Growing In Nearly Every State

 

"2020 has been such a shitty year, 2020 should replace 666 and 13,

 as the number that symbolizes evil and misfortune."

~Oliver Marcus Malloy

Inside The Mind Of An Introvert

We are quicky approaching the final quarter of 2026, and other than the massive recalls of practically everything we eat, I'd say we are doing very well! Tut there is a little sticky wicket that we all tend to forget, Covid-19 isn't gone, and right now, it is surging in most states! Shrug. This post is probably nothing too different from my usual posts about Covid, but jeeze... I feel like a damn sitting duck most of the time. Vaccines are available, take them! Masks are still a good idea, use them! Who knows what the next devastating illness that will run through us will be? Sometimes I just want to yell at the top of my lungs, HELP!

The Hill

Covid Is Growing In Nearly Every State,

 CDC Reports, Here's Where Levels Are Highest

Toxic! Yellow! Oleander!

"As a matter of fact, most cases of food poisoning are never linked back to their source."

~Eric Schlosser

Walmart

Stockton, California

August 14th 2026

There were exactly 3 bags of Taylor Farms Salads available on the shelf, at my local Walmart. The, Buffalo Ranch, Maple Bourbon Bacon, and Nashville Hot. As I looked at the shelves, I wondered why three remained? One bag of each? Where did they come from? Do they belong there? Did someone pick them up, found out that they were recalled, and they put them back? Were these flavors exempt from the recalls? What are we putting in our bodies?

Are there enough CDC scientists to catch the next pandemic? How about the next really big cases of Salmonella or Legionnaires poisonings. What about the Norovirus or E. Coli?? Is The FDA doing all it can, particularly in that there have been so many cuts to their research teams? While we are busy with these real concerns, are we keeping just as busy ignoring Covid-19 variants and surges? It looks like the usual summer surge of Covid-19 has been relatively mild, will the autumn and winter surges be equally as mild?

I have honest fears. 

I think I have good reasons for them.

 A lot of products seem to be disappearing off the shelves.

Recent U.S. Outbreaks - CDC

Recalls, Market Withdraws and Safety Alerts

FDA - August 15th, 2026

89 Days And Barf To Go

 

NBC News

Cyclospora Outbreak 2026: Maps, Foods To Avoid, States Most Impacted, As States Hit 22,000 Cases

"I got food poisoning today, but I don't know when I am going to use it."

~Steven Wright

Summer fruit salad, partially from my own garden ( 2007 ) 

back when we could trust the CDC.

George W. Bush administration

👀

We are heading into the last stretch of summer, and I would love to say I feel good about having some wonderful dinner salads, or fill my daily breakfasts with luscious fruits, but with the way things seems to be going right now, I just even think I want to try, to try. I just can't bring myself to buy fruits and vegetables from anywhere. Although yesterday, I had a fit of rational thinking, and decided to try some tree fruits, like oranges and peaches. When I got one home, I scrubbed them really good, and cut opened a very nice, Cara-Cara orange, only to find it was dry and mealy on the inside.

 It's seems no one else is keen on purchasing the fresh stuff, even if it had never been anywhere near a, Taylor Farms, or Walmart, so I suppose I am not alone in my hesitancy. I will be returning the oranges to Costco, continue to read the updated recall lists, and I will keep myself updated on things in general, but with what all Trump has done to my trust of the FDA, CDC, and medical advice we are currently subjected to, my trust has eroded to the point I might never eat the way I used for at least Trump's last two years in office.

Interesting Reading...

San Francisco gate

Taylor farms says ex-president committed $32 million fraud, including U.C. Berkeley gift. 

NYT

Scared of Cyclospora, Americans turn to Local Lettuce

Update to my original post

New York Times

Two deaths linked to Cyclospora outbreak in Michigan 

I Recall The Recall

 

Pexels (Free download) Photo Credit: Ekrulil

"You can't see bacteria, they're everywhere, so keep it clean."

~USDA

Do you practice food safety? Do you wash your hands, before and after handling food? Do you know the proper cook temperature and time on your homemade meals? How about cross contamination of your foods? Do you ever wonder what the food handling protocols are for the meat packing plants are? How about the fruits and vegetables... how are they deemed safe?

Do you know what products are currently under recall?

Personally, I am terrified of catching food poisoning. I've had salmonella once in my lifetime, so I have NO interest in experiencing it again. Both hubby and I wear kitchen gloves when working with uncooked foods. We separate ingredients to lessen the chances of cross contamination. Like on the cooking shows, prepare your work space, and have all the components of the meals chopped and measured separately when indicated. I was all surfaces as I go, so clean up is easier. Do your research about cutting boards. And the temperature probe is your friend. Refrigerate as directed, and writing the recommended expiration dates on the containers is such a nice way to keep track. It sounds like a lot to do, but it's really not. Experiencing "exploding diarrhea" is a lot more time consuming, and not nearly as fun!

As with Covid-19, the Trump administration isn't going to be very helpful about letting us know the statistics. We have to educate ourselves. You can contact the FDA, or the Department of Agriculture, if you trust them, but you can also check with local health departments for information, and the CDC lists recent recalled items. But reading from different sources, and checking with your personal physician is great too. Look, just take care of yourselves. We are heading into autumn, children will be back in school, and different pathogens will be making the rounds again, so be prepared. Stock up on basic over the counter stuff now. Don't wait for Trump to make it all cost more!

I think it will be well into the autumn before I try eating a salad again. If you have a favorite restaurant, check with your county health department regarding their current safety rating. Have they ever received a warning? Have they been shut down? what you find might be surprising! I still can't bring myself to buy, Boar's Head, lunchmeat. If you haven't heard about that nightmare, click the link below. Ugh.

NBC News

Boar's Head Indefinitely Closes Virginia Plant tied to Deadly Listeria Outbreak.

Take care of yourselves.

Wired

CDC Has Cyclospora Lab. Doge Downsized It Last Year.

Recalls, Market Withdrawals and Safety Alerts

Food Safety Charts at FoodSafety.gov

There are several PDF's you can download that details, Safe Food Handling, from the FDA. 

The Lies They Told Us

 

The Monkees

Season: 1 Episode: 19

Find The Monkees

🎵 "I have no more than I did before, but now I've got all that I need,

 for I love you I know that you love me." 🎵

Papa Gene's Blues

Written by, Michael Nesmith

The Monkees

Now there's a disease called, Cyclospora, which is making it's way around. It's a parasite found in fresh vegetables. The main symptom is "exploding diarrhea." And what did Trump do? Well, just like in 2016, earlier this year Trump cut surveillance for this specific parasite! It looks like we may have the makings of another Corvid-19 situation, but I sure hope not. I am going to do a deep dive on this, and see what I can find. God, we are the richest country in the world, and we can't even keep our own people safe, and able to eat fresh fruits and vegetables. This just didn't happen when I was a kid, at least not that I can remember. The first major outbreak of something like this was, Legionnaires Disease, in the mid-1970's. There were mistakes made then as well, but at least the lessons learned helped to keep us safe going forward. So, what will we have learned from this? That remains to be seen, but without the proper people to monitor it, things feel quite dark. Sometimes I wish I could go back to my childhood, spend a day happy, believing I had my whole like ahead of me, and everything would live up to the lies they all told us. You can't go home again, but you can spend a little time living in the daydream that made you happy. My happy place, when I was very little, was watching, The Monkees, with my sister. Star Trek, too, as well as the, Wild, Wild, and That Girl! Gosh, there was so much to look forward to.

That Girl

Season 1, Episode 5

Anatomy Of A Blunder

Iceberg Lettuce From Taylor Farms, Sold at Taco Bell Linked to Cyclospora Outbreak - CNN

Stardate 2020.23

 

"Better to lie saving lives, then to live with taking them."

Captain James Tiberius Kirk

William Shatner

Star Trek

Then... April 23rd, 2020

Now... May 12th, 2026

Katy Tur Reports 

May 12th, 2026

What will be the next disaster?

 Yet another, highly contagious virus?

 Another war... only with nukes?

Bioterrorism?

Cyberterrorism?

You know it's coming, because he doesn't care about Americans.

Yesterday, he finally said the quiet part out loud!

And by the way, he has been lying about just how capable Iran is at the moment!

Read All About It At, The New York Times

Mr.Newberger's AI Funnies... The Ballroom Adventure

 

"Reality continues to ruin my life."

~Bill Watterson

Calvin And Hobbs

I love Mr. Newberger's AI Funnies. It's a great way to begin, what is promising to be a stressful week! Trump has refused Iran's latest offer of a ceasefire, to complete a framework, to end the war. Trump continues to post stupid memes to his Truth Social account, and through it all, we have his psychotic cabinet doing one stupid thing after another. And if all that wasn't enough... ugh... there is an outbreak of the Hantavirus, that while seems to be held to a small number of folks, it still worries me because who can put their trust in the CDC anymore. And I have a week of appointments coming up. An eye exam, appointments with my therapist and my psychiatrist, and a trip to the lab for a blood test! FUN! So why a little humor ... right? Especially if it has a ring of truth to it!

The World Heath Organization has additional information about the virus, but I don't know if I believe them either. All we can do is listen to what they have to say, mask up, wash our hands several times a day, stay Informed, and avoid crowds. Doing our own research doesn't hurt either.

In Just One Week In Autumn

 

"And you stand on your stoop or in your door yard at mid-afternoon and watch the cloud shadows rush across Griffin's pasture and up Schoolyard Hill, light and dark, light and dark, like the shutters of the god's being opened and closed."

~Stephen King

Salem's Lot

It's only been a week. Just one week. 

And that's not counting my own daily events. It was one of those weeks that makes you turn to Stephen King, just to make it all make sense.

Here's more in pictures...

 

And there was so much more, including taking Simon and Tyler to be neutered and microchipped. Tyler took the long ride over the Altamont pass really well, Simon, not so much. While in his travel kennel, he cried LOUD and jumped around. He pulled at the metal screen and scared his mommy for about 50 miles of the 70 mile trip. Sigh. But he stopped all complaining when we turned on the 80's channel on Siris XM. What had been a nerve wracking trip, suddenly became a fun filled trip for the whole family. The kitties were in the pet hospital for a couple days, so naturally their mommy got so nervous that her kitties weren't with her, that she got hives! I am so stupid! But what can I say? They aren't just cats they are my babies! I am thoroughly in love with both of them, and I am trying to get photos, but kitten energy makes it tough! Oh well, it will happen. If I don't drop dead from exhaustion!

Just kidding.

Autumn Stratus And Nimbus

 

"Sometimes places, create inhuman monsters."

~Stephen King

The Shining

Living in America, sometimes feels like we are all, average republican or democrat, living in the Overlook Hotel, and it's hauntings come at us daily. The demons are diseases, and the lack of SNAP benefits, the mass firing of researchers at the CDC and so many more things that I can't count represent the two little girls in the hallway! The last Covid-19 information gathered was a couple months ago, and it named two variants, Nimbus and Stratus. I've had "Captain Tripp's" twice now, and it's left my body with Long Covid. I am falling asleep three hours after I wake up, my hair is falling out, and my taste buds, after 4 years, is still bothering me. I don't want to get it again, but it seems inevitable. Why doesn't MAGA see it? Why doesn't MAHA see it? Trump couldn't care less about our health. He doesn't care about whether or not anyone eats, and while all this pain is happening, he is throwing Great Gatsby parties, and showing off whatever hideous plans he has for the white house decor. What happens when Covid-19 evolves into a variant we can't treat, and he ignores it's presence because he doesn't want to look bad? I've tried really hard to stay informed, now there is virtually no data. 

"Maybe he sells fear, because he has nothing else to sell."

~Stephen King

The Stand

Cognitive Problems

 

 

As part of proceedings for his divorce in 2012, claimed he had suffered "cognitive problems" after a worm consumed part of his brain. According to a recording of his deposition, he sought medical advice after fearing he was suffering form a brain tumor, only to be told a dark spot on scans was ...

 

"... caused by a worm that got into my brain 

and ate a portion of it and then died”.

 

Which explains a lot.

 

Robert F. Kennedy jr., a man with no medical license or medical training in any way, was confirmed this morning as Secretary of Health and Human Services. A man who gets his medical opinions from fringe-right conspiracy theories, Influencers and citizen journalist opinions. Science can fuck off as far as he is concerned. He has said he wants a four year pause on the development of vaccines, even as we are seeing H5N1 spread to humans. He wants to eliminate Fluoride in tap water because, whatever. He thinks wifi causes cancer, and he has mentioned nothing about the fact that Measles has presented itself in several states, where unvaccinated children is at it's highest. What's the plan to fight it? Shame on the GOP congress!

 

 

 

 

 

 Its a dangerous time we are living in.

 

Pray. And protest when you can.

 

 

That Time Gilligan's Island Saved Our Lives...

 

“Just because you can do it, doesn’t mean you should.” 

~Hanya Yanagihara,

  A Little Life

 

What you are looking at is the, Amanita phalloides, aka, the Death Cap mushroom, commonly found in parks throughout California. You don't want to eat these... THEY WILL KILL YOU! Every single year it will be on the news... a story about folks venturing out to their favorite park in search of wild mushrooms, to prep and serve in some amazing culinary dish passed down from family member to family member. Probably something with turkey. Unfortunately, sometimes the chef gets it wrong, and they return from their pleasant day of park shopping, with a deadly mushroom. Like Maryanne did in Gilligan's Island. You know... the professor told her the bad mushrooms would result in a case of, Roomus igloomas. Not a real condition, but wild mushroom poisoning is very real and deadly.

 

 The San Francisco Chronicle featured a story, from last summer, about the deadly fungus and issued warnings, but the harvesting continues. A lady in Australia is suspected of poisoning her in-laws with poisonous mushrooms, but she contends that she got them at two different local stores. She has not yet been arrested, but she is still under suspicion by the Australian authorities. But back to sunny California. Because of this year's El Nino conditions in California, the bloom should be even greater than last year. Just don't do it! Mushrooms aren't that expensive, if you want yummy and organic, let Whole Foods or Trader Joe's do the work for you. A liver transplant is not what you want to give your Uncle Bob for Christmas!

 

Personally, since my bout with Covid-19 (Omicron) in the winter of 2021, I can't eat mushrooms. They taste nothing like I remember them tasting. In fact, they have no scent, and taste like old garbage, so I will be fine, but I think about all those well meaning adults in the world, who don't know any better than to eat mushrooms out of a park. I mean... what else are they deciding to take home and eat? Oleander? Castor Beans? And it's not just we dense humans that have to worry, did you know that cats are highly allergic to common holiday plant, the poinsettia? Look friends... just be careful, and keep the phone number for the poison control center and emergency animal shelter handy. Okay?

 

San Francisco Chronicle

August 17th, 2023 

 

A dinner party ended with 3 dead.

 The culprit could be a mushroom infamous in California.

 

9 Dangerous Plants In California You Should Never Touch

 

Recipes

 

Mushroom Risotto

 

Our 40 Best Mushroom Recipes

(Food & Wine) 

CDC 

Food Safety

 

ASPCA

Animal Poison Control Center

 

 

 

A1C

"In my food world, there is no fear or guilt, only joy and balance. So no ingredient is ever off limits. Rather, all of the recipes here follow my usually... sometimes... rarely philosophy. Notice there is no NEVER."

~Ellie Krieger, The Food You Crave: Luscious Recipes For A Healthy Life

 As my About.com newsletter pointed out yesterday, it was World Diabetes Day! I knew that the whole month of November was dedicated to diabetes awareness, but I hadn't realized that there was one particular day in November that was observed as a special day. You see, I have been backsliding a bit when it comes to my diabetes, which isn't very bright of me! When I was first diagnosed, back in the summer of 2007, I really took the whole situation as a kind of fun challenge for myself. I wanted to start taking my health more serious, and Alan decided to join me in the adventure! Together we were amazing! He toned up. He lowered his cholesterol numbers, and we coached each other in being more physically active. It was fun!

And then we both went through some heavy stress times...

Elvis got cancer, and died a few months later!

Alan's brother, Darrell, passed away, suddenly, at the age of 50. 

Governor Schwarzenegger put a financial noose around our necks, when he decided to impose a 3 day forced furlough on state workers.

Our brand new Saturn cars began to fall apart, exactly 13 months to the date of purchase. Go look up all the problems Saturn cars experienced during that time. The troubles ranged from the minor annoyance... to the downright dangerous. But they were never deemed a lemon. Make no mistake, any owner of a Saturn ION from years 2002 -2009, will tell you, they might as well have been Corvairs!

Then there was the case of the neighbors from HELL, Donny and Nina (not their real names).

And finally, two of my major coping mechanisms, All My Children and One Life To Live, were MURDERED by that cad, Brian Frons. Which, by the way, have both been shelved, yet again! Grrrr.

I know. I do.

Excuses, excuses. 

But hear me out. When I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, I was sad. I felt like I was a failure! I thought I had done things right over the years! I had watched what I ate. As far as my other numbers went, I was doing pretty good. My cholesterol was perfect, much to my doctor's delight. My blood pressure was fine, at least it was, it has since become a cause for mild concern, but back in 2007 I did what I thought was right, and I got diabetes anyway! I guess I took some things for granted. It happens. Right? So, instead of beating myself up over my folly, I got proactive, and dropped my A1C drastically within 3 months, and I did it without giving anything up! I did it by educating myself on nutrition!

I ate scheduled meals.

I portioned out a proper serving, and didn't go back for seconds. 

I set a total caloric intake number for myself daily, and stuck to it!

I ate what I wanted, but learned which foods gave me the best value, in terms of satisfying my appetite and not affecting my blood sugar.

I made sure I spent no longer than 30 minutes eating. 20 was ideal.

I read labels. I learned what was in the food I was eating.

I went back to taking long walks with Alan. It was as good for our bodies, as it was for our marriage.

I checked my blood sugar, to learn about how different foods affected my blood sugar.

I learned that when it comes to blood sugar levels, stress also plays a factor.

And by the way, stress is stress. Any extreme, will affect my blood sugar. Some time ask me about how high my blood sugar went when I was watching Woody Allen film Blue Jasmine! 

I ate what I wanted, only I was eating it with the proper perspective about what food is! Food isn't a blanket, the purpose of food is to nourish the body. Yes, it's great, but it's not healthy to let it replace the real needs we have. 

I knew all this! I had learned it for myself. And I still backslid. My A1C as of this last Tuesday was...

  

6.6 

Standard range is... 4.6 - 6.0

Not bad enough to require medication, but if left unaddressed, it's the road to daily shots of insulin, possible blindness, loss of limb, increased chance of kidney failure, and other assorted badness! 

I am smarter than that! So what happened? Well, there are no good excuses, but there were plenty of reasons. Some of which I explained above! But really, why did I let myself give up so easily? Why did I hand Donny that victory? Why did I let him get to me to the point I gave up? When Darrell passed away, why did I stop taking care of myself? He wouldn't have been really upset about that! He loved me, and would have been the first one to have said... "Hey dummy, what are you doing?" When Elvis died also, it was almost more than I could take. I was devastated watching him slowly lose his zest for life. I have never seen anyone, human or feline alike, who lived life quite as full as Elvis did! He loved me, which meant that he would have wanted me to be the best person I could be!

Looking back, I know all the reasons, and excuses, and again I am doing a full assessment of how to, once again, begin again. Like last time, I am giving respect to the mistakes, and owning them, but I am not beating myself up over it. That is a waste of time. Instead I asked my doctor to schedule me another round of blood tests in 3 months, so I can have a focus point to look forward to. A goal. You see, I have set a reasonable goal. I just want to see that 6.6 A1C measure, become a 5.9 measure. It's perfectly reasonable. I did it the first time! When I was first diagnosed, back in 2007 my A1C was...

On July 23rd, 2007, my A1C was 6.7, but by November 14th, it was ( 5.9 ).

Life is an adventure... right? I had a blast inventing new recipes, and taking a scientific approach to not just my experience with diabetes, but indeed, life in general. At the time I blamed my diagnosis on George W. Bush, and in truth, he did kind of play a roll in that he was such an irritating little beast! And now, we have the likes of Sarah Palin, and the obnoxious Tea Party, and Gun worshippers, but I plan to take the ire I feel, and turn it into power walking, and meal planning. LOL. It can work. I know from experience... It will work! but just for the sake of releasing just a bit of tension...

Mr. Frons, wherever you are, I still hope you never work again! Poophead! 

Even if you don't have Diabetes, it might be a good idea to educated yourself on it. If not for you, than someone you love. Diabetes can be managed, I am living proof of that! Please click the link below to visit the Center For Disease Control Website, and the American Diabetes Association.

(CDC) Center For Disease Control: Prevent Diabetes

American Diabetes Association

Wish me luck, okay? I will report on my progress on February 14th 2014, just in time for American Heart Month!

 

Mood: Inspired

~Me :)

My Date With Mr. Squishy

'The only way to keep your health, is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you would rather not."

-Mark Twain

We met a couple years ago. I don't think I would say it was love at first sight, but he left an impression on me all the same. He was tall and slender and he had me at "Hello." The big galoot said to me, "Baby, no doubt about it, I'm good for you! So I gave in to his power, and we had our rendezvous. Then he didn't call me for almost a week! Sheesh! But when he finally did follow up, he said with a smile, "Kid, you're aces!" What could I do, I knew then and there, I would meet with Mr. Squishy, at least every couple years or so! Funny how fast 2 years comes and goes!

LOL. Ok, I used a little bit of humor to share the fact that I am having my annual mammogram today, at 1:30 to be exact. I am 47 and that's just what you have to do at my age. Sheesh... "my age." What isn't too humorous is the fact that, according to the Centers for Disease Control, excluding certain types of skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women. In 2009, there were nearly 200,000 new cases of breast cancer and a little over 40,000 deaths occurred because of it. Damn cancer! If you are 40 years or older, you should be screened for breast cancer every 1-2 years. I like the feeling of taking care of myself, so going to this appointment actually makes me feel good about being proactive with my own health.

How about you?

Have you had your mammogram this year?

Are you taking care of your health by making appointments for the necessary screenings you need?

This goes for my guy friends who read my blog, because 440 men died of breast cancer in 2009!

Take care of yourselves.

For your families, for your pets, for your co-workers, for me.

Stay my friend, stay healthy.

:)

-Carly