USMB Coffee Shop IV

[Dragonlady]

Not surprisingly, I'm feeling pretty much NORMAL again since I stopped taking the Rosuvastatin. Almost like a miracle, and I mean not even any anxiety either. Needless to say, those statins are horrible drugs, and I will NOT take another, ever. I've pretty much completely changed my diet and I like it. I usually start the day with a smoothie, and that always starts with a banana, and then a second fruit, usually strawberries, or mixed berries, frozen, fill mixer jug to cover that with vanilla almond milk, some whey protein, chia seeds, cinnamon, dash of nutmeg, Madhava sweetner, a sugar alternative, couple chunks of ice and then let the Ninja do it's work. Can't believe how good they taste and still be so healthy.

Been cold up nort' here too in Wisconsin, but, it is January, and the 20th to the 24th of Jan are statistically the coldest days of the year, and we're right in the middle of it. After the 24th is starts to warm up. The sun has been gaining quite a bit of time and it starts to heat things back up.

So the only thing I'm missing right now is that new truck. Couple more weeks and it should be built. But that's no guarantee I'll get it soon either because it could sit around for another couple weeks waiting on a truck to haul it here. It could very easily be 7 MONTHS since I ordered it before I get it, so the "excitement" of getting it has kinda been dashed by the long wait. I still want it, but I'm not going to do cartwheels when it shows up. I'll be more like... ABOUT F'IN TIME.

I fully agree on the statins. They put me on those things after my heart attack in 2014. I didn't have high cholesteral, or high blood pressure. It was the stress of my marriage breakup. I asked my cardiologist to take me off them. Since I wasn't overweight, and all my blood numbers were excellent, he agreed. I feel so much better of them than I did when I was taking them.

I also like smoothies for breakfast. I put a handful of raw spinach in with the fruit. Great nutrition and you can't taste it all. If I'm going for a morning swim, they provide great energy without being to too heavy or making you sluggish.

Good luck with the truck. I'd be tearing my hair out by now. I am not a patient person.

 

[beautress]

I saw a man immediately. But after studying it for a big saw the dog.

View attachment 590991

I saw a man running through the woods yesterday. And a lot of the snow on the tree look like half-dogs. This morning I looked at the picture and immediately saw an adorable dog running through the woods. Thanks for the brain teaser, Foxfyre. Only you!

 

[beautress]

Saturday morning!

There's a well built dog house, man.

Let the cartoon begin!

They get funnier every time you post one, Mr. Oddball.

 

[beautress]

One kitchen hack I read recently was when you buy a bunch of bananas, wrap the stem that connects them with plastic wrap and it will slow ripening and extend the life of the bananas 2 or so days. I've heard that aluminum foil works like that too, but we tried it and I can't say I noticed a lot of difference. My 42 partner freezes her extra bananas and says they're just fine to cook with when thawed out. She rarely eats them as bananas so can't say if they would be edible just as bananas.

My sister shared a trick with me some time ago, but I didn't use it until recently. Her claim was that when you refrigerate bananas, you can add a few extra days of real goodness if you don't mind the color of the peel, which turns brown overnight. I find they will keep well for 3 days, then after that the mushy browning process starts slowly, and in 3 days they are then candidates for truly bad banana bread (I don't care for banana bread even if one uses fresh bananas). It's just yucky to my palate for some reason.

Sometimes my mind wanders when at the supermarket, and I overbuy a pretty banana group with 5 or 6 bananas. Here's how to fix losing good money spent on excess bananas:

Ambrosia

3 bananas peeled and cut into half inch pieces
2 sliced valencia oranges, well peeled and seeded
(naval oranges work next best)
cut slices into bite-sized pieces and reserve juice on cutting mat
2 tablespoons of real mayonnaise
1 tsp orange drippings or juice
1/4 c. flaked coconut
a pinch of salt, paprika optional

Mix mayo and a little juice from the slice and cut orange
Mix with coconut and very small amount of salt.
Gently fold orange and banana fruit pieces together
Cover and mix gently with orange coconut mayo sauce
Place in clear bowl and cover with a little cling wrap, smoothing out all air passages
Chill for an hour.
If you have company coming and want it to look really cool,
surround the outer salad rim with sweetened, seeded red cherries from a glass jar.
If your guests are dieting, fresh bing cherries can't be beat if you remove the pits.

bon appetit!
​

 

[Foxfyre]

And on a foggy day. . .

 

[Dajjal]

 

[SFC Ollie]

And another Heart Cath done.
After weeks of cardiologists guessing (wrong) that the results of my stress test and my described symptoms was smaller arteries too small to balloon or stent they spent 3 hours opening a previous stent that was 90% blocked. They still say there is a small blockage that doesn't cause any problems.
At any rate I am home and feeling much much better.

 

[Foxfyre]

And another Heart Cath done.
After weeks of cardiologists guessing (wrong) that the results of my stress test and my described symptoms was smaller arteries too small to balloon or stent they spent 3 hours opening a previous stent that was 90% blocked. They still say there is a small blockage that doesn't cause any problems.
At any rate I am home and feeling much much better.

Good to hear it Ollie. Hombre now has a hip replacement scheduled for Feb 24, but my goodness there is a ton to do, dozens of hoops to jump through, appointments to schedule, exercises to do, videos of dos and don'ts to do that must be practiced before the surgery, equipment to buy, etc. Overwhelming for two old folk but I'm sure we'll get through it.

 

[Dragonlady]

And another Heart Cath done.
After weeks of cardiologists guessing (wrong) that the results of my stress test and my described symptoms was smaller arteries too small to balloon or stent they spent 3 hours opening a previous stent that was 90% blocked. They still say there is a small blockage that doesn't cause any problems.
At any rate I am home and feeling much much better.

Take it easy Ollie. Rest, and let your heart get used to being used again. The Olympics are coming. Curl up, keep warm get stronger for spring.

I'm going into my winter sports retreat. We had the Canadian and American figure skating Championships on one weekend. This past weekend we have Australian Open Tennis and football, and Four Continents Figure Skating Championships (4CC). We have two young Canadian Men left in the Men's draw. Well one today. Two going into the quarter finals last night. I haven't even watched any of 4CC.

There's snow on the ground so I can't ride my bike. My knees can't take walking in the ice and the snow. The Aussie Open is on. The Scott's Tournament of Hearts starts Friday (Canadian women's curling championships). The Olympics start February 3rd. See you in March!!!

My friend wanted me to come over and watch football on Sunday. I'm not even gonna think about football until Superbowl Sunday. I already have 20 hours of sports on my PVR I haven't watched, and there's bunch of stuff on YouTube.

I'm not a huge curling fan. I watch Canadians and the World Championships in both men's and women's. I used to curl in high school, and when I worked for the bank. Would like to fit some time in here for the Tournament of Hearts (Canadian women's Championship). And there's always Raptors basketball.

The first baseball spring training game is February 26th. Formula 1 starts in Bahrain on March 20th, Ba

This is why there's a TV in the sewing room. Just for this time of year. Days spent sewing and watching live sport on TV in peace and quiet. Nirvana. If I can just figure out how to thread that damn serger.

 

[beautress]

And another Heart Cath done.
After weeks of cardiologists guessing (wrong) that the results of my stress test and my described symptoms was smaller arteries too small to balloon or stent they spent 3 hours opening a previous stent that was 90% blocked. They still say there is a small blockage that doesn't cause any problems.
At any rate I am home and feeling much much better.

Ollie, I'm so glad you're okay. Prayers up that things go well for you post op.

 

[beautress]

Entomologist's moments...

More here: Greenhouse Dreams

 

[Foxfyre]

Just so ya'll know:

 

[Gracie]

Don't enter a hospital. Die at home.

Most hospitals are funded by the government. I hope that one day you learn what capitalism is. Are defense contractors not funded by the government?

www.usmessageboard.com

Update on MrGracie. Tired, going to bed, didn't want to type it out twice.

 

[Mindful]

 

[beautress]

Don't enter a hospital. Die at home.

Most hospitals are funded by the government. I hope that one day you learn what capitalism is. Are defense contractors not funded by the government?

www.usmessageboard.com

Update on MrGracie. Tired, going to bed, didn't want to type it out twice.

I saw something the other day on a dietary panacea that reduces fatigue. I made some notes, so I need to find my notebook I use for everything--new Spanish vocabulary additions, nutrition stuff, celebrities that stayed with their families and kids, you know, dumb stuff... Back in a second or two and hope I can find it for you, Gracie. I know there's a stress factor in some people's fatigue that should be resolved when you can, but in the meantime, you can recharge... back in a few ...

OK, it was on page 2 of my new notebook, and this one has choices to choose from... The top one is dark leafy greens, so pick your own poison--spinach, kale, radish greens, dark green broccoli, kale, and cilantro. OK, that's what was best about whatever goods have glutamine in them. That was in the top 3 foods. I just ran another question through bing search engine, "does glutamine help get over fatigue?" And this is what one of them said:

Summary There is little support for the use of glutamine supplements for muscle gain or strength performance. However, they may reduce fatigue or decrease muscle soreness during and after exercise. Exercise would stress if you are over 15 years old <giggle> I looked back at my list of "glutamine"top 10 foods, and I found that red cabbage was mentioned in the top 3 of several nutrition websites, seawater fish and crustaceans was the first. So if shellfish is your allergy source, you still haveother choices like Alaska salmon, flounder, and I think the fish substitute for crab meat is a regular fish that just tastes like crab (I like it). I'll look for the name...back in a minute...​

​

OK, at 3 sources said something similar to this: "While imitation crab is made from seafood, it generally contains no crab — other than a tiny amount of crab extract that is sometimes added for flavoring. Pollock, which has a mild color and odor, is commonly used to make surimi. One source said imitation crab is from the sea and has glutamine in it. Another source said if you have allergic reactions to red food color in the past, avoid imitation anything that adds color. Nutrition has its do's and don'ts. No one gets a free ride, I guess. Oh, yes, Jello has gelatin in it that's supposed to be a pick-me-up. Didn't know that until this morning. No wonder my mom always put jello on the table for dessert. Low calories and kids love it, but that gelatin has a lot of glutamine in it. Dad was a coach, all 5 of us kids were athletic...​

​

Oh, one other thing I recall, one of the sources liked kelp as a energy-promoter and fatigue killer. Oddly, I know I have a bottle of kelp tablets I bought when I went through a really tired phase after my dear husband passed away. I didn't finish the bottle, but I did get back to the world of the living somehow during that time.​

​

Good luck sweet Gracie. Hope you get recharged. Oh, one other thing about glutathione, it can be useful to knock off pounds, but some tiredness appears in slender folks who should at least avoid glutamine or glutathione problems of weight loss. Thin people do not need to do the tablet form, but the dark green vegetables have a lot more in them than just simple glutamine in it.​

 

[Foxfyre]

Don't enter a hospital. Die at home.

Most hospitals are funded by the government. I hope that one day you learn what capitalism is. Are defense contractors not funded by the government?

www.usmessageboard.com

Update on MrGracie. Tired, going to bed, didn't want to type it out twice.

I read through that thread Gracie and think I got most of it--skipped over a lot of irrelevant stuff--and prayers up. I know it's a huge worry most especially when the only one you have to lean on is you. I was feeling that way with Hombre's impending surgery and rehab until my son said he would be here for most of 2 weeks post surgery. I was so overwhelmed with gratitude I cried. I so wish you had someone to help you.

And I'm glad you aren't listening to those saying all hospitals are corrupt etc. I think the vast majority of healthcare professionals do care about giving their patients as good care as they can. If you think Mr. G is in good hands, I think you can trust that.

 

[SFC Ollie]

I am convinced that the vast majority of the Nurses at At St Elizabeth Mercy Health are Angels in disguise.

 

[007]

I fully agree on the statins. They put me on those things after my heart attack in 2014. I didn't have high cholesteral, or high blood pressure. It was the stress of my marriage breakup. I asked my cardiologist to take me off them. Since I wasn't overweight, and all my blood numbers were excellent, he agreed. I feel so much better of them than I did when I was taking them.

I also like smoothies for breakfast. I put a handful of raw spinach in with the fruit. Great nutrition and you can't taste it all. If I'm going for a morning swim, they provide great energy without being to too heavy or making you sluggish.

Good luck with the truck. I'd be tearing my hair out by now. I am not a patient person.

I never ask to be taken off anything. If I don't like it, I just quit taking it and tell them I quit and why.

I started adding the whey protein to my smoothies because it's good for fast muscle regeneration if you're going to work out, and I do have a gym, which I haven't been using much lately. It was in the house but it's out in the shop now, and I lack motivation to go out and heat up the upstairs to use it, winter does it, the doldrums set in and about all I do is hibernate. About time for the big perk up though. We're gaining lots of daylight fast and we're past the statistical coldest part of the year. It's all about longer days and getting warmer now, and that always reinvigorates me.

I'm not patient either, DL. By this time next week my truck should be BUILT. Just my luck though it'll take another couple weeks to get it here because it'll sit around in a parking lot because of the truck driver shortage. I'll just be pissed by that point.

 

[Foxfyre]

I am convinced that the vast majority of the Nurses at At St Elizabeth Mercy Health are Angels in disguise.

I am praying that those at Presbyterian Hospital are angels in disguise when Hombre goes in for surgery next month. We're both stressed out enough with all we have to get done in preparation for that surgery and he sure doesn't need a bad hospital experience.

 

[Dragonlady]

I never ask to be taken off anything. If I don't like it, I just quit taking it and tell them I quit and why.

I started adding the whey protein to my smoothies because it's good for fast muscle regeneration if you're going to work out, and I do have a gym, which I haven't been using much lately. It was in the house but it's out in the shop now, and I lack motivation to go out and heat up the upstairs to use it, winter does it, the doldrums set in and about all I do is hibernate. About time for the big perk up though. We're gaining lots of daylight fast and we're past the statistical coldest part of the year. It's all about longer days and getting warmer now, and that always reinvigorates me.

I'm not patient either, DL. By this time next week my truck should be BUILT. Just my luck though it'll take another couple weeks to get it here because it'll sit around in a parking lot because of the truck driver shortage. I'll just be pissed by that point.

I quit taking it a month before my appointment and let him do my tests without it. That crap was expensive $200 for pills that made me feel like crap. I felt so much better without them, and the heart attack happened before my 65th birthday, when I had to pay for all my own meds. These days I pay $100 per year co-pay and the province picks up the rest.

My FaceBook feed is filling with the skaters, choreographers and coaches I'm "friends" with all headed for Beijing. In 2010, I knew nearly all of the skaters, their coaches and their parents. Many of the were from Central Ontario Section or Western Ontario Section, and my daughter had trained with them when they were young. This year, there's only one skater left that she trained with and he's 29. It's wonderful to see these kids all grown up and achieving their dreams.