Heat waves are BAD for you!

Wow - a 10 day heat wave - each day we hit at least 90 and a few were over 100 and up to 107. With no AC - inside my house was about 8 degrees cooler! Yes it meant when out was 107 - in was 99! And for several nights it never cooled off like "normal" although I fear these current patterns are the new normal.

I get heat exhaustion and I know how to take care of me - but this kind of weather gets to me no matter how well prepared I am. I get light headed and nauseous and don't feel like eating. I literally ate meals when I did not want them as I knew that I had to eat...

No fun - sleep was bad even with fans going.

Anyway - IT"S OVER!!! and now I am catching up on what did not get done in that time frame....and trying to not overdo too much - already did that the other day and learned again that when you get older your body needs a little more time to recover from stress- no matter what caused the stress :D

2 things:

1- next summer an air conditioner will be bought

2- I will be moving this blog to a new hosting service when I figure it all out and an announcement will be posted

For Pacific North West people: heat wave coming!

Having lived on the hot and very humid East Coast with a personal history of heat exhaustion - I know the symptoms and what to do to take care - yet even then I have had problems in Portland.

Dealing with many days of hot in a row is something to be serious about. In fact, as a NET person we got warning that we may be put on stand-by...

Here are some precautions to take that we got from NET:

Check on family, friends and neighbors who do not have air conditioning, who spend much of their time alone or who are more likely to be affected by the heat.

Never leave anyone in an enclosed vehicle, even with the windows partially open.

Drink plenty of fluids, even if you don't feel thirsty. Start drinking fluids at least 30 minutes before going out.

Avoid beverages with caffeine, alcohol or large amounts of sugar because these can actually result in the loss of body fluid.

Eat smaller meals, more often, but be sure meals are well balanced, cool and light.

Take frequent breaks when working or recreating outside.

Wear sunscreen SPF 15 or higher, wide-brimmed hats and light-colored, loose-fitting clothes.

Dress infants and children in cool, loose clothing. Shade their heads and faces with hats or an umbrella. Use sunscreen as directed on small children!

Consult your health care provider about the added effects of sun and heat when taking prescription drugs, especially diuretics, antihistamines and antidepressants.

Check on your animals frequently to ensure they are not suffering from the heat, have water and shade.

and my own added warning - don't just drink water - you need electrolytes added to it - I use a product I market but there are others available - water alone can flush your system of needed resources. This many learn from experience - so learn from mine and take care this week.

Why I haven't written much lately

My long time best friend Freda, the one how had been ill since March - underwent surgery last week and died this week.

Her illness and death made it hard to write about aging - the "facts" of aging were all too clear and I was all too close.

I posted on Twitter and FaceBook that one of the bitches of aging is that all your friends start dying.

I'm feeling better today and will write more soon...in fact I will keep working on the e-book project she and I talked about before she got so ill... it will be about aging - including now more about having good friends die.

The Flu and You in Retrospect

I was asked by many why I did not write about the "swine flu" when everyone else was doing just that.

And my answer is - because everyone was writing about it and the information was getting confusing and making people so worried that they went out and paid lots of money for unknown and untested masks and other paraphernalia that were not going to help.

When I was asked what I personally was going to do - I said absolutely nothing and was told "good luck!"

It's not good luck - I take care of my immune system and it takes care of me. It's called good decision making as far as I am concerned.

This recent flu killed fewer people than usually die of flu every year. My cynical side tells me to follow the money and I'm guessing that a lot of people made a lot of money scaring everyone! Enterprising persons were selling masks in traffic to car drivers...c'mon when did we lose all common sense?

To protect yourself against the flu - you need to have a good defense and that's your immune system. You also need to eat properly and use supplements because our food is lacking the nutrients it used to have.

We are now far enough away form the media hysteria of the swine flu that we can look back and ask - what was all the fuss?

A new name? A new strain? I'm still not sure and I'm still just going to keep on ding what I have been doing most of my life - making sure my immune system is in the best shape it can be in.

If you want to read more about modern "foods" fill out the form on the upper right side of the blog.

My friend the artist

I have known June since we were about 5 or 6 years old. She is an inspiring example of "it's never to late to follow your dream." Her dream was art and she is now an established artist with world wide showings!

If you are in or near New York City, Stockbridge, Mass or Newport, N.H. this Summer/Fall [see schedules] go see her work...


FORMATIVE LINES: WORKING IN DRAWING AND SCULPTURE
GOVERNORS ISLAND, New York, NY
Curated by the Drawing Center.Joanna Kleinberg, and Rachael Liebowitz
Saturday May 30-October 4, 2009
Hours: Friday-Sunday 10-5
Ferry is free and runs hourly (7 minutes)
House 19 on Nolan Park

Work Included: No. 9 and D. D. 2



CONTEMPORARY SCULPTURE AT CHESTERWOOD 2009
Opening Reception & Award Ceremony
July 3, 5 - 7 pm Open 10-5 daily
Curated by Denise Markonish, Curator at MASS MoCA

Work included: Our Shrinking World

Chesterwood Sculpture Park
4 Williamsville Road
Stockbridge, MA 01262



H20: FILM ON WATER
AN INAUGURAL ART INSTALLATION AT THE NEWPORT MILL,
NEWPORT, N.H.

Curated by the Cynthia Reeves Gallery, New York, NY

Work included: Site dependent installation : In Depth 2009

A NEW, CONTEMPORARY ARTSPACE IN THE CONNECTICUT RIVER VALLEY
August 8-November 7, 2009

OR MORE INFORMATION, CALL 802.463.3330 OR EMAIL INFO@GREATRIVERARTS.ORG

The Newport Mill will feature 20 video pieces as well as a curated portion of the exhibition, including the work of several world-renowned visual artists. The multiple installation sites will encourage viewers to travel the Connecticut River Valley and further identify the region as one where art-making is alive, vital, and contemporary in scope.

NEWPORT MILL completed in 1906 on the bank of the Sugar River, The Newport Mill stands as the most architecturally significant industrial structure in this once thriving mill town. The four-story red brick building, accented by a six-story entrance tower, is comprised of over 60,000 square feet of interior space. A site for manufacturing and other business for decades, The Newport Mill is now completely renovated to allow for art exhibitions and other events of potentially unlimited parameters.

Web site: http://juneahrens.com