Every once in while...

I like to peruse other artist's blogs. Several months ago Kate McKinnon wrote in her blog about the positive experiences she was having with acupuncture.  This piqued my interest because in November I'm scheduled to have a procedure (Cheilectomy surgery) on my feet to remove spurs and calcium deposits resulting from arthritis.   I am not looking forward to the surgery  so I'm giving acupuncture a try and I am also delving into alternative medicine, eliminating foods from my diet that are known to aggravate arthritis and cause inflammation, and adding foods that are believed to be beneficial.  I learned that vegetables in the Nightshade family (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and white potatoes - all of which I love!) contain the chemical solanine and are prone to cause inflammation.  Tart cherry juice concentrate is on the "good for my condition" list.  It's a bit too soon to tell if any of this will give me permanent relief, but I'm certainly willing to stick with the routine and hope that it will.  Ever following the "be prepared" motto of a good Scout, I am gathering a selection of books to read, movies to watch, and the beading project (shown above) that I started while on vacation in August,  which I hope to complete while I recuperate.  I will certainly miss being in the jewelry studio for the duration I am confined to staying off my feet.  On the bright side, I haven't beaded in a very long time, and this ordeal will allow me an entire month to play with my collection of sparkly little treasures.   And perhaps I'll get around to reading a really good novel too!