The flowers of double amaryllis are packed full of petals and sure to brighten any day. Double King lives up to its name with three or more layers of brilliant red, velvety petals. Each bulb produces multiple flower stems, so you’ll enjoy weeks of blossoms.

Sweet Nymph is another double and its softer coloring is equally beautiful. The flowers feature layers of creamy white petals with coral pink stripes and are sure to add a bit of romantic charm to your winter.

Add some energy to your indoor décor with amaryllis Dancing Queen (longfield-gardens.com). The bold eight-inch blooms are comprised of layers of ruffled snow-white petals with delicate scarlet-red stripes.

The flowers of Exotic Star have an unusual shape and color that have earned it lots of fans. The asymmetrical petals are parchment-white with narrow, garnet-red stripes and apple green highlights.

Bring in some fresh spring green color with amaryllis Evergreen. Pale chartreuse petals give it a fresh, modern look. Each bulb produces two stems with four to six flowers each. Enjoy them as a living bouquet or cut a few stems to display in a vase.

Grow Ice Queen when looking to add elegance to your winter décor. Its enormous, frosty white flowers have lime green accents and combine nicely with evergreen boughs and holiday decorations. Plant the bulbs by early November to get flowers for the holidays.

Charisma is another variety that blooms in early winter. The two-tone petals have a unique ombre effect. Enjoy the changing colors this variety exhibits as it transforms from bud to fully open flower.

Amaryllis are long lasting cut flowers and the variety Picotee is no exception. Each of its pure white petals are outlined with a very thin red line. A lime-green center adds freshness. Beautiful displayed in a pot or in a vase.

Rosy Star is another eye-catching amaryllis with snowy white blossoms that are decorated with brush stroke highlights in three shades of pink. The apple green throat adds to this variety’s elegance and appeal.

As more people discover the joy of growing amaryllis, flower breeders are busy introducing new cultivars. Gervase is a good example of these exciting new options. Each blossom is a little different, with ruby-red petals adorned with variable stripes and veining. You will have plenty of blooms to enjoy as large bulbs can produce twelve or more spectacular blossoms.

Maximize your enjoyment by growing your amaryllis where you can watch the daily transformation, from the first bud breaking through the soil until the flowers begin to unfurl.

Growing amaryllis indoors will keep you gardening all year round, no matter where you live.  You’ll enjoy the mood-boosting benefits and stress relief, and the colorful blossoms are sure to brighten your winter days.

Melinda Myers has written numerous books, including Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” DVD series and the nationally-syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment TV & radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine and was commissioned by Longfield Gardens for her expertise to write this article. Myers’ web site is www.MelindaMyers.com.

Most breast pain is cyclical – linked to hormonal fluctuation associated with the reproductive cycle. Women describe cyclical breast pain as the breasts feeling heavy, tender, swollen, and achy. It is caused by increases in estrogen and progesterone that occur before the menstrual period and cause the breasts to swell. Cyclical breast pain generally affects both breasts, intensifies in the week or two leading up to the menstrual period, then recedes. It most often affects women during their childbearing years and as they are approaching menopause. Breast tenderness can be eased with over-the-counter pain relievers and by reducing salt, fats, and caffeine in the diet. Birth control pills – or switching to a different formulation – can also help.

The breasts may remain tender during the first trimester of pregnancy in response to increased hormone levels and that continuing breast soreness often accompanies a missed menstrual period as an early sign of pregnancy.

Fibrocystic breast disease, also triggered by hormones, is characterized by dense, lumpy breast tissue that may become painful in response to the monthly cycle. The lumps are fluid-filled cysts and can be clearly differentiated from more dangerous lumps composed of a solid mass of cells that may signify a benign or malignant tumor. Cysts may resolve on their own but any lump in the breast must be evaluated by a doctor via mammogram, ultrasound, or aspiration – drawing fluid from the cyst.

Non-cyclical breast pain — unrelated to reproductive hormones – most often occurs in one breast and in a localized area though the pain may spread throughout the breast. There are several causes:

Mastitis is most common in breast-feeding women (lactation mastitis) but can occur at any time. It is characterized by inflammation of the breast tissue that causes swelling, redness, pain, and warmth and sometimes fever and chills. During lactation, mastitis is usually caused by a blocked milk duct or by bacteria entering the breast through an opening in the skin or a cracked nipple. It is generally treated with antibiotics.

Injury to the breast can be from a previous surgery, from an accident, or from sports. There may be a sharp pain at the time of the trauma followed by tenderness for days or weeks. A doctor should be seen if pain doesn’t subside or if there is redness and warmth, which could indicate the presence of infection, if there is severe swelling, or if there is a bruise that doesn’t go away.

Support issues are most often experienced by women with large, heavy breasts but poor support can cause the ligaments to stretch and cause pain in breasts of any size, particularly after exercise. Pain may also affect the neck, back, and shoulders. A properly fitted, supportive bra should be worn at all times and a sports bra when exercising.

Medications can cause breast pain as a side effect. Hormonal therapies used in infertility treatment, birth control pills, and hormonal replacement after menopause can cause breast tenderness. Some psychiatric medications and those used for coronary disease can also have this effect.

Many women worry that breast pain might be a sign of breast cancer. While this is unusual, it’s not impossible. Inflammatory breast cancer, which accounts for 1%-5% of breast cancers does cause pain as well as redness, swelling, and thickened or dimpled skin. The important thing for women to know is that while most breast pain isn’t dangerous, any condition that doesn’t resolve over the course of the menstrual cycle or a week or two should be evaluated by a doctor. In the vast majority of cases, treatment will be rapid and effective.”

Constance M. Chen, MD, is a board-certified plastic surgeon with special expertise in the use of innovative natural techniques to optimize medical and cosmetic outcomes for women undergoing breast reconstruction. She is Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery (Plastic Surgery) at Weill Cornell Medical College and Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery (Plastic Surgery) at Tulane University School of Medicine. www.constancechenmd.com  

The bottom line is that we may be seniors, but we are far from passive. And as seniors, we not only have the benefit of hindsight and experience, but there is so much to participate in and so many new ways to participate. We may be staying home more than before, but we can still be involved in the causes that we believe in — improving child and family well-being, making this country more equitable, and pushing for systemic changes in health care, social justice and the health of the planet. And there’s one more job we’re tasked with as the “older generation,” and that’s enabling younger people to see and understand the specific advantages and challenges of aging, not just for their parents and grandparents, but, if they are fortunate, for themselves.

The nature of happiness today for seniors depends on being active and involved — and taking heart in what’s happening in the world where we can. How? Try these four ways:

Look at the bookend generations for inspiration.

One of the most inspiring things I see these days is what’s happening around today’s protests. They reflect a growing communication and understanding across gender, racial, and generational lines — and involve the youngest as well as the oldest generations. I have great faith in the power of these bookend generations.

The young are not only accepting of each other’s differences, they embrace them. We seniors are evolving, learning to reject the biases we were taught. When you bring these generations together, it’s a profound combination with countless opportunities for learning. Seniors benefit from younger perspectives, and younger generations benefit from the experience of seniors — whether by finding positive directions or seeing how wrong things have gone. We learn so much from acknowledging each other’s experience.

Celebrate your growing wisdom.

I’m often asked whether in this society, being an elder has more positives than negatives. In my mind, the answer is a resounding yes. I think we gain so much over the years. We may not all be as physically capable as we once were, but think of it this way: As our ability to read all the letters on the optometrist’s vision chart gets worse, our inner vision gets better. We gain more insight and we develop more of a sense of clarity instead. We’re able to see ourselves and envision the big pictures in society more clearly. Our eyes may not improve, but our ability to truly see the world does.

Revitalize by becoming more active and connected.

Getting active and increasing your connection with the world can give seniors a new sense of vitality and purpose. As we hit our 60s, 70s, 80s, and beyond, we can tap into our own experience and realize we have so much to contribute. And becoming involved is a wonderful reminder that we don’t stop growing when we’re young: we continue to grow and learn well beyond our youth and middle age. If you’re looking for ways to engage, start by just listening. Read. Google. Follow your curiosity where it leads.

Branch out to meet new people (even virtually).

It’s a myth (and a sad one) that we get more conservative as we get older, lose interest in the outside world, and are less inclined to want to meet others. Actually, most of the men and women I meet who have reached seniority are engaged and active citizens and love meeting new people. They’re not only concerned about the world, they find that being involved in causes and activities beyond themselves, and meeting and working with new people, takes their minds off any age-related physically challenges and overcomes a sense of isolation. Intergenerational friendships bring a sense of mutual respect and can remind us that we bring a lot to the table.

Getting involved and reaching out to form new friendships right now takes a new kind of time, effort and intention. For many of us, we are learning how to cultivate rich and active lives online and on social media. But it’s well worth the effort, as is opening up to the experience of other generations. Staying closed-off is a losing proposition. But cultivating a sense of curiosity and gratitude can help change not only our own lives, but the world. There are so many ways to keep from becoming invisible as we grow older — including living in the current world, not outside it, or in the past. Of course, brighter lipstick can help too (hint: that’s a great Zoom trick). But be open, reach out, and look forward to a time of more peace, more justice, and more life.

Thelma Reese, Ed.D. is the author of The New Senior Woman and The New Senior Man and creator of the blog, www.ElderChicks.com. She’s a retired professor of English and Education, the former spokesperson for Hooked on Phonics, and has long been active in national and Philadelphia-based educational and cultural initiatives. She is the author, with BJ Kittredge, of the new book, How Seniors Are Saving the World: Retirement Activism to the Rescue!

I was so proud of myself to not only train the pet store fish, but also the native fish (that by the way we do not remember ever putting there). My husband fed them in the morning, I fed them in the evening. The designer color enhancing mega food was delivering as promised and then some. The fish were vibrant in color and doubling in size within a month. I ignored the fact that the little orange Cheetos that I tossed out by the handful smelled like dried conch. In fact, the bag mentioned fish byproducts. So, wait. I am teaching my sweet goldfish to become cannibals? Okay, not like I have a choice. I didn’t see vegan goldfish food at the local pet store. And something tells me if I did it would be the cost of a rib-eye steak. But I digress.

As the big fish got bigger, we decided (because, well, COVID quarantine affects the judgement) to buy more fish. Another 10 were added to our (okay, I lost count after 90) let’s say overcrowded school.

I would have an exact count, but it turns out that goldfish are even less responsive to commands than cats. We started taking photos so we could determine if we had lost any of the “jazzy” ones to predators. No such luck. As the social distancing continued on dry land, our brood with ever more babies swam in a tight knit configuration. It was mesmerizing to watch, like dry snorkeling…until one day.

I am not sure if it started slowly and we were oblivious, or if it was all at once. But my innocent goldfish had become violent. This is a big pond, so there was lots of room to chill, so it wasn’t that. And it was most noticeable at feeding time. We would scatter their pellets across the water and a fish food fight would break out. All at once 40 fish would swim for the food knocking each other out of range. It was the Hunger Games, only wetter. In the evening when we were losing daylight, I noticed a distinct snapping sound as they devoured their food. We kept throwing food and they kept up the snapping and thrashing. This has continued no matter how many times a day we feed them with a never-ending supply of food.

It is the fish equivalent of people knocking each other over to hoard toilet paper. The more abundant the food, the more frothing and roiling we saw.

And in an instant, I knew how God must feel. We are given the sun, the earth, the trees, creativity, and companionship and what do we do? We start wars, divisions and violence to “protect our turf” as if it’s ours, as if we manufactured any of it. Humans are greedy out of fear, but what’s up with the fish? Is the entire world living with a scarcity mindset? I want to scream to the fish, “This is school. Line up, take your turn and get your fins away from your neighbor. Geez Louise, there is enough food for seconds, thirds, and fourths. No one has to go hungry.” To paraphrase Dory from the “Nemo” movies, “I wish I could speak Goldfish.” I worked for Save the Children, UNICEF, and with The Hunger Project. Here is the fact: We have the resources to feed every single human on the planet. We choose not to. To my fish and the world I scream, “Knock it off!”

Sally Franz and her third husband live on the Olympic Peninsula. She has two daughters, a stepson, and three grandchildren. Sally is the author of several humor books including Scrambled Leggs: A Snarky Tale of Hospital Hooey and The Baby Boomer’s Guide to Menopause. 

One of the top stressors, many studies have shown, is having enough money saved for retirement. But people can lessen their worry by learning more of the basics – and it’s not as hard as some might think.

Knowing the basics of a field of endeavor can lessen one’s confusion and stress when attempting to make progress in that field. Unfortunately, in the field of finance there are a very high number of theories and methods that are purported to be “basics” but are not. They are in some cases true but not of high importance and in other cases outrightly false.

I have found in working with clients, families, business owners and professionals that there is likely to be a reluctance to advertise one’s lack of knowledge in some financial and investment areas. There is a reluctance to admit that one would prefer a grade school approach rather than a graduate degree approach, when in fact such an approach is exactly what is needed.

Here are my five tips for saving for retirement:

• Take advantage of your employer-sponsored plan.

  Use it to the fullest extent you can. Besides the automatic nature of the 401(k) plan and its pre-tax contribution, there is the bonus of many companies matching that employee contribution. Don’t miss out on such extra free money for your retirement.

• Differentiate “long-term” from “short-term.”

  Many people get these mixed up and sometimes put long-term savings into short-term investments. Long-term is most likely a stock market type of investment, which someone can afford to fluctuate over time but hopefully will have a higher return later. Short-term is a CD or bond fund; they have a lower earnings rate but there are fewer worries about losing original principal.

• Properly allocate long-term savings. Sometimes accounts are invested in only one category, such as ‘large growth. Leaving out proper allocation of funds can make for a bumpier ride in the future on account values. There can be on the order of about five different allocations likely, and being sure to choose accordingly can lead to better diversification, better efficiency in investing, and smoother growth of savings over the long term.

• Don’t get caught up with too much attention on fees.

  I suggest looking  for the overall net return, not the lowest fee or expense. With the same return expected, of course lower expense charges would be preferable to higher expense charges. It is very important to understand, however, that one would be better off with a fund with a 12% return and a 2% expense charge netting 10% return than one would with a fund with a 10% return and a 1% expense charge netting 9% return.

• Cover for inflation by putting your long-term investments into equities.

  Putting long-term investments into bonds or fixed types of investments may not keep up with inflation for the long-term, If there was no such thing as inflation, then retirement planning would be much simpler.

You have only to review the many conflicting opinions, statements, and advice to recognize that much must be false, simply because there are so many whose opinions conflict with so many others in this area. The idea of basics cannot be accented enough.

Bob Kaye CFS®, CLU® (www.bobkaye.net) is a personal wealth manager, owner of Retirement Planning Associates, and the author of How to Avoid Not Having Enough Money to Live On After Retirement: Making Smarter and Simpler Decisions for Stress-free Retirement. He has been a financial advisor for professionals for 25 years and is a fully-licensed investment advisor representative in mutual funds, stocks, bonds, insurance, and annuities. He is also qualified as a Certified Funds Specialist®, a designation held by only about 1% of those licensed to work with mutual funds. He is certified additionally as a Chartered Life Underwriter®. Kaye was the recipient of the President’s Volunteer Service Award in a Capitol Hill ceremony in Washington, D.C., for his volunteer activities concerning human rights. 

In fact, it’s such a lucrative business that physicians with training outside of dermatology, like anesthesiologists, radiologists, and even psychiatrists, are getting in the business.

Too many people think Botox is something that can be done by anybody. But the skill of the person who applies it is what will determine if the procedure is a success or failure.

These days physicians in many unrelated fields take weekend courses in the procedures and then open up shop. But that comes at a cost – to the patient. For example, I treated a patient who went to a med spa for injectable fillers, and left with a nasty scab on her face.

There’s a lot more to it than what you might see on the surface. If you don’t know the underlying anatomy, you don’t know the structures you need to avoid. And you can’t get that knowledge by taking a weekend course.

As an example, a urologist deals with kidney, bladder, and prostate. That has nothing to do with facial and body cosmetics. It’s best to find a board-certified dermatologist or plastic surgeon.

I offer these recommendations for patients looking for someone to administer Botox:

• Have your cosmetic procedure done in a physician’s office. If you do want to have it done in a med spa, choose one that is part of a physician’s office that has on-site supervision.

• The physician should be board-certified in one of the four core aesthetic medical specialties: dermatology, plastic surgery, ENT (ear, nose and throat), or oculoplastic surgery.
• You get what you pay for. If you are being offered a deal that looks too good to be true, it probably is.
• Before you make a decision, do a little bit of research on your own and make sure what you’re being told is legitimate. Find out as much as you can about the facility and the person who will administer your Botox.
• Follow your instincts. If you don’t get a good feeling about the surroundings or the person about to do the procedure, follow your gut and leave.

By opting for someone less qualified, you may not get the results you want. But worse, you may need to have corrective measures. That will cost you a lot more money than you had hoped to save by not going to a board-certified physician.

Dr. Jerome Potozkin, author of the new book Botox and Beyond: Your Guide to Safe, Nonsurgical, Cosmetic Procedures (https://www.mybeautymd.com), is a leading dermatologist who practices in Danville, CA. He is a board-certified dermatologist and he is specially trained in the art and science of dermatological surgery. He completed his residency in dermatology at NYU Skin & Cancer Unit and is a member of the American College of Mohs Micrographic Surgery. A clinical instructor at the University of California San Francisco Medical Center, Dr. Potozkin is also a preceptor for Lumenis Medical, training physicians from all over the world in advanced laser techniques.

We are increasingly irritated. Frustrated. Angry. Sometimes we know why, but often not. We’ve read all the online advice columns: exercise, stress-reduction meditations, blah-blah-blah.

Often our irritation has something to do with what our spouse has just done (or not done). Sometimes we’re irritated by the way our spouses do things. (We hadn’t been around to see this before).

Dishes in the sink, dishwasher issues, bathroom habits, taking off shoes/boots before walking around newly cleaned floors, laundry, where things should go, etc., may be the presenting problems, but lurking just behind them are core issues of how we soothe ourselves as individuals (which often occurs when the other person isn’t around). Excessive drinking, smoking weed, pornography, masturbation, and other nonproductive lazy time may not have been what the World Health Organization meant when they urged people to use self-soothing strategies that have worked for them in the past, but as Americans we do what we believe we have to do to not lose our minds when we are receiving the dual messages that “this, too, shall pass” and “there will be a lot of deaths”.  Which one should you get ready for? Both?? If I’m getting ready for death, my behaviors will probably look different from getting ready to return to work next month.

Reuters reports that market investments in the makers of chocolates, legal weed, and alcohol are being rewarded well, and the smart money is going to buying shares of Novo Nordisk, the world’s biggest maker of diabetes treatments. It seems that the stock market is banking on us coming out of this fatter and more substance-dependent than we went into it.

And couples are faced with the living reality of the words of an old Dan Hicks song: “How can I miss you when you never go away?”

The truth is that almost all of us are woefully unprepared for the idea of irritation being an ordinary, expectable part of relationships, rather than understanding that every relationship goes through phases of harmony, disharmony, and then repair—every week! Sometimes every day! Sometimes several times a day! We’ve been primed to see irritation and aggravation as a sign that something is seriously wrong with this relationship. Perhaps it is a “sign” that the End is Near, that divorce is up ahead. (A lot of speculation is circulating about what the divorce rate will be, coming out of these months. Or . . . the birth rate nine months from now.)

I know of one marriage that began years ago with one partner—from the first month of marriage—obsessively reading an old advice column called “Can This Marriage Be Saved?” in the now-defunct magazine Ladies’ Home Journal. She was focused strongly on “looking for signs” of failure. She was hypervigilant for things careening off the tracks. Sure enough, her marriage derailed, fulfilling her expectations. The things that were irritating and annoying about her spouse? They were all signs that it was a bad marriage that had to end. And it did.

Motorcyclists—and airplane pilots—are familiar with the idea of “object fixation.” If there is a dead skunk in the middle of the road and you are approaching it on your motorcycle, should you be foolish enough to stare at it and stare at it and tell yourself, “Oh, my God, there is a dead skunk in the middle of the road, right there! What if I hit it?” You will probably hit it. Why? Because we go where we are looking to go. This is literally true on a motorcycle. The lifesaving move on a motorcycle is to look for the safe path around the dead animal in the road. If you want to stare at anything, stare at that! The same thing is metaphorically true for a marriage, or relationship.

If you come to understand that being aggravated and irritated with your partner during this quarantine is as normal and to be expected as the sun rising in the morning and setting at night, you will understand that everything is going the way it is supposed to go. And that the small things can be talked about—laughed about, ultimately—if they aren’t made out to be “proof” of a failed, or failing, relationship. They are merely aggravating. There are ways of talking these things through and of sparing yourself the painful self-harm of accumulated resentments.

If there is a deep pool of love and affection between the two of you, beneath the aggravation and ordinary irritations of everyday life in close quarters, both partners will emerge from this with a more intimate connection than ever before.

Just don’t expect your partner (or yourself) to lose the irritation part. It might not be about what it was about yesterday. “It’s always something . . .,” the pessimists sigh.

Yes, it is. But so is intimate repair work. That, too, is always something. Something to celebrate.

Jerry Sander is a couples therapist in New York who specializes in Relational Life Therapy. He is the author of the novel, Convergence, and is at work on an episodic memoir titled “The Guyland.” For more information please visit www.rusa-ie.com and www.buzzsprout.com/987001.

You need to approach fitness differently in your 40s and 50s because your tissues have changed from when you were younger. You should do a thorough activity-specific warm up and focus more on recovery because your muscles won’t recover as fast as they once did. Also, many people don’t realize the importance of taking care of their cellular health as part of their fitness regimen.

Free radicals and muscle soreness 

One of the biggest mistakes people over 40 make when they start an exercise program is not realizing that exercise causes an onset of free radicals in your cells. Free radicals are unstable atoms that cause pain and joint issues, among other types of damage. If you have an overabundance of free radicals, it will affect your performance and make it difficult for your body to recover after a workout. You’ll always be sore.

People who are older tend to feel more effects of free radical damage more than young people. That’s why it’s a mistake not to prepare your body for the free radical onslaught before you start exercising. That way, it can more easily bring your free radical load back into balance.

I suggest that everyone over 40 follow these basic exercise guidelines so that they can improve their performance and limit soreness.

1. Don’t skip the warmup.

   You may have been able to get away with it when you were younger, but now it’s important to prime your muscles and nervous system. Working out with tight, stiff muscles is a sure way to end up with knee and/or back pain.

2. Be careful not to over train. 

   Lately, some people are doing online boot camps every day. Some people are doing two workouts a day then going for a run! That’s not giving your body the recovery time it needs. Your body can only handle so much. And think about the free radicals created! You don’t necessarily need to rest every day, but you should alternate your workouts. Do upper body one day. Do core work the next. Try doing a stretching program or yoga one day a week. This works wonders.

3. Get rid of the free radical mess caused by training.

   Timing is important. You want a healthy supply of antioxidants on board when your body is at its peak of free radical imbalance. Glutathione is a very potent antioxidant that our bodies make on their own. But as we age, our glutathione-making process becomes less efficient so we need to find another way to offset the free radicals. Glyteine, an ingredient found in Continual-G drink mix, stimulates the body to make more glutathione in the cells, where it’s needed most. Take it before working out. It reaches its peak within about two hours, and stays with you for six to seven hours.

4. Eat more protein.

   Insufficient protein intake is a big problem among older adults, especially women. Without protein, you lose muscle tissue, get injured more easily and you won’t recover from exercise as quickly. Plan to eat a high-protein shake or snack within 30 minutes after finishing a workout. That’s the window when your body is hungry for nutrients and will absorb them faster. For your meals, adding some cold-water seafood such as salmon, mackerel or sardines is a good choice, because they contain omega-3s which can help with muscle recovery and decrease inflammation.

1. Get adequate rest.

   Deep, restorative sleep is when your body does most of its recovery work. You’ll know you’re getting enough sleep when you wake up in the morning feeling well rested and ready to go.

Fitness is important at every age. Smart eating and supplementation can be as important as using the right equipment and proper training. The goal is to help you keep moving and feel great doing it.

Brent Bishop is a national on-air fitness expert, celebrity trainer, published author and influencer. He is also the founder of Think Fitness Studios, performance-inspired conditioning centers in Toronto. He is the fitness expert of CityTV’s award winning lifestyle show, Cityline and has made several media appearances on North American networks including KTLA, WFLA Daytime, The Marilyn Denis Show, Global TV, Etalk, ET Canada, Breakfast Television and CityTV to name a few. Additionally, he is a regular contributor to numerous print media such as Best Health Magazine, Canadian Health and Lifestyle, Fitness Business Canada, Inside Fitness Magazine, Canadian Living, Sweat Equity Magazine and Marquee Magazine. With over 25 years in the fitness industry, Bishop dedicates himself to inspiring the active lifestyle through fitness, adventure and media. http://www.iambishop.com/about/

We settled on goldfish at 35 cents each. We put 10 in the pond and within a day two were belly-up. Not defeated we went to the pet store and bought 20 more. It seemed that they all made it.

And just like every other pet, it occurs to you too late into the process that this is a never-ending cycle of buying things. It’s like the Barbie Doll version of aquatics. You have to buy the rake to clear the algae. Add shade food coloring to the water so that the blue heron don’t stand in the middle of your pond like an all-night Sushi bar. You have to buy the right food, which is to say, not bread crumbs, even really good whole wheat ones. And like cats, goldfish are persnickety. They don’t like flakes. Excuseeeee me.

My husband has taken to buying bags of goldfish food in 10-pound bags like dogfood. But not just any food. These are mini orange Cheeto looking nuggets. And there are different bags for the time of the year. Who knew these glorified carp had such delicate stomachs? Not me when I thought my entire investment was $10.50. Hardy-har-har.

Okay, I was in deep, well, only three feet or so, but I decided to “train” them to come to the dock to be fed when I stomped my feet. And they came in droves. In fact, the scary, weird, and predictably 2020 Stephen King level phenomenon is that not only did our brightly colored goldfish come for meal time, about 40 brown carp appeared out of nowhere. This pond is not connected to another water source. We have to fill it with a garden hose. The brown fish were three times bigger than out store bought variety. They looked like the Dementors from Harry Potter. But of course they did, it’s the year 20-&%$#-20.

But wait, it gets seriously weirder. And just like 2020, whose only job, apparently, is to top awful with unbelievable. The dark shadows that leap out of the water for food started turning colors. First green showed up on their flanks. Next the green turned to chartreuse and then to gold. It turns out the specialty goldfish food enhances color. So now we had 70 carp related fish.

And of course, it gets beyond the pale. The big brown, now gold fish are apparently having beaucoup babies. I think we have another 40 fish in the nursery. Last I saw my husband, he was making a sign that read: Blue herons, racoons and bull frogs. Today’s menu is small brown carp and anything else you can find. In case any of the birds take my husband up on his offer, I made an artistic mural memorializing our carp, koi and whatever those other brown/yellow/orange fish are. It hangs in our laundry room.

Sally Franz and her third husband live on the Olympic Peninsula. She has two daughters, a stepson, and three grandchildren. Sally is the author of several humor books including Scrambled Leggs: A Snarky Tale of Hospital Hooey and The Baby Boomer’s Guide to Menopause. 

All of these symptoms can be connected to TMJ disorders. TMJ stands for temporomandibular joint, which is the name for the right and left joints that connect the jaw to the skull. Those joints do yeoman work every day as people talk, eat, yawn or otherwise keep their jaws moving. But the joints also can become the source of extraordinarily unpleasant sensations when things go awry.

There are a number of reasons a person might suffer from TMJ disorders, including a physical injury or disease. But stress is also one of the major causes, and I have seen patients with TMJ due to stress from the pandemic. When people are tense, they often clench or grind their teeth, tightening their jaw muscles and putting stress on the TM joints. Sometimes severe clenching can also lead to a cracked tooth or cracked dental crown.

Here are a few tips on what to do when the stress manifests itself in oral ailments:

• Teeth grinding.

  Technically known as bruxism, this is when someone grinds, gnashes or clenches their teeth. This can happen unconsciously while people are awake, Hung says, but also takes place while they are asleep. Severe cases can lead to TMJ, headaches, and teeth damage. Treatments can include efforts to reduce stress. A doctor can also prescribe muscle relaxants that can help, or a dentist or oral surgeon might fit the person with a mouth guard to wear while sleeping.

• Tension headaches.

  Many people likely wouldn’t associate a tension headache with their oral health, but in some cases there is a connection. A tension headache is a band-like headache that wraps around the temples. How does that relate to TMJ disorder? Tension headaches can come from clenching. Headaches associated withTMJ often have other symptoms connected to the jaw, such as jaw pain or restricted movement of the jaw. Over-the-counter pain medications can help, but if they don’t a visit to a medical professional is in order.

• Other TMJ symptoms.

  There are a few signs that indicate a person is suffering from TMJ disorder. For example, you may have a misaligned bite, or pain and a clicking or grating noise when you open your mouth. Or, you may have trouble opening your mouth wide. To combat the problem, oral surgeoncan use a number of treatments, including the aforementioned stress management and night-time mouth guards that are recommended for teeth grinding. In many cases, physical therapy can help. Other treatments could include bite adjustment, orthodontics with or without jaw reconstruction, or restorative dental work. Surgery is sometimes needed, but only in the most severe cases and as a last resort,

2020 has produced one source of stress after another, and in many cases people can do little about the events that are putting a burden on their emotional and physical well-being. But that’s not the case if stress caused you to suffer from TMJ disorder and other related problems.

Certainly, treatment can take time to be effective. But you’ll be glad to know that problems associated with TMJ disorder are more easily diagnosed and treated than they were in the past.

Cathy Hung DDS (www.drcathyhung.com), author of Pulling Wisdom: Filling Gaps of Cross-Cultural Communication for Healthcare Providers, is a board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon with more than 15 years of clinical experience. She owns and operates Prospect Oral Surgery Center in Monroe Township, NJ, a culturally diverse geographic area with a large number of first-generation immigrants from all over the world.  Dr. Hung is a native of Taipei, Taiwan. She briefly lived in Singapore for two years before coming to the United States on a student visa in 1991 at age 18. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and minor in music from the University of California, Berkeley and a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) from Columbia University. Dr. Hung is part of the American Dental Association’s Institute for Diversity in Leadership Program.