Scattered Thoughts . . .

January is always our "train show month".  This is when we head down to Springfield, Massachusetts every year for the largest train show in the northeast.  Actually, I would not be surprised if this is the largest train show in the country every year.   The Amherst Railway Society's Annual Railroad Hobby Show is a very large and amazing event which is not only a lot of fun all weekend long, but it is also a very productive fundraiser.  The primary beneficiary of this fundraiser is always a children's hospital.  Since we have been attending the show I believe the Bay State Children's Hospital has been the recipient each year. Additionally, a dozen or two historical railroads and railroad museums receive proceeds each year as well.   In the years we have been attending the show, I believe we have seen between 50,000-60,000 visitors at each show.  Considering the problems we had this year in finding hotel accomodations, a few months in advance, I suspect this yea

The wind chill outside is now at -20 degrees but it is sunny and clear out there!  It looks really nice from the living room window so I decided to pick up one of my cameras to shoot a few photos.   These photos are shot with my old camera body with the Kodak sensor in it.  I love the color tonality and depth that this sensor produces.  What I don't like is that I really should be using this particular camera body on a tripod because it does not have any image stabilization capabilities.  My shot of the mountains has a bit of camera shake in it so it is not as sharp as it should be... I had opened the window in the living room so I could shoot the photo of the mountains without shooting through the dirty glass window...  Turns out the heat that was escaping the house through the open window was causing those visual jello-type waves you see coming off hot pavement in the summer!  So, I had to step outside to shoot the photo of the mountains.  Yes, it is cold out there! Hope yo

Today, January 1st, 2014, this blog passed the 10,000 page view milestone.  Considering that many websites get this many page views in one single day, this really isn't any sort of amazing record.  That being said, I started this website just to babble about my health, our family activities, and just to keep my family and friends updated on what is happening in our lives here in Vermont so, considering the purpose of this blog, reaching 10,000 page views is actually pretty impressive! Reaching 10,000 page views is interesting but what I find more interesting is where all these people reading my blog are located.  Of course, the US is where the vast majority of people are located.  Next, however, is Russia, United Kingdom, China, Canada, France, Germany, Malaysia, Sweden and Ukraine. I've had page views from a lot more countries but those are the top 10 locations. For a blog that is just about my own scattered thoughts and family activities and not about anything specific, thi

As many of you know, I enjoy photography.  The arts, in general, can be a great tool for those struggling with chronic illness, chronic pain and/or incurable illnesses.  For me, photography provides a way to express myself and to be productive during a time when I can't seem to get anything right because I am struggling so frequently with health issues and associated debilitating symptoms.  Perhaps more importantly, it is also a way to distract myself from my health issues.  Needless to say, I enjoy the artistic and creative aspects of photography and I try to stay as active as my health will allow with this expressive hobby. Part of this hobby is knowing your tools.  Actually, 'knowing your tools' is a part of everything in life.  Not only must I understand my own tools completely, but I must also understand what is available to replace my tools when they break, wear out or just start acting finicky.   Currently, I use camera gear from multiple manufacturers...  Fuji,

In a previous blog post, I briefly mentioned "The Spoon Theory" which accurately, and yet in an almost heartbreaking manner, describes how I must manage my energy each moment of every day. This spoon theory was written by Christine Miserandino who struggles with Lupus.  In this case, the illness is irrelevant. What is relevant is the fact that most chronic illnesses sap all of our energy and we must figure out the best way to manage and minimize this problem in order to "live", not just "survive".  Although I have always struggled in finding the best way to describe this ongoing problem to family and friends so they can accurately understand my now often flaky behavior, Christine has concisely and eloquently found the words to graphically describe this struggle in energy management in her "Spoon Theory".   Before you continue with what I have written here, I urge you to read Christine's "Spoon Theory" so you will understand

I have been very fortunate this Christmas season!  We have had an exceptionally busy, hectic and exhausting December and, for the most part, my health held up surprisingly well. Now, however, we are a few days past Christmas and my health has crashed... and it has crashed spectacularly. I had a few bouts with anaphylaxis causing dizziness, palpitations, tachycardia, and breathing difficulties which all leads to exhaustion.  Whenever my heart responds to anaphylaxis, my heart-rate jumps to the 120-180 beats per minute range and it can stay there for an hour or two. Having your heart-rate at this chest pounding level is similar to running for a couple of hours... or playing a basketball game for a couple of hours... or any other strenuous activity for hours.  I am left feeling exhausted and my entire body aches for days. The degranulation of mast cells which caused this anaphylaxia also causes nerve irritation and inflammation.  Needless to say, in addition to the overwhelming fatigu