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Sena Gets Her Lume!
Sena finally got her Lume products delivered yesterday. That’s right, I said “Lume,” the total body odor remover you see being advertised on TV. I can’t bear to watch them, which might say something about how we’re socialized to avoid confronting our own B.O. In my defense, the commercials have been described as “in your…
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Tegeler Wrecker and Crane is the Heavy Rescue Team in Eastern Iowa
We saw the KCRG news item about Tegeler Wrecker & Crane getting almost 10,000 calls for help after the big snowstorms last week. They’re a big towing and wrecker service which reminded me of the Weather Channel shows Highway Thru Hell and Heavy Rescue 401. Tegeler pretty much does everything they do, including heavy duty…
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Heed Warnings About Risk for Frostbite
I just saw an article in the Daily Iowan about the importance of knowing how to avoid frostbite during wind chill advisory and warning periods. As a consulting psychiatrist in the general hospital, I saw what can happen to people who suffered frostbite injuries. They were treated on the Burn Unit. The risk for frostbite…
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Balaclava Beats the Blizzard Blast
The arctic blast continues with temperatures well below zero and cautions about going outside—if you dare. I have a balaclava, which is a combination scarf, hat, and extraterrestrial two-way radio. I wore it on the first day of the snowstorm last week, when the snow was great for juggling snowballs. I somehow got it twisted…
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Martin Luther King Day About Peace and Unity
I noticed that Iowa City and Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, Texas have a couple of things in common regarding the celebration of the Martin Luther King holiday this week—one is inclement weather. The other thing is hope for peace and unity. I was a student at Huston-Tillotson (one of the HBCUs) back in the 1970s.…
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CDC Reports Respiratory Virus Activity Elevated or Increasing
The CDC on January 12, 2024 reported that respiratory virus activity is elevated or increasing across the country. The summary: “Summary Seasonal influenza and COVID-19 activity remain elevated in most parts of the country; however, the rapid increases seen over the past several weeks appear to be slowing. The U.S. continues to experience elevated RSV activity,…
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CDC Guidelines for Preventing Hypothermia & Frostbite
It’s going to get colder in Iowa with wind chill factors raising the risk for cold weather-related illness. Read CDC guidelines about how to recognize and prevent hypothermia and frostbite.
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Smoked Turkey Soup vs Blizzard!
January is National Soup Month and Sena made a smoked turkey soup in honor of the occasion. This is the counterbalance to the winter storm and blizzard warnings this month. This morning we shoveled—and shoveled—and shoveled. It was the Sisyphean labor all over again, only this time with Winter Storm Gerri. And then we went…
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Iowa Winter Storms One Two Punch January 2024!
I just got the update on what I think is Winter Storm Gerri. The National Weather Service has now upgraded this catastrophe in our area to a Blizzard Warning. Iowa is getting a one, two punch from winter storms Finn and Gerri. We hardly got a break from Finn’s left hook before Gerri’s right cross…
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Calm After Winter Storm Finn
Winter Storm Finn was a very blustery thing. Sena got a video of our backyard, though, which presents the calm after the storm. The heavy snow makes all the trees bow, as if in homage to nature, whatever its form. That said, we’re hoping Winter Storm Gerri tones it down a little.
Go Retire Psychiatrist 