October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month!
So every year, I try to walk in the local Susan Komen breast cancer walk. I look forward to it and always enjoy having friends or family join me. I have walked it twice while pregnant. I'm taking my daughter this year.
It is so great to see so many taking an interest in the cause. I have lost 2 friends to breast cancer, 1 neighbor and known several survivors. I walk for them, for myself, for my daughter, for all women and men with breasts!
Here are some links for breast self exam instructions (I am guilty of not doing this often enough):
http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/testing/self_exam/
http://cms.komen.org/komen/AboutBreastCancer/EarlyDetectionScreening/BreastSelf-Exam/index.htm?ssSourceNodeId=313&ssSourceSiteId=Komen/
Also, I encourage everyone to check out the Komen website for the local breast cancer walk in your area. It is a great charity!
http://cms.komen.org/komen/index.htm
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Autumn Leaves and Apple Picking; the Perfect Fall Day Trip.
Autumn Leaves and Apple Picking; the Perfect Fall Day Trip.
In the fall of 2006, my son was about to turn one and my daughter was three. My favorite time of year had rolled around bringing with it cooler weather, shorter days and one of my favorite things of the season: apple picking! My family has been taking day trips out toward Julian to pick apples since the 1930s. As residents and dairy farmers of old Escondido, my great-grandmother Barker used to drive my grandmother and her sister out to Julian to pick the apples in the fall when they were just girls. In honor of family tradition and because we wait excitedly for the autumn season the whole year, it was a brisk morning for the four generations of family to set out on the windy, country road in search of sweet, fresh apples.
Our scenic drive led us to a small, lovely apple orchard on the side of the road. The dusty lot was bustling with cars full of excited children pulling in to park and pulling out to the road making the turn toward historic Julian. There was a crisp, cool breeze on that day as we unloaded our group. My grandmother, my mother, my sister, my two children headed with me toward the wooden stand at the entrance of the orchard.
The friendly girls taking payments for the bags of apples handed out sweet samples of sliced fruit. They busily straightened the wooden bins full of colorful already picked apples while giving directions of how to properly pick the apples. We were told not to pull the fruit but to gently twist until it came off of the stem. They said not to shake the branches or the trees. They reminded all of the children not to drop the fruit into their bags so as not to bruise their treasures before they even had a chance to become a part of a pie. A group of boisterous school children sat at the tables nearby listening and eating hungrily from their sack lunches.
We made it to the front of the line and paid for two new plastic bags waiting to be filled with apples. Although my son was a little too young to understand what was really going on, he was very intrigued. My daughter, on the other hand, could hardly stand still. The trees were full of red, yellow and green gems just waiting to be plucked off of the branches as we all ventured down into the old orchard. The leaves rustled around the sounds of children’s giggles nearby. My sister lifted my daughter onto her shoulders and they began the quest for the perfect apple. They moved from tree to tree looking, picking, and laughing. It was incredible to see four generations of family standing together in that aged orchard. It was a sight that left me a little breathless at how fortunate we could be to have us all together in such a simply magical spot. Once our bags were brimming and the kids worn out, we headed back to the car now to search for lunch at some nearby restaurant. “Perfect” apples are probably very delicious but as I have learned during my years of picking, they all taste good even if they are slightly misshapen or have a few blemishes. And I know personally that they always taste the best when they have been picked with love by your own hand in the presence of loved ones.
Sadly, we did not get to go apple picking last season due to the horrible October wildfires. We were one of the many, many families who were evacuated at the time of the apple picking season. My grandmother will not be able to go with us this season as she can barely walk anymore. It is just a reminder that we were so lucky to have those times together. My kids are already counting down the days until the orchards open for picking.
A quick search of the internet can help you make the most of your apple-picking day trip. I encourage families to get out and plan a trip to enjoy the fall season, fresh apples and ever-important time together. Check your local Farm Bureau online to find local "you-pick orchards." Be sure to call the orchard before you go to confirm hours/days of operation.
Here are some fun apple facts:
- The Red Delicious is the most popular variety of apple in the United States
- Fresh apples will float in water due to the high volume of air in them.
- Apples are a good source of soluble and insoluble fiber and have virtually
no fat.
- A medium apple has about 80 calories.
In the fall of 2006, my son was about to turn one and my daughter was three. My favorite time of year had rolled around bringing with it cooler weather, shorter days and one of my favorite things of the season: apple picking! My family has been taking day trips out toward Julian to pick apples since the 1930s. As residents and dairy farmers of old Escondido, my great-grandmother Barker used to drive my grandmother and her sister out to Julian to pick the apples in the fall when they were just girls. In honor of family tradition and because we wait excitedly for the autumn season the whole year, it was a brisk morning for the four generations of family to set out on the windy, country road in search of sweet, fresh apples.
Our scenic drive led us to a small, lovely apple orchard on the side of the road. The dusty lot was bustling with cars full of excited children pulling in to park and pulling out to the road making the turn toward historic Julian. There was a crisp, cool breeze on that day as we unloaded our group. My grandmother, my mother, my sister, my two children headed with me toward the wooden stand at the entrance of the orchard.
The friendly girls taking payments for the bags of apples handed out sweet samples of sliced fruit. They busily straightened the wooden bins full of colorful already picked apples while giving directions of how to properly pick the apples. We were told not to pull the fruit but to gently twist until it came off of the stem. They said not to shake the branches or the trees. They reminded all of the children not to drop the fruit into their bags so as not to bruise their treasures before they even had a chance to become a part of a pie. A group of boisterous school children sat at the tables nearby listening and eating hungrily from their sack lunches.
We made it to the front of the line and paid for two new plastic bags waiting to be filled with apples. Although my son was a little too young to understand what was really going on, he was very intrigued. My daughter, on the other hand, could hardly stand still. The trees were full of red, yellow and green gems just waiting to be plucked off of the branches as we all ventured down into the old orchard. The leaves rustled around the sounds of children’s giggles nearby. My sister lifted my daughter onto her shoulders and they began the quest for the perfect apple. They moved from tree to tree looking, picking, and laughing. It was incredible to see four generations of family standing together in that aged orchard. It was a sight that left me a little breathless at how fortunate we could be to have us all together in such a simply magical spot. Once our bags were brimming and the kids worn out, we headed back to the car now to search for lunch at some nearby restaurant. “Perfect” apples are probably very delicious but as I have learned during my years of picking, they all taste good even if they are slightly misshapen or have a few blemishes. And I know personally that they always taste the best when they have been picked with love by your own hand in the presence of loved ones.
Sadly, we did not get to go apple picking last season due to the horrible October wildfires. We were one of the many, many families who were evacuated at the time of the apple picking season. My grandmother will not be able to go with us this season as she can barely walk anymore. It is just a reminder that we were so lucky to have those times together. My kids are already counting down the days until the orchards open for picking.
A quick search of the internet can help you make the most of your apple-picking day trip. I encourage families to get out and plan a trip to enjoy the fall season, fresh apples and ever-important time together. Check your local Farm Bureau online to find local "you-pick orchards." Be sure to call the orchard before you go to confirm hours/days of operation.
Here are some fun apple facts:
- The Red Delicious is the most popular variety of apple in the United States
- Fresh apples will float in water due to the high volume of air in them.
- Apples are a good source of soluble and insoluble fiber and have virtually
no fat.
- A medium apple has about 80 calories.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Important Topic Regarding Aging Family Members: Alzheimer's Disease
I have been haunted the last few days by some pictures on the news of a local elderly woman in our area afflicted with Alzheimer's disease. She walked away from her home and has not been seen since. Everyone is searching for her. I find my eyes desperately searching the streets, sidewalks and businesses that I use each day in hopes of coming across her to help get her safely home with her worried family. What are the chance I will be the one find her? Probably pretty slim but if everyone keeps an eye out, you never know...
I have worked with a few people who had this disease. I found one man driving down the street with his rear tire rim sparking because he didn't know he had had a flat. He didn't know who he was or where he was or where he belonged or that he wasn't supposed to be driving anymore. He had Alzheimer's and had made it 45 minutes away from his house. I found another man who had gone missing and walked 5 miles (having a heart attack during the walk). He didn't know his name, location, or residence... Alzheimer's. I was called to a house near the beach to take an elderly woman home. She had been sitting in someone's back yard waiting to have tea. The homeowner didn't know her and the poor woman didn't know her name or where she was either... Alzheimer's... I always found these things very sad and heart breaking. But I never understood the full impact of this disease until someone in my family was diagnosed with the disease. We knew for a while something was happening to her. It just seemed to take a long time to officially diagnose it. My wonderful, little grandmother. The nicest lady you ever knew... Everyone loved her.
Obviously this news story brought back some pretty intense personal memories of my own family members who had Alzheimer's. Not only did my grandmother (dad's side) have it but so did my grandfather (mom's side). However, it is my grandmother's battle with it still torments me to this day. She knew when she was slipping away and she was scared. She was with me one minute, just as I knew her all my life, and then back into that dark abyss of her new lonely life. Scared each day, trapped... Alone in her mind. Although she stopped remembering me (just thought I was a kind visitor) toward the end of our visits near the end of her life, she would suddenly scream for me, using my name even, from behind the courtyard walls as I walked through the parking lot to my car. She wandered often even from the care facility she was in. She tried to scale the walls and hit the staff. She was a little lady but full of an angry fire that had been lit by this horrible disease. She died exactly 30 days after her husband died (although she no longer knew she was married). She just stopped eating one day and a few days later closed her eyes until the end.
After watching the news the last few days, I was reminded not only of my family and our experiences with this disease but also of a program that is not well known but is very important for families to learn about if they have someone with this or a dementia type of affliction. It is called the Alzheimer's Safe Return Program. It is a government funded program. It is a national information and photo data base. You can order bracelets and clothing labels for a small fee on the site for your family member. It has a number on bracelet that can be called if your family member wanders away. We got it for my grandmother and it helped us feel a lot better about keeping track of her should she make an escape. I attached the link to their site under my site links list to the left. I also added a link to the Alzheimer's website in case you want to learn more about this disease or donate to the cause. Please spread the word about these sites. You never know when someone you love (or yourself) may end up in this situation. Thanks for listening/reading.
http://alzheimers.about.com/od/givingsupport/a/safe_return.htm
http://www.alz.org/index.asp
I have worked with a few people who had this disease. I found one man driving down the street with his rear tire rim sparking because he didn't know he had had a flat. He didn't know who he was or where he was or where he belonged or that he wasn't supposed to be driving anymore. He had Alzheimer's and had made it 45 minutes away from his house. I found another man who had gone missing and walked 5 miles (having a heart attack during the walk). He didn't know his name, location, or residence... Alzheimer's. I was called to a house near the beach to take an elderly woman home. She had been sitting in someone's back yard waiting to have tea. The homeowner didn't know her and the poor woman didn't know her name or where she was either... Alzheimer's... I always found these things very sad and heart breaking. But I never understood the full impact of this disease until someone in my family was diagnosed with the disease. We knew for a while something was happening to her. It just seemed to take a long time to officially diagnose it. My wonderful, little grandmother. The nicest lady you ever knew... Everyone loved her.
Obviously this news story brought back some pretty intense personal memories of my own family members who had Alzheimer's. Not only did my grandmother (dad's side) have it but so did my grandfather (mom's side). However, it is my grandmother's battle with it still torments me to this day. She knew when she was slipping away and she was scared. She was with me one minute, just as I knew her all my life, and then back into that dark abyss of her new lonely life. Scared each day, trapped... Alone in her mind. Although she stopped remembering me (just thought I was a kind visitor) toward the end of our visits near the end of her life, she would suddenly scream for me, using my name even, from behind the courtyard walls as I walked through the parking lot to my car. She wandered often even from the care facility she was in. She tried to scale the walls and hit the staff. She was a little lady but full of an angry fire that had been lit by this horrible disease. She died exactly 30 days after her husband died (although she no longer knew she was married). She just stopped eating one day and a few days later closed her eyes until the end.
After watching the news the last few days, I was reminded not only of my family and our experiences with this disease but also of a program that is not well known but is very important for families to learn about if they have someone with this or a dementia type of affliction. It is called the Alzheimer's Safe Return Program. It is a government funded program. It is a national information and photo data base. You can order bracelets and clothing labels for a small fee on the site for your family member. It has a number on bracelet that can be called if your family member wanders away. We got it for my grandmother and it helped us feel a lot better about keeping track of her should she make an escape. I attached the link to their site under my site links list to the left. I also added a link to the Alzheimer's website in case you want to learn more about this disease or donate to the cause. Please spread the word about these sites. You never know when someone you love (or yourself) may end up in this situation. Thanks for listening/reading.
http://alzheimers.about.com/od/givingsupport/a/safe_return.htm
http://www.alz.org/index.asp
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