What's saving my life right now
What's saving my life right now
Summer edition
Every once in a while I feel the need to share the things that are extremely helpful in my everyday world. “Saving my life” might sound a little dramatic, but it’s not far off. Since this is the summer edition, I thought it would be fun for all the things to start with S.
Actually that’s not true. These things started coming to mind and it just so happened that they all begin with S and isn’t that fun? I’m always down for a little alliteration.
Seresto collar
Do you have a dog? I do. Hank is a little Biewer terrier, which is basically a Yorkie with different coloring.
I bought him to be a therapy dog six months after I was hit head-on and that was a supreme waste of good money. Hank is all about himself, what he wants, what he feels like doing. When we go out for a walk, we get to the end of the driveway and turn one way or the other. I always opt for the direction with the most shade. Hank opts for whichever way is the opposite. He plants his tiny paws and braces his little eight-pound body and stares at me with defiance burning in his little black eyeballs.
Do you see it?
I’ve had a lot of dogs in my life and Hank is by far the most type-A. All the dog trainers who tell you there is no such thing as an alpha dog have never met Hank. He is mischievous and obstinate and frustrating and so much fun. I tell him every night when I put him in his crate that he’s the best puppy of all the puppies and my favorite little dog ever.
But here’s the thing about dogs and summer: ticks. We have a plethora of the nasty little critters this year, we think because Ben just brought home 120 rolls of hay for next winter, and dry hay is like the Gaylord for ticks. Every time I take Hank out here at the new house, he comes in with three or four ticks in his fur. But here’s the good part: the ticks do not bite him. We always find them dead (or almost dead) in his fur and that’s the magic of a Seresto collar. I am trying not to think about what poisons are all over him when I pick him up for a snuggle, but I’m telling you these collars work and the chemicals haven’t bothered him or us since we started using them four years ago. Maybe I’ll die young, but at least I will be tickless. The packaging says they’re good for up to eight months, but I change them every six just to make sure. It is so very worth it to not have live ticks crawling around my house—and on me.
Let me add that I have also recently started rubbing him with geranium essential oil before we go out to keep the ticks from getting on him in the first place. It has to be the genus/species Pelargonium graveolens, but studies have shown it is as effective as DEET at repelling ticks. This is what Ben and I use on ourselves before we go in the pasture. (Check with your vet before using any essential oils on your dog as some may be toxic to pets.)
Stur
Did you know you are supposed to drink half your body weight in ounces of water every day? In other words, if you weigh 150 pounds, you should drink at least 75 ounces of water daily. Try it and let me know how much time you spend in the bathroom because it will be a lot.
In our last house we had city water, which we are not big fans of. It has a funny taste, and add to that the little plastic tube that carries water to the ice maker and you have a recipe for nasty ice cubes. It was so bad Ben was looking for a way to flavor his water, and you can only use so much lemon before you’re sick of it and your tooth enamel is gone.
There are all kinds of water flavor enhancers on the market, many of them available in grocery stores. But who wants their water to taste like Skittles (I am not even kidding)? Also, most of them contain artificial flavors, colors, and sweeteners. Eww. So I went on the hunt for a healthier alternative.
Enter Stur. I found this stuff on Amazon here, and it’s delicious. It makes drinking copious amounts of water easier and more pleasant and it does not contain toxic ingredients. It comes in a lot of flavors and is also available in an electrolyte formulation. So drink up!
Sleep
It is no secret that I love my sleep and need a lot of it. I used to feel guilty that I required more than the average eight hours a night, but I am all about personal growth and I’m ready to admit I feel best when I get nine good hours.
Did you know that in the summer, the sun comes up over my pasture right outside my bedroom window at approximately 5:15 am? And it doesn’t set until 9 pm. I’m not good at math, but it doesn’t seem like that gives me my required nine hours of sleep time, especially when you factor in my preference to stay up later and sleep until 7.
I’ve had blackout curtains before, and they’re fine except for the gap between the window and the curtain rod where early morning sunshine comes screaming into my bedroom at the crack of middle-of-the-night. But a few weeks ago I was visiting my daughter in Tennessee and she had the greatest curtain rods that totally eliminate that gap.
See how the curtain rod curves to the wall? That’s the key.
She got them (where else?) on Amazon here, so I ordered my own and I love them so much. They’re easy to install if you are a husband who is good with power tools (or if you have one of those) (a daddy also works here) and they work like a charm to help me sleep in the mornings. I’ll be putting them in the guest room too, so if you come to visit, you’re welcome.
(This post contains affiliate links.)
And there you have it—what’s saving my life right now, summer edition. I’d love to hear what’s helping you get through your summer!