Whether it’s a boo-boo on the back of my hand or a blemish on my nose, one of my very favorite skin soothing treatments is fresh Aloe Vera leaf. I buy the whole aloe leaf (organic if possible) and keep them in the fridge. Select firm, plump leaves free of brown discoloration and they should last in cold storage for a couple of months. Then once a day I slice off a 1″ thick piece, cut open the moist, jelly-like center and apply directly to my skin – any part of my choosing:)…both morning and evening. The fresh, raw aloe leaf works so much better than the processed topical solutions you find in stores.

Here’s some more info on the wonders of the Aloe plant from the Sunfood website:

“The gel of raw aloe vera contains vitamins C and E, plus the minerals calcium, magnesium, zinc, selenium, and chromium, as well as antioxidants, fiber, amino acids, enzymes, sterols, and lignins and, most importantly, polysaccharides. It is the polysaccharides in aloe that help it do everything from fighting infections, to boosting the immune system. Aloe has many health giving properties and there is no better way to harness its power than by utilizing the gel straight from the fresh leaves.

• Naturally antiseptic and antibacterial – can be applied to cuts, scrapes and abrasions
• Anti-fungal
• Anti-inflammatory – can ease the pain of poison oak, poison
• Cools and speeds healing of sun burns
• Weight loss, detoxification
• Prebiotic

Aloe has also been used to treat the following conditions:

Eczema, acne, rashes, psoriasis, scarring burns and other skin disorders. Candida, burns, stretch marks, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, athletes foot and many more.”

I like to place Aloe gel in a blender and add it to any smoothie for a richer, creamier texture. And even better, Aloe is known to soothe and help heal a sensitive or stress ulcerated stomach.

Enjoy!

Snapped this picture on my way to work last week.  4 construction workers huddled together, towering over the palm tree lined shores of Del Mar as they worked to prepare metal scaffolding for several layers of Christmas Tree ornamentation.  This shot doesn’t stir up a great deal of holiday spirit, but the ‘tree’ sure does sparkle beautifully now.  It reminds me a bit of the ‘Charlie Brown’ Tree…just needed a little bit of love

This was the shot from beside the basin for the WWII Carrier Midway facing San Diego Bay during the America’s Cup during my first live hit for NBC 7 on November 17th. That’s an America’s Cup catamaran flanked by the USS Vinson to the left and the USS Reagan to the right as the sun sets on another beautiful San Diego evening. What a day…what a shot!!

My Buster

I came across this article on the Huffington Post, and felt compelled to share, in hopes that we all can do something to help:

HuffPost: “Lab Beagles Released In Spain, 40 Dogs See Sunlight For First Time (VIDEO)“

It’s heartbreaking for me to even think about this situation, but if there are people strong and compassionate enough to perform the rescue, then the very least I can do is help draw much needed attention to the plight these creatures face.  I have three rescues of my own including Buster, a soulful Beagle mix (pictured above) so I’ll be donating soon…check out the video link and the website to see if there’s anything you can do to help

Ways to help include donation, sponsoring a beagle, fostering, and adoption: http://www.beaglefreedomproject.org/involved.php

Neither she nor her loving human were willing to surrender the will to, not only survive, but thrive!!

There’s a lesson in her story for each one of us

I truly apologize for my silence in response to the thousands of kind-hearted people who reached out with words and thoughts of encouragement. I have not until recently, had the inner strength to respond in any meaningful way as the emotions were still too fresh and heavy to bear. For all the love that was sent my way, thank you – you may never understand how deeply it was felt.

I have taken the past year to reorganize heart, mind and body at the most profound levels. For me personally, simply standing at the waters’ edge has had extraordinary regenerative effects…add a critter (or two, or three) to the mix and it’s heaven on earth as you can plainly see by the expression on my face during a recent visit to La Jolla.

Where my renewed life will lead me is the adventure I look forward to most greatly. It might be back in front of the camera, it may be in the jungles of Costa Rica aiding wildlife conservation – or both…whatever that new path may be, my paramount desire remains to help safeguard our planet’s wondrous ecosystems while delivering joy and inspiration to all I can reach.

I recall standing in the makeup room at the station in Atlanta listening to various, outwardly successful co-workers lament their current status in life. “Is this it? Is this all there is? It’s all down-hill from here isn’t it?” – one person would ask repeatedly. If you have laid aside your spirit of adventure, the answer to those questions is ‘yes’. In his musings from ‘Ithaka’, the Greek poet Constantinos Cavfry encourages us to enter harbors never before seen, carrying with us all the riches we have gained along the way.

It’s not the arrival that counts, it’s the journey.

D

But here’s the cool part…while pouring over the details of my latest round of x-rays, Dr. Gee found a few extras here and there. Apparently I have two small additional ribs at the top of my neck and one add-on vertebrae that’s fused to my tail bone. We always knew there was something a little different about Dagmar, didn’t we?

I hope this doesn’t repulse anyone but here’s a look at the back-up bones in my neck – can’t see them very well but the red arrows point right at them.

And here is a rather blurry image of my ‘one-too-many’ vertebrae.  This one is really blurry but it’s definitely there.