SENSUAL ESSENTIAL OILS

Yes.  I have finally jumped on the bandwagon of doTerra essential oils.  For years I have gone to presentations but never purchased a thing.  So much to learn and I wasn't "feeling" the benefits.

A few months ago, I attended another learning event and thought I would buy the book to learn more about uses for all the different types.  Wouldn't you know, I won the door prize ... a small purse size container filled with eight tiny bottles of different oils, rather like a first aid kit.  My daughter's birthday was coming up and I know she has been intrigued as well.

With advice from lady friends who have been using these oils for a few years, I chose 5-6 for Kate, they gave me a free book, and I let her have the small kit (busy baby boys!).  The sales structure is kinda like Amway or Mary Kay (pyramid) and I don't want to be involved like that.  But I was able to open an account where I can buy oils at a bit less than retail and have them shipped direct.  No hosting a party or whatever.  Someone gets points for me buying but I'm not sure who.

Then I bit the bullet and bought a diffuser.  Oh wow does that actually work.  I made the mistake of using lavender the first time ... and I was so relaxed and mellow nothing got done!  Perfect to use in the bedroom when you have trouble sleeping.  (Kate has bathed her boys in lavender bubble bath with a few drops of lavender oil every night since birth)(followed by lavender lotion).

Now I use lemon oil in my water, or slim and sassy (which has cinnamon to help curb my appetite).  Peppermint or Patchouli in the diffuser to give me energy.  And I bought an app for quick, handy reference.

I know it's probably a passing fancy but for now, I'm a believer.  When I feel like the pollution is affecting me or I'm catching a cold, I use OnGuard in the diffuser and within hours I feel better.  When one of my local doTerra ladies heard I was catching a cold ... she popped over with tiny vials of additional cold fighters/immune boosters and lozenges in case it got worse.

There are lots of ways to add a drop of this or that to a drink or a dessert or a casserole ... or for natural cleaning, but I haven't tried any of that.  Rather expensive so I'm very careful with each and every drop.

Blogged with patchouli diffusing in the background

ALONE AGAIN, NATURALLY

My house guest departed yesterday. 

She was a pleasant and helpful and had lots of friends to go visit, so really I was just a "B" instead of a "B&B".  Lucky she has friends who live on the right side of the tracks!  The Fairmont Hotel with a cabana!  I would drop her off at 10am and she would take an Uber home.

It was super easy as I head to my room around 9pm and read and watch Netflix.  Wake up time is 8am and she would already have the coffee brewing!

We had the best of intentions on eating healthy yet ended up eating out every day!  Every meal out provided one (or two) meal at home.  Mostly we had coffee and a banana for breakfast.

Despite it being a very low maintenance visit, it was still nice to let my ears rest for the next 24 hours.

Tonight and tomorrow I have something interesting to do ... can't say what as it involved my sister's CUSTOM birthday gift!  

Missed you guys!

SLEEP, SNORING and SOUR PUSSES

Mr. Ralph was a world champion snorer.  If I got to sleep before he did, it wouldn't bother me until about 5:00 am.  When he fell asleep before me, I would move to the guest room.  Whomever awoke first, found the other.  Not a perfect marriage arrangement, but it worked okay until I finally found my friend, Ambien.

When Kate was a teenager and had friends overnight, our living/TV room was right over our bedroom.  There were so many times she had to explain to her frightened friends that is was NOT a monster, but her Dad snoring.  She'd even bring them downstairs outside our bedroom door to prove it.

He was pretty excited when I started snoring ... until he would have to be the one to move.  Finally, we both took Ambien and lived happily ever after.

In my opinion, snoring is not something the snorer has any control over.  Mr. Ralph tried BreatheRight, CPAPs, BiPAPs, exercises, etc.  I could get him to move into another position and get relief to fall back asleep....sometimes.

Being on two HOAs, Oregon and Maui, almost daily I see complaints or suggestions for the most ridiculous of situations.  But recently on another blog, (New York CIty!) the blogger asked his HOA to "do something about the snoring" in the unit behind him.  Like give him or her a noise citation?  Over something that is not controllable?  I just had to laugh out loud.

No snoring allowed

If the unit was playing loud music past 10pm or hosting a noisy party, or something they could actually DO something about, that's a different story.  Living with joint walls is a compromise at best.

I think I shall blog soon about owners and HOAs!  Being on one is a duty every owner should volunteer for because it is a time consuming, can never please anyone pretty thankless job.  Living in a community requires commitment from each member ... volunteer for a committee or a one time project at the very least.  Don't just sit back and complain all the time without contributing.

I'm thankful I have great neighbors at my condo.  Upstairs owners are very large people yet we never hear anything, except maybe the shower running once in awhile.  I'm happy we bought a downstairs unit as now I rent it to my kids ... with two boys under five who do not know how to walk quietly (for more than two minutes).  

Yes.  An HOA blog of funny or unbelievable requests/complaints.  Surely I will find even more examples via Google!

PARTY TIME!

Last week I went to a double birthday celebration ... my friend turns 60 and her Mom turns 90!  

I first met them through my friend's husband (I use this term lightly as I don't know if they are legally married, but together for 15+ years).  He built our outdoor shower, back deck, added a door to garage, changed a window in our bedroom to a sliding glass door, and so on.  At the time, his wife was still employed in California.  Talk about a long distance relationship!!

He really hit it off with Mr. Ralph and he invited us over for drinks and pupus (appetizers).  When we visited we were stunned at the beauty of their property.  Large tiki hut bar and as the years went on, he added marble countertop to the back counter, dishwasher, etc.  I could comfortably live in the bar!

This is the infamous tiki lounge

He designed and coordinated a walk in saline pool and hot tub.  He added a two bedroom ohana (cottage) that they rented for years.  When she retired and moved here permanently, and brought her Mom and hubby, they jumped the last hurdle to become a licensed bed and breakfast.  The main house has been converted into two apartments with the older couple on one floor, the younger on another.

This is the rental unit

After Mr. Ralph died, it was hard for me to be in large groups of people that I don't know.  Even though we knew the owners, as hosts they have to flit among every one.  I thought I would give it a try this time, as another step of the widowhood journey.  There must have been at least 100 people ... many of them had flown in from California and other spots on the mainland.  It was a fiesta themed party with margarita machine, bright colored table settings and catered by a Mexican menu food truck.

I mixed and mingled but was the ONLY solo person in the place.  Everyone was nice and welcoming although the conversation usually went back to them with me listening.  

Personal goal of staying three hours and then I snuck out.  I bet that celebration went until 2am!  I think next time I will ask if I can bring a pal.  Then the two of us could meet people and have ourselves to talk to in between.

Mr. Ralph celebrating his 79th birthday at Auntie Kali's Cottage

We were friendly enough to be invited over for small gatherings and parties and great food .... Mr. Ralph loved it there with the gracious and down to earth hosts!

P.S.  When you come to visit Maui and need a special place to stay, check out Auntie Kali's Cottage on Facebook or Homeaway. 

I THINK I"M GOING BLIND

Besides having really bad eyesight, aging is sure not helping!  Apparently I have the start of cataracts.  But the biggest issue is staring at the computer for hours every day.

I do two monthly newsletters, about 4-6 pages each.  And of course, draft after draft.  Most non-computer users have no idea how time consuming it is to "can you just make that photo a little larger" or "this just in, can you make it fit".  Nothing is impossible but not so much the night before the email blast!

When I make a photo larger, it pushes all the print around accordingly.  Often 2-3 sentences get sent to a new page ... which we then have to fill up.  Or remove another article then rearrange all the stories and their photos.  I typed so much on Monday my hands ached!

Our HOA in Maui is rewriting all of our governing documents ... Articles of Incorporation, CC&Rs, ByLaws and Administrative Rules and Design Committee guidelines.  All by committee.  And legal firm.  It's sure necessary ... but we must be on the 5th draft of each of these.  And then there are all the email conversations in between.

My excuse for not writing for over a week!  

P.S.  I now know I cannot do anything to my yard or exterior without asking for permission!  Not to plant a flower or add a pot!  Remove a shrub or plant a tree.  Breathing outdoors is still allowed!

AN APPLE A DAY

Really!  An apple a day is great improvement to your health.  I think this was one of my first nutritional lessons from Mom.  I believe it to be true and don't you just love how it rhymes?  

Did you know there are 7,500 varieties of apples in the world?  2,500 varieties of apples are grown here in the United States, but only about 100 kinds are grown commercially.

During my short tenure on earth, my taste in apples has changed.  When I was really young, it was all about Red Delicious.  When I went out on my own, it changed to Granny Smith.  It seems like every year a new variety catches my eye.  Fuji.  Braeburn.  Gala.  Pink Lady. And now ... Honey Crisp!!

My Maui friend Leslie turned me on to this choice.  Oh.  My.  Gosh.  This apple has been my favorite for a few years.  And it's not just me.  I served some thin slices at the coffee group last week and several ladies asked what kind it was.  It's a Catch 22 ... these are the most expensive apples EVER.  But I allow myself this luxury.

My mind just swirled around apples.  I had to Google apples.  While they may not keep the doctor away, they are really good for you!

1. Apples are filled with soluble fiber  (5 grams)

• This fiber has been shown to reduce intestinal disorders, including diverticulitis, hemorrhoids and possibly some types of cancer.

• Helps control insulin levels by releasing sugar slowly into the bloodstream.

• Cleanses and detoxifies, which helps eliminate heavy metals, such as lead and mercury.

2. Apple pectin helps reduce cholesterol levels by lowering insulin secretion.

3. In two studies researchers found that eating five apples a week lowered the risk for respiratory diseases like asthma.

4. According to Chinese Medicine: Apples strengthen the heart, quench thirst, lubricate the lungs, decrease mucous and increase body fluids.

5.  Apple cider vinegar can help prevent the formation of kidney stones.

6. Studies indicate that eating apples daily can reduce skin diseases.

7. According to a Brazilian study, eating an apple before a meal helped women lose 33 percent more weight than those who didn’t.

8. An apple has only 50-80 calories and has no fat or sodium.

9. Apples are packed with vitamins C, A , and flavonoids and with smaller amounts of phosphorus, iron,  and calcium.

Best of all ... I learned that an apple a day keeps the  pharmacist away!  Researchers discovered that people who ate a daily apple were 27 per cent less likely to need to visit the pharmacist for drugs.  That's a pretty big number!

ISOLATION, LONELINESS, DEPRESSION, DEATH

The conditions listed above are the buzzwords young(er) writers, reporters and professionals in the geriatric field use all the time when talking about people over 60.  Apparently not being social can lead to death ... 

These words have a negative connotation to me.  When I Googled "isolation" the photo below popped up.

And to me that looks like a perfect spot for relaxing, meditating, and enjoying the great outdoors.  Not isolation!  Same photo showed up under loneliness.  Alone is not always loneliness.  Sometimes it's a hard thing to accomplish .... getting time to be alone!

While I am a proponent of maintaining a social life as we age, methinks "they" protesteth too much.  I, for one, enjoy a lot of me, myself and I time.  Way more than I used to.  Actually, I cherish it!  There are a few days each week where there is nothing scheduled on the calendar.  Just the way I like it!  And at least once a week I don't even leave my property!

I do believe I, personally, need friends and in person friendships.  Just as I think others may not need it so much.  Who is to say what is normal or right?  Maybe if a person never leaves the house?  Maybe if a person begins hoarding?  Maybe if the person is not doing basic personal finances or personal hygiene or eating cat food?

For me, using social media is a daily thing ... text messages, Facebook and emails.  I have two high school buddies who email every Sunday to share our little boring lives.  Others I contact once a month.  Luckily some of my Facebook friends have become personal friends!  

On occasion, if I need background noise ... I listen to NPR or have Netflix running on the TV.  Mostly I enjoy the quiet!