Monthly Archives: October 2014

Ireland 5

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5 ***********
Clothes, toiletries, a camera and a few zip lock bags, and I should be ready. I like taking the small kitchen size zip bags to keep small stuff from getting lost and a couple of the big garment ones for dirty clothes and whatever else (like dirty or wet shoes) that might need to be kept apart from the rest.
So, with 82 days until I leave, what am I working on now? I’m reading more travel blogs and books and learning more about the history and culture of the country. I have also spent a lot of time on Google Earth. It’s pretty cool to zoom in on a town and then “drive” down the streets. I’m also working on setting up the trip to Scotland for Cory and me.

There are a great number of YouTube videos and other information on Scotland and the castles they have. Ireland is not so well covered. I found some with great pictures, but they are more of a slide show with music than a video so there is no information on what you are looking at or any background on it. In their defense, they are beautiful pictures. I am hoping to be able to post some videos that will help people decide what they want to see if they get to visit Ireland.
I feel very fortunate that not only do I get to meet my pen pal after nearly half a century, but I am going to have a local tour guide to show me places that the tourists see plus the places they don’t. When my husband, Tom, was alive we went on fly-in fishing trips in Canada in the summer and always spent a week in Mexico in the winter to “warm up”. Even though we thoroughly enjoyed every minute of those trips, I consider this one the trip of a lifetime. I have dreamed of this since I was 14 years old! Florence is such a warm and wonderful person and for her to open her home to me and show me her world, is just so awesome. Of course I am hoping to talk her into coming to the US and letting me show her around. I’ll let you know how that goes.

Florence lives in County Fermanagh in North Ireland. For Christmas this year she sent me a calendar that has pictures of the attractions in just her county alone which is only 715 square miles and is surrounded on three sides by the Republic of Ireland. I couldn’t believe how much there is to see so close to her. Her note said she wanted to give me a glimpse of what I was going to see when I came over to visit. Her kids are even excited about my visit and my kids want me to talk her into coming here so they can meet her.

Here is a map from Wikipedia to review. The Red is County Fermanagh, the pink is North Ireland and the green is the Republic of Ireland. The largest town is County Fermanagh is Enniskillen.
Maps – One other thing I purchased was a “Streetwise” laminated folding map of Ireland from Amazon. I thought it would small enough to carry with me and I could check out where we were going. I Also bought one for the trip to Scotland. Streetwise makes hundreds of maps of different areas. I have other maps from them for the states I regularly travel in. They fold up small, are easy to read and don’t rip. Just a hint – if you are planning on writing on your map, you will need a magic marker. A regular pen won’t write on them.

As I was watching the YouTube videos, I made a very funny discovery. For 48 years I have been pronouncing “Fermanagh” incorrectly. I’m just glad I figured it out before I embarrassed myself in front of Florence and her family!

Ireland 4

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Binoculars – As I looked at the YouTube videos of Ireland and Scotland and read the guide books, I thought of something that might be very useful. I have a small pair of backpacking binoculars that I think I will throw in the back pack.

Bug repellant – Also, at least for Scotland, it was recommended to take some bug repellant. I wouldn’t have thought of that on my own even though we use it all the time in Wisconsin, but now that they mentioned it, I’m thinking the individually wrapped wipes from Cutter or Off [the fabric dryer sheets repels most biting bugs as does Avon Skin so soft which is considered safe for pregnant folks – R]. I don’t have to worry about taking an aerosol on the plane, its light weight and I can just take one or two with me each day.

Tape Measure – Another thing I thought might be useful is a small cloth tape measure. I plan on buying souvenirs for the kids and grandkids and European sizes are listed differently than American sizes. If I have a tape measure and the kid’s measurements, I can make sure the conversion is right and I don’t buy the wrong size of something. On the other hand, if I bought the wrong size and had to return it, it would mean another trip to Ireland. Oh, hurt me!

5 ***********
Clothes, toiletries, a camera and a few zip lock bags, and I should be ready. I like taking the small kitchen size zip bags to keep small stuff from getting lost and a couple of the big garment ones for dirty clothes and whatever else (like dirty or wet shoes) that might need to be kept apart from the rest.
So, with 82 days until I leave, what am I working on now? I’m reading more travel blogs and books and learning more about the history and culture of the country. I have also spent a lot of time on Google Earth. It’s pretty cool to zoom in on a town and then “drive” down the streets. I’m also working on setting up the trip to Scotland for Cory and me.

There are a great number of YouTube videos and other information on Scotland and the castles they have. Ireland is not so well covered. I found some with great pictures, but they are more of a slide show with music than a video so there is no information on what you are looking at or any background on it. In their defense, they are beautiful pictures. I am hoping to be able to post some videos that will help people decide what they want to see if they get to visit Ireland.
I feel very fortunate that not only do I get to meet my pen pal after nearly half a century, but I am going to have a local tour guide to show me places that the tourists see plus the places they don’t. When my husband, Tom, was alive we went on fly-in fishing trips in Canada in the summer and always spent a week in Mexico in the winter to “warm up”. Even though we thoroughly enjoyed every minute of those trips, I consider this one the trip of a lifetime. I have dreamed of this since I was 14 years old! Florence is such a warm and wonderful person and for her to open her home to me and show me her world, is just so awesome. Of course I am hoping to talk her into coming to the US and letting me show her around. I’ll let you know how that goes.

Florence lives in County Fermanagh in North Ireland. For Christmas this year she sent me a calendar that has pictures of the attractions in just her county alone which is only 715 square miles and is surrounded on three sides by the Republic of Ireland. I couldn’t believe how much there is to see so close to her. Her note said she wanted to give me a glimpse of what I was going to see when I came over to visit. Her kids are even excited about my visit and my kids want me to talk her into coming here so they can meet her.

Here is a map from Wikipedia to review. The Red is County Fermanagh, the pink is North Ireland and the green is the Republic of Ireland. The largest town is County Fermanagh is Enniskillen.
Maps – One other thing I purchased was a “Streetwise” laminated folding map of Ireland from Amazon. I thought it would small enough to carry with me and I could check out where we were going. I Also bought one for the trip to Scotland. Streetwise makes hundreds of maps of different areas. I have other maps from them for the states I regularly travel in. They fold up small, are easy to read and don’t rip. Just a hint – if you are planning on writing on your map, you will need a magic marker. A regular pen won’t write on them.

Halloween prep

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Halloween – can you believe that it will be here next week?! It is not like when we were kids. We used to go around the several blocks near our street with out much if any concern.

As we grew up and then had our own kids it was not as safe as when we were kids. The local hospitals would x-ray the sacks of loot aka candy for free because of some of the things people would put in it to hurt the kids. One incident sticks in my mind of those days. A friend went with her kids and then they only hit houses with friends or family….. A razor blade was found in the candy that the kids got that night.. The mom was certain of the house that it had come from. The police went to the house and found more tampered candy. To say that it did not go well with that person while she was in jail would be an under statement. 1. child molesters / abusers are considered the lowest of the low to the other prisoners. 2. the mom who’s kids had found the blades was one of the jailers.

The short of that part of the story is that the perp got 5 years ‘at hard labor’ [and was beaten a few times when word got around the cell block about what had happened.]

Today we inspect the candy prior to any of the grand kids getting any of it. We have our own trunk or treat at church which the kids seem to like as well or better than they do out and about. We have games and the kids go around to the several classrooms for candy and stuff. This may be something to do. Several families could go in together to have a backyard party.

Some other safety issues to consider. Discourage masks that can obstruct vision. Make sure the costumes are well fitting so the kids don’t trip. Over the years we have tried different types of lights / markers. The chemical light sticks that you bend and then shake to mix the chemicals together are nice and nontoxic. We have found that the orange does not show up as good as green. blue or yellow. The flashlights that both shine to illuminate the path AND have a colored blinking light of red, blue or green works very well. The ones that I like the best uses 2 double A batteries and has a feature the turns the blinker on automatically when it gets wet. Wal-Mart has them for under $8.00. With the different colors on the light you can tell at a distance who you are looking at. We also use them in our BOBs. The chemical lights also go great in your BOBs.

It would be a good idea to have a route planned [and written down] of what streets you will go on and about what time you plan on being back home. Consider going early in the evening so there is some light. Remember to LOOK both ways before being in the street. Travel in groups AND STAY TOGETHER.

If you stay home and do not want goblins and such visiting you, close your gates and put a sign on it like [do NOT disturb] at a hotel. On the other hand if you want the munchkins to visit you have the gate open, yard well lit and sign saying something like Goblins welcome. In some areas it may be safer to have several people at home to hand out treats. Think of it this way….. Halloween is a time when people are out and about in disguises and people expect to hear screams and such which will tend to cover up a home invasion, robbery, kidnapping or murder. YES, I have been called a wet blanket before.

This time of year is a great time to stock up on some candy to keep in your food storage and to put into your BOB. Some stores will put it on sale late Halloween night or early the next day, sometimes for 50% off. Decorations, costumes and other related stuff goes on clearance too. Most of the candy is already in an airtight package which will aide in long term storage. The candy can be put up in either tin cans or Mylar and if kept cool it will store for many years. Zip tight bags will hold the candy in the freezer too for years. Some people put a few pieces of candy in the daily food packages to round out the meal.

This gives you more variety than just tootsie rolls and such that you get all year long.

Ireland 3

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3 ***************
Shape Ups – The single most expensive thing I purchased to take with me was a pair of shoes. I have been wearing the Sketchers Shape Ups for several years. I started wearing them because of the great cushion they have. I have a lot of trouble with my feet and didn’t want to be sidelined in the middle of the trip by bad shoes.

My first pair was actually a Christmas present from Cory and Alexa because they thought it would help with my bad feet. The Shape Ups are a little harder to find now because of the class action suit filed saying they don’t really “shape you up”. Several of my friends commented that I should get in on that suit. I told them that I didn’t buy them to “shape up”; I bought them to be able to walk all day without my feet hurting. They did what I bought them for, end of story. [BTW that was a good example of honesty. Keep that in mind if for no other reason than KARMA happens-R] The Sketchers Shape Ups are well worth the price to be able to do the things I want without my feet hurting. Whatever shoes you choose, make sure they have a lot of cushion and they are very comfortable. [And well broken in] Look at it this way; you don’t want to spoil a $5000.00 trip with a $20.00 pair of shoes. The extra cushion on the bottom really helps. I have tried just about every brand and style of shoe there is and I keep coming back to these. They also come in men’s styles.

Electricity – Power is another issue. Ireland and Scotland use different voltage than the US. Christmas solved that problem. My younger son and his wife, Dan and Shannon, gave me a set of converters for the trip. They also gave me a toiletry bag that can be hung up and they loaded it with a folding toothbrush, shampoo, cream rinse and other things. The one that made me laugh, though, was the band aids. Since Shannon is a nurse, she would be the one to remember something like that that I would have forgotten.

Luggage – What am I going to pack all my stuff in? With baggage restrictions being what they are, I have to pack fairly light. Well, that would be light for me, anyway. I always over pack [this is one of the uses of the ‘load list’ so you can see what you really needed on each trip so you wont forget them next time AND so you can show that you DIDN’T need an item and not pack it for the new adventure-R]. I’m getting better, but not great, and I need to save room for souvenirs on the way home. I found a drop bottom rolling duffle bag that I think will work great. It is fairly light, can be put on the shoulder if needed and has pretty nice wheels for the rest of the time. I normally don’t like duffle bags because they are harder to find things in than a suitcase, but I’m hoping the drop bottom solves that problem. There are also a couple of outside pockets that should help keep me organized.

Back pack – I also bought a backpack that has a space for a computer. Since I am taking my Surface, iPad mini and Kindle, I need to keep them with me without being in the way. It has several front compartments and a place on the side for a water bottle. I decided on a North Face Mondaze Backpack Style AZHC. It is light weight and has outside pockets. It is also very comfortable to wear. This one has a better water bottle pocket than some that I saw. I bought the women’s style, but they have one for men also.

Traveling 2

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excerpted from the traveling book…

What is the history of your destination? And why do you want to go there?

Does the local area have something in history that is of interest to you now or that would be real fun to share with your friends when you get home?

For example in Cheyenne WY on one of the main streets of the down town stands the old federal building [circa 1900]. The famous or maybe infamous notable is that the office that Tom Horn ‘confessed’ in is there. Tom Horn had been accused of a ‘murder for hire’ of an older kid or younger adult. Tom Horn was the last person [legally] hanged in Wyoming. The story if you have not heard it before was made into a movie starring Steve McQueen.

There are many locals who still believe that Tom Horn had been framed in order to shut him up as he knew a lot of the ‘dirt’ on some of the prominent people in the area.

Traveling

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excerpted from the new travel guide book….. forth coming November 2014….

We always plan for the worse mileage so that we can take side trips if we see or hear about fun stuff while we are gallivanting about.

How far do you plan to cover during each day or leg of your trip?

Back when we were much younger we would split the driving between 2 or 3 adults and we would cover 1,200 miles in a day [24 hours] so that we would have more time at our destination.

Realistically if you are going to see stuff along the way and be a tourist don’t expect to cover more than about 300 miles a day IF that. And plan way stations along your route.

As an example one year a friend from our military days was visiting from ‘back east’. At the end of his visit I took him to the state capitol to catch the Amtrak train home.

The drive was planned to take 2.5 hours with a planned detour of 4 hours to a park along the way. The park is a natural rock bridge that had been carved over the centuries by a large creek.

The park portion had several hiking trails and there were those standing BBQ cook areas with picnic tables that were comfortable for the lunch we had packed.

The site was / is very beautiful and has a rich history as an oasis for the local American Indians. One of the pluses is that it is well protected from the wind. Some of the other features included more than enough fresh water for the tribe and their animals. There are several apple trees which are reputed to have been planted by the Indians. Game such as fish, deer, rabbits and birds are plentiful. I didn’t have time to search very hard but there were many edible plants such as Purslane, plantain, cattails, milkweed and burdock.

I can really see why the Indians would tarry there and perhaps even a good place to settle in the general area.

Round trip was about 400 miles and took less than a tank of gas. Total time away from home was under 12 hours

That was a brief example of a travel journal entry.

Ireland 2

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2 *****************
What I’ve done so far

I already have my passport, so that part was easy. I booked my flight from Chicago to Dublin. Florence will pick me up from the airport and I will stay with her and her husband, Raymond. So, the three big things to get off the list, passport, air and lodging, are taken care of.

Now, what to pack, what to pack, what to pack? I’m still working on that, but since there will probably be some rain and only about 50 degrees Fahrenheit, I’m thinking umbrella, rain coat and clothes I can layer. Also, I wanted some really good walking shoes. Being 62 years old and not very active (plus somewhat overweight – shhh – don’t tell anyone), I’ve been concerned about all that walking, so I started exercising and walking. Since its winter here in Wisconsin, it’s more exercising than walking at this point, though. Hopefully when it gets a little warmer, I will get to do more walking.

Currency – Next issue was money. North Ireland (where Florence lives) uses British Pounds Sterling and the Republic of Ireland (which is very close and we will be visiting) uses Euros. I went to my local bank and they ordered the foreign currency from Wells Fargo for me. I should have gone directly to some place like Wells Fargo, however, because it cost me more money for the foreign currency than what the exchange rate indicated – almost 5% more. Okay, that was an expensive lesson!

My older son, Cory, and I are going to go to Scotland in September (but that will be another article). I figure that any foreign currency I have left over from the Ireland trip I can use for Scotland. Cory’s wife, Alexa, was in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales on a high school trip and really enjoyed it.

Wallet – I found a combination check book and coin purse / wallet at a big box store with two separate pockets so I can keep the Euro change separate from the Pounds change. If I use the two sides meant for the checkbook and register for the Euros and Pounds I will be able to keep all of it segregated.

Maybe I should throw in a few quarters and dimes and mix them all together. That should make buying something REALLY complicated. No, maybe just keep them separate and be able to enjoy the shopping. 

Money belt – I also bought a money belt. I don’t want to keep all my money in one place, just in case. The checkbook / purse will go in my belly bag and some of the extra money will go in my backpack. I figure even I can’t lose all three of those.  I do have an advantage on this trip in that I don’t have to worry about leaving anything in a hotel room. For the trip to Scotland, that will be another issue.

haircare homemade

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Homemade shampoo, conditioner and deep conditioner

There are many things that you use at home that you can make yourself for a lot less. This time lets discuss making your own homemade shampoo, conditioner, two-in-one, deep conditioner and even color rinses.

The basics of homemade shampoo are:

Choose one of the below soda or soap and use 1 cup of-
liquid castile soap or other liquid soap
or baking soda (will not lather up but will get hair clean)
or shred bar soap into water

Choose one of the below 1 cup of-
green tea brewed for 30 minutes
or a herbal infusion of 1 handful of fresh herbs or 1 tablespoon of dried herbs in 1 cup of boiling water
for dark hair: sage leaves
for greasy hair: yarrow, lemongrass, strawberry leaf or white willow bark
for fair hair: marigold flowers
for dandruff: a mixture of nettle leaves and burdock roots
to promote growth: sage, basil or rosemary
for dry hair: orange blossoms or comfrey root

Add 1 tablespoon olive oil or coconut oil (if your hair is naturally oily decrease to ½ or omit)

If you use a lot of styling products you can remove the residue by rinsing with a 50-50 mix of water and white distilled vinegar before using the baking soda mixture.

Combine all ingredients into an old shampoo bottle that has been rinsed out well. Shake before each use.

To make homemade conditioner:

Combine 2 1/5 cups of hot water
½ cup apple cider vinegar
1 bag of your favorite herbal tea, for fragrance

Place the water into a container, like an old conditioner bottle that has been washed. Then put in the vinegar and the herbal tea and let sit for 30 minutes. Shake the bottle prior to using each time. Use about ½ to ¾ cup of rinse each time you condition.

If you like the shampoo and conditioner combination then use directions below:

Place 1 fresh peeled lemon and one peeled cucumber into your blender.
Massage all into your hair and rinse thoroughly.

The lemon is a cleansing agent and the cucumber is a conditioning agent.

For a deep conditioning treatment use directions below:

Mix 1 tablespoon of honey and 1 tablespoon of olive oil or coconut oil together and microwave until it melts (no more than 20 seconds)

Comb through your wet hair first. Then completely coat your hair with the solution and wrap it up in a very warm towel for 30 to 45 minutes. After the time is up then rinse out.

The following are natural rinses you can use to color or highlight your hair. These rinses create gradual changes in your hair when used over a period of time. After shampooing, try one of these.

Chamomile: This will lighten fair hair. To make a rinse, pour 2 cups boiling water over ¼ cup chamomile flowers. Cool; strain before using.
Rhubarb: This also will lighten hair. Use ¼ cup chopped, fresh rhubarb to 2 cups boiling water. Cool; strain before using.
Sage, lavender and cinnamon: These will darken hair. Use ¼ cup sage or lavender (or 3 cinnamon sticks, broken into small pieces) to 2 cups boiling water. Cool; strain before using.
Hibiscus flowers: These will give red highlights to light or dark hair. Use dry flowers or herbal tea containing hibiscus flowers. Steep the flowers in boiling water to the shade you desire. Cool; strain before using.

Give your hair a break from all the chemicals. Give some of these a try. Work with the recipe
And your hair, you may need to make changes. When you find which you like add the ingredients to your storage.

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/soap-follow-up/

Münchausen syndrome

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Sometimes topics just jump into my head, like this one. ;]

Dealing with uncontrolled psych problems can really toss a monkey wrench into things both today and in an emergency situation.

In persons who are affected with Münchausen syndrome exaggerates or creates symptoms of illnesses in themselves to gain attention, sympathy, and/or comfort from medical staff. In some extreme cases, people afflicted with Münchausen’s syndrome are knowledgeable about the medical practices & are skilled at producing symptoms that end in long & expensive medical analysis, long-drawn-out hospital stays and needless operations. The character of “patient” is a familiar one, and it fulfills a emotional need in people with this syndrome. This disorder is different from hypochondria and other somatoform disorders in that those do not deliberately produce their dysfunctional bodily symptoms.

Some of the risk factors for developing Münchausen syndrome include childhood traumas, growing up with parents/caretakers who were emotionally unavailable, a history of serious childhood illness, failed aspirations to work in the medical field, personality disorders, and a low self-esteem.
An analogous behavior called Münchausen by proxy has been documented in a parent or guardian of children. The adult ensures that their child will endure some type of medical affliction, therefore compel the child to suffer hospitalizations for a large part of their youth. Additionally, a disease may actually be initiated in the child. Münchausen by proxy is discrete from Münchausen syndrome. There is growing agreement in the pediatric community that Munchausen by proxy should be renamed and considered as “medical abuse” to highlight the real harm caused by the sham & to lessen the likelihood of them using a psychiatric defense when real harm is done.

How did the name come about?
The syndrome’s name comes from a German nobleman working in the Russian army, Baron Karl Friedrich Hieronymus Freiherr von Munchhausen, 1720–1797) who allegedly told many incredible stories about himself. Rudolf Raspe published the stories as The Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchhausen.

Multiple scars on their belly due to repeated “emergency” operations is a tip off for Münchhausen’s. Similar such when applied to someone’s child or ward could indicate Münchhausen’s by proxy.
Numerous symptoms when taken together point to Münchausen’s syndrome or Münchausen’s by proxy. Some of them are frequent hospitalizations, knowledge of several illnesses, frequently requesting medications, being open to extensive surgeries, few to no visitors when hospitalized, embellished or fictitious stories about numerous medical problems, and more.

Münchausen syndrome is not the same as hypochondria as people with Münchausen syndrome know that they are not really physically sick, they fabricate the symptoms of an illness. This is not the same as pretending [malingering] to be sick for personal benefit such as being excused from school or work.

People who suspect that they may have this or any other medical issues [or their family] should seek proper consultation with their healthcare provider as this is only intended to spark discussion. ;]

travel entertainment

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Travel by Car – Just for Fun!

Materials: one or more bored children (or adults)

Idea 1: Choose a color and watch for a car of that color. Whoever spots the car first calls out, “(color) car!” and then that player gets to choose a different color for the next car.

Idea 2: Watch out the car window for the number 1 through 9 in order. First person to reach 9 wins.

Idea 3: Prior to the start of the trip, make a written lists of things to look for; such as a dog, police car, flashing traffic light, railroad tracks, etc. There should be a different list for each person so that there is no arguments as to who saw what first. The first person to complete their list wins.

Idea 4: The first person to spot a field of cows gets to keep the cows in the field for their count. (You may have to guess as to how many cows are in a herd if there are too many to count.) Keep track of each person’s cow count. First person to see a church double their cow count, because the cows “got married”. First person with 500 cows wins.

Idea 5: Each person chooses a license plate, such as “New Hampshire” or “Wyoming”. The only state players cannot select is the state being traveled through. The first person to see the license plate they chose ahead of time wins.
Idea 6: To keep kids entertained on long trips, make a goody bag for each kid-full of stickers, crayons, coloring books, a disposable camera, etc.

Idea 7: Every time you see a different license plate, write it down. The purpose isn’t to compete, but to see how many of the 50 states are written down before the end of the trip. This can be done competitively, but be ready for heated discussions as to whom first sees a particular license plate.

What other ‘games’ can you plan for your trip?