My New ebook: Medical Resorts of Southern California

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B018BPC0OO Nonfiction historical account of Medical Resorts and Hot Springs in Southern California. Lake Elsinore's Crescent Bathhouse (Upright Picture)

Desert Hot Springs turned into a community.

Wild by Cheryl Strayed, a Book Review

All I can say about this book is : DRAMA, DRAMA,& MORE DRAMA. Suspense. Surprises. Resupply boxes. Peaks, boots, pain, and persistence. Reading her story was hard to put down. She exposes things in her life both shocking to admit for most people as well as very personal. I was not use to such honesty in a book. I enjoyed her descriptions of every place she stopped and how she brought out the emotional part of long distance hiking. Having never hiked long distances before, I became more intrigued after reading, A Walk in the Woods, by Bill Bryson on the Appalachian Trail. Hiking with Cheryl through the Pacific Crest Trail(PCT), I learned quite a few things more about hiking. The experience between men hiking and women hiking is different. Hitch hiking is harder for men then women. Cheryl ran into more people offering anything from cheap lodging to free food. The PCT was basically tent camping, no shelters like the Appalachian Trail (AT). She was hiking alone. A scary thought to me, but admirable. It takes a lot of courage to do what she did. I was dreading to finish this book just as Cheryl was not looking forward to leaving the trail at the Bridge of the Gods. The only thing I would have liked was a better ending with more about what she did once she got back to Portland. She gives a short review of the events, but I would have liked to see how she acclimated back to life. The ending is a little disappointing.

This is the Appalachian trail. Just an FYI. If you want to see a cool Youtube video on Appalachian Trail follow Red Beard.

This was my first book on the Appalachian trail and first introduction to the AT. I had never heard of backpacking in the USA just Europe. Born and raised in California, I am so shocked how much of the trail system through our country are out there. I started hiking with my family locally just two years ago and love it. So when I heard about this book through my preschool family. I was so excited to read it. It was both entertaining and had so much information on many different tidbits of information I was not aware of. I could picture the Appalachian trail in my head as if I was backpacking with Bill, the author. I could feel his pain, frustrations, and relief at times. I went in thinking this was his account of the adventure, but it was so much more. I really enjoyed reading about his incites about the Forest service, different parts of the trail, where he was from,and how people actually hike: thru hikers who do the whole trail and section hikers that only hike and camp sections at a time. If you are into nature,love to hike, love to read about being in the woods, and want to know more about pushing one's limit,then you will get his take on the AT trail. If you are looking for guidance on how to, what you need to hike, how to prepare to hike long distances, then this is not a good book for that. It is not a "How to" book. He doesn't go into detail about how he prepared for the trip. He talks about his life, how he made the decision to go, his experience on the trail and how it affected him. What he got out of it. How it changed him. I find perspectives very interesting to read about. So if you are like me,then this is the book for you. There are many backpacking videos on Youtube.com and books you can borrow from the library if you want to explore backpacking long distances.

Tuberculosis: A Historical Lung disease or not?

Tuberculosis is considered a historical disease that was once an epidemic in Europe and United States during the 18th and 19th centuries. It has been detected as early as 7000 BC according to ehow.com. It was thought to be a heredity disease,but German microbiologist Robert Koch discovered the microbial causes of tuberculosis in 1882. I have never liked taking pills produced in a lab, but this disease was a contagious disease once known as the "white plague". Doctors early on had little to work with and without any vaccines or effective drub treatment until the 1940s,many people died of this disease affecting the lungs and sometimes other organs.TB would have continued to spread and wipe out populations worldwide if it had not been for modern medicine. In the article, What is Tuberculosis? What causes Tuberculosis?.Last updated June 17, 2015 [Retrieved from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/8856.php#signs_and_symptoms_of_tuberculosis] that "TB is an infectious disease that usually affects the lungs. It is the second greatest killer due to a single infectious agent worldwide, and in 2012, 1.3 million people died from the disease, with 8.6 million falling ill."

In 2012, worldwide 1.3 million people died and another 8.6 million falling ill to it. It is the "Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacterium causes TB. It is spread through the air from person to person, when people with TB affecting the lungs cough,sneeze,spit,laugh or talk." A person with active TB who has had treatment received appropriately for at least two weeks are no longer contagious. The disease now affect mostly developing nations and is present today in 22 countries. But what does this lung disease do to the body? Symptoms of tuberculosis are coughing with or without blood or mucus,fever,night sweats,loss of appetite, chills,fatigue,and loss of weight. TB affects the bones leading to spinal pain and destruction of joints. It can cause meningitis affecting the brain. TB spreads through the bloodstream. In the liver and kidneys it can hinder the waste filtration functions and cause blood in the urine. The heart's ability to pump blood can be fatal this is known as cardiac tamponade. Basically, the bacteria breaks down the body. This is a long term disease. Here are some sites that offer natural remedies,but my purpose here is to present what TB is. We tend to forget about our medical history assuming most diseases have always been curable. Early history reminds us that we can still be susceptible to disease of any kinds,especially when traveling to developing countries or if we aren't eating right,exercising,and our immune system is comprised or weak. Natural sites : http://www.all4naturalhealth.com/treatment-for-tuberculosis.html http://www.cdc.gov/tb/topic/treatment/default.htm Treatment on the CDC( Center for Disease control has medication recommended for 6-9 months. According to the CDC, of the "approved drugs, the first-line anti-TB agents that form the core of treatment regimens" include: isoniazid (INH), rifampin (RIF), ethambutol (EMB),and pyrazinamide (PZA). Sources for this article are : http://www.cdc.gov/tb/topic/treatment/default.htm http://www.ehow.com/about_6642929_lifespan-tuberculosis-droplets.html http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/8856.php#what_is_tuberculosis

In the Images of America : Banning book, I have learned a few things about its people, how it became a city, and see what still exists today. So if you love local history this series is the series for you. Did you know that there was a stagecoach stop at what is today Gilman Historic Ranch and Wagon Museum? Did you know there were two different Gilman families one that was in north Banning and did the stage coach stop and the other Gilman's Relief Hot Springs,which today is a Scientology complex? This series of books, Images of America, are mostly pictures of the past from small towns across the USA. Local authors have the ability to use pictures to create time capsules for future generations to learn about their city's past. These books contain short chapters starting with the first inhabitants of that city/area. No one writer is responsible for all the books in this series. Credit is given to those who provide pictures to the author. I find these books help me to research further information of the times.

Review of "TimberRidge Trilogy" by Tamera Alexander

I read all three Timber Ridge books within a month's time. Each book within 7 days roughly. I enjoyed the adventures,the drama,the relationships between each character and how unpredictable Tamera Alexander's action is. The intertwining of the two main characters of each book with the whole cast of the book and getting the happily ever after ending together took work. I enjoyed learning of the 1860-70s time. I currently am studying local history in the 1800s-1950s in the Cherry Valley, Beaumont,Banning,and the famous Highland Springs Resort. I enjoyed learning about the characters and their inner struggles through their eyes as the author tells the story about them. The seamless changing of the scenery ere so smoothly transitioned I did not have to reread any sentences unless interrupted by my little ones. Tamera Alexander is truly a gifted writer in her craft as a storyteller and historian. I tend to get bored when an author spends 2-4 pages describing the scenery. A story should flow like real life. I was completely emerged into the life of a pioneer in a new territory in a young town as well as in the individual women that each book focuses on. There were so many things going on but everything fit nicely together. I loved all three novels and I suggest rereading these books to better get everyone's connection. Yet, it is intertwined into each story so you can read each book individually and not get lost. In this Timber Ridge series, it starts with From a Distance, Beyond this Moment, and Within My Heart.

This second book is where I started and I fell in love with the story of the town of Timber Ridge. But it wasn't just the small town life that I loved. It was the character of this book that sent me wanting to read the rest of the trilogy. Dr. Molly Whitcomb, a college professor and the new school teacher at Timber Ridge. In this book, we see the interworking of a town, how justice is held, how people felt about others different than themselves "immigrants" as well as who gets education and who is excluded. The hard realities of life out West and what drove people out West in such distant places like Colorado before it was admitted into the union. It remembers me of the TV show Little House on the Prairie. aired from 1974-1983. There are not many shows on TV about the early days from 1800s-1900 anymore.

Rachel Boyd has been through all three books, but this one focuses on her story. Widow and mother of two, young boys of 8 and 10 years old trying to save her ranch. Each book start off with action and it keeps a good pace.

Parenting Without Power Struggles, a book review

My greatest accomplishment in life was becoming a mother. The ups and downs of parenting together with the love of my life and my best friend is indescribably awesome yet quite challenging. The balance of being a good parent and communicating with your little ones can be rough at times. Yet, it is through my mistakes that I have learned my greatest lessons from my kids. But with every year new challenges arise and I have learned to use every resource I have in my parenting bag of tricks that include:tips from other moms and dads, teachers, my husband, my parents, from the internet, and books. Books especially have different approaches and they don't fit every kid or parent. So read to find a book that fits your family I say. Sometime, it doesn't hurt to learn through strangers either and that is one of the things I like about this book. The different cases in this book have been very similar to what I has been going on in my household. Having a boy first,my husband and I dealt with the challenges of eating healthy foods for my picky eater and then potty training. Most challenges were of a physical nature. With my girl, I have experienced more of a psychological challenge in defying my authority to reach her own independence. My 3 year old had an attitude of a teenager and the mouthiness to go with it. I could not believe the things she would say. " Stupid Mom", " Go to your room" to me when she was mad at me, "You are not being a good mommy," "I can do it myself" and then came the dangerous choices to run away from me at schools, parks, and this had to end. Sending her to her room did not help. Taking away toys did nothing. Timing her out in a corner. I tried these punishments for months with little success. Then, I was told about this book. I was pleasantly surprised in the approach,the mind maps, exercises in the book, and the easy to read setup of the book. Overall,this book has been life changing for me. I stop trying to teach her when she's upset which use to lead to yelling matches and slamming doors. Now, we go through a cooling down phase apart. She goes to one are and I go to another. I simply tell her I love her,but mommy needs quit time alone. I started with our relationship choosing one of the six stages of attachment : Proximity(hugging/closeness), Sameness(things in Common),Belonging/Loyalty( when you are on child's side, you got his back,coming alongside your child, Significance( looking into your child's eyes, sending a letter, sharing her importance),and Being Known ( when child speaks you listen, refraining from lecturing and offering advise). I found out that I had less in common with my daughter than my son. So I worked on changing what we did together from chores to playing Candy land, we became closer. Although, we still have much work to do. She has had less running away incidents, better communication, she takes initiative to do chores like emptying the washer and helping me with laundry . This is one book I plan to add to my personal library in a hardcover. Very helpful book. I highly recommend it to those open to change in their relationships with their kids. Changing behaviors of kids starts with work on relationships between family first. http://www.amazon.com/Parenting-Without-Power-Struggles-Resilient/dp/1451667663

Review of " The Lost Husband" by Katherine Center

I found this book on Goodreads.com. It has been a couple months since I used this site. But, the idea of a lost husband and the description peaked my curiosity. I admit I love farms and have visited a couple of small So Californian farms in the cities of Ontario, Oak Glen, and Cherry Valley, so I was interested in reading about a goat farm. The widow written in first person was a pleasant surprise. I loved seeing the world through Libby's eyes. I love writing in the first person when I write my stories which have only been self-published on Amazon Kindle. I haven't written in years until now. Focusing on my little ones who are now 4 and 6 years old. Reading this story spurred the writing juices inside of me to start again. So reading Katherine's 290 page book in three days was a record for me. I can't even remember reading that many pages in a long time. I have read 400 page historical novels in a weeks time staying up into the wee hours of the night. This heartwarming novel about a family that lost their father and husband is full of subtle twists. I love reading about people and how they react to life's challenges, and how they perceive other people's actions. I was totally immersed in LIbby's life on the goat farm in Atwater, Texas with her Aunt and O'Connor, the handy man, farm hand. I hate when I have to keep rereading a paragraph because I couldn't understand what the writer was saying. I love plain English. Simple language. I can appreciate Shakespeare, but I am not that type of writer or reader. So if you want, short, drama, and some action. Check out Amazon.com for Katherine's book. I plan to read her other books now and plan on buying The Lost Husband. I give this book 5 * * * * * stars. I even Facebooked the author to let her know I have reviewed it on Goodreads and shared it on Facebook. So enjoy. You could also try it out at your local library like I do. I only buy those I really, really love. http://www.katherinecenter.com/books/the-lost-husband/ http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Husband-Novel-Katherine-Center/dp/0345507940/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1432168472&sr=1-1&keywords=the+lost+husband