Thanks, Grandpa… You weren’t American, but you fought valiantly for the cause overseas. I never met my grandfather. He had died in Peshawar, India, fighting for the Black Watch during World War l. Peshawar was on the northern frontier of British India, near the Khyber Pass. In 1947, Peshawar became part of the newly …
Category: Thoughts
May 12
Mother Goose
I don’t know why geese fascinate me but they have for years. I love how the father stands watch over the family-to-be and when they’re crossing the street – mom in front, babies, then dad. Lately, I’ve been seeing goose families everywhere. When I went to an appointment last week, I noticed a goose …
May 01
Happy Beltane!
Summer in Edinburgh, Scotland, kicks off with an evening of whimsical revelry. Colorful characters parade atop a hill, dancing and marching to the beat of pounding drums. Fires blaze, warming the air with their bright, smoky flames. Beltane or Beltain is the Gaelic May Day festival. Most commonly it is held on 1 May, or about …
Mar 18
It All Started With a Train
I was reading this great article at https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/best-scenic-train-rides-us?wpsrc=thrillist and saw that the header image was a train we were on in 2007, the White Pass & Yukon Route out of Skagway, Alaska. The Thrillist folks said “As you cruise along the side of frighteningly sheer cliff-drops on this narrow-gauge railway, you can’t help but wonder who in …
Jan 05
It’s Red Hackle Day
Today is Red Hackle Day. This annual celebration on 5 January commemorates the award to The Black Watch of the right to wear the Red Hackle. Originally thought to be as a reward for their achievement at the Battle of Geldermaisen in 1794, in fact there is evidence to show that the Red Hackle was worn by …
Nov 21
Giving Thanks, Day 21
Today, and every day, I am thankful for coffee. Without it, I would have a daily headache and I’d have even less energy than I have now. I first started drinking coffee when I had my first job as a waitress at a Hayes-Bickford in Boston, MA. This was a summer job. A …
Nov 11
Giving Thanks on Veterans Day
Giving thanks to our Veterans today I’m not sure how Veterans Day turned into a Monday holiday and a day to sell stuff, but then, most every holiday has turned into a day for stores to run “sales”. Possibly, the original intent was to give our veterans a break but it has sure morphed away …
Dec 21
Lockerbie Anniversary
The Lockerbie Cairn, through its 270 blocks of red Scottish sandstone, memorializes the 270 lives lost in the terrorist attack on the United States when Pan Am Flight 103 was bombed Dec. 21, 1988, over Lockerbie, Scotland. It is a gift of the people of Scotland to the people of the United States, financed …
Nov 01
Lewiston, ME
I don’t normally post the information I get from my email but this cause is important to me. Last week, there was a mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine. These events are always horrifying and beyond belief but this one hit home for me – literally. I was born in Lewiston many years ago and so …
Oct 12
Sometimes…
I originally wrote this October 12, 2015. Some things have changed. Some haven’t It occurred to me this weekend that I don’t really have any of these people anymore 🙁 My best friend died a few years ago, my “Wednesday Lunch” friend spends most all her time traveling now and is unavailable. When I …
Cushing’s
- 📅 What I'm Doing for Rare Disease DayEach and every day since 1987, I tell anyone who will listen about Cushing’s...
- ℹ️ Cushing's Disease BasicsCushing's Disease is a rare condition caused by excessive production of cortisol, a hormone essential for various bodily functions. It is a specific form of Cushing's Syndrome, where the overproduction of cortisol is due to a tumor in the pituitary gland. The condition affects 10 to 15 people per million each year, predominantly women between […]
- ✍️ Rare Disease Day 2026: MaryO, Pituitary/Adrenal Insufficiency/Kidney Cancer BioFor all of my early life, I was the good, compliant, patient. I took whatever pills the doctor prescribed, did whatever tests h/she (most always a HE) wrote for. Believed that whatever he said was the absolute truth. He had been to med school. He knew what was wrong with me even though he didn't live […]
- 📅 Today is Rare Disease DayToday is Rare Disease Day. Learn all about Cushing's Disease at http://www.cushings-help.com/
- 📰 Disease Remission and Surgical Outcomes of Endoscopic Transsphenoidal Surgery for Cushing Disease: A Single Center ExperienceTranssphenoidal surgery is the primary treatment for patients with Cushing disease (CD). This study assessed the surgical and endocrinologic outcomes of patients with CD following endoscopic pituitary surgery using strict biochemical criteria to guide surveillance in patients not achieving early remission.
- 📆 Save the Date: Menopause: new approach to management on Sunday February 22 2026 at 6 PMMenopause: new approach to management Theodore Friedman, MD, PhD will be giving a GoodHormoneHealth webinar on Menopause
- 📆 Save the Date: Pituitary Adenoma Education Da1 February 22 2026Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from Mayo Clinic specialists.
- 📰 BIPSS Diagnostic Method May Cause False Positive in Some Cases of Cyclic Cushing’s SyndromeA diagnostic technique called bilateral inferior petrosal sinus sampling (BIPSS), which measures the levels of the adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) produced by the pituitary gland, should only be used to diagnose cyclic Cushing’s syndrome patients during periods of cortisol excess, a case report shows. When it is used during a spontaneous remission period of cycling Cushing’s syndrome, this kind of sampling can lead […]
- 📰 Metabolomic Biomarkers in Urine of Cushing’s Syndrome PatientsCushing’s syndrome (CS) is a disease which results from excessive levels of cortisol in the human body. The disorder is associated with various signs and symptoms which are also common for the general population not suffering from compound hypersecretion. Thus, more sensitive and selective methods are required for the diagnosis of CS.
- ℹ️ Understanding Cortisol: The Stress Hormone ExplainedCortisol testing is not routinely done during medical check-ups, and there currently aren’t any at-home tests available to assess cortisol levels. Most healthcare providers only recommend testing for cortisol if there are symptoms indicative of conditions like Cushing’s syndrome.
Music and Local Events
- 🥁 March Forth/FourthToday would probably have been a better day for the Music Man post since it’s about marching forth on March Fourth.
- 📝 National Grammar DayNational Grammar Day is observed across the United States each year on March 4th. According to Global Language Monitor, the estimated number of words in the English language is 1,025,109. There is some controversy to that number, but it’s safe to say it is over a million.
- ☦️ Lenten Hymn and Devotion, Week 3Brian Stevenson, Pender UMC Director of Handbells and Ensembles, presents a series of hymn-based devotions at noon on Wednesdays during Lent. The Third Hymn-based Devotion is When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
- 🥁 The Music ManRemembering all the words is no small feat. I first started collecting records (yes, records!) of musicals when I was in high school in Springfield, MA. Our library had an outstanding record collection, but I could only check out one (or 2?) at a time. I would bring my record(s) home, and listen to them […]
- 🎹 A Parent’s Guide to Piano MaestroIt will be fun watching your child improve their piano skills all while having fun using Piano Maestro in lessons each week! As your child’s teacher (or YOUR teacher!), I’m looking forward to seeing the progress they will make when they start using it at home each day. This guide will help you understand how […]
- 🦓 Rare Disease DayThis day is more than a call to awareness; it's a global movement aimed at bridging the gap between isolation and community, despair and hope, challenges and solutions.
- 🎹 Technic Series: Scales and ArpeggiosAn arpeggio (it. /arˈpeddʒo/) is a musical technique where notes in a chord are played or sung in sequence, one after the other, rather than being played together like a chord. This word comes from the Italian word “arpeggiare”, which means “to play on a harp”. An alternative translation of this term is “broken chord”.
- ☦️ Lenten Hymn and Devotion, Week 2Brian Stevenson, Pender UMC Director of Handbells and Ensembles, presents a series of hymn-based devotions at noon on Wednesdays during Lent. The Second Hymn-based Devotion is Ah, Holy Jesus.
- 📚 Practice Pie: The Step-By-Step Guide To Helping Your Child Enjoy Their Music PracticeIn Practice Pie, I’ll teach you how to support your child in their musical journey. I can’t promise it will be as easy as pie (but then, is pie really easy?) but I can promise to make it quick and practical, with a little humour thrown in for good measure.
- 🥁 Fun with Music for Preschoolers, MondayStep into a world of giggles and song with “Fun with Music" at Pender! This is not just any music class – it's a journey through sound and imagination designed especially for preschoolers and their favorite grown-ups. Since 2013, Jim and Roberta Pont have been creating a space where tiny toes tap, and little voices […]