#medicalmarijuana — Public Fediverse posts

https://www.europesays.com/unitedstates/32516/ Independent Florida Governor Candidate Unveils Medical Freedom Initiative #candidate #FrankRusso #Freedom #governor #independent #LocalGovernment #marijuana #medical #MedicalFreedom #MedicalMarijuana #StateGovernment #WhatsHappening

https://www.europesays.com/unitedstates/21382/ Diagnosis for 5.26.26: Checking the pulse of Florida healthcare news and policy #AHCARules #ALSResearch #AutismServices #BehavioralHealth #ChildWelfare #diagnosis #FloridaHealthcare #FSUHealth #Healthcare #HealthcareEconomics #HospitalCosts #MaternalHealth #Medicaid #MedicalMarijuana #medicare #NursingHomes #OlderAmericansMonth

Weekend Away Finally!

As you are reading this we are on our way to the lake. We plan on leaving before the sun comes up to beat the morning work traffic. Yesterday my son drove me to the other pharmacy and the grocery store so that was all done before noon. We had the camper and truck loaded except for the coolers by 3 pm yesterday. It’s not like we are ready to get the hell out of town for a weekend! Normally this would be one of our final camping trips of the year instead of our first trip of the season. Between putting our dog down, losing my brother-in-law suddenly and the heat of summer coming early, we haven’t been camping since the first weekend in November last year. This is the first summer since we’ve had our camper that we never got to camp. Normally we’d be out at the lake almost every other weekend from the middle of March through the end of May. Then again at the end of September through the beginning of November. Not this year, things just never fell into place especially when it got hot so damn early this year. We have an air conditioner in the camper but I want to be outside when I’m camping, not stuck in the camper because it is too hot outside. Camping is the only time I get high to just get high. Not for medication purposes, no, solely for being high at the lake purposes. I treat myself to a weekend. That way my tolerance levels don’t change. If I got high all day, everyday it would cost me a fortune in gummies and RSO. When I’m at home I use THC as medication and take it once a day at 4 pm, enjoying my evening high works enough for me. It helps relax me and keeps all my horrible pain away. The aches I can deal with, I’d be surprised at my age if I didn’t have a few aches here or there. It is all that bone deep constant pain that would hammer away at me day in and day out that I don’t miss. No marijuana took all that horrible pain away for me. From daily use the CBD and THC has built up in my system and literally took the pain away. The “bad pain days” are far behind me. Pain no longer keeps me stuck in bed or on the couch. Thanks to me transitioning to marijuana to managing my chronic pain I’m up living a life again. I’ll be opioid free for four years this January. I have marijuana to thank for the changes I’ve been able to make in my life since then. I’m more active with a sore hip than I could ever have been when I was still all messed up on opioids. I made it all the way through the entire mall two weekends ago, plus the huge candy store, basketball game and a birthday party last weekend. I could have never pulled all of that off when I was still on opioids. I would have cancelled or only been able to make the birthday party. I’m not joking, it was that bad. Half the time I was so miserable in pain I didn’t want to be around other people. It was a very lonely, depressing time in my life by my own choices. Plus there is no clear thinking when you are on opioids. It is just not possible. That is why I’ve become a yes person. Anytime someone asks me if I want to do something the answer is now always a YES. I missed out on making so many memories that I don’t want to miss out on anymore. Hey, when you are fortunate enough to be blessed with incredible adult children and perfect grandchildren like I have, how can I turn down spending time with them? I don’t remember anything from those years I was on opioids. Some blips and blurs and that is about it. So I’m down to making new memories that I can remember with everyone else! I’m hoping by writing about this each day and sharing my journey off of opioids to manage my chronic pain with marijuana can help someone do the same and take control back of their lives. I’m so thankful I was able to make this transition and turn it into a positive part of my life. I know my children are happy to have their mom back. They know I’m back to thinking clearly and living without all that horrible pain dragging me down. All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana!

Sand Springs explosion brings inspection quality into question

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://tulsaflyer.org/2026/10/01/government/post/sand-springs-explosion-brings-inspection-quality-into-question/

Kept Up

Yesterday with all the walking I had to do with this sore toe I was able to keep up with everyone and didn’t have to slow down once. My daughter picked me up around 9:30 am and we met up with my other daughter, son-in-law and one of my grandsons to watch my other grandson’s basketball game. My grandson had a great game with two steals and a block. His team won.
After the game my both of my daughters and one of my grandsons and I headed over to Target so both my daughters could shop for the birthday party. I pushed the cart and leaned on it through the store. We stopped back at my youngest daughter’s house to pick up my other grandson and we went to the birthday party. After the birthday party we dropped off my daughter and two grandsons and had to fly back over to my other daughter’s house to pick up both of my granddaughter’s and get to the candy store before they closed at 5 pm. On the way to pick up my granddaughters I took a 50 mg cube of THC gummy. My toe was sore and I wanted to keep up through the candy store. We made it to the candy store with 30 minutes to spare before closing. That store was an experience. Rows and rows of every type of candy ever made. I’m happy to report I kept up with everyone all day and this sore toe and bad back didn’t slow me down. I got home around 5:30 pm and took 100 mg of the Brix THC gummies. I took another 100 mg around 7:45 pm and I was set for the evening. I’m not going to lie, I was beat and more than ready to chill in my recliner watching mindless television until I stretched and went to bed. Overall I’d say it was a fun filled busy day spent with my children and grandchildren. The birthday party was nice. It was fun watching the kids in the bounce house and the birthday girl loved all her presents. She looked absolutely adorable in her pretty dress and black little shoes. They had a life sized pinata of Minnie Mouse that all the older kids had fun trying to break. That thing stood at least 4 feet tall. I guess they went down to Mexico and bought it for $100.00 where it would have cost over triple that here. I guess I should let you know my great niece and her boyfriend live about two hours from the border and had the birthday party up here in the valley because they live two hours away from us so all of us didn’t have to drive two hours each way on a Saturday afternoon. We are about 4 to five hours from the border here in Phoenix. They live halfway. After all the running and birthday party I got home and still did laundry so I wouldn’t have to do it today. I want to rest. We are supposed to go over to my niece’s house this morning so my daughter and husband can try to finish up the tile in the kitchen. We can’t stay over there too long as my husband goes to bed earlier on Sunday’s for work. Once we get home I plan on parking my butt in front of the television for an afternoon of football. I imagine the early game will be on at my niece’s house as they are big football fans too. I’ve got to check the local dispensaries to see if any of them have a good deal on Rick Simpson Oil. I am completely out and only have the Brix THC gummies left so it is time to stock up. Tomorrow I’m going dress shopping with my daughter and two granddaughters. I sure hope I find something, we are coming down to the wire with two weeks left before the Quencenara. I’ve still got to buy my husband something to wear, he won’t dress up. The most I’ll get him in is some dress shorts and a polo shirt. I’m going to wear a full length dress. With this toe I’ll hide my crocs under the dress. I plan on having my Brix THC gummies with me for the day of shopping so I can keep up and not slow us down. So far I’ll give the Brix THC gummies credit, they have not let me down when it comes to breakthrough aches that could slow me down. With the rain on its way I’m still not doing too darn bad. My ankle is at a mild ache so I’ll count that as a win for the day. All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana!

9/11 25 Years Ago Today

I still remember it like it was yesterday. The terrible terrorist attack on our country. All those innocent lives lost. Every year since I watch each and every program about it out of respect for those that lost their lives on that horrible day 25 years ago. I’ll never understand the amount of evil it took or wrap my mind around all the horror witnessed that day. So today of all days, please take the time to remember and never forget what happened to us on that terrible day. There are several stair climbing charity events across the valley and we have the “healing field” of flags representing each person who lost their life on that day at one of our bigger local parks to go walk through with a ceremony this morning and a candlelight vigil tonight. Yesterday I got a call from my doctor’s office. My lab work came back that I’m anemic and need to start taking iron. I’m going back in for an appointment on Monday morning to discuss the results of my x-rays. That will be interesting. I’ve still got my fingers crossed he’ll give me an injection of some kind to hold me over to at least make it through the Quensenara next month. The one thing I don’t want to hear is that I need a new hip or hips. I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it. Last night my daughter and son-in-law picked me up to go see the play at the high school. I had a proud Nana moment seeing both of my granddaughter’s names in the program. My oldest granddaughter had one of the bigger roles in the play and was absolutely perfect with her lines. My younger granddaughter was behind the scenes moving the set around in between scenes. My other daughter, son-in-law and one of my grandsons also met us there for the show. It was a cute play and well put together. Of course the drama teacher is still the same one my daughter had when she was in high school. He knows us and can’t believe he is teaching her kids now. I took my ½ gram of Rick Simpson Oil at 4 pm and by the time we got to the play before 7 pm I was pretty high and didn’t give all the walking we had to do a second thought. The play was not in the auditorium and instead was in the drama room with hard plastic seats. By the time I got home close to 9 pm I took a 50 mg cube of Brix THC gummy to ease the ache that was starting in my hip from those hard seats. I stretched and went to bed. This morning I plan on making the meatballs I wanted to make yesterday. My wonderful husband put the hamburger and sausage in the freezer for some reason. So when I went to make them yesterday and discovered what he did I was beyond pissed. He told me he thought I wasn’t interested in making them. WTF? Please make it make sense! Some of the things he does freaks me out. His memory isn’t where it used to be that is for sure. Today my sciatic or hip, whichever it is, is aching. I imagine sitting on that hard plastic chair for two hours last night is the reason. We’ve also got plenty of moisture in the air so that can’t be helping much either. This afternoon I’m picking up my grandson after school. Once I pick him up we are going over to the high school to pick up both of my granddaughters and take them home first. Otherwise they would be standing outside until my daughter gets off of work, my son-in-law has to work later today so I told her I’d pick them up. I’ll be out and about and it is not out of my way since they live so close to me. Plus, if you know me, I never turn down the chance to spend time with my grandchildren, even for a short car ride. It gives me a chance to catch up with what is new with them. I haven’t decided if I want to make a stop at the dispensary today, I’ve still got distillate to take for the next couple of nights or the Brix THC gummies. Maybe I’ll check to see if anyone has RSO on sale. I’ll keep you posted. As for the rest of the day I plan on taking it easy with this ache, hoping it stretches out as the day goes on. If not, I can handle the ache, it is the bone deep constant pain I don’t miss one bit. All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana!

Cool Down To 96 Degrees

It sounds crazy but when you’ve dealt with temps at 110 or hotter for the last three months of summer, 96 is a cool down for us! 39 days this summer were at 110 or hotter. We’ve had summers that were far worse, so I’m not complaining. When temperatures start falling in August we all keep our fingers crossed that it is for real and fall will be here soon. Now all we need is for all this added moisture in the air to go away. We’ll have to wait for a while, we had a mega dust storm last night and it finally rained overnight into this morning. It has been raining off and on ever since I woke up. Yesterday I stuck around the house and enjoyed a Sunday at home with my husband. It was the first weekend we’ve actually been home during the day since the end of May. I spent most of the day achy and felt worn out. I wasn’t in any pain, I was just stiff and achy all day. My sciatic started to really bother me right around 3 pm. I held off and took a ½ gram of Rick Simpson Oil around 4 pm. I was relaxed, high and ache free by 7 pm. I mean the RSO literally takes the aches away and numbs my body. Not numb like it is asleep, but numb from any aches or pain. My body feels completely relaxed and that’s when I stretch each night. I can do it easier when I’m high. I’ve been stretching nightly for pretty close to three years now and have only missed stretching a couple of nights and felt it the next day. That taught me to never miss an evening of stretching. I’ve added squats in hopes of building my sciatic and lower back. I can only do so many and I am working on slowly adding to that total. Today with all the rain I’m still not doing too damn bad. The ache in my sciatic is dull and the pressure-like feeling in my neck and shoulders is holding my shoulders down instead of making them scrunch up towards my ears. Last night as the dust storm rolled in I was glad I was already high because I could feel the pull in my neck. It didn’t hurt, it was like a neck spasm without the pain. Sounds weird but that is the only way to explain it when you have a neck made of titanium. There are times my body reminds me it is in there, mostly right when it is going to rain. Bottom line, I’m no longer living in excruciating pain in my neck and shoulders that would radiate throughout my entire body like it did when I was still trying to manage my chronic pain with opioids. I was one of those unfortunate ones to get caught up in the wonderful opioid crisis. They just kept handing me another pill for pain that never truly worked after the second or third day of taking them. Fortunately for me a doctor recommended I get my medical marijuana card to help with my insomnia. I will now be four years opioid free in January, managing my chronic pain with marijuana alone. I couldn’t be happier with the results I feel each day. Even with all the unsettled weather we’ve had lately, I’m not in pain. When I was still on opioids a rain day event like this would leave me in bed or on the couch miserable in pain. Instead I’m up trying to get the windshield repaired on my husband’s truck. It was raining so it took forever to be able to send pictures to the insurance company and the glare refused to capture the VIN several times. I’d submit the pictures, they’d text me to resend one. This has been going on for close to an hour and a half now. I’m short, 5’. I was having a heck of a time trying to get up close pictures of the windshield. I’m standing inside the door leaning out across the windshield trying to get a close up for them. I finally took a step stool outside and stood on it and sent it in. I’m waiting to see if that finally worked. As for the rest of the day I still need to bake the banana bread I’ve been meaning to bake so nothing like a nice rainy, cloudy day to bake bread. Our temps even dipped into the upper 70’s this morning. I’m going to say that there is a hint of fall in the air because we here in the desert are done with this heat. I’m here for all the changes in weather, enjoying it pain free. All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana!

105 For A High?

We hit 110 yesterday and are expected to only be 105 today. That is right where we should be for this time of year. If we get the rain that is expected this evening our high is only going to be 99 degrees tomorrow. I’ll get back to you on that one. Our forecast for the whole week is supposed to stay right around 105 degrees. Finally we’ll have lower temps and I’ve got my fingers crossed we’ve seen the last of 110 degree days. Everyone you talk to is sick of this humidity and high heat and ready for fall. Yesterday we finally got my husband’s truck back. I’m going to take it for the DOT inspection to re-register it on Tuesday. We made it back home in time for my friend and old neighbor to stop over. She took me out to lunch at Portillo’s. I had never been there and have to say it was some of the best and most tender roast beef I’ve ever had. Their french fries were really good too! We brought my husband back a Chicago style hot dog he said was excellent. We visited for the rest of the afternoon, laughing and joking around. Around 4 pm she left and we headed over to our grandson’s birthday pool party. Talk about a blast, we had a great time. All 8 of my grandchildren were there, four of my children made it and extended family as well. I took 100 mg of THC gummies when I got there. It got me high for a while, by the time it wore off we were ready to head home later in the evening. Once we got home I took a ½ gram of distillate, stretched and went to bed. I slept in this morning, being out in all that heat wore me out. It was hot and muggy out there. I just kept getting in and out of the pool to cool off. I didn’t let the ache in my sciatic stop me from dancing around to the music and visiting with everyone that was there. I got to catch up with my little sister and get the latest on my niece’s move this weekend. My daughter and son-in-law know how to put on a party and entertain. They made horseshit tacos and sopa. The tacos are really deep fried with a half hamburger patty in it and the sopa is like spaghetti with really small noodles. My other daughter baked a “Thriller” layered birthday cake for my grandson that came out incredible. Even having silver colored cupcakes on the side like a glove. Everyone there had a great time. Around 10 pm last night we had another massive dust storm. I think it blew dust around outside for close to 45 minutes. We might have had a few sprinkles, but everything outside is covered with thick dust this morning. If we get the rain they are forecasting for tonight it will clean everything off and get rid of all this dust. Today I can tell we’ve got a change in the weather coming. I’m stiff and moving slower than usual. I’m not in pain, I’m just achy and stiff. My sciatic is wide awake this morning and I’m hoping it will stretch out and feel better as the day goes on. I’ve got the heating pad on high loosening up my lower back as I type. I don’t have any major plans for today, this is the first weekend we’ve been home during the day since the end of May so I’m going to take it easy today and hang out, maybe bake some banana bread if the mood hits me. My husband is busy cooking in the kitchen. He’s got machacua going in one crock pot and getting ready to start barbacoa in the other one. We’ve got chicken already in the marinade in the freezer, getting meals prepped and ready for when we start camping in a few weeks. We are more than ready to get back out into nature once the weather cools down and stays cooler. If Mother Nature cooperates we could be camping in a couple of weeks from now! I’m ready, I need my zen for peace of mind. This is the first summer in close to five years that we haven’t camped yet. Too many obstacles were in the way, especially the heat. I’m hoping once it starts drying out and the humidity goes away, I’ll be having less aches than I am now. I know last winter I increased my daily intake from ½ gram to ¾ gram and that did wonders. It is all workable. All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana!

Summer Heat

We made it to 112 yesterday and are expected to be only 110 today. I’m so done with this heat and humidity I’m on the verge of whining. With the higher chances for storms over this weekend it is going to be even muggier outside. Yuck! Yesterday I ended up going to The Good Dispensary to purchase more Rick Simpson Oil and distillate. They had the best deals on sale for the products I’m looking for. Luckily, The Good Dispensary is right across the street from the Ponderosa dispensary and I have to drive right by there to pick up my grandson from school so it all worked out just fine. Just sitting in the truck for 20 minutes waiting for school to let out I was sweating like crazy with the sun beating in on me. The temp in my truck said 114 at the time. I was thankful to get home to cool off. I got my grandson settled with Nick Jr and a snack while I heated the gram syringe of RSO under hot water for 60 seconds and placed ½ gram sized doses on waxed paper and put the tray in the freezer. When my son got here at 5:30 pm to pick up my grandson I took my ½ gram of RSO for the evening. I watched some preseason football while waiting for the RSO to kick in. By 7 pm I was high, relaxed and ache free ready to watch mindless television for the night. Our old neighbor and good friend called, she is going to stop over later today to catch up. I also got a text that my husband’s truck is finally ready to be picked up today as well. First thing this morning my husband has an MRI scheduled for his shoulder. Yes, I’m  the one that got it scheduled. He is already changing his mind about going and talking about canceling the appointment. To say I’m not pissed at this point would be an understatement. Why waste my time making the appointment so you can get on the phone this morning and cancel it because he doesn’t feel “ready” for it. I told him to put on his big boy pants and get it done. He is stressing the daylights out of me with being in pain all the time. I think he’s more worried about picking up his truck today, he’s only been waiting for it to be done since the beginning of June. He’s already scheduled the DOT inspection for Tuesday morning for me to take it. He’s not excited to get it back or anything like that. I can’t wait to have my truck here first thing in the morning so I can get my errands done before the heat of the day sets in. This running errands when he gets home later in the heat of the day sucks. I mean I don’t mind picking up my grandson on Friday afternoons in the heat, we do what we need to do and deal with it. It is less stressful getting in and out of the hot car first thing in the morning than it is later in the afternoon. Plus first thing in the morning everyone is at work and none of the places are crowded so I get things done faster. We’ve got my grandson’s birthday pool party later this afternoon. I’m looking forward to visiting with everyone that will be there. It is always a good time whenever we get together. Next weekend one of my grandson’s starts playing basketball so we’ll be in the air conditioned gym watching him play each week. This morning I can tell we’ve got a change in our weather pattern. I’m achy, stiff and moving slower than usual. It still beats waking up in excruciating pain or not being able to sleep because of horrible pain. I lived like that for over 13 years on opioids. No thank you! I don’t miss all that misery one little bit. I can deal with being a little stiffer than usual. I’m still not in pain. A few aches at this point in my life are to be expected, it is that bone deep constant pain I’m talking about that is gone! All the brain fog disappeared and I’m once again thinking clearly so that is a big mental health booster. I’m still feeling better at 64 than I did at 54! Seriously, I feel so much better both mentally and physically now that I’m managing my chronic pain alone. It has truly worked for me! All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana!

August Blahs!

If you can’t tell by now, I’ve hit the summer blahs with all this heat and humidity. I’m so ready for fall at this point. I can handle the dry heat all day long, add in higher humidity and dew points and all bets are off for me this year. Maybe it is because we didn’t get to camp at all this spring. Normally when we start camping in the spring we get acclimated to the warmer weather as the summer goes on. Not this year, we didn’t camp and both my husband and I are having a harder time dealing with the heat and humidity this summer. We didn’t break any records yesterday but we still reached 114 degrees. The extreme heat warnings are ending on Saturday night with chances for rain by Sunday. Our expected high for Monday is only 102. Finally we’ll have a break from these higher temperatures. Of course with chances for rain it is going to be even stickier outside. I finally managed to convince my husband to go back to the doctor. It took some work but after our trip to Sam’s Club yesterday I got him there. They gave him a shot for pain, muscle relaxers for sleep and some anti-inflammatories to take. He also needs to schedule an MRI to have it looked at. After the doctor I dropped my husband off at home and headed to the pharmacy and then over to Wal-Mart to pick up my online order. It was hot as hell outside while I was running those errands but it is what I have to do until we get my husband’s truck back from the shop. They did let us know the last of the parts are finally in and hopefully we’ll have it sometime next week. My old neighbor and good friend called this morning, she’s got a medical procedure she needs done next month and I’m going to drive her. She was trying to narrow down the times we’d be gone and I reminded her I have nothing but time and not worried how long it will take. She hopes to stop by sometime this weekend so we can catch up on what is new with her. With my husband’s shoulder messed up we are not going over to my niece’s this weekend. Besides, they will be in the process of moving in and my husband doesn’t want to be in their way. We’ve also got my grandson’s birthday pool party tomorrow afternoon so that will be fun. It is getting to that time of year when the pool water is warm from all the summer heat and feels like bath water. It feels good when you get out, once your suit dries off it is time to get back in the pool. I’m looking forward to spending time with all of my grandchildren, children and extended family that will be there. Whenever we get together we are guaranteed to have a great time. Last night I took 100 mg of Brix THC gummies at 4 pm and another 100 mg around 7 pm. I was high, but not as high as I normally get from the THC gummies. Not sure what was up or why. My body was just achy, not in pain but achy. I watched a podcast, stretched and went to bed. I hope my tolerance level for the gummies hasn’t gone up, that would suck but is still workable. I could have taken the last of the THC gummies but wanted to save 100 mg for tomorrow just in case. Besides, I wasn’t in pain and the aches were minimal. Today I’m doing just fine. My sciatic is at a dull ache and the heating pad is loosening up my lower back as I type.  I’ve got to check the local dispensaries to see who has the best sale on Rick Simpson Oil today and stop on my way to pick up my grandson from school this afternoon. It is time to restock my product for the week. I’ve got that 100 mg left of the THC gummies if needed for tomorrow at the party to hold me over until I get home later to take my Rick Simpson Oil. If I’m not achy, I won’t take the gummies. I’ll keep you posted on which dispensary happens to have the best deal for the day. I’ve got several dispensaries in my area to choose from. I prefer to go to Zenleaf because they are the closest, but they haven’t had RSO in stock for over a month. Ponderosa Dispensary has been keeping me in stock so far. I won’t run out of places to purchase it that’s for sure! All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana!

Brutal Heat

Yesterday we didn’t break a record, we tied a record at 117 degrees, add in all the moisture we’ve got in the air right now and it was downright brutal out there! I’m not going to lie, it was hot driving to pick up my grandson from school and it was only 12:30 pm. My truck temp said it was already 114 degrees. I’m at the point of the summer where I am done with this heat. I think this past month we’ve only had five days where we weren’t under some type of heat advisory. We’ve probably had one of the most active monsoon seasons we’ve had in quite some time. Last night after my son picked up my grandson I took my ½ gram of distillate and by 7 pm I was relaxed, ache free and high for the evening. I settled in my faithful recliner with the cat to watch a two and a half hour podcast on one of the court cases I’m following. I’m a true crime junkie and am in the process of following a couple interesting court cases. Rather than watch it all day, I watch the recaps at night. I also caught up with the newest episode of the show Alone that I’ve been watching. This morning we had a quick and I mean quick heavy rain shower that lasted about 5 minutes and moved on, all while the sun was shining. We are expecting a high of 114 degrees today so with all the clouds out there it will be soupy again today. This morning my sciatic and tendonitis in my ankle is awake, well a dull ache is more like it. I’m going to count that as a win, it could be much worse. I know I lived in constant horrible pain in my neck and shoulders that would radiate throughout my entire body for close to 14 years on opioids. I’ve been managing my chronic pain with marijuana alone for the last three years and couldn’t be happier with the results I feel. As a reminder, I’ve got a neck made of titanium (S2-S7), two metal rods from the back of my head into my shoulders and a body full of arthritis. By managing my chronic pain with marijuana I’m no longer all foggy and my mind isn’t constantly spinning. The best part is I’m no longer in that bone deep constant horrible pain. By letting the THC and CBD build up in my system from daily use it has literally attacked all that horrible pain and took it away. I consider marijuana as medication and treat it as such. I’ve got it down to ½ gram of Rick Simpson Oil or distillate at 4 pm each day to keep all that horrible pain away until the next day at 4 pm. I went from living on a pain scale at 10+ to living at a 1 on days I’m achy. I can’t and won’t complain about that. That is why I started writing each day, so I could share with you my journey with marijuana as medication for pain management. I’m truly living without all that intense pain and I’ve got marijuana to thank for it. It has been like a miracle cure for me. To go from so much constant intense pain to going all day with minor aches that I would expect from someone my age is a big deal! I’m up and moving and more active, also more clear headed than I was able to be for all those years I was miserable on opioids. So to feel so much better at 64 than I did at 54 is huge in my eyes. How can I not wake up with a smile each morning? Today once my husband gets home from work I’ve got to force him to go back to the doctor with his shoulder not getting better. I’m almost out of coffee creamer, time for another Sam’s Club run as well. It should work out, the pharmacy is close to Sam’s Club so if the doctor calls anything in for pain I can stop and pick it up for my husband right away. He has been miserable and I’m tired of hearing it. Let’s do something about it and see if there is anything else wrong. Stubborn man! Even with all this unsettled weather we are having I haven’t been in any pain to mention. An ache in my sciatic or ankle is still nothing compared to the high levels of constant pain I lived in for all those years. Marijuana has truly been a wonder drug for me, only requiring me to take it once a day to keep all of that horrible pain away. It truly works, I’m living proof it does! All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana!

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Intense Heatwave

That is what we’ve got to look forward to through Saturday. Yesterday we broke a record at 115 degrees and are expected to be even hotter today at 116 which I think will break another record. Add in the 32% humidity and 56 degree dew point and it feels even hotter outside! It feels soupy out there and our air quality for ozone has been at unhealthy levels for days. I think that is what is causing my sinus headache. As a former heavy smoker, on days our ozone levels are high I can feel it in my chest so I try to avoid being outside later in the day if possible. Then add in all the dust in the air from the dust storms we’ve had and my allergies act up. So I’m dealing with a double whammy these past couple of days. At least I’m not dealing with a sinus headache and a bunch of pain. No, just my sciatic has been acting up with a mild ache that has been stretching out as the day goes on. We have a chance for more monsoon storms by late this weekend and that is supposed to cool us down. I’ll believe it when I see it! It feels like we’ve been under an extreme heat warning for the entire month of August. I promise once all this humidity goes away I’ll quit complaining about the weather! Give me 105 or hotter with low humidity and I’m a happy camper. This heat with the added humidity just zaps my energy levels and makes me feel blah. The burn on the back of my arm is healing but I’ll have a scar, just a reminder of how hot the metal gets on the outside of your vehicle. I know better, that is what I get for being in a hurry and not paying attention. Yesterday I got a call from my youngest son wanting to know if I’d be able to pick up my grandson from school today. You know I said yes, I never turn down the chance to spend time with one of my grandchildren. I’ll only have him for a short time, his mother is going to pick him up. I will put a smile on my face and play nice when I can’t stand the sight of her. She has put my son through the ringer this past year with enough lies and false claims to last a lifetime. Thankfully my son had all the proof he needed to prove said lies and she looked like a fool in court. That is why I call it a “baby mama drama” that I want no part of. I’m happy that ever since they split last year, we are now back in both of my grandsons lives. She doesn’t like our family so she kept the kids away from us. We see right through her, that is why she stays away. So this afternoon will be interesting to say the least. My son knows I’ll behave myself and keep my mouth shut to avoid more problems for him. But man do I have words I’d like to say but refuse to get involved in my children’s business unless asked for my opinion. Okay, there are times now that I’m clear headed again I voice my opinion regardless. I’m their mom, I promise them I’ll speak the truth even if they don’t want to hear it. I’m not going to lie to them or pussyfoot around with facts they need to hear. Don’t get me wrong I’m not mean about it, I just point out things they need to realize in any given situation. It makes me feel good that my children can once again reach out to me for whatever reason and they are going to get a clear headed mom that is there for them. Unless it is after 4 pm then I’m not driving anywhere because I’ll have already taken my ½ gram of Rick Simpson Oil for the day. I’m still clear headed when I’m high to carry on and remember the conversation we have if they call me. I just won’t drive after I’ve ingested my RSO for the day. Today I’m not doing too bad. My sciatic is at a dull ache and my lower back is loosening up with the heating pad on high as I type. I’m going to count that as a win for the day. I’ve got a few things to do to keep me busy around the house, mainly cleaning my stove top. Time to change the foil under the burners from all my husbands boiled over food from his messy cooking. I don’t mind, if he wants to cook for me, go right ahead, I’m the one that does the dishes regardless. I really don’t mind, now that I’m living pain free life has gotten easier for me. All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana!

Still Managed

Yesterday I managed to get quite a bit done even though my sciatic was aching. I would sit down and rest in between doing things. I even managed to get spaghetti made and smoke the chicken breasts for my husband’s lunch. I’ve been fighting a sinus headache for the last couple of days that doesn’t seem to want to go away. I’m hoping it is just from all our bad air quality or  allergies and I’m not coming down sick with whatever seems to be going around. I took a ½ gram of Rick Simpson Oil at 4 pm like I always do. By 7 pm I was once again relaxed, high and ache free. When my husband got home from work he just had to go pick up what was on sale at the grocery store before the sale ended. I told him I’d drive but I’m not going in so he went in and I stayed in the air conditioned truck. He drives 500 miles a day. The last thing he wants to do is drive when he gets home from work so I do a majority of the driving. I don’t mind, I love driving my truck and look for excuses to do so. Mainly just to get out of the house if I’m going stir crazy. Plus my husband likes to come home and have a drink or two to relax, thus a smart CDL driver is not going to drive after that. That is our livelihood, he’s not going to blow it over something stupid like that. He is so close to retirement, only another year and a half and I can start feeding him THC gummies. At this point the DOT is so strict he can’t even use CBD. Which to me is crazy because CBD doesn’t get you high, not even close. CBD built up in your system is one of the things that helps with pain management. The CBD needs to build up in your system and then it will start attacking your pain. I know with the daily use the THC and CBD has built up in my system to the point I only take it once a day to manage my chronic pain. On the days I’m on my feet for an extended period of time or we have a change in weather I may take a 50 mg cube of THC gummy to help if the ache becomes what I consider bothersome before 4 pm. If not I wait until 4 pm and take a ½ gram of RSO or distillate and that takes care of my pain levels until 4 pm the next day. To me having aches is a part of life and what I would expect for someone my age. I can deal with the aches, it is the bone deep constant, throbbing pain I don’t miss. That is what I’m talking about when I say I’m managing my chronic pain with marijuana. I’ve got a neck made of titanium (S2-S7), two metal rods from the back of my head into my shoulders and a body full of arthritis. To sit here day after day with only minor aches is still a miracle to me. I lived in that horrible constant pain for close to 14 years on opioids. I’ve been opioids free for three years now and couldn’t be happier with the results I feel using marijuana once a day. Not only am I living without all that severe levels of pain, I get an added bonus each night of a wonderful body numbing high. One thing it doesn’t numb is my mind, no my mind is still focused and can not only carry on a conversation, I can remember it too. That is new, when I was still all foggy and messed up on opioids I would forget what I was talking about in the middle of a sentence. It was that bad with my mind always spinning and unable to hold a thought for longer than a few seconds. It was a very lonely place to be and I was severely depressed. Boy, am I ever glad those days are behind me! Now I’m up each day with a smile and a few aches once in a while. That is why even in this heat I park as far away from the entrances as possible and walk it because I can again, I’m not in pain when I walk. Once you lose something like that and get it back, you use it as often as possible. At least I do, at my age walking is about the only exercise I can get to keep this body moving without hurting myself. It’s been too damn hot to think about paddle boarding, so walking it is. In another month we can start thinking about camping and paddle boarding. I’m up for it and about ready for my zen at the lake. All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana! 

Hot Metal Burn

This past Friday I went to Sam’s Club around 11:30 am. I was in the actual store for less than 30 minutes. My truck was parked out in the hot sun. On my way home I stopped at the ATM drive thru at the bank. As I rolled down my window and reached my arm out to put my debit card in the machine I burnt the back of my arm on the hot metal on my truck. I didn’t realize it left a mark until yesterday when I happened to see it in the mirror. It doesn’t really hurt, it is just a bit tender, but it definitely left a burn mark on my skin. I knew better but was in a hurry and  wasn’t paying attention. That will teach me! Seriously, that is how hot the sun is in Phoenix in the summer. You have to be careful not to fall down on pavement or asphalt, you’ll suffer severe burns along with the scrapes from the fall. They have extended out extreme heat watch through Saturday with temperatures expected to top out at 116 degrees by Wednesday. Add in all the moisture in the air and it will feel even worse. We had a dust storm blow through late last night and had a few sprinkles overnight. This morning we have a light rain at various parts of the valley but we’ve only seen a few sprinkles. Once this blows out of here the sun is going to come out and it will be yucky out there with a high of only 109 today. Even with the change in weather the most I felt was my sciatic aching a bit as the day went on. No added pressure to my neck and shoulders, no other aches to mention so I’ll count that as a win. I took my ½ gram of Rick Simpson Oil at 4 pm and enjoyed the evening high, relaxed and ache free while I watched some mindless television. I stretched and went to bed, falling asleep without taking my sleep medicine. I woke up an hour and a half later wide awake and too late to take it so I took a melatonin and was up several times during the night and up at 5:30 am. Taking the medicine at night helps me fall asleep, being high helps me fall back asleep when I wake up during the night. I suffered for years with pain induced insomnia. I don’t normally fall asleep without taking something to make me fall asleep. Like I said, I was up wide awake by midnight and that is too late to take that medication, it would make me sleep in way too late. I realize I have nothing better to do first thing in the morning than sleep but I’m a firm believer in taking my medication at the same times throughout the day and night. It is literally a sedative that knocks me out within a half hour. That is what years of insomnia does to a person. You can’t fall asleep and stay asleep without help. Add in waking up for bathroom runs and I’ll get sleep anyway I can. Today I can tell we’ve had a change of weather, I’m stiffer than usual and feel like I’m walking through water. My sciatic and tendonitis is awake with me today, I’m not in pain, I’m just achy. Crazy, I had no real aches to mention all weekend until yesterday afternoon. That is the weather in Phoenix for you. We’ve got another month left of monsoon season and we’ll finally start drying back out so my aches will become less frequent until after Thanksgiving when I start all my Christmas baking. Then I’ll be on my feet for long periods of time as I bake four different types of cookies, homemade caramel corn and popcorn balls for my entire family and friends as gifts. I always make sure to have Brix THC gummies on hand when I’m doing my Christmas baking. A 50 mg cube every hour or so takes away the aches and relaxes me so I can continue on with my baking. It doesn’t get me high. As for the rest of the day, I think I might make my husband some banana bread or brownies, he’s been hinting. I’ll see what I can get done with moving so slowly so far this morning. I do have Brix THC gummies to take if the aches become bothersome at some point today, we’ll see how I feel as the day goes on. It is all workable when you manage your chronic pain with marijuana! Look at me, I’m living proof it works and you can take your life back and live again. All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana!

Forgot To Mention

This past week I forgot to mention my husband and I are now proud grandparents that officially have two grandsons in college this year. My oldest grandson that is starting his second year is going into sports business management and the second oldest grandson that just started is going into community health, possibly nursing.  I’m just happy they both decided to further their education beyond high school. My second oldest grandson has pretty much a full ride for his education. All he’s got to pay for is books and parking, the rest is covered as a full time student. I’m beyond proud as a grandparent and thrilled that I’m clear headed and around to see it all happen. I’ve been fortunate enough to have great relationships with each of my grandchildren and am close with each one of them. I never turn down any time I can spend with them and my children! Yesterday morning we went over to my niece’s house. My daughter wasn’t feeling good so she wasn’t able to make it. They are so close to being done with everything it looks like my niece and her family can start moving in by next weekend. I think one more weekend and my husband and daughter will be done with the remodel. In two more weekends I’ll start spending my Saturday afternoons watching one of my grandsons playing basketball, the fall league is ready to start. I’m up for it! I love going to all the sporting and school events that my grandchildren participate in. I live for this kind of stuff. Plus it feels good being able to cheer and yell for an hour during the game. For the most part yesterday, I was inside at my niece’s house. I managed to sit outside in the shade for a while in the morning but by 11 am it started getting hotter and muggier out there. You know it is going to be a hot one when it is already 96 degrees at 8 in the morning. When we left to come home around 2:45 pm the temperature in my truck said 118. I believe it, it was hot and nasty outside. We did get to 115 degrees and are expected to be right around 112 for today. Last night I took a ½ gram of distillate around 4:30 pm. By 7 pm I was relaxed, high and still pain free, settled in my recliner for an evening of preseason football. It’s hard to believe it is already that time of year, but then again we are almost through the month of August. We are on the home stretch for our summer heat, only another month and we’ll start to cool off, hopefully in time for Halloween. It is always a joke for us Phoenicians on the fall weather, you know fall is here when it is chilly enough to wear pants on Halloween night. If you are still comfortable in shorts by then, it probably isn’t fall weather yet. I’ll be happy when I see highs around 102 degrees and dry air. Today as soon as I post this we are heading back over to my niece’s house.  Since it is Sunday it will be an early day so my husband can get home and go to bed. In another couple of weeks I’ll be able to keep myself occupied on Sunday afternoons when the NFL football season starts. As you can tell, I love all sports but football is one I’ll watch on television. Yelling and cheering at the TV is a wonderful stress reliever and my whole family are firm believers in it. Fall is also one of my favorite times of year. Right now with all this summer heat and humidity I’m wishing for fall as you can probably tell. So far today I’m not doing bad, as a matter of fact I feel pretty good. My sciatic is giving me a break and even the tendonitis in my ankle and elbow is gone. Maybe the air is drying out. I’m not questioning a good day, I take them when I can get them with a smile. Then again I’m always smiling these days. I’ve got a good reason to. I’m not in severe constant pain anymore! An ache here or there is expected at my age. To me an ache and pain are two separate things. Ever since I’ve started managing my chronic pain with marijuana, mainly Rick Simpson Oil, the most I experience is an ache on days I’m on my feet too long or we are having a change in weather. That’s it, no severe pain to deal with at all! All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana!

Another Steamy Weekend

That’s right, we are expecting highs of around 114 degrees today and 113 degrees tomorrow. Add in the lovely higher humidity and dew points and it feels much hotter outside! The NWS has extended our extreme heat warning until next Friday so far with chances of it extending into next weekend. The heat just doesn’t want to go away this summer, we are over halfway through the month and we would like to see highs maybe at 105 at this point. I really wouldn’t mind temperatures of 112 without all the added moisture in the air. That would be hot, but manageable. Yesterday my husband got home before noon so I was able to get all of my errands done earlier rather than later. I still had to go out in the miserable heat at 1:30 pm to stop at the Ponderosa dispensary and pick up my grandson from school. At least with an online order I can walk right in and go right to the counter as long as there isn’t a line. I can pass the check in line where you have to show them your ID so it goes faster. I’m usually out of the dispensary within 5 to 10 minutes depending on how crowded it is and how much I chat with the bud tender while I’m there. Yes, I’m back to being one of those people that will and can talk to anyone. I’ve always been like that but all the years I was so messed up on opioids, I had a hard time remembering what I was even talking about during a conversation much less remembering said conversation, so it made it hard to talk to people. My head was so foggy and constantly spinning it was hard to focus on anything for longer than a few seconds and I’d forget. Add in constant bone deep pain and I was one lonely miserable person! I’m happy to report that ever since I started managing my chronic pain with marijuan alone all of that has changed. Like I said I’m back to being a people person again. I’ve also learned how to not be lonely when I’m by myself. I think the major deep depression I was in had something to do with the feelings of loneliness at that time. Thankfully, I knew I was in bad shape mentally and sought out counseling. I put in the work and value my mental health right where it is. When I was still all messed up on opioids I figured that was it, I was going to be foggy and miserable for the rest of my life. There was no light at the end of the tunnel. Imagine my surprise once I transitioned off of opioids to marijuana alone. All of a sudden I had clarity and clear headedness for the first time in years. I also noticed my pain levels diminished from the daily use of THC/CBD. Now I sit here each morning sharing all the different things I’ve been able to change in my life by having all those high levels of pain gone.  Now I deal with the everyday minor aches of someone my age and I’m okay with that. That is what I’d expect at this point in my life. No one expects to have their neck collapse and go through two major surgeries, over three weeks in the hospital and spend 13 years on opioids, but that is exactly what happened to me. In the middle of dealing with my neck, they found an aneurysm in my brain, thankfully that qualified me for an FDA study and had a titanium mesh inserted to heal the aneurysm. So I’ve dealt with my share of health issues and I’m thankful to not only still be sitting here, I’m lucky I’m not in a wheelchair paralyzed from the neck down. The talented neurosurgeon fixed my neck by replacing S2-S7 with titanium and two metal rods from the back of my head into my shoulders. So I have survived two major medical issues to still be sitting here sharing all the great things about how good I feel not only physically, but mentally now that I’m managing my chronic pain with marijuana. It truly works and I’m living proof it is never too late to make changes in your life to be healthier. So far so good, I keep moving forward, pain free.  All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana!

Heatwave Extended

We only reached 107 yesterday but are on track to hit 112 degrees today. It is still hot and yucky out there with all the added humidity and higher dew points we are experiencing. I was right, our extreme heat warning has been extended clear into the end of next week with temps staying right around 111 degrees. We’ve had hotter temps that we’ve dealt with over past summers, but anything over 110 degrees is hot, add in all the added moisture in the air this time of year and it is downright miserable outside. Every time you walk outside in the afternoon it feels like you are walking into a hot oven. You have to be careful opening your car doors or buckling your seat belt with the hot metal. I’m getting better at remembering to put up the sunscreen on my windshield when my truck will be parked out in the sun for extended periods of time. With the sunscreen, the inside of your vehicle is still hot, it is just not as hot as it would be if the sun was beating directly in the windshield. Common sense right there! Several grocery stores across the valley also offer covered parking and that comes in handy in the heat of our summers. Yesterday I got things done around the house and had my husband throw some burgers on the grill for dinner. Not sure why but my energy levels were really low all day yesterday. I wasn’t in any pain, just moving slower than usual and feeling blah. I’m going to blame the yucky weather that makes me feel like this. Once it starts to dry out and cool off my energy levels will come back. Normally, each spring we start camping around the middle of March and camp clear through May. Being out in the sun in the spring gets us better acclimated to the warmer months. This year we haven’t camped once and both my husband and I are having a harder time this summer dealing with the heat and humidity than ever before. I know they say age can be a factor when dealing with hotter weather, but I’ve always enjoyed the heat, it feels good on my bones. It is the humidity my body doesn’t like.  Last night I took my last ½ gram of Rick Simpson Oil so I’ll be checking out all the local dispensaries today to see who has what on sale. I was relaxed, high and ache free in my recliner for the evening catching up on some shows I like to watch. Today I’m not doing too darn bad. My sciatic is giving me a break so far this morning and my back is loosening up with the heating pad as I type. I’ve got a few things to do around the house and when my husband gets home I’ve got to make a trip to Sam’s Club and some other places. Then this afternoon I will pick up my grandson from school and probably stop at the dispensary on my way there. I still have to check out all the sales first, then decide where to go. Lately it has been Ponderosa dispensary that has had the best price and convenience on the way to pick up my grandson from school driving right by the place. As for the rest of the day I’ll keep my grandson entertained until my son gets here to pick him up later this afternoon. This weekend we will once again be over at my niece’s house while my husband and daughter can hopefully finish up with the remodel. Fingers crossed! It is going to be hot and miserable outside so I’ll sit outside for short intervals to warm my bones in the shade. With the higher humidity and dew points I can’t take being out in the heat for extended periods of time. No thank you! Give me drier air and I’ll sit outside much longer. I love the dry heat, it makes my bones and joints happy. It also brings my energy levels back to where I like them. Once it starts cooling off I might be able to get some of the summer weight gain off by being outside and active when we can again! Between camping, paddle boarding and getting outside to walk around I don’t think I’ll have a problem shedding the extra 5 or so pounds that have seemed to creep up on me these last couple of months. I’m up for the task, I’m pain free and enjoying my life again! All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana!

Holy Monsoon Storm!

Yesterday around 2:30 pm the NWS put out a severe thunderstorm watch until 10 pm. We don’t normally have a thunderstorm watch for that long. Around 9:30 pm we had a wall of dust hit the entire valley. The winds were around 55-65 MPH. Then came the thunderstorm. We got over an inch in our area alone. The entire valley got rain from this storm last night. We’ve got power outages in our area with street lights still out, trees down and plenty of roof damage to go around. The valley is still under an extreme heat warning through Sunday that looks to be extended clear into next week with temperatures staying around 110+ degrees. Add in the higher humidity and dew points and it will feel even hotter out there! It is hot enough when it is 110 degrees outside. We don’t need it to feel like 115. When you live in the desert and are used to more of a dry climate, you notice when the humidity and dew points increase. All day yesterday I was moving slowly. I finally got most of my house cleaned after the whole vacuum mishap. Then it stopped working again. Time for a new vacuum! Last night I took my ½ gram of Rick Simpson Oil around 4 pm. By 7 pm I was relaxed, high and kicked back in my recliner with the cat. I enjoyed the rain without pain or discomfort that’s for sure! The storm blew in so fast my neck and shoulders never reacted or felt an increase in the pressure-like feeling I normally get when we get a storm. No complaints about that here! Then again by the time the storm hit I was pretty high, relaxed and totally pain free. We lost our hanging patio shade screen and my glass wind chime is in pieces on my patio so we didn’t fare too badly with this severe monsoon storm. It’s crazy, when they put out the watch there were very few clouds in the sky. It blew in from the northeast from the mountains after it got dark. This morning I slept in until 6:30 after being up later with the storm. I’m not doing too bad today. My sciatic is giving me a break so far this morning and I’ve got the heating pad on my lower back to help loosen it up for the day. It was a little stiffer this morning, I think from all the vacuuming I did yesterday down on the ground getting under the furniture, etc. Oh wait, we bought the cats a new cat post that came in a million pieces. I was down on the floor putting it together because I could do it easier than my husband. That is probably contributing to the stiffness. The damn cat hasn’t even looked at the new post. The old one was pretty torn up, better the cat post than my furniture! It looks like I’ll be stopping at the Ponderosa dispensary again this Friday to stock up for the week on RSO. I keep checking Zenleaf and other local dispensaries to compare prices and see what they have in stock and on sale. That way I can stay within my monthly budget. It has been convenient stopping at the Ponderosa dispensary each Friday, it is right on the way to pick up my grandson from school, I drive right by the place. When you make an online order you can specify what time you want to come in to pick up your order. You can request it right away or let them know you’ll pick it up later in the day. I usually put my order in with them first thing in the morning for pick up between 1:30-2 pm on Fridays. Zenleaf dispensary is even closer to me, I’m just waiting for them to get more RSO in stock. Once your order is ready for pick up the dispensary automatically texts you to let you know your order is ready. They make it easy and convenient to shop online.  I keep telling you how easy and convenient it is to manage your chronic pain with marijuana. By writing this each day I’m hoping to show how easy it is to do. If I can do it, anyone can. After all those years on opioids, I’m finally pain free, clear headed and back to enjoying life again. All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana!

Hot And Yucky!

We are still under an extreme heat warning. It got to 112 yesterday and we are expecting the same for today. Add in 40% humidity and a 65 degree dew point and it is going to feel more like 115 or 116 out there. That is hot and yucky weather! There are increased chances for a monsoon storm to blow through so we have that to look forward to this evening. The change in weather explains why I’ve been stiffer than usual these last couple of days. It sure beats being stuck in bed or on the couch miserable in pain! That is where I would be when I was still on opioids and we had a change in weather. It would increase my pain levels dramatically. Now that I’m managing my chronic pain with marijuana alone the most I feel is stiffer than usual on days like this. I’m not in pain, I’m just achier than usual and feel like I’m moving slower. Yesterday I was out in the heat for a short time and got a few errands done. I don’t plan on going anywhere today if possible. That could change the minute my husband walks in the door from work so time will tell. I took my last ½ gram of frozen distillate yesterday at 4 pm. By 6:30 pm I was high, relaxed and ache free for the evening. I settled in my recliner with the cat and watched a two and a half hour podcast on the court case I’m following. I’ll have to say, the distillate gets you almost as high as the RSO. Last night I’d say it was pretty damn close. Both the distillate and the Rick Simpson Oil make my body numb. They don’t numb my mind, it becomes more focused. I know distillate is not quite as strong as RSO, but made similar. A few years ago I would use the distillate to make homemade gummies. Then I found out about RSO and freezing it. All bets were off after that. I can’t smoke marijuana anymore, it hurts my lungs too much and the coughing causes my neck to hurt. So I started freezing and eating it. Between the Rick Simpson Oil, distillate and the Brix 1000 mg THC gummies, I’m managing my chronic pain to minor aches on days like today. On days we aren’t expecting rain I have very few if any aches to mention. That is why I bring up daily how my body feels. To show everyone that managing my chronic pain with marijuana is working and has been working for over three years now. Let’s face it, at my age I expect a few aches here and there after the way I beat this body up over the years. But to be able to take ½ gram of RSO each day at 4 pm, enjoy the evening relaxed and pain free. Along with the added bonus of a body numbing high each night is all I can ask for. After all those years of living in excruciating pain in my neck and shoulders that would radiate throughout my entire body I’m enjoying living with only minor aches. If those aches become what I consider bothersome before 4 pm, I like to have the Brix THC gummies on hand to take a 50 mg cube. A 50 mg cube doesn’t get me high, not even close. All it does is relaxes me and takes away the bothersome aches. I don’t have to turn to those often but it is nice to have them when needed. On days I’m on my feet for extended periods of time or a change of weather blows through are about the only time I turn to 50 mg. The majority of the time when I take the THC gummies I take 100 mg at 4 pm and another 100 mg around 7 pm for pain management for the evening. As I’ve mentioned, I like to switch between products to keep my tolerance levels right where they are at. It also keeps me within my spending budget each month. Lately the dispensary Zenleaf hasn’t had any RSO in stock so I’ve been shopping elsewhere. Mostly the Ponderosa dispensary. They have seemed to have the best prices for the products I’m looking for. There are many different dispensaries across the valley, I have a wide variety of places I can go. It is convenient for me. I have four within a short distance from my house alone. It pays to shop the sales, that way I stay within my budget. All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana!

Three Years Now!

Yesterday Jetpack reminded me that I’ve been posting for three years already! I started writing this to share my journey from opioids to managing my chronic pain with marijuana alone. I thought it was important to share how great I was feeling and the many changes I’ve gone through since coming off of 14 years on opioids. Besides that if my children or grandchildren want to know what was going on in my mind they will always have a journal of sorts to read when I’m not around anymore. The main reason I started writing is to share the many different marijuana products available with a medical marijuana card and  the results I’ve felt when trying them. I wanted to help educate people on another way to deal with chronic pain. I’ve done my best to express the fact that you must use it daily to let the CBD and THC build up in your system in order for it to start taking care of your higher pain levels. I’ve also tried to explain the process when you go to a dispensary. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. That is what they are there and are educated with the many different products that are now available. I’m also comparing how I feel now versus how I felt when I was still on opioids. With all those severe pain levels gone, I can move so much easier. I’ll always have limitations with my neck, shoulders and back, but I can now walk across the room without losing my balance or experiencing pain. That is one of the main reasons I park so far away from entrances, I can again. When you lose something like being able to walk through a store because of pain and you get that ability to walk pain free back, you use it as often as possible! I manage to reach my step goals daily, along with nightly stretching and squats, I’m getting back in better shape step by step. Yesterday I didn’t get much accomplished, as the day went on I started just feeling stiff. My body was achy, not in pain, just stiff and felt like I was moving slower than usual. I’m to the point where I listen to my body on days like that and I took it easy most of the day. We reached 112 yesterday. I was right, they did extend our extreme heat warnings from Friday to Sunday. It is going to be another hot one out there today especially with all the added moisture we have in the air. The most I’ve got to do today is make a quick run to the grocery store and a stop at the UPS store should be all. Last night I took my ½ gram of Rick Simpson Oil at 4 pm and by 6 pm I was relaxed, high and ache free for the evening. I watched a couple of podcasts, stretched and went to bed. This morning I’m not doing too bad! The heating pad is on high, warming my lower back to loosen it up for the day and my sciatic is being nice so I’ll count that as a win for the day. My husband finally fixed my vacuum cleaner. Here I thought the belt had come off, I never bothered to look, I smelled what I thought was the belt burning. Nope, it was a stupid cat toy stuck in there. I was kind of mad at myself, I’ve been waiting for my husband’s shoulder to feel better so he could fix it and I could have taken the toy out myself and my floors wouldn’t look so bad at this point! I don’t have the strength in my hands to fix the belt so I never looked. I guess that will teach me for next time! Besides that I’m doing my best to keep this body moving and stay as active as possible inside and not out in this heat! I know there is only so much I can do inside to stay busy, but I try my best. I’m waiting patiently for fall to get here at this point. My entire family is ready for a camping trip to the lake once cooler weather gets here. We are hoping to get in as many camping trips as we can before it gets too cold in November. It will be well after Labor Day before it starts to cool off enough for any of us. Until then I’ll stay busy inside to avoid this awful heat and humidity. At least I’m not in pain, that is always a big plus! All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana!

Excessive Heat Again!

That’s right, we are under an excessive heat warning from 10 am this morning until Friday night at 8 pm. I have a feeling it will end up being extended through next weekend. It is expected to hit 111 today and stay there all week. That means our morning lows are once again not dipping below 90 degrees. Add in the higher humidity and dew points and it is going to be just lovely outside this week! I keep reminding myself we only have another month, maybe two of this weather and fall will be here. Yesterday while we were at my niece’s house I was able to sit outside in the shade for short intervals to warm my bones and go back inside. It was 108 degrees yesterday and humid. Yuck! We got home later than expected so I threw a frozen pizza in the oven for dinner. My middle son stopped by to say hello for an hour or so, he happened to be in the area. Right before my son stopped by I went to the fridge and took out my ½ gram of Rick Simpson Oil and took it. I had meant to take the distillate but at the last minute I grabbed the RSO instead. By 6 pm I was high, relaxed and ready to stretch as my sciatic needed it at that point. I watched what I call mindless television until I went to bed. I woke up this morning to find my husband home once again with his shoulder. I think he is milking it at this point, needing one more day. The aging process sucks when you are not in good physical shape. He is not, I’m in better shape on some things then he is and that is downright scary. Let’s face it, I can’t lift anything over 5 pounds with my neck and shoulders. I can squat down and stand up faster than he can to get something off of the floor. I admit I’m not in the best shape either. I’m in better shape than I was 5 years ago, so I had to start somewhere. Now that I’m managing my chronic pain with marijuana alone, my severe pain levels have disappeared and now all I deal with is normal body aches for someone my age. In other words, I’m no longer in constant horrible pain in my neck and shoulders that would radiate throughout my entire body like it did when I was on opioids. Now I wake up each morning with a smile on my face because I’m not in horrible pain the minute I get up. I go all day with maybe a minor ache in my sciatic or ankle, that’s all. It doesn’t cause me pain, it is just an ache. On days I’m on my feet for an extended period of time or we are having a change in weather, the aches can sometimes become what I consider bothersome. On days like that I like to have the Brix THC gummies on hand to take a 50 mg cube. Within an hour the bothersome aches are gone and I’m relaxed. 50 mg doesn’t get me high, not even close. The majority of the time I take my ½ gram of RSO at 4 pm and I get the added nightly bonus of a body numbing high, get a great night’s sleep to wake up and do it all over again without pain until 4 pm. As you know I like to switch between different products to keep my tolerance levels right where they are at. So far I’ve managed to keep right where they are for close to three years. A ½ gram of Rick Simpson Oil or Distillate, or 100 mg THC gummies twice in an evening is all I require to manage my chronic pain. I’ve got a neck made of titanium (S2-S7), two metal rods from the back of my head into my shoulders and a body full of arthritis. I am now living a pain free life with marijuana alone. After you live with such high levels of pain for so many years, once you find relief you stick with it. Marijuana gives me the relief that opioids never did. Hell, I was lucky if the opioids took some of the edge off of the severe pain I was in. Most of the time the pills just made me foggy and loopy, but still kept me in tremendous pain. I’m so thankful I found the many healing qualities of marijuana, it has helped me become more active and I’m once again up and moving this body to do my best to get and stay in shape. So far so good, I keep moving forward! All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana!

Back To 108 Degrees

That’s our high for today, add in 33% humidity and a 58 degree dew point and the 92 degrees this morning feels more like 95. Yesterday it got to around 106 but the temp in my truck on the way home from my niece’s house at 2 pm read 113. I managed to sit outside in the shade for short intervals to warm my bones then back inside in the air conditioning I would go. The birthday pool party was fun. I got in the pool to cool off and once you get out it is comfortable until you completely dry off. I got to see all 8 of my grandchildren and my niece’s two grandchildren were there as well. It is so much fun to watch the adorable little ones playing in the pool. We didn’t stay too long, we were home by 7:30 pm, my husband was up way past his bedtime. I took 100 mg of Brix THC when we got there at 4 pm and by the time we left to come home I was no longer high. Once we got home I took 100 mg of my Brix THC gummies. I took another 100 mg of THC an hour later. I stretched and went to bed to watch some TV as being in the heat wears me out. At the birthday party we were dancing around to the music and had a great time catching up with my grandchildren and children. My oldest daughter baked a homemade jelly layered birthday cake, which was delicious by the way! My other daughter put on the birthday party with cheese quesadilla’s and hot dogs for her son, my grandson’s meal request. Hey those cheese quesadilla’s were good made by my son-in-law on the blackstone griddle sitting pool side. There was good food, music and company. I can’t and won’t ask for more when it comes to my family! I would have stayed much longer but with my husband’s crazy sleep schedule he needed to get home and go to bed and neither one of my grandsons that can both drive were there to take him home. One had already left and one wasn’t there yet. It was okay, I needed to get home and take more of my THC anyways. Today I’m not doing too bad, my sciatic is aching, probably from all the dancing I was doing last night. I’ve already got the laundry done and as soon as I post this we’ll head back over to my niece’s house so my husband and daughter can work on the remodel. They are so close to being done, it is down to the last few things. My niece and her family should be able to start moving in a few weeks. We probably won’t be over there too long today, my husband goes to bed early on Sunday’s, 11:30 pm comes before he knows it. After staying up later than usual on the weekends, Sunday’s are always harder for him to fall asleep in the middle of the afternoon. I do my best to not make too much noise so he can fall asleep. Once he’s asleep he’ll sleep through pretty much any noise I can make. Most of the time! I’ll keep myself occupied with something on the television while he goes to sleep and then get things done later. Around 4 pm I’ll go to the freezer and take out my ½ gram of distillate and take it with water. Tomorrow at 4 pm I’ll go back to my ½ gram of Rick Simpson Oil. I like to switch between products to keep my tolerance levels right where they are. I’ve managed to keep those levels right where they are at for the last three years. I even dropped down from a ¾ gram of RSO in the winter to a ½ gram for the summer. My sciatic likes to act up more in the winter than it does over the summer months, until the humidity sets in anyways. Even with all the added moisture in the air, all my sciatic does is ache, a dull ache at that. It can ache all day and not become bothersome to the point it hinders my mobility or causes me any level of severe pain. In other words, it is what I consider minor and I can deal with it. At my age I’d be worried if I didn’t have some aches in my body after everything it has been through. My brother told me years ago that our bodies’ aches are a reminder we are still alive and to keep on moving. I’ve stuck with that ever since. So far it’s working! All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana!

Heatwave Coming Back

That’s right we are expecting another excessive heat warning from Monday through possibly Thursday of next week with temperatures climbing back up to 112. With all the added moisture we’ve still got in the air it is going to be yucky, sticky and muggy out there. Yesterday I got all my errands done before noon like I had planned. We even made it to the doctor’s for my husband’s sore neck and shoulder. He got a steroid injection in his shoulder and he should be okay in a couple of days. Now maybe he can start to feel better. I put in an online order for Wal-mart, heaven forbid my cats were out of treats. So I picked up the order before I went to the dispensary. I made it to the Ponderosa dispensary in plenty of time to pick up my order. I was at the school to pick up my grandson early so I parked right by the gate and waited for the bell to ring. It went much easier this week, knowing the exact pick up spot helped. I brought my grandson home, gave him a snack and turned on some educational kids stuff on Youtube. While he was occupied I heated the gram vials of Rick Simpson Oil and distillate under hot water for about 60 seconds and put ½ gram sized doses on waxed paper and put the tray in the freezer. Right before my son picked up my grandson I went to the freezer and took a ½ gram of frozen distillate with water. Within an hour and a half I was relaxed, high and ache free for the evening. I listened to a podcast covering the court case I’m following while I shredded the big pork roast for today. We are doing pulled pork BBQ sandwiches for lunch. I’ll have to say with all the unsettled weather we’ve had this past week I’m not doing too darn bad at all. The most that ached was my ankle and elbow and that was minor. The pressure-like feeling in my neck and shoulders increased, making my shoulders raise up towards my ears, but that is just pressure, it doesn’t cause me any pain. It sure beats being stuck on the couch or in bed because it hurts too much to move! That was what would happen whenever we had a change of weather when I was still managing my chronic pain with opioids. Now that I’m managing my chronic pain with marijuana alone, all that horrible pain I lived with is gone! Now I have an ache here or there but at my age I’d be surprised if there wasn’t. I can handle the minor everyday aches, those are just my body reminding me I’m still alive and to keep on moving. It is the bone deep constant pain I don’t miss at all. Today, as soon as I post this we are heading over to my niece’s house early because we have to leave early to get ready for the birthday swim party later this afternoon. I’m looking forward to seeing my children and all of my grandchildren. I know my two older grandsons have to work but will show up afterwards so I’m hoping to visit with all 8 of them at some point. With school activities starting back up we’ll be spending our Saturday afternoons watching my grandson play basketball and my two granddaughters are involved with drama/plays at the high school. So we have that to look forward to. I’m looking forward to cooler temps so we can plan a camping trip to the lake. I need my zen and the mountain scenery at the lake does it for me every time. Just like it does when I go into my niece’s house now, her back yard is right up against the mountains. I’m going to miss that when she moves once the remodel is done. One nice thing is that she will live much closer so it is a happy trade off. For me this morning, I’m not doing too bad. I’m stiffer than usual and moving slowly. Only achy, not in pain. It is going to take some time today to loosen up. I’ll take it easy until then sitting outside in the shade for short intervals to heat my bones while they work on the remodel. The pool will feel good this afternoon at the birthday party, especially when we get out of the water. I’m looking forward to spending time with my grandchildren and children, all while being pain free. All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana!

100 Degrees?

That’s right, our high for today is forecasted to be only 100 degrees. Our humidity and dew point is still up but 100 degrees in August is unheard of. We are normally anywhere around 107-110+ this time of year. So after 18 days of excessive heat warnings of temps at 110 or hotter, we’ve cooled off to “below average” temps. We are also enjoying our morning lows that have come down from the 90’s into the 80’s so that is also a nice break for a few days. We really needed all the rain across the valley with a few storms blowing through again last night. I thought there for a while we’d see more rain, but we didn’t get any. Yesterday my husband got home from work, talked for a bit, ate dinner and went straight to bed. His shoulder and neck are bothering him. Being in pain like that can take the wind right out of you. Especially since he can’t take anything stronger than tylenol being too damn stubborn to go to the doctor to do something about it. After he went to bed I was looking for something to do when my phone rang. It was my daughter calling. My son-in-law and one of my granddaughters were stranded at a gas station by the high school with two flat tires and he had both sets of car keys with him. So I went over and picked her up. We drove to the gas station, picked up one of the tires (he had a spare) and went to get the tire fixed. I then dropped my daughter off with the tire at the back at the gas station and came home. I got home shortly after 4 pm so I took 100 mg of Brix THC gummy and another 100 mg around 7 pm. By 5 pm I was kicked back, relaxed, high and still ache free for the night. I got a great night’s sleep and woke up this morning to find my husband sitting at the computer. He called off today because his neck and shoulder are hurting. Maybe, just maybe I can get him to the doctor at some point this morning. With him home for the day I can get to Sam’s Club when they open and be done. I’ve also got to stop at the bank to get cash as the Ponderosa dispensary takes cash only now and I’m way too cheap to pay the ATM charges on site. Until Zenleaf gets more RSO back in stock I’ll be going to the dispensary that has it in stock and on sale, so cash it is. I’ve just placed my order online to pick it up before I pick up my grandson this afternoon from school. I’m buying a distillate and more Rick Simpson Oil. Once I get home from picking up my grandson I’ll get him situated with a snack and heat the gram vials under hot water and put ½ gram doses of RSO and distillate on waxed paper and put the tray in the freezer so it will be ready for me to take once my son picks up my grandson later today. As a matter of fact, my son just stopped by to drop off the car seat for my grandson on his way to work. My daughter had to use it to pick my grandson up here last week to take him to my son when his car wouldn’t start so, I’ve got it back. For me today, now that my husband is home for the day I’ve had a complete change in my day’s plans which is a good thing because I can get everything done before noon. Come home, have lunch and leave again to pick up at the dispensary then off to the school for my grandson. I’m hoping that is all the running I’ll have to do today, but if not I don’t mind, I’ve got nothing but time on my hands these days. Like yesterday, my daughter kept thanking me and I’m like, it is no problem. I was looking for something to do quietly because my husband went to bed so damn early. I don’t mind helping out when needed, it not only makes me feel useful, it is my way of helping out because my children went above and beyond for me when my neck collapsed and had both surgeries. They literally changed their schedules to make sure someone was with me at all times so my husband could still go to work. I couldn’t be left alone for several weeks. They all worked together for me. Driving them somewhere in a pinch is no biggie and I get to spend time with them. Works for me! All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana!

Monsoon Rain

Last night we had a heck of a monsoon storm blow through our area. It poured so hard I couldn’t see two doors down my street. The wind was so strong it was raining sideways. In the half hour it came down we had over an inch of rain. It rained off and on a couple more times overnight but nothing like the first rain that blew through. I sat and watched it roll in with only a mild ache in my ankle and plenty of pressure in my neck and shoulders. This storm didn’t hold my shoulders down, no they scrunched up towards my ears. I had to keep mentally reminding myself to lower them. It doesn’t hurt or cause pain, it is a pressure-like feeling like my neck is pushing down into my shoulders. By the time the storm rolled in I had already taken my ½ gram of Rick Simpson Oil and it was just starting to kick in. I spent the evening like I always do, relaxing in my recliner with the cat, watching podcasts, high and pain free. Yesterday my husband made it home before noon so I was able to get all my errands run before it got any warmer out there. It wasn’t hot, it was just really muggy and sticky out. I decided to wait until Friday to purchase more RSO. I’ll take the Brix THC gummies tonight to keep my tolerance levels right where they are. It is convenient to pick up my online order at the dispensary on the way to pick up my grandson from school. I have to drive right by that dispensary to get to the school so talk about convenience. I actually drive by more than one dispensary on my way to the school. We have them all over the valley. Today we are only expecting a high of 99 degrees which is unheard of for August, but we’ll take it with all the added humidity. Never fear, we’ll be back to 110 degrees by the beginning of next week. This is just a cool off from three days of storms that have hit various parts of the valley. It will be back in the low 100’s by tomorrow and climb from there. That means it might be nice enough to sit outside this weekend while my husband and daughter are working on the remodel for my niece. My daughter is having my grandson’s birthday pool party this weekend so they’ll stop work on the remodel earlier that day so we can go celebrate his 12th birthday. The party itself will be later in the afternoon a couple of hours before the sun goes down and we can swim at night when the sun isn’t beating down on us. It will be a fun time and I’m looking forward to seeing all of my grandchildren that will be there. I’m excited to catch up on how school is going. I’ve got my two oldest grandsons both starting college next week. One is in his second year, the other is just starting. They will both go to the same college, just different campuses.  One grandson is going for business management in the sports field and the other grandson is going into something in the medical field, he hasn’t told us exactly what yet, but knowing him and his brains I guess something like anesthesiology.  I’ll let you know if I guessed right when he tells me what he’s decided. I’m not bursting with pride over my grandchildren or anything like that. They make me smile every time I see them. I always get the best hugs from each one of them! I’m so thankful I’m here and clear headed enough to be present and remember all the new memories we are creating! Things could have turned out differently if I hadn’t discovered the healing qualities of marijuana, I’d still be all messed up and foggy on opioids. Not even being able to follow or remember a simple conversation and living in horrible constant pain. For the last three years I’ve been opioid free using marijuana alone to manage all of my chronic pain to zero. A ½ gram of RSO or 100 mg of THC gummies twice in an evening is all I need to keep my pain levels at zero until 4 pm the next day. That’s it. A 50 mg cube of THC gummy comes in handy on days my aches become bothersome. Otherwise, I’m good until 4 pm each day with maybe a slight ache or two. All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana!

Storm Chances Increased

Today we have a 50% chance of rain for tonight. We don’t see those kinds of percentages often living in the desert. It is expected to reach 101 degrees today and there is so much moisture in our air we are at 51% humidity and 66 degree dew point. That my friends is yucky, sticky, muggy weather. The entire part of northern Arizona is under a flash flood watch, they’ve had so much rain. It figures I’ve got to go out into it once my husband gets home from work. It is time to stock up on more Rick Simpson Oil. If I don’t find any good deals today I’ve always got the Brix 1000 mg THC gummies on hand. Yesterday I never left the house or ventured out in this heat. I stayed in and put off going anywhere until today. I took my ½ gram of RSO around 4 pm and by 7 pm I was chilling in my recliner with the cat watching a podcast on a court case I’m following. I was relaxed, high and completely ache free for the evening. I stretched and went to bed a bit later than usual as I was finishing up a show I was watching. This morning I slept in until 7:15 am. That is unheard of for me. Sleeping in to me is 6 am. Clearly my body needed the rest and I got it! I know it sounds silly but waking up almost two hours later than normal kind of threw off my day. Then I decided to hell with it, I’ll get done what I get done before my husband gets home and I have to go out in the heat. The rest can wait until tomorrow. This morning my ankle is at a dull ache which doesn’t thrill me, I’ve got plenty of walking to do today while I’m out running errands. I’m hoping it will loosen up as the day goes on and not bother me. With this weather that is doubtful but I can still hope. I’ve got the heating pad on my lower back to help loosen it up for the day. The heat does wonders each morning and sometimes late in the afternoon. I just double checked and I’ve got one ½ gram of Rick Simpson Oil left in the freezer so if I can’t find anything good on sale today, I can always look tomorrow. That is the easy part for me, I’ve got the THC gummies for tomorrow if I wait until Friday, so it is always workable. It never hurts to switch between products. By switching it helps keep my tolerance levels right where they are and have been for over 3 years. I’ve even lowered my dosage of RSO from ¾ gram in the winter to ½ gram in the summer. At my age I realize I’m going to have the normal everyday aches and stiffness. That I can deal with. It is the bone deep horrible constant pain I don’t miss. When you have beaten up your body as much as I have over the years, you are bound to have an ache or two or three. It is your body reminding you we are still alive and to keep on moving it! That is what I’m trying my best to do. Keep on moving and being as active as I can. I know I’ll always have limitations with my neck, shoulders and back but I’m stretching every muscle I still can each night and bending each joint that still bends to stay in as good of shape as possible. With all this unsettled weather we’ve had I’m pleased that I haven’t had any major pain to mention. All I’m dealing with is an achy sciatic and minor tendonitis in my ankle and elbow. Considering all those years I lived in horrible pain, I’ll take the minor aches with a smile and keep moving forward. On days these aches become what I consider bothersome and start to hinder my day, I’ll take a 50 mg cube of THC gummy to take the aches away. I don’t get high off of 50 mg, it just relaxes me and takes away the aches. I like to save the added bonus of being high for my evenings after I take my RSO or 100 mg of Brix THC gummies twice in an evening. Either one gets me relaxed, high and pain free until the next day at 4 pm. The daily use has built the CBD and THC up enough in my body to take all of that miserable pain away. All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana!

Monsoon Dust 2026

We finally ended extreme heat warnings on Sunday night after 18 days. Our temps are expected to drop down to 105 today and possibly 101 tomorrow. There is a 20% chance of rain for today and 50% chance for tomorrow as well. The storm that blew through on Sunday night dropped almost an 1” of rain in parts of the valley that saw rain. We had another dust storm blow through last night but didn’t see any rain in our area. Other areas saw wind and rain with more trees down.  With all this moisture in the air and chances for rain I’m not doing too darn bad. I mean I expect an ache here or there, those are what I consider minor and can deal with on a daily basis without issue. It is the horrible pain I lived with in my neck and shoulders that would radiate throughout my entire body I don’t miss. That pain was unbearable and I spent close to 14 years living in misery on opioids for pain. Fast forward to the last three years and I’ve been managing my chronic pain with marijuana alone and couldn’t be happier with the results I feel daily. As a reminder, I’ve got a neck made of titanium (S2-S7), two metal rods from the back of my head into my shoulders and a body full of arthritis. I’m no longer stuck on the couch or in bed because of “bad pain” days when we have a change of weather. Now I’m up each morning with a smile on my face because I’m not in all that horrible pain anymore. An ache here or there is just my body reminding me I’m still alive and to keep on moving. You know the old saying, “a body in motion, stays in motion”. At least that is the mantra I try to stick by and stay as active as this body will let me. Some days are more active than others. I’m to the point I listen to my body with this weather going on around us. I take it easier on these kinds of days. Yesterday my husband made it back from Vegas with 2 minutes of drive time left. He was exhausted, ate dinner and went to bed early. I kept myself occupied by catching up on some podcasts and relaxing. At 4 pm I went to the freezer and took out a ½ gram of Rick Simpson Oil and took it with water.  Around 7 pm I settled in my recliner with the cat and watched another podcast while I was relaxed, high and ache free for the evening. I stretched and went to bed. This morning I’ve got the heating pad on high on my lower back to help loosen it up for the day. My ankle is at a dull ache so I’m counting that as a win for the day. The pressure in my neck and shoulders has increased and the pressure is holding my shoulders down again. It doesn’t hurt, it just feels like a pressure is holding my shoulders down. In the past the change in weather would cause my shoulders to scrunch up towards my ears, like my neck was pushing down into them. So having my shoulders held down is new and not necessarily a bad thing in my eyes. It still feels like something heavy is laying across the back part of my neck and shoulders. Again, that doesn’t hurt either, it feels numb with pressure. That is the only way I can explain it. I’m reminding myself to sit up straight and quit leaning forward. I’ll take it, it still beats being in constant horrible bone deep pain day in and day out. No, now all I deal with is an ache here and there. Mainly my sciatic or the tendonitis in my ankle and elbow on rainy days. That is it! I will always have to be careful how I turn my head or sneeze with the metal in my neck, it is the rest of my body I’m thrilled with having no pain whatsoever! Even when I have an ache that becomes what I consider bothersome I have something to take that ache right away before 4 pm with a 50 mg cube of THC. That won’t get me high, it just relaxes me and takes away the aches. Otherwise I go from 4 pm to 4 pm the next day with only a ½ gram of RSO. I’ve got it figured out to a tee for my pain management and couldn’t be happier with how I feel all day, each day! I go without major pain all day and get an added bonus of the body numbing, relaxing high each night. All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana! 

Fast Weekend

I can’t believe how fast this past weekend flew by! It is hard to believe we are already into the second week of August! Yesterday we hit a toasty 112 degrees, it was hot and muggy out. I managed to get all the things done I needed to before I went over to my niece’s house. When we got in the truck to leave to come home around 2 pm, the temp said 120 degrees. By the time we got home it said 114. We got home and I went to make a quick trip to the grocery store and realized I forgot my purse at my niece’s house. My husband’s antibiotics were in there and of course my whole life is in my purse, like my license and bank cards. So I had to drive back over there to get my purse, then go to the grocery store. Nothing like having to go out in the heat and humidity at the hottest part of the day, but we do it. I wasn’t the only one out and about in 112 degree weather. No, we still live our lives in this heat. You never get used to it, you just learn to deal with it.  If at all possible I get all of my errands done first thing in the morning before it gets too hot outside when it is still in the 90’s. With my husband’s truck still in the shop, that has not been possible and I find myself getting things done in the heat of the day. I took my ½ gram of Rick Simpson Oil around 4 pm and by 7 pm I was relaxed, high and ache free, settling in my recliner with the cat for an evening of mindless television. Around 10 pm I heard the wind start whipping around and we had another big dust storm. Other parts of the valley had rain with wind gusts up to 80 mph. It broke something like 52 power poles in that area as it blew through. There are downed trees and covered parking areas completely torn down. We have chances for more monsoon storms all week. You never know exactly where it is going to unleash the storm until it does. My husband has a run to Vegas today, so it will be a long day for him. As long as he’s unloaded fast he’ll be back on the road and hopefully won’t run out of drive hours. Last time he ran into that bad accident and was stuck on the road for hours before they turned him around for the night. As for me, today I plan on getting some stuff done around here, maybe try to fix the belt on my vacuum cleaner that decided to come off or break, not sure which so that should be top on the list to take care of.  I say it should be because the thought of having to tear it apart is not something I’m looking forward to. It is going to be one of those slow moving days today, I’m achy and stiff from all the moisture in the air. The pressure-like feeling I have in my neck and shoulders is a tad more pronounced this morning and it once again feels like something weighted is on my upper shoulders and back. It doesn’t hurt and I’m not in any pain, it just feels like added pressure. My ankle is aching and it usually only aches like this when we are having a change in weather, like we are having right now. So I’ll listen to my body and go a bit slower than usual today. You’d think I’d be used to this by now but I’m not, I hate it on days when my energy levels are lowered because of the weather. I can wait for all this added moisture and humidity to be gone. It is really taking its toll on me this summer. Normally I can handle this humidity much better than I have this summer. Granted it always lowers my energy levels, but it seems worse to me this summer than other summers and we had higher temps last summer with all this humidity and I was out in it and it didn’t bother me half as much. I think it is because we never camped and acclimated to the heat this year. In other words, I wasn’t out in the early summer heat as often as we normally are. That is the only difference I can see. I don’t want to admit it might be my age with this heat. Never! I’ll stick with my ½ gram of RSO each night, enjoy the added bonus of each evening with a relaxing body numbing high and deal with the humidity from inside this year. Hey, regardless, I’m living pain free with marijuana! All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana! 

Cool Down Coming!

We are still under the extreme heat warnings through tonight, with a high of 111 expected for today and 108 for tomorrow. Our monsoon storm chances are increasing this week and our temps are expected to drop down to 104. It will still be sticky out there, just not as hot. Yesterday I spent the majority of the day inside at my niece’s house. I sat in the shade in the morning, there was a nice breeze, but as the day went on the breeze stopped and it got hot and muggy. I made a crock pot full of taco seasoned ground beef so we had soft tacos over at my niece’s house. We got home and I still made a pizza for my husband so he could eat something so he could take his antibiotic. We were home in enough time for me to take my Rick Simpson Oil at 4 pm. My husband ate his pizza and went to bed. He is exhausted and his shoulder has really been bothering him with doing the remodel. Of course everytime I mention maybe he should go have it checked out at the doctor’s, he doesn’t want to hear it. So he continues to suffer. His knee still looks awful so I’m hoping with this new antibiotic it will start healing better. If it is not one thing it is another for us. I’ve had my share of pain and health problems. I’m doing pretty good these days. The most I’m complaining about is the humidity and my sciatic when it aches. Otherwise I’m doing fine. I lived with constant horrible pain for almost 14 years on opioids. I know what severe chronic pain feels like. It is not fun and it doesn’t help your state of mind or mood at all. That is why I try to give my husband some grace when he is cranky and aching. I’ve been there and lived it, so I understand the frustrations he feels with his body as it ages. This morning my daughter picked up my husband to go work on the remodel. They are going up in the attic today and with this heat needed to do it as early as possible. I had barely been awake 15 minutes when she got here so I’m meeting them over there later this morning. This way I can finish the laundry and do some stuff around here before I go and not when I get home this afternoon. At some point today I still need to get to the grocery store as well. With all this humidity out, I’m moving slower this morning than usual so it is a good thing I don’t have to be in a hurry today. This morning my entire ankle is aching, that tells me the barometric pressure is rising. Between that and 30% humidity and a 61 degree dew point it is going to be one of the slow moving days for me. I’m not in pain, I’m just stiffer and achy, especially in my ankle. I’ll take it, it sure beats the horrible pain I lived with in my neck and shoulders that would radiate throughout my entire body. Now I deal with an ache here or there and that is it. Any aches that become bothersome before 4 pm and I’m not driving I’ll take a 50 mg cube of THC to take those aches away. 50 mg doesn’t get me high, it relaxes me and takes away the aches when necessary. Remember, I’ve got a neck made of titanium (S2-S7), two metal rods from the back of my head to my shoulders and a body full of arthritis. I lived with constant horrible pain for years until I discovered the many healing qualities of marijuana. Rick Simpson Oil mainly. I like to switch between products to keep my tolerance levels right where they are. Between the RSO, Brix THC gummies and lately the distillate, I’m managing my chronic pain to nothing. For over the last three years I have been managing my chronic pain with marijuana alone and couldn’t be happier with the results I feel daily. Bottom line, I’m no longer living in constant throbbing, horrible pain. Now I take my ½ gram of RSO at 4 pm each night. That’s it, once a day keeps all the pain away until 4 pm the next day. Plus I get the added bonus each night of a relaxing, body numbing, pain free high. I can’t and won’t ask for more than that! All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana!

Hot And Yucky!

That is the only way I can describe the weather we are having right now. Yesterday we hit 111 degrees and with all the added moisture in the air it felt more like 115. It was absolutely miserable out there! My son called me yesterday morning to let me know that I didn’t need to pick up both of my grandsons this week. From the looks of their school schedule I’ll be picking my youngest grandson up at the elementary school but his brother gets out much later from the junior high and my son will probably be off of work to pick him up. On days he works later, I’ll do it for him. Once my husband got home I took off to get all of my errands done. It was hot, sticky and yucky, but I got them all done. Even parking far away from the entrances and sweating it out walking in. I put in an online order at the Ponderosa dispensary, they seemed to be the only ones with Rick Simpson Oil on sale. It was on the way to pick up my grandson from school so I stopped at the dispensary before I picked him up. I came home, heated the gram vials of RSO under hot water and put ½ gram doses on wax paper and put the tray in the freezer so it would be frozen by 5 pm. At 5 pm, right before my son was supposed to pick up my grandson, I went to the freezer and took my ½ gram of RSO with water. About 30 minutes later he called and said his truck wouldn’t start. I told him I had already taken my RSO so I wasn’t driving. My daughter swung by and picked up my grandson to get him to his dad. It’s a good thing we live close to each other in a pinch! By 7 pm I was high, relaxed and still ache free for the evening. I spent the evening watching podcasts catching up on the few crime cases I’ve been following, stretched and went to bed. This morning as soon as I finish this we are heading back over to my niece’s house so my husband and daughter can hopefully finish up the kitchen this weekend. I’ll be spending most of my time in the house, with this heat I doubt I’ll be able to sit outside for longer than a few minutes at a time. Wait, I can take the heat, it is the humidity my body has issues with. When it is hot and muggy outside I have to push myself to get things done because I feel like my body is moving slower than normal. Like I’m stiffer. I’m not in any pain, my body just feels stiffer on the more hot and muggy days. They are forecasting a chance for more monsoon storms later next week and our temperatures are supposed to drop down to 105, so that will give us a break from these higher hot temps. It will still be nasty out there with all the mugginess we’ll have. As you can probably tell, I’m not fond of all this humidity. All I know is we are over halfway through our summer and in a couple of months will be one of my favorite times of year, fall. We hope to get in a few camping trips this fall. My entire family is ready for a few fun filled weekends at the lake. All we are waiting for is cool enough weather to enjoy it. I really want to get my paddle board back in the water, I haven’t used it all year. Normally by now we’ve been camping several times from March through May, but didn’t get to this year. We’ve had so many things come up. First off, in March it got really hot, then our dog got sicker, we couldn’t take her camping or leave her with anyone so we stayed home. It took my husband a while to come to terms with putting her down so there was that argument as well. So I can’t wait for it to cool off enough to camp! During the night my sciatic decided to cramp up. Not sure why, I stretched last night, but it is tender this morning. I’m hoping I’ll be able to walk it out and loosen it up as the day goes on. Fingers crossed on that one! Either way, I can deal with an achy ankle, it is the bone deep constant pain in my neck and shoulders that would radiate throughout my entire body that I don’t miss! No, I’ll deal with an ache here or there, it is just my body reminding me to keep moving and stay as active as I possibly can! So far so good! All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana!

August Heatwave Continues

We are still under an extreme heat warning until Sunday night. The temps are expected to climb to 112 today and 113 by tomorrow. Add in 40% humidity and a 61 degree dew point and it is going to be miserable out again today. It figures, I’ve got all kinds of errands I need to run today, along with having to pick up my grandsons after school. Yesterday I stayed inside as much as possible as the air quality sucked. That means I’ve got all of the errands from yesterday to do today with a few new ones. I have to make a trip to the pharmacy, Sam’s Club, the dispensary and a few other places that I put off yesterday. I’m hoping my husband gets home early with today being Friday so I can get as much done before noon as possible. That way all I’ll have to worry about this afternoon is picking up my grandsons from school. Now I’ll have to see if it works out that way. This morning I’m not doing too darn bad! The weighted feeling that I had across my neck and shoulders feels lighter and my sciatic is giving me a break. I’ll count that a win for the day! Last night I took 100 mg of THC gummies around 4 pm and another 100 mg at 7 pm. I was relaxed, high and ache free in my recliner for the evening watching podcasts on Youtube until I stretched and went to bed. This morning I realized I never took my nighttime beds which help me fall asleep. Guess I didn’t need them last night, I slept just fine, falling right back to sleep when I got up during the night. That doesn’t happen often, I normally don’t forget to take my “go to sleep” meds or I won’t fall asleep. I must have been tired from all the activity during the day. Not sure how by staying in the house all day I got all of my steps in and then some. That tells me I’m keeping my activity levels up which in this type of weather hasn’t been easy. When it is muggy and humid outside I tend to have less energy and move much slower, so to pass my daily step count in the house is a good thing for me! I’ll tell you one thing, all my kitchen counters are cleaned and spotless once again. Everything was moved and wiped down. The only thing I have left is the stove top. My husband is a wonderful cook, but he is a messy one! We have a gas stove. Let’s just say I keep underneath the burners covered in foil so all I have to do is replace the foil and not have to scrub up the overflow from the pans that boil over when he is cooking. I pick my battles and if the man wants to cook for me, I let him and don’t complain when he messes up the stove. Don’t get me wrong, when he is in the kitchen he rinses the pans, wipes most of the counters, and the man tries. He just doesn’t do it as thoroughly as I do. He is always in too much of a hurry to move on to the next thing on his neverending list of things to do. So all I ask of him is that he rinses the dishes and pans he uses and puts them in the sink. I will do the rest. It works best that way for me. Plus, he is a really good cook so I usually cook all week and he cooks on the weekends when we are home. This weekend we will be over at my niece’s house so my husband and daughter can work on the remodel. They hope to finish up the kitchen this weekend so they will be able to have their weekends back for a month or two until it gets cooler and my husband can go up in the attic to do some work with their lights. The whole house is really coming together and it won’t be long until they can start moving in. The infection in my husband’s knee is improving. We’ve been following the doctor’s orders to a tee. I still think there is something stuck in there trying to work its way out. It doesn’t hurt him as bad and the swelling and redness is way down after several days on the antibiotic and ointment. But it is still somewhat tender, weepy and sore. We are both keeping a close eye on it and the first sign it looks like it is not getting better he will be seeing our primary care physician. For me, I’m just chugging along, enjoying the day without any aches to speak of! All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana!

August Blahs!

I have hit the point in the summer where this constant heat is making me feel blah! It is hot, sticky and miserable outside. We had another dust storm blow through the valley in the middle of the night and that made our air quality once again very unhealthy this morning. It is expected to be 108 today and reach up to 113 degrees by this weekend. Yuck! Our chances for more monsoon storms keeps increasing making it even muggier out there, but so far all we’ve seen so far is more dust. This morning we are sitting at 39% humidity and 63 degree dew point. That is noticeable humidity in Phoenix right there! The barometric pressure keeps rising making it feel like I’ve got something heavy laying across the upper part of my neck and shoulders. Yesterday I spent the day taking it easy getting things done around the house. Both my husband and I were feeling achy from the weather so we both took it easy once he got home from work. I took my ½ gram of distillate around 4 pm and by 7 pm I was high, relaxed and ache free once again for the evening. I settled in my recliner for what I call mindless television until I stretched and went to bed. This morning with all the unsettled weather we are having the pressure-like feeling in my neck and shoulders has increased but it is still holding my shoulders down, not making them scrunch up towards my ears so I’m not complaining there. No, I’d rather have my shoulders stay down right where they are so this is a new development I’ve noticed these last few storms. In the past when the barometric pressure was active my shoulders would start scrunching up towards my shoulders because it would feel like my neck was pushing down into my shoulders. Now it has changed where my shoulders stay down. I’ll take it! Today I’ve got some errands to run when my husband gets home. I also need to check the local dispensaries to see who has what on sale. If I can’t find any Rick Simpson Oil on sale I can always wait until tomorrow as I’ve got a full package of the Brix 1000 mg THC gummies I can use for tonight. I can always purchase more distillate, I have found it at other dispensaries in gram vials instead of ½ grams. I’ll see what is on sale and take it from there. My youngest son called me last night to make arrangements for me to help with afterschool pick ups for my two grandsons on Friday’s. Between me and my two daughters we’ll have it covered for his parenting time before he gets off of work. It is only one day a week, I drove my granddaughter to school four mornings a week for two years, once a week is nothing. Plus, you know me, I never turn down the chance to spend time with my grandchildren or children. It is going to be interesting as my grandsons will be attending different schools, one starts kindergarten, the other is starting junior high so pick up will be two different times. I’m hoping dismissal times will be close so I’m not sitting in the truck long waiting. I don’t have my hopes up for that one. We are still waiting to hear from the shop on my husband’s truck. They said two weeks and this should be the second week so I’m hoping we hear something soon! Last time they said they were waiting on the rest of the parts. Famous last words. It is an older truck so I’m not sure what is taking so long. Once we get it back, DOT wants us to tow it to have it inspected. I told my husband he drove it home from the accident, I’ll drive it to the inspection site. They can kiss my butt on that one. He won’t do that because he thinks it will look bad for his CDL. Whatever! What are they going to do, not inspect the truck because I drove it there? I doubt it. I’ll get it taken care of while my husband is at work once we get it back and be done with it. I miss having my truck in the driveway for early morning errands before the heat of the day sets in. As it is now, I’m out and about in the middle of the afternoon in the hottest part of the day. I still park as far away as possible to walk in, because I can without pain. All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana! 

Heat Warnings Extended

It hit 116 yesterday and tied a record. We are expected to hit 115 today and 113 tomorrow. The NWS has extended out excessive heat warnings through Tuesday now.  With the added humidity of 28% and a dew point at 56 degrees, it is muggy outside. Add in the high heat and it is miserable hot outside! Yesterday I managed to sit outside in the shade for maybe 10 minutes at a time. It was yucky out there. I spent the majority of the day inside the house visiting with everyone or I had my earbuds in listening to some podcasts. Around 3:30 pm we left my niece’s house and stopped on our way home at urgent care for the doctor to look at my husband’s infected knee. A wound culture and three prescriptions later we were on our way home. It was too hot and late to run to the pharmacy. I’ll have to pick up his prescriptions this afternoon when we get home from my niece’s house. Yesterday while we were at my niece’s house I took my Baked Bros 10 mg THC gummies because my sciatic was aching. I took 10 mg every hour or so for close to three hours, they really worked to take the edge off. My sciatic was still aching, but nowhere near as bad. I need at least 50 mg of THC at a time to take it completely away, but since I’m the one driving, 10 mg at a time touches the aches, not my head. Once those gummies wore off I could feel the ache come back and I was ready to go home but we still had to stop at urgent care. Thankfully we were home by 4:30 pm so I could take my ½ gram of Rick Simpson Oil. By 6:30 pm I was relaxed, high and finally ache free for the evening. I watched some podcasts on Youtube, stretched and went to bed. This morning my husband had to wake me around 6 am so we could get going because being a Sunday he has to make it an early day so he can get to bed at a decent time for work later this evening. As a reminder, he starts work at 1 am.  Plus I have to go pick up his prescriptions for his antibiotics, an ointment  and whatever else the doctor prescribed. I’m excited because in another week preseason football starts and I’ll have something besides reruns to watch on Sunday afternoons when my husband goes to bed by 2 pm. Doesn’t take much to entertain me, I enjoy my sports, especially NFL and sometimes college football. I keep track of all of Arizona’s sports teams. I just don’t watch all the other sports for an entire game like I do with all football. I watch football just to watch football, even if I don’t like the teams. I simply enjoy the sport. Plus my entire family is a huge football loving sports family. So we rib each other when necessary when our favorite teams go against each other.  As for this upcoming week, I’ve got no plans besides making another run to the dispensary. I like to stock up for the week on Monday’s or Wednesday’s when they have all wax and concentrate on sales. I’m hoping my favorite dispensary, Zenleaf, has restocked their supply of RSO as they’ve been out for close to a month now. Not sure what the hang up is for restock, unless they have it and it is not on their website which seems highly unlikely. I’ll keep you posted on where I end up going to restock for the week. Ponderosa dispensary has had decent sales on RSO but they changed it to cash only. I don’t always carry cash and their in-store ATM charges way too much. Luckily it was one of the few times I actually had cash. ATM charges averted. This morning I’m not doing too bad, the ache in my sciatic is back and I’ve got the Baked Bros 10 mg THC gummies in my purse for the day. My husband is pacing ready to go so he can get the work done he and my daughter have planned for the day. He always manages to cram as much as possible in a day and makes an unattainable list for himself. Not me, I take it slow and steady, all the while only dealing with minor aches and not excruciating daily pain. It helps keep a smile on my face daily. All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana!

Toasty Temps

Yesterday we hit 112 degrees and today we are expected to hit 116. The humidity and dew points have dropped some, but it is still going to be a hot one out there! I have no plans to be out in this heat if at all possible. Yesterday I had a great day, I had zero aches and my energy levels came back. I had all my steps in before noon. I managed to get most of the house cleaned before my husband got home from work early. We got our errands done and were home before 1 pm. We had an early dinner of green chile, which is delicious by the way! I took my ½ gram of Rick Simpson Oil at 4 pm like I always do. By 6 pm I was high, relaxed and still ache free for the day. I caught up on what is happening in the court cases I’m following, stretched and went to bed. This morning I’m feeling good. No aches to mention so I’m counting that as a win for the day! I have two of my grandsons for the day so I’m trying to think of enough things to keep them busy all day. This will be the last Friday I have them as they both start school next week. One will be going into middle school 7th grade and the other starts kindergarten. My other six grandchildren have been back to school for almost two weeks now. I think we might get our living room rearranged today. We plan on moving things around to open the living room up to make more room for the upcoming holidays. Yes, I know the holidays are still several months away, but we have a housefull here for the holidays so if we do it now when it is too hot to be outside, we won’t have to worry about it around the holidays when I want to put up the tree on Black Friday. My grandson is taller than I am, he can help his Papa move stuff. I’ll supervise because it makes my husband nervous whenever I try to do anything out of the ordinary, like moving something or if I step on a step stool. I know my own limitations, he forgets I have my balance back now that I’m not all foggy on opioids anymore. Hell, my children had heart failure when I told them I was going to paddle board. I had to promise them I had no intention of paddling standing up. I only sit and paddle on my paddle board. I’m too afraid to stand on it and fall wrong in the water with my neck. Once my children learned I planned on sitting to paddle, they were behind me 100% and excited I was doing it. I know they are all happy to have their mom back. They know now when they call they are getting a clear headed mom who is going to follow and remember the entire conversation again. I’m ready to listen to whatever it is that is on their minds or what is going on in their lives. I’m fortunate I’m as close to my children as I am. I count that as a blessing. I’m so thankful I was able to find marijuana to manage my chronic pain. It has given me back my life. I’m a much nicer person than I was when I was all miserable in pain all the time. This weekend we’ll be at my niece’s house so my husband and daughter can try to finish up the remodel of the kitchen. We are expecting some even hotter temps tomorrow at 117 degrees so we’ll see how long I can manage outside in the shade with these temps. I’ll probably end up in the pool more than once. I sit outside because there are only a limited amount of seats inside as the house is empty. I get chilly inside just sitting there so I go outside to warm up. Everyone else is busy working so the air conditioning and fans blowing is cold for them so they don’t sweat as much. They all think I’m nuts being able to sit out in the heat but I do. It feels good on my bones and joints until I start sweating too much. I go in and cool off and start all over again. Or just get in the pool. Either way, I’m not in pain. An ache here or there is to be expected at my age. It is the bone deep constant pain I don’t miss. Thankfully, all I live with now are some aches that can become bothersome. All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana!

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Active Monsoon Season

We got hit with another monsoon storm last night. It had wind and lots of rain in our area. Normally when it rains around here we are lucky if it rains for longer than 5 minutes. Last night it rained for close to an hour. It was a normal rain, not a downpour and done. It was good for us as we needed the moisture and the rain washed all the dust off of everything. There is a slight chance for rain this morning but the showers are spotty at best. As a matter of fact, it just started raining here again. Go figure, a nice light rain shower to start the day. Let it rain, I’m sitting here typing away with the heating pad on my lower back to loosen it up for the day and that slight ache in my ankle is back this morning.  That’s it, no horrible pain in my neck and shoulders that would radiate throughout my entire body, especially on days like today. On days like today when I was still on opioids would be a “bad pain” day and I’d be lucky if I’d make it out of bed I’d be so miserable. Instead I’m up typing away waiting for my youngest son to drop off two of my grandsons for the day. He stopped by last night to catch up before he had to go pick up the boys for his parenting time. It was nice to visit with him for an hour. He hadn’t seen his two boys in over a month because of baby momma drama and her being in contempt of court over their parenting plan. Now that they went back to court she got another warning and they are back to 50/50 like they should have been all along. It infuriates me that she plays these games and isn’t putting my grandsons first. I told him to bring their swimsuits so I can take them swimming later this morning when we head over to my niece’s house. My daughter is meeting us there and bringing another one of my grandsons so I’ll be the designated water watcher for the day. I don’t mind, I plan on getting in the pool with them. All of this rain is supposed to move out of here before noon so we should be okay to swim. I’m looking forward to seeing my two grandsons, I haven’t seen them in close to six weeks since their mother pulled her stupid games. I had both of them every Friday for the summer and that was taken when she stopped doing 50/50 over some made up accusation about my son that was proved false in court. So it will be nice to see them for the day. It has stopped raining at this point but I still see some awful dark clouds out there so we just might get some more rain. Bring it on, I’m not in horrible miserable pain with the rain anymore. No, now that I’m managing my chronic pain with marijuana I’m enjoying the change in weather like everyone else. The pressure-like feeling I always have is not more pronounced which is weird, it usually always acts up when a storm blows through and this time it hasn’t bothered me. No complaints there, I’ll take it. My shoulders are not scrunching up towards my ears either so that is also a good thing. Overall, I’ll count this day of rain as a win! Last night I took my ½ gram of Rick Simpson Oil at 4 pm like normal. By 6 pm I was relaxed, high and ache free watching the clouds roll in. We only reached 104 yesterday and are expecting a high of somewhere in the upper 90’s today. Those temperatures are unheard of in the middle of July so we’ll take them, even with the horrible humidity. Besides that, this weekend we’ll be over at my niece’s house so my husband and daughter, along with my niece and her family can work on the remodel. I’ll be the pool watcher once again. I enjoy spending time with my grandchildren so I’m there and present whenever they are around. Things could be so different, I could still be all wigged out and messed up on opioids, not aware of what is going on around me. Instead I’m clear headed, pain free and as active as this body will let me be. I keep pushing forward and having wonderful results. All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana!

Increasing Humidity

You can feel the change in our humidity levels outside, they are increasing with our chances for monsoon storms this weekend. The temps are supposed to go back down below 110 by tomorrow. We’ve been at 113 degrees all week with our temps never dipping below 90 overnight. There is a 40% chance for rain tomorrow night through most of next week. Not everyone in the valley will see rain, it just depends on where it forms and decides to let loose. Monsoon storms come with wind that creates a dust storm, then the rain starts with the wind and lightning. With as dry as this entire state is, we don’t need any more lightning caused wildfires. We already have several they are trying to contain now. So hopefully, the monsoon brings us some rain and not just the wind, dust and lightning. Our extreme heat warning finally expired at 8 pm last night. Yesterday once my husband got home from work he sat for a minute to relax and we left to head over to my niece’s house so he could work on the remodel. While we were over there I sat outside for a bit and came in more often to cool off as I could feel the humidity and got sweaty. Yuck, I prefer the dry heat much better! It is that time of summer when I start complaining about the weather with the higher humidity. It makes my body achy and I feel like I’m moving slower than usual. It also drops my energy levels to not wanting to do anything that involves going outside in the humid oven. I can handle 110 degrees with 18% humidity all day. Put that humidity over 38% and my body feels it. It doesn’t cause me to have pain, I just feel achy all over. I had planned on starting to drop down to one gabapentin next week, but I’m not sure I want to deal with feeling like crap with the humidity and heat. Sounds to me like I’m making excuses when I need to focus and be done with the gabapentin. I’ll keep you posted on that decision. This morning as soon as I post this we are heading over to my niece’s house early so my husband and daughter can continue with the remodel. They are almost to the next stage of installing the kitchen cupboards. My niece has been busy painting all the other rooms getting them one step closer to moving in. There is still the bedroom floors being redone and the kitchen remodel before they can make the final move. But between all of them they are making great progress and will be done before they know it. Yesterday on our way home I stopped and picked up my online order of Rick Simpson Oil and some more Brix 1000 mg THC gummies at the Good dispensary, they were having a sale of everything 50% off in the store. Works for me! We made another quick stop for fast food and we were home before 4 pm. As soon as I was done eating I heated up the vial of RSO under hot water and I put two ½ grams of RSO on waxed paper and put the tray in the freezer. I waited until 6 pm for it to freeze and took my ½ gram of Rick Simpson Oil. By 7:30 pm I was really high as I haven’t had any RSO for close to a week. I spent the evening relaxed and ache free in my recliner. I dozed off during part of the podcast I was watching so I had to rewind it and watch it again. I finished my show, stretched and went to bed. This morning I can tell there is a change of weather coming as my body is stiffer than usual and my sciatic is at a slight ache. I’m hoping as the day goes on I can stretch it out but with the chances of monsoon storms increasing I’m doubtful about that one. I plan on sitting outside in the shade today, but I’ll be going inside more often with the increased humidity! I didn’t last for very long intervals out there yesterday, it was too sticky! At least I’ve stocked up my supply of Brix THC gummies in case these aches become bothersome and I don’t feel like dealing with them, but I’m driving today so it won’t be until we get home, if at all. It is all workable when you manage your chronic pain with marijuana. I’m living proof it works! All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana! 

Overcast Again

Yesterday we had cloudy skies all day, with spotty showers around the valley. We didn’t see a drop. We spent a few hours over at my nieces house and came home to get ready for the BBQ and swim party. I drove us over there and took 100 mg of my THC gummies when we got there. It was a wonderful time spent together swimming and visiting with each other. I took another 100 mg of THC gummy around 7 and another 100 mg around 8:30 am. I had a nice mellow high, I was relaxed and ache free for the evening. Once it got dark we had our own fireworks display at the same time the neighbors down the street did theirs. We got everything cleaned up and my daughter drove us home and my son-in-law followed to take her back home. It was fun catching up with all my grandkids and watching them all in the pool with their cousins. Overall, I’d say it turned out to be a blast and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Overnight I had another damn cramp in my foot so I’m back to a stiff foot. This morning it is once again overcast and we are looking at a high of 107, with the clouds I don’t think we’ll get that hot but we’ll see if the clouds go away and the sun comes out at some point during the day. I know starting tomorrow we are expecting temps to start climbing again with 110+ temps expected all week. It is that time of year when our temps climb and stay hot until September. We had a pleasant June, so these temps are expected, they come each summer. Sometimes they start as early as the middle of June so we were lucky last month and didn’t see many 110 days at all. Today we are heading back over to my niece’s house as soon as this is posted. We can’t stay over there long because my husband has a different run tomorrow and starts work tonight at 11 pm. He’ll need to go to bed even earlier than he normally does as he’ll be starting a half an hour before he normally wakes up. Nothing like messing with his sleep schedule. I don’t know how he has done it all these years. As for me, I’ll be sitting outside in the shade for those couple of hours we are at my niece’s house today, letting the heat warm my joints. Yesterday the humidity was up a bit so I imagine it will be the same today with all the clouds. I just go in the house more often if I get too sweaty. This morning my body feels stiff, it could be from all the dancing around I was doing last night or the clouds we have this morning. Either way, I’m not in pain, just stiff and moving slower than usual. I’ve got the heating pad on high, warming my lower back to help loosen it up for the day as well. The pressure-like feeling I have in my neck and shoulders does not feel more pronounced so that tells me we probably won’t get any rain with these clouds. The only thing I’ve noticed is it feels like a heavy weighted blanket is laying across my upper shoulders. It doesn’t hurt, it just feels like pressing on my upper back on my shoulders. I’ll take it, it sure beats the bone deep constant horrible pain I lived with all those years on opioids. With a neck made of titanium, two metal rods from the back of my head into my shoulders and a body full of arthritis, I don’t think I’m too darn bad at this point. Each morning I wake up with little to no aches or pain. At my age a few aches are to be expected, those I can deal with. I don’t miss all the pain and misery I lived with for close to 14 years while still on opioids. Now that I manage all my chronic pain with marijuana, I’ve found I can go all day until 4 pm to take a ½ gram of Rick Simpson Oil for the day. I enjoy each evening relaxed and without aches. As an added bonus, I get to enjoy a nice mellow high each evening as well. On some days I wake up without any aches and other mornings they are there. I take each day I wake up without horrible pain as a win in my eyes. All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana!

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Cooler Temps

Today we are only expecting a high of 102. That is basically unheard of temperatures for the last day of June! Never fear, our temps aren’t going to stay this nice, we are going to go back up to 107 by Saturday and 112 by next week. Which is right around where we should be for this time of year. Yesterday I woke up with my sciatic slightly aching and I jokingly stated maybe going out and walking around while I’m out running errands, it would stretch out. Imagine my surprise when all the walking I did yesterday morning helped loosen the ache. That was a first but I’m not complaining one bit and counting it as a win for the day. We got all of our running done before noon and spent the rest of the day doing things around the house. I put in an online order at my favorite dispensary, Zenleaf and went and picked up the last two grams of Rick Simpson Oil they had in stock. I’m hoping they get it back in stock soon as they are having a good sale this weekend for the 4th of July and I plan on stocking up if possible. I came home from the dispensary and heated the gram vials under hot water for 60-90 seconds, then placed ½ gram sized doses on waxed paper and put the tray in the freezer. I didn’t pay attention to the time and didn’t take my ½ gram of RSO until close to 5:30 pm. By 7 pm I was relaxed, high and ache free for the evening. This morning I woke up with the top part of my foot stiff as all get out. It is sore like I had a bad cramp in it or something. I think I would know if I had a cramp in my foot bad enough to be this sore. Not sure what I did to it but like yesterday, I’m hoping it works its way out and feels better later today. Of all the weird places to be stiff and sore for no reason I can think of. The only thing I can think of is I had a cramp in one of my toes on that same foot last night, but that was it. Leave it to me to have all these weird aches for no reason. I guess I could blame it on the weather, we are expecting more wind today and have dealt with windy conditions for the last couple of days. I hate the wind. It not only messes with my contacts and allergies, it makes my body feel like it has slowed down and I’m moving slower than usual. Sometimes windy weather just makes me feel achy and stiff. Not so painful that I can’t get out of bed like it was when I was still all messed up on opioids and a weather system blew in. No, now it is more like my body feels stiffer than usual and that’s it. It sure beats sitting in a chair or on the couch all day miserable in pain with no relief in sight, that is for sure! At my age and the way I have beat up this body over the years, I expect some aches here and there. It was that bone deep constant pain that I lived with all those years on opioids that never went away that drove me into a bad state of depression with the awful pain I don’t miss. With a neck made of titanium (S2-S7), two metal rods from the back of my head into my shoulders, along with a body full of arthritis I don’t think I’m doing too darn bad with managing all of my chronic pain with marijuana. I’m going all day with little to no pain and take my ½ gram of RSO around 4 pm, enjoy the added bonus of being high each night and wake up to do it all over again. On the off days I’m on my feet for longer periods of time or a weather system is blowing through the valley, I may take a 50 mg cube of THC gummy to help ease the bothersome aches that may come up before 4 pm. Most of the time when that happens I’m stubborn and try to stick it out until 4pm, but when it starts to hinder my movements I usually break down and take a THC gummy. After you have lived through the high levels of intense pain that I lived with for 13 years, a few aches are nothing. It is my body reminding me I’m alive and to keep on moving. The old saying, “if you don’t use it, you will lose it”, is true. I didn’t use this body for much movement for years, I’m doing my best to make up for lost time! All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana!

Dry Heat

Now that our humidity has gone down we are back to dry, hot conditions. We are actually expecting “below” average temperatures for the week with highs not going over 104 until Saturday. At this late in the month, we’ll take the cooler, drier weather. Normally we would be looking at temperatures around 110 at this point in the month. So you will hear no complaints from us here in the desert to have these lower 100’s. We’ll deal with the 110+ temps in July and August only then we can probably add higher humidity and dew points. Yuck! Yesterday we spent the day over at my niece’s house so my husband and daughter could work on the remodel. While they were working on the remodel and everyone else was busy painting the bedrooms, I sat outside and was once again the designated pool watcher for two of my grandsons and my great-great niece who is four years old. I enjoyed visiting with my grandsons and catching up on what they are doing this summer. They go back to school towards the end of July so they are keeping themselves busy playing video games and hanging out with their friends until then. The heat felt good on my bones while I was outside sitting in the shade. It doesn’t matter how hot it gets, the heat can still wear you out and make you tired. Both my husband and I were so tired when we got home we turned on the crock pot to heat up dinner and forgot to plug it in. I guess that is one of the reasons we’ve got a microwave. I heated up the carnitas in a minute and we had dinner. Around 4 pm I went to take my Brix THC gummy and realized I only had 100 mg left, not 200 mg. By that time of the day I didn’t feel like going back out in the heat so I waited and took my only 100 mg of THC around 5:30 pm. I spent the evening somewhat high, ache free and relaxed. I definitely plan on going to the dispensary today to pick up more Rick Simpson Oil for the week. I think today is 30% off for Medical Monday, I’ll have to double check when I place my online order once they open this morning. Imagine my surprise this morning to have my husband home today. Evidently there wasn’t a run for him today so they gave him the day off. We plan on spending the morning getting all of our errands run that we didn’t feel like doing this past weekend. You know, fun places like the pharmacy and bank. I’ll make a quick stop on the way home to pick up my order at the dispensary, now that will be fun to me. I have to make sure they have Rick Simpson Oil in stock. If they don’t I’ll be checking out the other local dispensaries and going there. I know this weekend they will all have good sales on most products with it being the 4th of July. I plan on stocking up, if possible. This morning I’m still dealing with a slight ache in my sciatic. I’m hoping once I get out and start walking around it will stretch and feel better. At this point it might just be a whole lot of wishful thinking. I’m still doing the extra stretches each night. They helped for a few days and now it is back to the slight ache in the morning. I still reach my daily step goal just about every day, so I do my best not to let it slow me down until it actually does. I’m thinking about upping my daily dose of THC from ½ gram to ¾ gram of RSO like I did before during the winter, but I’m still thinking about it. I’m on my second week of taking two instead of three gabapentin so that is going on too. One thing I’ve noticed with dropping down the dose of gabapentin is my anxiety levels have increased. I have to remind myself to relax by mid afternoon, I find myself more uptight and crankier as the day goes on. I imagine that isn’t helping my sciatic with being tense. That might be another reason to increase my daily dose of THC. I’ve got to get  it under control because I plan on dropping down to once a day and then stopping the gabapentin all together. All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana!

Not As Hot

Today we are expecting a high of only 103. It was 107 yesterday but the temperature in my truck said 113 where we were. Yesterday while we were at my niece’s house I spent the morning and part of the afternoon being the designated pool watcher while my grandson and great-great niece swam. They had a ball in the pool, getting out to snack on donuts and later some watermelon to hydrate. We had Mexican food from my son-in-law’s family restaurant for lunch and they continued on with the remodel and the kids got back in the pool. On our way home we stopped and picked up an order from Wal-Mart then did our weekly shopping at Sam’s Club so we didn’t have to worry about doing those things today. By the time we got home it was around 4:30 pm so I took my ½ gram of Rick Simpson Oil and ate leftover Mexican food for dinner. By 7 pm I was high, relaxed and ache free for the evening, getting ready to watch mindless television. My sciatic bothered me pretty much all day yesterday, not painful, just enough to know the ache was there. I will tell you, this aging thing really sucks. I know at my age of 64, after the way I beat this body up for years, I’m going to have some form of aches. It is bound to happen. I’ll take those minor aches, they are no big deal to me, it is to be expected at this point in my life. It doesn’t mean I have to like it and I’m doing everything possible to stay as active as I can with the limitations I have. With a neck made of titanium (S2-S7), two metal rods from the back of my head into my shoulders and a body full of arthritis, I’m not doing too bad at this point. Minor aches are to be expected, it is my body reminding me I’m still alive and to keep on moving. It is my mantra and I’m doing my best to stick with it. It sucks that so much has happened over the last several months, we haven’t even been camping once this year! Normally we camp from March through May at the lake. After that it is too hot and you have to go further north for cooler temperatures. We start camping again in the middle of September through the end of October so we are hoping things will have settled down by then and we might get out there this fall. I haven’t been able to get my paddle board in the water yet either. Today we are getting ready to head over to my niece’s house so my husband and daughter can finish up with the texturing and get started in the kitchen. We don’t plan on being over there too long today as my husband goes to bed by 3 pm to wake up by 11:30 pm for work. I plan on being outside sitting in the shade, enjoying the warmth on my bones. I always have my swimsuit with me just in case it gets too hot and I need to cool off or I simply walk into the house to do the same. I’ve been staying as hydrated as possible, I know how important that is living in the desert. It is important to start hydrating yourself the night before if you know you’ll be out in the heat the next day. So I make sure I drink plenty of water all day long, even when I’m in the house. I’d rather be safe than sorry when it comes to the heat! You never get used to the high temperatures, you just learn better ways to deal with it. Either today or tomorrow I need to make another trip to my favorite dispensary, Zenleaf, to stock up on more Rick Simpson Oil. I’ve got enough Brix THC gummies to hold me over for today, so I’ll see how I feel once we get home and decide then. I imagine with the 4th of July coming the dispensary will have a good sale this upcoming weekend so I’ll be able to better stock up for even less. That is really what I do, I watch for the sales or go to the dispensary on days I know they have 35% off. It keeps it budget friendly that way. All I know is I feel so much better managing my chronic pain with marijuana than I ever did on opioids. It is a difference like night and day. All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana!

The Heat Is On!

We hit a toasty 111 yesterday and are expected to be right around the same for today. Tomorrow starts the “extreme heat warnings” for the valley for at least two days with temps expected to soar close to 115 degrees. Our morning lows have come up to the upper 80’s so it is at that time of year when it just never cools off. The temperature is supposed to go back down to 105 by Sunday. You may not realize it, but the difference from 105 to 110 is very noticeable when you are outside for any amount of time. Even the Grand Canyon has been under extreme heat warnings for most of the week. Three hikers passed away from hiking in the heat in the Canyon. The heat of summer in Arizona is no joke and can be deadly if not taken seriously. I’m not sure what is going through someone’s mind to start hiking in the middle of the day in this heat without the proper shoes or enough water, but people do it all the time and have to be rescued. Yesterday I did stuff around the house until my husband got home so I could go pick up the Wal-mart order. It was already 106 degrees at noon so it was warm out there. Last night I took my 100 mg of Brix THC gummy at 4 pm. I remembered to take the other 100 mg around 7 pm. I spent the evening like I usually do, relaxed, high and ache free. This morning I still slept in until 6:30. I’m not complaining, if I can sleep that is good and sure beats nights filled with pain and no sleep. It just surprises me when I sleep past 5:30 am because I’ve gotten up at that time for years. When I was still working full time I was up by 4:30 am to leave for work by 6:30 so sleeping until 5:30 am was like sleeping into me. After all those years I suffered from pain filled insomnia, I’ll take the ability of sleeping in until 6:30 am as a win. Clearly my body needs it if I’m sleeping that long. I haven’t changed the time I go to bed or take my nighttime meds so I could always blame the heat. Either way, I’m not complaining about getting an extra hour of sleep and still waking up refreshed and in no pain. I’m serious, the last almost three years, ever since I transitioned off of opioids to using marijuana to manage my chronic pain alone, I’m no longer suffering in constant horrible nagging pain. Now I wake up with minor aches that are expected for someone my age. Let’s face it, I beat the daylights out of this body over the years, a few aches are to be expected at this point. It is my body reminding me I’m still alive and to keep on moving as much as possible. You know the old saying, “a body in motion, stays in motion”. After sitting for close to 13 years because of the horrible pain, I’ve got a new lease on life using marijuana. Getting up to walk across the room doesn’t hurt anymore, I can concentrate  and remember conversations again, even high. I’m getting a good night’s rest, falling right back to sleep when I wake up. I’m 64, I’m going to be up during the night at least once, if not twice. I use the heating pad on my lower back every morning to help loosen it up for the day. So far that seems to do the trick. The extra stretches I’ve added seem to be helping my sciatic, if it starts to ache it is usually later in the day now, not early afternoon. By then it is almost time to take my daily dose of THC at 4 pm, so I wait until then. On days it becomes bothersome and starts to hinder my day, if I’m home and don’t have to drive anywhere I’ll take a 50 mg cube of THC to help ease the ache. A 50 mg cube doesn’t get me high, it just relaxes me and takes away the bothersome aches. See? There is always a way around dealing with any aches with marijuana. Between the Rick Simpson Oil and Brix THC gummies, I’ve got my pain management down to a tee. I’m once again more active, doing more and working on increasing my daily step count. I still park as far away from the entrances of places to walk in because I can. When you lose something as simple as walking because of pain, if you get that back you use it as much as possible. All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana!

Extreme Heat Coming!

We are expecting a high of 110 degrees today and it is only going to climb from there throughout the week with temps close to 115. There are already extreme heat watches out for Wednesday and Thursday of this week which will turn into extreme heat warnings on those days. It’s that time of year if you spend any time outdoors you need to stay hydrated as your body can lose up to four water bottles worth of hydration in an hour. The heat can whoop your butt if you are not careful and drain you of your energy. I don’t mind the extreme temperatures, I stay inside if possible, it is when you add a higher dew point and humidity I start to complain, loudly. Yesterday we had a wonderful time at my niece’s house swimming and celebrating Father’s Day with all the dads. All but two of my grandchildren were there having a ball swimming in the pool with their cousins. It was fun for me watching them all make plans to go to the movies together later in the evening. Pooling their funds together to get all the tickets was pretty cool for a group of teenagers. Well, my great nephews are now 20 years old and my grandson is 19 so I guess the three college students were scraping the funds for them and my other grandson to go. I also had a blast watching my niece’s two granddaughters play in the water, they are both so cute and precious I just melt when they smile. The smoked pork roast went over as a hit, along with my husband’s bean dip. There was plenty of food, fruit, veggies and desserts, none of us went hungry. Overall, I’d say it was a fun time had by all and we enjoyed ourselves in this heat. The water in the pool was still refreshing and almost chilly when you got out. That will change this week with the hotter temps we are expecting. We were home by 2 pm and my sciatic was starting to ache. I didn’t do a damn thing once we got home but sat and rested my sciatic. Around 4 pm I took my 100 mg of Brix THC gummies and by 5:30 pm I could feel the THC start kicking in. By 7 pm I was still high and waited until 8 pm to take the other 100 mg of THC. I watched the new show about storm chasers on Discovery Channel, stretched and went to bed. This morning my sciatic is at a dull ache so I’m counting that as a win for the morning. We are down to one running vehicle so my husband is using my truck until his truck gets fixed from the accident he was in this past Friday. I put in a Wal-mart order for pick up after he gets home today. It will be hot out there but until he hears back from insurance, he’s not getting a rental car. Luckily by pulling the fender away from the tire he was able to drive it home safely and park it in the driveway until it goes to the shop for repairs which I’m hoping is sooner than later. I’ve noticed lately when I end up taking my THC gummies past 8 pm I end up sleeping in the next morning. This morning I slept in until almost 6:30, which is unheard of for me as I can’t sleep past 5:30 am any other time. My problem is I’m high off the 100 mg from 4 pm and forget to take the other 100 mg before 8 pm. If I don’t take the other 100 mg’s I have a harder time falling asleep. Sounds like a good problem to have to me. I’d rather sleep in and feel refreshed than have a hard time going to sleep in the first place. I still have to take medication to help me go to sleep on top of being high so there is that. Being able to sleep, wake up during the night and then fall right back to sleep is a big deal when you suffer from insomnia for years. That’s right, marijuana has not only helped me manage my chronic pain, it has helped me sleep again at night as well. I’m telling you, I’m living proof marijuana works to take your horrible pain away and give me a life back. I’ve been more active in the last three years with marijuana than I’ve been in all those years stuck in pain on opioids.  It truly works and is nothing short of a miracle in my eyes. All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana!

Happy Father’s Day ’26

Each year on Father’s Day, I miss my dad. So today, I hope everyone that still has a dad on this earth calls their dad and says hello. Be thankful your dad is still here to wish a Happy Father’s Day to! Father’s Day and Mother’s Day always remind me life is short, enjoy it with loved ones while we can. Especially now, whenever I’m in the room I’m usually the oldest one there besides my husband who is 6 months older than I am. I’m hanging on the backside of that hill kicking and screaming holding on for dear life the whole way! That is why I’m so thankful I feel better now at 64 than I did at 54. I not only feel better, I’m healthier and more active now than I was then. Or should I say I’m now able to be more active because the horrible constant pain in my neck and shoulders is gone. The ½ gram of Rick Simpson Oil or the THC gummies each day take care of keeping all that pain away. That is how simple managing my chronic pain with marijuana has become. Once a day at around 4 pm I  take my daily dose of THC and go on with my day. I enjoy the evening high, relaxed and ache free each night. The high I get is what I consider the added bonus to the evening of being without pain. I do my nightly stretching and get a great night’s sleep, waking up refreshed and without severe pain. Waking up with a minor ache here or there is perfectly normal and expected at my age. It is my body reminding me I’m still alive and to keep on moving it. That is my motto and I’ve stuck by it for the last 3 years. I don’t mind the aches, it is when those aches become bothersome and start hindering my day I get frustrated. I know the new stretches I’ve been doing are helping as my sciatic hasn’t bothered me until much later in the day than usual, so I’m counting those new stretches as a plus and will continue them nightly in hopes it continues to feel better.  I know when we have a change in weather and the monsoon storms start building in our area again I might start to feel it earlier in the day but I’ll keep you posted on that one. That is the reason I started writing this blog, to share my experience of transitioning off of opioids to managing my chronic pain with marijuana alone. So far I’m still hanging in there with dropping my gabapentin from three times a day to twice a day. I’ll get myself weaned off of this medication hopefully sooner than later! Yesterday we smoked the 9# pork roast and ended up cutting it up and throwing it in the crock pot for a couple of hours to make it just a bit more tender. It shredded so easily but still took some time to get done, it was a huge pork roast and shredded my biggest crock pot is to the rim. My husband is also making his homemade bean dip to take with us over to my niece’s house for the Father’s Day swim party and lunch. I always enjoy spending time with my grandchildren, children and extended family. Phoenix is expecting a high of 105 today which is considered our “normal” average temperature for this time of year. By the end of the week we’ll be sitting at 111 to 113 degrees. Ah, the joy of summer in the desert! As long as the humidity stays low I don’t mind the hotter temps, it is when you add moisture in the air I start complaining about the heat. We are coming close to the days when you open your door and it feels like you are walking into an oven. It happens every year right around the end of this month and stays until September. We keep our fingers crossed it is cool enough to sit comfortably outside by Halloween. I imagine we’ll be home before 2 pm this afternoon so my husband can get to bed so I’ll enjoy the afternoon relaxing, maybe catching up on some podcasts I’ve been meaning to watch. I took my last ½ gram of RSO last night so I’ll be using my Brix THC gummies for the next couple of nights until I go to the dispensary on Wednesday for 35% off wax and concentrates. It is all workable and budget friendly when it comes to managing my chronic pain with marijuana. All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana!

Hotter Weather Coming

We’ve got a nice “cool off” coming for this weekend with temps dropping down to 105 degrees. The humidity and dew point has dropped and we are drying out. We’ll have to enjoy it as by the middle of next week we are looking at temperatures to soar to around 115. That my friends is the joy of summer in the desert. You never get used to the heat, you just learn many different ways to deal with it. Like doing your errands as early in the morning as possible before the main heat of the day or not forgetting to put the sun screen in your window when you are parked in the direct sun. Stay hydrated and always have water with you. Never forget to use sunblock when you’ll be in the sun for any amount of time over 10 minutes. Little things that make a difference in this heat. It is here to stay for at least another three months so you live and learn what works best for you in this heat. They are reminding people to not go hiking in the afternoon in this heat, but there are still mountain rescues on the news almost daily. People forget to turn around when half of their water is gone, you’ll need that for the rest of the walk back down the trail. Some hikers have been injured or fallen so that requires even more rescues for first responders in this high heat. Even with signs at the start of all the trails reminding people, they don’t pay attention and hike anyways. Years ago, we were stranded out in the middle of nowhere with a broken down vehicle, without water, it wasn’t fun. We were lucky we didn’t suffer from heat exhaustion or worse. I was sunburned and dehydrated, it wasn’t a fun experience and we learned our lesson from it. Yesterday I stayed busy around the house trying to get some things done. Around 5 pm I took 100 mg of THC gummy and by 6 pm I was high, relaxed and still ache free. I was so relaxed for the evening I didn’t even take my next 100 mg of THC until close to 9 pm. I probably didn’t need to take the second dose of 100 mgs because I was still high from the first 100 mg, but I took it anyway. I got a great night’s sleep and woke up this morning without any aches to mention so I’m counting that as a win for the day. I’m still doing those new stretches each night so we’ll see how I do today with being on my feet for an extended period of time. Once my husband gets home this morning we are heading back over to help at my niece’s house so I’ll be outside, probably in the pool or running errands if they need parts. Better yet, I need to clean out that closet with all my sister’s clothes in it. I told my niece I’d do it and have avoided it ever since. Time to face the overwhelmingness and do it. If they are not in that room painting when I get there, I plan on starting the closet today. Time to face it. My sister was a secret shopper and had clothes all over her house, most with the tags still on them. I’ll go through and pick out only the things I know I will wear. I’ve got too many of my sister’s clothes because they were hers and I haven’t worn them. So I need to get rid of those at some point as well. I guess that will be done when I bring home the new stuff from the closet we found stuffed full of clothes that we missed three years ago when she passed. One way or another I’ll get it all done. I promised my children our house would be cleaned out before we get too old or pass so they won’t have to do it like we’ve had to do with my sister. It is just too much to put someone through while grieving. Now if I could get my husband, who keeps everything, on the same page we’ll be doing something. Only time will tell on that one. I was right, my husband is smoking a big pork roast to take on Sunday for pulled pork BBQ sandwiches. He loves his food and loves to cook. I’d be happy with cold sandwiches but he’s got to have an entire meal. That’s fine, it will be Father’s Day so he can do whatever makes him happy. Food makes him happy. Marijuana keeping all of my pain away makes me happy! All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana!

111 For Today

Today will be the hottest day so far this summer with a high of 111 degrees expected by 3 to 4 pm this afternoon. Our humidity is a tad bit lower today at 34% and the dew point is cooler at 56 degrees. It is still sticky outside even with the lower humidity that is for sure. When you are used to a mostly dry climate, any little bit of moisture in the air is felt by all of us. I’m not complaining about the heat, it comes every summer. You never get used to it, you just learn the different ways to deal with it. One thing is for sure, I always make sure I’m well hydrated. Yesterday I got all of my errands run before 10 am and got myself back indoors for the rest of the day. I took my ½ gram of Rick Simpson Oil around 4 pm and by 5:30 pm I was relaxed, high and ache free for the evening. I watched some what I call mindless television, stretched and went to bed. I’ve been adding some new stretches in hopes of helping my sciatic so we’ll see if these help. This morning my sciatic seems to be at a dull ache so I’m counting that as a win for the day. I’ve got plenty to do around the house today to keep me busy. I still need to clean out my walk-in closet again to make room for new winter clothes left from my sister. I’ll get it done, I’ve just been frustrated with my sciatic and the weather. Nothing worse than trying to complete a task when it hurts to stand for long periods of time. I don’t have anywhere that I need to drive today so if my sciatic starts to act up I can always take a 50 mg cube of THC gummies. I know that will take away the ache within the hour. I just don’t like to take them during the day if at all possible, just in case I need to drive somewhere and can’t because I’ve taken THC. If the aches become bothersome all bets are off and I will take a cube of THC. Someone else will have to drive. I still try to switch back and forth between the two products to keep my tolerance levels right where they are now. A ½ gram of RSO or 100 mg of THC twice in an evening is what I’m still at for my day. On Sunday I took a 50 mg cube when we got home and then took 100 mg two more times that evening so I only went over my normal daily dose by 50 mg, which is what it is for when I am aching! You see? Living with chronic pain is all workable and manageable with marijuana! I’m living proof it works. Go to a dispensary, ask questions and you’ll soon find the many healing qualities of marijuana like I have. Gone is the horrible constant nagging pain in my neck and shoulders that would radiate throughout my entire body. The foggy brain that couldn’t hold a thought for more than a second or two is gone too! You have no idea how much I value having my mind back. I was so bad I truly thought it was dementia, never once thinking it was the opioids that were causing me to feel like I was losing my memory. The 13 years I was still on opioids are still a complete blur. I have blips of memory from that time but unless I see a picture of me there, I don’t remember it at all. That is another reason I jump at the chance to spend time with family and friends, to create new memories I can remember. Plus, I missed out on so many family activities and functions because of depression and being in all that pain, I didn’t bother to leave the house. Now I’m the first one out the door ready to drive wherever we need to go not wanting to miss out on creating new memories with my children, grandchildren and extended family. I just may be a fixture at this point, but I’m there and part of the conversation and fun whenever possible. Let’s just say I don’t turn down many invitations anymore. I’m there clear headed and ready for fun. Even with this darn sciatic, I still go and deal with it while I’m spending time with others. When necessary someone else has to drive so I can eat my THC gummies to ease the ache. It is all manageable when using marijuana to manage my chronic pain. All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana!

Friday Heat Is On

We are looking at a high of 108 today and 107 tomorrow. It is supposed to cool off by early next week back down to 103 degrees where we should be at this time of year. The highs over 105 usually don’t start until the end of this month so we’ve got an early reminder for a couple of days. Let’s face it, summer has arrived in Phoenix and there is no turning back from the heat. I don’t mind the heat, it feels good on my bones. It is when the humidity starts climbing I get uncomfortable. We live in the desert so we are used to a dry climate for most of the year. The only time it gets humid is around the end of June, going into July when we are entering our monsoon season that runs through the end of August. So it is only a matter of weeks before it starts. Yesterday I managed to get my house cleaned and straightened after not touching it for over a week. I even remembered to take something out for dinner, which it seems lately my brain hasn’t been thinking about cooking. We’ve been eating fast food more these past two weeks than we have in the last six months.  We normally prepare and cook our meals at home and save money by not eating out.  After seeing some of the prices at some fast food places we walked out and went somewhere cheaper. Today I had planned on spending the day with my two grandsons but my son called me last night to let me know there is more “baby mama drama” and she decided to pull some stunt and not drop off the boys for his time. So back to court they go. I feel horrible for him, today is his birthday, he is my youngest son and last born. I’m proud of him stepping up and realizing what it means to be a father when they split over a year ago. I don’t think she likes the fact that he is succeeding in moving on without her. He’s made the necessary changes and adjustments in his life where she has not. I’m just upset because she is hurting the boys by keeping them from their dad while trying to hurt him. She’s got another false accusation going, I see a definite pattern on how she works. So today when my husband gets home from work I’ll join him in going over to help my niece at the house. I’ve still got a full closet I have to clean out over there with holiday outfits with the price tags still on most of them. Today I’ve also got to renew my medical marijuana card as it expires tomorrow. I’ll renew it for two years and be done. It shouldn’t take too long to do. All I’ve got to do is submit paperwork online to the approved doctor’s site. Wait for them to call and talk to the doctor. He’ll approve my card and send the info to the state where I’ll go in the portal and upload the card right to my phone. At least that is how it worked two years ago. I’ll let you know if it has gotten any easier or harder once I’m done. For me it is worth it to pay the money to have my medical card. It allows me access to the stronger, high potency THC products and saves me on the 16-19% state taxes that you pay for recreational marijuana. As we all know, I use the higher potency THC products daily. I wouldn’t be able to buy Rick Simpson Oil or the Brix 1000 mg THC gummies without my medical card. I didn’t make it to Sam’s Club yesterday, I don’t see making it there today either, unless I go once we get home and by then it is going to be too hot to want to go anywhere else. It’s that time of year where if it doesn’t get done first thing in the morning before the hottest part of the day, it will be done the next morning. This morning I’m not doing too bad, my back has loosened up from the heating pad and my sciatic is giving me a break. I’ll count that as a win! I’m still watching the dispensary for the THC gummies to go on sale so I can stock back up on those. I have a feeling I might want to have them on hand towards the end of the month with monsoon season approaching. Time will tell how my body reacts to the humidity this year. That’s okay, I have enough different products to turn to to help if the pain becomes bothersome. All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana!

#cannabis #legalization #medicalmarijuana #MarijuanaLegalization #CannabisCommunity #420 #LegalizeIt #WeedPolitics

109 In June?

Yes, that is our expected high for today. We’ll eventually drop back down to 103 by early next week so it is not going to stay this hot, yet. No, that comes towards the end of this month into July. We’ve also got our monsoon season just around the corner. Each year we wait to see if we will only get wind and dust or rain along with all the wind and dust. It all varies on the daytime temperatures, dew points and stuff like that. If everything comes together we have huge, fast moving thunderstorms that will blow through different parts of the valley. You watch them form and wait to see exactly where they are going to hit. First you get the outflow winds with a dust storm that can put your visibility down to zero. The rain comes right behind the wind. It is an incredible sight to see and we have awesome light shows with all the lightning. Of course this year we are in extreme fire danger throughout the entire state from such a dry winter. Absolutely no campfires or charcoal grills allowed from now through October. With the hotter temperatures they are reminding people to hike early in the morning to avoid getting overheated in the direct sun and heat. All the 24 hour cooling centers across the valley are open for anyone needing to cool off and rehydrate. These temperatures are no joke and can kill you if you stay out in it long enough without water. The electric companies are not allowed to shut off your electricity in the Phoenix area for non-payment when temperatures are over 90 degrees. You still have to pay your bill, they just can’t shut off your utilities in the middle of the summer. It is something they started a couple of years ago to prevent heat related deaths. We take the heat seriously here in Phoenix, if you don’t, you’ll find yourself sick from the heat. Yesterday I put in an online order at my favorite dispensary, Zenleaf. It was time to stock up on more Rick Simpson Oil at 35% off a gram. I came home and proceeded to heat the vials under hot water for about 90 seconds. I then put ½ gram sized doses on waxed paper and put the tray in the freezer. Done and done for the week. I’m still watching for the THC gummies to go on sale so I can have those on hand for the days my aches become bothersome. I swear I spent the day yesterday in a numbed fog. We’ve been so busy and constantly on the go for the last couple of weeks that it finally caught up to me and I was whooped. I managed to get most of the stuff in my living room sorted and ready for my children to pick up. So that is finally done. That is about all I had the energy to do. Today I plan on staying home to get the rest of the house cleaned. I know I need to make a quick trip to Sam’s Club at some point today or tomorrow. I’m almost out of coffee creamer and we can’t have that. This morning my sciatic is giving me a break and the heating pad is working just fine on my lower back as I type. To me, that is a win for the day. Waking up with minor aches or stiffness is still nothing compared to all the horrible pain I lived with daily still taking opioids. I’ll keep managing my chronic pain with marijuana. My head is clear, I once again have a complete thought process and memory. The best part? I’m not in constant pain anymore. The horrible pain that I had in my neck and shoulders that would radiate throughout my entire body is gone. As a reminder, my neck is made of titanium from S2-S7, I have two metal rods that go from the back of my head into my shoulders and a body full of arthritis. That pain in my neck and shoulders has been numbed to a pressure like feeling there now. On days we have a change of weather I can feel the pressure-like feeling become more pronounced like something laying across my upper shoulders. That’s it, no more excruciating pain to deal with. Now I deal with the aches of being 64 and beating my body up over the years. I’ll take it with a smile. All because I chose a plant over a pill. Thank you marijuana!

CNN's 'Weed' series explores medical marijuana's impact on women's health, showcasing evolving patient experiences and therapeutic applications in the expanding cannabis industry. #Cannabis #MedicalMarijuana

Airport Collision and Drug Policy Shift Dominate News Cycle

Two pilots died in a LaGuardia Airport crash. President Trump aims to lower Regeneron drug prices. Medical marijuana status changed.

#LaGuardiaCrash, #DrugPrices, #AirSafety, #Trump, #MedicalMarijuana

https://newsletter.tf/laguardia-airport-crash-pilots-killed-drug-prices-drop/

A collision at LaGuardia Airport killed two pilots last month. Separately, President Trump is working to lower drug prices for Regeneron medications.

#LaGuardiaCrash, #DrugPrices, #AirSafety, #Trump, #MedicalMarijuana
https://newsletter.tf/laguardia-airport-crash-pilots-killed-drug-prices-drop/

https://www.europesays.com/news/23566/ The Cannabis Industry’s New Best Friend? President Trump #CannabisFoodsAndProducts #DonaldJ #Headlines #Marijuana #MedicalMarijuana #News #RegulationAndDeregulationOfIndustry #TopStories #trump

The Cannabis Industry’s New Best Friend? President Trump

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/02/business/dealbook/cannabis-industry-trump.html

US DITCHES DRUG SCHEDULE FOR WEED

The US government has moved cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III. This change makes it easier to research weed's medical uses. It affects patients and researchers.

#cannabisresearch, #drugpolicy, #medicalmarijuana, #USnews, #ScheduleIII

https://newsletter.tf/us-moves-weed-schedule-i-to-schedule-iii/

The US government has moved cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III, a lower category. This is a big change from its previous classification alongside drugs like heroin.

#cannabisresearch, #drugpolicy, #medicalmarijuana, #USnews, #ScheduleIII
https://newsletter.tf/us-moves-weed-schedule-i-to-schedule-iii/

#monochromemonday #monday #Fotomontag #fotografie #fotografia
#fotografo #fujifilm #gfx100rf #JorgeAlbanPhotos #cannabis
#weed #medicalmarijuana #thc #cbd
#2026mmm #Endocannabinoide
#ENDOCANNABINOIDSYSTEM
#CostaRica

"Good morning" said the flower, as it has whispered everyday for 5000 years.

From arid tundras to dense tropical forests, she hugs us whenever we need it.

She only asks for a little care. The experiences will always outweight legal mumbo-jumbo ( Schedule III ?).

Happy 4-20 and do join us at the World Marihuana March on May 9th at Parque Nacional, San José, Costa Rica.

We march for the right to heal naturally, for self-determination and against all forms of discrimination.

For insight on a better relationship with this green godess please visit
https://jorge--alban--dobles-blogspot-com.translate.goog/2024/08/trucos-raros-para-prender-con-placer-y.html?m=1&_x_tr_sl=es&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=es-419&_x_tr_pto=wapp#vapos

So will mmj costs for registered patients be tax deductible medical expenses for tax year 2026?

#MMJ #MedicalMarijuana #Marijuana #News