Unleashing Hope

Once upon a time my former therapist told me that if I started to talk about living with a mental illness on my blog (or publicly), I could never go back. She is also an activist of sorts and married to a politician so I knew she was speaking to me on several levels. She […]

Adventures in CSA: Chapter Two

So our first week trying to consume an entire share of produce from the Kretschman Farm CSA. That was quite a challenge. We were defeated, I must admit. I never made it to preparing the Swiss Chard. We dried the herbs and dove into leafy green salads – green leaf lettuce, spinach and more. And […]

Adventures in CSA: Chapter One

CSA share

This summer, Ledcat and I took the plunge and signed up for a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) share through Kretschmann Farm. We get one delivery of fruits/veggies a week plus one chicken per month.  Today, Ledcat picked up our first delivery. How exciting. We had no real idea what to expect, but here’s what arrived:   […]

What is The Person in Line at the Grocery Store Thinking About?

Here are some things we probably never have to think about. The person in line ahead of you at the grocery store might be thinking about this all of the time.  Note – these are suggestions from websites. I make no claims to their effectiveness, simply pointing out that they exist. How to Stretch Shampoo […]

Four Ways to Take a Mental Health Break (at Starbucks)

Mental Health Month

Remember when someone would use the “mental health day” reason to take a day off from work? Well, today is Mental Health Month Blog Day (that’s a mouthful) which I like to think of as a mental health day in the middle of mental health month. The goal? Mental Health Month Blog Day to educate the public […]

Six Summer Personal Care Items You Never Thought To Donate

Pittsburgh Pride

While it is not technically summer, the 84 degree weather has me thinking about things like finding my flip-flops, setting out the deck furniture and maybe even planting stuff that grows. I might get ambitious and carry my winter coats to the attic this weekend. Just another ritual in the day to day change of […]

Reproductive Hygiene Technology Flashback

Of all the technologies that have gone extinct in your lifetime, which one do you miss the most? Oohh, this is a tough question. I certainly have nostalgia when it comes to 8-tracks and cassette decks, but I don’t really *miss* them. And cassettes aren’t actually extinct. I learned to type on a typewriter in […]

Allowing Anxiety to Derail Me Is the Worst Case Scenario

Finding Vivian Maier

Of all the awful possibilities, what’s the worst possible thing that could happen to you today? Now this is an interesting question during Mental Health Month. Some folks can provide a list of things that cause anxiety and others just have a general sense of dread. Setting aside the loss of a loved one, the […]

The First Time I Saw a Therapist

May is the month dedicated to raising awareness about mental health. I’m going to try to raise awareness by blogging more concretely about my own experiences. Fittingly, I met my new therapist today. She seems nice and pleasant. I was a little anxious because I wanted to give her background information, but I had some […]

Do You Prize Your Peace of Mind?

What’s your most prized possession? GO! My most cherished possession is my peace of mind. The things I was tempted to list My great-grandmother’s rosary that survived the fire which took her life. My pets (legally, they are possessions.) My diploma from the School of Social Work (I don’t even know where it is.) My […]