do the dance, mr c, mooned

DO THE DANCE
its the weekend to do the dance
called the funky chicken
in the form of the funky chicken tour here in austin

if you ever thought you wanted to have backyard chickens in
your yard
you should do the funky chicken
tour

if you want to talk to chickeners about raising chickens
do the funky chicken
tour

if you want to see good examples of xeriscaping your yard
do the funky chicken
tour

if you want to see examples of rainwater collection
do the funky chicken
tour

if you have kids
they will absolutely love this tour
do the funky chicken
tour

your kiddos might end up loving the chickens

go to the funky chicken tour website
for more information
www.austincooptour.org

watch for the organicgreen doctor and my wife she
along the tour

MR C

another picture of mr c that was left off my blog yesterday
the frogs and the fishes were in the bowl
mr c and the fox and the hound named s when checking
them out
i guess scared those little froggies as they jumped out and
swam away
we managed to save the 6 little fishes
for use in my water trough ponds for mosquito control

MOONED
unlike many of you who either stayed up or set your alarms
to see the blood moon
i thanks to aricept (donepezil) interference with my sleep
i was up and out the door this morning to see the
pre eclipse moon
the eclipsed blood moon
the post eclipse moon

here is the documentation from my iphone
that i was there at the peak time
although im sad to say my grainy fussy pictures did not
do justice to how
beautiful it was

if you miss them those blood eclipses this year
you can see them again in 18 years
when your newborn is able to vote
when those of you who just started mediare will be 84
when the new 50 year olds will be on medicare and
social security they hope

it was refreshing to stop take a deep breath
gaze up at the clear crisp night sky
see all the stars
and
see that blood moon
it could be my last one
so i took the time
to seize the moment

what we need to do more of

if you have a garden and live close to me
i sure hope you took the time
to cover up your garden veggies with a cover
like the thick white row cover i use on my garden
do it again tonight
then in this area you should be ok for the rest of the
spring

last year i didnt do a good job and lost a lot of tomatoes
when it froze here around tax day

happy birthday today to my sweet smiley daughterinlaw

the organicgreen doctor

leaves

LEAVES
i wish to thank those of you that have donated
leaves to me for use in my compost pile and
my organic garden

each year i collect bags of leaves
lots of leaves
last year it was somewhere between 75-100 bags of
leaves that would have gone into your land fields

a cardiologist i knows wife is a big organic farmer
and whom i will let remain nameless
they drive around the neighborhood where they live
and steal bags and bags of leaves
ok im a sucker for leaves also and have been known
to stop and fill the car trunk or truck with bags of leaves

over a two year process these leaves go from your yard
to my chicken coop area to my compost piles and then
into my garden beds
the chickens shred the leaves and add nitrogen to the
carbon from the leaves ie they take dumps of poop
while playing in the leaves

this picture is from an aerial view of our property
taken a few years ago
the black tank is one of my rainwater tanks thats used
to irrigate the garden with
i have since moved them to a higher elevation behind
my barn so ill have greater pressure for my drip irrigation

the white stuff in my garden is row cover thats used
when the temperature is cold
this picture was taken in the early winter before my winter
garden started growing well

here is the layout of my garden
the chicken coop is on the far left side the metal roof
is visible
the coop has about 10 ft x 40 ft area thats connected
to the coop
10 chickens equal 40 ft apiece when they are locked up

however there is a chicken run that is c shaped or horseshoe
shaped that wraps around my 900 square foot garden space
the garden space extends from the right of the aerial picture
to the edge of the coop area
the chickens have free run of this c shaped area during the day
they will dig scratch shred the leaves that i have spread out
along this c shaped run

also they love to dig in my compost pile that is 4 ft x 20 ft x 2 ft
they can reduce a 3 ft pile of composting leaves etc to almost
nothing in a few weeks

i leave the leaves in the chicken runs for about 6-9 months
they add the nitrogen poop to the leaves which they eventually
shred down to nothing and also add feathers as the molt them
each year

then once a year i rake this all up and place it in my compost
pile which they continue to jump in and reduce its size even more
we also add kitchen scraps and newspapers to the compost pile
and add any leaves or grasses or plant trimmings from our garden
or yard

what i have left is this great mixture of materials that makes the
best compost ive ever had

then i spread this in a 3-4 inch layer over my garden beds usually
in the winter so it can mature until its planting time in the spring

the end result is this bed of winter greens which we use
almost on a daily basis in the winter time in our kitchen
and a spring summer fall garden that provides much
produce all year

so again
thanks to all of you leaf donors
be sure and donate or use your leaves yourself

the organicgreen doctor

the tour, nba, wanna cookie, no moon

THE TOUR
my wife she and i did the first annual hill country chicken coop tour this
weekend
we saw 6 of the 10 coops
we love chickeners as we are one of them
they are so enthusiastic
about raising chickens and helping others do the same

below is one of the most impressive coops ive seen doing this
tour or the funky chicken coop tour in austin

these chickens have it made for sure

we that is i asked a lot of questions of the chickener at this place

think this tour was a success
all the chickeners were good ones
got to see a lot of the hill country that ive not seen before
next year will devote time to see all of them

NBA
this is the time of the year when i start to watch the nba
cant wait to see the lakers and thunder play each other
what a series that will be
then each series after that just gets better

hope the spurs hold up to all those games
they just plod along and takes care of winning with
out any splash or flash or drama

all the west is playing for a chance to get to the heat
miami vs lakers or thunder or spurs
either one will be a good finals
cant wait

WANNA COOKIE
maybe thats what ill have another should be named since iha loves
cookies and that where the name came from
bought for $11000 by a blue collar owner trained by a blue collar
trainer rode by a newbie jockey
hope iha makes it through all three races as the winner
? next triple crown winner
what a story that would be

NO MOON
we were looking forward to that moon this weekend
even had friends over to view it since we have a great
view of the sky not available in town
instead we got clouds then later that night we got a fantastic
light show from all the lightening (of course no rain with it)
but it wasnt as good as that fantastic moon would have been
maybe next time

the organicgreen doctor

what to do, tour

WHAT TO DO
i get this question a lot
what to do
my spouse parent friend aunt uncle brother neighbor may have
memory problems or dementia and i want to know what to do

remember
they are embarrassed and are embarrassed to ask for help and
embarrassed to see the doctor for help

they are embarrassed to take the mental screen test if they cant
answer those questions that are being asked
i know
but i got over it
to have a tester ask you to remember those things and you cant
or to try to work a puzzle and you cant
its embarrassing especially if youve worked professionally at
a high level

sometimes the person wont do a screen test available on line
but you can do one on them

if there appears to be a problem it needs to be evaluated
remember sometimes curable treatable causes are found
that when treated can revert things back to normal
eg hypothyroidism or low vitamin b12
so they need to be evaluated

dont go in to the doctors office unprepared
you need to have something to hand to the doctor to point
them in the right direction for a work up

remember if you notice things or the patient does its there

here is an alzheimers 21 question  form questionnaire you can
fill out yourself and score it
put your patients name on it and hand it to the doctor
it becomes a part of their medical record
that cant be ignored

dont go in empty handed or you may be put off especially if
they are busy and
dont go in and at the last minute say on by the way we are
concerned he has dementia or has trouble remembering things
let that be the reason for the appointment

the patient needs a history and exam done
remember your looking for treatable stuff

the patient needs lab work
here is what they need
write this down and hand it to the doctor
it becomes part of the medical record
and has to be acted on
they need a cbc complete blood count, a metabolic profile that
has sodium potassium sugar or glucose bun creatinine-kidney functions-
liver function test  a tsh level a screen for hypothyroidism a b12 level
a syphilis test and a hiv test-remember we were all young once and these
things can show up years later as dementia
a urinalysis

most doctors will do some type of mini mental evaluation and
may send the patient for a more involved neuropsychological testing

a mri is needed to rule out strokes brain tumors masses increased fluid

if the patient has not had this work up then they have not had
enough evaluation done

if the patient does have mild cognitive impairment or alzheimers and
no matter how early it is
dont be afraid to start treatment
remember the meds ie aricept (donepezil) work better the sooner
it is started
ie
it delays worsening symptoms better when its started early
eg
in my case being on this medicine early may delay worsening symptoms
for five years before it quits working
thats five years thats very important to me and my family

so
dont go to the doctor empty handed
do the form
ask for labs-cbc metabolic profile tsh b12 level syphilus test hiv test
urinalysis and a mri
dont be bashful
go with them to the appointment and go into the exam room
with them
remember im speaking from the experience of being on both
sides of this story as the doctor and now as the patient

TOUR
if you live in central texas and are interested in backyard
chickens do the funky chicken coop tour in austin
tomorrow
heres the link funky chicken coop tour

happy easter
well have fresh eggs for easter
they come out already dyed blue and brown or white

the organicgreen doctor

reslimed, do the funky chicken

RESLIMED
in a recent blog i wrote about the pink slime
oops that made everyone turn red based on
the responses back to me

basically pink slime is bits of left over meat from other cuts and uses

(is that the ears tails testicles noses tongues  all that stuff i give my dogs)
that is heated to 100 degrees f then it is spun in a large centrifuge
so the fat is separated out

-thats what they do with your blood when they draw it so they can run
tests on the resulting serum-the stuff left at the bottom is pink slime-

whats left is pressed into bars and then gassed with ammonium hydroxide
to kill any bugs
that my friend is pink slime
yum yum
guess if i was starving i wouldnt care but im not
heck my rainwater brother ate bugs lizards rabbit when he
was put on a survival course once but he said he was hungry and
would have eaten anything

dang still feel like thats stuff that you would only feed your dog

now the company that makes it has applied to label all beef that has it

so does that mean that it will say warning this has pink slime in it
nope
it will say
contains lean finely textured beef
is this kettle black or what
its pink slime

they say it will improve consumer confidence by labelling it
do they think we are stupid or what
its pink slime

just call it bologna burger or something
we all understand what that means
anything could be in there
but hamburger
thats hamburger
all beef real beef not dog bits and pieces

guess ill have to eat free range grass feed beef now from the
farmers markets
no pink slime there

DO THE FUNKY CHICKEN
no not the dance but the funky chicken coop tour this weekend
here in austin texas
heres the funky chicken tour link
basically you go to one of two locations to buy a map for $10
then just follow the map and look as these unique and sometimes
odd urban chicken coops
it will make you want to have your own backyard chickens

then on sat may 5 do the hill country chicken coop tour
basically you go to one of the local sponsoring businesses
the hill country feed store or the cedar park farms to market
farmers market at lakeline mall to get your map
(no pink slime sold there)

we always get good ideas on new things to do to our coops
or how to care for the girls

the organicgreen doctor

shes ok im ok, gaga, chicken lecture, bb

SHES OK IM OK
shes ok im ok
my wife she feels fine
thanks for the concern
we have had a good laugh over our experience

we are technologically uptodate
there she was laying on an infusion table used by the neurology
department
she was there to be interviewed and to give me moral support
she had to be interviewed lying down in that infusion chair
bet that was a first for alzhiemers research

there i was trapped on an exam table after my spinal tap
i couldnt get up and walk down the hall to check on her
so i did what all the teenagers and you do
i pulled out my phone and we texted back and forth

she couldnt get up as she would pass out and i couldnt get
up because i had just had a spinal tap

nice couple we make huh

she ok im ok
im just sore where the tap was done is all

GAGA
this says a lot about us in america
lady gaga has more twitter followers than anyone else
she beats out the president and justin bieber
others on the top five list are brittney spears, and
kim kardeshian

CHICKEN LECTURE
carol ann sayle from www.boggycreekfarm.com will be giving a
lecture on how to raise backyard chickens
she and her husband run an organic farm inside austin and raise
chickens for egg production also
she is a writer and  a witty lecturer
she will have the seminar at the naturalgardener in austin at 900 am
on sunday may 22, 2011

if you live around here and are interested its worth the trip there to
hear her speak and to see the natural gardeners place

BB
well dirk went off on the thunder didnt he

tonight the heat need to win or they are in trouble

the organicgreen doctor

chicken tour, happy easter, bb

CHICKEN TOUR
we have had chickens at our country n now for 10 years
we still learn things when we do a chicken tour or see
someone elses chicken coop

some of the coops were in the keep austin weird section
of austin
one guy took an old tv and removed the tube and use the tv
as a nesting box for his chicken so you can watch the chickens
set on the eggs

most of the coops were discreetly tucked into their back yards
you would never know they had chickens
most ate the eggs or sold them or gave them away
they use the chicken waste as compost and later fertilizer
in their garden

one man said he had no roosters only hens
one of his chickens is called one eye as
a rooster pecked one eye out on the chicken
the rooster now rests in his freezer
dont have to have a rooster to raise eggs

for a novice the tour gives you ideas and allows you to
see how simple it is to raise chickens

highly recommend it

HAPPY EASTER
happy easter everyone
hope your kids have a great easter egg hunt today

one of my facebook friends and former patient raises fresh eggs
she and kids decorated some farm fresh eggs for the easter egg
hunt
bet theyll break them over each others head and eat the nutritious
egg
just like the old days huh
no candy or confetti there

our kids are gone now but we still have an egg hunt
but it happens every day as we wonder where those chickens
lad those eggs
behind the water dish, the old broken pot, the tree stump, in the
barn where the old feeding bin is, and who knows where
sometimes we find a big pile of them
our chickens are true free range chickens
putting the eggs in those nice laying bins we got at canton is just
too much to ask sometimes

we probably would be good at an egg hunt huh

BB
dang mavs gonna be a long road now for yall
bulls lost pacers win
spurs lost the bears bit them good
thunder marched on
more games today
celtics need to win to rest those old bones
lakers just need to get it done so they can rest
hawks magic could change up everyones original predictions
including mine
fab three of heat marches on

the organicgreen doctor

herpes is forever, garden, chickens, textingdriving

HERPES IS FOREVER
looks like herpes may be forever
researchers just discovered that the herpes virus hsv1may
contribute to alzheimers disease by an interaction of the hsv1
virus and a precursor to amyloid (which is deposited in
brain in alzheimers)
it may be long term chronic infections with hsv1 can affect these
deposits
chronic hsv1 is treatable with medications

no was tested am negative

GARDEN
this rain we had here sure perked up the garden
its like giving the plants viagra
beans and corn that were replanted have suddenly appeared
and the veggies in the garden-onions, tomatoes, peppers,
egg plant, and squash-have grown in one day

there is something about the rain and an electrical storm to make
things grow
have even seen wildflowers especially the flame wheel or mexican
blanket suddenly pop out everywhere
even the birds seem happier and more active

with this growth be on the watch for those bad bugs
dont use sevin dust or other poisons on your plants
stay organic

CHICKENS
there is the funky chicken coop tour coming up in austin soon
you can look at their website http://fccooptour.blogspot.com/
the tour is saturday april 23, 2011 10 am to 4 pm

if you think you want chickens it may be worth the tour

you can also see a story on a local family with chickens from
klru at the klru website

just finished an egg for breakfast that was laid yesterday
yumyum

TEXTDRIVING
now the state legislature is making a law so that is illegal to
text or send email while driving

now that aint right
not the law but texting and email while driving
how do you do that
i tried to do it while driving in my pasture in my old beat up
pickup truck so if i wrecked it or hit something no noticeable
damage would be done (my old truck has been in those
situations a lot and shows all of the scars)
i almost killed myself

i have enough trouble texting while sitting in my chair in the
living room much less while driving

oh yea they decided to let it be legal to read emails and texts
that aint right either
why dont you just read a book while you are at it when driving

some things are stupid

the organicgreen doctor

donate your computer power, backyard chickens

DONATE YOUR COMPUTER POWER
universities and researches do not have access to a
supercomputer like ibms watson who? just won the human
vs computer jeopardy game this week

there is a way for them to have a supercomputer like system
without actually owning or building one
thats with using the pooled donation of your extra computer
power when you are not using it

the result is this giant virtual supercomputer that can be  used to do
research analysis on cancer, hiv, other medical diseases and
on lots of scientific research ie a virtual watson

you simply download a program on your computer which runs
only when you are not using the computer
data is sent to your computer to analyze and is sent back to the
organization when completed

here are 2 of several organizations:
folding@home     researchers are studying the unfolding of proteins
the research may help fight cancer, alzheimers and parkinsonism
the site is folding.stanford.edu

world community grid     current reseach projects using this grid are
doing cancer and hiv research
the site is www.worldcommunitygrid.org

BACKYARD CHICKENS
oh the pleasure of backyard chickens
free fertilizer
free pesticide and insecticide that is truly organic-they love to eat bugs
free weed seed controller-they love to pick seeds out of the ground
they make good pets
then there is the eggs
if you have never had a fresh farm egg then you are missing a flavor
not found in store bought eggs that have been stored for months
fresh laid eggs are more nutritious than the ones usually found in stores

whats needed
a chicken preferably 2
no rooster needed-sorry guys
a coop to sleep in and to protect them
a small coop can be easily moved around your backyard
(biggest varmits are possums, skunks, raccoons, cats and dogs
and hoas)
feed-easily available at feed stores
water source

provide feed and water and protection  and they do the rest

if chickens are cared for correctly there is no odor and no noise pollution

there are lots of coop designs available
everything you need to know can be found at www.backyardchickens.com
i used this sight a lot when i first got my chickens

this area also has an annual chicken coop tour
there are also talks done on raising backyard chickens-one at the
boggy creek farm-see website under links and another at the
natural gardener-see website under links
both talks are given by the same person
she is quite an entertaining speaker

have a good weekend

the organicgreen doctor