Fashion show in the air: entertainment for the passengers of the flights New York – Miami. The latest beach fashion is presented on board. Photography. About 1930.
dievca had a free plane ticket to use up. she’s heading to Miami, Florida for Thanksgiving, – which is perfect because she should heal in the sun with Vitamin D. The weather shows highs of 82F (28C) and lows of 72F (22C).
There is a little Catholic guilt about not seeing Family… but she’ll get over it! XO
So, during COVID dievca got sucked down the YouTube Rabbit Hole watching Phil Wright Choreography videos of families performing after learning a dance piece together. The first video she saw was this and she absolutely loved the first group of a Mom and two daughters.
The beginning of another video has this Mother/Son duo and dievca thought the Mom was an amazing dancer – perhaps she was a professional Lindy Hop dancer:
Comparing the Jon Batiste Video (above) and the Rockin’ Robin – they are not the same dancer.
But, watching these videos, again, made dievca smile because she shared them with her Mom before she passed and they had a good time watching together. Mom keep saying she would have loved to get the lessons for the Great Grandkids and their Parents, but the Midwest is an awfully long way from Los Angeles…
Anyways, dievca’s Mom and Dad met at a Dance Hall – they were an amazing Jitterbug couple.
Here’s the Jitterbug:
Is jitterbug the same as Lindy Hop? Lindy Hop, also known as the jitterbug, was developed in the 1920’s and is said to be the original form of swing dance. The term ‘jitterbug’ is however commonly used to describe any swing dancer and is derived from the visual display of the dancers on the floor who look like jitterbugs with the fast, bouncy movements.
Can you tell that dievca is getting desperate to dance again?
End of Summer: Long, curly hair with gold amongst the silver from the sun and chlorine. Toasty brown skin moisturized via suntan lotion and aloe. Give it a month or two and it will be back to a blown dry bob under a hat. Fair skin refinished with retinol and heavier UV protection.
This is the first summer in years where dieca’s healing situation has allowed her to revert back to childhood behaviors of Sun, Swim, Play (PT) and Laziness. It’s been a gift she will treasure.
A turnsole is a type of plant that turns with the movement of the sun, a sunflower being the most famous example. From Middle French tournesol, the word literally means “turns toward the sun,” and was modeled after the synonymous Greek term heliotrope. As in French, when the word came into English in the 1300s it initially referred to the purple dye that came from a turnsole plant (Chrozophora tinctoria.). Soon after, turnsole broadened in meaning to refer to all types of plant that turn with the sun.
Is a Human a “turnsole” when he/she faces the sun to welcome its healing heat? Or is the definition only for plants. All dievca knows is that she is seeking the sun this Spring, like a sun-worshipping goddess.
Sun Deities
Name
Nationality/Religion
God or Goddess?
Notes
Amaterasu
Japan
Sun Goddess
Major deity of the Shinto religion.
Arinna (Hebat)
Hittite (Syrian)
Sun Goddess
The most important of three Hittite major solar deities
An Egyptian god shown with a solar disk. Center of worship was Heliopolis. Later associated with Horus as Re-Horakhty. Also combined with Amun as Amun-Ra, a solar creator god.
Shemesh/Shepesh
Ugarit
Sun goddess
Sol (Sunna)
Norse
Sun Goddess
She rides in a horse-drawn solar chariot.
Sol Invictus
Roman
Sun God
The unconquered sun. A late Roman sun god. The title was also used of Mithras.
The heel is the first bone to contact the ground when walking and takes the full force of impact and the resulting shock of bearing weight during motion, resulting sometimes in sore heel pain. General heel pain tends to dissipate overnight and can reappear or worsen during prolonged periods of walking or standing. The pain is commonly intense when getting out of bed or a chair but often lessens when walking – although that is more common in the case of Plantar Fasciitis.
With each step you take, your heel pounds the ground and puts tension on your plantar fascia. Heel cups — heel-shaped pads that go in your shoes — may help. They raise your heel to relieve tension and give you extra cushion. They often don’t work as well as inserts, but they’re a cheap option to try.
When dievca was hit by a car while biking, these heel cushions helped with the heel fracture recovery. dievca has also used them with plantar fasciitis. They were useful with her calf tear and making certain shoes fit more properly to avoid Achilles microtears.
Note: dievca doesn’t use the heel cushions constantly. They come into play for relief of symptoms but are removed when pain and flexibility/loading are needed for healing and strengthening.
Have you gained anything positive from the Quarantine?
We know the bad news: People have died. People have been very ill, lost jobs, been furloughed.
Businesses closed, economies collapsing. Loneliness. Depression.
Has anything positive happened? CO2 emissions dropped. Wildlife came back to heavily used and populated spaces. One can hear the birds chirping at 4:30 am in NYC. Some businesses which were on the verge of collapse received a reprieve with Federal Aid or were able to file for bankruptcy in a less messy manner.
In NYC, Animal Shelters had most of their animals adopted. Some Family and Friends grew closer than they ever expected.
dievca’s body has been healing. Yes, there are age issues and lurking injuries that won’t disappear, but their impact has lessened – immensely. dievca has been able to assess, have the time to fix and strengthen her body. The time in quarantine has been a godsend to dievca and she feels a bit guilty about it. Catholic guilt.
Well – with dievca’s healing – she’s dusted off her road bike and has started cycling Central Park with Master.
Joyce Barry Australian Cyclist
dievca’s bike was in storage, but the other ‘bits and bobs’ had to be bought
(click photos for brands):
2013 Specialized Dolce Comp Apex
Bontrager Starvos MIPS Road Bike Helmet $94.99
Shimano Mountain Bike Shoes eBay $25.00
Castelli VELOCISSIMA 2 SHORT $109
Terry Tourista Black Cycling Tank V neck
Castelli ROUBAIX GEL 2 GLOVE $39.99
If you want to know why dievca bought certain items – just ask.
Kozi Neck Shoulder Wrap $50.95 – click for the original site.
Years ago, dievca picked up this Kōzi Neck & Shoulder Wrap in TJMaxx on clearance for $12. It sat in its box for a year or more until dievca realized that heat really helps her aches and pains. Ever since that moment – its been in heavy rotation.
The wrap is handcrafted using natural herbs and grains to relieve stress, tension, cramps, and muscle discomfort. You can microwave (2 minutes) or freeze for instant therapy. dievca has ice packs, so she hasn’t frozen the wrap.
$50.95 + shipping seems to be a really high price for the wrap – so dievca found it elsewhere for a better price – if you are not choosy about color: Click here for chocolate, lavender or plum at $16.43 +shipping.
There are other shapes available, but this one hugs the neck and upper back nicely – then you can wrap it around a calf, knee /hamstring or sit on it for lower back or glute issues. dievca wouldn’t go for another shape. she doesn’t have the room for multiple pieces.
It’s been really great on text neck/computer neck. And a good option for Aftercare.
cryotherapy and thermotherapy
Ice is for injuries — calming down damaged superficial tissues that are inflamed, red, hot, and swollen. The inflammatory process is a healthy, normal, natural process that happens to be painful and more biologically stubborn than it needs to be. Icing is a drugless way of dulling the pain of inflammation and taking swelling down a bit. Examples of use: a freshly pulled muscle or a sprained ankle.
Heat is for muscles, chronic pain, and stress — taking the edge off symptoms like muscle aching and stiffness, which have many causes including overuse and arthritis. Chronic pain, especially back pain, often involves lots of tension, anxiety, hypervigilance, and central sensitization. Comfortable heat can soothe a jangled mind and nervous system.
Heat therapy is an effective remedy for back pain because it boosts circulation, which then allows nutrients and oxygen to travel to joints and muscles. This circulation helps repair damaged muscles, relieves inflammation, and improves back stiffness. Any type of heat therapy can help relieve back pain.
dievca’s Dad will receive Hospice Care – a UTI, a round with Pneumonia and having trouble getting all the nutrients put him into the suggested category. But the true determinate is Dad’s not trying. dievca gets it – he’s tired.
The only problem is that dievca had a two-week timeframe in her mind for death. Her past experiences with “Hospice” were a quick end. Her good friend didn’t make it home the day she was to leave the hospital for Hospice and her Aunt died the 1st night back at home.
she was incorrect.
Hospice Care is a shifting of focus:
Healing and getting someone up and running.
vs.
Helping someone be comfortable if they cannot handle (or don’t want to handle) the push to recover from all ailments.
To qualify for Hospice assistance, the person needs to be seen as passing within 6 months. There are target criteria for various health issues.
That doesn’t mean that they cannot have care beyond 6 months and that doesn’t mean that if they feel better they cannot move into a recovery mode. It just means that they take care of issues with Nurses at home, rather than staying in a hospital or rehab program. No one insisting on Speech therapy, an MRI or a prescription of statins, etc.
dievca’s Dad is tired of hospitals and has gone through 6 recoveries. He’s not feeling the juice of Life, right now. Again, got it.
Dad has been living with a non-reparable hole in his heart for years. Amazing.
Look, she knows he may go tomorrow, but she’s seen him bounce back.
To be honest, she’s getting a bit tired, too. Dad and Mom’s health is a rollercoaster ride.
What Is Palliative Care?
This program aims to ease pain and help with other problems if your illness is serious but not considered to be life-threatening for now.
It helps people live with the symptoms of long-running things such as cancer, kidney disease or AIDS, or with the side effects of the treatments.
Palliative medicine doesn’t replace other treatments. It’s an addition that helps you and your family deal with things such as nausea, nerve pain, or shortness of breath.
What Is Hospice Care?
Sometimes called, “Comfort Care”. This is for people who have learned from doctors that they are not expected to recover from their condition. It’s about easing pain and helping families prepare for the end of life. Palliative care is part of that, but it’s just one part.
People in hospice care generally are expected to have less than 6 months to live. They’re often at home, where family members and professional caregivers look after them. But you could also choose a specialized center for hospice care. It’s also offered at many nursing homes and hospitals.
Every Medicare-certified hospice provider must provide these four levels of care:
Level 1: Routine Home Care.
Nursing services
Physician participation
Social services
Home health aide services
Counseling services (pastoral, spiritual, bereavement, dietary, and others)
Medications
Medical equipment
Medical supplies
Lab and diagnostic studies related to a terminal diagnosis
Therapy services
Level 2: Continuous Home Care.
Some examples of symptoms requiring continuous care would be:
Unrelieved pain
Severe nausea and vomiting
Severe shortness of breath
Anxiety or panic attacks
A breakdown in the primary caregiver support system
Level 3: General Inpatient Care.
A free-standing facility owned and operated by a hospice company
An inpatient hospice unit within a hospital
A hospice unit in a skilled nursing facility (nursing home)
Level 4: Respite Care.
Respite care services are more for the family than for the patient. If the patient does not meet the criteria to qualify them for continuous care or inpatient care, but the family is having a difficult time
If a patient’s family is the primary source of care and cannot meet their loved one’s needs due to caregiver stress or other extenuating circumstances, a patient may temporarily be admitted to an inpatient environment to give the family a needed break or respite.
There is a five-day limit on respite care. Once that period expires, the patient is discharged and returns home.
dievca’s Parents have assistance at home. That hasn’t changed. dievca’s Dad will have a Nurse visit three times a week in addition to the caregiver’s help and will be keeping the urinary catheter from the UTI unless he starts to stand up effectively or the Nurse says it needs to be taken out. That is a battle that dievca is glad she is not involved with~
OK, she needs to make a “Mix Tape” for her Parents. They haven’t had enough music in their life lately. Thanks for letting her hash it out.
dievca is a degenerate…in the Physical sense.
she knows that she has damage in her body from being a former elite athlete,
but it is her everyday actions that trigger episodes of pain.
Taking care of her Mom/Dad at Thanksgiving blew her over the edge this time.
(Turns out her Dad had a UTI and needed a hospital stay with antibiotics to heal)
Anyways…
Her work with a Physical Trainer has been cumulative and she can now apply her own fixes.
The Foam Roller is an important tool in her recovery.
There are a number of foam rollers available at the gyms or available to buy – its confusing. Here’s a guide to help with what type of foam roller does what.
Foam Roller Guide
Foam rollers come in various densities and shapes. Below is a list of the different kinds of rollers you might come across and how each one helps take your physical health/recovery to the next level.
A soft foam roller is perfect for beginners and can be used by almost anyone since it’s the most gentle of them all. This option is great for those who are just getting used to foam rolling or those who are looking for a more rejuvenating (and less excruciating) recovery session. If you’re a total first-timer, this one from Spri is a solid option. It’s soft and has the most give. ($22; amazon.com)
This one’s for the athlete who has super-tight muscles that need a little extra love or for anyone who’s experiencing delayed onset muscle soreness (what happens when it’s been two or three days since your last workout and you’re still sore.) It’s denser than a soft roller, which is more effective at relieving tight muscles and trigger points. A firm roller aligns muscle tissue and breaks up the beginnings of adhesions or muscle strains. It can also help with lymphatic drainage—which carries waste away from the tissues—and decreases inflammation.”($38; amazon.com)
Only use this style if you’re experienced with foam rolling and are ready for plenty of hurt-so-good pain. It provides little-to-no give, and the textured surface targets knots and kinks. Look for a roller like this one from TriggerPoint with a literal grid pattern design. ($35; tptherapy.com)
An even more advanced level than a grid roller. This roller should only be used on a healthy athlete, as it is extra firm, and the bumps built into the roller provide more focused trigger point relief and reportedly stimulate deeper layers of muscle. The roller works to increase the flexibility in your soft tissue and provide long-lasting pain relief. In other words, the temporary pain is worth it. Try the RumbleRoller.($45; amazon.com)
The ultimate player in the foam-rolling game. A vibrating foam roller takes the effectiveness of a deep-tissue foam roller and ups the ante with vibration technology. The goal is to minimize how much pain you actually feel (kind of like how those vibrating massage chairs feel good, not painful) while relaxing tight muscles, so you can spend less time and effort on those tender-to-the-touch areas and net better results. This version is much pricier than your standard roller, but worth it if you’re serious about relief.($200; amazon.com)
Quartz is the most powerful healing stone of the mineral kingdom, able to work on any condition. Clear Quartz is known as the stone of power and amplifies any energy or intention. Clear Quartz protects against negativity, attunes to your higher self, and relieves pain The J. Hannah Glacé collection pairs quartz with gold, exploring the limits of shape within our signature lens of timelessness and wearability. The resulting collection feels equal parts modern statement and relics that could belong to any era.
Large Quartz rock crystal inlay set into solid gold or silver ring. Available in White, Yellow or Rose 14k Gold and Silver.
This quartz is ethically sourced in Brazil and custom cut in the historic jewelry district of Bangkok by a female-led lapidary. This piece is produced locally in Los Angeles using 100% recycled gold and silver that is certified by the Responsible Jewelry Council and SCS Global Services to be ethically, environmentally and socially sustainable.
Quartz rock crystal hoop earrings with solid gold or silver end caps and hinge closure. Available in solid 14k gold and sterling silver. Sold as pair.
Midwestern strength.
Eastern European tenacity.
Commitment.
The desire to work hard for the people you love.
My Parents, perhaps – like anyone’s Parents, have been a pain-in-the-ass. They have been a support system, they have been crotchety and stubborn, they have been….growing older and kicking / screaming the whole way.
Watching them hold each other up with age, after past years of challenges and successes, failures and re-boots — they have preserved.
And when I saw them grab for each other’s hand, I saw the love they have –
– which spilled on to me.
Lucky, I am, I know.
And honored to witness such beauty.
I share it with you because the more love you share – the more you get back.
(My Dad broke his neck– it stayed completely in-line…very lucky, Warfarin bleed out-staved off. He walked and took care of business, this morning. Simple pleasures. He’s busy worrying about my Mom and griping about the collar. Typical. All under control, to the best of our abilities. As my Mom says, “It’s hell to get old.” and we laugh. XO)
May you find someone to hold hands with when you need it the most. ~dievča
I forgot to tell you that I drank a half bottle of wine, yesterday. I was hung over, slightly, at work.
Actually, I didn’t forget…I wasn’t sure to mention it or not…I’m mentioning it, now.
I brought you home from the hospital, a year ago, yesterday. Tubes/bags and all. Measured and emptied the bags. Helped you shower. Gave you big pillows. Gave you Purell. Helped you to sleep.
This year? I worked, cleaned up my apartment, masturbated and drank wine. More than two glasses. No one to photograph me – Thank Goodness.
It was a good day, both years.
Not sure what you did this year — if you even acknowledged there was cause for celebration.
dievca is doing her water workout at 6:30 am, picking up a cortado at her favorite Cuban “window” (Las Olas 
dievca’s Dad will receive Hospice Care – a UTI, a round with Pneumonia and having trouble getting all the nutrients put him into the suggested category. But the true determinate is Dad’s not trying. dievca gets it – he’s tired.
dievca’s Parents have assistance at home. That hasn’t changed. dievca’s Dad will have a Nurse visit three times a week in addition to the caregiver’s help and will be keeping the urinary catheter from the UTI unless he starts to stand up effectively or the Nurse says it needs to be taken out. That is a battle that dievca is glad she is not involved with~
dievca is a degenerate…in the Physical sense.
The
This quartz is ethically sourced in Brazil and custom cut in the historic jewelry district of Bangkok by a female-led lapidary. This piece is produced locally in Los Angeles using 100% recycled gold and silver that is certified by the Responsible Jewelry Council and SCS Global Services to be ethically, environmentally and socially sustainable.
dievca 