CGN Day 1

Today marked my first full day in my role as Dining Room Hostess at Camp Good News. Just call me Princess Soft Voice........Clearly, the soft voice is not a prerequisite. I'm missing my Buxton Crowd (Heather and Todd did manage to visit for the day) but thankful for a week with other friends, especially Sue Batty, that I normally only see once in a while. Tell and I are staying in Beaver Lodge for the week, sharing it with my sister-in-law Laura and niece Allie, along with Leya Leighton and her two youngest. I'm currently blogging to the soothing sounds of the ocean coming from the pack n play next to my bunk. We're one big happy family for the week.





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Smells of Summer

Wild roses along beach pathways.....Fresh strawberries, rhubarb and blueberries.......Salty ocean spray and burgers on the grill. These are some of my favorite Maine summer fragrances. I was able to enjoy several of them today, due to a friend-filled excursion to Crescent Beach in the first half of the day and then a cookout celebrating Mike and Heidi Morrill's 20th anniversary in the evening. It was a fine summer day.




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Climbing

I DVRed the Tour de France this evening because Jim is on a job in NH and won't be back until tomorrow. Jim raced bikes in the Hunter Valley in his younger Aussie years and loves watching the Tour each year. Each year I learn a bit more about the strategies and skills of cycling. Seeing these athletes climb through the Pyrenees and Alps is both enjoyable and impressive. I also have had to do a bit of climbing lately.....into my bed. Seriously. We recently purchased a new bed and mattress. Finally after 17 years of marriage we have more than just a metal frame. It's a lovely bed, but I laughed when the new mattress set arrived and I saw how high it was. You know those step stools you see in magazines that are designed for small dogs to climb up onto their master's bed? I
could really use one of those.



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Useless Poolboy

Last fall, Jim was given a 16ft. pool by one of his customers and despite the contribution of lovely rust color that our iron rich water provides, we have enjoyed the refreshing coolness during these hot summer days. As I've been learning how to clean the pool and adjust the chemicals properly, it would have been very handy if my "Pool Boy" were an actual human being and not an iPhone.





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I'm Desperate

.....for iodine, that is. After the eight hour wait, there is very little evidence of the iodine left on my skin. This was actually my second test patch. After attending the movies with the three youngest kids, and averting a "go green, alternative fuel" brainwash attempt by the makers of Cars 2 yesterday, I applied my first test. After a couple hours it was already quite faded. In the meantime, however, I had started cleaning the garage, and the need for a shower afterward messed with my results. Considering my body had already soaked up the iodine from the first test and the patch still faded by the 8 hour mark, I'd say I'm in need of iodine. Now I'll need to research the best way to get it.

Lack of Iodine?

I've read a couple articles recently about the effects created by a lack of iodine in our bodies. Since I don't eat seafood and rarely add iodized salt to my food, I am not partaking in two of the most common ways to get iodine into my system. One of the articles stated that a majority of people tested in the U.S. had far less iodine than they needed, with many having close to zero. One way to test your need is to paint a 2 inch square patch on your inner arm and wait 8 hours. If the color is gone in that span of time, then your body desperately needs iodine. If it is gone in 24, then you still do not have the full amount needed. I've painted my patch and I'll check in the morning.