Sinuses from Hell, Part 2

Have you ever heard of tincture of benzoin? I hadn't until a spate of sinus infections prompted my Aunt Winkie to recall that her mother used to put a few drops of benzoin in a pot of steaming water and inhale it to fight sinus infections.

I thought I'd give it a try, so I stopped by Rainbow Foods and the drug store. No one carried it. So I ordered it from Amazon, along with a facial sauna. (Standing over the stove is not my idea of relaxation or fun.)

Too Soon

K.B. in high school

I have a stomach ache. Not because of any bugs or food gone bad. My stomach is roiling because I just learned that my dear friend, K.B., died in the wee hours of this morning, January 9, 2014. Her death was sudden and shocking, from an extremely rare allergic reaction.

UPDATE: It may not have been an allergic reaction. 

Last spring I shared with you that I was delighted to attend K.B.'s wedding. In her fiftieth year, she was in love and full of optimism about the future. She'd found a soul mate in Chris who understood her passions.

Back in July 2012, she had sent me an e-mail before her first kinda-sorta date with Chris - a weekday lunch with a group of people, but the one that had her heart racing was Chris.

"Do we ever stop being 17?" she wrote. "Why 17? Because I’m so nervous I’m nauseous. And just thinking about it I’m blushing. AT 49!!! It’s just lunch! And thank heaven, too, given the state I appear to be in."

She was beautiful, wasn't she? She always had been.

K.B., me, my cousin Ruth

She was fearless, witty, sharp as a tack, and so very, very generous and kind. In high school, when she slept over at my house, we sometimes snuck out to Tim Horton's for donuts. We double-dated and played endless hours of Euchre.

I have to elaborate on the "generous" adjective. Generosity is one of my deepest values and K.B. knew how to give like no one else I've known. And I don't mean in big, flashy ways. Her best gifts were rarely expensive (as a single mom, she watched every dime), but were always surprising. One time, in late winter, when it felt like the sun had abandoned us forever, she gave me a styrofoam cup in which she had sprouted some tiny blades of grass: spring is coming.

She even gave (well shared) her [other best] friend with me. After K.B.'s wedding Bronwyn (who blogs over at I, Mayb)  and I connected over social media through a shared interest in writing and humour.

I originally titled this post "Proudly Flying Her Freak Flag" because she was one of those people who was brave and saucy about doing things just a little differently.

Yup. Barefoot. At her wedding. At first I thought she didn't like her shoes or her feet were sore, but, no. She just wanted to be barefoot. And why not? She had adorable tiny feet.

That same quirky and wonderful spirit passed to her daughter. As a wedding gift, she gave the happy couple a star. How amazing is that?

I'm going to share a few more of the pictures I took at her wedding, the last time I saw her.

K.B. with her son Alec and her daughter Maddy

K.B. and her husband Chris, and his two children

K.B.'s sister Susan and their father, Mr. Sterling (I can't bring myself to even type his first name.)

That picture is heartbreaking because two important people are not in it: K.B.'s mother, Joan, who died of Parkinson's, and her brother, Cullen, who died in his teens, of cancer.

But this is my favourite picture of that day, possibly even of all time.

Just a little girl, basking in her daddy's love.

Goodbye, K.B. I miss you already.

Win an iTunes Gift Card!

Guess what! I'm giving away a $25 iTunes gift card! 

I've never done a giveaway on this blog before because it always seemed kind of like bribing people to like my writing and photography. Also, I'm a little vain and just thought people should like and share my links because, heck, it's good stuff.

But I do want to increase my readership, so I looked at what other bloggers do, and a lot of them regularly post giveaways or contests.

Granted, most of those are giving away sponsored prizes. I have no sponsors. (And likely will never have unless I increase my audience.) So this is from little old me.

If no one enters, I'm going to download the entire season of Downton Abbey. 

Contest starts on January 22, 2014 and ends on February 3, 2014.

Enter to win my iTunes Gift Card giveaway!

Welcome to our family, Kane.

Sophie with Kane

We are overjoyed to announce the arrival of Kane to our family.

Wellness is the Word

One of the other bloggers in the Canadian bloggers group on Facebook asked us (other bloggers, that is) if we had chosen a word for 2014, something to build a theme around in our lives and on our blogs.

It did not take me long to choose one: wellness.

To me, this means not just physical health but also spiritual and mental health. It speaks to harmony between the different facets of my life. After skidding off the rails last fall, I've regrouped and am making small changes to bring myself back to a condition where I can enjoy my life.

Here is the graphic I made up that expresses my approach to wellness.

The journey to wellness can only be taken
one day and one step at a time.

It is an approach that frustrates me (I want everything to happen RIGHT NOW!) but which is realistic and ultimately will, I believe, reap the greatest results.

I've already written about the four daily goals that I think will help (walk every day, meditate, do yoga, and eat well), but I'm also doing other things:

• reducing dependence on medications (I've already cut out three),
• getting treatment for my allergies, 
• looking for part-time or consulting work rather than full-time, 
• volunteering with a mental health organization in Ottawa, and 
• exploring my interest in creative and non-fiction writing.

Rather than having a particular goal (like writing a book by the end of the year), I have a focus: to direct my path towards wellness.

Do you have a word that will motivate you this year?

(By the way, that picture was taken in the forest across from our home. I hope to have a dog to join me on walks there very soon.)