in memory of leslie

IN MEMORY OF LESLIE
if you lived in the austin area in the last 20 years
you probably heard of him
no doubt several of you got selfies with him
or
pictures of him

he ran for mayor of austin more than once
heck
one time he got 2nd place
we all hoped he would win
and
we thought trump disrupted things

once when i was in san francisco
i shot this picture of a guy on his bike paused in front of
the ferry building where we were attending the satuday
farmers market
i somehow have lost the photo
but
if you would have been from austin
you would have said
whats he doing here


nytimes.com

he was a legion
as he rode around town on his bike
or
walked around town
in his high heels
his thong bottoms
his bikini top

a real icon he was
in fact
he may have been the most popular person in austin
at one time

he has since passed us on
left this earth he did
leaving a lot of memories
a lot of smiles

now
they are raising funds for a memorial for old leslie
here is the link

kxan.com

it will be a life size bronze statue of leslie
siting cross legged on a bench
with his long hair and beard
his bikini
his high heels

im sure when its all done
it will become one of those icon photos
folks will have to take while in austin
like the willie statue
or
the statue of stevie ray vaughn
or
barbara jordan in the airport
every time we fly into austin
i stop by her statue
tap her knee
and
say thank you to her

i guess ill sit on the bench next to leslie
and
well just sit there
in a moment of peace and quiet

may you rip
leslie

the organicgreen doctor

the eagles has landed

THE EAGLE HAS LANDED
in 1969 neil armstrong said that famous quote
as his spacecraft landed on the moon

well
this weekend i repeated those words in a tweet
to family members and friend
while standing on the edge of a sandy river bed
near lompoc califronia

i texted
the eagles have landed

who are the eagles
well
its my wife she and her teacher friend from austin
it was a birthday celebration for the teacher
but i wont say which one
but i will say that most folks have a lot of grey hair
at this age and are real close to retirement

so she contacted my wife she
who sometimes is always available for irrational adventures
its my xx birthday and someone wants to give me a gift
to do something i have always wanted to do

when i heard what it was
i thought
ive always wanted to do that too
well
i always wanted to watch someone else
scream as they did it

somehow someway my wife she went from
im not going to do it
those are my famous words all the time to my wife she
im not going to do it
well she went to
ok ill do it

so on that fateful day
we loaded up for the hour drive to a well known skydive
place here
as we were driving
a lot of joking went on
i felt a lot of nervousness in the car

so
we arrived
they isolated the two
made them sign papers
you know those liability ones lawyers make you sign

there on the first page
in bold large letters
you can die doing this

drop the mike i would have
im out of here is what i would have said
done
aint gonna do it

they persisted

after a long long time
they got dressed
after watching a video on things to do
and not to do

as they stood on the tarmac area
on the back of their jump suits
was this big ole danger sign
i never read what it said
i stopped at danger

then they got all their gear on
walked out to the plane to board
wait was what was said
a bird hit the plane
they had to get a ladder to get fragments off the wing

thats when i would have backed out the
second time

then off they went
way way up into the blue clear sky
where we couldnt see them
i wonder if they closed that open door

they apparently were asked
are you scared
well yeah they said

i thought
at least they got those depend things on like
the astronauts wear
so that wouldnt be an issue

then these little specks appeared way up in the sky
i think somewhere around 13000 feet up
or was it 1300
it doesnt matter
either is too high for me

as one jumped out they screamed the whole time
i thought
that has to be my wife she
she screamed as she twisted and floated down
then landed
thats when the screaming stopped
i looked real close
on thats not her

later i asked my wife she did she scream
she said
no no words would come out

finally they floated close enough i could identify her bright
colored leggings she had on
no at least she aint screaming
maybe shes all passed out or something

nope
as she neared the landing sight
she waved real big with those big ole micky mouse gloves
they had to wear
bam
right on her booty

then i could hear her and her friend as they were all excited
as they got their voices back

later i showed them the sign on the fence where they landed

were you scared
yes

did you jump
no the tandem jumper thats behind you just falls out of the plane
since you are attached you just fall with them
no backing out it was

were you cold
yes it was real cold

was it beautiful
it was aaaaammmmmaaazzzzing
my wife she said

are you glad you did it
you betcha

would you do it again
no never

so afterwards i drove the rescue car to pick them
up after their fateful flight
no broken wings
oh
i made up the depends story

the organicgreen doctor

the elephant

THE ELEPHANT

the elephant
in the room
is being ignored by a lot of folks

they are just nibbling around the corners
eating the elephants peanuts

so
my thoughts

should teachers be armed at school
no
i have 10 teachers among my siblings and their spouses
do i want them to be armed if they were still teaching school
no way
would i want my wife she armed
no no way
as trumps says
bad idea
lets drop this one
thats just peanut crumbs

should 18 year olds be allowed to buy a gun
yes
they can drink and drive and vote and die in the middle east
many with guns in their hands

should folks be allowed to have long guns for hunting and for
sport shooting
yes
no problem with probably most americans agreeing

should there be strict laws on all gun purchases
yes
as strict as possible while allowing hunting and sport shooting
and personal protection

should mental ill folks have guns
you have to well define mental illness
depression is common in the us
anxiety is common
bipolar is controllable
autism spectrum is usually not a threatening disease
schizophrenics not well controlled shouldnt have guns

this one seems straightforward but its probably not easy
to define who would be restricted

you are starting to mess with folks rights who have psychological
issues that are not violent

violent folks and criminals and felons
no doubt about it they dont need access to guns
if you have a restraining order against you for violence
you lose your guns

as an aside
did you know who the number one state is for gun deaths
alaska
number 2
louisiana
number 15
idaho
the other 13 of the top 15 are mostly in the south

it does somehow bother me
and should bother you
that these organizations
nra
big pharma
financial organization lobbies ie wall street
really control our congress
they provide the money that the congress folks get
from outside sources

yes
they seem to run things
not allowing congress folks to think for themselves
something that seems foreign to them

now
finally
that big ole elephant in the room
that folks on both sides of the issue
seem to be avoiding
some

thats the assault style rifle used in wars
to kill and maime folks
its not used for hunting

in the us its mainly used for sport shooting
and
to massacre kids at school
and
at other locations
like vegas and florida and california

now this is my opinion
an old southern guy
who has owned guns and hunted and has done sport shooting
who has a lot of relatives with a gun
all that doesnt bother me at all

i think
its time for the congress folks to have what it takes
to permanently ban these assault guns like the ar15
and ak47 and their similar relatives permanently
only allowing them for the
us military
us police
us groups like the fbi

its the right thing to do
most americans agreen with me

the organicgreen doctor

alzheimers news-i agree

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-I AGREE

when i read what she said
i turned to my wife she as she drank her morning tea
as she sat
in what i call our spin around chairs in the morning sun
looking out over the courtyard of our condo

i said
did you read that article
did you see what she said
i agree
i told her

please be the drug

thats the title of this time magazine article this week
on
inside one couples experimental treatment to battle
alzheimers disease

lets say before i go further
these studies are available all across the usa to those
who have early alzheimers and mild cognitive impariment
and those who dont have memory issues yet

these as of right now may be the drugs that will slow down
the disease

when reading this article and like this weekend on the
alzheimers panel i was on with other patients
i am definitely no where near the stages that they are at

this couple is on infusion #15
i am on infusion #13

the stuff called aducanumab is an antibody thats given monthly
it was discovered in elderly folks who didnt get alzheimers disease
the lab produced it in large quantities to be used in this study

it works differently than the others you may read about
its more aggressive at removing the amyloid plaques in the brain
than the others
in the initial study the amyloid was removed and the study subjects
memory improved

after the 18 month infusion
for me that will be in september 2018
i will definitely start receiving the real drug for at least 2 more years

i like peter hope that i am getting the real drug
but
like him if not
im ok with it
at least im early in the disease
earlier than he is
my our participation hopefully will make a difference in the
future for others

all this was not available ten years or so ago when my
younger brother was diagnosed
or
15 years ago when my mom was diagnosed
there was no potential treatments out there being researched
that had any promise

now there are quite a few
that work differently to slow things down

there are 2700 of us in the study across the world
i think we may be the lucky ones to get treated so that the
alzheimers disease gets slowed down
we be the first to have this happen
ever

2/3 of us are getting the real aducanumab
1/3 of us are getting the placebo ie saline

i feel like im getting the real drug based on side effects i have
i sure hope so
as
what a difference these 3-4 years of treatment could make in
our lives
my wife she and i

sometime in about 2020 when all this is published i might actually
find out whether i got the placebo or not the first 18 months

some thoughts as i read this article and watched the video
if you are worried or have a loved one with it
you should read it and watch the video

ok so i cried twice
once watching the video
i could see my wife she and i sitting on that bench looking
out at the water wondering what lies in the future for us
and
then again when i read the article

he mentions driving
he cant drive by himself as he gets lost
ive made the decision to not be a statistic
getting injured in a wreck or injuring someone else
or
being one of those elderly alerts that shows up on the interstate
nope
if i have issues
im done
take my keys

he carries the genetic gene the apoe 4 gene for late onset alzhiemers
25% of you carry that gene
it increases your risks about 5 x for getting alzheimers disesase

i carry the apoe 4/apoe 4 gene the double version or homozygous
3% of you carry that gene
it increases your risks about 10-20 x for getting alzheimers disease

to get into this study you have to have a positive amyvid pet scan
for beta amyloid in the brain the hallmark of alzheimers disease
im in the study so you know what that means for my scan

the national institute of health nih has been given a doubling of their
alzheimers research funding
bill gates from microsoft has given millions for research now since
his dad has alzheimers disease
mark zuckerberg from facebook has also agreed to fund millions
for alzheimers research
both are emphasizing the mid level alzheimers researchers since thats
where all the drugs and probably the treatment will come from

so
as they hung this infusion #13 this last week at ucla
my lucky number
under mary easton alzheimers centers guidance
i looked at the nurse
i said
i want the real deal

she looked down at me
smiled real big
and
said
it is
;)

the organicgreen doctor

starman

STARMAN
below is a picture of starman sitting in his tesla roadster zooming
across the night sky
there are even sites where you can an see him as a small white spot
moving across the sky

money.cnn.com

rumor is i heard
that he got a speeding ticket from the space police
going
way too fast for conditions
7,564 miles per hour

he was quoted as saying as he zoomed by the slow space police
catch me if you can
im on the way to the moon
actually he is in an elliptical path like mars
that will bring him away from the sun
then closer to mars
some times their paths get real close together
then later he zooms way out there away from everything

what a ride
starman is having

here is his personal website someone set up so
you can track him
click here

if this intrigues you you will like that website
you can track him into the future
eg in june he will be close to mars

maybe
he will just stop by for a visit

its rumored that he has lost the warranty on the vehicle
that is
he quickly went past the 3600 mile warranty fairly quickly
in fact he exceeded it over 700 times already

it appears there is a chance he may return to earth in
lets say
a million or so years
but
one site say he could return sooner

the problem is he will get vaporized as he reenters
the earths atmosphere

heres hoping he stays out there those millions of years

a true spaceman
starman

he just looks so dang cool
zooming through space like it was
mainstreet in your town

my hero
spaceman

i nominate him for times man of the year

the organicgreen doctor

its now

ITS NOW

cnn.money.com

it didnt happen before
this time it just feels different

i looked at the school shootings
there are three facts

the shooters
are male
are mentally ill
chose the ar15 as their weapon of chose

so to stop these murders of our innocent school kids
our sons and daughters
nephews and nieces
grandsons and granddaughters

we have to fix these three things

one
we cant do anything about
the male shooter

the other two we can

two
we need to provide access to good mental health
for folks
quit cutting it out of the insurance coverage
quit making it hard for folks to get help
they shoulnt be allowed to buy guns

strict gun laws need to be passed so those who want
guns have to do the paperwork it takes to say
you are ok to have a gun
you arent mentally ill
you arent a crook
you sell your gun you need to fill out paperwork again
whatever it takes
we need to do it

three
we need to get rid of ar15s availability in the us
only police and the military should be allowed to use them
for
thats what they are made for
to kill people during war

when the bullets from the ar15 hit those little kids
at sandy hook
when it hit their livers
their livers just turned to jello
when it hit their little bones in their legs
their little bones just turned to dust
when it hit their little brains
their brains were exploded like dropping a watermelon
from a building onto the concrete

yes
these are military weapons
they should remain military weapons

there are 8 million of these things floating around in the us
8 million
no wonder those cops get so nervous sometimes
when they go on 911 calls

i read where shooting an ar15 works better than viagara
for some men

there are three big ole lobbies that control things in the us
big pharma
the financial lobby
the nra

now the nra
those legislators are real scared of them

like with the other lobbies
these legislators need to think for themselves
something they none of them do well
they need to stand up and do whats right
this time

on facebook
a former patients sons picture appears a lot on his page
hes proud of him
a late arrival he was
he is a very strong gun advocate
for some reason
i always think of his sons picture when these kids get shot
he is so cute in his photographs
i think
what do you do
what do you think
if it happens to your kid
does that change your views
if it doesnt
it should

heck they are even making bullet proof backpacks now
does the new school uniform now have to be
riot gear for kids

yes
its now
its time

the whole world is watching
and
shaking their heads

addendum
i believe in the second amendment
i grew up with guns
i have hunted
most of my relatives own guns
i dont feel unsafe around them
i want them to have legal guns
i would have no problem going to a gun range and shooting guns
but not an ar15 or any of its cousins

the organicgreen doctor

alzheimers news-get rid of this word

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-GET RID OF THIS WORD

i was determined to make it for this alzheimers panel this
weekend
last week i had what i think was the flu for several days
on friday as it was better
the gi stuff set it
i knew that this could happen with the flu
then
when i recovered from that
a tooth began to hurt
having had a lot of root canals i knew what that meant
another one in my future
so
i found left over meds from my oral surgery two years
ago and started them

by saturday morning i was all maxed out on those meds
i timed the pain pill so it would be almost wore off
by the time i started the conference

this saturday
the alzheimers greater los angeles had an all day conference
on early memory loss
they had an elder lawyer talk
they had a well known alzheimers researcher from usc talk
then
they had the panel that i was on
all folks with early alzheimers except for me
since my diagnosis is
early mild cognitive impairment probably due to alzheimers disease

i only stayed around for our panel
since i needed more pain meds afterwards

now i have been on a lot of alzheimers panels with
researchers neurologists caregivers social workers writers etc
i was usually the only patient on the panels
but
i dont ever remember
theres that word
remember
having seen a panel of just patients
telling their stories of
how they were diagnosed
how it affects them and their families

i will say there was a lot of crying going on
on the panel and in the audience

near the end of the hour and half
we were all asked by the moderator
what would you like to tell those of us here in the audience
what would you like to tell others

this one man with early onset alzheimers disease
said
please get this word out of your vocabulary
remember

dont ask me if i remember
i dont he said
please dont ask

all of those on the panel agreed
no more remember questions

let that sink in
if you have a loved one affected
dont ask


also
when asked
what good is there in getting diagnosed
we all said there was some good

i said i was able to prepare for the future
i said now i know where i stand
i said i can handle that

others said he is much closer to his wife now
others said he is taking better of his heatlh
others said he is exercising more taking long walks
others said he is enjoying life more right now
i said i understand that
others said he renewed his hobby of writing and raising orchids
others said he married his long time partner
others said he continues to exercise and not let this slow him down

i said to my wife she as i left
thats the best most memorable panel that i ever
remember

the organicgreen doctor

alzheimers news-doc im having memory issues

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-DOC IM HAVING MEMORY ISSUES

yesterday i was contacted by someone who felt like he was having
memory issues
he is a retired professional who works one day a week
he has noticed that he has problems doing some of the work that
he used to do that involves memory and numbers

this has happened to me a lot over the last 7+years since i was
diagnosed
folks wanting to know what to do

for those of us like him with it in our immediate family
we are always concerned
is it going to happen to us

i was
it did

heres my advice

if you think you have issues
you should have an evaluation done
i read this morning in an article that when folks have memory issues
and
dont recognize them
thats more concerning

losing you keys is not abnormal
not knowing what car keys are for is abnormal
but
as we are finding out
there is a gradation between losing your keys and not knowing
what they are for
where you are on that grade is what you want to know

the first thing i tell folks
make an appointment with your primary care doctor for
only one thing
memory issues
nothing else

dont go alone
take your spouse or significant other
many doctors will want to interview them

if you dont think your primary doctor will listen to you
or do a good job
go to a neurologist

eg i if i was in practice now i think i could do a good initial workup
for memory loss

they are looking for causes that you can treat or do something about

go in prepared

if this individual has alzheimers starting he is real early
some of the memory testing will be normal
like the test called the mini cog
the one a lot of doc use
or
the mmse
trumps test the moca test is more sensitive to early changes

please dont go online and read and take the moca test
it affects its accuracy when you do have to take it for a diagnosis

if you dont do well on the moca test you should have a
full neuropsychological exam

if you are further along some of the previsit paperwork becomes
more important

to be complete
i would have his wife fill out this 21 question alzheimers questionnaire by herself
without his help
here is the link
sometimes spouses notice more things than you do
take that with you even if its normal
it helps the doctor out

then go online and take the sage test
here is the link
fill it out copy and take with you
this also helps the doctor out

if you are early in the disease these will be normal also
i expect his will be
mine were
now my moca test was initially abnormal
his moca test may not be normal

make a list of all your medications and all the supplements
that you take

i now take a lot of supplements
i have cross referenced all of them against each other and
against all my prescription medications

webmd.com has a good one to use to cross reference supplements
some supplements and over the counter meds i cant take
because of these interactions
eg
i have to limit antihistamines use since they interfere with
my aricept (donepezil) that i take for my diagnosis

make a list of your health issues like high blood pressure
high cholesterol diabetes sleep issues anxiety depression etc

make your appointment only for memory loss
bring your online tests
bring your wife
bring you list of concerns of what you have noticed
yes write them down
hand your doctor a copy
it is entered into your medical records
it shouldnt now get ignored
you keep copies of the online tests and the other lists
for yourself

the doctor should take a good history and do an examination
thinking in terms of finding a treatable cause for his memory loss

these are the labs that he should have
a cbc
a metabolic profile like a chem 24 that is commonly done
a tsh for your thyroid levels
a vitamin b12 level

some like me would add
a vitamin d3 level
a homocysteine level which if elevated may be associated with
an increased risk of heart attack stroke and alzheimers disease

then some would had sex hormones like testosterone for males
estrogen progesterone for females

if the b12 or the vitamin d3 or the homocysteine level are abnormal
they are usually easily corrected with daily over the counter supplements
all thrre of these were abnormal on me

then after the history and exam and the lab testing is done
there should be a memory test done
a minicog is not a sufficient one for early disease
a better one is the moca test like trump took
it shows up early symptoms

if the moca test is abnormal he should if his labs and history and exam
are unremarkable have a
full neuropsychological exam
it will show if there is memory loss
these are usually done by a neuropsychologist

if the history and exam or lab shows things like sleep issues or depression
not well controlled or abnormal labs these need to be fixed
before more testing is done

if the neuropsycholigical test is not normal
a mri scan should be done
that will rule out things like old strokes tumors etc

at this point the cause of the memory issues should have been
discovered

for him
he might consider after this
if he wants to know more
to do genetic testing
spinal tap for beta amyloid and tau
an amyvid pet scan for beta amyloid
none of these are covered by insurance
and are expensive

for me
i wanted as much information as i could obtain

so i have
such that i feel like my diagnosis is as accurate as one
can have based on the testing thats available in 2018

also
as i told him
he is a good candidate for research

you can go to clinicaltrials.gov
type in alzheimers
click on the state you live in
a list of all the alzheimers studies available are there

i can tell you though sometimes they dont show up before
they are open
the alzheimers centers in your state will know whats coming
in the future that may not be listed

for him
since he could be early or even in that prealzheimers state
that state where the memory is normal but the scans are not
he would be a good candidate for
some of the new treatments that are being used on folks with
prealzheimers or those with mild cognitive impairment like me

also a new study that is the phase 3 of the adni2 i was in for 5 years
called the adni3 study is starting up in his state. it should be on the
clinical trials website

also you can sign up for the alzheimers associations trial match
on their webpage www.alz.org
they will let you know when a study comes available that you might
match up with

also
if he goes to his doctor and gets the run around
he should go see another doctor
he should make sure he has a complete work up

a history and exam
labs
memory testing
maybe mri
maybe further tests for alzheimers not covered by insurance

he also
after he has had a complete workup
not before
should consider the regimen in dr bredesens article on reversal of cognitive decline
this should never be done without discussing it with your doctor
i reviewed them with my doctor and my neurologist before i started them

does it help
i think it might
but
its hard to prove if this is why im not worse now
or
if its the aricept (donepezil)
or
if its just the course of the disease
waxing and waning for now

tomorrow i will be on an alzheimers panel at a conference
at the huntingtom memorial hospital in pasedena california
sponsored by the alzheimers greater la at www.alzgla.org
answering questions about my story and diagnosis
and
how i feel about being diagnosed
and
how it affects my family and my life
and
what recommendations
i have for other folks

the panel im on at 1030am will be all folks who have
an early diagnosis

its interesting when you are around folks who are early on in the disease
that for many you would have no idea they had memory problems

here is the link to the conference

so
if you have memory issues
get a good workup
some causes can be treated

the organicgreen doctor

i always felt it was there

I ALWAYS FELT IT WAS THERE

kxan.com article on the cave

i always felt like it was there
i dont know how many times i told my wife she
and my neighbors this over the years that we lived
at the country n

my older son has a friend that lived in the area where this
cave was
he asked me to come over to help him with his landscape
recommendations that is

in his front yard was this white oak or mexican oak that seemed
stunted and not growing and the leaves were dying
i told him
its either
not watering it enough
watering it too much
or
it was planted over a rock
then
he said
you know theres a cave next door
so that i thought is the reason for that high iron fence with
spiky things on top like a spear to keep folks out

yep he said
ive even been down there
the spelunkers club gets to go down there once a year
the neighbors can peek in if they want
i thought to myself
i dont want

so
i added to the list of why his oak wasnt growing
its over a cave

i could just visualize those roots from the oak
hanging down through the roof of the cave
growing slowly down to the floor of the cave
like a big ole stalagthingmajig

i really havent thought about all that much since then
that was 2 kids ago for his friend
but
his house was in the subdivision where this big ole hole
just appeared that was 20 ft deep
it goes to a cave thats 200 ft at least wide

so

when i read about this this morning
i thought
i know that was a cave under our country n

we would get these torrential downpours onto our house
now we had gutters all around that dumped into
4 inch underground drain pipes that went to our 30,000 gallons
of tanks
and
our front yard had a 1 foot rock wall that went around the house
so only a small part of the whole yard around the house
didnt have a wall

the water on these torrential rains would eventually overflow
the gutters
the water would get fairly high sometimes around the house
then
as the rain slowed or stopped
all that water would just be all gone
there were no flowing streams of water off the property

where did it all go i asked my wife over and over again
then
one night
i had a dream
probably an aricept dream
that there was this hole in the yard
i stuck my head down in the hole
there was this big ole cavern down right under our house

i had that dream several times over the years
enough
that it almost seems real

i even told my neighbor who had lived around there for
forty or so years
yep theres a lot of caves around here
there use to be a lot of bats around here also

now
he may have just said that
and winked and i missed the wink
but
well i believed him
i know that rain had to go somewhere

the only explanation is a cave

yes
i always and still do feel its there

not my worry now though

the organicgreen doctor

a muddy beach

A MUDDY BEACH

i read about this in the online paper
and
saw it on the local news

you know when you hear things
sometimes
you just say
that doesnt seem like the right thing to do

now
i am an outsider here
having lived here for only 7 months
and
not having had gone through this history of mud and fires
around here like folks have who lived here for years

still
i think it gives a different perspective on things
when you are new and fresh to things
you sometimes see things differently

so
it was with me

there it was truckloads of mud slide muck being hauled
down to the beach near here
the goleta beach
to be dump right on the beach
not just a few truckloads
tons of truckloads stuff

now
granted from what i read
the stuff is trucked an hour or so south
so the debris in there like metal and rocks and logs etc
are removed
then
off to the goleta beach it goes
to be dumped
to be washed apparently over and over again
by the waves coming in on the beach
you know like when you do a sand castle on the beach
and
the tide comes in and eventually washes it away

now i saw this big ole dumpster there on the dumped on beach
that was partially full of all kind of stuff

no the beaches are not white
they are a mud grey color

one of the justifications for doing it here is
the mudslide stuff is destined by nature to eventually end
up in the ocean anyway

now
when we made our long long trip north then around the mountains
to get to los angeles for my last infusion
we passed what seemed like hundreds of dump trucks in a long
long line waiting to dump this stuff into a quarry up north

the goleta beach i think is sort of a poor mans beach
i havent really read that before
its just seems thats the way it is
theres no tourists here

so i wanted to see all this for myself
so one sunday morning before my wife she woke up
i drove over to see for myself

there was all this yellow and red like tape around the dump areas
warning signs were up
dont swim in this water
its contaminated
worse i think with human bacteria

this beach sits in a cove just south of the ucsb campus
you can see the building of the school on the small bluffs close by
i saw several what looked like students walking and biking
on nearby trails

i walked out on the wharf or pier that goes out quite a ways
i would say over a quarter of a mile
there were a lot of folks even this early
as the sun had just popped over the horizon
fishing off the pier

you cant swim here but you can fish here
seems like
not right to me

i looked back over to see the dark spot in the distance
where the dumpster was and big ole heavy machnery was sitting
i guess they all get sunday off

i then walked back to the shore
climbed down off the pier
onto the shoreline
i guess you call it the beach
a dark grey mud colored one

i walked along the edge of the surf as it wiggles back and forth
sometimes catching my feet off guard
getting them all wet
and
i guess
contaminated

i then walked up to the marked off area
the tide was low so i just walked along the waters edge
into and on top of that dark grey mud colored beach
it didnt sink in
it didnt stick heavy to my shoes like mud
but it felt and looked a different consistency
the beach if thats what you call it
didnt feel right as you walked on it
if i took my shoes off
that wouldnt be sand between my toes

i walked up the beach to the machinery
one of those big monster things
you might see in a quarry

i turned and looked back into the sun at the pier
at the beach not affected yet
there was only one other person beside me walking on it
i was the one that broke around the barrier

so after reading about all this
reading about the bacteria counts
reading about how it not chemically contaminated
i dont believe that one
knowing how things work in this world

all i could think
was
why dump that stuff here
i dont understand why

the organicgreen doctor

alzheimers news-now they are gone

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-NOW THEY ARE GONE

the other night or should i say early early morning
i sat on our couch looking out over our courtyard of
our condo
looking across the way to where he lives
the one with dementia
i saw the light on
there he was roaming around in the middle of the night
how tired his wife must get from being woked up at night
then having to stay awake during the day
anytime
he could bolt out the door and be on his way
somewhere
something bad could happen

as i was looking out
i was also reading my newsfeeds
there it was
the story i had read a few days before
about the elderly texas panhandle couple that had gone missing
in their car it seems

i know when i read that before
i thought to myself
this is not going to end well

it reminded me of a story a few years ago
also in texas
where in a nearby town
an elderly couple just disappeared
never being found
until months later
off a cliff in the hills and mountains of arkansas
hundreds of miles away
on a windy road there
they were found in the car
at the bottom of the ravine

i thought to myself
thats whats going to happen to this couple in texas

well
i was right
it didnt end well

they were found miles away
in new mexico
down a long 2 track road
they found their car
later they were found
they had died both of them
from exposure

just like that
they are gone

i dont know
but
im sure that at least one of them if not both probably had
dementia
thats what killed them
dementia

here is the link to a news report on the tragedy

dont let this happen to your loved ones
dont be afraid to make them angry
take away or lose the keys or disconnect the battery or some
ignition wire
do something

i told my wife she after that night
and
after reading about that couple

please dont let that happen to me
we have good long term care insurance
please i said
put me away where its safe

dont let that happen to me

the organicgreen doctor

dear ms b-nature lover

DEAR MS B-NATURE LOVER

you are getting there
slowly but surely

it seems that you love to go to the garden
in fact
its hard to get you to leave when we go to visit

i know those chickens are the main attractions for you

use to you would just chunk in the bread to them
or
drop in the trimmed leaves from the plants in my garden
like broccoli or swiss chard or the one you call the
dinosaur leaves the kale
now
you just hold those things in your hand as they
chew down to the end
you hold them as long as you can
before dropping the last handful

you know all their names
well
you call the one named chocolat
ice cream instead
but
the others names you seem to have them down
i like it when you say
itchy and scratchy

eventually you can be pried away from the chickens
next you go to the bird bath
yes you usually bring something over from the garden
for that little bluebird to eat that sits on the edge of
the bird bath
once you brought a lemon
which you let bob up and down like a fishing bobber
in the water that i let you hose into the bird bath

this day in the picture you brought in a swiss chard leaf
and picked a strawberry

you also always like to give that bluebird a bath
also
you have now mastered the art of drinking out of a water hose

then there is this purple adirondack chair that you are
drawn to
thats your favorite color
you usually like to climb in and out of that chair

your gma and i enjoyed watching you sitting on top of the
picnic table eating lunch which including broccoli
and sweet peas from my garden
you were talking away the whole time

then sometimes we go down to the citrus orchard
why
last week you found this large yellow lemon on the ground
and you wanted to play soccer with it

we also pitched it back and forth like a baseball
in fact once i think you threw me a curve ball

yep
you are getting there
you little
nature lover you

the organicgreen doctor

rocket man

ROCKET MAN

wikipedia

no not the guy from north korea
the one
you know
that tesla guy

now ive ridden in a tesla
it must look and feel like a space ship
as i was sitting in the passenger seat
all belted down
holding on for dear life
there was no sound
we just shot out onto the street onto the highway
i it felt like was forced back onto the car seat
this i thought
must be what its like to be launched into space

i actually felt like we were going to take off
and zoom through the air like the jetsons

well
that guy
that tesla guy
has done that
can you believe it
he launched a red tesla
his red tesla into space yesterday
with
a space man in his special space x space suit
looks like something you would want to buy yourself
to wear
that space man is sitting there
his arm on the window
his hand on the steering wheel
just cruising down the space highway

this is like in a space movie
some science fiction thing

then
can you believe it
then
he landed two of those rockets
back down to earth onto their pads
synchronized like those water dancing ladies in the olympics

as i watched all this
mesmerized i was
all i could think was

why is the us government not doing all this
why is some guy using his own money

having seen sputnik
john glen in space
the moon landing
all in my lifetime

is this the ultimate in privatization or what

i guess
if thats what it takes
do it

you go for it
elon musk

see you at the next full moon
as your space car zooms across the front of the moon
a full tesla car full moon eclipse

the organicgreen doctor

cheap cheap

CHEAP CHEAP

folks know hes cheap
many know who he is
i wont name names today
you know though

hes got the shortest alligator arms you ever seen
real short
in fact
the first thing he says when we all go out to eat
i want my own ticket
only just that ticket
his arms only extend far enough to reach just that one

now some of these stories i am about to share
these folks arent broke
they are middle class many upper middle class
its sort of in their dna

sorry but that dna runs in our family

eg
at habitat for humanity i was known for my dumpster diving
i pulled many a pvc pipe out a lot of metal and cardboard
to recycle

not long after we moved here
we had zero nada furniture
just some pots and pans and our glassware and plates etc
i saw this old green chair with peeling paint on it on the side of the road
for some reason it appealed to me
its sitting now in our bedroom
its that chair you have in your bedroom that no one ever sits on
its just to hold the clothes you take off you might wear tomorrow

then
my wife she and her mom
they be the queens of dumpster diving
they grab stuff off the side of the road
in fact
in the dining room here we have a lamp thats unique
its my favorite lamp
we cleaned it off
put in those last forever bulbs that look old
no one would ever know
it gets a lot of compliments

we have friends that are not poor
they are always grabbing things off the side of the road
i hate to go visit them
since our car sometimes is full when we leave
ok so i did get a lot of planters for the school garden from her

clark howard the consumer im on your side guy
we need more of them since now the government consumer folks
they are for the rich guys now
he gave a long list of extreme type cheaper folks

after i read them
i wondered
does he know our family and friends

now he did list folks who saved shower water for watering their garden
i am guilty as charged
i was more aggressive at the country n since all we had was rainwater
this person even scoops out the bathwater to use on her non edible plants
well we did run our washing machine water to some of the trees

now this one is cheap
i might feel guilty doing this
when she goes to amusement parks like disneyland she brings along
toys etc from cheap places and gives them to her younger kids
who apparently are quite happy with getting those toys from disneyworld
wink wink

another person goes to the grocery store when they are giving out all
those free samples of food
they make it their meal

ok ok
so when i go to traders joes
i do drink 1-3 of their little coffee cups to top off my coffee for the day
somehow they just make their coffee taste so rich and bold

i look at all our furniture and stuff in our condo
none of its is new
its either used or dragged home by you know who from off the street
we are good with all this

here is the link to all 31 of the cheapest of the cheap
many of you may recognize yourselves in that list
i hope so

he really does have real short alligator arms though

the organicgreen doctor

thanx

THANX

cbssports

this years super bowl was one of the best ever from
pregame to postgame

i enjoyed all the pregame music and interviews and stories

thanx to those who set all this one up
it was one of the few i can remember
a super bowl without some type of controversy spinning
around it and political stuff all over the ads and in
the music and commentary by the reporters

thanx to jj watt for making me cry the first time
of several times last night
i was just thinking about how and what he did for all those
harvey folks that needed help
maybe he should run for office one day

thanx to everywho that was who sang america the beautiful
yes
it made me cry too

thanx thanx thanx to pink
now i didnt know who she was until a few years ago
when i would see folks with a tshirt on that said pink on it
i thought it was a womens movement thing
no they said she is a musician and entertainer
oh
i thought
one of those rock star athletes
until one night i saw her perform on an awards show
oh my
i said
how can she sing so good doing those cirque du soleil things in the air
ive been a fan since
then
she was overcome with the flu this week
she has had a long time desire to sing at the super bowl
to sing the national anthem
she was determined to do it despite the flu
so
as they panned for a close up
she spit out her throat lozenge
she had this i dont feel real good
that flu look on her face
but
well
she nailed it
made me cry again
my heroine

then the half time show
jt had me hopping and bouncing all over the couch
i like the way he engaged the crowd
they all seem to hopping up and down with me
yes
i teared up again when he did the prince song
whats wrong with the critics over singing that duet with prince
it was out of respect
he nailed the performance overall
at least that selfie kid thought so

then the only other time i teared up
well some with some of the commericials
thank goodness they didnt make a joke about those tide things

the other time was after the game during one of the interiviews
with mvp foles
the hero of the night
his story and his family and his winning made me
well my final tearing of the night

now
i was going to be ok with whoever won the game
both storylines would be good

i sure hope we see more of the patriots
is this the beginning of the end
i must say mr brady preformed quite well

that foles
i thought to myself
he must be on weed or something
he seems so laid back
so calm
so peaceful like
just taking it all in he was
some lucky team may snag him

so
thanx again to a great game and surrounding activities
its like someone put a filter like i have on facebook
that cut out any political stuff

now
lets hope those philly fans havent destroyed philly too much
remember
they pelted santa claus with snowballs once
they are a different breed
like those european soccer fans

thanx for a good day and evening

the organicgreen doctor