Silver Linings

No pictures this post. I wanted to show you the beautiful colors of the grape juice I made from Idaho grapes (which are legal to take across the border to California. I did ask!).  I wanted to show you the glowing raisins I made from some of those grapes.    Wanted to share the nearly iridescent green of the nasturtium leaves outside my door    Next time.

Those of you who know me probably know that I try to be a positive person--try to look on the bright side, find the silver lining in the dark cloud, and make lemons out of lemon aide. I realize sometimes that can be annoying, especially if I try to find a positive side to something that you are experiencing!  Well, the last month provided me with a bounty of opportunities for making lemonade, for sure!    Here's a partial list....

First, I regained occupancy of the home I own here in Humboldt.  Huge dark cloud, in that the shop and wash room were used for grow rooms and the yard was sorely neglected and overgrown.  At first glance, it appeared that little damage had occurred.  What happened after the first glance has to be one of the biggest learning lessons of my life.   I had no idea that one needed to check every door handle, window lock, light switch, and power outlet to make sure they hadn't been damaged.   I didn't know enough to look in the cracks of the deck, check the walls behind the appliances, open the wood stove, or swab the walls in the house.  

The accumulated total of damages exceeds what I would be comfortable mentioning on this post.    Restoring the lawn and garden equipment to the way they should be (or purchasing new ones) was bad enough... Suffice it to say that two weeks of my time which ought to have gone to my dissertation were spent cleaning, washing, painting, weeding, hacking, digging, and fixing.    Silver Linings:  finding new tenants who brought in a wave of positive energy, reconnecting with the plants on my property, and reminding myself why I am enjoying living in my small rental home.

Next...  My truck was vandalized the day before I headed to Idaho.  Someone wanted the gas, evidently.  About $100 worth of gas, because I had recently filled up the truck's two tanks.  No, I wasn't headed out on a big trip, I just have programmed in me to fill up all the way when I fill up.   The truck has locking gas caps, and the thieves managed to jimmy off one of the caps, but the other one didn't come off, so they cut the hose and tube underneath the truck.  In the process of siphoning out the gas, they damaged the fuel gauges in both tanks.  

Currently, my truck is at the mechanics getting fixed.  I had it towed because I was concerned about gas fumes from the cut hose, though the rear tank seemed fine.    Thankfully, I have towing through my insurance, so that was covered.  Silver Lining:  I have tried very hard to find the silver lining in this one, but I'm coming up short. Anyone want to take a stab at this?  Best I can do is that it looks like it may be below my deductible, so I will be paying less than $500.  Someone has to have a way to see a bright side to this!

But wait, there is more... there is Jetta's Timing Belt.    My Jetta has been kicking along for 127,000 miles.   I turned over 100,000 on my trip up to Boise, Jan. 1, 2009.  How I put 27,000 miles on my car in 20 months, I am not sure, though each trip up and back from Boise is 1,400 miles...   Anyway, I drove Jetta up to Boise last Sunday, and had a scheduled oil change with the VW dealer up there.   After the oil change, the service clerk came up and asked if I had changed the timing belt on the Jetta yet.   Once we figured out that no, I had not, she recommended I do it as soon as possible, since it was supposed to be changed at 100,000 miles!   Lucky for me, they had room to get it done before I went back to California.  They loaned me a 2011 VW Jetta wagon for the two days they needed my Jetta. 

Net total, for oil change, timing belt, water pump, and serpentine belt: $975.   Yes, evidently the world thinks I am made of money at the moment.    Gak.  Sliver lining:  I was SO lucky the timing belt hadn't broken. The repair from that damage would have been at least $4,000.  Not sure if Jetta made any records or anything, for longest use of a timing belt.  When the mechanic took it off, he said it was definitely on its last legs--probably would have broken when I was in the middle of the Oregon High Desert, by Abert Rim.  Another silver lining is that Jetta runs even better, and is getting even better diesel mileage.   And the final silver lining?  My 2002 Jetta TDI kicks rocks all over the new Jetta gas wagon!  Sure appreciate that Jetta of mine.

Ready for another?  While working on my property, I was exposed to some serious toxic chemicals in paint, cleaning supplies, and pesticides, over the course of several days.  I was tired, wasn't thinking. What can I say? As a result, my brain was pretty fuzzy and  I got a bad burn on my hands from using some therapy mitts (I followed the directions for heating them, so thought they would be fine because it said so.  The burning sensation should have been a clue, but no!).   In the days after the burn, I exposed my hands to all kinds of chemicals in the cleaning/painting.  Ended up with red welts on my hands, cuts from blackberries, and more cuts from trimming my horses' feet.  Additionally, after a month of typing transcripts, painting my brother's house, and weeding at my friend's yard, my hands were in almost constant pain.  Over all, the hard physical labor from the past few months left me feeling pretty dang old for 43.  

Silver Lining:  It dawned on my that my exposure to toxins could be interfering with my body's natural healing capacities.  I looked seriously at how I was treating my body and decided to try a different tactic and do some healing from the inside as well as the outside. So in addition to slathering potions on my external wounds, I am taking some supplements and de-tox potions to heal from within.  Already I can tell the difference. If it is psycho-somatic, so be it!  I've fought the painful red skin on my hands for a month now with various salves and lotions, to no avail.  It's a relief to actually see them healing.  If you want the outside potion, I mixed 1/4 cup apple cider (with "mother"), 1/4 cup sesame oil, and 2 tsp tea tree oil, eucalyptus oil, and neem oil.  Just shake it up, slather it on a few times a day.  The inside potion is Colon cleanse, garlic capsules, a probiotic, liver support elixer, Emergen-C Immune support, and 2 Tbs of the same cider vinegar. morning and night.  Not sure why it is working, but it is.    Phew.

I am a firm believer in things happening for a reason.   Though sometimes it is hard to see the logic, if I wait long enough, or look close enough, eventually it comes clear.  And truly, though I am grateful for all the delightful positives in my life, it is often the negatives which moves me forward, pushes me beyond current limitations, and advances my horizon.   Seeing the good in the painful events allows us to grow, I think.  However, I believe I am "full" right now,  and would like some time to ponder these life lessons.   If that's possible at this time, that is. I realize it is not necessarily in my control.  

Next Post will be Reporting on Idaho Events!  I promise.