thanks, fall garden

THANKS
the reunion grille was a nice venue for our silent auction
the heat this week affected our turnout some
however the goal we set for our silent auction fundraiser
for our organicgreen doctor team for the williamson county
walk to end alzheimers on september 28 2013
was exceeded last night

thanks to those who turned out despite the heat
it was nice to see some former patients

the quilt that special quilt that was made by my friend
dr bates was won by a new quilter who won it
after bidding against more experienced quilters

this memory quilt was our highest bid item
of the night

it was hard to see this one of a kind quilt leave my
possession knowing the work dr bates put into it
and knowing what this quilt means but i feel like it
is in good hands now

the small quilt piece got into a bidding war and the winner
is a team member whose mother died from alzheimers
recently
this forget me not quilt piece will have a special meaning
im sure

the baseball that nolan ryan signed was won by a team member
whose daughter wanted it
thanks to dc and to the executive from the round rock express
who donated it

the tablet was won by a fellow employee who she hopes she
wont have to share its use too much with her husband

then the second highest bid item was won by a fellow alzheimers
committee person who with her husband and two daughters
are looking forward to the instillation of their fall garden

the dkr the royal scrapbook was a last minute add on
and was a large fundraising item also

thanks again to all who participated
which means you have helped us make that small step
towards finding a cure and or treatment for this terrible disease
alzheimers disease

FALL GARDEN

(this is my wife shes school garden after its been prepped
for the fall planting)

its about time to plant it here in central texas
but dont do it yet its too dang hot
unless you are a real experienced gardener
if you do you will fail

you should prep your garden though
rake it and remove any debris weeds and old plantings
apply a 3 inch layer of good organic compost over
the garden
then scattered a good organic fertilizer
you can gently rake this into the top layer of soil
then
lightly cover it with a good mulch like straw or pine straw
or even leaves to hold in moisture

if you let it sit for a few weeks
it sort of cures and makes for a better fall garden
you know like when you cook soup
and it tastes better the next day when all the stuff
sits together to increase the flavor

same here with the garden

good luck

the organicgreen doctor

make a difference

MAKE A DIFFERENCE
tonight we try to make a difference in the fight against alzheimers disease
as we hold our

silent auction at the beautiful venue the reunion grille in cedar park at 530-700 pm

come join our organicgreendoctor team and donate join and or bid on our
6 silent auction items

the reunion grille has agreed to donate 10% of the dining and drinks tonight
to this fight against this dreadful disease
tell your server you are with the alzheimers association auction

there is plenty of room for the kids to run and play and to play on the
nice playground

you may dine inside or out
despite the heat the area is shaded and breezy and is quite comfortable


local texas musician john lockhart will be singing tonight his country
western americana and popular music

those of you who i have not seen since i left that day december 22 2010
if you live in the area drop by and say hi and visit
feel free to bring the kids
we would love to see you again

here are the 6 items for auction


#1 the alzheimers memory quilt done by my friend dr ramona bates
here is her blog link on making the quilt



#2 a small quilt made again by dr bates
here is her blog link on making this piece
its the alzheimers flower forget me not in a vase

#3 an organic green 4 foot square garden sited and installed by
the organicgreen doctor
using 1 foot cedar boards to build the frame then
using the hill country garden soil and the lady bug brand of
square foot garden mix and lady bug barnyard compost and
a natural gardener gift card to buy your plants and seeds

the organicgreen doctor will assist you in planting your fall garden


#4 the new hp slate 7 tablet donated by a team member
here is a link that describes this new tablet

#5 a nolan ryan official mlb rawlings baseball personally autographed
by nolan ryan and graciously donated by an executive with
the texas rangers triple a round rock express baseball team
whose very close relative had alzheimers disease
thanks sir


#6 the dkr the royal scrapbook was donated yesterday
here is a link and video describing the book
darrel royal the well known ut football coach died
recently from alzheimers
he also has a foundation  the darrell k royal research fund for
alzheimers disease

here is our donation jar
even if you cant do a donation or bid on the silent auction items
feel free to throw your change in here

you will have done your part to help fight this terrible disease

be sure to visit the alzheimers association table tonight to join and or
donate to our team

the organicgreen doctor

heres whats happening

HERES WHATS HAPPENING
we are about to hit the busy time for our involvement in the
alzheimers association fund raising events and awareness events

we are 15 days away from the promo for the alzheimers association
at dell diamond for the round rock express triple a game on
august 15 2013
go to the website bit.ly/alzrrexpress
click on the august 15 game
write in promo code
forgetmenot

(forget me nots are the official flower of the alzheimers association)

we are about a month away from our silent auction at the reunion grille
in cedar park
nice place
the date will be either tuesday september 3 or wednesday september 4
youll be able to bid on these items

an alzheimers quilt that was made by a plastic surgeon friend of mine
who does quilting for a hobby
here is her blog today on the story of this quilt and with multiple pictures
its called memory lane

she also has made quilts for alzheimers fundraisers nationally

its purple and white with purple stitching with forget me nots hand sewn
in each corner and along the edges and forget me nots in vases
sewn into light purple blocks throughout the quilt
you have to see the quilt and look at it closely to appreciate the degree
of workmanship that went into making it
we had the quilt assessed and
the estimated value at auction is $400-500

an alzheimers quilt thats letter sized for a wall hanging
its forget me nots in a vase
estimated value at auction $50

an organicgreen doctor 4 ft square garden made from 1 ft cedar boards
with wire marking 1 ft squares with the lady bug brand hill country soil
mixed with the lady bug square foot garden mix
with a $25 gift card for veggie plants
the organicgreen doctor will come to your house help site the garden
prep the area and install the garden as well as help you chose plants
and help plant them
estimated value $300

a hp tablet was donated
here is its description

HP Slate7 silver, Polished stainless steel edge accents Soft-touch back panel

Operating system :Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)

Performance: ARM A9 Dual Core 1.6Ghz

Dimensions & Weight: 197mm x 116mm x 10.7mm thin 13.05oz (370g)

Battery life: 5 hours video playback

Display: HFFS 1024x600 

Camera: Front: VGA video webcam

             Back: 3MP webcam

Wi-Fi: (802.11 b/g/n)1

Bluetooth: 2.1 EDR

Memory: 1GB RAM, 8GB eMMC

Beats Audio™ with stereo speakers 3.5mm

Ports: Micro SD expandable (up to 32GB)

Micro USB: Transfer photos, files, and more in a snap.

HP Slate 7 Capacitive touchscreen

Sensors: Accelerometer

Accessories: USB cable  AC/Adapter  Quick Start Guide

estimated value $170

there will be two other items

probably a family package to the texas stars hockey game

probably a weekend package to a downtown austin hotel

please plan to come out that night and place a bid on one of the 

items

100% of the money will go to the organicgreen doctor team in 

the williamson county walk to end alzheimers in georgetown texas
on september 28 2013

you can donate or join our team at this site

the other walks my wife she and i are involved i are

the austin walk on october 19 2013

we will be walking with another team which i will announce

when its officially formed

the bell county walk in temple texas may be moved to the beautiful

pepper creek trails park in temple

you may click here to join or donate to our team

my younger brothers team #joe nash will be walking in the 

eldorado arkansas walk to end alzheimers walk on saturday 

november 2 2013

you can click here to donate or join his team 

he has progressed in his disease and was recently placed 

in a hospice house as he enters the last stage of this disease

his progression really bothers me a  lot 

i hope that my family can handle this as well as his wife and 

two girls have done

its a painful journey they are taking

i know if my diagnosis is correct that this is the path i will take like

the one my mother took and the one that he is on now

im hoping though that my journey along this path is at its 

beginning and that i have time to stop and enjoy life as much 

as i can 

i try to do that everyday as i know the clock is ticking

lets support alzheimers research so that his kids and mine

and yours will have options for treatments

its almost within our grasp now

our thoughts and your prayers for his family please as they enter
this difficult time

the organicgreen doctor

square foot garden

SQUARE FOOT GARDEN

i have made several of these 4 foot square gardens for friends
for the habitat houses and for my wife shes school

this year i decided to build a 4 foot square garden and donate
it to a silent auction to raise monies for our team organicgreendoctor
in the williamson county walk to end alzheimers
the silent auction will be at the reunion grille in cedar park
a nice venue for this
it will be the first week of september the exact date is being finalized

my friend has just finished the alzheimers quilt she made for the auction
she is a plastic surgeon who does quilting and does a blog for a hobby
when i receive it next week ill take pictures and will post more details
on it

heres the recipe for the 4 foot square garden that the
organicgreendoctor himself will personally build
help site the garden at the winners place
help chose the fall veggies to be planted
prep the site
and assist in planting the veggies in the fall garden

ingredients
love for organic gardening and the wish to inspire others to
do this type of gardening

32 feet of 2in x 6in x 8ft cedar boards
8 feet of 2in x 4in x 8ft cedar board

1/2 cubic yard of hill country soil from the natural gardener

4  2 cubic feet bags of lady bug brand square foot gardening blend
wire to separate garden into 1 foot squares
nails

instructions on what to plant in the garden in the fall and in
the spring
instructions on caring for the garden

on the site assessment i will look at sun exposure
you must have 6 hours or sun or you can not have veggies
growing in the garden

i will look for compass alignment looking for the best sun
exposure

i will look for light exposure for the summer and the winter
looking at trees shrubs etc that may affect the gardens
placement

then
i we since i want the new owner to get involved and get their
hands dirty and put in some sweat equity
will scrape out a square that is 8 ft x 8 ft
then a 4 ft square hole will be dug down to 12 inches
removing the soil to be used somewhere else or if its
good soil replace it in the hole
the bottom will be filled with newspapers and maybe
cardboard as this kills weeds and hold moisture in the soil
also worms love to eat newspapers

then the square foot garden frame will be placed on the new soil
a 1 foot wide layer of cardboard will be placed around the
new frame to help keep weeds and grass from growing
into the new garden

















it would look something like this without the central composter
and the frame would be 6 inches higher than this one

then the hill country soil and the square foot garden soil will be
placed in the frame

you now have a 4 foot square garden with a soil depth of 2 feet
that will work much better in this hot dry climate

this picture is on the square foot garden we planted at my wife shes
school which has concrete blocks instead of cedar but it gives
you a better idea of the height of this new square foot garden
that we will build

you also have 16 one foot squares to plant fall veggies
which i we will plant together

suggested fall plantings are
spinach
lettuce
beets
carrots
swiss chard
cilantro
kale and more kale
broccoli
snap peas
cabbage
asian greens
radish
cauliflower
brussel sprouts
chinese cabbage
onion
garlic
turnips
arugula
etc

so if youve always wanted a square foot garden at your place
come make a bid on this one at our silent auction
the garden will be built with love and hopes for years of
enjoyment of growing your own veggies

also the monies will be going to a good cause

the organicgreen doctor

are we there yet, silent auction

ARE WE THERE YET

as many of you know i am in an alzheimers research study
at the university of texas southwestern alzheimers research
center
in this study i receive a lot of testing
some not available yet to the general public
some that are available but not readily available to the
general public
i dont get to see the results of the tests but when i take
the neuropsychological test i know how im doing when i
take the test

but
there is no treatment part to the study
just monitoring
this all helps progress the knowledge base of what happens
in alzheimers disease as it progresses
but
nothing is offered or really available to slow it down except
for managing my health and taking aricept (donepezil) to slow
down any symptoms

but
im at the point where i know that i have a window of time
maybe 5 years maybe 10 years or
maybe im too late already

as this disease starts years before any symptoms start
so that the time to attack this disease eg in me would have been
20 years ago when i first moved to texas in 1989

so im monitoring new developments and i keep a close eye
on new possible treatments

here are a few

the alzheimers vaccine
they give you a vaccine that ends up inducing antibodies that
attack the beta amyloid in the brain by binding it up and preventing
it from accumulating or binds it and removes it from the brain

it seems the time to do this is years before symptoms start

a new study will be doing that
it appears that i may qualify for this study later this year
if so i will get a beta amyloid pet scan of the brain called amyvid
and if its positive i will either get the vaccine for 3 years or get
a placebo
i plan on doing this study if nothing else shows up

if im in the treatment group i will get the vaccine for 3 years
if it helps ive benefited from the treatment
ill take what i can get
if im in the placebo then im not worse than i am now
since im on nothing already

keeping my fingers crossed on this one

several anitcancer drugs some new ones and at least one old generic
anticancer drug are starting or are in studies now
the bexarotene study is starting soon
its an old one that is available now since its fda approved already
there are reports that some people are already taking it by getting
a prescription from their doctors

my thoughts on this
is whattheheck
there is nothing to lose by taking it
the end result of doing nothing is not a good one

my problem with the bexarotene study is that im not far advanced
enough to qualify for the studies

another new drug is an enzyme that was discovered in a group of
people in iceland that do not get alzheimers disease
this enzyme inhibits the production of beta amyloid
thought to be the culprit in alzheimers disease

i hope to qualify for this study when it gets started

there is a study thats starting where a drug is given that prevents
the destruction of tau protein that occurs in alzheimers disease
ive applied for this study and again im not far enough
advanced to qualify

this all seems cruel somehow
they are treating people in some of these studies who may not
benefit as much even though they are early in the disease
since the treatment may turn out to work better if you start it
before the symptoms occur

so are we there yet
no
but we are getting closer to treatments that will work
maybe not for my generation but for the generations behind me
my kids my future grandkids my nieces and nephews

SILENT AUCTION
the organicgreendoctor team in the walk to end alzheimers has decided
to have a silent auction to raise money this year
we plan to have just 5 good items

two of the items have already sparked interest

one is a 4 foot square organic garden that is 4 ft x 4 ft x 1 ft
that will be built by this organicgreen doctor
all good organic soil will be used and will be obtain from a well
known local organic garden place
the garden will be built and placed on the buyers property by
the organicgreen doctor
he will also assist the new owner in planting their fall/winter garden
using a gift certificate to a local nursery for the plants

if youve ever wanted one of these and didnt know how to do it
nows your chance

more details of the silent auction will be posted here and on my
facebook page in the next few weeks
we may even take online bids

the other is an alzheimers quilt being hand made by one of my
medical school classmates who is a plastic surgeon who does
knitting and quilting for a hobby
folks you can imagine what fantastic work she must do
she also has a blog called
sutured for a living

today her post will be on making the quilt for us to sell
at our silent auction
those flowers on the quilt are forget me nots which are
the official flower of the alzheimers association


ive talked to several quilt  people and im amazed at how
much this quilt will be worth
there are already people who plan on bidding on this
quilt

read her blog today to find out more about this
alzheimers quilt

support us by bidding on these or the other items
more later

the organicgreen doctor