Southern Comfort ;)

Southern women know their summer weather report:
Humidity
Humidity
Humidity

Southern women know their vacation spots:
The beach
The rivuh
The crick

Southern women know everybody's first name:
Honey
Darlin'
Shugah

Southern women know the movies that speak to their hearts:
Fried Green Tomatoes
Driving Miss Daisy
Steel Magnolias
Gone With The Wind

Southern women know their religions:
Baptist
Methodist
Football

Southern women know their cities dripping with Southern charm:
Chawl'stn
S'vanah
Foat Wuth
N'awlins
Addlanna

Southern women know their elegant gentlemen:
Men in uniform
Men in tuxedos
Rhett Butler

Southern girls know their prime real estate:
The Mall
The Country Club
The Beauty Salon

Southern girls know the 3 deadly sins:
Having bad hair and nails
Having bad manners
Cooking bad food

More Suthen-ism's:
Only a Southerner knows the difference between a hissie fit and a conniption fit, and that you don't "HAVE" them, you "PITCH" them.

Only a Southerner knows how many fish, collard greens, turnip greens, peas, beans, etc., make up "a mess."

Only a Southerner can show or point out to you the general direction of "yonder."

Only a Southerner knows exactly how long "directly" is, as in: "Going to town, be back directly."

Even Southern babies know that "Gimme some sugar" is not a request for the white, granular sweet substance that sits in a pretty little bowl in the middle of the table.

All Southerners know exactly when "by and by" is. They might not use the term, but they know the concept well.

Only a Southerner knows instinctively that the best gesture of solace for a neighbor who's got trouble is a plate of hot fried chicken and a big bowl of cold potato salad. If the neighbor's trouble is a real crisis, they also know to add a large banana puddin!

Only Southerners grow up knowing the difference between "right near" and "a right far piece." They also know that "just down the road" can be 1 mile or 20.

Only a Southerner, both knows and understands, the difference between a redneck, a good ol' boy, and po' white trash.

No true Southerner would ever assume that the car with the flashing turn signal is actually going to make a turn.

A Southerner knows that "fixin" can be used as a noun, a verb, or an adverb.

Only Southerners make friends while standing in lines, ... and when we're "in line,"... we talk to everybody!

Put 100 Southerners in a room and half of them will discover they're related, even if only by marriage.

In the South, y'all is singular, all y'all is plural.

Southerners know grits come from corn and how to eat them.

Every Southerner knows tomatoes with eggs, bacon, grits, and coffee are perfectly wonderful; that red eye gravy is also a breakfast food; and that fried green tomatoes are not a breakfast food.

When you hear someone say, "Well, I caught myself lookin'," you know you are in the presence of a genuine Southerner!

Only true Southerners say "sweet tea" and "sweet milk." Sweet tea indicates the need for sugar and lots of it -- we do not like our tea unsweetened. "Sweet milk" means you don't want buttermilk.

And a true Southerner knows you don't scream obscenities at little old ladies who drive 30 MPH on the freeway. You just say,"Bless her heart" ... and go your own way.

To those of you who are still a little embarrassed by your Southerness: Take two tent revivals and a dose of sausage gravy and call me in the morning. Bless your heart!

And to those of you who are still having a hard time understanding all this Southern stuff, ... bless your hearts, I hear they are fixin' to have classes on Southernness as a second language!

And for those that are not from the South but have lived here for a long time, all y'all need a sign to hang on y'alls front porch that reads "I ain't from the South, but I got here as fast as I could."

Southern girls know men may come and go, but friends are fahevah !

Now...... Shugah, send this to someone who was raised in the South or wish they had been! If you're a Northern transplant,bless your little heart, fake it. We know you got here as fast as you could .

An Interview with Julie

This is an article/interview with a very wonderful friend of mine who has been a true blessing to me, holding my hand through diagnosis of COPD and a bitter divorce. She continues to be my touchstone and I doubt that I would have made it through to this day without her constant support, love and encouragement. Unbeknownst to me, while I was going through the hospital stay for my own illness and the constant divorce battle, she was going through her own trials. She never said a word to me. She just kept on supporting me, lending me her strength, lifting me in prayer. What a friend! So, I thought I would share with you the interview that she recently gave. What has been left unsaid throughout is that also during this time her daughter was diagnosed with MS. This is the strongest and most caring woman I know.
Blessings,
Kasey
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An Interview

Testimony of Cancer Recovery

Even though I’m pretty much retired now I love keeping busy. And I've always looked at myself as being a very healthy person. But in 2005, I was working out in the yard at my home here in Georgia and noticed a mole on my arm.

I didn't know what it was at the time. I thought to myself, "Hmmmm, I wonder what that is?" Everything seemed just fine until that day, when I noticed a spot that had appeared on the upper portion of my arm … seemingly out of nowhere.

I asked a friend if she could recommend a good dermatologist to me since I’d never been to one before. So I made an appointment with the dermatologist and during my office visit he took a skin sample to send off so it could be tested. He said he'd call me within a few days to let me know how the tests came out.

The doctor ended up calling me the next morning. The diagnosis happened very quickly. He said the tests showed the growth was advanced melanoma and that it had to be cut out of my upper arm right away. I was then advised to make an appointment at Emory University in Georgia to schedule the operation.

I didn't panic immediately after receiving this diagnosis … not at first anyways. But when I went on the Internet and read about melanoma my heart sank down below my ankles. If I could have gone that day to get surgery I would have. I felt like the sooner I had surgery the better.

“You Are What You Eat”

My surgery went well on the day of the operation. The surgeon cut deep into my arm to remove the cancer and he was able to cut out all of the melanoma. Even though the cancer had been in a small area the doctor made a 6 to 8 inch incision in my arm because it was a muscular area.

After surgery the doctors recommended that I take further tests to see if the cancer had spread. They did that and far as we knew it hadn’t. That was a huge relief to me. But it was still like I’d received a message that I needed to buckle down and get on the path of eating better … especially making a commitment I wasn't going to deviate from it. I felt as if I needed to address my lymphatic system.

I had worked as dietician/food manager with a local elementary school system years ago. One of the things I'd heard on that job was, "You are what you eat." Back then those words didn't mean as much to me as they do now. But that phrase had been instilled into my subconscious.

I’d grown up in the city, but my family went to the country on weekends. We had a family garden and orchard there. But we also had a garden and orchard in the city.

Those kinds of experiences gave me the idea we need to eat “correctly.” The notion we need to eat right seemed very natural to me. So those thoughts came up in my mind like a neon sign when I was diagnosed with cancer.

Making a commitment to change my diet in a big way was huge. But I really thought, "I've got to tweak my diet somehow." So I started seeking out some alternative help for suggestions about how to improve upon what I was eating.

I went to a Chiropractor who suggested that I work to boost my immune system. And it wasn't long after that I went for a visit to a place called Hallelujah Acres.

Hallelujah Acres is a health organization I sought out. I'd found out about them through my nurse practitioner. She recommended them. I wasn't sure about the type of diet they advocated, but I worked through a health course taught by John and Judi Cecil, who shared with me what this lifestyle was all about. I really learned a lot.

I felt like I had to get very serious about my diet, especially when it came to my intake of vegetables. I’d always eaten lots of fruits and vegetables, even before discovering I had cancer. But I ate some hormone and anti-biotic free meat occasionally. But now I started eating a ton of green foods as well as all types of colored vegetables.

In addition to learning about diet, I also learned about the importance of juicing. I’d never juiced vegetables until I went through their program. I didn't have a juicer at the time. I didn't even know how to juice. But I discovered certain juicers are better than others. Now I encourage people to look at juicers closely to make sure they extract as many nutrients as possible.

They also covered the importance of exercise. Getting exercise is almost as important as eating vegetables and fruits if you ask me. For example, rebounding is a great exercise that uses a little round trampoline. You can use it right at home. There are a couple different rebounders that are really good. One has a stabilizing bar that helps you keep balance. It's very good for improving circulation in the body and improving the lymphatic system.

We also talked about the importance of just walking everyday, either outside or inside on a treadmill. Doing simple exercises to get oxygen into the system is a part of a daily routine.


“A Living Foods Diet”

I tried to follow a living food diet as much as possible, especially after learning more about it. There were times when I felt like I was taking 2 steps forward and one step back. But eventually I "committed to my commitment." I read things that kept me both uplifted and directed. You're quality of life isn't much unless you've got your health.

I cut out all white flour, white sugar and white rice. I gave up dairy at that time, in addition to other harmful things.

In addition to committing to a plant-based diet, I started taking lots of vitamin C and consuming a green drink called Barely Max, which contained lots of Chlorophyll. I also started taking some "whole food" supplements. Those are supplements that contain no synthetic ingredients.

We do not eat anything that is processed with MSG or corn syrup or other ingredients frequently found in processed foods either. I was privileged to hear Dr, Russell Blaylock speak last year. He is a neurosurgeon who has written a book called, “Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills.” It’s about toxic taste enhancers, such as the sweetener in diet sodas, which can damage the brain.

I refer to artificial sweeteners as "Frankenfoods." If I do want to enjoy a sweet treat now and then I’ll use a bit of honey, agave nectar and maple syrup.

Another thing I did was start eating as organically as possible. Buying organic foods is highly recommended. I buy organic carrots from the Publix supermarket, which is close by my home. They always keep them for me in a cooler at the back of the store. They’ve been very good to me. I buy 25-pound bags of carrots at a time.

Both the Publix supermarket and a store called Ingles are offering more organic vegetables all the time. We live a long way off from the local organic market. It's quite a hike for me to get there, but I do visit it about once a month. We will have a local organic market in our county soon though.

My carrots are stored in a small refrigerator that one of my children used in their dorm room at college. I drink all of the organic carrot juice that I can.

One tip I feel is important when preparing foods is to never use olive oil when cooking. I use the olive oil for things that aren't going to be heated, but I use grape seed oil if I need to apply heat for a recipe. I use it for beans and legumes and things like that. I also like it for sautéing things like garlic and onions, which I love doing regularly.

We eat a lot of raw vegetables by themselves and salads with raw vegetables on top. I try to eat a salad at least 2 times a day. And I also try to get as many of my vegetables as I can within a 100-mile radius of my home because these will tend to be the freshest. This is especially true when buying organic.

My husband and I are incorporating more seeds into our diet than ever before too. And we really like products such as millet and quinoa. We also use a product called “Vegenaise” in place of mayonnaise, which can be found in a good health food store.

“Being Your Best While Here on this Earth”

I’d encourage any individual that if you do "fall off the wagon" then don't guilt yourself over it. Don't waste any time on guilt. It's a waste of energy. Don't even go there. Each day is a new day that God has made so just start over fresh each day and put it to the best use that you possibly can.

When I really got serious about diet I started feeling better. My brain even started working better. I got rid of what people call "brain fog." A part of this process involves cleansing your body of toxic chemicals and things you've accumulated throughout your life because of bad diet or unhealthy environment. A raw living diet will help the body "de-toxify" itself from impurities.

Food processors and juicers are great helpers when you eat raw. You can throw recipes together rather quickly when you've got good equipment to help prepare things easily.

That is where eating this way can be a little rough for some people at first because they can't afford to just go out and purchase the small appliances that make things easier. But if this is the case then you just have to chop, chop, chop on a cutting board. You don't need appliances but they can be convenient.

As far as I know the status of my health right now is great. I only plan to go to the doctor's once a year now for blood work. I don't take any blood pressure medicine. I don't take any cholesterol medicine. I live an active life and try to get into the sun at least 30 minutes each day.

I’d encourage anyone who is skeptical about changing their diet that if they continue doing what they've been doing then they’re going to continue getting what they’ve got. But they shouldn’t lose hope. If you lose hope then you lose an optimistic spirit.

If you’re getting concerned about your health then why not try this lifestyle? This isn't about doing a diet in order to get well so you can go back to eating junk. It's a lifestyle.

I'm very much into helping people with nutrition so they can get healthier at this time. Most of them hear about me through my ties in the local community and I also do some speaking in our area. I've spoken a lot to support groups where people have had health challenges.

I really believe in having a high quality of life. Quality of life is about being your best while you're here on earth. When it's your time to go then you can turn up your toes and so be it. But I'd rather be in good shape while I'm here on earth ... with energy and a good healthy mind.

I feel that if one has their health then it’s better than being a millionaire. I thank God daily for the information He sent to me about this lifestyle.

Smoking Affects Vary-Some get COPD-Others Don't

Cigarette Smoking Does Not Affect Everyone In Same Way

London, June 5 (ANI): Cigarette smoking induced COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, does not progress in the same way in all smokers, a new study has found.

COPD, a disease that results in severe breathing difficulty, is the fourth leading killer worldwide, according to World Health Organization (WHO).

However, the mechanisms responsible for some smokers developing COPD and others evading the disease have not been well understood.

Scientists say that an autoimmune mechanism, compounded by genetic predisposition in COPD, would explain the progression of the disease in some smokers and the evasion in others.
COPD has a family connection and next of kin of patients with COPD have a much higher chance of developing the disease, a characteristic of autoimmune diseases.

Although smoking is the primary risk factor for COPD in the western world, open fire pollutant cooking and heating fuels in the home is an important risk factor for the development of COPD in women in developing nations.

“Smoke can play an important role in autoimmune diseases such as COPD, and other diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, because it accentuates genetic predispositions to the disease,” said Dr.Manuel Cosio from the McGill University Health Centre, who conducted the study in collabration with Italian and Spanish scientists.

Yet contrary to previous scientific beliefs, COPD does not progress in the same way in all smokers.

The authors describe three steps in the potential progression to COPD in smokers: “COPD does not go from stage one, two and three in all people. Depending on their personal balance between immune response and immune control some people would stop at stage one, others at stage two, and some will progress to stage three, full autoimmunity and lung destruction.”

“Hopefully investigators will now see the disease in a totally different way. Our hope is that our research will open the door for a different investigation on COPD, where scientists learn more about the immunological processes and how these processes could be controlled and modulated to eventually provide the right treatment,” Dr Cosio added.

The study is published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

http://hamaraphotos.com/health/news/cigarette-smoking-does-not-affect-everyone-in-same-way.html

Breathing Easier? Generic v. Brand Meds

Many of us COPD'ers find ourselves using a legion of medications and not only for the COPD but for the other conditions that can accompany the COPD - sometimes as a result of our medications. Whew! What a vicious circle it can be. I don't know about you but I take generics when they are available and I even use medications from another country because they are so less costly overseas, aren't they! A huge difference in costs! The following article is interesting and I want to share it here. I admit that I am skeptical and wonder if this is a Big Pharma promotion. :) Yet, we must all be careful with our meds, I know. So, sharing.......
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All Drugs Are Not Created Equal

Courtesy of Self
Bad Bargain
All of us want cheaper medicine—but not if it costs us our health. Troubling reactions and a series of recalls are making some doctors wonder, Are generic drugs as safe as the FDA says they are? Self investigates.

Just when Beth Hubbard should have been feeling great, her health fell apart. A 34-year-old housewares designer in the St. Louis area, Hubbard had recently gotten married. She liked the creativity of her career. And she’d conquered her mild depression and fatigue with a combination of exercise, rest and medicine, including the antidepressant Wellbutrin XL. But in the fall of 2006, shortly after she refilled her prescription—her pharmacy giving her this time Budeprion XL, a generic version of the drug—her good health gave way. Within a month, she had gained 15 pounds, couldn’t sleep well, developed gastrointestinal problems and felt such extreme fatigue and lack of motivation that she thought about quitting her job. She cried and called in sick for days at a time.

"I chalked it up to exhaustion after the whirlwind of the wedding and honeymoon," Hubbard says. Yet she wasn’t getting better.

Her doctor referred her to four specialists, but none, she complains, "were really listening to me—they were just anxious to give me another drug." They diagnosed her alternately with severe allergies, a heart murmur, a slow thyroid, irritable bowel syndrome, gluten intolerance, mononucleosis and chronic pain. She cycled on and off different drugs: Ambien to help her sleep at night; Provigil to keep her awake during the day; Allegra, Zyrtec and Nasacort for allergies; Lexapro, Zoloft and Xanax for anxiety and depression; Zelnorm for bowel problems. And she continued on the Budeprion XL the entire time.

"I was fighting for almost a year with the insurance company over all the tests and therapy I needed," Hubbard adds.

After eight months of struggling with her mystery ailments, she was out to dinner with a friend and mentioned that she needed to refill her prescription. Her friend said she’d recently gone off Wellbutrin and had some leftover pills Hubbard could use. Within a week, Hubbard’s troubling symptoms vanished. Her energy came roaring back. And that is when she finally connected the dots: Her problems had begun mere days after she first took the generic.

Because generics had always worked well for other conditions, she says, "I never even gave it a second thought or mentioned the pharmacy’s switch to my doctor." Until now. She called her doctor to complain about the generic and request a new prescription for the brand name only.
The nurse’s response floored her. "Yes" the nurse said matter-of-factly. "We hear that all the time."

Why Your M.D. is Worried
If you took a prescription pill recently, odds are it was generic: Nowadays, generics constitute almost 70 percent of all the prescriptions dispensed nationwide, racking up $58 billion in sales in 2007. Anxious to cut costs, health insurers are stampeding to switch patients to drugs that are cheaper to make, test and ultimately buy because their manufacturers can piggyback on the research and marketing already done by brand-name-drug companies. Pharmacists in most states are also free to give patients whichever version of a drug is cheapest for them to supply, without telling the prescribing doctor; in some states, pharmacies are required to make this switch. And few of us complain when it happens: Women who wouldn’t dream of substituting Diet Pepsi for Diet Coke, simply because of the taste, eagerly swap vital medications, because the change can cut co-pays in half.

Many lawmakers and health-policy experts say the trend has little downside. "Generic drugs have the same active ingredient that brand-name drugs do and are made in FDA-approved plants, just as brand-name drugs are," says Aaron S. Kesselheim, M.D., an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston.

In an analysis recently published in "The Journal of the American Medical Association", Dr. Kesselheim reviewed data from 47 clinical studies and found no evidence that patients on brand-name cardiovascular drugs had clinical outcomes superior to those on generics. Given these results, and the lengths that some brand-name-drug companies have gone to protect their patents and profits, it’s easy to believe that any supposed problems with generics are "a story cooked up by Big Pharma"—the conclusion reached by consumer watchdog Peter Lurie, M.D., deputy director of the health-research group at Public Citizen in Washington, D.C. But a yearlong investigation by Self—including more than 50 interviews and records leaked from one of the world’s largest generic-drug companies, Ranbaxy Laboratories—raises questions about whether some new generics are as safe or effective as the brand names. Although Dr. Kesselheim’s review looked at all of the available data, many of those studies were completed before the recent flood of generics hit the market and many generic-drug factories moved overseas. In FDA applications for new generic drugs, nearly 90 percent of the factories providing active ingredients are located overseas, where the agency’s inspection rate dropped 57 percent between 2001 and 2008. "The average citizen would want to know that someone is checking that manufacturers are making the drugs they got approval to make," says William K. Hubbard of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, associate commissioner for policy and planning for the FDA from 1991 to 2005 (and no relation to Beth). "That’s not happening, and the risk to consumers is potentially huge. I take generic drugs when they’re prescribed for me, but my confidence in them is lower than it was a year ago—and going down." Generics, which came into widespread use after Congress streamlined testing requirements in 1984, are supposed to be tightly regulated. In the late 1980s, after companies were caught paying off inspectors in order to get generic drugs approved, the FDA overhauled its rules. The agency vowed to inspect each factory before giving the green light to any application. And it newly required any generic-drug maker seeking approval to make one test lot of the proposed drug and then to produce three larger lots to show its manufacturing capabilities.

"I have told the industry they are in charge of the health of the American public," says Gary Buehler, director of the FDA’s Office of Generic Drugs, adding, "We have come a long way in how we do inspections." But Self found that the FDA’s reforms have largely fallen by the wayside. Few applications trigger inspections, according to sources knowledgeable about the process, and instead of the three required lots, companies are making one or none. Manufacturing problems have come to light, with six generic companies recalling 20 products in 2008. KV Pharmaceutical Company, a maker of heart and pain medicine, recalled everything it made. "The FDA is satisfied that generics are OK," says Nada Stotland, M.D., a psychiatrist in Chicago and the president of the American Psychiatric Association. "My question is, Are we satisfied?"

Next: The Difference Between Generic and Brand Name Drugs

For more info, here is the link of the article: http://www.aolhealth.com/health/generic-drug-safety?icid=mainhtmlws-maindl4link3http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aolhealth.com%2Fhealth%2Fgeneric-drug-safety

COPD & Asthma: Cleaning the Indoor Air Naturally

Some houseplants are very harmful for pets. At the end of this article is a list of some of those plants that will harm your beloved pet. Please be sure to take precautionary measures to protect your family, including your wonderful furkids!
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Adapted from Your Naturally Healthy Home, by Alan Berman.

Houseplants are our often-overlooked helpers in ridding the air of pollutants and toxins, counteracting outgassing and contributing to balanced internal humidity.

Find out which houseplants are our most effective allies inkeeping your household air clean and pure.

It is suggested that one plant should be allowed for approximately10 square yards of floor space, assuming average ceiling heightsof 8 to 9 feet. This means that you need two or three plants tocontribute to good air quality in the average domestic livingroom of about 20 to 25 square yards.

Research has shown that these 10 plants are the most effectiveall-around in counteracting offgassed chemicals and contributingto balanced internal humidity.

Areca palm
Reed palm
Dwarf date palm
Boston fern
Janet Craig dracaena
English ivy
Australian sword fern
Peace Lily
Rubber plant
Weeping fig

Although many plants like light, they do not all have to be placed near windows. Many indoor plants originated in the dense shade of tropical forests and have a high rate of photosynthesis. These are ideal for the home and can be placed in darker corners. When positioning plants, try to strike a balance between light and ventilation because the effect of plants on indoor air pollution appears to be reduced if they are set in a draft.

COMMON HOUSE PLANTS THAT ARE HARMFUL TO PETS
Adapted from The Puppy Owner’s Manual, by Diana Delmar (Storey Books, 2001).

We know to keep certain poisons—like antifreeze—away from our pets, but many people don’t know how toxic their houseplants are. When we avoid growing these 12 houseplants that are considered toxic, we can help to keep our pets safe.

Aloe vera
Boston ivy
Caladium
Dumbcane
English ivy
German ivy
India rubber plant
Mistletoe
Philodendron
Potted chrysanthemum
Weeping fig
Yew

Pets and Lung Disease

Let us always keep in mind that it is our responsibility to protect our precious animals' lung health along with our own. In that spirit, I offer the following article that came in one of my newsletters today. Very informative and in right timing. While it relates to the forthcoming eruption of the volcano in Alaska, it also applies to other air hazards as well. Please protect the lungs of the animals, too. Blessings, Kasey
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Where pets should go in case Mount Redoubt decides to blow
By Joseph Robertia Peninsula Clarion

As many people take precautions in case Mount Redoubt does erupt and sends a thick storm of ash falling from the skies, so too should pet owners take steps to protect their furry friends.

"The main thing is to keep them out of it as much as possible," said Tabitha Perkovich, a veterinarian at Twin Cities Veterinary Clinic in Soldotna.
Like humans, the lungs of animals can be adversely affected if they breathe in ash. Obstructive airway diseases -- such as pneumonia, asthma or emphysema -- could develop as a result of a significant ash-fall event.
"You can't really get pets to wear masks, so you have to limit their exposure by keeping them indoors, only going in-and-out to do their business," Perkovich said.

All steps should be avoided to keep pets from ingesting ash while eating and drinking, as well.

"Bring them into the garage to eat and drink. Don't offer them food and water outside," she said.

Precautions should be taken to protect the eyes of animals too, according to Mary Huhndorf, also a veterinarian at Twin Cities Veterinary Clinic.
"Opthalmic ointments can be put in to protect the eyes from corneal abrasions," she said.

Pets will undoubtably pick up some ash on their coats and feet while outdoors, and Huhndorf said this should be removed immediately upon returning indoors.

"They can be vacuumed or brushed, and extra effort should be made to keep the face clean, but don't use anything wet to wipe them, it'll just make a cement," she said.

Most of these recommendations shouldn't be tough for people with indoor dogs and cats, or even a small number of outdoor pets. But, for sled dog kennels, or the owners of livestock, this may be a bit more challenging.

"I've given a lot of thought to this issue," said Sterling musher Mitch Seavey.
He said he has contemplated loading his dogs and heading out of town to avoid an ash-fall event, but until the volcano does blow and he knows which way the wind may blow, he is reluctant to take off. Instead, he said he will likely take steps to protect his dogs at home.
"I've got a trailer and two dog trucks and shops and garages, so my plan is to put them in there," he said.

Other sled dog owners are encouraged to do the same, and Perkovich and Huhndorf said those that have more dogs than they do places to house them out of the ash, may want to invest in pet travel kennels, so that dogs may be able to be indoors in these containers.

Makeshift shelters -- such as made with tarps, Tyvek or other materials -- can also be used outdoors to help protect animals too large or too wild to be brought indoors. For sled dogs, this shelter could be constructed around a drop chain, anchored on each end.

"Even if they could put up a Visqueen shelter, around and over the animals, it would help cut down on the percent of particles they may be exposed to," Perkovich said.

For pet owners that want to bring the animals indoors in kennels, but have nowhere to put the kennel, the Kenai Animal Control Shelter said it would be willing to temporarily take in a limited number of pets, but pet owners should only utilize them as a last resort.

"If someone had nowhere else to go, we could hold some animals, but space is limited. At a push, we could do 24 dogs and put some crates in the garage. The same with cats," said Patricia Stringer, Kenai's Chief Animal Control Officer.
Soldotna residents will not have the same option.

"I have not been given that direction from my management," said Marianne Clark, manager of Soldotna's Animal Control Shelter.

As such, she said, "Pet owners should have some kind of provisions to bring their animals indoors."

The Kenai Peninsula Borough Office of Emergency Management also has a list of emergency precautions pet owners can take, and -- while they are not volcano specific -- they may serve as good guidelines for what to have on hand for pets in the event the water, power and avenues of transportation become unavailable for days to weeks.

To view the OEM's Web site, visit http://www.borough.kenai.ak.us/emergency/Misc/petchecklist.pdf.
Joseph Robertia can be reached at joseph.robertia@peninsulaclarion.com

COPD~Making It Work; Letting It Go

Living with COPD is undoubtedly challenging and there are days, like today, when I just don't feel well and taking a breath is real work. Times like this can slap me down ~ hard. At those times, it is so important for us to go to the place that brings us home, reminding us of how much living we have still to do; Exposing us to the great wonders in our lives. Walking the correct pathway; serving the Highest Good.

In that spirit, I wish to share a wonderful mini-video that is so inspiring it leaves me in awe each time I watch it.

I hope you, too, enjoy this and share with me in feeling better, breathing better, and refocusing on coming home to ourselves and living right out loud~in vibrant colors.

http://positivepause.com/

{{{{{{{{{{{{Hugs}}}}}}}}}}}}

Peace and sweetest blessings,
Kasey