welcome to the organic green doctor blog

i am a family physician who was diagnosed with
early mild cognitive impairment(mci) amnestic type on december 21, 2010
this is a precursor to alzheimers disease
because of this diagnosis i have opted to stop practicing medicine
this blog will be about my journey with this disease
please feel free to follow me along this path
i will continue blogging on organic gardening, green living,
solar power, rainwater collection, and healthy living
i will blog on these plus other things noted to be interesting

Thursday, March 31, 2011

its the oil, catfish, baby jessica

ITS THE OIL
ok lets just admit it
we are messing in libya because they got all that oil

otherwise why did we not interfere in some of the other
countries where the citizens were being wiped out

tis all about the oil

CATFISH
speaking of oil
now there is a catfish shortage in the us
seems many of the catfish farmers are draining their ponds and
planting the area with corn
seems the government is subsidizing them to grow corn for
ethanol production
am glad we are dong this to decrease the oil use but dang not by
sacrificing catfish production

seems the price of catfish has gone up 25% recently

now we may become dependent on foreign catfish and foreign oil
aint right is it

BABY JESSICA
she turned 25 recently
shes married with kids
shes happy
doesnt like the limelight at all

remember her
the little girl that fell 22 ft down the 8 inch well in 1987 and was
stuck for 2 1/2 days until she could be removed
she had 15 operations afterwards
luckily she doesnt remember any of this

the nation was mesmerized for those 2 1/2 days while they were
trying to extract her
think what a good time fox and cnn would have with this story now

this all occurred during the oil bust of the 1980s
her father was a laid off oil worker
(theres that oil affecting us again-we just wont learn)

she now will receive her $800,00 trust fund from monies donated
by well wishers afterwards

if she would invest that in a retirement fund account and just let it
ride in approximately 5 years she would be a millionaire

hope she has a good financial advisor and doesnt have the lottery
winners syndrome

have a good life jessica

the organicgreen doctor

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

garden stuff, bb

GARDEN STUFF
worms can live 10 years
they are male and female-hermaphroidites
finding them in your garden soil is an indication of
good soil
consider buying some and adding them to your garden or
flower beds
they aerate the soil and provide some of the best fertilizer available-
worm poop

beware the cutworm
if you plant a tomato especially or other plants such as peppers,
egg plant, cucumber, squash, cabbage etc and notice that
something felled your plant with a miniature chain saw then that is
usually the work of a cutworm

the cutworm is the larva stage of a gray or brown moth that is active
at night

use a collar of wet newspaper or the plastic container cut open at
the bottom to protect the plant
can also use diatomaceous earth or bt (bacillus thuringiensis)
around the plant
during the day time you can wet the soil around the plant
and sometimes the cutworm will float to the surface-then feed it
to the chickens
once the plant trunk is thick enough the cutworm cant cut through
the plant

plant milkweed in your garden bed or flower bed somewhere if you
have room as it is the host plant for the monarch butterfly

it is dry here so make sure you are watering your garden well
each week
do the finger test
stick your finger in the soil and if the finger comes out dry then
the bed needs water

in my garden have planted tomatoes, peppers, egg plant,
cucumbers,beans, okra, basils, tomatillo, squash, and corn
growing nicely is my garlic, potatoes, onions
left over from the winter garden is lettuce, arugula, cabbage, kale,
multiplying onions, parsley, strawberries, and cilantro

this cold weather we are having may slow down or may prevent the
germination of the seeds planted last week eg corn, beens, okra,
cucumber and squash so may have to replant them when the
weather warms again

if your garden is heavily mulched consider pulling back the mulch to
allow the soil to warm
you can add the mulch back when the weather gets hot and dry to
save moisture and keep the soil cooler

beware that another freeze could potentially hit this area-its 45 here
this am
have had a freeze the last 2 years here which caught us by surprise
and had to replant everything in april

BB
aggies got the bears
stout beat out tall girl
guess baylor wont get to play ucon now in finals
congrats am

the organicgreen doctor

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

days 8-12, bb, try again



DAYS 8-12
well we finally finished the trip to santa barbara
if did not like texas so much would live in santa barbara
the weather is always about the same
never to hot and never to cold (not like we get in texas and
nothing like the northern states)

they actually get less rainfall than we do here in texas
and we dont ever get enough
think that the moisture from the ocean probably helps a lot
and the lack of extreme heat
many people dont have air conditioning there
can you imagine no ac in central texas

my wet suitcase sister in law she (the one we were visiting in
santa barbara) says that the worse thing to be in this world
 is a black cow in texas in the summer time

we mostly vegged out there
watched several basketball games
toured the beaches
watched my nephew he (brother of my rain water tank
nephew he) in a play that he  was in
he sings, dance, acts in the play
he also plays soccer, loves soccer, and beats everyone at
soccer video games
he also sings with andrea bocelli on some of his christmas
specials
has been on tv several times with the specials-hes the blond kid
that sings in the group with andrea bocellli

thanks to the wet suitcase sister in law shes  and my mother in law
shes hospitality (especially for the sees candy-yum yum)

as usual got plantings of plants from their yard to try to grow here
well see if they grow

my wife she attended a wedding journey event but i did not
have to participate-yes
spent quality time with my older son he all afternoon
enjoyed that

we ate at two great restaurants there
one was trattoria mollie in montecito california
the food was italian and was excellent
this is where my son he and his finance she will have their wedding
party meal before the wedding
she cooks some for oprah and has cooked for the obamas in the
white house
she is a interesting story-a self made women who trained in italy
and has had this restaurant since the early 1990s
one of jeff bridges recommended restaurants

the other is a place we always have to eat at when we go
to santa barbara
its real fresh authentic mexican food
the la super rica taqueria
trip is never complete unless we eat there
usually there are long lines outside especially on weekends
always a good side of good food

we finally have made it back to texas
we had a great time
wished we had spent more time on hwy one but know we will
have more chances in the future to do it again but maybe not
where that road fell in
know that sometime in the future may not remember it though

when we got off the plane though in texas i kneeled down
and kissed the ground
was glad to be back

BB
this is the time of the year when i like to watch womens basketball
tonight baylor plays texas am
its big and tall vs stocky
should be a good game
can baylor beat am 3 times in one year

uconn plays duke-hope they play better if they want to win another
championship

stanford won and is in the final four
notre dame beat tennessee
sure wanted to see tennessee play ucon as know those
coaches dont like each other
maybe next year

TRY AGAIN
this is me in front of the monterey bay aquarium
google and the internet did not like my posting yesterday








the organicgreen doctor





Monday, March 28, 2011

almost not day 7, 20,000, bb

ALMOST NOT DAY 7
well if we had left later on our big sur trip we might not have
had a day 7 part to our trip

as we wound around the 17 mile run through the pebble beach area
you go through carmel then hit hwy one towards big sur
this was the start of a 6 hour drive down hwy one and big sur we
took that day

a few hours after we passed over the beginning of the big sur trip
the southbound lane of hwy one collapsed and fell down the cliff
and into the ocean
the north bound lane was loosened

many tourists (thankfully not us) were stranded for awhile
it will take over a month to get the hwy one reopened
how do they fix that so quick
was wondering when we were driving big sur why there was so
much repair work going on
now i understand




dang that causes shivers down my spine
glad we didnt wait another day or we may not have done our
big sur trip
guess i wont do it again now

luckily no one was injured

here is picture of me in front of the aquarium at monterey bay

IMAG0037.jpg

this is  a scary sign since a tsunami like wave hit california and
did some damage in northern california while we were there
this is on the 17 mile road in pebble beach
there would be no more golf course if it hit here














this is an old monterey peninsula cypress tree that has
weathered over the years
its called the ghost tree
the fog and cold weather adds to the mystical feeling
when you look at the tree














20,000
this is the number of views of my blog that has done over the
last 6 months
thanks to all my readers of this blog

BB
wow what games there have been in the mens tournament
now we are down to the final four
vcu vs butler
uconn vs kentucky
prediction kentucky wins it all

then the womens tournament
there are some good teams left such as baylor, stanford,
uconn, and texas am

look forward to am and baylor playing
the tall center of bayor vs the stocky tuff center for am
should be a good game

the next games in the women tournament should all be good
their finals could be better than the mens

the organicgreen doctor

Sunday, March 27, 2011

day 7, bb

DAY 7
today is day 7 of the spring break trip

we started at the hotel and after getting lost we
finally got the correct street to start the 17 mile drive
on pebble beach
(my gps was working correctly-my wife she)

it was cold and misty that made the scenes almost
mystical in appearance
this 17 mile drive is one of the recommended drives to make in
the us
it goes along the coast line and weaves through pebble beach
didnt see tiger

there are cypress trees that are only found on the monterey
pennisula and not anywhere else
the oldest lone cypress tree is pictured below
it is several hundred years old and sits alone on this cropping
of rocks
what history it could tell


point jo(e) is a point that boats use to shipwreck at thinking it
was the harbor of monterey
my wife she enjoyed that sign
her name is jo


we wound through the cypress forest and along the beaches
my wife she made me stop and look at all the seals

after leaving the 17 mile drive we drove through carmel
(clint eastwood was the mayor once)
carmel by the sea became known after the earthquake in
san francisco in the early 1900s when people fled sf to come
to carmel to stay
it was recognized as a place to stay and became popular after that

from there we drove down the big sur to san luis obispo and then
to santa barbara
wouldnt want to drive and text on that road
the views were just awsome
we could have stopped and just watched the ocean for hours at
multiple sites
we traveled through the edge of a redwood forest and would
have liked to stay longer but wanted to get to  sb to see my wife
shes family

if we ever drive big sur again would like to take a few days to do
it and do hiking on some of the trails and would do more
frequent stopping to look at the scenery

(after reading tomorrows blog may not want to make that trip again)

my wife she did not like me viewing the scenery too much as i
drove as it was like being behind someone texting
called seaxting

next
slugging out at my wet suitcase sister in law shes house and with
my mother in law she-she is  the chocolate candy (sees) providing
source
then there is some bb to watch
have to be selective of the games to watch as i could take up
all four days watching the games
will do that for sure in the 2nd weekend of the games

then there is the wedding journey stuff
think i escaped that this week as no men are allowed
dang it

BB
butler won and in final four
ucon outlasted arizona-guess they arent too tired yet

today its kentucky vs north carolina
blue vs blue
dynasty vs dynasty
should be a good game

then kansas plays vcu
kansas is the only team left on my bracket
does vcu make it

the organicgreen doctor

Saturday, March 26, 2011

my wife shes bd, day 6 monterey bay aquarium, bb

MY WIFE SHES BIRTHDAY
today is my wifes shes birthday
thanks to her for putting up with me for all these years
for her birthday she gets to veg out (in recovery mode)
and watch basketball with me (lucky arent i)

happy birthday to you my wife she


MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM
this is the part of the trip i have been looking forward to as
i have always been interested in marine wildlife, the ocean,
the beach, and biology in general
my major in college was biology

in college in california we made a few trips collecting specimens,
diving (well i mostly threw up over the side of the boat), and then
taking them back to school to study them so i did develop some
appreciation of marine biology

know that when we get the ocean good and polluted that we
we are all screwed then

the monterey bay aquarium is the largest one in the united states
we spent over 6 hours there yesterday looking at the exhibits, taking
tours, listening to talks, watching films, and doing a lot of walking
my feet and legs were dead tired but it was worth it
would definitely do it again

we took a behind the scenes tour of the place
we were glad we did that as we got more historical information
on the aquarium and its surrounding area
since we toured john steinbecks museum the day before and
since im reading steinbecks book cannery row  and we
are staying in a motel on cannery row the areas history was more
familiar to us than had we not done that

my favorite part of the aquarium besides the large kelp exhibit
and coral exhibits with all its fish was the jelly fish and the
sea horse exhibits and of course everyones favorite the sea otter

those seem to be the kids favorites also plus they like the sea otter
exhibit

could have just sat there all day and watched that big kelp
aquarium with all their sharks and fish swimming aorund

the aquarium works closely with stanford university which has
a site located next door
they do  a lot of marine research

this is an area whose economy years ago was based on sardine
harvesting from the bay here
as we in america do sometimes they fished the sardines out
until the sardine population all disappeared and the local
economy collapsed
whats next the blue fin tuna, the whales, ?????

the sea otters were also destroyed for their fur and almost
all disappeared but seem to have been saved by conservation
measures (they are sure fun to watch)

hopefully conservation can save the endangered ocean animals
hopefully lessons were learned here in monterey bay that can be
used in other places
lets see oil dependency, air pollution, water pollution, trees, wet
lands, ?nuclear power, etc
we havent done so well with these have we

tomorrow will do the 17 mile drive and then will drive down
big sur as we finish our trip to santa barbara

this is a picture from san francisco
didnt try the pizza but it must be good with a name like this



BB
whoa it is march madness
vcu did it again
but can they get past kansas
kentucky got ohio state so now kentucky gets north carolina
now that should be fun to watch huh
now my bracket is blown except dont let me down kansas

the organicgreen doctor

Friday, March 25, 2011

day 5 john steinbeck, bb

JOHN STEINBECK
my wife she teaches creative writing, english, reading, and combat
training in high school
when we started our highway one trip i was told that we would
be going to the steinbeck museum in salinas california
so thats what we did today

if you eat iceberg lettuce then it comes from salinas valley
as do many of our vegetables we eat-broccoli (well some of
us dont), lettuces, artichokes, brussels sprouts (thought those
came from europe), celery, and several others

steinbeck grew up there and was able to look at the people, the
times, and write about what he saw
he was the super blogger of his time
he used family and friends in his stories but altered the stories
to fit his writings (thats what i do with this blog)

he wrote alot about the workers and the depression era
experience of that time
we thought we were in rough times just read about how they
had to live
he was actually not well liked in the salinas valley for a long time
they even burned his books
(usually when books are burned there is some zealitism going on)

he wrote about the migrant workers and conditions there
these writings attacked those instiutions established by the farm bosses
am sure they felt threatened

he later was accepted and now his legacy is carried out through
his museum

we took several hours going through it but most would not have
taken as long (except my white on white relative would have taken longer)

have read his book cannery row which has made touring this area
more interesing as he used the local area as the basis of the book
and used well known people from this area as characters in the
books
now will read grapes of wrath, east of eden, red pony etc and
will try to watch movies that were made from the books

this is my wife in front of the steinbeck museum










tomorrow will tour the monterey bay aquarium
will take all day there
yes
my wife she said it was ok

BB
watched the duke arizona game until half time
boy was i surprised when i woke up and read that
duke lost
think it was dvred so will try to watch the 2nd half today
there went my bracket

butler wins
florida beat up jimmer and won
ucon marches on arent they tired yet

only two #1 seeds left and think they will probably
play for finals-was on my original bracket which ive
saved for documentation
rest missed my predictions

next group tonight
go vcu

the organicgreen doctor

Thursday, March 24, 2011

thanks, more san fran

THANKS
thanks for the birthday wishes yesterday
yes im 23 or is that 32

share the birthday with two people
one is a former patient now 21 years old and a college student

she is well remembered because at 2 weeks of age she fell
out of her car carrier seat onto the floor
she was brought to my clinic after we were through
seeing patients and were about to leave for the day

in walks this crying bawling mom with is a 2 week old little
girl with a bruise on the side of her head where she had
hit the floor
we took her up to the er and did a xray of her skull
she had sustained a linear skull fracture across the whole side
her skull from front to back
she spent the night in ped icu without any complications
she has done well since and has not had any residual
problems with the injury
have always kept in touch with her and her family
do wish her  a happy birthday every year
things could have been different

the other person i celebrate my birthday with is my niece she
the daughter of my older sister she
when i was in medical school my sister she  and her husband he
were attempting to adopt a child
they had gone through the lengthy fertility evaluation with no luck

during the adoption process my older sister she discovered she
was pregnant and that the due date was near my birthday
i was excited to have a niece born on my birthday
luckily about the time she was due i was on a break from
medical school

well she went into labor on my birthday
was i excited
the labor lasted all day into the evening
it went to 1000 pm then 1100 pm
i was going to be disappointed
come on sis pick it up
then it was 1130 pm and there was no baby
then before midnight all the effort and pushing
produced this cute black haired baby who i
forever will have a birthday bond
thanks sis
happy birthday my niece she

MORE SAN FRAN
while in san francisco we went to eat at a mexican restaurant
that was vegan and who made everything from scratch
most of the food was grown in their own organic garden
some one in our group wanted to know where the meat was
oops forget to tell this person veggies only
it was hard to enjoy the food since am use to my wife shes
mexican food and to chuys mexican food

we also went to a  organic creamery called bi rite creamery
its totally organic and uses no additives and uses local sources
for its ingredients
i had vanilla-no experimenting for me
my wife she had vanilla with olive oil and sea salt
sounds not good but sure was
my son he was skeptical after the vegan mexican restaurant
but i noticed he ate all of his and then he drank and licked the
bowl
knew it was a good place when we had to stand in line
definitely would go back more than once

we also walked down from the apartment in cat hollow to a
farmers market to buy ingredients for our evening meal
my wife she made her style of mexican food which my son he and
i enjoyed more
thanks mom

next the steinbeck museum

the organicgreen doctor

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

day 3

DAY 3
this is day 3 of our trip
we are in san francisco visiting our kiddos

san francisco reminds me a lot of austin texas in a way
they are more progressive in green things in a way that is
different from austin
those electric buses are so much fun to watch
no pollution locally-just wherever the electricity is produced

we have been to san francisco several times now since they have
lived there so we have done so much of the tourist stuff
my wife she and i walked along the edges of san francisco once
it took us all afternoon but we were here when the weather was
sunny warm and just right for a marathon walk
seeing things from street level is not the same as driving in a car

every time we go though i make them go to the big farmers market
down at the ferry center
think next time i come here will just have them drop me off and
they can pick me up when it closes
would love to take my time and talk with and quiz the sellers about
how they grow their stuff

we just vegged out in the late afternoon (had to watch the horns
play) but went out to eat at a restaurant for our evening meal
(i call that my supper but i guess its really dinner)
all the places we have been taken to have been good
and like in austin the diners come in different types of dress-from
more formal to the more laid back jeans and shirts (my favorite)

today
will go to a restaurant and creamery we saw on the rfdtv show
california country
the owners rasise their own eggs, veggies, milk products
the restaurant is a vegan one but apparently its is very good food
and the desserts at the creamery are to die for

then its bracketology this evening
am ready for that

tomorrow we leave sf and will drive on our hwy one trip
first stop steinbecks museum

the organicgreen doctor

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

day two, vcu belongs

DAY TWO
well survived the plane ride
was a short trip i thought
my wife she said i slept most of the way
well guess i did
meds worked well
did only the oral pill and didnt use the martini/olive treatment
or the bracelet but did have a ginger ale

on the ride from the airport to the apartment the driver was from
afghanistan
he has lived here for years
his kids are all college educated or in college or finishing high school
he pays for their school himself

interesting perspective on the war there
more people are dying there now from the fightings and air
bombings than ever died from the russian occupation there

the economy is a poppy ie heroin based economy that is spurred by
the united states and europes dependency on the drug

he doesnt like the taliban
he has inhertied a large amount of land there from his family that he
can not own because the taliban have taken it over

he wishes he could vist there but is afraid to
he works hard to make it here and support his family
their religion and beliefs make their family a tight knitted one and
supportative for each other
we need more family oriented families like this in the us

he also is afraid that when the war is all over nothing will really
change in afghanistan itself- a destroyed country will be left

intreresting start to the trip huh-a little geohistorypolitics

while we waited for my son he and his fiancee she to return from
trips and work my wife she and i sat on a street side table at a
small restaurant and
watched the people walk by (there was no obese people wonder
if its the hills), watched the electric buses drive by (how come we
cant have those in  other places-i know its the infrastructure and
we dont got no money for that stuff), and sipped on a glass of wine

was very relaxing indeed

thanks for those overhead heaters
its always bone cold here in san francisco it seems
but could easily live here

on day three a trip to the big farmers market and a trip to a garden
we saw on the pbs tv show victory garden and hopefully a mancave
basketball b12 champonship game

(note this is being published after the trip)

VCU BELONGS
those sports experts sure blasted vcu before the tournament
started this year
they didnt belong, what were those tournament directors thinking,
they didnt get it right
oh yes they did
vcu to the  final 16 ?8?4

the organicgreen gardener

Monday, March 21, 2011

the trip bucket list check off, trip prep,horns hosed, springs here

THE TRIP BUCKET LIST CHECK OFF
ok so today we start the check off list for my bucket list
my wife she and i will travel first to san francisco to see
the wedding journey couple my son he and his financee she
we will spend two days there then
will rent a car for our travel down hwy one to santa barbara

we have two definite places to see in sf
a market we saw on rfd tvs california country
(we watch that show every week)
the market sells a lot of local produce and milks and cheeses
and meats
usually they are all organic
they also have a restaurant/delicatessant there we want
to eat at

the other place is a garden that was planted in front of city hall
they dug up the grass and planted circular beds
we saw it on the pbs show victory garden

on monday we will drive on hwy one to john stienbecks museum
in salinas and then to monterey to see the aquarium
then we will travel through big sur to hearst castle then on
to santa barbara

there we will visit my wet suitcase sisterinlaw she, my raintank
nephew he, and my motherinlaw she
we that is my wife she has a wedding journey event to go to

will blog as we go

TRIP PREP
its nice to be retired
can get everything ready and packed the day before instead
of waiting to the last minute and forgetting something
like my shoes

have got my animals all prepped for a 10 day trip
they are all on automatic feeders and waterers with backups for
both in case of failure

will do my motion sickness prep
this combo per different recommendations
will wear the motion sickness bracelet, the patch behind the ear,
take a large martini with two olives with ginger ale on the side, and
then take a meclizine (antinausea pill) preflight
think its all covered

now if i just had flight anxiety i could just take xanax and be
done with all this

will awake in california

HORNS HOSED
ok put a stop watch to the out of bounds play at the end
the ref called a 3.5 sec call to give the ball to arizona
they need a clock like the shot clock that goes off to prevent
things like this
horns should be playing duke this week

SPRINGS HERE
well its here now
time have been waiting for
yes here we go

the organicgreen doctor

Sunday, March 20, 2011

libya, bb

LIBYA
think im more scared of libya than the tsunami and earthquake
and maybe the nuclear disaster in japan (well maybe not that one)
hopefull gadfly doesnt have any nuclear capability or we would
be screwed for sure

does scare me that we are involved somewhere else in the
middle east
dont we have limits
like maybe financial ones
although we do have some moral obligations there
we didnt do anything much in other countries in the past when
mass destruction of people occurred like rawanda, sudan, etc
maybe we have a conscious now

too many important international events going on now
now will anderson dash off to libya from japan
dont forget the japanese people as they have a long time of
suffering to go through

BB
oops pitt didnt make it
those butler dogs did it again
jimmer is for real
would pay to see him play
now if he just wont be tempted with temptation until after
the tournament byu will be ok

texas today
should be a good game
hope they can keep it together

gonna be a good bb week

the organicgreen doctor

Saturday, March 19, 2011

radiation, vcu

RADIATION
so the radiation has been leaking from the reactors in japan
it has shown up in milk and spinach up to 65 miles away
warning is dont eat it or drink it
however it wont do much harm if you do
dont think i would partake of either

in the us we are told our nuclear reactors are safe unless
something unusual happens
like an earthquake

near santa barbara california there is a reactor at san luis obispo
which is built to sustain a 7.5 quake
lets see the one in japan was 9.0
wonder what would happen if ......

lets just think about that tomorrow

VCU
vcu is not suppose to be in the tournament
they did not deserve to be there
they displaced better teams
they  wont last long
oops they beat georgetown
maybe they got peed off
if they beat purdue tomorrow its a middle finger to the naysayers

good job horns tried to lose it at the end there didnt you
arizona will be a lot harder to beat
dang those aggies they were suppose to win

then there is those pesky george mason guys again
look out buckeyes

will be a good bb weekend

the organicgreen doctor

Friday, March 18, 2011

fire ants, spring break, brackets stuff, 11111111111

FIRE ANTS
if you live where you dont have to deal with fire ants then
consider yourself lucky
texas am is starting to look at non chemical ways to get rid
of them
its about time
there has been stories about using coffee grounds to get rid of
fire ants
well in the study (they actually used starbucks grounds) the
population of ants increased instead of decreasing
but the ground was enriched with the coffee grounds, starbucks
got richer, and people who drank the coffee got more awake

they also used club soda
the thinking is that the bubbling co2 gases would destroy the ants
didnt work either
maybe should have added some gin or vodka

they also tried cinnamon it didnt work either

now they are studying the use of oak ash and cayenne pepper
if one will work bet i know which one

i use in my organic treatments two products and both seem to
work well

spinosid an organic product that comes as a spray or powder
i usually use the powder and sprinkle it around the mound

the other thing i use is grits right from the box
i sprinkle it right from the box around and over the mound
they seem to disappear after a few days
especially like to use it in my garden
it works better on southern fire ants

SPRING BREAK
all good things must come to an end
where we live spring break comes to an end today
know those teachers wish they had another week break
now its the big run to the end of the year

if you are just starting yours today hope you enjoy it
it goes fast

my wife she had a good one
will blog it next week

BRACKET STUFF
well horns play oakland today
hope they are ready

bracket surprises
morehead beat louisville
was real surprised as i thought morehead was just a joke
sweatshirt-did not know it was a real school

florida got the gauchos of ucsb-my sons finacees alma mater

anther round of games today then this weekend on to the
the next 16 teams

11111111111
thanks cbb for this
so this year there are several unusual dates-1/1/11, 1/11/11,
11/1/11,11/11/11
now if you take the year you were born and add your age you
will get 111
weird huh

the organicgreen doctor

Thursday, March 17, 2011

green day, schools fight, bb

GREEN DAY
hope you are wearing green today so you wont get pinched
cant wait to look for easy victims today to pinch
think there should be plenty of victims where im at now

st patricks was not irish
now that ruins everything
the whole story doesnt seem right without him being irish
apparently he was english and was captured by the irish
after he escaped years later he returned to ireland as a priest

he is known for running snakes out of ireland
truth be known there is no snakes in ireland anyway
its too cold for them and the waters are too cold for them to
get to ireland
now thats a country my wife she and my medical school friends
wife could easily live in

i never could drink green beer though
that just reminds me of bad things
use your imaginations on that one

do have a good st patricks day
do wear green
saves on the pinching

SCHOOLS FIGHT
now this is discipline done right
none of this half ass discipline like they did for the ohio state
players-should have suspended them for the bowl game and
just emptied them from the team
let them go pro or transfer to a lower classification school
oh yea like newton did
guess its ok to steal a laptop and get by with it

in pennsylvania two  teams played for the state basketball
championship game
team a beat team b by over 15 points but during the game
the two teams emptied their benches and had a big brawl
team a won
later the leagues commissioner made a ruling because of the
brawl and poor sportmenship that neither team would win

there would be no state championship this year

now thats discipline that means something that those kids will
always remember
teams were girls
teams were christian schools
feeling was that neither team lived up to the principles that
the schools were established on

wonder if ohio state has the *&%%$ to do something like that
i doubt it

BB
there should be several games that are good ones to watch
too bad notre dame doesnt play today
would pick them to win if they did since its green day

ut san antonio won their playin game and vcu beat usc
now vcu has to play georgetown
maybe they did need to be in the tourney after all
hope ut san antonio enjoyed the tourney as they have
to play ohio state next
see ya-they will have to go back to the alamo

obama picked kansas
guess he peaked at my bracket
thats ok as long as he gets things straightened out here
in the us

now its horns in the early am vs oakland
dont let us down texas

the oganicgreen doctor

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

facts and figures, addresses, madness began

FACTS AND FIGURES
facts and figures for alzheimers
look in the mirror and you will see a person affected by
alzhiemers in some way

it is the 6th leading cause of death in the united states
it is the only one in the top ten that can not be cured,
prevented, or slowed down (sucks doesnt it)

the mortality rates for those top ten diseases have gone
down from 2000-2008 except for alzheimers which has risen
by 66%

there are 15 million caregivers of  patients with alzheimers and
dementia giving 17 billion hours of unpaid care at a cost of
$202 billion
these caregivers suffer a great degree of stress and health issues
themselves because of the prolonged care they have to provide

someone develops the disease every 66 seconds in the us
in 15 years that will increase to every 33 seconds
the cost will double in that period of time

from alzheimers association at www.alz.org

ADDRESSES
my librarian niece she suggested you try this at home
ask your child to write out their address
the full address including street address, city, state and
zip code

some parents were suprised that their teenage kids couldnt
do this correctly

MADNESS BEGAN
so clemson and unc-asheville won the first round
now on to the big dance for them
it will probably be their last game of the season
if my brackets are correct

the organicgreen doctor

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

time recovery, power, bb

TIME RECOVERY
am in time recovery
springing forward is not as much fun as falling back
wish i had that hour back from sunday am that 
cant seem to catch back up to

about the time my body gets adjusted to the new time 
they go and change it again 
just who is they why dont they do like arizona and hawaii does
and dont change the time 

just think all those people who live in those two states are
not feeling tired all day because they stayed up an hour later
every night because their bodies clock cant just be reset with 
the touch of the button
that extra cup of coffee in the am sure helps though but it sure 
makes it harder to go to sleep at night which is already harder 
since the time changed which is harder because have to get 
up too early 
there seem to be a cycle here going on

may have to move to arizona

POWER
the strength of nuclear power is scarey
its brought back to light now that the plant(s) in japan are 
heading towards a melt down 
dont think would want one next door to my country n 
would rather just put up more solar panels now then do that

nuclear power seems so forever
when they get through with the material it still is there forever
its worse than plastic  bags  

do think this brings to light the need to look even more 
aggressively at wind  and solar as sources of power
there needs to be more incentives for businesses and private 
individuals to add solar to their buildings 

we just seem to have difficulty doing what needs to be done 
sometimes in the us to solve problems
eg gas rationing in the 1970s showed how dependent we are 
on foreign oil and oil as our energy source
now 40 years later we are paying close to $4.00 a gallon for gas
with maybe $5.00 for our future

no well just keep paying the prices, keep talking about solar and 
wind, keep building more plants that can pollute the environment 
or destroy it

guess well never learn will we

BB
ok it starts tomorrow
no honey does for me for awhile
this is the first time i can actually watch and do as may games as
i want to 
they do start early in the day though
it must be hard to start playing at 10:30 in the morning

brackets done
now lets see how well the predictions are

the organicgreen docor


Monday, March 14, 2011

plantin time, poor japan, bracketology

PLANTIN TIME
if you live where we do then it is time to plant stuff
just be aware that usually another freeze can happen and
destroy all that hard work you do

know that from experience as it has happened to me every year
for the last several years
it happened to me twice last spring

row cover, row cover can help prevent a lot of sadness when it
comes to protecting your crops

i just cant stand it any longer im going to put my stuff in and if it
freezes i will just replant it
here in central texas many plants especially tomatoes need that
jump on the weather as the heat is not that far away
the heat will shut down the tomatoes like it did last year here

so its soil prep soil prep
if you have no soil like we do then you need to do a raised bed
i just bring in good garden soil i get at the natural gardener
i cover the ground with cardboard and 10 layers of newspapers and
just dump it on the ground with a border of non toxic boards or rock
or stone
you need at least 12-24 inches of soil and dont get no bad stuff just
get the good soil
if you have soil already it needs to be amended with 3-4 inches of
good compost worked into the soil then add a good sprinkle of
organic fertilizer
then do the planting
you have to water the plants in well using water or better a good
liquid organic fertilizer or sea weed solution
water them to keep them from drying out too much
do the finger test, if the soil is dry water it
when the crops are growing good use the organic fertilizer every
4-6 weeks and the liquid fertilizer every 2-3 weeks

the tomatoes can be planted laying on its side to increase more
root exposure, then cover the stalk  with soil
i always wrap the stalk with a thin piece of wet newspaper at the
soil level as cut worms can mow down the plants
its real sad to come out in the am and see all your tomatoes
cut down and laying wilting on the soil
been there done that

remember if it looks like it will freeze you need to cover them
with row cover or some protective cover that will keep them
from freezing

i try to use seedling plantings as much as possible as it speeds up
the growing process a lot
also if the soil is not moist enough or if you dont keep the soil
watered the seeds wont germinate or if they germinate they will die

i plant peppers, egg plants and cantiloupe from plants
i plant corn, squash, cucumbers, beans, and okra from seed
but am diligent to keep the soil moist when the seeds are planted
one day of letting the seeds get too dry will wipe out the crop
also overwatering can do the same

good soil, water, fertilizer, close observation for damage or bugs
and your shadow in the garden is the best care for a good garden

good luck

POOR JAPAN
the destruction is devastating there
now they are having to worry about a nuclear plant meltdown

the friend of my sons fiance is  in japan and says the destruction
is massive
he says that they are having aftershocks of 6-7 that just adds to
the destruction
he is having to come back to the us and feels almost guilty
leaving because the people of japan need so much help and
so many people there are suffering

its going to be a long recovery time
our thoughts are with the people of japan

BRACKETOLOGY
ok colorado got hosed by the selection committee
they should have been in the big dance

texas should have been better than a 4 seed
now they just need to prove it

predictions
final four ohio state, pittsburgh, kansas, and connecticut
the final winner is kansas

the organicgreen doctor

Sunday, March 13, 2011

sprang forward, dont drive, bb

SPRANG FORWARD
if you did not move your clocks forward then you may be
late already for what you want to do today
it will feel like today like we have an extra hour of daylight
there wont be
 itll be the same just seems that way

could they just leave it like this now and not change it next fall
that makes the winter so gloomy

so lets see
i always have to sit down and write this down and try to figure
out if i lost an hour or gained an hour
lets see i feel like this morning like a lost an hour
thats right ? right?

DONT DRIVE
dont drive your car to las vegas
everytime ive gone there dont think after three days of no
sleep that i would be able to drive home so have always
flown there

vegas-what happens in vegas stays in vegas-applies to your
car
vegas has the highest car theft rate in the united states
vegas takes all your money and now will take your car

the steal rate there is 164 cars per 1000 cars vs the average
3 cars per 1000 cars in the rest of the us

what you did when you are there now can stay with your
car when you leave

BASKETBALL
bracketology baby begins today
get your brackets filled out and see if you can win that
bracket pool money (oops thats not legal is it )

top four teams are ohio state, kansas, pittsburgh, ?notre dame

most dangerous teams right now are connecticut and north carolina
could harvard get an at large bid

remember all games will be on tv this year
so maybe there will be none of this cutting away from your
favorite teams game crap to see some game you dont care about

horns lost looked ok kansas looked final four material
horns maybe will get #2 seed

lets go baby im ready for bracketology

the organicgreen doctor


Saturday, March 12, 2011

tsunami, nfl dont screw us, horns vs brds

TSUNAMI



that earthquake and wall of water caused a huge amount of
destruction
i just looked at 200 pictures of the destruction caused by the
tsunami
the two pictures that stood out were these two
they show the power of the tsunami


Vessels get stranded in Kesennuma, Miyagi prefecture, ...


Container cargoes spread out on the ground in ...

to have that much power to move those big ships and just
dump them on top of everything
then to have the power to move all those box cars into a
big pile
cant imagine what it was like and still is there

a few years ago a f5 toranado hit jarrell texas and did
devastation to that town
watched it on tv and looked at the destruction that was
devastating
but just think that in japan that whole area is like
a giant f5 tornado hittting it everywhere just not one
small town

how do you begin to repair the damage
what an overwhelming job

our thoughts are with the people of japan

NFL DONT SCREW US
nfl dont screw us
dont do like baseball and hockey did
they almost destroyed their sports
the greed involved here sucks big time
this is not a good time to be so money hungry when
the economy and people are struggling

jerry etal you may have a lot to lose here
people arent in a mood to be screwed with

HORNS VS BRDS
(brds is not a mistype as im prctcn my txtng sklls)
wouldnt the horns love to knock off kansas twice in one year
revenge would be sweet
although this game may have little to do with the seeding in the
big dance that starts next week
kansas a #1 and texas #2
bring it on

the organicgreen doctor

Friday, March 11, 2011

its ok, less blue, duct tape

ITS OK
now its ok to not make your bed
hope my wife she reads this
according to dr oz its ok not to make the bed
why
it can cut down on bedbug infestations

apparently making the bed traps moisture  in
the bed so that the bed bugs can thrive

now know why i never had bed bugs
know teenagers and kids will love this excuse
now moms wont have to harass their kids to make
their beds
they still have to clean up their rooms though

or what if you just slept on the covers would that work
just as well

LESS BLUE


its official
the ladybird wildflower center just announced that the
blue bonnets will not be as good this year

we already knew this
last year at this time our yard and pasture was covered with
blue bonnets that were several inches high
they were the best we have ever had here

blue bonnets are the blue flowers that you see in pictures of
pastures in texas (this picture is of our yard and one of our
pastures last year)
they are quite a site to see when the blue bonnet season is at
its best
ladybird did a lot to promote wildflower seedings along texas
highways especially the blue bonnets

in our pastures they are there but not as much as last year and
are only a few inches tall but are more prominent than we had
orginally thought we would have


maybe indian blankets (fire wheel)
will be good this year
they add a splash of yellow and
red to the pastures







DUCT TAPE
my younger son he had his window smashed and things stolen
out of his car
dont that just piss you off
have had it happen to me before
not a dam thing you can do about it
just file the police report, call the insurance company, and have it
replaced
hopefully the insurance will replace the stolen stuff and pay for the
glass repair without the deductible
did not work for me

he has a gray car
told him to get some gray duct tape to cover up the window
he could do it on both sides so it would match
dont think he thought that was funny

may be the insurance will come through
but for $6.99 its a cheap fix and it matches

the organicgreen doctor

Thursday, March 10, 2011

pop crack, wedding journey, motion sickness

POP CRACK
pop crack thats the sound of my knuckles when
i pop them
dont pop those knuckles or youll get arthritis
was always told that when i was growing up
well guess what i got arthritis in the knuckles

however a recent study done in the journal of the american
board of family medicine showed different results
they looked at a five year period in 215 patients and looked at
hand xrays along with knuckle cracking (kc) history
the incidence of arthritis was the same in kc people as in
non kc people
now kcers of america go ahead and kc all you want as research
says its ok to kc
now can put that in the file with dont eat fish and drink milk or
you will die (thats what my grandmother told me)

WEDDING JOURNEY
my son he and his fiancée she are getting married this summer
my wife she has a shower to go to next week but i wasnt invited
so im real happy-its a female only deal

we just got the schedule of events for the week of the wedding
my sons fiancée she (soon to be my sons wife she or my
daughterinlaw she) does planning for a living

(am hoping she can give an organizational planning course to
my wife she)

it shows in her preparations for the wedding
boy my son he sure is lucky
she does the work and he just shows up

was real disappointed when saw the schedule
just knew it would say catch a plane to las vegas,
get a taxi to the wedding chapel, watch them get married,
catch a taxi to the casino, then catch a taxi to the airport and
come home

however guess they planned it differently
so will follow their plan as outlined in the schedule that was sent
or will be in big trouble
but do i have to wear a suit and tie to all those things

MOTION SICKNESS
so i get motion sickness real bad when i fly and have to
take an anitnausea medication to keep me from leaving
stuff in the airplane
it makes me sleepy which is not bad as i miss the whole
flight-is nice for the 3-4 hour flights
luckily my wife she is with me to wake me up or i might
get left there on the plane for the continuing flight
now that would be funny

it also makes me real tired and sleepy the rest of the day
which sometimes interferes with the activities arranged when
we get to our destinations
my wife she says that thats no different than i am at night
anyway

now its been shown that eating olives early on can
stave off the nausea that occurs with motion sickness

maybe next flight i will have a large martini with a double olive
please preflight
that should do it for that flight huh

have ruined many a vacation with the motion sickness-
snorkeling off catalina island off a diving boat was a big mistake,
riding roller coasters at fairs, disneyland, deep sea
fishing, flying on small planes in rough weather)

now im nauseated and have to go

the organicgreen doctor
 

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

cars, rosemary

CARS
consumers reports came out with the best and worst
cars for the years 2001-20010
yep no american cars on the initial list but there are
a lot of american cars that are on the worst cars to buy list

best small car is honda fit-we own a toyota yarius that is the same
as the fit-it gets 41 miles per gallon on the highway
best family car is toyota prius-seems small for a family
best upscale car is lexus es-drove a used one for several years and
know why it is on the list from personal experience
best luxury car is the 2005 acura rl
best sporty car is the mazda miata (always joked with my wife she
that i wanted a mazda miata for my middle age crazies)
best pick up truck was the toyota ridgeline with the toyota tundra
the best for power and towing
best suv was the toyota highlander
best minivan was the toyota siennna
best small suv was the honda cr-v

the worst vehicles for this time period has general motors with
16 of 29 vehicles listed

many of these good vehicles are made in the us and not overseas

have owned acura, lexus, and toyotas in the last 10 years and have
had no problems with them
at the time of sale or trade they had 170,000, 197,000, 152,000
on the last 3 that i owned

now i do have a farm truck that is 13 years old
it has 115,000 miles on it
it is a ford f100
it has taken quite a beating but has managed to keep on ticking
(note there was not a ford vehicle on the worst list)
it has bounced off a large cement truck and has withstood
multiple farm injuries
bought it used and has put 100,000 on it since
it looks bad from the outside but still does its job-hauling
mulch, rocks, compost, garden soil, tree trimmings, trash
and carrying supplies back from lowes, home depot, and
farming and fencing stores

thanks rph

ROSEMARY
apparently according to the old farmers almanac today you
can wear a sprig of rosemary on your lapel to aid your memory
so if you are around me and notice an herb odor its just the
rosemary i keep in my pocket

the organicgreen doctor

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

live longer, duct tape,

LIVE LONGER
from yahoo.com
five ways to live longer

live higher up-there is a lower incidence of heart disease from
living at higher altitudes
may be from the higher vitamin d levels from the higher uv exposure

lasting relationships-either from personal ones or community ones
social interactions are important especially as you get older

brush your teeth and floss-well guess the dentist, hygienist and
mom were making a good recommendation
the thinking is that the oral germs can contribute to plaque formation
in the arteries-the risk is increased 70% in one study

breathing good air-thats obvious
walking or running or biking on roads and highways with traffic are
not as healthy as walking on trails away from the traffic
guess youre screwed if you live in a big city with bad pollution

accept your age-ok ive done that especially in the am when i get
up after working outside all day the day before
except i then feel ten years older

3 of 5 is not bad i guess
ok i accept my age
ive been married for almost 35 years
i breathe good air as i live in the country

the other two-one i know better and the other i cant do
anything about

DUCT TAPE
a reader sent me this story about her teenage daughter
who wanted some fingernail polish to remove the polish off her
toenails
her daughter said well if i cant get any nail polish remover ill just
put duct tape on them and that will get the polish off

new one to me
will add it to my lengthy duct tape list

the organicgreen doctor

Monday, March 7, 2011

pulmonary embolism serena

PULMONARY EMBOLISM SERENA
so serena williams may have just become the new spokesperson
for pulmonary embolism (pe) and deep vein thrombosis (dvt)

she was diagnosed and treated for a pulmonary embolism (pe)
it could easily have been fatal

when diagnosed it is usually easily treated with injectable
coagulation shots (ever had those after surgery or when in icu
then you will remember them because they are usually given in
the abdomen and they hurt like hell)

later then you are started on a long term blood thinner called
warfarin that requires regular blood tests to keep the blood thinned
just right
you have to take the meds for 6-12 months or some people
for a life time

why did she get this
she was partially slowed down by having foot surgery

pe and dvt can occur after surgery and immobilization

she had recently just traveled on a long trip and was probably
immobile for awhile

she may have been on birth control pills or patches which can
incresase your chances of getting pe and dvt (read the package
insert)
smoking and increased age with the pill or patch also increases
the chances of a pe or dvt

she could have a genetic predisposition to blood clots
she probably will be checked for this
some of these conditions require anticoagualation for life

why did some of my patients get pe or dvt over the years

40 year old man with severe dehydration from a stomach virus
and was bed ridden for several days
he developed calf pain and swelling
he was diagnosed with dvt and was treated for 6 months

38 year old smoker had an iud removed and was placed on the
patch she developed right upper abdomen and chest pain and
shortness of breath
she had a pe and began treatment for 6 months
this scared the %^$# out of her and she quit smoking

50 year old women who had a pe with her first pregnancy at
17 years old
she was treated with a filter in her vena cava to filter out the clots

years later she had a dvt and was treated for a while
she stopped the warfarin on her own
she again in her 40s developed another dvt
she was worked up for a blood clotting disorder which was positive
her dad probably died young with a pe
she needs to be on warfarin for the rest of her life

a young female just had a baby and was found dead in the
bathroom of her hospital room
she had had a pe

a patients grandmother flew from a another state to visit
after the return trip home she was found dead at home
she died of a pe probably from prolonged sitting in the plane
and airport

what are the symptoms
chest pain especially a pleuritic sharp chest pain worse with cough
or taking a deep breath
may feel like your are having a heart attack
cough
shortness of breath
fatigue
feeling of doom (not like the kind we have now because of the
economy and gas prices)
dizziness
fast heart rate or weak heart rate
calf pain with or without swelling

seek attention immediately if you develop these symptoms

how to avoid them
dont smoke
get up and walk around on long flights
get out of your car and walk around on long trips
stay hydrated especially on long trips or if you are ill
if there is a strong family history of pe or dvt consider getting
evaluated for a clotting disorder

so serena you have your chance to educate people about this
preventable and treatable disease
you can probably save some lives if you will

just do it

the organicgreen doctor

Sunday, March 6, 2011

gas 4.00, were broke, horns win

GAS 4.00
the price at the pump is rising more
could we see $4.00 a gallon gas soon
maybe
when does the price affect our driving habits

as it goes up we save more as we get 40 miles per gallon in
our cars
as we live 25 miles from town it does make you pause
when you need to make a trip
so groceries, home depot, feed store, movie, bookstore,etc
can all be done in one big trip
just like in the old days when everyone went to town
on saturdays
oh and add the local farmers markets to the list

who gets rich here on these gas prices???
not us
the oil companies
the oil producing countries
as long as we pay they will continue to make money off us
if everyone cuts back the price usually will fall
and it scares those companies and countries that are profiting
off us right now

WERE BROKE
our state comptroller says were broke
but if you think thats bad wait in two years when
it will be worse
most states like us have to balance their budgets
this is done by cutting the budget like we all have to do
or increase the income like we do when we work overtime or
get a second job or sell off things we own
the state only has one way to raise more money and that is
with that five letter dirty word-taxes
just do it and call it something else so no one will make a big deal
about it and get us out of this mess

HORNS WIN
whew they won last night
maybe momentum can be built up now for march madness
now for the big 12 tournament next week
this will be when im glad im retired
sorry no house husband stuff during the ball game days
cant wait for march madness
all games on tv without having to pay extra for them
yes

the organicgreen doctor

Saturday, March 5, 2011

one tuff coach, come on man, duct tape

ONE TOUGH COACH
the coach of the girls basketball team in the little town of 400 
people in west texas called lipan is one tough coach

her team won the game in the semifinals of the regional tournament 
afterwards she had to be rushed to the hospital where she 
delivered her 3rd baby without an epidural
within 15 hours she was back on the bench coaching her team to 
a come from behind 15 points victory in the finals of the regional
tournament
she then went back to the hospital after the game to continue 
caring for her new baby girl
the team came up later for a team photo 

they made it  to the girls state basketball tournament in austin 
this week (they lost in the semifinal game)

she was just like in the old days where women would have a baby 
and then go back to the fields to work 
one tough lady/one tough coach

she now has a new point guard for the high school team there 
in 2016

am from a small town in arkansas of the same size and 
understand how big basketball was to the community and to the 
other schools and towns that size-go hornets-they have since 
been gobbled up by consolidation

COME ON MAN
come on horns 
get it together
get er done today
get back on track
if they lose thats bad 
they may be toast
maybe a 5 or 6 seed in the tourney
that would be a big fall 
if that happens could barnes be in trouble 

DUCT TAPE
make a circle of  duct tape with the  sticking side out and use it to
clean out all that junk left in your pockets-cookie crumbs, fuzz, 
cooties, debris, and those unknown particles 

saw a car parked at the clinic once with a duct tape stripe over 
the chrome stripe running down both sides of the car

the organicgreen doctor

Friday, March 4, 2011

tidbits

THIS IS SCARY
now this is scary

19% of drivers admit to surfing the web while driving
dont even want to visualize that
no wonder some have wrecks

35% of driveres receive texts or send text while driving

74% of drivers talk on the cell phone while driving
this seems so benign compared to websurfing and texting
while driving

WATSON LOSES
watson lost to congressman rush holt of new jersey
he was a five time winner of jeopardy 35 years ago
he was a research scientist

dont think there were any other congressman that could
beat watson ibms computer that won the recent jeopardy
match on tv

if we had more smart ones like rush maybe some of our
problems we have in the usa could be figured out and fixed
maybe we need to elect watson to congress
maybe he could be the governor of our state

maybe he could be president-he could run as an independent

watson in 2012 campaign needs to be started soon

ECYCLE
ecycle your electronic equipment by donating used stuff to
schools or charities.
items that can not be donated or repaired take to an electronics
recycling center to save natural resources and to reduce pollution
(as long they dont just ship it to china or somewhere to just dump in
a land fill there)

DUCT TAPE MULCH
to turn your lawn mower into a mulcher just duct tape the exit
chute
the grass and clippings will be mulched up as you mow

dont let grass and clippings leave your property
they are a good source of natural fertilizer for your yard and garden
unless you use that nasty weed and feed stuff
then just bag it and get that stuff off your property

TERRI CHENEYS WEBSITE
her website is www.terricheney.com
her new novel about her bout with childhood manic depression
is out now
its called        the dark side of innocence

the organic green doctor

Thursday, March 3, 2011

shame shame, childhood bipolar illness, mother with alzheimers

SHAME SHAME
shame shame on the naitonal news media taking advantage of 
charlies sheens bout with mental disease and drug and alcohol 
addiction
shame shame 
what they wont do to boost their ratings

he obviously has bipolar disease or manic depression and is in a 
manic phase or is on amphetamines (coke or met) or has both 
problems going on 
he is obviously on a road to total destruction
hes missing many of his teeth (met?)

if you have ever had a family member or friend with this disease
who has gone manic you can recognize the symptoms 
this disease is easily managed with medication and mental health 
treatment
this allows people with this disease to have a normal life 

add to this the complication of drug and alcohol addiction which 
can be common in uncontrolled bipolar disease then nothing good 
will come to his situation 
dont fan the fire newspeople    try to encourage him to get help
something bad is going to happen to him or his family

sometimes though people with addictions do have to hit bottom 
before they can build themselves back up

hope to read he is in rehab getting help somewhere instead of
doing interviews with the media

CHILDHOOD BIPOLAR ILLNESS
speaking of bipolar illness
terri cheney just wrote a book about her bout with bipolar illness
as a child 
she published a best selling book in 2008 called manic about her 
bout with her bipolar illness in adulthood 
she received a lot of questions from parents whose children had 
the disease so after 50 years she decided to write a book about 
her bout with the disease as a child 
she had always been reluctant to talk about it

the name of the book is the dark side of innocence 

you can go to her facebook page to read more
then click like 














MOTHER WITH ALZHEIMERS
new research shows that having a mother with alzheimers disease 
increases the risk that you will get the disease more than if your 
father had the disease

there is twice the gray matter shrinkage in the brain similar to that 
seen in patients with alzheimers  each year as you age than if your 
father had the disease or if neither had the disease according 
to this study

this study was done on a small number of patients and some 
researchers arent sure about the results 
more study will be done on this

the organicgreen doctor 

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

new alzheimers study

NEW ALZHEIMERS STUDY
as many of you who read this blog know i was diagnosed with
early mild cognitive impairment anmesic type when i enrolled in a
research study at the university of texas at southwestern medical
center in dallas

during the initial evaluation it was discovered that i had some short
term memory loss not noted by other people but looking back i
had noticed some problems
no one my wife she, patients, my nurse d, friends, fellow doctors,
clinic employees or family noted any problems

i was to be in the normal control group but after my diagnosis of mci
i was started on aricept because of the changes and my family
history of alzhiemers and was not accepted in that study

now that i have been on my medication for 2 months and am on a
stable dose i have the opportunity to start on a new study

the new study is called the alzheimers disease neuroimaging
initiative-2(adni-2) and is sponsored by a grant from the national
institue on aging
i will be one of 10 persons in this national study from this institution
i will be in one of four groups being studied
the group i will be in is the early mild cognitive impairment group
the other groups are cognitive normal (where i was going to be
when all this started), late mild cognitive impairment, and
alzheimers disease

i will be followed for 54 months and will have serial neuro-
psychological exams(thats what caught mine), blood work to
include dna analysis to see if i have the genetic gene for
alzheimers(apoe gene with apoe 4 being the sucky gene),
spinal taps to check for amyloid protein levels(theory is thats what
is deposited in the brain that causes all this @#&*) and tau protein
levels (a protein that becomes unraveled in the brain),
mris, two different pet scans that shows amyloid deposits and one
that shows labeled sugars(fdg) utilized in the brain.
as the disease progresses the scans gradually become more abnormal
the pet scans that are used are only available in research studies

my progress will be monitored with these tests over this
period of time and any progression will be easily detected
the problem is some of the testing will not be available to me
to review
i will do extra spinal fluid analysis myself and the dna analysis
separately as those results i will not be able to see from the
research study

the neuropsychological exam results will be generally be reported
as the same, worse, or better

the scans may be partially reviewable

at the end of the 54 months i will know if i have progressed and
whether or not i have alzheimers or will develop alzheimers

at my death a brain autopsy will be done to compare the changes
that have occurred in the brain with the results seen on the scans

why do this study
although much of what is done is not reviewable by me i will still be
able to have my progress monitored and will generally know where i
am with this disease
i want to feel like i am contributing to the research for the cure and
treatment of this devastating disease that will affect everyone who
reads this blog in some way and may be the disease that breaks
the bank on our health care system

i will blog as i go along with this study which starts in april

the organicgreen doctor

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

weed free, monarchs, birds, bluebonnets

WEED FREE
how to be weed free
pull em up or hoe them
it is totally organic
also you get fresh air, exericise and get some dirt on your hands
i usually add them to my compost pile
the chickens will eat some of them also

weeds to compost for the garden
cant beat that
a bad thing becomes a good thing

cover them with clear or black plastic and leave them covered for a
period of time and the weeds will be dead
this is called solarization and is good for a large area of weeds
you want to get rid of
seal the edges with soil or rocks or boards and leave in place
the longer the better
this fries those bad weeds

cover the weeds with a board or piece of plywood
they will eventually die

cover them with newspapers and mulch
the weeds die and the newspapers and mulch breakdown to add
nutrition to the soil

if you use a spray please dont use roundup
would you spray that stuff on your kids or pets
there are other ways to kill those weeds without using something
that you dont want in the water system or on your family

use instead vinegar sprays
you can buy these at many nurseries or
you can make them yourself

i use pickling vinegar from the grocery store-it is usually about
10% vinegar
in 1 gallon add 1 tsp of orange oil and 1 tsp of liquid soap
put in a spray bottle and spray those bad guys
remember this will kill the good guys also
spray it on yourself and you will see why it works so well
i seem to do it everytime i use it
(at least it doesnt make me dizzy and blurryeyed like that other
product does-cant be good for you if it causes those symptoms)

you can also use just plain old hot boiling water
that kills the weeds
definitely dont get that stuff on your skin-ouch

the vinegar mixture breaks down fairly rapidly in the soil

lesson-pull, hoe, cover, or spray with organic mixture or hot water
dont use the bad stuff

MONARCHS
the monarchs are coming
a few have been sighted in this area
their plant host is milkweed and milk vine
plant them if you can
the numbers will be increased significantly this year
enjoy them

BIRDS
the blue birds are here at our place
have several blue bird houses for them to house themselves
they have  a distinctive bird song
as many of you know they were headed to extinction at one time
but now because of the use of blue bird houses and conservation of
some of their habitats they have made a comeback

their arrival means spring is almost here

saw my first purple martins last week
those are called scouts but really they are not scouts
they are on their way up north
we usually get several couples in our eight unit house
purple martins eat tons of insects and remind me of fighter jets
as they swarm around after the insects in the morning and the
evening

they need open space, water and need to be close to humans
if you get them to your place they are worth the effort


BLUEBONNETS
was worried the bluebonnets werent coming this year but it looks
like the season will be a fair one
it will be nothing like last year as that was the best in years

in our pastures and the surrounding ranches the blue bonnets are
here but with these reduced numbers
hopefully there will be patches of them for pictures for people this year

HORNS
they are on a downward spiral
reminiscent of last years decline
the ending may not be pretty again this year unless they get it
all together

the season which i wait for is just now beginning
will be do a ton of basketball game watching with the conference
tournaments and march madness then nba playoffs

my wife she has lost her househusband now for awhile

the organicgreen doctor