This place is a museum

Wooden Yemaya carving from Nigeria with brass and seed bead detailing. This carving is about a foot and a half tall and is very detailed, front and back. Pictured is the left side of her face.

Bubble wrapped two wooden carvings from Nigeria today. Yemaya and Ochun. I stopped and asked myself, “Are you ok? Are you well?” The answer is no. I’m not ok. We are in fire season here. Seems like that’s all I do these days is prepare for it. Doing my best to make sure we don’t loose everything. Can’t have all this stuff just sitting in this cabin though all the evacuations.

Besides packing up these things I’ve been restocking and topping off the Travel First Aid Kits. Might share in inventory of what I put in them. Meh. Gotta keep it movin’.

Sunday ukulele jam session

Playing ‘No Woman No Cry’ for our first jam sesh.

First outdoor gathering with other humans without masks since The Pandemic. We kept distance and had our masks just in case.

We’re picking up where we left off. Before Covid happened we were learning, ‘No woman no cry’ by Bob Marley. We got through all the cords, still have to get down the picking and definitely have to get a lot smoother on the cords. The cords are as follows. C, G, A minor, F, C, F, C.

Banker Boxes

It’s been three months, a little longer even, since all the changes.

I ordered a half a dozen more banker boxes. They really are the best, for packing.

It seems like packing things away or getting rid of them entirely is where I’m at with it all. It’s only the first week of July, and we’ve already been in fire season, for over a month. So I’m adjusting. It’s not comfortable but change rarely is. In order to change and elevate we must be willing to be uncomfortable. It’s been tough, even for me and I’m incredibly resilient.

Old roads to work

Long and meandering path through the redwoods punctuated seasonally with ferns, tiny wild roses, trillium ovatum, usnea and lots of lichens.

My smart devices showed me this memory photo of 10 years ago. It’s the narrow, winding path we hiked to get to work for many years. Southern Humboldt, Northern California.

Migraine Protocol

I’m in a aura migraine support group and the question often comes up, “What helps? What can I do?” What follows is what works for me.

This was me today, feeling insane while driving and getting a migraine. Hard to explain if you don’t get migraines with auras. Colors and disorientation. I couldn’t get my hat down low enough and couldn’t find my migraine shades for the first 5 minutes of the onset. Pulled over and found them and took this.

At the onset, to prevent it from escalating

Imitrex 25 or 50mg 

For the anxiety

Immediately take nervines, hypnotics and sedatives in tincture form. Usually a combo of passiflora, lactuca, kava kava, pedicularis densiflora, California poppy and vervain.

I also take 3000 mg of glycine (amino acid) very effective in relieving anxiety and panic.

Drink 8 ounces of water mixed with Calm (Magnesium) and electrolytes.

1 mg Lorazepam

For light sensitivity

Immediately put on shades.

Close eyes or go in a dark room. 

Put on migraine helmet and ice on the carotid artery in the neck (base of the skull)  This helped to reduce the inflammation in the brain.

Reduce stimulation all of all kinds.

If the headache part makes it though (despite imitrex) I have a cup of black unsweetened strong coffee (vasoconstrictive) to constrict blood vessels in brain. 

Postdrome care (which can last 3 weeks for me)

Migraine helmet, electrolytes, hydration and continued magnesium. Cold nettle infusion. Lots of rooibos tea. Lots of sleep, stay out of the sun. Wear migraine glasses inside as well as outside. Apply Icy Hot from top of shoulders all the way up to the bad of the head. Avoid movies with flashing lights and busy scenes. Avoid bright screens of all kinds, computer, smart phones etc. Keep lights dim. Take luke warm or cool showers.

Prevention

Above all, avoid all high histamine foods. 25mg amitriptylin each night before bed. 50g quercertin capsules each night. 15g CoQ10 to lower levels of the pain-related protein  CGRP. Drink rooibos tea daily, drink cold nettle infusions or chilled nettle tea often.

~ migraineur of 41 years