My younger brother's girlfriend Bev spent the night here ─ mainly because of a frozen / broken water pipe at her own home that has rather saturated some of her living space.
However, this happened a few days ago, and she probably only spent last night here because she didn't have to work today (she works in a small bar).
So it was another late evening for me. I wasn't into bed until sometime well into the midnight hour.
I think that I managed to remain abed until maybe just after 5:00 a.m., at which time I felt obliged to rise and try to handle the day's content assignment for the post I am putting together at one of my six hosted websites.
I also hoped to get out today and maybe do the four-mile round trip hike to the government liquor store to add to my stockpile of canned beer.
Alas, after only applying myself long enough to perform about half of that content assignment, I felt too in need of a return to bed. For one thing, it was always possible that Bev would be hanging around for quite some time today and I might have to fetch us a movie to watch via our T9 Android 8.1 TV Box that my brother doesn't know how to operate.
Before seeking bed, I was going to open the blinds in the living room and turn on the stereo, for it was well past 7:00 a.m. ─ closer to 8:00 a.m.
And then I saw that Bev was covered up on the chesterfield in the living room ─ for whatever reason, she had removed herself from my brother's bedroom and bed.
When I mentioned her sleeping choice later in the day, she claimed that she was just too overheated upstairs in bed.
I got some further sleep after returning to bed, and never checked the time again until a little after 10:00 a.m. At that point, I figured that I might as well rise, for my brother would surely be up by then.
And so it was.
I soon joined them, and it was anon suggested that I might as well put the Android TV Box into play ─ they had on T.V. the only news station that we can receive via our basic cable package, and the channel was just rotating the same stories over and over.
Without anything specific in mind, I used the CyberFlix TV 'app' downloaded into the Android TV Box and scanned the movies on offer.
I settled on one titled Green Book. None of us expected to enjoy it as much as we did; and the ending had me struggling with tears, somewhat reminding me of the ending to the movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles when Steve Martin's Neal Page wouldn't accept the halfhearted refusal of lonely John Candy's Dell Griffith to join the Page family for their Christmas celebration.
I'm such a sucker for sentimental Christmas movies. And being caught off guard by how Christmassy this one turned out to be was a double whammy in the emotional department where I was concerned.
I had no idea in choosing the movie that it was even going to involve Christmas.
I had no idea in choosing the movie that it was even going to involve Christmas.
My brother and Bev finally readied toward mid-afternoon to head away to the bar that employs her, but first he got busy and shovelled snow from the driveway. Early into our movie, it had begun snowing, and it was soon doing so in earnest.
Anyway, I just recently came into the house (shortly after 6:00 a.m.) after taking my own stint at it, and the snow is still falling. And it's bloody cold ─ even with gloves, my finger ends were so wretchedly cold that I almost had to quit for that reason alone, despite wearing gloves.
And when I came into the house, the thawing of those finger ends was practically nauseatingly painful.
Also, I felt oddly unwell in a different fashion ─ I could not help but wonder if it was possible for this 69-year-old to actually suffer a heart attack.
Incidentally, I did try to make that beer hike, but blogging here held me up too long. And by the time I had set off, it was already a few minutes beyond 5:30 p.m.
The liquor store closes at 6:00 a.m. on Sundays. I walked but a fraction of a block, fully doubting my ability to make the trip in time.
And then when I suddenly faced into a wind and felt the driving snow stinging my forehead that began to suffer a 'brain freeze,' that was it!
There was no way that I could walk a bit better than four-miles-per-hour for a distance of two miles in conditions like this. I would have needed to do some jogging to make the time.
Forget it. I'm nowhere near out of beer. The errand can well wait.
And now my brother is back home at approximately 6:45 p.m. I am going to have to take a break and probably have to finish this post tomorrow, pre-dating the time of its publication.
oooooooooooooo
I've fallen a day behind with my posts, and I cannot seem to catch up.
But let's deal with this post.
I have two articles I wanted to link to at HSIonline.com, but the first ─ which was sent to me via E-mail on January 30 ─ does not seem to be published there. Not as yet, anyway.
So I will reproduce it here ─ it is directed at people who tend to suffer from urinary tracts infections (UTIs):
I am only vaguely familiar with the name lovage.Kill UTIs for good with this 'love parsley' from Ancient Rome
Hit a certain age, and peeing is pretty much all you think about.
Run to the bathroom too often... and here come those embarrassing "bladder control" conversations.
Hold your pee... or try to go and nothing comes out... and you're in the crosshairs for a urinary tract infection.
UTIs are the bane of your existence when you're on the older side.
The infection can move OUT of your urethra and INTO your bladder and kidneys...
And when it hits your bloodstream, it becomes DEADLY.
You know that you've got to kill the bacteria causing the infection.
But that's not all...
Because if you don't keep your pee moving through your urinary system and out of your body, you'll just get reinfected over and over again.
A Mediterranean herbal cure that dates back to medieval times can do just that.
And believe it or not, it's a special kind of parsley.
A Roman herb from the gods
The Romans distributed lovage (Levisticum officinale) throughout their Empire, spreading it to England from its native Italy.
It was first brought to the U.S. by the pilgrims, who included it in their herb gardens and salads.
But it's STILL practically unheard of today.
The French have nicknamed it the "Angel of the Mountain" -- and for good reason.
This "love parsley" is a godsend when it comes to pee problems, especially as you get older.
A UTI won't go away on its own. And if you don't catch it early enough, it could spread... cause sepsis, a life-threatening condition... and even make you confused.
It's not dementia.
As soon as the UTI clears up... the fog lifts... and your mind is once again sharp as a tack.
Seniors are so susceptible to UTIs -- especially recurrent infections -- and not just because of a sluggish immune system.
Older folks often can't empty their bladders nearly enough.
And old pee in your plumbing provides a breeding ground for E. coli and other bacteria to grow... and keep coming back.
To recover from UTIs once and for all, you've got to fully drain your tank!
Lovage provides what some folks call "irrigation therapy" for those with UTIs.
It increases the flow of urine... but it's not a diuretic.
It's actually an "aquaretic" -- which means as it detoxifies your body, it won't dehydrate you.
And unlike "water pills" (a.k.a. diuretic drugs), it can even relieve the pain and inflammation.
Lovage isn't a cure-all for UTIs. It's a powerful tool, but it needs to be used as part of a well-rounded protocol.
You should also:
Abroad, lovage is included in an herbal blend that's approved to be used as medicine for UTIs (known as Canephron N) -- but not so here in the States.
- Make sure there isn't a physical issue causing the UTI, like a bladder obstruction.
- Take D-mannose to create a hostile environment for bacteria in your urinary tract.
- Drink plenty of water to "flush out" your system.
- Change disposable underwear and incontinence pads regularly to keep your "opening" clean.
- Ladies, wipe front-to-back so as not to contaminate your urethral opening with anything (like E. coli) from your poop.
You can eat the leaves and stems of lovage -- if you can find them fresh. It tastes like an intense celery, so add it to your soup or stir fry... or make a tea out of the dried leaves.
If you can't find fresh lovage, consider growing your own.
And although I have never experienced a UTI to my knowledge, reading about the plant makes me rue that I do not live somewhere in which I could garden extensively and have all of the fresh vegetables, fruit, and berries that I could ever want.
The article I reproduced mentioned a herbal blend brand name called Canephron N ─ here is a study on the product:
The second article I want to showcase is here ─ this one is for those of us who seem to be perpetual, noxious flatulators:
HSIonline.com
I am far more familiar with caraway (Carum carvi) than I am with lovage.
I have read before that people in some countries will commonly chew the seeds, but I have never tried to do so ─ not that I am laying claim to being especially gaseous.
When I was first getting to know my Thai wife back when her English was more limited, she would call a "fart" the far more polite and colourful term "bad wind." I have often wondered where she picked up the term, for it's not one that I have ever been exposed to as a euphemism for the odious development we're all so familiar with.
Anyway, again, here are a couple of other articles on caraway:
- Koop-Phyto.org: Caraway
- HealthyHildegard.com: Caraway Seeds: Health Benefits and Remedies
And even a study that oughtn't to pose difficult for laymen to follow:
- PhcogRev.com: Cuminum cyminum and Carum carvi: An update
Once it began snowing yesterday, it did so until late into the evening.
I took some photos between 3:03 p.m. - 3:04 p.m. when my brother was out shovelling the stuff just before he drove Bev away in the afternoon:
The last three were taken with my iPhone 5, whereas the others were taken with my Canon PowerShot SD880 IS digital camera ─ it is much inferior in dull lighting.
Late into the evening, my youngest stepson went out to shovel new accumulations. He had to have been out there for an hour, and only came back in after my brother and I had given up T.V. and gone upstairs to call it a night.
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