It’s Hotter than July in the smallish state of Connecticut and right now the residents are inhaling smoke from the Canadian and Minnesota wildfires. Chief Meteorologist Gil Simmons from News Channel 8 in New Haven, CT has been delivering the “Smoke Index” all this week so folks will take the dimmed sunlight seriously. When I’m outside my eyes feel like I am wearing yellow rose colored glasses (smile). But seriously I would much rather be in this position where we are only mildly affected by the smoke as opposed to living in a part of a state or country that’s quite literally on fire…yikes!
The other strange phenomenon this month is that suddenly eating lettuce, some fresh produce, vegetables and herbs has become risky business. Wait, what?!?
By consuming these foods you may come down with Cyclosporiasis which is caused by a parasite that is found in the above mentioned foods. To combat catching Cyclosporiasis, we are being asked to wash our fruits and vegetables thoroughly or cook our vegetables at high levels of heat to kill the parasite. Otherwise we may wind up on the toilet for an inexplicable amount of time (smile).
Gas in Connecticut is a tiny bit below $4.00 a gallon which is not saying much considering it averaged just $3.15 a gallon this time last year. The job market is dependent on what industry you are in. Healthcare is booming but in the media industry jobs continue to fall by the wayside due to mergers and acquisitions. I am so thankful and blessed that I have been working in the media industry now for almost 40 years so things for me are starting to wind down…
Health wise I just found out from my new APRN (no more Primary Care doctors now, just APRNs as apparently they are more plentiful in Connecticut) that I have high blood pressure so she prescribed Amlodipine (5mg a day for 30 days) at the end of which we will see whether I can stop taking the pills altogether or continue on for an indefinite period of time. This diagnosis came out of an Echocardiogram test that I received as part of my full physical a month and a half ago. It showed that I may have leaky heart valves. Keep in mind that this is no doubt a family medical history diagnosis as this girl works out 5 days a week at Orangetheory Fitness Center in Hamden, CT, she quit drinking wine 6 years ago, she doesn’t indulge in drugs, she quit smoking cigarettes 30+ years ago and she eats clean most days (smile).
Here’s where I’m at hobby wise: In my last blog post I mentioned that I had taken up reading non-fiction books for the Summer and after reading Elin Hildebrand’s Paradise series I promptly booked a trip to St. Thomas, USVI with my partner in love (smile). So now I just finished reading Kennedy Ryan’s Hollywood Renaissance series and I could not, for the life of me, put these books down! Ryan’s writing is so relatable and I learn so much about a new health issue every time I read one of her books. She is truly an award-winning author!
Other than that I am living my life, trying not to take myself too seriously and keeping in touch with my loved ones as no one is promised anything, most of all time.
Sincerely,
TVFL