Karin Bartsch's Journals

"Friends are forever!" ......Is that true?

As campers we meet nice people from all walks of life. We might talk for hours, sit together in the evening and have a drink, or we invite each other for dinner. We promise  each other to keep in touch, exchange so-called business cards with adresses and personal info. Then we wish each other being safe on the road and wave goodbye when the trailer or motorhome leaves the camping resort. Some time it hurts. Most of the time a short-lived friendship dies slowly, but there are others! I will give you some examples.

We were in a camping resort in Homosassa Springs, Florida, to enjoy a warm climate in the winter. A lovely young lady was sitting at the pond and painting. I admired her work - and she said: "Oh, you come from Germany? I can tell because I have lived in Germany for 12 years, but I come from Vietnam. You can meet my hubby in a minute. His parents are from Japan". She had also a cat on a leash with her, as we had. This was instant real friendship. They live in Los Angeles. We met each other several times more while on the road.They gave up their motorhome after cruising the USA for several years because of privat reasons - going to school again was one of those. Every time we hit the southern California area, we visit them. True friends for life.

Another couple: We parked our RV (recreational vehicle) in a resort near St. George in Utah. We noticed that one of our neighbors was packing up to leave the other day. He was trying to fasten their bicycles onto the rear of their motorhome. Dieter, my hubby, walked over to them and asked if he can be of any help. When that task was finished and the men stood there talking and his wife joined them, I also walked over. We talked that evening for about 2 hours and felt very close right then. At one point we were guests on their property in the high mountains in Colorado for one month. Our motorhome was parked right next to their log house. We had a good time. They are still traveling.

We were in Blessing, Texas, in winter, for several month. This little southern city near the coast was boring. We booked that resort because of the very affordable price. The interesting part of that vacation there were the hosts. A very friendly couple. We felt like family from the beginning. We are looking forward to meet them again. She always ends a telephone conversation in between us with the words: "Don't forget - you have friends in Texas who love you!"

On our tour to Alaska in 2003 we parked in a campground in Prince George, British Columbia. Across from us were campers from Switzerland, living in a Class-C Motorhome rented for touring. We sat together with them in the evening having Red Wine and exchanging business cards with our tel. numbers and and addresses. It came to our happy hour because Juerg was admiring our mosquito chasing devices, little buckets containing lemon parafin and a burning wick. We had three of those around us. The mosquitos are nasty and come in droves in this area. We handed one over to him, and he was really happy about it. We had two left, but they were not sufficient in Yukon Territory and Alaska. We had to buy sprays in addition. We are friends since then, exchanging letters, sending pictures. Now they have internet access. Hurra!

We have several other camperfriends we love dearly. They are so caring, never forget a birthday or a holiday. And when Dieter was very sick, they called almost every day to make sure I didn't need any help. If I would have, they would have come.

Friends can be for life! Since I play around in the Internet, I gained some friends which gave me their personal info in case we are traveling near their home turf. I never met them personally, but I am convinced - and my feelings seldom betray me - that they mean what they say and would welcome us with open arms or help us if needed.

Last but not least - another special friendship here in Arizona. We leave this location soon, and that evokes mixed feelings. One side of the coin is: we are glad that we can travel again and see other areas. The other side: When we say goodbye to our dear  neighbors in Tierra del Sol, we surely will shed some tears when we hug each other.- When we bought a camping lot in 2004, that couple next to us welcomed us in a way which made us feel very comfortable. They are very friendly and always ready to help. They are the same age group as we are - this is a community with residents over 55 years of age. Their home state is Wisconsin. In summer 2006 we travelled from Arizona to Wisconsin with our motorhome, camped out right next to their loghouse in the middle of the Northwoods for 3 months with full hook-ups. Dieter was still a little week after 2 rounds of chemotherapy for a bad blood disorder, but he gained strength back quickly because he helped his friends on that big property with all kinds of chores, even with constructing. He went fishing with them while I enjoyed for the first time the Internet, because I had access to his WiFi Network. From there we drove to Pennsylvania to visit Dieter's sisters-in-law. Straight back to Arizona again - overall about 6000 miles. Our friends are snowbirds, which means that they come to AZ in the wintertime and drive home in spring. We helped each other in health issues, had uncounted dinners together, sat outside together - in the evenings around the fireplace - we were together like one family. We sold our lot here to our friends when Dieter was very sick. That was 2005. We panicked and had the urge to be near the east coast. We made it to Florida. He almost lost his life there, being in the ICU of the hospital in St.Augustine for 3 weeks straight, but some very good specialists made sure that he lived. We went back to Arizona again because we were fed up with hurricanes. When I announced to our neighbors here that we will be back in the Casa Grande area again, they made sure that we came back to Tierra del Sol. Since then we rented the property we once owned. That makes us free, of course, and we can enjoy fulltiming again. We will visit when we are in this area again. The residents here in this community are like family to each other and we felt very loved by all of them!!   Bye, bye, friends!!!  

Time is very relative, and so is age. When there would be no mirror or no shining lake surface - the mirror of bygone times - and we would not be able to see our "aging" face, which means sagging skin folds and eye lids or brown spots and wrinkles, we would be not so occupied with looking old - or older.

When kids see a 40 year old, they think it is "over-the-hill". The 40 year old thinks the kid is still green behind the ears. It all depends whether you look from the outside in or from the inside out. Even when I was younger, I always admired the looks of older people, their grey hair and their facial expressions, grown from experience. Now I am there, I am currently 72, which means that I can feel the exact locations of some bones in the morning before rising, but my inner feelings about my being, about loving life in general, has never changed. Recently I had to admit that I am not able anymore to drive a bicycle, I got dizzy and I was unsecure when mounting, so I laughed it off and closed that chapter.

Age is not reflected anymore in the kind of clothes we older people are wearing. All colors, all styles are accepted, but most of the time you have to have a sweater handy. We shiver more easily. And steps are taken very carefully. I worked in a Nursing Home in Pennsylvania, and I know what a broken hip can do to you when you are in the Seventies. Instead of hopping down the stairs anywhere, I put my brain to it and watch my steps.

Overall, I think, elderly people are more free in the sense of doing things, they have enough experience to sense what is allowed. In younger years flirting is concidered almost a sin, in later years flirting is satisfying and mood elevating and tolerated by the partner. I find my husband very attractive when he flirts with a lady. It is done by facial expressions, by being very attentive and focusing.

Anyway, I am still young compared to some of my camper friends or to the people who are stating that they are so old that they can laugh, cough, sneeze and pee - all at the same time!!

And I honestly can say that the so called "Golden Years" haven't catched up with me yet, when I take a look at the following statement:

The Golden Years have come at last

I cannot see, I cannot pee, I cannot chew, I cannot do. My memory shrinks, my hearing stinks, no sense of smell, I look like hell, my body is drooping, got trouble pooping. The Golden Years have come at last!

Age doesn't matter, unless you are a Cheese. - John Paul Getty, U.S. oil magnate

Youth is not a time of life. It is a state of mind.

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Fortunately, today's seniors are more fit and youthful than ever before. The following hopefully makes you laugh rather than cringe.

You know you're getting old when.....

you bend down to pick something off the floor, and before you straighten up you ask yourself: "Is there anything else I can do while I'm down there?"

you need a fire permit to light all of your birthday candles and you need oxygen after blowing them out.

you order GERITOL on the rocks.

you sink your teeth into a thick steak and they stay there.

your pacemaker opens the garage door whenever a cute girl goes by.

the only whistles you get are from a tea kettle.

Read on:

Everything hurts. And what doesn't hurt, doesn't work.

You feel like the morning after, and you haven,'t been anywhere.

Your little black book contains only names ending with M.D.

You join a health club but you never go.

You need your glasses to find your glasses.

You sit in a rocking chair and can't get it going.

Your knees buckle but your belt won't.

You wonder why not more people don't use this size print....

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What's So Great About Hugs?

There's no such thing as a bad hug - - only good ones and great ones. They're not fattening and they don't cause cancer or cavities. Tey're all natural - with no preservatives, artificial ingredients or pesticide residue. They're cholesterol-free, naturally sweet, 100 percent wholesome. And they're a completely renewable resource.

They don't require batteries, tune-up's or X-rays. They're non-taxable, fully returnable and energy efficient.

They're safe in all kinds of weather; in fact, they're especially good for cold or rainy days. And they are exceptionally effective in treating problems like bad dreams or the Monday blahs.

Never wait until tomorrow to hug someone you could hug today! ♥ ♥

Many friends already know where I stand when it comes to faith. I will explain it more to those, who think I am a lost soul in God's eyes.

I was searching for a long time to define what i believe. When I was about 40 years, that was also the time when Dieter and I quit our "membership" in the Lutheran Church, I started to read a "gazillion" books about all religions of the world, about Psychology, Mystic, World Mysteries etc. And I read the entire bible - twice. I came to the conclusion that I would be a Agnostic. That means "Not knowing". When I say I am an Atheist, that sounds so harsh that I don't like it, but that really applies. It means that I do not believe in a God who has a human form or human attributes and can be mean as a human. This "God in Heaven" seems to be unfair, unlogical and gruesome. It was created to make people obey to worldly authorities, to make them pliable and fill them with fear. That is a very old strategy and is still in use today in politics. The more people are in fear ( like of terrorists) the more power the leading authority has over the population.

The Old Testament is so full of murder, lies, incest and hate that I don't understand at all why it is still part of the modern Christianity. My God is invisible, never sculptured or painted, has no name and has nothing to do with my personal life. I am 100% responsible for it. When I do something wrong, I have to bear the consequences. My sin would be not forgiven rather carried over into my KARMA account, into the Akashic Records ( There is a link to that topic in Karin's Hide-out). But nothing is written in stone,  I am an ever researching person, changing my aspects of a believe system as i see fit. That all does not mean that I wouldn't step into a church. I honor and respect all religions and all rituals connected to the beliefs of my friends. When they pray at my dinner table or I am invited to share a meal with them, I fit in, not disturbing this intimate round. When people pray for us, we say "Thank you, that's very nice of you" and we mean it. It is the way of Christian friends trying to help us. My praying is called meditation. It is rather a peptalk to myself, looking inside myself trying to sort things out. When you used all my Links on this website, you realized that I am fond of Theosophy. It sees god or the "One" all around us, within us, in the cosmos and every thing connected with it. We are made from stardust, we are part of the universe and nature. Nature has its cycles like the universe, and we as humans have our "cycles" too, bad ones and good ones. When there is a natural catastrophy, like an earthquake or flooding, or glaciers melting, this is the way the cosmos works. We can pray as long as we want, nature does its thing. When there is a high human death toll, we can blame only us because we are the ones without respect for nature by building human settlements directly at shore lines, underneath an still active vulcano or directly over an earth fault (tectonic hotspot).  I like to see myself as a Pantheist, a person who sees nature as god. When I hug a big tree and get goose bumps or when I step with my foot into an ocean and get teary-eyed, I have the feeling I dissolve in nature, or that I am one with it. You find also a link to Pantheism on my site. By the way - the 10 commandments are part of all religions, the core of it. It is about "brotherhood of man" which humankind does not grasp yet with its prejudices of all kinds. We really don't need to adhere any god to it, it is common sense, it is a guide to live a good and honest life.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theosophy   -  please, click on this link for learning more....

 There is also the questions about angels or guiding angels. It might be our consciousness doing its hidden work, preventing us to walk into death, like stepping into a speeding car on the streets. Did you ever listen to someone stating that he/she was held back by a strong hand on their shoulder - and when they turned around there was nobody there? Since I agree with so many scientists who state that there is more to existence than what we see or feel with our underdeveloped senses, I have no fixed opinion as of now. It is so nice to have some mysteries left to ponder. I like the image of angels. Since every positive has its negative, every angel has its devil on the other side of an invisible line. When we say Yes to angels, we have to say Yes to devils ( or fallen angels?) .How is that as food for thought?

Eventhough i like to write, I know that my words are far from professional essays and I can only hope that you understand what i mean. I am a very positive and overall happy person.

 My mother always said jokingly: "Love is a funny feeling in the area of the stomach."         But obviously there is more to it... There are two symbols of love widely used over the world: The red rose and the red heart. Religions in the world elevate Love to be the essence of being. The feeling of being loved or to love someone is so strong that it can be borderline hate. Love is the mightiest of all emotions...Hate cannot forgive, but love can. Love goes beyond the grave. I read so many times that pets, like a dog, love you unconditionally, they would not leave you even if you are starving and have no food for your pet. I watched a story on television once, that a dog did not leave the grave of his master and did not accept food from anybody - he just sat there with sad eyes until he died. We humans have the ability to reason, and it is expected from us that we use it if necessary and act differently. Most of us do because we simply have or find reasons to go on with life. Love is an endless generated feeling, but we have to be the generator, we have to love ourselves too in order to give love. If we neglect our feelings and senses or dope them with drugs or alcohol, how can we give love? When someone is left by a lover, self-pity sets in. Why me? Did I deserve this?  Think again, maybe it is your fault that your partner left you. Did you expect and expect again and forgot to give your share? Keeping love alive in a marriage is a constant giving and receiving, hard work sometimes. Complaining doesn't help, thinking of love and why you married your honey in the first place helps.

 Yesterday, Sept. 20., 2008, I read a post of an internet friend in a live question and answer forum, in which I participate, which gave me the push to write down what I feel - and repost it here again. A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 - 8 year olds:

 What does Love mean?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              "When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That is love."                                                                                             Rebecca, age 8                                                                                                         

"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth"                                                                                 Billy, age 4                                                                                                                

"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other."                                                                                                 Karl, age 5                                                                                                                

"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French Fries without making them give you any of theirs."                                                                             Chrissy, age 6                                                                                                            

"Love is what makes you smile when you are tired."    Terry, age 4                                                                                                                                                                                           

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"Love is the greatest of all things." -  1 Cor 13:13 

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No one falls in love by choice, it is by chance.                                                               No one stays in love by chance, it is by work.                                                                And no one falls out of love by chance, it is by choice. 

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 It has been scientifically proven that regular small acts of kindness have a positive effect on your physical and mental well-being and also on your longevity. Kindness is more than a feel-good experience, it is also beneficial for your health. It benefits the giver and the receiver of such kindness and also anyone who whitnesses the kind deed.

Some scientific findings related to the health benefits of performing acts of kindness:      

The rush of euphoria after performing a kind act is often referred to as "helper's high". This results in real physical sensations and the release of the body's natural pain killers, the endorphines. The practice of caring for strangers strengthens the Immune System, which means that stress-related health problems improve after performing kind acts. This includes also connecting with someone, be it a friendship, love or any kind of positive bonding.

"If you want attractive lips, speak words of kindness." - Audrey Hepburn

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After my "prologue", I want to talk to you about topics of high interest, about alternative medicine and other insights and experiences of mine. I subscribed to several monthly health letters from doctors who try to tell the world what is wrong with todays interactions in between doctors and patients, in between the pharmaceutical industry and the doctors and the media. I will randomly talk about it and quote some articles. You must understand that my writing will in no way suggest what you should do or not do. What good is for one person might be not fitting for another, no human beings are equal.        My postings are for informative purposes only.      

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Study: Too much decaf raises cholesterol.

Drinking decaffeinated coffee may not give you the jitters, but it could be bad for your heart. A study presented at the recent American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions found that decaf coffee causes an increase in levels of LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol). Study participants were divided into three groups. One drank 3 - 6 cups of caffeinated coffee a day, another drank 3 - 6 cups of decaf and the third group didn't have any coffee. After 3 months, researchers looked at the blood of study participants and found that those in the decaf group had an increase in their levels of fatty acids and proteins that can cause your LDL to go up. Things got even worse for people in the decaf group, who's BMI's were under 25 (meaning that they are not concidered overweight). Their good cholesterol also decreased by an estimated 30 %.                                                 page 10 of "Looking Good" - February 2006  

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 The following article was a blog in my Windows Live Spaces account which I copied and pasted here to explain Dieter's sickness. It might be interesting for people to learn about yet another blood disorder.....

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Curcumin - the yellow pigment in curry......

has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that may break up the tangles of amyloid plaques that contribute to Alzheimer's disease. Research on mice with amyloid accumulation found that curcumin binds with beta amyloid to successfully block plaque aggregation. Curcumin is widely consumed in India where Alzheimer's rates are amongst the lowest in the world.                                                                                                HSI - Health Sciences Institute - Members Alert for May 2005 , Vol.9, #11                      

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As my relatives and so many of my friends know, my husband Dieter was diagnosed with Primary Amyloidosis in October 2004 after the bone marrow tests came out negative, meaning his sickness was not Multiple Myeloma, as assumed first. He was very sick after 2 chemo treatments ( You just read about it above....)). According to the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, his blood disorder has the exact diagnosis:                                                       

 "Primary systemic AL amyloidosis  involving the kidneys" ( IgG kappa monoclonal gammopathy in his serum). The outlook was bleak, this is a potential fatal disease and death was expected to occur after 3 years of diagnosis.

The term amyloidosis includes a group od disorders caused by abnormal folding, clumping (aggregation) and/or and accumulation of particular proteins(amyloids, fibrous proteins and their precursors) outside of the cell, but within the tissues of various organs in the body. The accumulated amyloids causes the progressive malfunction of the affected organ. Normally, proteins are broken down at about the same rate as they are produced, however these unusually stable proteins are deposited more rapidly than they can be broken down. The accumulation may be localized, general or systemic.

One day I was reading the above article about Curcumin, visited the website where I usually order my vitamins, and there it was! I knew that we had to try that with Dieter. There is no known cure for his sickness and his hematologist was not able to recommend anything else than a third chemo, which Dieter declined. He takes the capsules since 2 years, and his blood and urine tests got better and better everytime and the last one from October 2008 in Susanville was so excellent, that I shed some tears when i looked it up. Dieter feels as healthy and strong as he ever was. Could be that he is in remission because of his attitude and positive outlook, could be the drink he consumes twice per day, made from milk and whey powder, to replenish the proteins lost every day by the kidneys ("foaming urine"), and it could be a "miracle", but my take is, that the curcumin capsules are a life saver in his case. If you are interested in the exact description of the product, here is the website: http://www.swansonvitamins.com/  You have to put the item number  SWH084 into their product search engine and it will pop up. By the way, I get no kudos for my mentioning this product.  

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An Onion a Day keeps almost everything away 

Onions contain the bioflavonoid quercetin, a powerful anti-cancer agent and extremely effective protector of the cardiovascular system. They also contain many beneficial sulphur compounds. Sulphur compounds in raw onions inhibit the stickiness of blood platelets, lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and inhibit the formation of fibrin, the substance responsible for blood clots that can cause strokes and blockages in arteries. 

A recent study evaluated the dietary intake of onions and other flavonoid-rich foods in 5,133 Finnish men and women. Researchers reported that those with the highest intakes had the lowest risk of heart and artery disease.

Add onions to soups, salads, sandwiches, and anything else you like them with. Onion skins, though they contain the most quercetin, are not really edible. However, for soups, you can cook the skins in the soup and fish them out before serving.  

Written by Dr. David Williams  in one of his Special Reports about Alternative Medicine.

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Green Tea: A cheap fat burner 

Researchers at the University of Fribourg recently informed us that a flavonoid in Green Tea helps increase the body's metabolic rate and burn fat. On days when 10 men were given two capsules containing a total of 90 mg of Green Tea extract with each meal, they burned 4 % more energy ( 80 calories) than on the days they didn't receive the capsules. What made the study even more interesting was the fact that there were no other changes in the men's lifestyle or eating habits. Also interesting, the tea extract caused them to burn fat calories instead of protein or carbohydrates.

American Journal Clinical Nutrition  Dec. 1999 

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I subscribe to a daily e-newsletter from Dr. W.C. Douglass, called "Daily Dose". Today is February 14., 2009. Well, it is Valentine's Day, and what he sent today might make you rethink about "doing it" more often. It is not only an enjoyment, it generates health.         

5 health benefits of sex Today is Valentine's Day. As if you didn't already need a reason to have a romantic romp with your sweetie, here are five health benefits of a healthy sex life. 1. It's one of the best forms of exercise. Forget jogging on a treadmill. Making love three times a week can burn up to 7,500 calories a year. 2. For men, sex can help build stronger muscles and bones. It increases testosterone, which will help keep men's bones and muscles healthy and strong. 3. For women, sex can help protect your heart because it increases estrogen levels. 4. It relieves pain. The hormones that are released during sex actually increase your pain tolerance level. 5. Sex helps keep you young. DHEA, one of the most powerful anti-aging, disease-fighting substances in your body, spikes to three to five times its normal level during intercourse.

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