The big news from here is our good health. We are both in the pink. My allergies have been a big problem for me for years. The good news is that my old allergy doctor retired so I got a referral to a real allergist. A one-hour interview and 65 skin tests later, I am a new person. Susie and I have been pretty good at ferreting out foods that cause me allergic reactions, then avoiding them. The list grew, but the fact was my main allergen is a substance called salicilates. It is a naturally occurring component to most members of the plant kingdom. It was never a consideration, actually, we had never heard of it before competent medical advice entered the picture. Sounded like trouble, but not the case. The allergic reaction is totally blocked by a drug called Singulair. The result is that I have not had an anaphylactic allergy attack in over two months. I am a new person. I am taking a double dose of Allegra to counter my environmental allergies and have not felt this good in a decade. Also, my LDL is 124, probably the same as my golf game now that I have not hit a ball in the three years we have been on the road.

I did have a little medical fun yesterday. Because of my Carpal Tunnel surgery earlier this year, I had reached my out-of-pocket maximum for the year. I decided it was time for a Colonoscopy. Sunday I gagged down 4 liters of a colon-blow drink named Colyte, pronounced Golightly by the doctors and nurses. The doctor promised very light medication so I could watch the procedure, and recover quickly. It was great, as the nursing staff put me at ease. It was relatively painless and fascinating. The bizarre part was the Delivery Room following the procedure. The nurse told me that they had pumped several liters of air into my colon, and I needed to deliver it up. So there I was, sipping Coca-Cola, in polite company, passing gas. It was like I was Slim Pickens in a scene from Blazing Saddles, except I'm the only one there playing a tune. It was not long before it was obvious that my job was done, so the nurses sent me home. There was no discomfort so we went grocery shopping. So, if anyone has been putting off having this done, wait no longer it is a walk in the park. If you hate doing things alone, bring a whoopee cushion for the nurse.

Susie had a brief scare with arthritis. Her hip and pelvis was bothering her so her doctor scheduled her for an x-ray. No arthritis but still pain, so the doctor figured it must have been bruising. Well, a couple of days later we were in the surf fishing when Susie tied in with a big fish (actually, she had 4 big hook-ups that day). The rods we use in the surf are 10 and 12 feet long and are fairly heavy. With a 30-50 pound fish at the other end, it is not a simple matter of holding the rod by the butt and reeling it in. We place the butt of the rod between our legs, hold onto the rod above the reel and crank away. When Susie did this, she immediately became aware of the source of her bruised hip. I need to get a picture of her reeling in a fish for illustration purposes. Did I mention that the fishing has been good?

With the New Year, I plan on cranking up my eBay bead sales. Right now, borosilicate (Pyrex) beads are hot, so I have been trying to get up to speed with this harder glass. The colors that are compatible with borosilicate are amazing. They have a high metallic content so by adjusting the quality of the flame, different colors can be produced. If I have 100 beads in a display case, a customer's hands will first go to the boro bead about 90% of the time. Go to eBay and do a search for: lampwork boro
to see some examples of this glass.

When we do jewelry shows, we have found that are sales are noticeably higher if I am demonstrating my beadmaking. Here is a photo of me doing a demonstration at Superior Beads in Duluth, MN, last fall. The glasses by Auralens and are the AUR-92s, which filter out the sodium flare and protect from flying glass. When was the last time you saw someone wearing a Derby? Leave some feedback, or email.

P.S. Change of plans, the sun just came out and the wind is slowing, we are hitting the beach.