ultimate green house, more gardens

ULTIMATE GREEN HOUSE

this is the ultimate cave house that we saw this summer
on our trip to utah colorado arizona new mexico
the inside temperature stays at a constant temperature
usually in the 60s

in a recent trip to arkansas i visited a cave house or
earth house that was being built on the side of a hill
overlooking a large pasture and small creek or in some
places they would call it a small river

its was built in a beautiful location
that even though its just a few feet off the road
about as far as from my barn here at the country n
to my house
its is not visible from the road
it looks like pasture on a bluff overlooking this beautiful landscape

i had met the builder owner and his wife there in the past to see
if i had recommendation about building it
the only thing i had to say was im jealous

the house is built into the hill
has a concrete slab placed
its roof is made of industrial strength metal braces and are
covered with industrial strength metal roofing
which is covered with dirt and again looks like a pasture
its strong enough that they can drive a tractor over it without
any problems

the inside temperature was upper 50s low 60s despite 30s or 40s
outside and that is with out any heat on the inside

the homeowners were not home so i didnt take pictures without
their permission
hopefully on a future trip ill be able to do that and ill  post them

the exposed walls are made of cement blocks with the holes cemented
with a thick layer of insulation over them with an outside wall of
rough cypress (which doesnt rot) and seasons well without treatment

(i have a cypress swing that has been outside for 30 years and still is
not rotting)

there is a large overhang like you would see in a cave which will be
their front porch

the plan is also to add solar panels for electricity and to collect rainwater
at least for gardening and the yard and landscape

man am i ever jealous but proud of the couple for the amount of
work theyve done to make this happen and happen correctly

the ultimate green house

MORE GARDENS

one of the first squarefoot gardens we put in was this one for
one of my wifes shes friend who had bought  their first home
they have grown veggies in here for 4 years

she saw my blog on the composter and was asking about it
so i made her one and put in place in the middle of her garden

i filled it with my country n compost and then the natural gardeners
barnyard compost
she will add greens from her kitchen grass clippings leaves etc to keep it filled
the materials will compost down and will provide nutrition to her veggies

here are my 300+ 1015 onions planted in my new anthill garden or
hugelkultur garden in which i dug down 20 inches removed all the soil
added a layer of cardboard a layer of newspapers a layer of tree limbs and
tree trunks a layer of my country n compost a layer of leaves a layer of soil
then repeated the newpaper compost leaves soil layering until i filled the
soil back up

i have now the hugelkultur or anthill garden bed that will hold moisture well
in this dry climate and is loaded with nutrition

i topped this off with a 3 inch layer of the natural gardeners barnyard compost

i should get a good crop of onions
if all make and since they are all organic i should get 300 x $1.50 = $400
worth of onions to eat here at the country n

sure cant wait until i plant my tomatoes into my hugelkultur garden

here is my garlic i planted this fall
they are growing well so far
hopefully i will have a good crop as i
have planted close to 100 garlics this year
all organic so far
this bed is not done in the hugelkultur method yet but
when i dig the garlic this summer i will change this bed
to this method also

i love being green and organic

the organicgreen doctor

burning advice

BURNING ADVICE

scott burns is a columnist who writes a financial column that
appears in the austin and san antonio papers

hes a financial guy who is better known for his couch potato
approach to investing
basically he recommends investing in index funds or etf funds
and let them do all the work for you at a reduced cost

last march he wrote an article on how we all need to change
our behavior and by doing so it will encourage america and
congress to do whats right

heres are some of the points he made i think we should be
all doing with some ogd editing


borrow less or none at all
get rid of credit card debt stop using them
pay off your student loans
defer buying that car or home
our economy has been based on consumer spending
one which we can not sustain
then use that extra money saved from paying off your loans and
pay off your house or your car

houses and cars and other things we buy are not going to
increase rapidly in value as before
those days are gone

that game is what has got us in the mess we were in

spend less than you earn
thats bode well for us here at the country n and has
left us in good sound financial shape as we enter our
retirement years
weve always lived financial conservatively
lived in a smaller home
drove not a mercedes but a toyota
it gets better mileage anyway
controlled our vacation but did take them
and did not ever live off credit cards

no matter your income level at the end of the month
if you overspend you are all at the same level
in debt

retain your investment return
we are all red meat for the financial institutions
the government has allowed them full hunting rights
so its them or us

he suggests using index funds and etf funds for your
retirement money and to move your money from the
high fee banks
both of these ive done
my ira funds charge me 0.15%
if you could really see what your ira or 401k was taking from
you each year you would be shocked
some fees are as high as 2+%

eg if i have $100,000 in my ira i pay $150 a year in fees
in yours you may be paying $2000 a year in fees
multiple that by 10 or 20 years and thats a lot of money
$1500/$3000 for me and $20,000/$40,000 for you


learn to share
its a not money way to make those around you better
i try to do this with this blog my involvement with the alzheimers
association habitat for humanity meals on wheels talking about
alzheimers and helping with gardening

there are things even one thing you can do too
cost is zero dollars
a good investment good return
for you and for society


be energy efficient and energy local
he says its oil not imports from china thats our biggest
economical threat
drive a more energy efficient car
drive less
support green energy as well as us energy production
decrease electric use
these are things we can all easily do
it seems more of us are listening as our energy conservation
and green production of wind and solar energy and our
energy production of gas and oil has decreased our
reliance a lot on foreign oil

he says the best definition of wealth he has seen is

you are wealthy when more money wont change where you live
what you eat what you wear what you drive or who you sleep with

we should all heed some of his advice
i know i have
but i was before i read his article

the organicgreen doctor

garden time now

GARDEN TIME NOW

its about time to use this product here
corn gluten is a product from corn
yes its ok to use on your yard if you are gluten intolerant
as long as you dont eat it

my dog used to love it so i guess he wasnt gluten intolerant

of course i dont use corn gluten anymore since i landscaped
away all my grass in my front yard
but
you can use it now in your yard if you live here in central texas as
a weed preventer
dont use the weed and feed stuff since it doesnt work
its use pollutes our water
your kids and dogs will play on the grass and it could harm them

the corn gluten after its spread is watered in and also works like
a mild fertilizer
it inhibits the weed seeds from germinating
so dont use it where you plan to spread seed since the seed
wont grow

weeds that are already in your yard now wont be killed by this or
even weed and feed
the time to have prevented them was in the fall with an application
of corn gluten
you just have to do it the old way

dig em up


its also time to plant your onion plants
i planted mine 2 weeks ago


since were having a run of warm weather i also took a
chance and planted my seed potatoes early
it looks like that was a good decision
unless we get real cold weather in the next few weeks

i plan to keep the potato bed covered with mulch and
row cover if that happens
otherwise ill just leave the bed uncovered in this warm weather

i dont cut my seed potatoes and dust with sulfur
i just find small ones and plant them whole
why mess with all that
and i get good production

last year in my 1 acre front yard it was loaded with these small bluebonnets
at this time
however because weve not had much rain this winter
just a 3 inch rain 3 weeks again
there just are not any bluebonnets to be found in my yard

this picture is the only one that i could find
doesnt bode well for a good bluebonnet showing this year

here is a picture of the first produce from the habitat garden my wife she
and i helped put in for the new homeowner

there is kale swiss chard 4 different lettuces spinach and cilantro that was
usedin her garden salad that day

a lot of nutrition is in this salad
its all organic and was picked fresh
something everyone could easily do

she should be able to get several more cuttings from these plants over the
next few months

this is a picture of my wife shes garden at her school
its 5 ft square and has 20 inches of good garden soil

you cant really see it but in the middle is a central composter
where she adds compost material and pours the water from their
fish aquarium in it

i call this her add garden
i tried to get them
thats my wife she and under her direction her students to plant
this in an organized fashion with one foot squares
but
it didnt work out that way
so
i just removed the 1 foot squares and they just do random scattered
plantings
like an abstract painting

but somewhere in there is a recent planting of onions and potatoes
its growing swiss chard arugula broccoli asian greens cilantro spinach
lettuce swiss chard strawberries and garlic
didnt see anything illegal though

think what ill do is mix up some water in her watering can and
will put in a mixture of ritalin and adderall
some for her to drink and some for the plants
so this garden can get some organization to it

the organicgreen doctor

number one, passwords not passable

NUMBER ONE

texas is number one in sports
no not football definitely not football as theyve not
played well the last 3 years
and definitely not basketball mens or womens

although they have been national champions in football and
basketball and baseball and swimming and track
but not recently

so how are they number one

its in how much is it worth
the football program
its worth this last year was set by forbes at $133 million

i guess money cant always buy success
right jerry jones

number two was michigan and number three was notre dame

no national champions there for either of those recently

alabama old bears school and nicks now
is number six at $95 million
guess they are getting their moneys worth

best deal
kansas state go grey fox
worst deal
kansas
guess the state of kansas balances out evenly then

PASSWORDS NOT PASSABLE


theres a list of 25 worst passwords
the number one is password
really
password
password1

qwerty   was wondering what that word was until i looked
at my keyboard

others
trustno1
baseball
jesus
michael
letmein   so apparently this one does let people in as this
list is from data stolen and posted online by hackers

ninja
123456
12345678
welcome   yall come on it and steal my stuff off my computer

mustang
111111
ashley   wonder why this one is on the list

football
shadow
123123
master   yep come on in and master my computer

sunshine
baseball   what no basketball or soccer

abc123
monkey   monkey around with my computer

so how to make a good password
from komando.com
write a sentence
used the first letters to make your passwords
use letters and numbers and symbols
use at least 8 of them
change your password frequently

eg
if its for a bank password i write
you guys are fing thiefs and crooks
ygaftacks
y9af$8ck3 is my new password

you can still get hacked but you are less likely if you dont
qwerty your password

the organicgreen doctor

state of the union

STATE OF THE UNION



click here for the full alzheimers progress report
or
click on the headings below

genetics
if for example you want to know more about the genetics
of this terrible disease
i did and im sorry i read and saw those pictures of someone
who has the apoe 4 double gene like i have
if you look at the brain pictures my apoe 4 genotype
has all that blue crap on it
which suggests if i have a amyvid pet scan which
scans for beta amyloid that it might be positive in me now

ill soon know about that when i have my amyvid scan done

detection
its what ive written about a lot before
family observation and patient observation and physician observation
neuropsychological testing
the new stuff
genetics as above
beta amyloid pet scans
fdg glucose pet scans for decrease glucose uptake by the brain
mri for volume loss in the hippocampal area-where alzheimers starts
spinal fluid analysis for beta amyloid and tau protein

(note tau protein is what is looked at those ex nfl players with
brain damage from concussions-they have abnormal levels and have
positive tau pet scans)

put all these tests together and the accuracy of the diagnosis
is fairly high

ive had all of them done
the only one i dont have results of is the amyloid pet scan
but i will have it done outside of the study im in

testing therapies
there are several clinical trials going on testing therapies
one that has promise
is the ivig intravenous immunoglobulinstudy where alzheimers
patients are given iv immunoglobulin
in one subgroup of patients given this there was no progression
of alzheimers in three years while on this stuff
if youve had a love one with this disease you know it can go
fast in 3 years
this was a significant observation
the answer in in that bottle of iv immunoglobulin

developing new treatments
new therapies on reducing beta amyloid tau protein and
neurogenesis (new nerve development) are being tested

caregiving
caregivers sometimes get lost in all the stuff we read on
alzheimers

risk factors
ive written about this a lot over the last two years
some you are stuck with like genetics
but many are under your control
weight blood pressure cholesterol exercise sleep stress reduction
smoking excessive alcohol intake etc

biology of this disease
so whats happening in the brain of someone with alzheimers
this tells whats going on and what research is being done to
find out more

the largest study is the alzheimers disease neuroimaging initiative
adni
its is the one that im in and is the most important and largest one
done on alzheimers disease
a lot of the information in this article comes from this study


so if you have a family member or you think you may have a
problem or you just want to know more
go to the link above and read the full report

remember you will be affected by this disease in some way 
if you have not already 

the organicgreen doctor

karla

KARLA


ive written about karla k morton before
she was the poet laureate for texas in 2010
here is her website

one day my wife she was listening to npr interviewing her

ms morton for her project that year planned to go
to small towns in texas and meet students there
do some teaching on how to write and
to collect examples of students drawings and writings

my wife she who sometimes can be persistent
or is that stubborn
called her and asked her to come to her school

a school where you go to if you get in trouble at
your school
a school where if it had been around when i was
in school thats where i would have graduated from
along with my 4 brothers

she agreed to come to the school
she spent the night with us
and was mesmerized by our house and our country n
and as a gift to us
she wrote a short poem for us thats in this book
along with writings from my wife shes students and
the front cover of the book above is from one of my
wife shes students drawings
..........

Love Song...                     

This is the heaven on earth God intended –

pale, stone walls; a cold

 tin roof,  and a hearth that burns all winter long.

To drink from the sky;

to eat from the coop – pulling oval jewels

from warm sleeping hens. 

Dogs, like Vatican guards, sentry the doorways.

And when we lay down

together, coyotes croon with the shooting

stars;  scorpions dance in and out of our shoes.

..........

if you have been to our place or read this blog a lot

you will recognize what shes talking about

ive not seen the book yet but there may be picture(s)

from our place in it

this new book is available from barnes & noble

karlas most published book is the one that she wrote

when she was going through chemotherapy for 

breast cancer

the picture on the book is of her after chemotherapy

this is available through amazon.com

thanks karla

for the new book our poem and your help with the students

and

thanks for all the encouragement and hope youve given

to your fellow breast cancer survivors

the organicgreen doctor

how sweet it its

HOW SWEET IT IS

when i was growing up my mother use to make
sugar syrup whenever we ran out of regular syrup
for our pancakes and homemade biscuits

she would boil water and add sugar to it
to get this clear sweet sugary syrup

it was good on homemade biscuits or pancakes

(why is sugar white anyway
i googled that
whoa that doesnt sound healthy-phosphoric acid
sulfur dioxide calcium hydroxide
maybe i want mine brown from now on)

so i tried to mix up sugar water
i took 10 tsp of sugar and added it to 12 ounces of rainwater
(at least the rainwater is good for you)

no matter how hard i tried i couldnt get it to all go
into a clear solution
was nature trying to tell me something

so i thought
what would happen if i drank that 12 ounces of sugar water
every day for a year
what would happen

lets see
10 tsp of sugar every day
that would equal about 3 lbs of sugar a month
35 lbs of sugar a year

how many lbs would i gain in a year if i drank this
sugar water or sugar syrup if i could get it all in solution
and didnt burn off the calories

i would gain 15 lbs in a year

well how many calories are in that 12 ounces of sugar water
theres 130 calories
so
if i drank this solution and then went for a run
how far would i have to run to burn off all those calories

40 minutes

so what if you filled a quart jar with this sugar water and drank
it every day
thats 400+ calories a day 200,000+ calories a year
thats over an hour or two of running a day to burn those calories off
you do the math for the weight gain in a year time
hint multiply 15 x 4

so guess what ill do is just not drink that sugar water but
instead will drink my pure rainwater

or
if you dont want to no mix this solution yourself
just drink a coke or soda a day
or
worse drink a big gulp a day

but either way plan time for running or
get a much bigger belt

maybe mr bloomberg knew what he was doing
and
why is coke doing all those healthy ads now
feeling guilty huh

the organicgreen doctor

bros

BROS
ok ill admit i wanted to watch peyton manning play
in the super bowl
like maybe against san francisco
but it didnt work out that way

now ray lewis gets to end his career in the super bowl
i know he looks scary with all that paint on his face
and his dancing and talking and preaching
but
underneath all that is a nice person
who does a lot for other people

remember dont judge people by how they look
especially if you live in austin

some funky looking guy with rings in his ears and his
nose  and tatooes everywhere may be some multimillionaire
who owns a company that supplies jobs around here
common occurrence around these parts
or
look at those duck dynasty guys


but the real story in the super bowl is that the
two brothers have to coach against each other

now they arent twins are they

thank goodness they wear caps with the logo
of the team they coach
thats the only only way i  can tell them apart

is it jim or john and which team do they coach
even during the game ill still probably get them
all mixed up

they both are add ish
active
out spoken
have the respect of their players
obviously both know their stuff

having been raised by a coaching dad
they will be playing in the harbowl

wonder if they will shake hands afterwards and
shove each other
now was that jim or john harbaugh that did that

the organicgreen doctor

control this, amyvid

CONTROL THIS

its been known for a long time that controlling your
blood pressure is important in preventing dementia
and from worsening the effects of alzheimers disease
vascular dementia is a type of dementia that can be caused from
high blood pressure

many alzheimers patients have an overlay of vascular dementia
that makes their dementia worse

beta blockers have been around for a long time
so long in fact that they are almost as cheap as aspirin
propanalol (inderal) 40 mg for 100 pills is $8.22
atenolol (tenormin) 50 mg for 100 pills is $7.11
metoprolol (lopressor) 50 mg for 100 pills is $7.18

these beta blockers are used for high blood pressure
angina migraine headaches in thyroid disease to control
the heart rate and in some heart arrhythmias to control
the heart rate

so theyve been around a long time and have a good track record
and have several medical uses

a study recently looked at patients who were on beta blockers
for their blood pressure
when they died their brains were autopsied
they found that those treated with beta blockers had much fewer
brain abnormalities than those treated with other blood pressure
medications

these included lesions associated with alzheimers disease
and small microinfarcts associated with small unrecognizable strokes

if beta blockers were used with other blood pressure medications then
the lesions were reduced to an intermediate level but not as much as
with beta blockers by themselves

there was also less shrinkage of the brain
which occurs in alzheimers disease as the disease progresses

guess when i have to get on blood pressure medications ill want
to be placed on beta blockers

wonder if they could be used preventatively

more research is needed

AMYVID

the amvid pet scan is the pet scan that will highlight beta amyloid
in the brain
beta amyloid is the end product that shows up in the brain of
alzheimers patients
if you have alzheimers you will have a positive scan

early on in the process it may not be very positive though

this scan is commercially available
according to a blog friend medicare will be reviewing whether or
not it will pay for these scans later this month
if they decide they will pay for it then the private insurances will
follow suit

this scan will probably become part of the workup that will be done
on patients with dementia or memory loss to determine if their
symptoms are due to alzheimers disease

i plan on having it done soon myself whether insurance pays
for it or not
as i want to know if mine is positive

ive had one scan already and will have another one in april of
this year as part of the adni study
i dont get those results though

the organicgreen doctor

did it again

DID IT AGAIN
ive never been one who likes to talk a lot
but if you get me started on alzheimers disease organic gardening or
solar power or rainwater collection ill talk your ear off

i go into my lecture mode or my doctor mode
and will tell you much more than you really probably
wanted to know

heck
this week i sat in a dentists chair for close to 3 hours
during the drilling and whatever else he was doing
he made the mistake of asking

my live oak tree died after it was planted
i went into my arborist mode and explained what may have
happened
planted too deep
girdling roots
over watered
not watered enough
weed and feed

live oaks dont die like that

then he asked about gardening and what to plant
i went into my organic garden teaching mode
he almost didnt get my teeth all done in time
i suffered some since the anesthetic had worn off some
it was worth it though
another convert i think

my wife she and i have put in several gardens
those square foot gardens
for folks in the last two years
hoping to infect them with the gardening virus
some have managed to continue gardening with some success

they just need to know how to start and what to do and
what and when to plant

we have provided that knowledge for them

on a recent habitat house the new homeowner made the mistake
of mentioning how she wanted a garden
another worker said you need to talk to the organicgreen doctor
about a garden
that was a mistake

we now went into the organic garden mode and here is what we
did

we take the mel bartholomew square foot garden concept
merge it with the dr deb tolmans keyhole garden concept and
come up with the keyholeless square foot garden

its a 4 foot square garden with a central 1 foot composter

i build a frame this time from 6 inch cedar boards
we then select the appropriate site
dig down 12+ inches and remove all the soil
then take the 1 foot diameter cylinder composter and bury it
6 inches deeper in the middle of the square

on the bottom we line it with a double layer of cardboard
cover that with a thick layer of old newspapers
then dump in john dramgooles hill country soil from
the natural gardener nursery

(this soil is already made with everything you need in it)

they now have 16+ inches of the best soil made

the soil level around the composter is slightly higher than
the edge of the garden
this somehow helps to diffuse moisture and nutrition out to the
borders of the garden

the composter is filled with composter material
i added buckets from my compost pile that the chickens at
the country n keep turned over for me

all the homeowner has to do is add leaves left over veggies from
the kitchen occasional dirt and manures or compost
to continually feed the garden
all they add is water and occasional dumping of compost over
the garden twice a year
and love

1 foot squares are made with wire to aid in planting
so they have 15 squares to plant

in this garden we planted
since its winter time
oregano onions garlic multiplying onions carrots english peas-which
will grow up the composter-lettuce spinach potatoes swiss chard
kale cilantro and arugula

in late march they will replace some of these with beans
tomatoes malabar spinach bell peppers jalapeno peppers
egg plant etc

we planted 9 onions which sell since they are organic for
$1.50+ a lb. this garden should grow 9 1+ lbers
you do the math
the swiss chard should last up to 2 years
a bundle of these are $2.50

the multiplying onions are from some i got from my dad
25 years ago
they will last forever

the lettuce and spinach will be harvested by cutting them
off above the ground and they will grow several bunches
of lettuce and spinach
estimated at $5+ a package it will probably produce 3-4 of these

etc etc etc

when its cold we keep it covered with this row cover

we will follow their garden the first year to help them get started then
they are on their own

hopefully theyll get infected with the organic garden virus

good luck with your keyholeless square foot garden

the organicgreen doctor

old jerry

OLD JERRY
if you make $100,000 a year
and spend $125,000 a year
you develop a $25,000 a year deficit
in 4 years you would owe $100,000
which is the same as what you earn a year
if this continues
you will be bankrupt

thats what the us government is doing

so ask dave ramsey the financial guy what to do
he would say beans and rice
cut your budget
began paying off your deficit
find a second job
and get rid of this mess you are in
you need less spending and more money coming in

if it goes on too far you get to a point where
you cant overcome the debt
then its bankruptcy as the only answer


in california they have a budget deficit of 15+ billion dollars
if it was a country its economy would be the 8th largest
in the world

arnold tried for several years to right the ship to control
spending and raises taxes
but the states legislatures would not make the decisions
that needed to be made

so enter the old moon beam ex governor himself
he was governor 30 years ago
a democrat
who is 75+ years old
who now seems to be acting like a part democrat part republican

he made the cuts that needed to be made to decrease the budget
but he needed more revenue
some was gained by an uptick in the economy

he asked for tax increases from the states legislatures
controlled by the republicans
they said no

so mr moon beamer went to the people
and put proposition 30 on the ballot
which passed by a 55% margin
the people of california levied an income tax on the
wealthiest californians and a sales tax increase on everyone

yes the people understood the dave ramsey approach
cut spending and raise revenues

this year if all goes as planned
the state of california will have a surplus
yes a surplus
for the first time in years
and will have one into the future

yep old jerry the moon beamer did what needed to be done

now does our congress have the ba!!$ that they need
to do what needs to be done

im concerned that they dont

the organicgreen doctor

beet etal juice

BEET ETAL JUICE
as a doctor you go through 4 years of college
4 years of medical school
3-5 years of residency training
then
you go out into the real world to really learn things

it seemed over my 30 year career i was always learning
new things not seen before in training and in practice

asymptomatic hematuria (blood in the urine)
 is one one of those red flags that
you would commonly see in patients that sometimes meant
something bad was wrong with them

ive had patients present this way and they ended up
having bladder cancer or kidney cancer or prostate cancer
usually though
it was something benign like cystitis or a bladder infection or
a vessel that popped in the bladder
these clear up without any problems



this last year i have discovered that i like beets
if they are grown in my garden and eaten fresh

we eat them in salads and love them grilled or broiled
with other veggies
they are sweet when eaten fresh and delicious

last week after the big rains we had i picked several beets
first one day for a salad then another day for grilled veggies

as i sliced them for eating i noticed that they were unusually
juicy
when i cut the beet it was like i had cut into a vein during surgery
i had beet juice all over the place
in fact i wiped off my hand because i thought i had cut myself
i hadnt

we grilled the beets and they were the best that i had ever eaten

ok this may get a little squeamish
the next day my wife told me she had an appointment to see her
doctor as she had blood in her urine
it didnt hurt like a bladder infection though

i went into doctor mode instantly and thought
lets see middle age female with painless hematuria (blood in urine)
could be simple or something bad
so i started to worry some

until
i went to take a leak
and my urine was dark
what the heck was going on
now ive got it
felt slightly better since cancer is not contagious usually

the next day mine went away but hers was still there but
was fading and by the end of the day it was gone

i started to think about the beets and how much the juice looked
like blood
so i did what everyone else does
i googled it

its called beeturia
15% of people can get it
the pigments in beets interact with things in the body and you can
get red urine

we got it because of the high water content in those beets from
the previous rains and the fact that i picked them from the garden
about an hour before we ate them

i dont recall in my 30 years of practicing ever seeing this before
maybe i did but didnt recognize thats what it was

we have 5 beets left in the garden waiting for our next grilling
hopefully they will not bleed so much when i cut them
or

ill plant these yellow beets next time
but
that may be another story

you live and learn

the organicgreen doctor

weekend musings

WEEKEND MUSINGS

i sure enjoyed the football games this weekend
this is my favorite time of the year for football

it was so painful to see peyton manning throw that
interception in the 2nd overtime of the game this weekend
i think i rather just see a team get steam rolled than to
see a painful ending like that
that one play was the difference maker
a super bowl could have been in the offer for the broncos
it will be a long off season for peyton and denver

but im glad that ray lewis will get another game next week
he is such a powerful player
hell be missed
to bad he has to play new england next week
prediction is thats new england goes to the super bowl
and wins it all
they are a machine

another prediction
tebow will go to the patriots as a utility player
wildcat hback punt team tight end receiver and
third string quarterback
if anyone could work him into a system and handle
the circus around him it would be
belichick

then there was the come from behind seattle going ahead
with 21 seconds to go then letting atlanta score
by icing the kicker with a few ticks left on the clock
you know they call timeout just when the kicker is kicking
the ball
except
it was wide right and atlanta got another chance
atlanta won
bet the seattle coach is sick
bet no one else will try to ice the kicker this season
talk about a long off season

prediction san francisco vs new england
new england wins
tom brady mvp of super bowl



we went to the movies this weekend
to watch zero dark thirty
that cia lady was kickass
as was the seals that went after bin laden
wouldnt want to mess with those guys
during the raid it felt like we were with them

it was a two eyelids up
which is good for me
and a two thumbs up movie

the organicgreen doctor

what to eat

WHAT TO EAT




this infograph is the best and simplest explanation of what the
mediterranean diet is

two of the diseases listed on the menu that may be helped by this diet
i carry a genetic predisposition to getting

cardiovascular disease-stroke and heart attack with my awful cholesterol
and triglycerides now controlled with this diet and medications
and
alzheimers-what if someone like your kids stayed on this diet for a lifetime
-warning they will have to plan for a lengthy retirement-
they may not get alzheimers or will get it at a much later time in life and
it may not be as severe

(the gene i have the apoe 4 gene thats associated with an increased
incidence of alzheimers is also on the same area where the gene
for abnormal cholesterol is located)

so for me there are these two good reasons to eat this way
chance are if i werent eating this way for the last several years then i
might have already had a heart attack like my dad and my brother or
i might be more advanced with alzheimers like my other brother

so diet can make a difference in these diseases

recently it was noted that the overall cancer rate has gone down but
certain cancers like kidney and colon rates have gone up
its thought to be due to our poor diets and our obesity

so take a moment and look at this simple infograph of the
mediterranean diet

it could save yours and your kids lives

the organicgreen doctor

bros, duct tape use

BROS

this week i got together with two of my brothers who
live close by
there are 5 of us boys in our family
at one point when we were all together at home
we shared 1 bedroom
you can imagine what that must have been like
5 boys in one room
just think of the smell that must have been coming
out of that room
we all have battle scars from our confrontations

two live in another state and we dont get to see them
as often as we like
my wife she and i plan a visit soon to see these two

but it is nice to have two that live close by so we can
get together occasionally

my older brother has a birthday today
he lives in a nearby state
he is retired army veteran
thanks for your service

my younger brother lives also in a nearby state
he is the one with alzheimers disease
its sad to see him to see how he has gone down hill
but
i remember him for what he use to be
a 20+ year fireman then
a 10+ year deputy sheriff
before he was struck with his terrible disease

my next older brother lives nearby
he is a retired air force veteran
he was an airplane pilot
he also is a retired certified financial planner

we have used his knowledge a lot over the years
which has helped my wife she and i to have
a more secure financial future
thanks bro

he is also my rainwater brother
who wishes he had all the rainwater tanks i have
as he is limited by space and by his hoa

the next brother also lives nearby
he is also a retired air force veteran
his second career is he is a doctor also
but a phd in history and teaches at a nearby college

he always gives us a historical perspective on everything
and has a historical file on each of us
some of the things he has i hope he throws away before
i die
as he and i lived together in our younger single days for a few years

he also is an expert in freeway exit numbers
just ask him and he can give you the exit numbers of
any place he travels
when we make a road trip together to visit relatives
we dont even use a map or gps
since he always knows where we are
must have a genetic gps in that brain somewhere

but we had a good visit the three of us
talking about the past the present and the future
we solved the earths problems
ate a good home cooked meal

and of course
ended the day with a good midday nap

it all brought back memories of that room we shared years ago

thanks
bros

DUCT TAPE USE
people are always sending me pictures and articles on
uses of duct tape
my smiley cute daughterinlaw sent me this one



seems this guy drank a bottle of duty free booze and got
real unruly so the passengers held him down and duct taped
him down to the chair
also he had a potty mouth so they duct taped his mouth
sure am glad he didnt have to puke on that flight

would say this is a good use of duct tape

the organicgreen doctor

rains needed

RAINS NEEDED

we here at the country n depend on a continued rain supply
in order to fill our 30,000 gallon tanks that we use for our
drinking water and for the irrigation of our gardens

many of the cities in this area including austin depends on
the water system called the highland lakes which are several
lakes along the colorado river that provide reservoirs for
the water

it is gradually or suddenly let out from lake to lake and
eventually if they are lucky to the rice farmers further
downstream

we have been in a drought off and on now for a few years
as we know here at the country n
there has been very little
rain here in the last 3-4 months

our personal supply of water in our tanks is at 50% capacity
which is good compared to people just west of here
some of them have had their rainwater tanks run out again like they
did two summers ago

this area west of here is the recharge zone for the highland lakes
which are not being recharged
lets just say they are like a dead battery

one lake is so low that old towns and farms are now visible
on the bed of the lake

the rice farmers down stream were just told that they probably
wouldnt get any water this year which means
their rice production will be zilch
which will affect the rice supply some

last night and today we are getting rain   finally
over that recharge zone
which should help fill the lakes some and fill those tanks of
those rainwater collectors who have run out of water

my hope is to completely fill my tanks up with this rain
which should keep me supplied with rainwater for months and months

one problem also is water conservation
we here at the country n practice it every day
we wish that those of you who depend on this recharge zone for
your water supply would do the same

it makes me sick to see all the green grass and landscaping in
the towns and watch the water sprinklers dump all that precious water
on to the ground and watch it run down the street into the gutters

it doesnt have to be that way
we xeriscaped our yard and do no supplemental irrigation except
to our veggie garden

but i know thats the way it works
its always crisis management when it comes to the water supply
like when the lakes get real low and everyone is  put on strict
strict water measures
then they loosen the restriction when some water gets back in the lakes

they do that all the time
back and forth

if we dont do something in this area for water conservation
we are going to be up the creek without a paddle
as the population is growing rapidly and no new sources of
water are being located rapidly enough
theres not any

conservation is the answer
and or infection with the rainwater collection virus


so 20 years from now when this area is out of water
i will still have my full tanks and will enjoy life as i know it now
keeping my organic garden green
enjoying drinking clean rainwater
taking rainwater showers
washing clothes in rainwater
while many of those around us will be having trouble
getting water

guess ill better build a fortress around my tanks

i see a reality show idea
the rainwater collectors or
the rainwater hoarders or

(as i was called dr duck by my pediatric patients since i
talked to them like donald duck)

the dr duck rainwater dynasty
starring

the organicgreen doctor

football musings

FOOTBALL MUSINGS

what the heck were they thinking

leaving rg3 in the game

this kid is as exciting to watch as johnny football

it was painful to watch him lie on the ground unable

to move to cover the fumble
as he
reinjured
reinjured
reinjured
his knee

the ball just set there and he couldnt move to cover it

the blame is on the redskins coach and no one else

heck yes if you ask a player you ok can you go back in 

theyll all say yes

concussion and all 

knee injury and all

that was your franchise lying there on that turf unable

to move to cover that fumble

something a 5 year old could have easily done

it cost you the game and 

may have cost you your future

how stupid can you be

rg3 is one of two players that every sunday i look for 

their games on tv so i can watch them play 

the other is peyton manning

this coming from a cowboy fan

yes so sad

we wish you well rg3

some heads should roll for this injury



i watched johnny manziel football heisman play
in the cotton bowl
what an exciting player to watch
he totally took over the game
ive actually watched the dvred game more than once just to
watch him play

however
i know that where he was at in oklahoma it was legal for
anyone over 18 to be gambling
however
he is the heisman winner
he should know the image that sports has had in the past
when it comes to gambling
he will im sure be reminded of this by his coach and the pr
people at am
everyone will be watching him now 24/7 and he has
to be mindful of who is real friends are

please dont mess up
youre so much fun to watch play football



then theres the alabama crimson tide
no spread offense
no super hero players
nothing fancy
just smash mouth football like it use to be played
must be working
as they have three crystal footballs to show for it

know that theyre laying for johnny football for next year
theyre already probably watching film on him now

yes
old school is dong it right

the organicgreen doctor

on death and dying

ON DEATH AND DYING
dr ll a friend and director of a hospice
sent me this youtube video

at my friend gregs memorial service last year i
was asked to read a blog i had written about
visiting greg a few months before he died

i was unable to finish reading it so dr ll
graciously took over and read it for me
using the same inflections that i would have
had i been able to read it out loud

if you have a family member or friend who has died
or if they are dying now or
if you have a terminal illness like i have

i recommend you stop and take the few minutes
to watch this video

i cried when i watched it and cried several times
later and cried again this morning when i wrote
this blog

this makes me think of my friend greg
my mother and father
my younger brother who has alzheimers
and
myself as i face the possibility of the same

this blog and video is dedicated to them and to
my wife she
she has been there for me the last two years and
will be there for me in the future

i love you
thanks
..

the organicgreen doctor

tytw

TYTW

the year that was
in alzheimers disease research 2012

the following is my review from the
alzheimers disease information networks (adin) 
january monthly e newsletter
from the alzheimers disease cooperative study

the study im in the alzheimers disease neuroimaging initiative
adni-2 is part of this cooperative study
much of the data from this study is used in the reported studies

i am in the early mild cognitive group and have had serial
neuropsychological exams, blood tests, blood biomarkers,
genetic tests, whole human genome analysis, spinal tap fluid
tests for beta amyloid and tau protein, volumetric mris,
pet scans for glucose metabolism, and pet scans for
beta amyloid

four genes are known to be associated with late onset
alzheimers disease-the apoe 4 genotype is the one that carries
the largest risk for the disease
thats the one i have with the double version
new ones found that have letters in their names are ms4a, cd2ap,
cd33, abca7, epah7

a new gene trem2 was discovered that causes you to be susceptible
to alzheimers disease

all are being looked at closely as they may be the site for treatment
one day

an international group of researchers are starting a preventative study
on a large group of people who carry the gene for early onset
alzheimers disease who are young and in their 30s to see if a new
drug can prevent them from getting alzheimers disease
this gene causes most of them to get in in their 40s
if it works this is important
youll be able to treat people who will get the disease before
symptoms start

a new gene mutation was discovered this year called the app gene
amyloid precursor protein gene mutation
if you have this gene mutation it prevents you from getting alzheimers

this gene is located on the 21st chromosome
downs syndrome patients have three 21st chromosomes instead of two
if they carry the app gene without the mutation they have a 50%
increase in the chance of getting alzheimers disease

if the extra 21st chromosome they inherit doesnt have the app gene
they dont get alzheimers

the new alzheimers vaccine studies results were back and were
mostly disappointing
however there was a subset group that showed that the drug did remove
beta amyloid from the brain and it was found in the spinal fluid

(in alzheimers disease the beta amyoid levels decrease in the
spinal fluid as the disease progresses as the beta amyloid gets deposited
in the brain)

a segment of these patients showed an improvement on their
cognitive or mental status tests

a new study looking at this particular group is starting this year

(my theory is that we are trying these things in folks who are more
advanced and the likelihood of them working are decreased
think advanced cancer vs very early cancer)

(this is why the study mentioned above is so important as its
using the drug in folks who dont have the disease yet)

then one of the most important events was the release of the
new amyvid pet scan for beta amyloid
(beta amyloid is thought to be the product that get deposited in
the brain that is thought to be the end result of the alzheimer
disease process. the theory is if you got a lot of this stuff in
your brain youve got alzheimers)

ive had one of these beta amyloid pet scans and have one
scheduled in april of this year
however i dont ever get to see the results of these scans
so if i want to know if ive got beta amyloid upstairs
i will have to have it done in the private world

this folks i plan on doing this year
i want to know all i can about where im at

so
yes folks
there is
hope for the future

the organicgreen doctor

i resolve that...

I RESOLVE THAT...


if governor christie of new jersey runs for president
in 2016 i would consider voting for him
a politician who can think for himself is a rarity
he knows how to kick a$$

to do what i can to slow down the progression of
alzheimers in myself and in others by following my
i resolves

to continue this blog because every day i reach a new
person or persons i can educate about alzheimers and
organic living and healthy living

to continue working with the walks to end alzheimers to
raise funds to be used for education and research

to continue volunteering as we all should be doing
starting in childhood as its important to develop the desire
and need to volunteer
i will continue to work at habitat for humanity home builds
and to continue to do meals on wheels deliveries

continue exercising working around the country n and
hiking and walking every day

continue eating correctly as we should all be doing
the mediterranean diet is the answer
veggies olive oil fish lean meat fruits and nuts
limited alcohol intake

continue drinking red wine every day
continue drinking caffeine every day
both make you live longer and may help slow the
onset of alzheimers

stay happy every day
this may be the secret of longevity
staying happy

maintain contact with family and not lose that part of
my life

to continue to eat sweets every day
sorry but i do so well with everything else i need to have
something i do that you shouldnt do

to relax as much as possible
those noon siestas sure help

to keep my wife she happy
as one day she will have total control over me and
i dont want to pi$$ her off

to continue to be a good house husband
except on weekends since i get those days off

to speed up my projects here at the country n
cleaning out my trashed barn storage area
rebuild my barn
finish all my organic garden upgrading
finish all my fencing and rock work
as i know that time may be soon running out to get
those done

to travel but not as much as we did last year
we sure like to stay home here at the country n

to lose 5 lbs
retirement will add those on you if you are not careful

finally to do what i can my small part in making this world
a better place for you and me

the organicgreen doctor

im falling

IM FALLING
a facebook friend js posted this on his facebook
yesterday














after the last few days watching congress screwing
around with our future
i sure wanted to click yes and send them all to the
trash heap where many of them belong

my wife she and i watched the movie lincoln this
weekend
after watching that and then watching congress
take us to the fiscal cliff
i realize that things really havent changed much
there in congress since that time in the 1860s
and probably wont in the future

of course if you want to find who is ultimately
to blame
just go in the bathroom and look in the mirror

we voted these folks in up there

yes i felt like we were going to fall off that cliff
and it would be devastating for us as a country
financially

all you would have to do is watch your ira or
401k or 403b and you would see the fall  the crashing
the downward slope of
the value of your money

its strange in politics that the extreme right republicans
and the most left leaning democrats voted against
the bill to avoid the fiscal cliff

they were willing to let us go over the cliff and sustain
damage to our economy

if they were on facebook
i would hit the delete button on them for sure
i would definitely unfriend them

we all know that what they did was only temporary as
the real battle and haggling will start up this week
and no matter
who you are

no matter

your degree of education
your sexual orientation
your religious beliefs
your political beliefs
your sex
your age

you may feel like you have fallen off this cliff when
they get through with all of us

personally i think they all should be sent to the dave ramsey
financial course to learn how to manage money
our country would be better off for it

the organicgreen doctor