If The Devil Went Down To California

So I've mentioned in passing in another post that I am now free of allergies here in SoCal.  I have absolutely NOT done that subject justice.  Allow me to explain a bit more...

I have literally suffered 'seasonal' allergies since I was 6 years old, when I started my own fine tradition of always being 'sick with a bad cold' for picture day at school.  Eventually, my mother figured out that I wasn't actually experiencing a bad cold that lasted for weeks.  No- instead, just when I had managed to get over most of my lengthy list of food allergies (eggs, dairy, wheat, oranges, tomatoes, and even rice- yes, if I had been born in a 3rd world country they would have just thrown me back!) I managed to start in with the seasonal allergies.  And those allergies grew in intensity and length of season until I was hardly ever really normal and healthy at all.  In time and with tests, I was informed that my two main allergy categories were trees and mold.

Let me just let that sink in for a minute.  I was born and lived in the Northwest for 40 years and I am severely allergic to trees and mold.

Yeah, you can stop laughing anytime now...

Sudaphed and antihistamines have been my savior for years and years.  And yet as anyone with major allergies will tell you, any medication for the condition always has its trade-off choices- things like feeling completely sleepy in the daytime or being able to breathe at night or fun stuff like getting real relief for a few hours or choosing to be just a little bit better than if you had taken nothing at all.  I've even tried some natural spices and things and those left me with heartburn and sinus drainage that I choked on all night long.

Sooooo.....

When I began to realize that on every trip to SoCal I would get this amazing and drug free reprieve from the allergies, you can bet that I was looking forward to finding out if it would last.

I have been here for a month.  I have taken NO Sudaphed.  I repeat- none.  I think the company may be about to experience a big drop in their stocks!  I have a friend who tells me that if I want to be completely allergy free I will have to keep moving every few years so I won't be able to develop new allergies to the place I'm living in.  I've told him that I would move every year if it meant feeling this good!  And honestly, its a really good thing that 'the devil went down to Georgia' and isn't on his way to SoCal, because I tell you if I were asked to sign on the dotted line to be able to continue living allergy free, I just might do it!

Red Devil by bandrat, found at: freedigitalphotos.net

Trained

As hard as I try and no matter how nice I've made the cute little patio area at the townhouse we're staying in, with lots of plants and highly desirable 'dog type' attractions, I just can't convince my two little dogs to use that spot to do their business.  I have tried 'waiting them out', standing out on the patio with them for over an hour- treats in hand to give out as soon as the desired behavior is achieved.  Heck, I've even left them out there and closed the curtain on their sad little faces at the window. 

Nothing.

They would much rather get all leashed up to take a walk.  And that's a bit time consuming and frustrating, as it needs to be done several times a day.  And it's also a bit confusing, as these guys have had no trouble using whatever spot I have designated in many different places we have stayed in the past.

Maybe it has something to do with THIS, being 100 yards from our front door:

A small patio holds nothing in comparison to a walk around the lake.  I think I'm OK with the dogs having trained me to do this several times a day!

A Healing Surprise

'Seascapes' by 9comeback found at freedigitalphotos.net

After 40 years of living in a place that didn't suit me and holds all kinds of crummy stuff that didn't work for me at all, you'd think I wouldn't be so surprised to find that there is so much more for me here in SoCal than I ever could have imagined.  Whew, that was a mouthfull...

And here comes another one... 

What I'm trying to say is that along with seeing the sun on a real daily basis & no more northwest tree and mold allergies & enjoying painfree joints & spending more time on a bicycle than I have in years & having the luxury of being able to swim or do any other outdoor activity EVERY DAMN DAY if I feel like it & no longer feeling cold all the darn time, I have also discovered that even though I thought that being far away from my seriously screwed up family would be a nice side benefit- it turns out I was wrong.

It is SO FRIGGIN' GREAT to know that there is 1200 miles between me and anyone I really don't want knocking at my door.  Seriously, I am beyond happy to find this unexpected wonderfulness is way more than a mere side benefit.  It is just about the most FREEING thing that I have ever experienced. 

Yeah, just had to let y'all know!

Will I Ever Get Back To Blogging? Absolutely!

AND I'll be making the rounds to your blogs as well, just as soon as I can!  Thanks for hanging in there with me while I get myself moved and functioning again. :)

Of course it's been an adventure, as all moves are.  We were so happy to leave gray Seattle behind and we headed straight to Palm Springs, where we could relax for a bit while we waiting for our stuff to get shipped 1200 miles to our new home in Orange County, CA.

We picked up Nathan and his Dad in Oregon along the way.  We never told Nathan about the move until that day and he was so surprised!  He was thrilled to know that he will be visiting us only in California now as he loves it down here.

Nathan is getting so big!

 

While in Palm Springs, we also entertained my husband's mother who had flown in from New York.  It took her a while to realize that the states out here are not small, so she couldn't just visit a bunch all at once.  Also, she had trouble learning how to just take it easy and enjoy her surroundings without having to run around everywhere like a chicken with her head cut off.  Ah, New Yorkers- ya gotta love 'em!  I let her know that we would not be getting up at the crack of dawn to go, see, and do everything in sight after she woke us up slamming doors and talking loudly in her New Jersey accent on the first morning!  After a couple of days, she did calm down a bit..... and she admitted that it was more fun to hang out in the pool than to try and run around in the summer heat.

We did take in some new sights that we've never visited before in the Palm Springs area.

First we drove way up to Lake Hemet:

Lake Hemet is near Idyllwild and the town of Hemet,CA.  It sits at about 8500 feet above sea level and is always about 30 degrees cooler than Palm Springs.  So on the day we visited, Lake Hemet was a cool 78 degrees while in Palm Springs it was 109.

We also finally visited the Palm Springs tram.  Another place to escape the high summer temps. in the desert.

This is the view from the top, looking down over the desert floor.

And this is how different the scenery is up there in the mountains, compared to what we have going on in Palm Springs.  No palm trees and no desert!

All in all things have been remarkably smooth and we have been blessed to be able to take some time in between the first half of the move and on this end in Orange County.  Nathan and his Dad are now gone.  They took the train home.  Nathan was so sorry to go and he and his Dad have already floated the idea of moving down here too!  Meanwhile, I am surrounded by boxes everywhere and spend most of my days on the phone with service people or changing addresses.  Our place here is temporary and really tiny.  We have basically no furniture.  Our outside surroundings are gorgeous and the dogs think they have hit hog heaven as we walk around the lake area here every day and I still can't believe that I actually get to live here.  Even in the midst of the mess that is our post move current condition, having the sun shining and so many things to do is a great way to spend time.  The unpacking can wait!