Perimenopause: What to expect that you're NOT expecting. Chapter 1: The Hot (Fire) Flash (Surge) The fan must be on. In every room. And you are now Mr. Rogers. You have a sweater for every outfit. However, you live in tanks and short-sleeved shirts underneath because nakedness is frowned upon in public places and you must disrobe in haste, frequently. The socially-encouraged bondage device, a.k.a. the bra, is more despised than ever. Fuzzy socks are your friend, because your circulation is poor and your skin is dry. You will end up with a pair in every room because you inevitably needed them off for extended periods and wandered away from them, only to need them again in another room. Winter weather is both bone-chillingly cold and a delight to overheated skin. Sometimes simultaneously. Summer is intolerable. Do not get me started on having a fever while experiencing a hot flash. 😳 And while we're mentioning it.... "Hot Flash" is not an adequate phrase for the rush o
I'm a maple leaf. Maple leaves change colors in the fall, much like many other leaves, but have you ever wondered why they turn such bright reds? In our study about living things this year, we discovered something scientists didn't know when I was learning about the changing leaves way back in The Dark Ages : maple leaves are stubborn. You see, maple leaves start getting all the same environmental cues that cooler weather is coming that the other tree leaves get, but a maple leaf holds on with 'both fists,' if you will, and continues to try to do its job. Despite the shorter days, regardless of the tree pulling resources away, and heedless of the cooler temperatures, the maple leaf keeps trying to do its job: photosynthesis. The maple leaf essentially says, "WAIT! NO, just one more minute... just one more day... hold on... I can..." While the leaf is striving to produce food for the tree, the tree has stopped receiving, having pulled the water and chlorophyll