July 4, 2009 – Quiet day, saw a parade in Alplaus, but I miss the Argyle parade where I went last year. There were no cows or Dairy Princesses in Alplaus, lots of fire trucks and politicians. Had a nice lunch with Maria’s sister Fran, and husband. Lenore, who loves parades, came along.
 I didn’t take any good photos in Alplaus.
 I had the strangest and most interesting experience Friday. I have had awful trouble sleeping the last six months – my mind spinning in too many different directions, too much anxiety and confusion spawned in a tough year. I went to a therapist, an MD, a psychiatrist and sleep specialist. I am going better, but still struggling, and have tried a number of medications. Some don’t work, some are homeopathic, some knock me out, others make me light-headed, dizzy or dry out my head. I’ve tried Melatonin and over the country stuff.
  I recently switched to a small rural country practice at the Southern Edge of the Adirondacks. I am tired of doctors whose response to everything is to grab the prescription pad or order tests. I do not want a life of doctors, tests and pills.
 I met this young doctor at a dinner on a nearby farm and I loved his philosophy. He said doctors are pressured by lawyers and practices to prescribe, and rarely give people’s bodies the opportunity to heal themselves. I liked him, and I called him up last week, and made an appointment. He surprised me by asking me if I was open to an alternative treatment, an energy treatment – no pills, or shots. He simply held his hands over three points on my body. I was astonished to be offered this treatment in the middle of nowhere in a conservative rural farm community. In the waiting room were the elderly, working-class people, farmers with cuts and bruises.
  The treatment lasted an hour. “I would love to treat you and I can help,” he said.
 I couldn’t tell you what he did, and I didn’t ask. I felt a distinct calm when I left, and was tired. And I slept for five hours that night. We have two more visits scheduled, and by then, and no medications.
 Life is strange. One thing I am learning, is to be open to new ideas. You never know where or when you will find them.