And Now Riots are Close

There was a silent, peaceful protest earlier today which has turned violent and destructive. Buildings on fire, buildings being broken into and destroyed, things being hurled at the police.

All just a couple blocks from my daughter’s home. She’s assured me she’s safe, there’s no reason for the rioters to come her way. But there’s no reason to riot either. And I’m very concerned for her safety.

She hears loud booms, helicopters overhead, sirens. The gathering has been declared over and the protestors told to go home. Many did leave. Others have escalated the tensions. Good grief, there are children out there…

While this riot is far smaller, and with a significantly larger police presence, it’s still a disgusting, criminal display. We the people are better than this. The real changes we need to make won’t come from riots. The change will come from all of us united as one people, demanding through our vote and voice that changes happen. Violence is not the answer, it’s part of the problem.

Update: This morning many, many people have descended on the destroyed downtown areas with brooms, shovels, buckets and mops. This is an inspiring sight. There are construction workers volunteering their time and expertise to repair damage done to businesses. My daughter is safe, as far as we’re aware. She hasn’t given any indication to the contrary.

And to those who’ve raised 20 million dollars, so far, to provide bail money for the rioters-donate that money to the business owners and communities to help rebuild from this devastation! So few have been arrested for their criminal actions, if they were they must have done something really bad. Like slicing the throats of peaceful protestors, beating and assaulting police officers and business owners. I mean, seriously? You’re raising money for the criminals but not the victims? Who are these people?

Heartbreak and Hard Work

I had a huge post written out about the riots across our great land, but my heart is so broken, I just can’t. Prayers for George Floyd’s family and loved ones, and for all innocents injured-whether physically or property wise-by the profanely disrespectful and criminal rioters. May your hearts and communities heal from the evil done to them.

So today was spent trimming trees, painting, cleaning and re-filling our kitchen cupboards. I finished the “But First, Coffee” sign for the coffee bar area. Scott fixed our daughter Katie’s brakes, and he mowed our heavily fertilized yard. That, along with the rain, has made our lawn beautifully lush, green and long. I also went to Earl’s Meats and picked up some cherry brats and a few steaks for Monday. I’ve been ironing fabric in my spare time, to cut up into pieces for Anthony’s bedroom quilt. My smashed fingers, while still wrapped, aren’t nearly as painful as they’ve been the last few days.

All in all, a good day.

And the Country Burns

Personal Post! Don’t read if you don’t want to know.

The other night, as we went to bed and my husband said, “These aren’t protests. These are riots committed by domestic terrorists.” And then we awoke this morning to further catastrophic destruction and utter anarchy in our countries major cities.

I don’t think I’m a conspiracy theorist. In fact, I universally reject them. But it seems to me these riots are an orchestrated effort to destroy the inner cities populated by the most economically challenged citizens of our country. That these areas are primarily populated by people of color, immigrants and blue collar workers just exacerbates the profound divides within our society.

At a time when we, as a country, were united in horror and anger over the hideous murder of a man by a brutal, evil cop-thugs take to the streets to wreak havoc on peaceful protestors and their communities. Because I do not for one second believe the people living in those communities are the ones destroying them. People are not stupid. It makes no logical sense to trash the community you reside in. You know the shop and restaurant owners. You buy groceries at your local store and know the people working there. You worship in the churches, take your kids to the schools, walk on the sidewalks and in the parks. You work to make your home the best it can be. Because you want your family living the best life possible. This is a universal truth.

That peaceful protests against a profane injustice have been co-opted by violent, lawless criminals is a disgusting insult to every citizen of this great nation. The opportunity to come together, united as one country, is being tossed by a handful of evil-doers. Enough already!

There is racism in this country. Of that there can be no doubt. There is lack of opportunity for the poorest of our citizens. There is a real lack of effort by those who can make significant changes to the inner city communities over run by gangs and drugs. These are issues which harm our country and are unworthy of us all. Every single one of us deserves better from our elected officials.

The real problem with the riots is fear. We watch this and we are fearful. Why would anyone start businesses, take jobs, or move into communities where this crap happens? They wouldn’t. Because there is no sense of safety or security there. If the environment is unsafe, the opportunities aren’t there either. Good teachers won’t take jobs in communities where they feel unsafe. Doctors won’t either. Business owners won’t go there. Decent, hardworking people are terrified of the possibility everything they love, they’ve worked and sacrificed for, will be destroyed by lawless evil doers.

And the problems will continue.

So what are the solutions? Well, first, we must acknowledge racism is a real thing. When people are pulled over for driving while black, questioned for walking while black, and arrested for simply being black, and therefore a suspect, we have a real issue with racism which is prevalent in every area of our society.

Another serious issue is the crime which is so prevalent in low-income, inner city communities. It will take a multi-pronged approach to correcting this. Residents within the community, community leaders, law enforcement, and political leaders from local to the national level all need to work together to effect change. The safety of the community is the highest priority.

The people living in inner cities need to be fully invested in changing things. Take advantage of the opportunities that are available. Change begins with each one of us. Take personal responsibility. If you have kids-raise them to respect all people. Teach them what is right and what is wrong. Show them through your actions what a person of integrity looks like. Lead by example.

Recognize there are differences in life circumstances. Play the hand you’re dealt to the best of your ability. Is life fair? No! My father told me as a child “Whoever told you life is fair is a liar!” This is true. But character will out. You are placed exactly where you need to be to make the most positive impact in your sphere of influence. Never take that lightly. You are incredibly important to the cause of good.

Reject the people who seek to divide us. We the people are Americans first. We need to focus on that which unites us, rather than what divides us. Reject the rabid right and lunatic left. Both extremes are not what we need. We need to unite, pulling together as one team. Use our voices, our votes and our peaceful actions to bring our country together, rather than create havoc and promote lawlessness.

And, above all, PRAY. The power of prayer knows no bounds. If we, united in purpose, uplift our country to our personal faiths Higher Power-healing will happen. And rapidly. The change will be profound and immediate. Then step out in faith. If God is for us, those against us will be defeated. Of that we are assured.

May God be with you, your loved ones and your communities. And may God heal and bless America.

Home Improvement, Part Whatever…

Here’s what we’ve accomplished so far:

Finished:

• Both bathrooms
• The laundry room
• The large hallway
• The living room
• The roof
• Closet interiors

Nearly finished:

• closet in the hallway
• landscaping
• deck
• mud room
• Dining room
• Stairwell

Not started yet:

• Upstairs bedrooms
• Porch
• Basement
• Removal of barn and shed
• Stump grinding
• Reseeding the grass
• Purging and packing of household stuff
• Furniture and finishing touches

The list of stuff we’ve done during the lock down include: painting several rooms, cupboards, ceilings, shiplap, furniture, removal of cupboards, changed lighting, tile work, plumbing, changing hardware, countertops, removal of flooring, maintenance and repairs, new appliances, DIY decorative items, tree trimming, creating and planting garden beds, building a half wall, and reusing/repurposing everything possible.

While it feels like we’re treading water, there has been real progress made. Others notice the changes. And assure us the amount we’ve finished in these few weeks is truly impressive. That’s nice to hear, but living in chaos makes things feel incomplete with no end in sight.

My most exciting development today was the arrival of my new kitchen hardware. Oil rubbed bronze bar pulls. Very simple, classic style with an antique, aged feel.

Future coffee bar

This is the cupboard which was beneath the china hutch. The top will have Calcutta marble Formica countertop. We’re adding two, or possibly three, natural wood shelves above this. I want to make them either floating or use black iron to hold the shelves up. This is also the color of the lower kitchen cabinets. Chelsea Gray by Benjamin Moore. (The upper cabinets are white. As is all the trim. And the ceilings. And doors.) The floors will be Bravado, Pine Carmel, by Tarkett. Discontinued, therefore purchased at greatly reduced prices. All remaining upstairs rooms have this flooring, except the bathroom and laundry (tile), and the bedrooms (wood floors).

The two smaller bedrooms upstairs are all fairly simple. Refinish the wood floors. Paint, shiplap, new six panel bi-folds on the closets, new light fixtures. Then furniture and finishing touches. The main bath needs new curtains and outside shower curtain. The living room needs curtains and furniture, then finishing touches. Dining room table base needs painting, new chairs for table, paint and slider curtains. Finishing touches. Stairwell needs the half wall finished, a secure closing gate, hand rail, and a large art image on the wall. My thought is a palette wood painting. Neutral, yet natural. Here is an image similar to what I have in mind. My idea is for a much larger space, but I want to keep it very simple as a focal point in the open stairwell.

The basement needs purging, packing and re-doing. Paint, ceilings, flooring, furniture and finishing touches. In each room. The very large center family room, Scott’s office, and Evan’s bedroom. My workroom will be taken apart and removed. My thought is I’ll add my essentials to Anthony’s bedroom closet and use his room temporarily as my work space. Most of my workroom supplies and materials will be purged (again), packed up and put away. I’ve decided the art journaling materials will be my primary artistic focus once my room’s packed up. And until we’ve moved and I have a studio to work in.

The great news today is I had my monthly treatment. After returning home and sleeping four plus hours, I feel considerably better than I have in weeks. There’s been a weather break, too, which helps tremendously as well. Hopefully tomorrow I can get back to work.

Did I mention I slammed my hand with a hammer six times? I was trying to remove a stuck paint roller cover from the handle. It was dried and stuck really good. Because this particular roller and cover require removal by slamming the end, I actually hit my pinky and ring fingers. And those knuckles. Multiple times until I grew so frustrated I had Scott do it. The fingers and knuckles are very swollen, and I was forced to snip my turquoise ring from New Mexico off my pinky. The swelling was turning the finger blue. I have the fingers wrapped and they aren’t as throbby as they were. More good news!

Oh, and a completely random thing: Carnival Row is an outstanding visual treat. In some ways similar to Grimm. It stars Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevingne. Stunning sets, costumes, make-up. A delight for those who are into such things…I highly recommend it. An Amazon Original series.

Our Country is Unraveling

Personal Post!! Don’t read if you don’t want to know.

Without knowing the details of the situation, it certainly looks as though the gentleman, George Floyd, was murdered by a police officer. And I know everyone says most officers are fine upstanding wonderful people dedicated to protecting and serving their communities. But what happened here, and in so many other situations in the past, doesn’t lead the public to believe that. In fact, the police are beginning to look like a bunch of brutal, evil thugs with a badge.

Please-before you attack me- I, too, have many friends and family members in law enforcement. I have been a staunch defender of our police because I know so many who are selfless, brave, and devoted to protecting and serving their communities. My uncle, God rest his soul, my cousins, and several close friends are all members of the law enforcement community. But that community is silent now. Every profession has “bad apples”, but if that profession doesn’t stand up and condemn the actions of those bad apples it makes all within it look complicit.

What does a horror like this do to every one of us? Well, it breeds distrust and loathing for law enforcement. (How many of us told our kids to seek the police if they’re in trouble…). It undermines the belief in justice for all. It pits communities against those who are supposed to protect it. It undermines society. Many will say this is a racial thing. That’s probably a big part of it. But it seems those most abused by people in authority are also those on the lowest economic scale. And speaking as one living on little, this is a chilling reality.

Poverty kills people. Those who have money can afford to live in “safe” communities, pay for outstanding medical care, provide their children with exceptional educations, and have far more opportunities than those who live with little to nothing. Unless you’ve had to make tough choices like paying for food or needed medication for your child, you truly can’t understand the soul sucking, mind breaking effects of poverty. And I can’t fully understand the realities of those living on even less.

Let’s be honest here. The politicians who claim to care about those who live in poverty don’t. Obamacare was an unmitigated disaster for those without healthcare. Instead of providing coverage for those who cannot afford it, these poor people were penalized and forced to pay the IRS money they don’t have because they didn’t have coverage. What the ever loving crap!?! Are you freaking kidding me!?! There’s a special place in hell for those responsible for that. Seriously.

The hatred filled rhetoric spewed from both sides leaves vulnerable Americans without a voice. We’re caught between two feuding parties, neither of which give a healthy crap about our daily struggle to survive. Poor people have lost hope and faith in the system set up to provide equality under the law. Because we know there isn’t any. If you’re poor, you’re not important-other than as a “voting block”. The Democrats have long been the party of the poor, but look at what they’ve actually done. Their policies benefit no one but themselves, as it’s all about power. Republicans make policies which benefit the wealthiest among us. They, too, don’t care about the realities of the poor. They only care about the mind bogglingly wealthy. Both parties are filled with contemptible, corrupt slime balls.

My husband has been asking: What has happened to our country? Well, a lot. Self has replaced God as the leader in life. This self-centeredness has had devastating effects on society and the rule of law. Next, families are under attack. People divorce in droves. The reason it takes two to make a baby is because it takes two to raise it. So the heavy lifting is most often done by the mom in the family. She works full time outside the home, then does everything else within the home. She’s exhausted, broke, overwhelmed and losing hope. The children are the real losers in this situation. They feel the results of this tragic situation more than anyone else. Divorce is another poisonous and destructive reason for societal decline.

And, lastly, poverty is destroying this country. We are a people which prides itself on rugged individualism. We are strong, resilient and capable. But the brutal realities of living with the constant stress and strain of poverty has profound long term effects on individuals and society at large. And there is absolutely no reason for this. The overwhelming burden upon those living on little is disgusting. When the wealthy go on YouTube spouting how they’re suffering because they have to do their own housecleaning during lockdown or how they need their hair done, they are showing the true divide between the haves and the have nots. For those who live below the poverty line, they are suffering in truly horrific ways. They can’t pay their bills, feed their kids, will lose their housing and wind up on the streets. That’s a very real horror this shut down has unleashed upon those just keeping their heads above water. The gap between the wealthy and the poor is stark, deep and disgraceful.

And those in power don’t give a hoot about it.

Enough already! It’s time to take back our country. Vote ALL of these people OUT. Wipe the slate clean and start over. If I hear one more word from Pelosi, who lives in a multi-million dollar gated community, about her excessively wasteful bill to “help” during this pandemic I think I’ll vomit. If the President spouts one more asinine tweet filled with in your face lies, my head may explode. None have a clue what reality is. They are all self-serving and I’ve had it!

We the people can protest. But we must protest peacefully. The riots in Minnesota are not helping. It just “proves” to those in power that American citizens are low class thugs who will take advantage of any situation to assault, loot and destroy. This isn’t a message we want to send. We want to protest peacefully. Speak firmly, but articulately, about these injustices. Reasonable discussion carried on by reasonable people is the only way to change things. Extremes on both sides always get the news coverage. And they are the worst among us, and not representative of the majority of Americans. There is no excuse for brutal violence in response to the tragic death of George Floyd.

Take your anger to the ballot box. The current debate about paper ballots is stupid. Every single registered voter can request an absentee ballot. There is no need for any other paper balloting. It’s a waste of time and money. And, quite frankly, a distraction from the real and serious issues this country faces. Corruption in our legal and political systems is a very real and present danger to each one of us. Don’t lose focus on the truth and what is reality. No matter how much the media or the politicians keep screaming their lies at us.

Memorial Day Weekend

Thank you, all who serve, and have served, our country. And for those who paid the ultimate price for our freedom, we are forever grateful. Selfless service and personal sacrifice isn’t easy or fashionable, but for our military it’s a way of life. May God bless every service person and their loved ones, as those at home serve too. To those Gold Star families: I am deeply sorry for your loss. I know there are no words of comfort but please know your loved one’s sacrifice was noble and honorable. This speaks to character. Your loved one is worthy of our deepest respect as are you. The loss you’ve suffered, no matter how long it’s been, will remain a hole in your soul. I’m deeply sorry for your suffering, but I thank you for your loved one’s willingness to serve a greater purpose. May God bring comfort and healing to your heart. And shower you with blessings each day.

Given the pandemic which has gripped the world, we’ve all had the opportunity to slow down. When you think back to how busy everyday life had become for most people, perhaps a forced step back from the rat race helped all of us reevaluate how we spend our time. Maybe rethink some of our priorities. Maybe rediscovering the joy of simple pleasures like meals together as a family, games with the kids, reading a good book, or planting a garden…While it’s important to open our country back up, let’s not forget the benefits of a slower pace, quieter days and time spent with our loved ones. Particularly in light of remembering those who’ve lost their life in service to our great nation. We owe them respect. Not only personally, but respect for our freedoms and way of life they sacrificed to protect. Never take those freedoms for granted. As we have seen recently, they can be restricted or taken from us very quickly and unexpectedly.

This weekend was spent primarily in the yard. I continued to dig sod, plant, and weed. I spray painted outdoor furniture, planters, buckets and wire baskets. Until I can pick up more potting soil, my plants are in a holding pattern. I made five nylon rope plant hangers to hold my ferns. This came from Lindsay the Frugal Crafter. Please type in 10 minute DIY plant rope hanger. For some reason I cannot copy and link it for you. Not sure what’s up with that…The ferns are hanging on my front porch. Some of the interior work was painting the kitchen ceiling, finishing the patched spots on walls, Scott built the half wall at the top of the stairs, I finished painting the bead board for the backsplash, Scott replaced the mud room light, and hung some finished kitchen cupboard doors.

The most enjoyable part of the weekend was spent with my dear friend Laurie. It’s been a long time since we’ve had any significant time together, and she came over Sunday to spend the day with me! We caught up on life in lock down and also worked on a quilt pattern for Anthony’s bedroom. She brought books over for me to look through, and I think we found a pattern I really love. And is simple enough for me to actually make. The blocks are log cabin, the pattern is called barn raising. Here is a link to some patterns you can make from log cabin quilt blocks.

I have quite a large variety of vintage-style darker value fabrics, but need some light valued fabrics for the other half of the blocks. While I have many in pastels, few are vintage style. Not that vintage is a requirement. In fact, log cabin blocks lend themselves well to scraps.

Simply gather your fabrics, all colors and patterns, in dark and light values. Wash, press and cut the fabric into the correct sizes. Make stacks of the sizes and begin. Sew your blocks by pulling each random fabric/pattern and adding it to the block in the right spot. Dark values on one side, light values on the other. This is a brilliant way to use up every scrap of fabric you have. The more random the fabrics, the more scrappy the quilt. Which are the style quilts I love. The scrappier, the better.

My problem is I have large amounts (yardage) of several fabrics, but not enough variety of smaller amounts in dark and light values. I have tons of light value pinks, for example, but nothing which would be considered dark values to go with them. And, if I remember the pattern information correctly, it calls for 12 fat quarters. Laurie explained a “fat quarter” is 18”x 22”, but if you have a large variety of smaller pieces in both dark and light values it works great. Large amounts of the same fabric does not. On the other hand, it’s possible to use those large amounts of one fabric as individual blocks. I could alternate those with scrappy blocks to create a unique, spectacular quilt that way. Ah, the possibilities…

Anyway, spending the day with Laurie was wonderful. It’s been a long, long time. My emotional and mental health improved tremendously by seeing my dear friend. My hope is you, too, had an opportunity to safely visit with friends or family.

And, thankfully, my monthly treatments have been resumed. I received a phone call today letting me know I can have my monthly treatment this Thursday! This is an answer to prayer. Perhaps soon my Ann Arbor treatments can resume as well. My hope is you’re able to receive the medical care you need during this pandemic. Because, surprisingly enough politicians, there are medical needs which have nothing to do with Coronavirus. And the inability to be treated for those conditions negatively impacts the lives of many, many people.

Quilts

My dear Grandma made a quilt for my 16th birthday. It’s a queen size, pastel gingham with pink backing and binding. My Grandma knew me well! Later, she made a lovely quilt for my first baby’s birth. On this one, she embroidered a charming bunny in the center. Both of these are treasures to me. Made even more special recently, as Laurie repaired both of them for me. Now they represent two of the most important and loved people in my life.

Having said that, I have been contemplating the finishing touches in the upstairs bedrooms. Yes, we’re not there yet. But as Laurie and I say in theatre: “I’m sick of making cupcakes. I want to do the sprinkles.” This, of course, means the grunt work of the project is the cupcakes, and the fun decorative stuff is the sprinkles. And we’ve been making “cupcakes” for a long time in our home improvement/remodeling. I’m ready for some fun “sprinkles”. Back to finishing touches…

The quilts made by my dear Grandma have inspired my decorating plan in Erin’s bedroom. Soft, pale colors. A more feminine feeling in that room. Anthony’s room is a different story. It’s larger with a nook which held a desk and shelves. We’ve removed the desk and will remove the shelves as well. I’ve been thinking we’ll put the roll top desk in that spot, but it would also be a perfect spot for a large dresser. We’re adding a full size brass bed, which I’ll be painting.

This room, while not specifically a “boys” room, can handle darker colors. There’s two large windows and it’s a large room anyway. My thought is a more vintage feel in there. We have several antique toys which I’d like to use on the top of the roll top or dresser, and I like the idea of a wood American flag on the wall. And I’d really like a quilt for the brass bed.

After searching, unsuccessfully so far, for the printed burlap-ish fabric I want to use on the boot box cushion, I found some fantastic fabric which is perfect for what I have in mind. This was given to me by Laurie. It’s a blue with tiny paisley print in red and gold. Very much a vintage-inspired print. And there’s so much of it, I can use this as the main fabric in the quilt. I thought red, yellow and tan would be perfect colors to go with this blue fabric and the wood flag I want to make.

So here’s the thing. I hate sewing. If you’ve been here awhile, you know this. Really the only sewing I do is on paper for my art journals. And I hate puzzles. Making a quilt is a lot like putting together a puzzle…Both these things would make quilt making low on my list of fun things to do…Nevertheless, I want to give it a try.

I’ve actually made a couple quilts in the past, but they were scrap quilts. I just cut fabric into the size square I wanted and stitched them together. Grabbing any random square from the stack without even thinking about the color or pattern. After I had enough strips of squares, I sewed them together and had a large quilt top in short order. Which I sewed onto a large sheet, with a blanket in the center as the filler. Yes, not the way quilts are usually made, but I had the sheet and blanket and used cut up old clothes for the quilt top. This quilt was on the girls big bed for quite awhile. I eventually pitched it because it became hideously stained up from unauthorized use of permanent markers, make-up and spilled beverages. I was also thoroughly sick of it. My mom and I made a wall hanging quilt, for the dining room, which I still have.

The pattern is simple and probably has a name which I don’t know. One block of the paisley alternating with blocks of four small squares-plain red and (possibly printed) yellow/gold. I thought tan would work for the backing, with red as the binding. This feels “American-ish” but with the neutral walls and white trim, I think it would add a nice pop of color…and will work well in the loft bedroom we’re having in the barn house we plan to build too.

Frugal Fun: May, 2020

Rock painting is another very frugal art option. You, and your kids, can create all sorts of really wonderful creatures, images and words on rocks. Whether you’re painting on small pebbles or large field stones, you can use paint-markers, acrylic paint or nail polish to make wonderful artistic creations easily and cheaply.

A family of lady bugs crawling along the edge of a flower bed, caterpillars, butterflies, dragonflies, flowers, bumblebees, grasshoppers, frogs and worms are all cute possible stone painting images. Maybe you prefer smooth, small stones painted with words of encouragement, quotes, phrases or inspiring bible verses. Other ideas could be dates, names or locations which are meaningful to you. Lay them on a table, your bathroom counter, bedside table, or carry in a pocket.

If you don’t have any stones, they can be found at Dollar Tree and, quite often, at secondhand stores. So grab your paints, brushes and kids. Crank some tunes.

And rock on!

Frugal Fun: April 2020, Catch-Up

Given the pandemic and our home improvement projects, I suppose it’s understandable I’ve fallen behind with our Frugal Fun challenge for the year. So let’s get back to it, even as life begins to resume with all states re-opening carefully.

Nail Polish Marbling:

1. Fill a disposable plastic container with warm water, leaving room for the mug.
2. Dribble fingernail polish over the top of the water. Use on or more colors, as you wish.
3. Swirl color around in the water or use a toothpick or skewer.
4. I hold the mug I’m dipping by sticking my hand inside it, pressing against the sides to prevent it slipping.
5. Dip the mug into the fingernail polish, avoiding the interior and where your mouth will be touching the mug. You can swirl the mug to gather more polish onto the exterior.
6. Set upside down on a paper towel to let the polish dry completely
7. You can also dry, then dip again in another color(s)
8. You could also dip the bottom of a clear plate, clear glasses or clear vases.
9. If you dislike the results, use fingernail polish remover to get rid of the design and start over.

These are not dishwasher or microwave safe, but you can drink from the mugs if the fingernail polish doesn’t come in contact with food/drink or your mouth.

This can be done on many non-porous surfaces. You can make coasters from tiles, use on planters, mirrors, make-up brush handles, trays, ring holders, vases, etc. There are countless options for this very inexpensive and simple project. Finding things to marbleize at Dollar Tree or second hand stores makes the projects even more frugal.

Enjoy this project and have some frugal fun!

Off Label Use

First, medical decisions are private. These are decisions made between a person and their physician. Those decisions are not anyone else’s business, are based on all sorts of factors, and are always made on what is best for the patient. Having said all that, medical concerns about the leader of the free world, the President of the United States, are different. Not that the President’s patient/doctor relationship is any different than your own relationship with your physician, but due to his position as the leader of our country there’s a need-to-know thing going on. If a President has a serious medical problem, it could certainly impact their ability to lead this country. Yes, I’ve just given an exception to the sacred patient/doctor relationship, but it is part of the reason for this post.

Let’s begin with off label use. This is using a medication developed for one thing in the treatment of another, not specifically labeled, condition or illness. I’ll use myself as an example. Due to my rare hard to treat medical conditions, most of my medications are off label use. I’m a Guinea pig. It’s like throwing everything at a wall to see what sticks. Truly. This isn’t an exaggeration at all. Which is why every new specialist, ER physician or medical team has a difficult time understanding what I’m taking and why. The length of time it takes to explain my medical conditions and treatments can, and often does, take hours. Quite frankly, it’s a ridiculously frustrating experience for me and my loved ones. And it always includes: I’ve never heard of that before…

Well no sh**, Sherlock.

Let me state clearly: you do not want a rare medical condition. For several reasons. But one I find really irritating is the arrogance I get from every single new medical professional. Every single one of them thinks they can fix my health problems. Forget the fact my specialists are consulting with experts from around the world about my stuff. Papers have been written about my rare conditions. Doesn’t matter. Each one thinks they have the answers.

Yippee freakin skippy.

Back to off label use. This is a valid option for doctors. In my own case one off label medication might have no effect, but by combining it with one or two others there is some improvement in symptoms. Remember, my goal here is incremental improvement. Without my doctors willingness to try things, evaluate the effect and adjust as needed, I would be non-functioning. Off label use medications have allowed me to live a better, higher functioning life. No, I’m in no way “normal”, but I never will be. That lofty dream died decades ago. Our goal is to keep me going each day and living as normally as possible. This is possible through off label use of currently available medications.

Now, let’s discuss hydroxychloroquine. This medication has been used to treat Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis. Both of which are serious autoimmune conditions. According to the worlds leading physician in the treatment of Lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, he has stated he’s not had any of his thousands of patients through his forty year’s of practice hospitalized for heart-related issues from this medication. Now, think about that a minute. Thousands of patients over forty years. And they experience minimal side effects. (And I do mean minimal. Minor stomach upset seems to be the most serious side effect experienced by patients who’ve been on it for years. That, my friends, is as close as no side effects that any medication can hope for. And I would know, having experienced some serious side-effects from medication.) This isn’t a new, experimental medication. It’s been used for decades, with plenty of data on the books about it.

So why are people losing it over the President’s use of this medication? Well, I guess each one of us can determine for ourselves the motivation, but my problem is this is a very safe medication determined to be of use for the President by his physician. Another decision made for a patient by a medical doctor after discussion and evaluation. Leave it to the medical professionals to determine how to use medications which are available. Whether that’s for label or off label use.

And then reach your conclusions based upon the medical information available, rather than other motivations which might be influencing the comments being made on the news.