Heart/wrecked

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Like a ship that runs aground because of low tide or unseen rocks or fog or navigational errors, our beautiful heart can be damaged when blood flow is restricted or when it flows unregulated.

Heart/wrecked.

I grew up hearing the term, “Stress kills.”

I was never quite sure what that meant, but then I did when it happened to me.

Uniquely & Brilliantly Adorned: Can Your Job Kill You?
http://www.uniquelyandbrilliantlyadorned.com

After a seemingly nonstop barrage of a personal stressful situation–like a ship hitting the rocks over and over again–it all finally took an undeniable toll on my physical health.

One of my favorite places to live is in the state of Denial, but I’ve been forced to temporarily move to a new town called Reality. Hopefully, I’ll just visit there for a bit until I can come home again.

After experiencing some intermittent and strangely terrifying heart pains, I went to the doc who took my blood pressure and was concerned about the results. It was super high. I had always had enviably LOW blood pressure since I exercise regularly, am vegan and never smoked, so this raised concerns.

Over the course of a couple weeks, my BP was checked daily and it stayed consistently high; dangerously high, which only made me more anxious and more stressed, and at one of the office visits, I started hyperventilating and had a panic attack. (Super embarrassing for the doc and absolutely mortifying for me.)

This led to an order for an Echocardiogram along with all the other heart-focused tests. The echo was done at a local hospital–a definite trigger. No one wants to go to a hospital at any time, but especially during Covid. It seemed like I was being admitted, with a wrist band and lots of little stickers, and I was devastated.

I almost bolted out of the front door at that point, but I persevered. I can share with you that it’s a scary time when you have to figure out why you don’t feel great. I’ve been a medical advocate for several loved ones, but it’s radically more difficult when you have to care for yourself. Poor me.

The technician was amazing, especially considering I tormented her with a million questions. I know enough about medical stuff to see that she was concentrating on a certain area of my heart. I really appreciated her patience with me and her detailed explanations during the hour-long ordeal.

The results showed a dilated aortic root valve and regurgitation of the mitral valve.

Risk Adjustment Coding Academy- Coding Focus

What this means is that the accumulation of stress and panic attacks and PTSD that I’ve endured during the last four years manifested medically and physically and caused structural damage to my heart.

Mitral valve regurgitation - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic

“Severe physical or emotional stress increases blood pressure to the point where the tensile limit of the aortic tissue is overwhelmed, causing the rupture.”

“Over time, certain conditions, such as high blood pressure, can cause your heart to work harder, gradually enlarging your heart’s left ventricle.”

“Mitral valve regurgitation can cause complications such as atrial fibrillation, in which the atria of the heart don’t contract well. This leads to increased risk of stroke. Also, elevated blood pressure in the lungs (pulmonary artery hypertension).”

Hypertension makes the blood push harder against the valve and causes it to dilate, enlarge, and that’s pretty much the same scenario for the mitral valve, which seems to be the cause of the intermittent chest pain.

I’ll need to be monitored regularly because if I can’t control the stress/blood pressure and the valves stretch to a dangerous size, the only solution is surgical intervention–or death.

Reducing stress and hypertension can possibly keep the valves from enlarging any further, but the damage is done–nothing will make them reduce in size back to normal, except surgery.

Let me tell you that it’s true. Stress kills.

Now I’m off to change course, take some magnesium, eat more beets, meditate, calm down and regulate my breathing so that I don’t have a stroke or an aneurysm.

Photo by Daria Shevtsova on Pexels.com

Heart/wrecked.

Shipwrecked.

Jimothy and The Hot Trash Panda Summer 🦝

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In the midst of all the horrible stories swirling around this country, the talk of the town is the shiniest ray of light, #Jimothy, Seattle’s latest local legend!

I’ve named him Dr. Jimothy Sprinkles, since UW conferred an honorary Ph.D. on this special little guy.

Credit to creator, found on Twitter

Jimothy is a short-spined raccoon spotted thriving in Ballard, a suburb of Seattle, despite a rare congenital condition. He doesn’t seem to be in pain and it looks like he’s living his best life.

The Ferals (formerly Angel Kids) hope they get a glimpse of him because the sightings have been fairly close to their neighborhood.

A raccoon dubbed “Jimothy” that was seen trotting on long legs across a patch of grass may have short spine syndrome, a rare congenital disorder. (Courtesy of Kiana Hall)
Courtesy of Kiana Hall

Filming the creature with her cellphone Monday night, Kiana Hall was certain of only one thing: The tiny beast skittering out from under a car in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood was definitely not a cat. 

“I got very confused at what I was seeing,” Hall said. “I just have never seen any other animal like it.” 

She also didn’t know her five-second video clip would turn a teetering trash panda into an overnight internet celebrity.

Hall, 33, and her partner were strolling near the Ballard Goodwill about 8:30 p.m. Monday when she spotted what she thought was a cat under a car. She took out her phone to film the animal, then watched in disbelief as a decidedly different critter crept from the shadows. 

Smaller than a house cat and unusually round, the gray-furred creature loped on long legs across a patch of grass and up a nearby staircase before climbing over a fence and out of sight. Hall guessed it was a raccoon based on its masklike facial markings. She also suspected it had short spine syndrome, a rare congenital disorder she had learned about online.

Hall published the video the next day on her Instagram, naming the creature “Jimothy” because, she said, “he looked like a Jimothy.” 

Within hours, Hall’s video started going viral, garnering more than 5 million views and thousands of comments by Thursday afternoon. A Ballard resident who saw the video recognized Jimothy as an oddly shaped raccoon their security cameras had captured last month crawling on their patio. The resident posted their footage Wednesday on Reddit, attracting hundreds of awed comments, including ones comparing Jimothy to mythical creatures like cryptids and chupacabras. 

And thus, Seattle’s latest local legend — a belovedly bedraggled raccoon — was born. 

Seattleites’ adoption of Jimothy as their scrappy hometown hero has brought Hall “a lot of joy,” she said in a Thursday phone call. 

“I think times have been hard for everyone, so I’m really happy to have posted something online that reaches so many people and makes them so happy,” Hall said. “I just hope (Jimothy) continues to live his life freely and I hope he can be healthy.”

Jimothy’s prognosis seems positive, despite his unusual appearance, said Marcie Logsdon, an associate professor at Washington State University’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital. 

Logsdon could not diagnose Jimothy based on reviewing the videos of the “kind of crazy little thing.” But she said the raccoon was likely born this year, and that its abnormally shortened neck is likely caused by a congenital deformity of the spine. 

Jimothy appears to be functioning well and “very spry,” excellent signs for his survival in the wild, Logsdon said. 

“The fact that he’s made it to this age tells me that he’s managing and that he’s adapting,” she said. “I was surprised and honestly a little bit inspired that he’s that resilient.” 

Jimothy is likely best off “left to his own devices.” Anyone who spots him and is concerned about his health should call a local wildlife rehabilitator before trying to intervene, she said. 

“Raccoons are amazing because they have done an amazing job at adapting to and sharing urban and suburban areas,” she said. “But respectful sharing needs to remain just that.” (Curated from Catalina Gaitán, Seattle Times breaking news reporter.)

This is my personal fave cos Angel Boy (only slightly feral) teaches at UW.

Now there’s a song about #Jimothy!

Word Of The Day: Shindig

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I hope nobody watched or streamed that demented orange POSs speech yesterday. There are other, more pressing matters to occupy ourselves with, like why can't we eat salads or fresh salsa with cilantro? Why is our food contaminated with cyclospora? Why did that POS remove the FDA  “Food Traceability Rule” and place us at risk?

ANYWAY, back to my form of reality (and therapy)…

Does anybody even know what “shindig” means?

The word originated in the United States in the mid-19th century. It’s believed to be a playful alteration of the older slang word shindy, which originally referred to a rowdy commotion or a street game similar to field hockey.

In modern, everyday use, it’s synonymous with words like “bash,” “blowout,” or “hoedown”. For example, you might say, “Are you going to the big neighborhood shindig this weekend?”

In the mid-60s, there was a TV show broadcast from Los Angeles called Shindig! It was a musical variety series hosted by DJ Jimmy O’Neill. I never watched it, maybe it wasn’t shown in my area, I dunno.

Most exciting for all of us who love him is that Leon Russell, the house band’s pianist, was often featured in solo performances.

(Learn more about Shindig! at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shindig)

I never get tired of wondering exactly how Leon went from THIS to the uber cool long-haired sunglass-wearing exuberant Master of Space and Time that filled stadiums. The butterfly definitely broke out of the chrysalis!

Photo credit from Pinterest

Check out Leon on the first song with Donna Loren (you can hear him before you see him, it’s unmistakably LEON) and something I’ve never seen before, Leon on organ with Bobby Sherman at 10:02.

And on another day with Aretha Franklin; I also always wonder what HE was thinking about…it’s a mystery.

Abandoned Urban Skateboard

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Photo by Enchanted Seashells

Near a local Asian grocery store, I parked my car next to an empty space that should have been filled with some sort of landscaping but it was resolutely devoid of all life.

The skateboard definitely belonged to no one. I thought the shadows and shapes and red wheels were interesting enough to snap a photo of it, like the skateboard was purposely planted there, but for what reason?

Where did it come from? Who left it there? Why was it abandoned? Is it some kind of sign? We can only speculate. Considering the location of the store which is in a sort of sketchy part of town, it’s not unlikely that someone was arrested for shoplifting and had to abandon his board as he was handcuffed and whisked away in the back of a patrol car. At least that’s the story I’m telling myself.

I edited a version in black and white. I can’t decide which one I like better…

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

I felt like I should call the uber cool guy from YouTube, Crime Pays But Botany Doesn’t, and ask him to plant something in that dead zone. He’s really good about stuff like that.

Which photo do you like more, color or black and white?



Seashells and Hearts

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Every shell keeps a whisper,
every wave leaves a sparkle,
and every butterfly reminds the sky to stay curious.
The shoreline collects wonder better than pockets ever could.

World of Love Hearts

Old-Fashioned Blueberry Pie (Vegan)

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A while back, I made a blueberry pie because I had too many blueberries that needed to be used up and a pie seemed like the perfect solution.

The original Angel Boy said it was the best pie he had EVER eaten, which is saying a lot, because he doesn’t really care very much about desserts. The crust was crisp and flaky; even the bottom turned out golden browned, not at all soggy.

Mom and the Ferals (no longer Angel Kids) loved it too, so much that the last piece of pie had to be carefully divided between the four of them so everyone had a final taste.

After I received those glowing compliments, I decided to make it again, and hope I can replicate the delicous-ness.. I know that some people have a problem with lattice-topped pies, but it’s really quite simple, and is really the best top for a blueberry pie.

I don’t think there’s any point in posting my recipe for a crust as there are literally thousands of recipes with how-to videos on YouTube. My suggestion is to either make your own favorite recipe or buy a ready-made crust, which I’ve never actually done, but know people who have. This is the one and only time I use Crisco shortening because I hate butter crusts. I think butter flavor detracts from whatever pie filling is used, whether it’s fruit or lemon meringue or chocolate. I’ve also tried oil-based crusts but they end up way too chewy and gross, so Crisco works for me.

My filling is about five cups of fresh blueberries (these were organic), a couple tablespoons of lemon juice, 1/2 cup white sugar, and two hefty tablespoons of cornstarch, although you could use flour too. The purpose is to thicken the juicy berries and create a heavenly pie.

The lattice is beyond simple, and there are also many online directions. I’ve been doing it for so many years that it only takes a few minutes to weave the lattice over the berries.

Because pies have a tendency to bubble over and create a huge mess in the oven, a tip that I use is to place some parchment paper on a baking sheet and place the pie on that.

Ready for the 400 degree oven!

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

After baking for about 40 minutes, it needs to cool so I can have a giant slice!

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

P.S. It was DELICIOUS, not too sweet, and the crust was amazing!

Word Of The Day: Bedridden

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I couldn’t think of anything to write today, so I looked at my recent situation and decided there was no other way to describe it: bedridden or bedbound.

From Pinterest

A bedbound person still retains some limited movement and can actively participate in their care, such as repositioning or feeding themselves. A bedridden person is completely confined to bed with minimal to no mobility, 

Let me reiterate and I’m not being melodramatic at all; shingles/herpes zoster is not something you can ignore.

Most things I don’t take very seriously; an injury, a fall, a brief bout of the flu or a sore throat, but THIS was lifechanging.

The pain is really indescribable, and now I understand why I felt paralyzed when I had it as a child; it’s really that overwhelming. I’d show you the photos I took of every stage of the rash that covered my entire right side, but it’s too gross to share.

For the past two weeks, I’ve literally not been able to walk, to move, to exist — without extreme torment, and that’s not an exaggeration. Waiting too long to inform my doc so that she could prescribe an antiviral was completely stupid of me.

Now that I’m nearing the end of this disease cycle, it’s time to reflect on what it means to be bedridden or bedbound, because for me, not being active is hell on earth.

Not being able to go for walks or work out is torture. I lay there in agony, thinking about how my muscles and joints were actively atrophying from disuse, and that just added to my depression. The garden suffered too, since I couldn’t water anything and we’ve had no rain for months. It looks sad and dismal, kind of how I feel.

The antiviral meds made me extremely fatigued, so I honestly couldn’t move no matter how badly I wanted to force myself.

I was bedridden, or more accurately, sofaridden, because the sofa was slightly more comfortable than my bed.

Spiritually, pain is widely viewed as a catalyst for growth, a profound teacher, or a signal of energetic imbalance. Rather than mere suffering, many traditions frame pain as an invitation to look inward, release resistance to change, and align more deeply with your authentic self.

I’m not too sure about that. What I have learned is to call for medical help sooner, to stop being so stubborn, and to get the shingles vaccine. No way I want to repeat this lesson. I got it. Message received.

Celebrate The Sky

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I didn’t find a whole lot to celebrate on the 4th of July — Independence Day seems to have lost its meaning for a lot of us in the-not-very United States, but I did snap a photo of the sky in all of her glory, and that seems more significant.

In the garden as the sun waned, it was still quiet, the idiots hadn’t yet begun to set off their illegal fireworks, and Mother Nature put on a spectacular show.

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

I think I finally see the light at the end of the long, dark shingles tunnel; I slept all night and woke up with less pain, so that’s my good news. I am definitely getting the vaccine as soon as it’s safe, after completely healing.

“Darling, Be Home Soon”

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I’ve been waiting…..for the great relief of having you to talk to...

Pain is a crazy thing; it has a life of its own, it takes over every minute of every day, and that’s all you can think of — it’s like oceans of pain with no relief.

Anyway, stubborn me finally called the doc to tell her I had shingles. She immediately called in a prescription for an anti-viral. She said I’m a bit outside of the 72 hour window for it to be totally effective, but she hoped it would still work to relieve the intense burning and stabbing pain and shorten the duration of this cycle of hell.

I can’t get comfortable, I can’t lie on my back or my right side and sitting is also excruciating, so I’ve given up attempting to find the least tortuous position. I’m sick of watching TV, too. Sleep is elusive because I can’t get comfortable.

Awake at 3am, these lyrics were swirling around in my delirious brain…“darling, be home soon…”

I couldn’t remember what song it came from, so I opened my computer and searched. I learned that it was originally written and performed by John Sebastian of the Lovin’ Spoonful for the soundtrack of Francis Ford Coppola’s film You’re a Big Boy Now, and another version included in the Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour.

Not only was our magical Leon Russell a brilliant songwriter, composer, pianist, and singer, his arranging skills were off the chart.

Here’s the original of Darling Be Home Soon by the Lovin’ Spoonful and the Leon Russell version with Joe Cocker of the Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour.

Bonus! Master of Space and Time, Leon Russell, on guitar. You beauty!

They lyrics are quite poignant and as beautiful now as they were in the 60s…

Come and talk of all the things we did today
Here and laugh about our funny little ways
While we have a few minutes to breathe
And I know that it’s time you must leave

But darling be home soon
I couldn’t bear to wait an extra minute if you dawdled
My darling be home soon
It’s not just these few hours but I’ve been waiting since I toddled
For the great relief of having you to talk to

And now, a quarter of my life is almost passed
I think I’ve come to see myself at last
And I see that the time spent confused
Was the time that I spent without you
And I feel myself in gloom

So darling be home soon
I couldn’t bear to wait an extra minute if you dawdled
My darling be home soon
It’s not just these few hours but I’ve been waiting since I toddled
For the great relief of having you to talk to

So darling…
My darling be home soon
I couldn’t bear to wait an extra minute if you dawdled
My darling be home soon
It’s not just these few hours but I’ve been waiting since I toddled
For the great relief of having you to talk to

Go and beat your crazy head against the sky
Try and see beyond the houses and your eyes
It’s OK to shoot the moon

Darling be home soon
I couldn’t bear to wait an extra minute if you dawdled
My darling be home soon
It’s not just these few hours but I’ve been waiting since I toddled
For the great relief of having you to talk to

What’s The Cosmic Message? Full Moon? Mercury Retrograde?

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Which gods could I possibly have offended?

I don’t know what crime I could have committed to justify this shingles pain in my leg, but I’m SORRY. The agony is unrelenting, which is making me delirious. It feels like being stabbed with a thousand cattle prods, not that I know what that feels like, of course.

In addition to the Full Strawberry Moon, we’re dong another Mercury Retrograde until July 23, this time in the emotional sign of Cancer, and because of that, the focus is largely on internal and emotional processing rather than just external tech and travel glitches (though those can still happen).

The powerful combination of the Strawberry Moon and Mercury Retrograde brings a period of reflection, emotional healing, and personal transformation.

The Strawberry Full Moon symbolizes abundance, sweetness, gratitude, and the harvest of early summer. From Indigenous traditions, the name honors the peak season for wild strawberries. Spiritually, it invites us to celebrate our hard work, savor the present, and release patterns that no longer serve.

I really wanted to delve into any other reasons for this debiliiating nerve issue…

Spiritually, shingles is widely viewed as a profound mind-body wake-up call, often signaling that your nervous system is deeply depleted and that you have been ignoring your body’s quieter warnings to slow down.

Shingles are indicated by their telltale blisters: angry, painful wounds rising from beneath the skin. It is something hidden deep within that is deciding, right now, to rise to the surface to be seen and felt.

Shingles often flare up after prolonged periods of intense stress, emotional exhaustion, or unresolved trauma. It represents internal turmoil—such as hidden grief, suppressed anger, or guilt—rising to the surface to be acknowledged.

So all of that led me to wonder why it was only on my right leg, and why that’s the side I injured when I fell UP…

In many holistic and metaphysical traditions, injuries on the right leg symbolize an imbalance related to taking action, moving forward in the world, or masculine (yang) energy. The right side of the body generally represents the “doing” side, while the left side is the “feeling” side .

Core Spiritual Themes of Right Leg Injuries:

Resistance to Moving Forward: Because the legs provide locomotion, repeated right leg injuries may suggest a subconscious hesitation to take the next step in your career, relationships, or life path. You may feel “stuck” in a specific situation.

Masculine Energy Imbalance: The right side is traditionally associated with “yang” or masculine energy, which governs drive, assertiveness, and logic. Injuries here might point to a struggle with assertiveness or conflict with male figures in your life .

Root Chakra Imbalance: The legs and hips are governed by the root chakra (Muladhara), which controls your sense of physical safety, stability, and grounding. Injuries here can indicate a deep-seated fear of instability or an inability to feel grounded in your daily life.

While all of that is interesting information, none of it helps to relieve this agony. I stupidly decided not to take an anti-viral medication because the potential side effects seemed scarier than anything. Instead, I’m using calamine lotion, witch hazel compresses. antihistamine cream, and Tylenol, which offer slight comfort.

I cannot wait for this torture to be OVER!

    How Do You Fall UP a Flight of Stairs? And Complications…

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    What I thought was yet another stupid and avoidable injury has turned out to be more serious –and way more annoying.

    I did pull a muscle in my lower back and groin, but there’s a new complication that’s really not fun.

    Here’s how it all started and it involves stairs again…

    Don’t ask me why, but I was running UP a flight of wooden stairs holding a box of trash in my hands. I was wearing flipflop type slippers which caught on one of the steps, causing me to fall forward in a very awkward and twisty position. I didn’t want to drop the box of trash so my left forearm took the brunt of the fall and it ended up cut, bloody, and bruised. The back pain started a bit later and like I usually do, I ignored it, but this time it got worse.

    A few days later, my right thigh became numb to the touch, so along with the pain, this was a whole new weird symptom.

    It turned out to be a groin pull accompanied by thigh numbness which might indicate nerve compression or a severe muscle tear in the hip region. It is often caused by irritation of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve (causing outer thigh numbness)

    It’s called Meralgia Paresthetica.This condition involves a pinched nerve where it passes under the groin ligament. Meralgia paresthetica is also known as lateral femoral cutaneous nerve entrapment. Moralgia paristhetica is basically a pinched sensory nerve near your hip crease. Apparently it’s not dangerous but it can be extremely annoying.

    But it gets worse…

    In the middle of the night, it felt like my left leg was being bitten by some sort of insect or a thousand insects. I jumped up and immediately turned on the light to check the sheets and my PJs for any signs of a bug, but there was none. What I saw was a very very itchy rash and wheals all the way down the inside of my leg. I figured it was a case of spontaneous urticaria (hives) or contact dermatitis, but I hadn’t changed my laundry detergent and the rash was localized to only one leg, so at that point, I was puzzled.

    That’s weird, I thought to myself. I took Claritin and when that didn’t work, I took some Benadryl to stop the itching, and that just made me sleepy.

    I found some PT exercises to work on the pinched nerve issue (do you know where this is going?) and that did offer some relief.

    However, the pain was so overwhelming at night that I gave in and took some children’s ibuprofen and while it did help, ultimately it turned out to be a huge mistake because I really don’t tolerate Nsaids well, not at all.

    And now this morning when I woke up, the outside of my leg was itchy and tingly, and when I looked, there was a cluster of the same red rash and wheals.

    That’s when it finally dawned on me that this was no ordinary spontaneous urticaria–it looked suspiciously like the beginning of herpes zoster — SHINGLES!!

    I also feel generally crappy and tired, not my usual peppy self. The rashes haven’t yet progressed to the gross stage of blistering, but a couple of them look angry enough, so I’m expecting the next phase…

    Physical trauma or injury—such as a fall — can trigger shingles. When localized physical trauma stimulates a specific nerve, it can cause the dormant chickenpox virus, resting in nerve roots, to reactivate. This leads to a shingles outbreak directly at the injury site. (From NIH)

    OMG.

    I never had chicken pox, but when I was ten years old, I had shingles on the back of my left leg. My doctor called me a medical miracle because children don’t normally get this viral disease, but all I remember is being virtually paralyzed and in excruciating pain. I couldn’t walk, I was carried from room to room and even the lightest touch of a sheet was enough to make this little princess scream in agony.

    I guess I’ll call my doctor tomorrow and have her prescribe an antiviral along with keeping my hands away from my face so I don’t inadvertently infect my eyes or mouth.

    In case you’re wondering, I didn’t ever get the shingles vaccine because I thought I’d never get it again, but I might rethink that decision after this is all over.

    Sign me unhappy in SoCal…