Love:
* Spaghetti. Simple, easy, and loaded with carbs. Yum.
* The gardenia tree in my back yard. I wish I could show you how glorious it is, but 3/4 of its beauty comes from the olfactory senses.
* Dermaswim. A lotion that is applied before swimming to guard against chlorine rash. Oddly, all the dermatologists I’ve seen haven’t been able to figure out the incredibly painful rash I get in certain spots where my swimsuit rubs. It’s gotten so bad and inflamed that, at times, it bleeds. Yet, even though I’ve told them I swim a lot, which means that I get a lot of swimsuit rubbing action, and even though they’ve validated my statement with, “that’s where your swimsuit rubs.” They’ve never correctly diagnosed it. I’ve tried steroidal creams, anti-bacterial creams, anti-fungus creams — all to no avail. A couple weeks ago, I found Dermaswim. I apply this lotion before my swim and, like magic, no rash appears. Problem solved. If I forget to apply it, say hello to painful rash.
* Hummingbirds. I love hearing them chirp at each other and watching them perch while they eat.
* Nights like tonight when Snug doesn’t run away like the hounds of hell are on his heels just because someone walks by him when he’s relaxing.
Loathe:
* Current shoes that are in style — I’m already 5’11”. Do I really need heels that are 3 1/2 inches tall? Does anyone who wears a 9 1/2 (or larger) size shoe? If a lady’s feet are that big, chances are she’s either really tall, or has other things going on, and she probably doesn’t need a heel that high.
* How so many people I love and care about are really struggling with various difficulties right now. Emotional, financial and just stuff… and it just always seems that things load up all at once.
One Last Thing:
I’ve been following a few blogs and reading stuff on the ‘net about going pooless. Over the years I’ve tried hundreds of shampoos, literally, and have never been happy with how any of them leave my hair feeling, except one and I can now only find that one on the Internet. Which really bugs me because of the cost of shipping, handling and all that. I wish I could go without shampoo, except I swim every day. Chlorine won’t come out with just a baking soda mix. But I tried it, just to try it… and I hated it. My hair looked fine, but it felt tangled and woolen. Ugh.
And then I read on a long hair forum about how club soda deactivates chlorine. And it cleans hair of dirt. So, I thought, why not? $.79 for a 2 liter bottle of it?
I thought I would hate it. I was prepared to hate it. But I don’t. Today was my second day using club soda in lieu of shampoo and I love it. I am still using a sulfate free conditioner — not ready to give that up yet. But here’s the bonus, the last two days I’ve not had to use detangling spray or hair serum to get through it with a comb.
I’ll keep you updated on how it’s working out for me.
Jammie J's Quest 
Good post, especially set up, I’m sure, to follow the last post. Glad the dermaswim is working out for you too. Love you,
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HA! Actually it wasn’t, it just kind of flowed that way… 🙂
Yep, the Dermaswim has been three weeks or so, now, I think. A good trial period.
~Jammie J.
Sweeties club soda makes her happy, happy, happy, hehehehe. Love you cutie. XXOXOXOXO
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…happy, happy, happeeeee! Although it’s a little odd to have a bottle of soda in the shower…
~Jammie J.
5′ 11″ AND 3 inch heels? All I can think of is lovely long legs. Throw in all the swimming you do and I get pictures of you in a short flowing skirt. Nice legs really do it for me.
All that being said, the Wife is a tad shorter than you, 5′ 7″ and doesn’t wear high heels any longer either. She doesn’t see the need for the spikes any longer. Pity.
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Dude, 3 1/2 inch heels just aren’t appropriate to wear to the office. Not when the building is so huge and I have a lot of walking to do… 2″ are fine and comfortable AND professional. I wish there were just more variety in the current shoe styles. It’s just either skyscrapers or barren landscape, it seems.
I hear you, though, on wearing heels for my man when we go out… and occasionally I do, just so I can look him in the eye! hehe It always freaks him out a little since he’s 6’6″ it’s a little startling for him to have my face right in his face, and it messes up the normal level of arm around my waist. Variety is fun. 🙂
~Jammie J.
i just bought 3 new pairs of shoes in the last few weeks. and 2 are high wedges and one is a pair of high heels. i LOVE them. they make me feel like a normal person instead of a shrimp. hehehe. i suppose you don’t really need them, though…
i love pasta of all shapes and forms… 😀
do you just pour the club soda in your hair? or use a sprayer of some sort? i’m confused.
*muwah* love you.
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So glad you love your shoes… now, you wear your super tall shoes and I’ll wear my super tall shoes and the height ratio won’t have changed one bit. You’ll still be a shrimp! hehe (I know, I’m so mean!)
Pasta is delicious!
The instructions I read on the ‘net say to use about 2 cups of it and douse the hair, starting with the roots. There’s a chemical reaction that happens which neutralizes the chlorine and the carbonation cleans the hair. Which means that the club soda can’t be flat (lesson learned from yesterday). Weird, huh?
~Jammie J.
Swim suit rash? Losing the suit works pretty well too! Just sayin’ 😉
‘splain this club soda thing more Lucy!
We have 3 hummer feeders on the deck and our favorite time is twilight when they all come for a last feed. We just sit in the middle and enjoy the mêlée. Near as we can tell we have around 20. They’ve even flown beneath our chairs in some avoidance maneuver.
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If I had a private pool, I wouldn’t mind losing the suit at all. 🙂
But public pools, kids and pervs around, not gonna happen. Plus, they’d probably consider it indecent exposure. hehe
The club soda neutralizes the chlorine in the hair, the carbonation cleans the dirt and some of the oil. I use about 2 cups of it and cover my hair, making sure I start at the roots. The goal is to have the natural oils produced by my scalp coat and protect my hair. Like what our great-grandparents likely did. Commercial shampoo products didn’t show up until the early 30’s, before then they used natural products, such as baking soda, etc. to clean their hair. And they certainly didn’t wash it every day! Which is why it was always such a big deal for women to say, “I’m washing my hair” in response to a request to go do something. Interesting, huh?
We have about 3 or 4 hummers who visit, they’re pretty wary of us, but they do visit regularly. 🙂
~Jammie J.
Yeah, I hate shoe trends too…..they either have really high heels or they’re flat pieces of cardboard with string tied to it with absolutely no arch support.
Going pooless huh? I am very curious to know how that works for you, cause I’d like to try it too.
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A nice in between, at a reasonable price, is all I’m asking for with my shoes. You’re right, it’s either super tall or super flat. Gah!
There’s an adjustment period, but I can tell you just three days into it, the ends of my hair don’t tangle and knot like they used to. So far it’s all good.
~Jammie J.
Pooless… and here I thought you were talking about poo itself and wondered why anyone would want to go pooless. Now I know!
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Well THAT kind of pooless usually isn’t by choice and there’s lots and lots of products to help that condition… 😛
~Jammie J.
You went pooless? I could never do it. Just can’t. I love my pooo flavors too much. lol
Shoes, i know, I keep looking for summer sandals, and can’t find any that aren’t so, um, fierce looking…..
Dermaswim, kewl…. who knew? Your dermatologist didnt! 😉
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I understand about loving your flavors… which is why I’ve not given up my conditioner. But I am using sulfate free conditioner. I love my flavors, too, but found myself only buying the conditioner of the “flavors” I wanted to try, because all shampoo did was leave my hair and scalp feeling stripped and dry.
Fierce, wow, that is a good word to describe the shoes in style right now. Yeah, fierce! Scary and fierce. 🙂
Dermaswim has been a Godsend to my skin. I’m so thankful for it. 🙂
~Jammie J.
the little black cat we got from the shelter (2 months ago) looks just like your snug … 🙂
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Here’s a little known fact… I didn’t want a black cat. I’ve always had black cats and they’ve always been wonderful, but the last one I had … leaving him behind with my ex-husband tore my heart out and ripped it into shreds. I still cry over that little kitty and it’s been six and a half years since I left him behind. I was afraid that getting another one would remind me every day of the one I left behind…
But… Snug, well, when I observed him, he had exactly the personality I thought Tug needed to counterbalance his overbearing alpha-attitude. They are a perfect fit with each other. I had to look beyond his surface appearance and I’m glad I did. 🙂
~Jammie J.
lol, yeah, well, compared to you, like 99% of women are shrimps. hehe. 😀
interesting… i never would’ve thought to use club soda. like, did someone at home run out of shampoo and think, “gosh, what should i use to clean my hair? hrm… i know! club soda!” hehe.
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But there are other women out there with ginormo feet, they must be tall, right? 🙂
I know. I think the same thing about stuff, like ketchup for hair… like who determined that ketchup helps the smell of skunk? Or gets chlorine out? And who would want to put ketchup in hair? Club soda is at least similar to water… hehe
~Jammie J.
or mayo, why use mayo as conditioner?
you woudl smell like a sandwich all day
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Oh, good point.
~Jammie J.
and if you are pooless,then how do you get the mayo out?
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… yet another good point. Hmmm. I must ponder this now.
~Jammie J.