Ten Bullet Points

1. I'm sun burnt. I rarely burn (can't remember the last time) but yesterday at the Church picnic I got sun burnt. So did Son#5 (and possibly a few others). DH who always burns, didn't this time. Shea butter is wonderful for sunburn. It takes the redness and the sting out. I used it today. I also wore a hat even if I did feel ridiculous. My dislike of hats is well known and people were very kind and did not laugh.

2. A friend from church is going to Christchurch to help with the identification process. He did not volunteer. He was just told to go. I think he's nervous about it. He's done this before - when people have died naturally or in car accidents - but never on this scale. I try not to think about what he will face but he - and others like him - need our prayers. What these rescue and recovery workers have to contend with is unimaginable.

3. The five-month-old baby who died in the 'quake was buried today. Five months. So sad. But all those who died are the loved ones of somebody. It's heart-breaking.

4. Others are leaving the city - some temporarily - some permanently. I can't say I blame them. I wouldn't want to stay either. I've been in an earthquake that claimed the lives of twelve people. It took years to rebuild and there wasn't the destruction that Christchurch has suffered. Nor were there the aftershocks that that city is still experiencing - some of them quite big shakes. People's nerves must be shattered.

5. Son#3 and Son#4 started back at University today. We took them over yesterday. Son#3 had already been back a week sorting out projects and other things so he didn't have a lot of stuff to move in. Son#4 had taken his furniture over but not the rest of his belongings. We discovered that his flatmates had 'borrowed' his smoke detectors (at least they're safety conscious). Since he's not likely to get them back until the end of the year, we rushed around town looking for some replacement ones. Everyone else must've had the same idea because the most likely source had sold out. Finally got some and he texted me last night to let me know they were up - so that I could sleep easy (his words not mine). It's quiet around here now.

6. I've been using a shampoo bar from Beauty and the Bees. I've used shampoo bars before and usually they leave my hair clean and soft the first time and then the next time turn in into a dull greasy mess that takes several shampoos to get right. Not this time. I'm really loving how this 'poo bar makes my hair feel and the clean it gives. Trying to talk DH into using them too. I love them!

7. My doctor has prescribed iron supplements after he did some research and discovered that chronic iron deficiency can cause excessive shedding. I'm still shedding hair at an alarming rate - and imagine I will continue to do so for a few months yet as I suspect those hairs that have gone into resting phase will shed over the next one to three months. But I'm hoping - and praying - that I will start to see some improvement soon - and that I don't have to cut any more off.

8. We saw The Three Most Adorable Granddaughters in the World last night and got to put the two oldest ones to bed (not that they stayed there). Even though we see them every week I still miss them. I suspect that DH and I will drive Son#2 and DIL#2 crazy when their precious one is born. Since they are so much closer it will be that much easier to pop in for a kiss and a cuddle.

9. We have a Marriage Seminar at church this week. Should we or shouldn't we go? DH says we know all the answers - we just don't always put them into practice!

10. And finally, DH and I had ten kids (aged from 10-15) in our Bible Class yesterday and three of our regulars were away. Last week we had four. I only ordered ten books, thinking that would give us some spares (Oh ye of little faith). Hmmm. It's a good dilemma but I have a feeling that it's going to be an interesting group. A very interesting group.

Comments

java girl said…
I hope that your hair stops shedding. My mother had that problem when they realized it was her thyroid. I know it is upseting.

Enjoy the grandbabies and congrats on the large sunday class!! That is a wonderful shock to have!
Mary said…
I didn't know that N.Z. was prone to earthquakes. Those poor people!

Also, I'm sorry about the sunburn,and your hair.
Jules said…
Ashley, at this stage the doctor thinks the shedding is due to chronic iron deficiency. We're treating that to see if it stops. I've noticed changes in my nails so hoping they come right too. But thyroid problems is a very common cause of excessive shedding.

Mary, NZ sits on major fault lines and has at least one still-active volcano that I know of (I once climbed it just days before it erupted). However the earthquake that I experienced and which claimed lives was in Australia where no one expected it. Apparently Australia experiences a number of earthquakes each year but the majority are in areas where no one lives so no one knows about them therefore no one worries about them.

I must admit that I'm far more earthquake conscious at the moment. When I go into an underground car park I look around and wonder how safe I'll be. I guess it's still all fresh in our mind at the moment and that those thoughts are normal.
SchnauzerMom said…
I've only been in one very tiny earthquake when we lived in Colorado. I can imagine it would be a very scary thing. At least you can run and hide from tornadoes but earthquakes? I hope the iron helps your hair!