Pay It Forward

 

From The Purrallel Universe... Pay It Forward

"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted."

~Aesop

I am sick. Ugh my stomach is messed up. It has happened on and off since the first round of Covid-19 (Omicron). It's part of the same thing that won't let me eat certain foods anymore. It all started, just like everyone else that has this long covid symptom, about 6 weeks after the last fever of the virus. At first it was a wide variety of foods that I couldn't tolerate, but now it's basically, mushrooms, spinach, garlic, chicken skin, pineapple and most nuts. It's not so bad, but when it all flares up, it keeps me sitting still and sleeping on my back. Anyhoo... I am exhausted and grumpy, and when that happens, I love to visit this little cat community on Youtube called, Purrallel Universe. It makes me feel better, and in the case of this video, it reminds me to pay forward, all the blessings I have in my life. To encounter strangers with kindness and empathy. It never hurts anyone to be a better person, and to find one's better angels. So enjoy the video, and subscribe to the account. You'll love following their adventures, and perhaps identifying with their message of hope, family, and life. 

If It's The Holiday Season, It Must Be Covid-19 *UPDATE

 

“The decisions and choices that we make in society today will have a direct impact on the number of people who get hospitalized (with COVID-19) two weeks from now."

Jay Varkey, ID physician, Facebook Live

 Alan tested positive this morning. The current strain of Covid-19 making the round is Omicron Sub-variant XEC, so it's more than likely what he has. So far he has only mild symptoms, which I am grateful for. I suppose, in that we are in the same house, I will be getting it soon. I am beginning to get some symptoms. Scratchy throat, aches, etc. Sigh. We wear our masks, wash our hands frequently, I don't know what to say. Everywhere I go, everyone is mask free, and pretty much acting like it never existed. Perfect. Thanks unvaccinated assholes. Here we are. Please folks. I beg you, do your reading. Get vaccinated. WEAR YOUR DAMN MASKS! Stay home if you are feeling unwell stay home! As was pointed out the first time around, entire families DO NOT NEED TO SHOP TOGETHER!

 

XEC Information

 

Sigh. I don't know what the next few days or weeks will be like, but I will probably take a few days or perhaps a week off from posting anywhere, so I will post my autumn leaves in one large post at a later time. Love autumn while it is here. Those little leaves travel a whole year to reach us, they are good for the soul, so enjoy whatever leaves are left.

 

I will try to update soon, even if it is just an emoji.

READ UP FOLKS, PRETTY SOON WE WILL BE ON OUR OWN.

UPDATE

 My body is not very happy right now. 12/15/24

 

2.5 Years Later

 

“These so-called bleak times are necessary to go through in order to get to a much, much better place.” 

~David Lynch 

 

Ugh. Covid. I may have mentioned, once or twice, that I have some lingering symptoms from my bout of Covid, now 2.5 years out. I am tired, all the time, and I have an occasional flutter in my chest. I still cannot eat mushrooms, or dark rye bread. I loved both of those things prior to Covid-19. Now they both leave a dreadful taste in my mouth, like they were picked out of the trash on a aircraft carrier. Metal and mealy and oily. Without going into too much detail, understand, I still feel the effects of Covid-19 (Omicron) 2.5 years later.

John Hopkins has a list of myth-busters concerning Covid-19. By now we all know the shit from shinola, but it makes for interesting reading. The fact that a former president of the United States would suggest that consuming bleach might be a realistic treatment for COVID is absurd. And the fact that the GOP continues to mention, that Dr. Anthony Fauci deserves to be prosecuted for his service to the White House during the outbreak is a dangerous. I remember someone in the media mentioning that he had become more popular than Donald Trump, and that was all it took for the hatred towards Fauci to begin.

Educate yourself now. If Trump wins it will difficult to get accurate information about any medical condition, let alone Trump's biggest failure while in office, let alone Covid-19.

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

 

 

 

Autumn Rose And Autumn Leaf Of The Day #33

 

"The tints of autumn... a mighty flower garden

 blossoming under the spell of the enchanter frost."

 

~John Greenleaf Whittier

 

 

A little beauty, for a coolish autumn day. I grew that rose, well, me and all that the natural world has endured this year. It has really been a metaphor for what I have been through. The Covid left me with deep depression, and an almost complete lack of creativity and the ability to concentrate. It's called Brain Fog, and it apparently affects those over 60 who suffered from the original Omicron variant. It has been a difficult time, but things seem to be getting better. I am beginning to handle stresses better, and I think I have a better outlook for the feature, and as you might have noticed, I am embracing joy again, not fearing it. I don't know how much credit I can take for my rose, they are such hardy plants, but I did know how to care for it. And I know how to care for myself, I just needed to remember what to do.

Hot Cocoa Rose

Berkeley, Ca Autumn 2012 

 

I really miss that garden in the Bay Area. It broke my heart to learn Sandy L. had tore it, and my Japanese Maple tree, out of the garden, out of nothing more then old fashioned spite. But that is her problem. I cared for my roses and that tree, but all she did was make her property worth less money. It's okay. I am not going to spend time thinking about it, because there is nothing I can do about it, but I have the knowledge that I know how to grow a beautiful, strong, spicy rose, and I will always have that happiness inside me. This yellow rose smells like a baked sweet potato with extra clove, cinnamon and honey. Next year, if we find ourselves extending our contract for the condo, I might consider adding another rose or two to the front porch rose garden. Maybe a brand new color I haven't tried before, like Pumpkin Patch or maybe Sterling, but I really loved the Hot Cocoa rose I grew when we lived in the studio. In any case, I want them to look pretty in autumn.

 

~Me