Just saw a documentary the other day called, "Flow" which was about water---you know, the stuff we drink.  The show dealt mostly with the water we consume and often the lack of it.  I was amazed at the number of people in other parts of the world who do NOT have free water and they and their children die from lack of it.  Many of the peoples in Africa and Asia have to PAY for the water they drink and most cannot afford even the most meager charges.

 

 

 

 

 

 

      I know most of you know I am a piano tuner by day (and sometimes at night!) but I'll bet you didn't know there could be "Piano Emergencies."  People always laugh when I mention this---"What kind of an emergency could a piano have???" they ask with a gafaw.  Well, laugh no more---I just had one earlier in the week-- that I've never had before.  Most emergencies stem from live performances where a string will break or a piano must be tuned before the curtain goes up, or something is stuck down in the piano, causing the keys to hang up, or a pedal suddenly doesn't work.  This, however, was a tax emergency.  Yes, you read that right.  My client donated his grand to a local High School and had until Oct. 15th to get an appraisal for tax purposes done and signed to be able to write off the donation.  It was a sizable amount and he volunteer to pay me "whatever you say" to do it.  Well, we got it done and he is a happy camper. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had forgotten how much energy kittens have!  Every morning and night, Caruso goes crazy and races around the house, attacking anything in his path.  What a character!  And what a voice!!!! 

So, there you have it.  It was all in all, a wonderful trip to the midwest.  Quite different from sunny CA--everything was so nice and GREEN!  What a treat! 

 

 

 

 

 

OH HAPPY DAYS!   AAAAAAAAAY!  NOTHING COOLER THAN FRIENDS!!! 

                He was bucked off when we went through the Mother and had to climb back in as the rest of us fought to stay upright!  But we all made it and NO ONE GOT HURT!  Yeah, I'd be crazy enough to do it all over again.... 

 

 

 

 

I, for one, can't wait to read the final book --- all 700+ pages of it!  Just leave me alone for a few days and although I won't get much accomplished, I'll be happy to help Harry relive those last days at Hogswart! 

 

 

 

 

 

                                          

 

 

Preventing exposure to airborne allergies is another powerful way to treat allergies at home. To this end, a HEPA filter can be an excellent investment. These High Efficiency Particulate Arresting filters, available at discount drug stores for about $60 - $100, can remove 99.97+% of the pollen, dust, and animal dander from the air. I highly recommend placing one in the room where a child with hayfever sleeps.

When kids are playing outside during hayfever season, pollen from grasses, weeds, and trees clings to their clothes and hair. Taking off the outside clothes as they enter the house, and perhaps rinsing the hair, can greatly reduce the pollen they are exposed to that night as they sleep. Every little bit of exposure reduction helps. If a child is allergic to pollen, dust, and cats, minimizing exposure to pollen and dust will make the cat allergies less severe by cooling down the allergic response.

The Old Farmer's Almanac advises tying a bag of onions around the neck or around the bedpost as a good home remedy for allergies. My guess is that this works by stimulating tear production, which naturally washes pollen particles out of the eyes and nose. A less smelly way to accomplish the same thing is the liberal use of saline nose drops or saline eye drops (artificial tears). Saline drops are not the same as the eye drops that are advertised to "get the red out." While "get the red out" drops do help to reduce the red appearance of irritated eyes, they are not a good choice for preventing or treating allergies.

The Almanac also suggests turning a piece of orange rind inside out and inserting it in the nose. We now know that some of the ingredients in citrus fruits (including vitamin C) block the histamine response in a safe and natural way. The most potent of these appears to be a vitamin-like compound called quercitin that is found in citrus fruits and buckwheat. Increasing these foods in the diet makes sense. Quercitin/vitamin C supplements are available in health food stores. We know that these reduce hayfever symptoms in rats, but their effect in human children have not been established. They do appear to be safe and gentle, however, and many people report success with them.

Stinging nettle is the other natural remedy that shows a lot of promise. Also available in health food stores, this herbal supplement is now known to reduce the histamine response in test tube experiments. But again, although I have heard many testimonials, the scientific evidence in support of its effectiveness in humans is sparse.

The last remedy suggested by the Old Farmer's Almanac is swallowing a spider. Yuck--the cure is worse than the disease!

I don't know about that last one, but some of the others might be worth a try.  I also don't think you'll find me stuffing a piece of orange rind up my nose any time soon.  Hope you all aren't afflicted with the allergy thing this year!  Happy Spring!