Goats and Herbs

This post was going to be an update on how I’m feeling, etc. But when I sat down at the computer to start drafting, I bought a goat instead. I thought about a water buffalo, but there was just something about the goat that I liked.
I got a catalog the other day from Heifer International [...]

What a Difference a Year Makes

I started this blog over a year ago — July 2008 — right after I had my RA diagnosis. This blog has lasted longer than some of my husbands (seriously!).  It started as a way to keep family and friends informed of my progress as I went through my hip replacement, then my shoulder replacement, [...]

Just Like Air

I’ve decided that money is just like air: it’s not important unless you don’t have any.
I’m very fortunate in that I have a job that I like and it pays well. The benefits are good — they support my $1800/mo. Simponi habit. My husband owns his own architectural firm and while he’s not Frank Lloyd [...]

I Miss My High Heels

This weekend was tough. After three weeks, the Simponi shot has apparently completely worn off. I woke up Saturday morning almost unable to even get out of bed and didn’t even consider going to my water aerobics class. My husband had to leave town early Sunday, so he was somewhat insistent that we do dinner [...]

Right Out Loud

Small supplies of the H1N1 flu vaccine have finally arrived in Dallas and last night at water aerobics our instructor asked who in the class was planning on getting vaccinated. It was a small class, but I was a bit surprised when I was the only one who raised a hand.
After class, in the locker [...]

Nothing to Fear [but fear itself]

The DFW Metroplex has an intricate system of highways, streets, and side roads that somehow manages to move  millions of us from one place to another. These transportation arteries are connected through an amazing array of engineering marvels constructed of connectors, cloverleafs, and fly overs. One interchange that I drive through twice each work day has [...]

It’s Root Canal Day

I guess it’s appropriate that it’s a Monday and overnight a cold front moved through Dallas bringing cool, damp, rainy weather with it. It’s the perfect morning to get some things off my desk then to spend the afternoon in the dentist’s chair. The rainy weather is tough on my joints, so afterward I’m taking [...]

For the Last Time

When we’re growing up, we look forward to those fabulous “firsts” — the first grade, the first date, the first kiss — all kinds of new adventures.
As we move forward as adults, we start noticing the “lasts”. Some of these are intentional. A few years ago after spending a soggy week in Orlando with two [...]

A Life Lesson Well Remembered

Several years ago I went through a particularly bad patch and sought some help from a therapist to work through some issues. I was raised mainly in the South in an era where women were ladies and behaved to a fairly strict code of conduct. It came as somewhat of an epiphany to me, then, [...]

On Writing – and RA

I’ve made my living in various types of corporate communications for a number of years, both as a consultant and now as an employee. How I got here is a different story, but much of the writing I do is to put words in other people’s mouths — leaders of companies that have news, both [...]