March Mish-Mash

This is a mish-mash, catching up on recent "stuff.

 

First, happy birthday to my step-dad, Harry, wherever his energy/spirit is. He would be 90 today had he lived. A crotchety old geezer. (But he was that before he passed anyway! LOL.)

 

 

Second, happy spring! I was SO glad to have official, astronomical start to the new season. Goodbye, winter, don't hurry back! I've seen a few snowdrops up now, on a couple of recent (rare) walks, and of course the birds are back in abundance.

There's no indication of when people in my age range can be vaccinated; the province now has opened it up to those who are 75+. Mom called me this morning (from Halifax), excited to have been able to book her first vaccine (Moderna) for next Monday afternoon, the 29th. Dad, on the west coast, is getting his first vaccine today, though he wasn't sure which one. I guess any of them is better than none!

 I was dismayed and depressed on the weekend to see the clear-cutting of the path through the swamp. A passerby told me the city is putting in sewer lines all the way from Portsmouth Ave over to Bath St, so that will mean they'll have to clear-cut part of the Rideau Trail as well. I hope this is not in preparation for some developer to fill in the rest of the swamp, as they did on the other side of the rail tracks, for yet another ugly housing development. Sadly, there doesn't seem to be any bit of wildness left in this city that I easily and quickly can get to anymore. Living in an urban area has many advantages, but it's also soul-sucking (for me). Alas, such is the way of it all over the planet, as so much wilderness is lost to development. It wouldn't be so bad if developers actually spent money to include green spaces and, you know, TREES, but it's only about cramming as many houses or condos as tightly together as possible, for as much profit as possible. Anyway, rant over.

I took the day off last Friday (March 19) and took Derry in for a full check-up. He's down a bit in weight, not quite half a pound since last July, and has been losing a few ounces every month that I've weighed him (Jan, Feb, Mar). I wanted to see if it was thyroid, kidneys, etc., or just normal aging and loss of muscle mass. He had the full meal deal (full blood work, urine analysis, plus the extra protein/urine test). It was a long time for Derry, an hour and a half return, and I stood outside in the bitter windchill for an hour at the clinic, waiting. (At least the sunshine was lovely!) Even at 9:30 AM they were busy. The vet emailed me earlier today; all the tests came back just fine from his point of view, though there are a couple of numbers that are above and below normal, respectively. Anyway, it would seem that right now it's just Derry's natural aging process (or maybe early renal issues?) and I guess it's to be expected, as he'll be 14 in June, which is 72 in human years. The vet does recommend a senior diet, and while a few years ago I would have scoffed at anything dietary a vet would recommend, I will follow up with the clinic staff about options.

 

I do like this Lunapic art effect!

 

 

I've been doing some baking recently with coconut flour instead of any kind of grain flour. It's...interesting. 

The pumpkin muffins, above, are actually pretty tasty and I will make them again. Coconut flour is not like regular flour, it's much denser and you need a lot of eggs for the three recipes I've tried.

The reason I'm looking for and trying grain-free recipes is that I had gone to a (highly regarded and recommended) naturopath at the beginning of the month for chronic severe non-acid GERD (if you don't know what that is, you can Google). I've been dealing with this for about seven years now, most of them spent on toxic pharmaceuticals with little success, in spite of all the dietary changes I made many months ago. Anyway, the naturopath is 99% certain that I have SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth--bacteria that should be in the large intestine that end up in the small intestine and cause gut issues), which can mimic GERD symptoms, as well as cause other digestive issues. Apparently it's pretty common! I did the hydrogen breath test a couple of weeks ago, have gone for blood work to check a couple of other things, and am waiting for my next appointment with her to (a) discuss the test results and (b) determine a course of action. I actually have been hoping that it's NOT SIBO, because the dietary changes necessary to manage it are even more limiting than those for GERD. (BTW, SIBO is not some alternative health woo-woo thing, I came across info on it from various gastroenterology clinics/hospitals/labs, including Johns Hopkins.)

 

Also, if you or someone you know is suffering from what has been diagnosed as GERD, but is not being well-managed on the PPIs (the toxic pharmaceuticals), please do research SIBO and ask/push your doctor about testing. If you think you have it, don't just do a FODMAP diet! There is some cross-over in foods that are okay, but also some conflicting foods. And be aware that unless you kill off the bacteria via regular or herbal antibiotics, just changing your diet won't get rid of the bacteria. It's my understanding that if you simply starve the bacteria of their food sources, they will go into hibernation. See https://sibocenter.com/2015/03/useful-websites-resources/ for some resources to get you started. (Don't make the SIBO bread recipe linked off that site, it's disgusting. I tried it twice, varying one of the ingredients and wasting a dozen eggs in the process.)

 

BTW, it's only too bad that here in Canada there is very little coverage for alternative health care. The university offers us $300 per calendar year and I used that up and far more for one visit (the 90-minute first VERY thorough appointment, plus the two tests). It seems good health is only for the rich, or for those of us who are willing (read desperate enough) to incur debt for optimal health. (If I had listened to the family residents I see at my regular clinic I would be on the PPIs for life, plus an anti-depressant and high blood pressure meds right now. Seriously?!)

And that's an end to my health PSA (public service announcement). LOL.

My stylist's cat, Willard, above. I sucked it up and went for a haircut on Friday afternoon, after Derry's appointment, my first cut in 4.5 months. Just in time too, as COVID cases here have surged and we've moved from "green" to "yellow" and are expected to have further restrictions soon. It's all thanks to 140 university students who just had to have a big party on March 12th, a day before St. Patrick's Day restrictions on gatherings came into effect, in a failed effort to curb the partying, obviously. Selfish and stupid, as we were doing SO well before this. If I ever get to move, I think I'd better pick a NON-university town or city!

Anyway, I've blathered on enough. My next post probably will be cursing the roof, the property management company and the repair company, as we're expecting 25 - 35 mm of rain on Friday, the first heavy rain of the year. We shall see! Maybe by week's end it'll be a drizzle, as the expected rain turned out to be the last time. I won't bet on it, though.

Derry, feeling good in the sunshine!

 

Take care and keep well! 🌷