Category Archives: Health

The Big Pink Blitz

October is when we all leap onto the breast cancer awareness bandwagon. Everyone can be a hero in the fight. All we have to do is to wear pink, the official color of breast cancer awareness. Voices exhort us, not … Continue reading

Posted in Current events, Education, Food, Health, Life | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Rejecting conventional wisdom

San Juan de Dios Hospital, in San Jose, Costa Rica is a place I’ve come to know fairly well since my breast cancer diagnosis in June of 2012. Or at least I know the places that have to do with … Continue reading

Posted in Costa Rica, Health, Life, Life abroad | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Free medicine

When Jack’s life-long potassium deficiency disappeared, everyone, especially the doctor, was gob-smacked. His condition had required him to ingest mega-doses of the mineral all day long, or risk not being able to get out of bed. For twenty years, each … Continue reading

Posted in Cooking, Costa Rica, Food, Gardening, Health, Life, Rural Living | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Absent without leave

The two months since I wrote my last blog have been sucked up by the black hole of time. Looking back over my planner, I see that I haven’t suffered from a dearth of activities. I have no memory of … Continue reading

Posted in Blogs and blogging, Health, Life, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

The Sting

I had a big day planned yesterday: lunch and a movie in the city (Escazu, Costa Rica) with girlfriends. We may be seniors, but we’re still girls, right? But I begged off, due to a headache and upset tummy. The … Continue reading

Posted in Costa Rica, Health, Life, Life abroad, Rural Living | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

I’m back

Perhaps you, my subscribers, have noticed that my blogs haven’t been bouncing into your inbox with the same frequency as last year and the year before. You might have read that I’ve been waging a bit of a battle with … Continue reading

Posted in Blogs and blogging, Costa Rica, Health, Life, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Going vegan

I’m not a PETA person: in fact, I own a mink coat (for which I have no use here in Costa Rica) and I’ll tell you– if you get in my face– how nasty minks are, and how they deserve … Continue reading

Posted in Cooking, Food, Health, Life, Retirement | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

True homeland security

Are you feeling particularly secure right now? You should be, because we’re spending 39.5 billion bucks a year to give you the warm, fuzzy feeling that comes from knowing that the folks at the Department of Homeland Security are on … Continue reading

Posted in Current events, Education, Family, Food, Health, Life | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on True homeland security

Let food be thy medicine

According to Anton Checkhov, “Doctors are just the same as lawyers; the only difference is that lawyers merely rob you, whereas doctors rob you and kill you too.” That’s a bit harsh. My mother used to say, “Doctors bury their … Continue reading

Posted in Food, Health, Life | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Let food be thy medicine

Going a little crazy

A few months ago, I felt pretty strongly that I didn’t have cancer, even though I’d found a lump in my breast.  I was scared, but I felt healthy. I’d been doing all the right things: eating well, exercising and … Continue reading

Posted in Food, Health, Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments