are horrendous.