Chronicle of a Northern California Wildfire Evacuee

  Chronicles of a Northern California Wildfire Evacuee

By Cal Orey

August 20, 2021, It is Apocalyptic

Ash falls. Can’t see mountains. Tourists flooding town. It’s surreal. Looks like a nuclear winter. Ordered fourth air purifier. Headache, raspy throat, ears ache. Nowhere to go. Unhealthy air quality in surrounding towns. Current Air Quality: 231. “Caldor Fire, growing rapidly, forces Highway 50 closure” notes one newspaper headline.

I feel like it’s a monster headed into South Lake Tahoe. My biggest fear of a firestorm with one road out is coming true. Confirmed by credible sources in town -- there is no way out. Last night when the tourists left –they were told Hwy 50. was going to close -- it was reported "nightmarish" gridlock. Read: We will all be trapped if the wildfire reaches us. We're surrounded. Scared.

AUGUST 22, Midnight

Tahoe Daily Tribune: “Caldor Fire grows to 98K acres: More resources ordered to keep blaze away from Tahoe” … Online AirNOW.Gov air quality index reads 611 Hazardous! Evacuating tomorrow. The smoke is very unhealthy. Others are leaving too. Scared. Found a place – 6 hr. drive due to closed roads.

Called sibling. “We’re leaving tomorrow early afternoon. I’ll pay for the trip.” No hesitation. He was in denial but admits: “I see smoke in my living room.” Afterall, for months he, an intuitive, like me, said, “South Lake Tahoe is going to get hit this summer.” And I chose to evacuate early so we wouldn’t be caught in the chaos of a mandatory mass exodus.

A SAFE PLACE, SORT OF

AUGUST 23, 7:00 PM, Monday

The drive was calm. Zen kitty got car sick. Aussie dog happy to go. Clean air ahead! No more sneezing pooch. Arrived. We are now in a safe place. Hello Gilroy, a town I know for its garlic; and doing a past book signing. I chose a pet-friendly inn. It looked cozy with trees nestled around the outside. Note to self: Tent city next to the premises. Red flag but considering we are evacuees now how can I discriminate?

Inside the corner suite. It’s spacious with a king bed, sofa bed, one TV, coffee/tea maker, fridge, patio, and close to the door to let the dog do his business. Sibling is thinking vacation, “What can we do that’s fun?” I’m pondering, “This is survival” to verbal warnings: “Do not let Zen get out.” After all, my Siamese is a senior indoor-only super sensitive cat. First road trip. I do not want to lose my fur child.

AUGUST, 25, Wednesday

Reality hits. The Caldor Fire is out of control. Watching the news, A.M and P.M. is grueling. It is like watching a disaster movie but it is real-life. The monster firestorm is creeping closer and closer to South Lake Tahoe – my home for 22 years.  The wildfire is less than 10 miles away. I call the neighbor who stayed behind in the hazardous air like so many others did. Yes, he is feeding my fish and watering the tree gardens. But the air quality is bad. Will he stay or will he go? I think he is in denial or optimistic. But my gut says the wildfire is going to hit home. Embers fly in the air; winds kick up at night. Is it an uphill battle? We don’t have enough firefighters. Locals are on edge.

AUGUST 27, Friday Morning

Are you kidding? My brother gave me the news. The inn has a policy. Guests with pets must leave after five days. The room will be cleaned and vacant for 24 hours. “Where are we going to go on a summer holiday weekend?” I asked. Displaced again. Uprooting the fur kids is unfair. The rule seems odd. My gut told me something didn’t ring true. Now we were homeless, too, like the Tent City people.

Saturday Night, Hello Los Gatos

Lady Luck. I scored an upstairs corner suite at a pet-friendly inn. I grew up here—an affluent area that makes me feel safe. The air is hazy from our fire at home but isn’t labeled unhealthy air. The room has superb views of trees and hills. We are happy, sort of. Two rooms, two TVs, a door between us and quiet. It is an oasis. Caveat: Zen has cystitis; so, do I. We don’t like change. Need to drink more water.

Week two: I do not want to leave kitty (potential loss of my home has left me vulnerable; putting chair against door as a safety precaution). No dining out. Living on Subway sandwiches: Vegetables, cheese, olives, whole grain bread. One night it’s too bland, another too spicy. Heartburn pays me a visit. Mornings? Inn to-go breakfast: Yogurt, cinnamon roll. Stuff mini fridge with survival food: Natural OJ, nuts, dried fruit, chocolate… Thank God for chamomile tea.

AUGUST 29, Tahoe Evacuations Are Happening

Broken sleep puts us in Zombie mode. Anxiety, stress, and “what ifs” as we watch the nightly news. The word is: The wildfire is less than five miles from the Lake Tahoe Basin. Like a poisonous snake coming straight for South Lake Tahoe. Residents are on alert to be ready to go.  One highway out. Panic. Gridlock. Dangerous air. Why did locals wait? Nobody wants to go to a shelter, pay money for a hotel, sleep in a car. The haves leave, the have nots stay. And first responders and essential workers keep working. To make things worse, Covid-19 can spread easier in a wildfire environment we are told.

AUGUST 30, Monday Morning Mandatory Evacuation

Text from neighbor. His family is leaving before forced evacuations. “I guess the fire crept through the cracks,” he wrote. We were right.  My fish, trees will die. Worse, our cabins (and my antique furniture, books/mags of 30 years; fave clothes gone); Our historical resort town may burn down – wiped out like Paradise north of us. Worse, the mayor said:” Prepare for the worst. We will rebuild.” Where will we move?

At night I call a bank to make a hefty credit card payment. In shock I say, “This is for the evacuation.” The phone rep is distant.  Robotic. Dazed and confused I break down. I cry hysterically. No words. She took the payment. I don’t understand why some people can’t empathize with evacuees from a natural disaster. Nobody is immune.

SEPTEMBER 1, Tahoe and Stateline are Empty – Bears Roam Streets

The military arrived and more firefighters! Casinos at Stateline, NV close but open their doors to first responders. Bears roam the vacant streets in town. The wildfire is less than five miles away to ravaging South Lake Tahoe. I can feel the collective spirit of residents waiting, waiting, waiting. Will we have a home to go back to – or will we have to relocate?

Los Gatos inn moves us to downstairs; somebody had previously booked the suite. Separate rooms. Pros and cons. Twenty days with a sibling is challenging. I am Type A, he is Type B. The break is good. When we are together, we talk about moving to Utah, Arizona… We only brought basic clothes, computers, the dog and cat. We didn’t really think we’d lose our home. Did we?

Speaking of home, nobody lives above me. On Saturday evening I hear movement. Earthquake? No. Dinosaurs! Guests on the second-floor walk; and I hear every step they make like in that popular dinosaur movie. On the upside, when I take Skyler, my protective canine outside -- no stairs, inn electronic cards to get into the pool area and out. So, no more boot camp exercise for dog and me.

SOS!  More Firefighters, Please!!!

Been posting nonstop on social media: “SOS! South Lake Tahoe needs more firefighters and the military!” And they finally came fighting to save our town from burning down. Some residents returned home by September 7 despite the bad air quality. I wait…September 12 we go home. As whooped as I was, I tossed all toxic air exposed food, hosed off ash on the deck, and inside the cabin. My fish survived 10 days without food; lost one and one tree. I listened to more than 100 phone messages -- from concerned people “Are you okay?” The “Evacuate Now…” words from the El Dorado sheriff greeted me – and I grinned because leaving sooner than later alleviated me hearing the orders like I did for Angora Fire in 2007.

OCTOBER 8, I Survived a Natural Disaster

Today, I enjoy the changing color of autumn leaves on trees surrounding the cabin. The air is excellent quality; poor air forecast for the weekend since the sequoias south of us are burning in another California Sierra wildfire. I had a snake nightmare last night and it was trying to attack my cat, Zen.

In the afternoon, I pulled down the outdoor living room blind for a warm, fall effect. Ash fell to the deck. A sobering memory of Caldor Fire and how our community survived. A heartfelt thanks to the fearless firefighters. Tahoe strong locals, and the grace of God. We defeated Mother nature’s wrath this time. But was this nightmare the new normal?

(Published in Oracle 20/20 Magazine, November issue; courtesy photo of fire engines in smoke-filled sky from Bill Rozak)

FYI Facts: Caldor Fire 2021

·       The wildfire began on August 14.  The cause is unknown but climate change helped the fire cross the Sierra Nevada.

·       Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for El Dorado County.

·       Nearly 1000 structures were destroyed, no deaths, the clarity and ecosystem of the Lake are affected.

·       Lake Tahoe registered the unhealthiest air quality in the nation due to the Caldor and Dixie Fires surrounding the El Dorado, Alpine, and Amador counties in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California.

·       The dangerous air quality has both short-term and long-term effects on humans, pets, and wildlife.

·       It was estimated that the Caldor Fire will be fully contained by mid-October.

HONEY BACK TO PRESS...NEARLY 20,000 COPIES IN A FEW MONTHS + New Historical Novel Hits #1 Best Seller!

   By Cal Orey

UPDATE: HERBS & SPICES now in 106 libraries worldwide; HONEY mass market still has Best Seller banner on the Amazon website; it went back to press for another 3,000 copies -- nearly 20,000 (in two formats) in a few months. A popular honey company will be publishing my articles for their online blog. And that's not all...A one-of-kind novel based on challenges during the WWII era -- told from a French teenage boy's perspective (I received co-author credit) hit #1 Best Seller in Young Adult Military Historical Fiction on Amazon on October 22! (Created/written by James Channing Shaw and co-authored by me, the Healing Powers Series author.) 10-24: #28 Best Seller in New Teen/Young Adult Historical Fiction Ebooks.

HONEY and VINEGAR Home cures, health perks, sweet rustic recipes, beauty tips and more for fall and winter? You bet. Both nature's wonders have immune-boosting perks... Colds, Flu, Viruses, Seasonal Allergies are lurking around the world. Here's the natural Rx:

Discover Honey's Amazing Bee-Healthy Powers

Did you know?... Known as Mother Nature's "nectar of the gods," honey was praised for its healing powers as far back as 5,000 years ago by Egyptians.

Drawing on the 21st century honey buzz, bestselling author Cal Orey reveals enlightening honey home remedies, straight from the book The Healing Powers of Honey: A Complete Guide to Nature's Remarkable Nectar! (Kensington)

Here are common health ailments from A to Z and amazing at-home honey cures. These are tried-and-true folk remedies based on scientific studies, real-life stories, medical doctors, researchers, and beekeepers. But caution, consult your health-care practitioner before putting to work any honey cure.

1 ALLERGIES (Stop seasonal misery): Dealing with annoying sneezing, a runny nose, and coughing is no picnic, thanks to seasonal pollen. But honey may come to your rescue.

What Honey Rx to Use:  Try eating a tablespoon of locally produced honey. Proponents of honey tell me that your immune system will get used to the local pollen in it (it should be within a 50-mile radius from where you live).

Why You'll Bee Happy:  By taking the honey cure, you may lose your allergy symptoms. It's worth the effort and is less pricey than a visit to the doctor or an allergist. Honey may enhance the immune system to build up a better arsenal against airborne allergens--and help you breathe easier. Honeycomb may line the entire breathing tract.

2 ANXIETY (Beat the jitters monster): When anxiety hits (often worsened by stress) you know it like when an earthquake strikes. Anxiety can wreak havoc on your nervous system and up your odds of experiencing heart disease, stress eating, and other health problems.

What Honey Rx to Use: If you're under pressure and feeling high anxiety or sense a stressful event is in the works, make a cup of chamomile tea. Put in 1 teaspoon of your favorite honey. Repeat twice a day as needed.

Why You'll Bee Happy:  Honey--all hundreds of varietals--is touted by folk medicine healers for its calming effects. The natural superfood can help soothe your nerves rather than put you in higher anxiety mode. The relief if provides may be due to its multiple vitamin B content--anti-stress vitamins.

3  COUGH (Outfox irritating hacking):  A cough is another unwelcome visitor and can make you feel terrible. Let's face it, cough medicine can be pricey, doesn't taste good, and may or may not do its job.

What Honey Rx to Use:  A teaspoon of buckwheat honey is recommended before bed. Or you can make syrup of 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon honey, and 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar. Repeat each remedy as needed.

Why You'll Bee Happy:  A group of Penn State College of Medicine researchers discovered that honey may be the cure. The findings showed that buckwheat honey at bedtime was more powerful for curing a cough in children than a cough suppressant found in over-the-counter medications. It is believed that honey will act as a sedative to the nervous system.

4 ENERGY DRAIN (Beat low energy): Getting your cough under control is a good thing, but then what if your energy plummets?  Liquid gold may be the answer again.

What Honey Rx to Use: Each morning include a teaspoon of bee pollen in your breakfast. Go ahead and take it solo. Or try The Honey Association's Energy Drink recipe:  ¼ pint orange juice, ¼ pint natural yogurt, 2 tablespoons clear honey. Place all the ingredients in a liquidizer and blend until smooth. Pour into two tall glasses. Serves two people.

Why You'll Bee Happy: Honey is a source of natural unrefined sugars and carbohydrates, which are easily absorbed by the body. That means, you'll get a quick energy boost with long-lasting effects. Athletes include it in their daily diets. It was even used by runners at the Olympic Games in ancient Greece.

5 HEADACHE (Bye-bye, pain): Fatigue and headaches are not to be taken with a grain of salt, because it can hurt oh, so bad. There are different types of headaches, and some kinds may benefit from the honey bee's gift.

What Honey Rx to Use:  One cup of tea with 1 teaspoon of honey (the darker the varietal the better) is the remedy. Repeat as needed. Also, drink plenty of water and relax.

Why You'll Bee Happy:  "The way honey might work for tension headaches," says New York Headache Center's Alex Mauskop, M.D., "is by treating hypoglycemia, which can cause tension and migraines." He adds that some antioxidants can help prevent headaches, as can magnesium and vitamin B. So turning to antioxidant-rich honey may be a sweet remedy.

6 INSOMNIA  (Find sweet dreams): Getting rid of a headache is a challenge, but not getting adequate shut-eye can have long-term effects, too.

What Rx to Use: Take 1 or 2 teaspoons of your favorite honey, especially before going to bed. Try sipping a cup of 2 percent low-fat milk with a dash of cinnamon. The tryptophan in milk will help to calm you.

Why You'll Bee Happy:  It's a magic trick, according to The Honey Revolution author Ron Fessenden, M.D., providing needed glycogen to the liver so the brain doesn't go in search of extra fuel in the earl A.M. hours when you should be in Dreamland. "Consuming honey before bedtime also reduces the release of  adrenaline, a catecholamine that raises blood pressure and heart rate," adds the honey guru.

7 SORE THROAT (Take the sting away): Not sleeping is miserable, but a sore throat can drag you down, too, where don't feel like walking or talking. Honey has been used as a home for centuries to help sooth one of the symptoms associated with a common cold--namely, a killer sore throat.

What Honey Rx to Use:  For relief of symptoms, take a spoonful of your buckwheat honey, as often as you need, to relieve irritation. In between, sip a cup of tea with honey. Also, try pure honeycomb and honey sticks. Don't forget all-natural honey-lemon lozenges, which also coat the throat for quick relief.

Why You'll Bee Happy: One, honey will coat your sore throat, the symptom of the cause. Two, the antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties will help heal the culprit causing your pain.

8 WAIST WHITTLER (Blast belly fat): Twitches to tummy bulge... if you have a bulging tummy, you'd probably consider a sore throat is easier to get rid of. But wait; there are things you can do to get a flat tummy.

What Honey Rx to Use:  Both morning and night, drink an 8-ounce glass or mug of tea (dandelion or parsley boasts diuretic effects), with a teaspoon of honey and a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. Team this potion with grazing and watch your fat and sugar intake.

Why You'll Bee Happy: Honey and apple cider vinegar contain the bloat-busting mineral potassium. Also, turning to honey will help you to eat fewer sugary treats and enjoy a flatter stomach.

          So go ahead and use the type of honey advised or your own preference; all-natural, raw honey, dark varietals are recommended for best results. (Warning: To avoid infant botulism, do not fee honey to an infant.)

The Healing Powers of Herbs and Spices Gets Best Seller Banner Plus! 'Tis the Season to Spice It Up!

    By Cal Orey

UPDATE: #Herbs & #Spices: Timeless Treasures is making its way through the news. On April 7, an article interviewing the author Cal Orey hit Huffington Post...and the piece was picked up by New York Daily, NY Daily Post, City Buzz, and even more online mags and newspapers! 

The new and timely release (yes, McCormick recently shared its Old Bay Seasoning is "hot"). People are still home-cooking more than ever! The reader-friendly book is now in more than 106 libraries worldwide (multiple copies, checked out); Woman's World Book Club approved Feb. 1 issue; reviewed by Booklist; 100% like it on Goodreads; major media outlet is on board carrying copies... And that's not all.

Walmart gave it a Best Seller banner for 2 weeks; Best Seller in top 100 health books on Amazon this month; featured in magazines/newspapers...and the year is young. #9 (Series) The book that'll whisk you away!

Product Image

Best Seller

Product TitleH The Healing Powers of Herbs and Spices 

• • Cal Orey

• ISBN10: 0806540486

• ISBN: 9780806540481

• Format:Paperback

• 
  The mega-popular Healing Powers series from bestselling nutrition writer Cal Orey continues with its 9th installment, The Healing Powers of Herbs and Spices, exploring the many ways fresh herbs in your fridge and dried spices in your kitchen cupboard can provide medicinal powers, home cures, weight loss benefits, beauty treatments, and adventurous flavors and textures to enhance plant-based dishes. 

  
  

  And during the pandemic there is a spice surge because of the home-cooking comeback!

  

  The key to vibrant health for all generations is in your kitchen...
  

  Anise, bay leaf, garlic, parsley, turmeric, and more (I use a lot of the McCormick classic brand) --for thousands of years, herbs and spices have been praised for preserving and flavoring food, as well as preventing and curing illnesses. The latest research reveals that the seasonings already in your pantry--or easily found fresh in your supermarket or garden--can lower your risk for cancer, heart disease, and obesity. This A-to-Z guide catalogues the most popular and versatile herbs and spices, drawn from the Mediterranean Diet but suitable for any diet plan. You will learn how to harness herbalism to heal your body and mind.
  
  

  Discover how to use nature's gifts including allspice, chives, fennel, oregano, pepper, tarragon, saffron, and special blends like Herbes de Provence to:
  
  ●Bring abundant zest to your table while lowering your cholesterol, balancing your blood sugar, and revving up your metabolism--at any age!
  ●Ward off colds and flu, banish a hacking cough, and even ease PMS or menopause woes, by adding tasty plant therapy to your favorite food or drink.
  ●Lessen your anxiety and boost your mood with aromatic natural ingredients found in dried and fresh flavorings.
  ●Soothe aches and pains without harmful side effects--and trigger feel-good endorphins--using sweet and savory garnishes, including edible flowers.
  ●Create in-home spa treatments using the same herbal potions featured at luxury spa resorts.
  Caraway Breadsticks, anyone? How about Cilantro Lime Slaw, Herbal Greek Bean Soup, or Roasted Paprika Cornish Hens? With over 50 taste-tempting recipes, along with personal stories and fascinating historical anecdotes on medicinal uses dating back to biblical times, The Healing Powers of Herbs and Spices is your go-to guide to embracing limitless energy and healthy longevity while feasting on memorable meals full of aroma and deliciousness!

HONEY and VINEGAR Books Went Back to Press...as did SUPERFOODS and ESSENTIAL OILS...

  By Cal Orey

UPDATE: While HONEY (mass market) and VINEGAR (paperback) recently went back to press (again), HERBS & SPICES has made its way into hundreds of libraries worldwide; HONEY mass market format has maintained its Best Seller banner for a month on the Amazon website. *I've also been writing fiction. Check out the newest unique work to feed your head and soul: The Caged Bird Sings: A Young Man's Untold War Chronicles (3 formats) created by James Channing Shaw and co-authored by me.

Drawing on the 21st century honey buzz, bestselling author Cal Orey reveals enlightening honey home remedies, straight from the book The Healing Powers of Honey: A Complete Guide to Nature's Remarkable Nectar! (Kensington)

Here are common health ailments from A to Z and amazing at-home honey cures. These are tried-and-true folk remedies based on scientific studies, real-life stories, medical doctors, researchers, and beekeepers. But caution, consult your health-care practitioner before putting to work any honey cure.

1 ALLERGIES (Stop seasonal misery): Dealing with annoying sneezing, a runny nose, and coughing is no picnic, thanks to seasonal pollen. But honey may come to your rescue.

What Honey Rx to Use:  Try eating a tablespoon of locally produced honey. Proponents of honey tell me that your immune system will get used to the local pollen in it (it should be within a 50-mile radius from where you live).

Why You'll Bee Happy:  By taking the honey cure, you may lose your allergy symptoms. It's worth the effort and is less pricey than a visit to the doctor or an allergist. Honey may enhance the immune system to build up a better arsenal against airborne allergens--and help you breathe easier. Honeycomb may line the entire breathing tract.

2 ANXIETY (Beat the jitters monster): When anxiety hits (often worsened by stress) you know it like when an earthquake strikes. Anxiety can wreak havoc on your nervous system and up your odds of experiencing heart disease, stress eating, and other health problems.

What Honey Rx to Use: If you're under pressure and feeling high anxiety or sense a stressful event is in the works, make a cup of chamomile tea. Put in 1 teaspoon of your favorite honey. Repeat twice a day as needed.

Why You'll Bee Happy:  Honey--all hundreds of varietals--is touted by folk medicine healers for its calming effects. The natural superfood can help sooth your nerves rather than put you in higher anxiety mode. The relief if provides may be due to its multiple vitamin B content--anti-stress vitamins.

3  COUGH (Outfox irritating hacking):  A cough is another unwelcome visitor and can make you feel terrible. Let's face it, cough medicine can be pricey, doesn't taste good, and may or may not do its job.

What Honey Rx to Use:  A teaspoon of buckwheat honey is recommended before bed. Or you can make syrup of 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon honey, and 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar. Repeat each remedy as needed.

Why You'll Bee Happy:  A group of Penn State College of Medicine researchers discovered that honey may be the cure. The findings showed that buckwheat honey at bedtime was more powerful for curing a cough in children than a cough suppressant found in over-the-counter medications. It is believed that honey will act as a sedative to the nervous system.

4 ENERGY DRAIN (Beat low energy): Getting your cough under control is a good thing, but then what if your energy plummets?  Liquid gold may be the answer again.

What Honey Rx to Use: Each morning include a teaspoon of bee pollen in your breakfast. Go ahead and take it solo. Or try The Honey Association's Energy Drink recipe:  ¼ pint orange juice, ¼ pint natural yogurt, 2 tablespoons clear honey. Place all the ingredients in a liquidizer and blend until smooth. Pour into two tall glasses. Serves two people.

Why You'll Bee Happy: Honey is a source of natural unrefined sugars and carbohydrates, which are easily absorbed by the body. That means, you'll get a quick energy boost with long-lasting effects. Athletes include it in their daily diets. It was even used by runners at the Olympic Games in ancient Greece.

5 HEADACHE (Bye-bye, pain): Fatigue and headaches are not to be taken with a grain of salt, because it can hurt oh, so bad. There are different types of headaches, and some kinds may benefit from the honey bee's gift.

What Honey Rx to Use:  One cup of tea with 1 teaspoon of honey (the darker the varietal the better) is the remedy. Repeat as needed. Also, drink plenty of water and relax.

Why You'll Bee Happy:  "The way honey might work for tension headaches," says New York Headache Center's Alex Mauskop, M.D., "is by treating hypoglycemia, which can cause tension and migraines." He adds that some antioxidants can help prevent headaches, as can magnesium and vitamin B. So turning to antioxidant-rich honey may be a sweet remedy.

6 INSOMNIA  (Find sweet dreams): Getting rid of a headache is a challenge, but not getting adequate shut-eye can have long-term effects, too.

What Rx to Use: Take 1 or 2 teaspoons of your favorite honey, especially before going to bed. Try sipping a cup of 2 percent low-fat milk with a dash of cinnamon. The tryptophan in milk will help to calm you.

Why You'll Bee Happy:  It's a magic trick, according to The Honey Revolution author Ron Fessenden, M.D., providing needed glycogen to the liver so the brain doesn't go in search of extra fuel in the earl A.M. hours when you should be in Dreamland. "Consuming honey before bedtime also reduces the release of  adrenaline, a catecholamine that raises blood pressure and heart rate," adds the honey guru.

7 SORE THROAT (Take the sting away): Not sleeping is miserable, but a sore throat can drag you down, too, where don't feel like walking or talking. Honey has been used as a home for centuries to help sooth one of the symptoms associated with a common cold--namely, a killer sore throat.

What Honey Rx to Use:  For relief of symptoms, take a spoonful of your buckwheat honey, as often as you need, to relieve irritation. In between, sip a cup of tea with honey. Also, try pure honeycomb and honey sticks. Don't forget all-natural honey-lemon lozenges, which also coat the throat for quick relief.

Why You'll Bee Happy: One, honey will coat your sore throat, the symptom of the cause. Two, the antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties will help heal the culprit causing your pain.

8 WAIST WHITTLER (Blast belly fat): Twitches to tummy bulge... if you have a bulging tummy, you'd probably consider a sore throat is easier to get rid of. But wait; there are things you can do to get a flat tummy.

What Honey Rx to Use:  Both morning and night, drink an 8-ounce glass or mug of tea (dandelion or parsley boasts diuretic effects), with a teaspoon of honey and a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. Team this potion with grazing and watch your fat and sugar intake.

Why You'll Bee Happy: Honey and apple cider vinegar contain the bloat-busting mineral potassium. Also, turning to honey will help you to eat fewer sugary treats and enjoy a flatter stomach.

          So go ahead and use the type of honey advised or your own preference; all-natural, raw honey, dark varietals are recommended for best results. (Warning: To avoid infant botulism, do not fee honey to an infant.)

Pacific Book Review: The Caged Bird Sings: A Young Man's Untold War Chronicles

 The Caged Bird Sings: A Young Man’s Untold War Chronicles

Title: The Caged Bird Sings: A Young Man’s Untold War Chronicles
Authors: James Channing Shaw & Cal Orey
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 978-1665538404
Pages: 244
Genre: Literature & Fiction/Teen & Young Adult/Coming of Age
Reviewed by: Tony Espinoza

Read Book Review

Pacific Book Review

Our ability to traverse tragedy and painful struggles stems from many emotions and character traits. Strength, courage, and resilience all play a large role in the journey to overcome great struggles, but one emotion that works hard to keep us all together during these times is love. The love of a parent, of a friend, of a new romance, or of a sibling can keep us motivated and full of hope in times of darkness. As Marc Chagall once said, “In our life there is a single color, as on an artist’s palette, which provides the meaning of life and art. It is the color of love.”

In author James Channing Shaw & Cal Orey’s The Caged Bird Sings: A Young Man’s Untold War Chronicles, the authors convey a unique coming of age story set during WWII. Living in war-torn and German-occupied France during the war, Benjamin Cohen is a thirteen year old boy who dreams of taking up the art of the carillon bells. A young Jewish boy with a fascination with an instrument in a Catholic Church, the young man pursues his passion, despite the concerns of his parents and the resilience of his siblings. Yet as he learns and grows in his skill, he must also grow as a person far quicker than most, as the horrors of the war reign down on him and his family, and the bonds and love he shares with his parents, his siblings, and a young woman in the church he grows fond of, begin to take on a much more impactful meaning than he thought possible.

A truly moving and strong story of facing injustice, the horrors of war, and having to discover who you are as a person amidst all that turmoil, this was a moving and engaging read. The authors perfectly layer the narrative with personal character growth and memorable familial bonds that will be both familiar and relatable to readers as they delve into this story. The setting and tone of the narrative become just as much of a character in this story as the protagonist himself, the city and the haunting nature of the German occupation filling the novel with dread and tension that perfectly captures the horrors of that war.

This is an absolutely perfect read for those who enjoy history, especially WWII history and want to see that incorporated more into coming of age and YA style genres of storytelling. As a fan of history and these genres, I found myself entertained and emotionally invested in these characters and their stories, and the tragic realities of what families faced in that war will have readers tearful while the hero’s journey that Benjamin goes on will leave them with a sense of hope many struggled to hold onto during that time.

A remarkable, thoughtful, and heartfelt read, authors James Channing Shaw and Cal Orey’s The Caged Bird Sings: A Young Man’s Untold War Chronicles is a fantastic new take on the young adult, coming of age narrative with a historical fiction twist. The balance of tragedy and hope the authors infuse into this narrative are both haunting and realistic to the horrors experienced by the Jewish people during WWII, while the character’s growth is amazing to read throughout the emotional final pages of this book.

BUY ON AMAZON

Fiction, Latest Reviews

Pacific Book Review for The Caged Bird Sings -- "The Authors Perfectly Layer the Narrative... Familiar to Readers"

By Cal Orey

Our new novel created and written by James Channing Shaw and co-authored by me, just got its first book review! Take a peek at a few excerpts:

"A truly moving and strong story of facing injustice, the horrors of war, and having to discover who you are as a person amidst all that turmoil, this was a moving and engaging read. The authors perfectly layer the narrative with personal character growth and memorable familial bonds that will be both familiar and relatable to readers as they delve into this story...

A remarkable, thoughtful, and heartfelt read, authors James Channing Shaw and Cal Orey’s The Caged Bird Sings: A Young Man’s Untold War Chronicles is a fantastic new take on the young adult, coming of age narrative with a historical fiction twist. The balance of tragedy and hope the authors infuse into this narrative are both haunting and realistic to the horrors experienced by the Jewish people during WWII, while the character’s growth is amazing to read throughout the emotional final pages of this book." 

-- Pacific Book Review, 5 Gold Stars 

Available at online bookstores in three formats: Ebook, paperback, hardcover. See authors' websites on booksellers' pages.