Rescued Treasures...

#NHBPM #HAWMC Day 21 Prompt: Ekphrasis post. Ekphrasis (writing about another art form) – Find a Flickr Image in Creative Commons that inspires you in some way (positively or negatively) and free write about it. Give yourself exactly 15 minutes to write without stopping. Don’t think! Brave bonus: Publish to your blog without editing! (You can include a disclaimer)

Below are photos I have rescued from TARPON SPRINGS, FLORIDA and there are over one hundred all together. I chose these for today's blog post...
Faded photographs, rescued treasures. I wonder what would have become of these treasures if I had not spoken up and asked to take them home with me. The small shed like building they were currently housed in with so much trash and a few other likely goodies were going to be taken to the dump. So many books were mildewed and old clothing strewn about, broken glass from picture frames that would have hung upon walls behind couches in living rooms at one point. So sad to see these lovely pieces of time frozen among them all. 
I was given the green light to bring the photo album home. I was elated! To me this was so important and I cannot understand how it meant nothing to others, never will understand. 
So many questions swirled in my head. Who are these people in the photos? Where were the taken?  I saw a few place names and researched those. MOUNT MAJOR - That is in New Hampshire. The SECOND ADVENT Campground I am not familiar with. This was a goldmine and I wanted to get it returned to some family member of the whoever was in these photos as soon as possible. I had visions of a website, putting the photos up and circulating them for all to see in the hopes of reaching a relative of someone in the photos. 
I have had the recent blessing of reuniting a set of most awesome photos with relatives not long ago. It gives me a wonderful feeling to do that. They are all some folks have to their family and family history. We all, of most of us, have this desire to know where we come from, who do we look like in our families, who is related to who and the list goes on....
Maybe I can reunite them this Christmas...a gift for someone...That would make my day<3 

Postcard Below addressed to the MURPHY FAMILY of PITTSFIELD, NH from CHAS ROGERS. 

 VERY INTERESTING HOUSE BELOW...My personal guess is that it was Very near water and therefore built up on stilted foundation to keep from being flooded during storm weather.

 PHOTO TO LEFT TAKEN AT MOUNT MAJOR, NEW HAMPSHIRE

Mount Major is a mountain located in Alton, New Hampshire, south of Lake Winnipesaukee 

LAKE WINNIPESAUKEE MOUNT MAJOR

PHOTO ABOVE TOP LEFT: SECOND ADVENT CAMPGROUND ~ UNSURE OF LOCATION.


This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

Relationships and You...

#NHBPM #HAWMC Day 19 Prompt: 
“Best of” post. Grab a post from your archives and repost it! Add a few sentences at the beginning to frame it. Why you chose it. Why you liked it. And why it should be shared again.


I veered off the prompt this time and pulled up something I had in draft I was working on


One of the most important relationships you can have is with your doctor or doctors no matter what you have been diagnosed with. You will have your primary doc (pdoc) and whoever else may be on your care team. When it comes to Your health all of you need to work together in order for any treatment to be beneficial.
What is vitally important in this relationship is Honesty. The client (that's you) must be honest with all the docs on their care team in order to get the best care possible provided for them. There is no "One size fits all" when it comes to anything in health care.


If you have been seeing a health care provider for any length of time then you know what questions to ask and what to bring with you for each visit. I am going to share some tips that I have learned over time that will serve as a refresher for for some and come in very handy for those of you who are newly diagnosed.  If you are seeing any doc for the First time you will need to arrive at least 15 minutes early in order to fill out paperwork which includes a COMPLETE MEDICAL HISTORY and Insurance Information. If really is a time saver, not to mention easy on the brain, if you have all that info handy and with you when you head to the doc's office. Remember to list all over the counter medicines and vitamins, as well as any other doctor you may be seeing... 
Fibromyalgia - Rheuma/Specialist: I keep a pain journal for my Fibromyalgia. I highly recommend keeping one. They do not have to be fancy. Plain notebook is fine. Decorate it with stickers or whatever you wish. Personalize it!  Point is - Journal ~ Write in any and All changes in symptoms. I also include what I have eaten and drank that day, my emotions and the weather - including Barometric Pressure. Weather can and does play a big part in how we feel quite often. Cold and damp - I am in tremendous pain. Trust me when I say this, you will not remember all the questions you want to ask your doc when you enter the office or exam room. Put them in writing in your journal and BRING IT WITH YOU! 
Write the answers in your book...Any tests you have done you are entitled to a copy of. YOU are the patient, the client. Ask politely and the receptionist/nurse usually make you a copy before you leave with no problem. I ask for mine letting my doc know I want to have them in my personal file. 
It has never been a problem.
Mental Health - Depending on who you see, private psydoc or community clinic this can be interesting. Still, You are the client. Bring all info with you. Journal with meds, doses, what you take them for - Even if this is the prescribing doctor.....
USE Your Journal..It comes in handy....If you have had to make any trips to the Emergency Room in between doc visits for any reason - Log it in your journal. Time, Date, Reason, Result.....I even put the ER Doc I was seen by in my notes when I was very sick. (Bronchitis was a kicker) 
This all benefits you... 
I know I have left out something I probably wanted to cover in here. I will cover it again in another post. Thanks for stopping by and reading!
My mind has trouble recalling five minutes ago LOL! My Pain Journal was one of the best things I ever did!


Peace,Love and Light
This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

Online communities - Life line of Hope

#NHBPM #HAWMC Day 11 
#HAWMC PROMPT:

 If it’s not broke, don’t fix it. What is working well in your community, healthcare, blogs, social media, or your work in particular? What do you like about it?

I Love the online communities. They are an absolutely vital link and life line of Hope and life preserver for an incalculable number of people. Within our online communities we are able to gather and rally as support systems for each other any time of day or nite. Support is crucial no matter what your diagnosis is. We need that uplifting group of friends and/or family around us. The option to remain anonymous in forums using a pseudonym allows for individuals who are not ready to shout to the world their condition(s) or experience extreme anxiety upon leaving the home to attend support groups. This can be both pro and con however in a better moderated forums this is very much a plus and the support is awesome. All to often, the online community is all the family and support some folks have.


There are countless individuals who are, due to varying conditions and illnesses are home-bound and unable to utilize any available resources in their geographic communities. The interaction for some, being able to just get online and connect with others is what keeps them going, propels them forward or just helps them stay afloat on a monumentally bad day. 


Due to health reasons I had to retire too early in my life. I was less than happy. I felt so alone in the beginning. Over the course of my personal journey and forced early retirement I discovered the rewards and blessings of volunteering. I also discovered online forums and there I spent a great deal of time for support and offering support.
My volunteering has been in the areas I have vast life experience in. I am able to relate to others in a capacity that brings them comfort, lifts them up and lets them know they are not alone. Social media, communities and forums can be very helpful. Blogging is a different approach and not the same interaction yet still sharing information, education and spreading awareness in another form. If you journal you can blog.

It is a huge comfort for someone to know and hear they are not alone in what they are experiencing and that the person advocating for them has been there, knows the trail to walk and guides them through it.

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J