I have been a touch quiet on the old blog lately
work and life have all gotten in the way a bit
which kind of sucks but it is also great in other ways
in that life is busy and full and work is challenging and fun
Not so fun and also getting in the way of things is that it has been an endless summer
now for some of you the thought of an endless summer probably sounds fabulous
but when you are walking around in a near permanent state of hot flashes
it is not so great and does wear thin after 6 endless months of it
The big problem is I am fine one minute, cruising around looking cool and calm
and the next minute I am like a walking furnace
beet red face, damp and dewy skin, or perhaps looking like you have just had a swim in your clothes if it is a bad one
I tell you if I didn't live such a blameless and perfect life I would be worried that I was being hit by punishing bolts from above or smited left right and centre for my sins
Sometimes I even wonder if in in my menopausal brain haze
I decided to go stand in a furnace/ oven / kiln
or if I ate chillies instead of chocolate
and of course because cancer induced menopause is the gift that just keeps giving the oncologist informed me last week that I am now postmenopausal which is a great thing cancer wise, unfortunately means the hot flashes continuing are from ongoing medication.
so after a few days of cursing the oncologist's every utterance and the bloody horse he rode in on I started to get my head around it all
Because there are advantages to the spontaneous furnace impressions
and that is because this week Autumn has arrived
well at night anyway
so while others are shivering and feeling sorry for themselves
hauling heating out of garden sheds and wondering if using it will short the wiring
washing and airing blankets while wrestling the unwieldy things onto the clothes line
I am sailing through it all with a smile on the dial
I am getting out of bed without a goosebump in sight
stepping out of the shower with abandon
and not a shiver is felt as I step onto the deliciously freezing tiles underfoot
plus I am walking around in summer nightwear
reveling in the cold nights as an instant hot flash buster
bonuses left right and centre it turns out
I just needed summer to take off and leave me to the blessed cool
it is all about the timing it would appear
got to love an upside!
happy painting all...xx
PS how cute is the Barry checking out my new lino block... other than the cat hair everywhere, it is fun seeing how curious he is about everything
25 comments:
I hear you on the brain fuzz parting menopause. I literally think every other day I surely have had some sort of a stroke. But compared to the hot flashes you are having, it's a cake walk. Hope the art helps cause it sure is lovely!!!
Delicious! You have an artistic cute cat ;)
Happy PPF xx
Well, only you could make cancer induced menopause such an entertaining read for everyone else! It sounds horrible and I don't envy you at all. As for the endless summer do you know we had three days of glorious weather here this week - probably a mild spring day for you but really proper hot for us and my new art shed was so hot even with the door open that I couldn't have stayed in it even if I wanted to plus the fact that sunshine is such a rare occurrence that I had to sit in the garden and make the most of it but I can actually see how endless summer has its downsides - 1. I'd never get any art done ever again and 2. By day three of sitting in the sun my prickly heat/sun allergy/whatever annoying rash it is flares up on my chest, hands and feet bizarrely so it's probably best that I don't live somewhere with endless summer after all! Maybe you should move here - your hot flashes would definitely come in handy to keep you warm here!
As for Barry - I love him so much - he's such a curious wee cat! Great hot chilies too - and most appropriate given the content of your post.
Love the photo of Barry and your art - and the rest will pass eventually. Not easy, but sometimes we just have go through the middle to get somewhere. Happy PPF, hugs, Valerie
ahhhh,,,so sorry to hear about the hot flashes,, thats really annoying,, you have such a great attitude,, you truly are an inspiration,
Barry has great taste,,, beautiful work,
try to keep cool,,I found avoiding chocolate and coffee helped my hot flashes but mine were just regular ones not medication induced ones,,and dressing cool, layers that can on and off, and if got upset, like angry that triggered them big time,,wish I had a great tip but I really don't,,beautiful work as always,,
Love your hot chilies! Sorry about the hot flashes. I've had them too and they do eventually go away. Eventually. Now I'm always just a bit chilly. Ah well! It's always something. ;)
Looking forward to seeing the result of your lino block. I'm sure Barry is too. Cute kitty. :)
Lovely work Tracey and you will survive these hot flashes!
brilliant watercolors Tracy!! Sorry to hear about those nasty hot flashes. I was so fortunate not to have experienced even one but i have seen friends suffer. Happy that autumn has arrived in time to give you a bit of relief! Barry is such a sweetie:)
OMG Laughing at this feels so wrong, but you make it sound hysterically funny!
I truly hope it is not 9 years.
Thanks for all the fun you bring with your art and writing ♥ May your winters last long enough ;o)
yes, I do feel better about my hot flashes now, not nearly as bad as yours.... at least you have that as a consolation, you make us all feel our problems are not so bad! love the art and the cat help, i always have cat help too!
i hate hot flashes and night sweats and all the advice your given about taking exercise. food etc which I already do..aghhh! Anyhow art takes us away from it for a moment..wishing you a cool day without any heat..love your veg
Menopause or not, you always have me smiling at your clever and witty explanations. Lovely drawings!
~~ Irene
For a kid who grew up at the beach in So Cal you'd think I'd like heat but I HATE heat and get nothing done when it is hot. We are heading into the hot season.... :(
The only suggestion I have for you is to tie a wet scarf around your neck. Not dripping wet but wet. It continually cools the body down.
Love the chilies and onion, and you of course! Huggs
Love the onion and peppers, just great colours!! As for the brain fuzz that does subside over time...also look up the cool cloth..they are amazing...you can wear it like a scarf...they stay damp and cool. My friend swears by hers now... If you can get your hands on some...get a few..your whole family may snitch them from you!!
Hugs Giggles
Love the veggies' sketches, Tracey. My sister has the same situation. She also has phlebitis so it is a real balancing act to get the proper foods that don't do something dreadful to her. Hope thing get better soon.
Hot flashes, like eating chili all the time. I hear you!
Stay strong!
My dad had hot flashes from his cancer medicine too, so I have a sense of what you are going through. He had a little hand held fan always beside him even when the air conditioning was on.
I really like your food illustrations. Well done.
I have mentioed this before, but I simply love your style and colour of your blue header with the tea! It is so soothing!
I'm sorry to hear about your hot flashes, which sound treacherous. I know winter will be coming soon to your part of the world, so God willing you'll find some relieve. BTW, the pepper and onion pieces would look great framed and hung next to each other in a dining area. I also thought Barry's picture was precious. Blessings, my friend!
How did I not know that you also have an orange cat?? Mine is named Little Bit and she is 11 years old. We got her as a kitten.
Lovely artwork, as usual. Sounds like you are really going to enjoy winter to the fullest this year--LOL! There's always a silver lining! :) :)
Sorry about the hot flashes. I'm not menopausal yet and already get them! I found acupuncture to be really helpful. Might be worth a shot. Ha! Good luck.
Hope you're taking it easy and feeling better soon -- your food illustrations are always gorgeous!
oh poor you, hot flashes in an endless summer ... That's horrible. I hope for your sake winter will be long and cold this year, and I really hope the doctor is wrong about the 9 years .... Love your illustrations :-)
Ugh! Sounds horrendous! Mind you, I am quite sure my temperature dial is a little faulty too... Peri-menopause I suspect! But - not bad enough that a 6 month Summer wouldn't be welcome! We are seeing the odd really hot day here which is welcome, but not enough yet, so please wish it our way! Meanwhile I'm loving your paintings... and Barry is so cute! ...Well, for a cat, anyway ;0)
hey how's it going Hot Stuff!?
Glad you can look at is all positively. You are your own portable space heater.
Looking forward to the hot flashes phase...
Barry is adorable.
Happy PPF
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