Today's Update - 2 Oct 2014

She's back ... from outerspace ...

My apologies to the Gloria Gaynor fans out there but "I Will Survive" has been an earworm for me for over a week now.  Whew.  When they say doing the right thing doesn't always mean doing the easy thing they aren't kidding.  Love my brother and sister in law ... learned to love their giant honking dog too ... but I got tired.  More drama and heartburn I do not need. 

Sister in law had some complications from her procedure and while I think she could have gone home sooner than did, she didn't feel like she could so wound up staying longer here then I heard she decided to stay with her mother for a couple of days.  Or that was the plan.  Not sure what actually happened because she is at her home now.  There are some things you just stay out of if you want to stay sane and other people's business is one of them.  LOL.

Day before yesterday was the first day I really got out of the house and what do I do?  Get soaked to the skin trying to get some errands taken care of.  Went to bed with a hacking cough but am better today.  Looks like I'm more run down than I thought.  Just to be on the safe side with all of the respiratory junk going around I am upping my vitamins for a couple of weeks - especially C and D - and will be taking a little bit of elderberry extract though I've never been able to prove it does anything for me but give me indigestion.  Elderberry extract - aka sambucol - reportedly helps shorten the symptoms of cold and flu viruses and if that's what I'm getting I'll welcome the short circuiting on the virus even if it comes with heart burn.

But a funny thing happened as I was on my way through the grocery store ... look what I found:

My kids are giving me side ways glances about suffering through another round of food experimentation but my Dad has already threatened to come for a visit and be the taste tester.  LOL.  Actually I'm going to try and make him some "candied bacon" this year using turkey bacon and artificial brown sugar.  I won't be able to eat it ... I can't have artificial sweeteners because they create a volcano in my digestive system and that ain't good ... but he said he was a willing guinea pig any time I needed one.  ROFL.  That's my dad for you.

Now the updates are below.  They are not what I wanted to get done but I've been enjoying my husband's company after he's been gone for two weeks and I am also trying to rebuild my energy level while at the same time getting all of my deferred work caught up.  The updates will go back up in number as the days tool along.  I also don't have any yard pictures for you.  It's been raining every day here almost since my husband went out of town.  Everyone's yard is squishy in places.  In fact there is so much standing water that the last two Saturdays' soccer games had to be cancelled because the fields just weren't safe to play on even when it wasn't lightning.  Here's hoping hubby brought the sun back with him but until this stationary front moves on it looks like were stuck with the higher than normal rainfall.

Zombies Aren't Real ... Are They?!
http://zombiesarentrealarethey.blogspot.com/ 

Up On Hartford Ridge
http://uponhartfordridge.blogspot.com/

When All Doors Close
http://whenalldoorsclose.blogspot.com/

A Bunch of Wild Thyme
http://bunchofwildthyme.blogspot.com/

Enduring on the Lake
http://enduringonthelake.blogspot.com/



The videos below are different people making candied bacon or bacon candy, however you want to say it.  Granted, it isn't the healthiest recipe in the world but if you have a bacon lover amongst your family and friends this is just about the best gift you can give them.  LOL!

Now for something a little serious.  Ebola.  Yes the big nasty has made its first appearance here in the US with possibly a second case being monitored though unconfirmed as I type this.  Definitely lots of potential points of infection from "zero case" who happened to be an international traveler.  We all knew it was bound to happen but now that it has what do we do about it?

First, don't panic but be watchful and stay informed.  Second, review the same types of rules you should be using every day when it comes to all the nasty bugs out there ... watch where you put your hands, where your hands go after you put them someplace, teach your kids (otherwise known as germ factories) what good hygiene is including when and how to wash their hands and where not to put their hands in the first place, etc.  Next - and this one seems to be the easiest yet least applied rule I've ever seen - if you, a family member, a co-worker or whatever are sick don't go roaming around in public sharing your germs with the rest of the world ... we don't want them because we have enough of our own thank you very much.  This includes sending your kid to school, sports activities, daycare, church, etc. with even a mild infection of some type.  What is mild for you may not be mild for that kid or adult with asthma or some other kind of immune-compromised system, including just getting over some other bug they got from a person to rude to keep their germs at home.  Do you want to have to answer for that?

I'm not saying there isn't cause for concern at this time.  Ebola is deadly and even if it doesn't kill you, you might go through a period where you wish it had.  But there are a lot of bad things out there right now including the enterovirus that has put so many kids in the hospital, caused paralysis in some, and even killed at least one.  There are all of the mosquito and tick born illnesses running rampant.  Unfortunately TB, MRSA, etc and all of the antibiotic resistant versions of those monsters-in-the-closet out there are continuing to escalate.  But we can't live in a bubble.  Just use some commonsense and stay aware of your surroundings.  Maybe ramp up to yellow alert but in my opinion it isn't the best response to slam into red alert at this time.  Also please beware of all the well-meaning individuals to outright quacks in the world that claim to have a cure or preventive.  As we've seen in other countries 99.9% of what is touted runs from completely useless to outright dangerous and it makes people take chances that are stupid creating more potential vectors for infection. 

I'm reposting the best documentary on ebola I've ever watched.  It is from a few years back but it gives a good base of knowledge for those that don't know what ebola is.