As I had hoped to do early last evening, I ventured out afoot to do some local grocery shopping about four blocks from my home ─ I was bound for Deepu's No Frills store at the Cedar Hills shopping centre at 96th Avenue & 128th Street (Google map) here in Surrey.
A panhandler outside the store got my "spare change" ─ I handed over $3.40.
So what did I buy?
I was specifically after a litre of liquid whipping cream to use in my coffees and such ─ I despise the weaker, watered-down, so-called creams.
I almost began browsing the produce section first, but decided against doing so, and headed straight to the dairy section.
No cream of any kind ─ except a few of the tiny cartons. Heck, they didn't even have litres of the watered-down crap that I wouldn't have bought anyway.
So many utterly bare shelves in the cooler!
With my main reason for shopping denied me, I turned about and headed straight out of the store and for home, distinctly annoyed.
Incidentally, it was spitting rain sufficient to start getting the pavement wet.
I arrived home just behind my younger brother, who had just entered the house from his van without ever noticing me.
I will speak further of my evening in my older and now-private blog. All I will offer here is that I was to bed quite early ─ perhaps around 10:30 p.m.
Initially I was somewhat uneasy because I was expecting my wife home after her long day working at her friend's Thai restaurant, but ultimately I did relax enough to sink into sleep.
I never sleep 'like a babe.' And so it was that at 2:34 a.m., I rose to soon get to work on the post I have under construction at one of my six hosted websites.
As usual, my youngest stepson was up ─ he has booked this and next week off work.
I was unsure of my wife's work schedule for today. Had I known for certain that she would not have to start at her friend's restaurant until late this afternoon, I would have returned to our bed when I had finished meeting the day's content assignment.
I would even have returned to our bed had I completed that assignment before 6:00 a.m.
But I failed to achieve that deadline ─ it was at least 6:15 a.m.
The poor girl does not sleep well either, and she had already once gotten up to use the bathroom while I worked on the website post.
So I decided to spare her any possible disruption of sleep, and I bedded down here on the floor in front of my computer ─ which I keep in a small room next to our bedroom.
I never fare very well on the floor. The only two positions that work are by lying upon my sides. Thus, I will assume the position on one side for however long I am able to nap; and then I will switch over to the other side to try and nap some more.
I checked the time once just after 8:00 a.m., and remained where I was to eke out whatever further napping might come my way.
I had set my cellphone alarm for 9:59 a.m., but I did not need it. I rose reasonably soon after 9:00 a.m., and was a little surprised when I opened the door to this room to find that my younger brother had not yet exited his bedroom.
However, he was probably involved in dressing himself, for soon enough he did come out and went downstairs to boil water for his instant coffees and to turn on the T.V.
I waited until near 10:00 a.m. before also getting downstairs to boil my own water for an instant coffee, and to take over the T.V. by putting our T9 Android 8.1 TV Box into operation.
Incidentally, my wife did not have to start work at 11:00 a.m. as I had feared she might ─ I could have returned to bed for some proper sleep.
I had a couple of shows in mind to seek with the Android TV Box, rather than just watch episodes of our usual series.
The first was a 2017 documentary called Wi-Fi Refugees. Electrosensitive people try to escape wireless technology that I had learned of through a recent article at Mercola.com (Documentary Explores Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity Syndrome).
I located the documentary using the YouTube 'app' that is downloaded into our Android TV Box.
As usual, my brother carried on as if he suffered from ADHD. I don't know how many times he would suddenly yield to some impulse and just rise to his feet and leave the room for varying periods of time.
I find this feature of his to be extremely annoying.
It was nearly similar with a movie that I followed the documentary with: Ten: Murder Island.
As for the documentary, it did what so many health-related documentaries do ─ it made me feel like a 'sitting duck.' I am unable to afford to get the hell away from 'civilization' as I have wanted to do since at least the age of 14 back in 1964.
Learning about the untold threats to our health that are mounting all about us is no comfort when there is no way to escape or avoid them.
As for the movie, it was a superb example of what very bad writing, production / direction, and acting can achieve.
I sure won't ever be watching that one again.
I am curious why actress Cathy Gifford is so familiar to me, however ─ I don't recognize as having been exposed to any of her other film or T.V. appearances. Yet she is somehow (and definitely) familiar to me.
My wife had risen in the latter morning; and after showering and whatever else, she headed away to perform some errands.
She was not back yet when my brother sought his bedrest after the movie, for he would be taking off for the afternoon to end up drinking somewhere (he did suggest at leaving that he might seek a park walk now that the February snow has essentially all melted away).
I was to learn from my wife that she has plans to visit her unwell mother over in Thailand early in April, and would like to be away for about six weeks.
And no, I have not yet won a major lottery prize.
The day has been lightly overcast. It's possible there may have been sunny breaks, but I haven't noticed any from here inside the house.
There are so many nutritional and herbal supplements that I wish I could afford to try and perhaps make a part of a regular daily regimen.
The two I am going to showcase with some articles sound like they would very much complement each other.
Let's lead off with one with centuries of use, but one which most of us here in North America are probably ignorant of ─ its botanical name is Albizia julibrissin:
HSIonline.com
There is also a good article about the bark's properties here:
- TodaysPractitioner.com: Ancient Remedies of Chinese Medicine and from the Celts Support Relaxation and Healthy Sleep
As well, it is the central of the three plants discussed in an article here:
- DeliciousLiving.com: Fortify your health
I thought these two key paragraphs from that last article were worth reproducing, since nothing was said elsewhere in the area of dosage:
How to take it: To treat depression, take 3 to 15 grams, which translates to 30 to 50 drops of a liquid extract, in a water decoction daily.Precautions: Because of its blood-moving properties, albizia is contraindicated during pregnancy. Those taking sedatives should exercise caution because albizia may increase the effects of sedatives. If you take prescription antidepressants, discuss any changes in medications with your health care practitioner.
As usual, I made an Amazon search using the phrase "Albizia julibrissin bark" at the top of this post just to see what sort of products would result, as well as to get an idea on pricing.
The second plant (Sutherlandia frutescens) sounds even better where vitality is concerned:
DrMicozzi.com
If the 1964 movie Zulu came to mind when you read that article, the battle mentioned in the article predated the one that was interpreted in the movie ─ the British won the movie battle (Battle of Rorke's Drift).
Back in the mid-1960s, my younger brother and I ─ with our friend Norman Dearing ─ hiked nigh on two miles to the Surrey Drive-In to watch that exciting film.
That particular drive-in had a sort of bunker situated just ahead of the first line of parked cars where pedestrians could pay and come to sit and watch the movies that were showing.
I think it was the only time that we ever did that.
But concerning the article, the authour must have gotten lazy. It was published on March 8 (2019) just a week ago; yet the identical article was first published on February 23, 2016...and then again on August 31, 2016...and yet once more on May 18, 2017.
Despite what the Wikipedia article on Sutherlandia frutescens says ─ i.e., "Although some animals studies have been conducted on the putative pharmacology of S. frutescens, there is no good evidence relating to its safety and efficacy." ─ there are quite a few studies, including one that said this concerning the plant's safety:
No serious adverse effects have been reported since ancient times. However, symptoms such as occasional dry mouth, loose stools, or mild diuresis and slight dizziness have been observed in weak patients when the herb is administered on an empty stomach. Sutherlandia is used traditionally during pregnancy with no adverse effect; however, scientific data do not exist to validate the use of the plant in pregnant women. The dosage dispensed by traditional healers depends on the severity of the illness, age of the patient, and the nature of the complaint. Several reports of varying dosages exists in literature.
And then it goes on to talk about dosages ─ but you can follow up there for yourself:
I included an Amazon search at the bottom of this post, just using the botanical term Sutherlandia frutescens. I'm no horticulturist, so I can't imagine trying to grow my own plants around here where I live.
I am practically out of blogging time ─ it is almost 7:00 p.m. at this very moment. I must get this post proofread and published before my brother is back for the evening.
Also, I still have to complete a post at my older and now-private blog.
Even so, I want to finish with a few more photos that were taken early last year when my wife and her two sons arranged a small reunion in Bali with five of their Thailand family members.
The setting seems to be a bar or pub, and my best estimate is that the photos were taken in the afternoon or evening of February 1, 2018.
That is my wife in the first two photos:
This is my wife's mother:
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