Keeping Up With The Cohens

Going Green

I know I've been talking a bit lately about the steps Bradley and I have been making in the yard to grow organically. One of the ways we are doing this is by purchasing organic seeds, fertilizers and pesticides. We've had excellent luck (especially with sunflowers, see above) by purchasing these products from Gardens Alive. We are also trying to allow nature to take its course by allowing beneficial insects and birds to take care of the "bad" bugs for us.

In our continuing effort to lessen our carbon footprint and go green and non-toxic, we've recommitted to purchasing products through a company Bradley has used for 9 years: Melaleuca. This company has been around for more than 20 years, and they have made amazing products for use in the home, for personal hygiene and for health. Bradley takes their vitamins and gets great results from them. I've started using a fiber supplement to help control my high cholesterol. I've also been using their hand lotion... my hands get a workout at Starbucks, constantly in water, hot liquids and sanitizer. They were starting to look like old lady hands, but after a few days with the Melaleuca hand lotion, they look like my hands again! Also, since I'm on my feet a lot now, I decided to try their foot lotion. YUM. It smells great and really helps my feet to cool off and relax after hours of standing.

This month, I'm purchasing a bunch of home cleaning products. I have allergies, and am prone to migraines. I'm sure a lot of that has to do with harsh chemicals in our home. I'm eager to see how well these awesome, non-toxic, concentrated cleaners from Melaleuca do. I've heard nothing but good things, and I love what I have tried so far. The product quality is so much better than anything, even so-called "green" products, you buy at the grocery store. I highly recommend Melaleuca. It's that good.

Let me know if you're interested in learning more about the products. You can also check out the links that are over to the right, under my photo. One of the nice features of Melaleuca is their incentive programs for recommending new customers. Let's face it... we could all use the extra money that comes as a sort of kick back, or "thank you" for introducing new customers to a product line (more companies should do this). It's a great source for supplemental income. And if you have to purchase this stuff anyway, why not purchase something that's (1) good for you and the environment, (2) economical and (3) that will pay you dividends? It took me a long time (3 years) to listen to what Bradley was telling me about this company. I'm glad I finally listened, but kinda mad at myself for not listening sooner!

OMG, It's FALL!

And today is the start of PUMPKIN SPICE LATTES at Starbucks! Woo hoo!

As a Starbucks barista, I've gotten to sample this treat early, and let me tell you, it's as delicious as ever. My new favorite way to enjoy it? My fellow barista Adam gave me this suggestion: Combine it with chai tea syrup and soy, and enjoy it hot or iced. I had it iced yesterday and all I can say is Y-U-M!

Can cooler weather and leaves changing color be far behind??

A Noble Cause and Olympic Effort

My sister-in-law Megan is training for her first-ever triathlon in NY! She's raising money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. My father died at the age of 42 of leukemia, so this is a cause I really care about. I've donated to Megan's effort. I hope you will consider it, too. I know times are rough economically, but if you can, you can link to Megan's inspirational story and fund raising page, here. Thanks for checking it out!

Happy New Year

Here's to a fantabulous 2009! This year has got to get better, right? The economy, the war, a new president... I'm anxious and excited to see what will happen. On a personal level, my struggle with depression has gotten worse, and so I have decided, along with my therapist and Bradley, that it's time for me to go back on antidepressants. Sigh. I really wanted to power through, but the now-daily crying jags and extreme exhaustion and ennui just are too much. I need to accept and use the tools we have available to us these days to manage my moods. Again, sigh. This too shall pass. Meanwhile, I look forward to feeling better, and having a happy and productive 2009 all around!

Any New Year's resolutions or changes for YOU?

Hoo-RAY!

Even though I voted blue in a red state, thereby negating my vote (!), I am so happy that Barack Obama carried the day, OVERWHELMINGLY. As our next prez, Barack will be, I'm hopeful, like every good action hero in every good action flick, and SAVE THE DAY FOR THE FREE WORLD. And here's the "proof:"

Okay, okay, I know it's going to take a lot of work and a lot of sacrifice,  but indulge me here. I'm excited!

UT Gardens

During lunch one day a few weeks ago, Sandy, Barbara and I left work and ventured over to the University of Tennessee gardens, which are right down the street from Tombras. One of the ag profs was giving a tour, and we wanted in. It was a gorgeous Fall day, sunny and bright, but not too warm. We spent the better part of an hour touring the gardens and listening to what this professor had to say. I learned a bit: not to prune my butterfly bushes until Spring, and that the sapling we have in our side yard is a redbud. We had to leave before the tour was over because of lunch-hour constraints, but we had fun while we could. I only took one photo. Not because there wasn't plenty that was beautiful, but because so much of it was beautiful. It's not the Huntington (what is?), but it's beautiful in its own right.

Some Pop Culture Funny

I can't tell you how many times I use the line "These aren't the droids you're looking for" in casual conversation. At least several times over the past weeks. I love this photo, which my boss passed along to me. It just says it all!

I Want This Bumper Sticker

Thanks to Valerie for snapping this pic for me!

We Now Interrupt this Program...

Most of you know that I have been on antidepressants for years now. I am not fond of how they make me feel physically (fuzzy-headed and often muddled), even though they do alleviate the symptoms of depression. I was diagnosed almost 7 years ago, although I use the term "diagnose" loosely. As far as I know, there's no blood test to tell if you have depression. There are symptoms, and if the medicine makes you feel better then you can bet you have depression. So, I take medicine, and have depression.

Recently though, it became important for me to try one more time to go without the meds. I spoke with my new, FABULOUS doctor, Dr. Mendez, and he agreed we could try going off the meds again. He told me that with depression, a general course of action by physicians is to treat the first bout of depression with about a year of antidepressants. Then, the patient weans off the meds. If the depression comes back (often worse than the first time), then you go back on the meds, this time for a longer period. That's where I was about 3 weeks ago. If the patient and doctor warrant it, the patient goes off the meds a second time. Picture me here, now. If the depression comes back a third time, it's pretty likely you want to stay on medicine for the rest of your life. Here's hoping I won't have to do that. I will if I have to, but if so, I'm going down fighting!

So... I am weaning off the meds. I am going through withdrawal, which you can read about here. It's not very fun. I vacillate between feeling horrible, anxious, depressed; and perfectly fine, lucid, happy. I found a great article on About.com, which has helped a lot in knowing that they are pretty common side effects I'm having, and how I can combat them. The physical "brain shivers" kind of suck, but taking Benadryl does seem to help with that. And when I feel a mood swing coming on, I now know to hit it fast and hard with Xanax. Once I am not dizzy all the time, I will exercise regularly to get those endorphins moving.

I guess I'm letting you know this because I felt like just keeping up with the blog and reporting all the happy stuff felt like a sham. There's some serious stuff going on here too. This will pass, I know it, and I never NEVER have suicidal thoughts. But it is something I wanted to share with you, because it is an important part of who I am. And because if you've called or written to me and I have not called or written back... I will. Just give me a little time, please.

Meanwhile, if you have an interest in understanding more about depression and how it feels, try Darkness Visible, by William Styron. My friend Barbara, whose opinion I trust very much, said that it really illustrated what depression is, to someone who does not suffer from depression.

"Pride & Prejudice" Overload

This is what I'm reading right now. Yes, both. And it's really satisfying to read some of the original, and then catch up with Mr. Darcy's Diary. I really like the way Amanda Grange treats the material. And you don't need to read Pride & Prejudice at the same time to enjoy Mr. Darcy's Diary, either. The author fills in enough of the blanks that as long as you know the original story, you can follow it.

It's a wonderful guilty pleasure to read Darcy's innermost thoughts. Grange channels Darcy perfectly, and it's a totally believable take on him. If you are a Darcy fan, you must read it!

I am so into P&P right now, that I had to watch the Keira Knightly/Matthew Macfadyen version last night. And YouTube has some fine video mixes that people have developed. Check out this one with Nickelback's song, Far Away. It's my favorite mix so far.

Sigh. The romance of it. I'm such a sap!