Category: Glimpses of Life

When we bought our house over a year and a half ago, we were thankful that we had a heater in the garage because of the cold Minnesota winters. Very few houses we looked at had garage heaters and we looked at well over 100 houses.

The heater had a thermostat attached to it so my husband turned it down to the lowest setting last winter and the garage stayed nice and warm, especially on extra cold days.

This past January, after we arrived home from vacation, we pulled into the garage and it smelled like gas. The smell seemed to be coming from the gas heater so we turned it off and figured we’d have the gas company out to see if maybe we had a leak.

When I called the gas company though they told me someone would be out in a week. Hmm … it must not be important, I thought. So, we kept the gas valve turned off to the heater (the winter was quite mild) and I didn’t worry about it until late this summer.

When I called the gas company this time, they came out within 30 minutes. The young lady I spoke with regarding the problem said that someone should have come out immediately when I called before. What a warm fuzzy feeling I had in my stomach when I heard that. Uh, not!

The repairman did some testing and after a few minutes told me that the valve had a small leak but that it only leaked if the heater was turned on so there was no danger as long as we kept it off. He then told me I should call a heating/cooling company to replace the valve.

This time I decided to move a little quicker than before and called a heating/cooling company right away. The gentleman who came out measured the garage and told me that the heater we currently had was an industrial one and too large for the square footage we had.

That actually makes sense as the previous owner of our house worked in heating/cooling and did many “upgrades” to our house that went above and beyond what one would expect.

The options we had were to replace the valve or buy a new heater. Keeping in mind that the industrial heater was almost 20 years old, we decided to buy a new smaller heater. Maybe then it would be quieter also.

I felt sorry for the installers when they arrived to install the new heater as the old one was  really heavy and they should have had three men to dismantle it instead of two. Unfortunately, I could not offer my services as I didn’t want such a large contraption falling on my head. They figured it out but the old heater almost fell on one of the installers.

The newly purchased heater is a lot smaller than the old one, runs smoothly and is quieter.

We’re fortunate to own a garage heater. Yes, very very fortunate.

Recently my husband and I decided to explore another park in Lake Elmo — the Sunfish Lake Park.

This park has approximately 284 acres of land and 9 miles of trails.

It was so peaceful when we went as we only saw one other couple there. Autumn is just about over and the trees are bare now — except for the evergreens.

As we entered the trail we were met with a leaf laden path.

Further down the path we could see a small part of the lake. Our Minnesota drought this year has affected the lake as it could barely be seen as the water was pretty low.

The air was still and not a sound could be heard except for the rustle of leaves beneath our feet. Further ahead, we saw a beaver house.

As my mind wondered about the possibility of seeing a beaver, my husband pulled my sleeve and said “Look.” And there he (she?) was. He was not moving much but standing in one spot as if chewing on something.

It is rare for me to see such a beautiful sight and when I do I feel giddy. I don’t want to move from the spot I’m in for fear that nature’s beauty will slip away. Further down the trail we saw more beaver houses and throughout the park they also had bird houses in various places.

There is something magical about walking through a park and having nothing but silence. My head clears itself of all of life’s busyness and just “settles” into a blank state of simple enjoyment.

Even in dead trees life can be found just as hope lies waiting for lives that are mangled by life.

It is good to pause in life and allow the beauty of nature to fill one’s senses. Breathe. Breathe.

I must return here in winter when the cold of snow lies on the ground and the landscape looks white. There will probably be more people though as the park is used for cross country skiing also.

Hmmm … perhaps that’s something I should try.

The fireplace is up and running! What a wonderful feeling to not only see the beautiful gold-orange glow but to feel the warmth that emanates from it.

Our family room has so many windows that make the room colder but when the fireplace is on — well, it warms me through and through like cuddling in a quilt.

We are on the hunt for window curtain panels but haven’t been able to find the right color that matches our yellow and bluegreen walls. Tomorrow I’ll be heading to J C Penney and possibly Ikea to check out what they have. The room is tall so we need extra long panels.

I’ve tried ordering them online (through Penney’s) but can’t quite get the right color so wind up returning them locally.

But that is tomorrow’s problem.

Today I’ll enjoy the warmth that is reaching out to me from the fireplace.

Watching the news yesterday on the Sandy hurricane that is passing through the United States east coast, I was shocked to see people standing close to the edge of a boardwalk playfully “teasing” the water as they walked back and forth to the edge to try to avoid the splashes coming on shore.

I didn’t get it. With all the warnings to evacuate or stay indoors, “hunker down” is what they called it, I couldn’t understand why these people felt a need to “tempt” fate.

Today we know that lives have been lost. Some of those lives were of people who did “hunker down” in their homes but trees fell on their houses killing them.

One could say it doesn’t matter — that fate will get you either way. Yet for the ones who died accidentally most people would mourn. For those who stand on the edge tempting fate, had they died, most would say they deserved it.

Life is precious. When we don’t heed the warnings then we suffer consequences, sometimes. And when we heed the warning we are safe, sometimes.

And as unpredictable as life may be, I still choose to heed warnings and do all I can to keep myself safe. For there will come a time when not heeding a warning could truly make the difference between life and death.

Brrr … its cold outside this morning but I had a chiropractor appointment so I forced myself out of my warm bed. Looking outside, the leaves still look a little wet from the recent rain we’ve received. Rain that, unfortunately, will still not get us out of the drought we’re in.

I enjoy going to see my chiropractor. He was referred to me by a masseuse that I go to every now and then. I trust her and her healing hands truly help me with my stiff neck. Just recently I asked her if she knew of a chiropractor that might work with lingual nerve damage and she said she knew of one who worked with laser treatment on nerves that might be able to help.

That’s how I found my chiropractor. He was a good listener from day one and suggested that the laser treatment he uses just might help as it helps with other nerve problems.

Initially I went to see him twice a week. The first laser treatment I received made me believe I was definitely going to be healed of this lingering problem (caused by a dentist trying to numb my mouth during a root canal).

The laser they use is an Avicenna laser. It is supposed to help in stimulating deep tissue healing. Although the chiropractor had never tried it with lingual nerve damage he was optimistic enough for me to say “let’s try it.”

Almost 6 weeks later I can say that I have definitely noticed a difference on the left side of my mouth. My tongue doesn’t have a continual burning or discomfort/pain most days. The laser treatment I receive is very simple. They point the laser on my face where the lingual nerve connects to the rest of the mouth and for 10 minutes they move the laser back and forth. After 10 minutes, I open my mouth and they point the laser inside my mouth towards the lingual nerve and work that area for another 5 minutes.

I’ve read other blogs of people who have this problem and no one has yet suggested this remedy. I was on the verge of going to see my oral facial surgeon to see if there was anything that can be done. From internet reading, the lingual nerve “might” heal itself in 2 months or 20 years. That’s a LOT of time to be in pain and I’m already at 1 year and 7 months.

I am thankful that I can try this FDA approved laser treatment and hope that it will speed up the healing of my lingual nerve sooner rather than later. It certainly seems like I’m well on my way.

I’m not sure if this is covered by insurance though as my insurance doesn’t cover chiropractic visits so I pay out of pocket and reimburse myself through the Health Savings Plan.

Has anyone else tried this kind of therapy for lingual nerve damage? I’d be interested in hearing from you.

Update: March 22, 2013

The laser therapy had worked very well and my lingual nerve problems had completely gone away by the beginning of 2013. Because I had also had problems with TMJ, the chiropractor referred me to a dentist he knew so I could have a proper mouth guard made. TMJ, according to the chiropractor, can exacerbate the lingual nerve.

However, when I became sick with bronchitis in February, the lingual nerve started acting up again. I will be heading back to the chiropractor next week.

The chiropractor had also explained that inflammation in the body can prevent the lingual nerve from healing so I should be careful with what I ate and he recommended removing sugar (except for occasional honey and pure maple syrup), gluten and dairy from my diet. At first, I was hesitant to do this because I didn’t think my husband would go along with it.

When my son came to visit in December, he decided he wanted to cook for us and in January started us on a paleolithic diet which is gluten free, dairy free (except for eggs) and sugar free. Funny how life has worked things out.

I believe that the lingual nerve is better because of the diet, i.e. it’s not as bad during this recurrence as it was initially when it first started.

So I’m hoping that this is a minor setback for me as it took almost four weeks for me to recuperate from the bronchitis which is a big inflammation causer.

Really? A TSA Museum?

What’s next in our crazy mixed up world? I was reading a blog recently called View from the Wing and the museum is in that blogger’s town.

It’s really sickening to me. I’m not a fan of TSA. Oh, and get this — the museum is not open to the public. Yeah, okay government. Spend our money and don’t give us access to what you spend it on.

More government waste!  I think the political ads must be getting to me of late must be getting to me.

Last year, on our wedding anniversary, we drove past the Franconia Sculpture Park on the way home from our getaway. This year we went for a drive in the country and stopped at the park again since they usually change the sculptures there.

The weather was absolutely beautiful with the sun shining high in the sky. It seemed like people may have thought this was our last beautiful autumn day as the road was crowded with cars and lots of motorcycles.  People were pulling over to see the changing colors on the trees. Everything looked so peaceful. Even the St. Croix River looked stunning.

Parking was almost full when we arrived at the Franconia Sculpture Park but we were able to find a spot in the grassy area. The sculptures were indeed different than the last time we were here — so original and, shall I say, interesting? I didn’t realize that they had signs with the artists’ name on them until I was halfway through the park. Check these out!

 This one is made out of “fragile” crates.

Pretty interesting, eh? There are so many and I didn’t get a picture of all of them. Here’s a few more but if you’re in the area you should stop by and check them out. Seriously!

Here’s a close up of the picture above … It looks so cool!

Okay so, now I’ll show you the ones that I was able to get the artists’ name for (yes, I know, never end a sentence with a preposition ….)

Translation for Las Puertas de Orion is The Doors of Orion.

Hey! There’s a man in the picture! I asked him to pose for me so that I could show you the size of the sculpture.

 The one below is one of my favorites. I guess I just like “reclaiming” things.

This next one seems appropriate for the area — farm country.

And last, but not least …

I hope my nervous doesn’t look so, well, nervous.  hehe

A nice thought provoking walk through the park.

This past Friday I saw my massage therapist. She is so good! She does “regular” massages but also includes cranialsacral work in her therapy. Every time I’ve gone to her I always leave feeling a lot more relaxed which leads to quicker healing.

After detailing my history of the “virus” I supposedly have, she had me lie face up on the table and proceeded to “hear” my head. This sounds weird, doesn’t it? Over ten years ago, when I lived in Seattle, I went to a cranialsacral clinic because I had severe vertigo and had tried everything else to help cure myself since the doctors had no suggestions. Back then, the cranialsacral treatment didn’t work either.

After the therapist had put her hands on my head and “listened,” she told me that there is little movement on the right side of my brain. That is not good. Movement is essential to good health. Anyway, she continued treatment and found I had two swollen mastoid lymph nodes. Those nodes (in lay terms) help with drainage. In trying to research them I didn’t find much information on them except for blogs where people have had similar symptoms to mine. In all cases that I’ve read thus far, the doctors say “it’s fine and will go away.”

The massage therapist would not work on the areas of the lymph nodes because of the swelling. She continued her treatment and ended with a quick Swedish massage to my back. I felt pretty good when I left although the right side of my head is still sensitive to touch.

This morning, I went to see my chiropractor. I originally went to see him because the massage therapist told me that he has a laser that can possibly help with the lingual nerve problem that I’ve had for over a year and a half. And he has helped with that! He is also using this laser treatment on my left wrist — the one I fell on last winter, and again, the laser treatment is helping.

But I digress as I think of my body falling apart …

The chiropractor felt both lymph nodes and said they are both still swollen but he believes that this is due to the virus that I am fighting off.

I am feeling better. The jabs of pain that I had last week are down to one every couple of hours or so.

I think I’ll do a little leaf sweeping this afternoon as it is too gorgeous a day to be indoors. Fresh air should help with healing my body, no?

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