This morning when I opened the door to go outside with Bella to potty, it was warm already. Floridians could wear short shorts and a tank top today in comfort while watching news reports of unfathomable cold weather elsewhere.
Guess everything is a trade off. To live in a winter paradise is amazing as long as you don't get blown away during the summer hurricanes or tornadoes.
In these golden years I look back and am so grateful I didn't have to deal with driving to work 5 or 6 days a week in ice and snow. I loved wearing a light sweater going to work in the winter. Also not having to scrape the car or shovel snow to get to the car
starts a morning off much more enjoyable.
Maybe that is why I wake up disgustingly happy every morning ready for 3rd gear.
On a side note I believe my happy mental state of mind happened when I finally dumped some old festered anger from my psyche. I so very rarely get angry anymore and I never hang on to it if I do. That is a very different attitude then when I was young, pretty, full of piss, vinegar and anger. Hard work to let it go but gone it is and I celebrate that everyday.
Happy New Year folks
Dementia was a hard blog to write and long enough that many won't read. Right after I explained what I'm learning I had a cute thought to blog which was short and cute.
I opened the blog and completely lost my thought.
Rats
The first Christmas party at our community center was fun for neighbor friends, I actually had a great time.
The party I was looking forward to is the one my sister throws in her house that is spacious enough to house all us when the extended family (cousins) is invited. This year 30 of us were going on Sat. Not Mom & Dad though. On Friday my sister tested positive for covid so sent out a group text to cancel, she is pretty sick and just had chemo for her Lupas so she can't get the covid cocktail everyone asked her to get.
Another cousin stepped in and said she would host but before we could respond she got notified her brother was in ER from a car accident so cancel again.
I ended up with a house full of people because my granddiva flew in from CA (hot zone), My son and ex drove in to see her along with my daughter. My house is big enough to accommadate everyone but there is no parking however we made do. I had a most wonderful day myself which caused me to wake up on cloud 9 today.
I'm ready to take down my itty bitty tree to relax. I have a sincere wish that everyone has a happy & safe holiday. May you actually feel happiness that is out there to enjoy.
Many people ignore or are in denial when the early signs of dementia start showing up blaming the brain on aging. Many signs are simply normal after all how many times does one walk into a room to get something only to forget what they are supposed to get? That happens to even young people. I will not go into all the research I did but I will hit some of the highlights. I know my Dad had all the symptoms in the beginning but my Mom refused to believe it until it was too late, I think we all were in a bit of denial as well as uninformed on what to do.
The early stages of dementia are totally reversable. Quite a shocking revelation to me. Diets are very important but I'm not touching that subject for awhile, however the main culprit (for almost anything evil in our bodies) is sugar and cheap oils which are full of horrible situations to take place in our bodies. Anything processed, especially in America is awful for us yet we consume it daily anyways.
One of the most important things the elderly can do is stay active and excercise (my weakest link is excercise). Other ways to fight the early onslaught of dementia is to "Change it Up". Do different things to excercise the brain and try not to follow a rigid routine. A routine has its benefits but once ingrained the brain is not getting any stimulation. Try a crossword or jigsaw puzzle, try a new food, go to a different restaurant, in other words, change up that routine to stimulate the brain. There are many ways to change it up if one looks.
This blog is just a summary of a lot of research I'm doing and not the whole story. Also no matter what there are exceptions to ANY rules. The medical field has done a great job of keeping my Father alive, however the great man and family leader no longer resides in his body. Where did he go? He was always a very proud man who now has been stripped of his dignity completely. At some point when dementia starts, if steps aren't taken early on, it is NOT reversable anymore.
If my Dad didn't have fantastic insurance I don't believe the medical field would have kept him alive but he is like a meal ticket for lack of better wording so he lives. His life isn't horrible because my Mom & the caretaker takes excellent care of him, someone that doesn't have this kind of care - oh I can't think about how awful that is. I know in nursing homes there are many patients in a wheelchair just staring and drooling blankly in the halls. You actually have to navigate between the wheel chairs. There is no life in their eyes yet their lungs are breathing in and out and the medical staff is getting paid. I don't believe Japan or India suffer as much as Western Europe and America in brain decline.
I was taught to be a proud American and maybe compared to some countries we are but compared to some others we aren't. My opinion is the Sugar Industry is the satanic symbol of the anti-christ and has won most people's hearts or controlled their brains with sugar addiction. The sugar industry wins the battle when the FDA ruled that percentaqes of how much nutrition is in a product. Look at an ingredient list on any food product and you will see the amount of Calories with a percentage amount of daily values. The same percentage shows for fiber, or carbs. But when you get to the sugar there is NO percentage. That's because the sugar industry fought and won. That stinks out loud when sugar has so much power they don't have to obey the rules. If an industy is hell bent on power knowing it is hurting it's people hardly makes me proud to be from that country. I'm very disappointed in America and don't know if any leader has ever really cared. The only one I saw make an attempt was Michelle Obama with our children but the other side of her political party blew a gasket.
I wish more people would take charge of their lives and quit believing in doctors blindly. It is not in their interest for you to be well.
I picked up a cooked bird so all I have to do is heat it slowly for an hour and a half on Thursday. Then I get to carve it, guess what? I have never carved one before but thankfully it is small.
Next step you tube. I have an electric knife which I tried to use once but it didn't work for me like it does everyone else.
Sigh it is always something. Today is my bros birthday and his wife is in Seattle for her brothers funeral (that took 4 weeks to get the death certificate to bury him) Bro likes hamburger so I'm cooking a big old burger mixed with sausage, loading it with bacon, grilled onions, mushrooms and cheese. I have some sliced avacado in case he wants that...I love avacado on a burger if I have to eat a burger, I'm not really fond of them. Today I cook what the brother wants and load it with his favorites I hope it is special.
Well here is to learning a new challenge and a wish I don't turn this turkey into chopped liver.
Never heard of them before but while out partying with some friends they mentioned how nice weighted blankets are. The nurse next door to me said they are especially nice for Alheizmer's victims so I bought one for my folks. They aren't cheap but finding something my folks don't have already is a challenge.
I took the blanket over yesterday and it is big. I thought it would be the size of a throw blanket for the couch but it can cover both my folks on the couch. It is heavy folded up but not so bad once it is thrown on them. Because they are both such tiny little people with bones covered in a thin layer of flesh....they are cold all the time....even here in hell, err I mean Florida.
So folks if you know someone who is cold all the time or you yourself are - treat them or yourself to a weighted blanket. My thermometer runs hot so I do not need one but if I could find an itty bitty one for my Chi I would buy her one.
Sometimes I get on kicks for something special, lately it has been pork belly. It's like bacon on steroids! So far I can't get enough but once I do then I won't want it for a year or two.
My daughter in law makes it Chinese style which tastes the best but is also the unhealthiest due to the rock sugar she uses. My mission has been to figure out how to cook it the healthiest yet still tasty. Sadly I fail many times before I finally perfect it but glory be to the dogs I've figured it out. It is a spendy experiment especially when I tend to burn a lot of things. Leave it at I'm a happy camper now that I can eat a hunk of pork belly that tastes delightful if I don't burn it.
Giving up processed foods has caused me more grief than I ever imagined. Three of the worst oils we can consume is soybean oil, palm oil and even canola oil. They are the cheapest dirtiest ingredients and are in everything, at least in the US. I've had to learn to make so many things homemade to avoid those oils or just give up that particular food item. My latest whole food I wanted was crackers so I learned how to make crispy a** crackers from just cheese. Very simple one ingredient and yet I managed to burn a couple batches before getting it right. I could buy cheese crisps in a bag for $4.00 for half an ounce (14 grams) or $128 a pound if they sold a bag that big. Now for $4 worth of real cheese I can get a couple ounces of crispy cheese crackers (or a taco shell)
Again not all bags of crisps are just the one ingredient as those damn oils sneak into way too many things.
Sweet potatoes are high in carbs so this year I'm trying a casserole of butternut squash (I may mix some pumpkin in) with a crunchy pecan topping. I also learned to bake candied pecans with a real sugar alternative and HOT PEPPER - Big hit among friends and my tummy.
Last year before I went on my health journey I baked so many gifts which I will do no more, I probably increases the diabetic rate. This year I'm giving grocery gift cards to the low income or elders in my friends and family circle. To the grand kids it will be amazon gift cards. OH man is Amazon is my nemis. This home delivery and fingertip shopping has cost me a fortune. I can't seem to discipline myself and keep buying stuff that I convince myself I need, like spices (then I only use once). I'm broken, so what who cares! That's my motto = So What Who Cares!
As I write this I've come to realize that Alexa is making me barking mad playing nothing but holiday songs-One who lives in Florida does not appreciate "Oh Baby It's Cold Outside" I have to remember to tell her play some country music.
If I go to read something that is a bit of a long read and I see there are no paragraphs I usually can't or simply won't read it. However I do not think less of the author I just figure I'm cranky.
I enjoy a you tube video by Steve who teaches me a lot of unknown stuff. Often he adddresses his viewers because he gets so many comments, One day he was thanking his viewers and wanted to explain if someone has a question embedded in their comment to please use paragraph breaks, then goes on to explain why.
I'm not remembering his "why" so much now but I am remembering how often I've been annoyed at a written column without those breaks, I giggled. I've actually become blind to the particular authors on whatever site I'm on - if they write like that my mind doesn't even acknowledge them. There is no need to tattle or vent on them to see if anyone agrees or not. I simply don't care what anyone else thinks with the exception of those that I respect let's say my son. I care what he thinks because I respect the hell out of him. We don't always agree with each other and can laugh about it.
Without paragraph breaks I get the feeling of droning on and on like a nagging spouse. I just want you all to know that men nag too, not just wives. My last ex taught me that, I pity the spouse that is married to a nag.
Dad turns 92 tomorrow so the siblings, my daughter and myself will all take food over and celebrate an event that Dad will forget 10 minutes after it is over. We all will remember! Mom has gained 15 pounds since Dad has been home, she went from 80 to 95 poounds, that's great news but she is still very tiny and fragile. Dad has shingles and that sucks.
Several weeks ago my cousin's 66 year old wife suddenly passed away. The funeral homes are still backed up and we can't attend the Memorial until this Sat.
Within the last two weeks my sister-in-law told me her Brother in Seattle went to the hosiptal with covid. A few days later he was put on a vent and then proceeded to die a couple of days ago. Coordinating the funeral in Seattle for family to come from South Dakota, Florida and Texas has proven to be a challenge on both ends.
I just found out that FB has a dating app - I signed up for it yesterday. I got a message right away saying to be aware of scammers. Signing up must make a person vulnerabnle because people hit me up so quickly. I deleted most but did find a guy I enjoyed chatting with that lives 45 mins away. The one thing that impressed me with the app is that almost all who contacted me are local or at least they say they are. It is cool to chat with someone about local places which gives me a clue they really are local.
The gentleman I met here on CS and still see on occassion has lived in FL all his life so we get to talk about places and times back in the 50s that we each remember in our town.
So ends my tail - I much rather write about the joys of sex....I mean cooking and recipes.
Friends and family would agree I live to spoil my dog. Not so much long long ago but every time my dog died, the next one got just a bit more spoiled. The last two dogs, Jujube and Bella never had to eat dog food as I cooked for them. Once I retired I learned how to cook even healthier.
Bella came after Jujube passed and Juju made it to 15. Bella is now 16 and I am watching age ravage her with things like having a super hard time getting up stairs, those back legs aren't what they used to be.
When I went to take my Mom her ice cream I took a small bowl out of the carton for Bella because I don't eat ice cream. Then I did the same when I went to deliver Dad's box of Creme Brulee, I kept one bowl for Bella. I figured I could give her a little bit every night as a treat but last week I had an epiphany - why not give it to her for breakfast too - she is already 16 she can have whatever she damn well pleases.
So far I've learned she loves ice cream way more than baked Salmon as she will polish the ice cream off the Salmon and is done eating. I've never given my dogs raw meat before but since I started buying quailty grass fed, grass finished, organic ground meat I gave a little to Bella which she scarfed up. I will not give her cheap raw beef but now I have to buy the quality meat. Why do I do this? Bella is a tiny dog who does not enjoy eating - so I have to figure out what she will eat and when I see her excited to it -- EUREKA
I'm just grateful I can be as crazy in love with my dog as I want.
I went to make an ooey gooey cheese sauce because a good sauce can be used to make many things taste better. I watched a you tube video for an easy sauce using 1 teaspoon of sodium citrate in broth. I don't know what sodium citrate is but I bought it and tried twice to make this easy cheese sauce. I only made an ugly cheese glob, a very tasty glob mind you. Not experimenting with that sodium citrate anymore.
My bro and BFF that he married both love dill pickles so I wanted to coat pickles in cheese and fry them - that didn't turn out so good either. I should be able to make taco shells from cheese but what I end up making is NOT a taco shell dammit. Whatever my end result is, it is edible and tasty but not a crunchy taco shell.
A taco truck was hanging out for months in front of my community and the other day I decided after 8 months on not eating anything processed - I was going to stop at that taco truck on my way home and buy a taco. When I got home - the truck was gone, had no clue it was going to move or where it went. I was having a bad day that day.
I'm on a mission to eat a really good taco.
I love color changes. Right now I'm in love with pink before pink it was blue and before that green.
Out of the blue a few weeks ago I just decided one day to have the lower half of my hair painted pink. It was supposed to be temporary color but my girlfriend accidentally got permament. My only regret is I didn't take my dog so she didn't get her tail painted pink, dammit.
I put the picture on FB and got a ton of positive comments - usually a picture of Bella gets way more comments of me but the pink hair did it for me. I live in an older community and I don't think most of the residents like it but I don't give a hoot - I love it and it's all about me in my own world.
It's not a subtle pink it's shocking pink. I love all the colors people are wearing. I'm not sure my boss would have let me get away with it. I know my Dad would have fussed at me if he had half his mind back. My son loves it so that's cool.
I happen to love the shock factor every time someone sees me that hasn't seen me in awhile. My friends expect this of me, my neighbors not so much.
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