Beware of Rattlesnakes

It's that time of year again.  Rattlesnakes are out in great abundance.  Little ones are being born, and the weather is heating up.  April-October are the primary months for rattlesnake activity.  Generally rattlesnakes are not aggressive.  They become defensive if accidentally touched by someone walking or climbing.

Here are few things to remember when walking or hiking in the great outdoors.  Avoid tall grass.  Don't walk near crevices you cannot see.  Check stumps or logs before sitting on them.  Stay on well worn trails.

If you are bitten, stay calm.  Call 911.  Keep bite area below the heart until help arrives, or until you get to Urgent Care.  Rattlesnakes are one of the most maligned of all snakes.  Remember, they are one of the few snakes that helps control our rodent population.  We're invading their space, so be respectful and stay safe.

The Rabbits of Ravensbruck

I just finished a book called Lilac Girls, by Martha Hall Kelly.  It's a Holocaust book like no other I have read.  It is based on fact, and many of the main characters are real.  It was a story I had not heard before, and one I will never forget.  It's about the Ravensbruck concentration camp, the only camp for women only, and the lives of the women who were held there.  Here's a little more information on Ravensbruck concentration camp.

Ravensbruck was a German concentration camp built for women in 1938, by Heinrich Himmler.  130,000 to 132,000 female prisoners passed through the Ravensbruck camp system.  40,000 were Polish and 26,000 were Jewish from many countries including Germany:  Russian, French and Dutch.  About 50,000 of these women perished from disease, starvation, overwork and despair.  Others were killed in the gas chambers.  Only 15,000 of the total survived until liberation.

Starting in the summer of 1942, medical experiments were conducted without consent on the86 women.  74 of them were Polish inmates.  Political prisoners were experimented on by testing the efficacy of sulfonamide drugs.  These experiments involved deliberate cutting into and infecting of leg bones and muscles with bacteria.  The second set of experiments studied bone, muscle and nerve regenerations.  Many of the women experimented upon died.  Those with unhealed would were executed.  Also many women were sterilized.  They had been deceived into signing consent forms, being told they would be released if they complied.

At the Neurenberg trials, many of the accused were found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity and sentenced to death.  The one female doctor who was found guilty, was sentenced to 20 in prison.  However, she was released in only five years by the Americans, in a secret deal.  She returned to Germany where she practiced medicine for many years.  It was not until Caroline Farraday, a main character in the book, found out she was out of prison and practicing medicine, that something was done.  Caroline encouraged one of the Rabbits to go to the clinic where the Nazi doctor was working and positively identify her.  She did, and the German doctor finally lost her medical license, but never returned to prison.

This is a horrific chapter in history, but one that is told beautifully in Lilac Girls.  Such brave women.  It was almost impossible for the women to resist what was being done to them, but one form of resistance they were able to establish was the secret education programs organized by prisoners for their fellow inmates.  The most extensive were among Polish women, wherin various high school levil classes were taught by experienced teachers. The Rabbits of Ravensbruck were truly remarkable women. 

Zero Waste Grocery Coming Soon

We've gotten rid of some waste by using reusable cloth bags for most of our shopping.  This is a step in the right direction, but what's going on in Europe in cities like Berlin, Vienna and Barcelona will really reduce waste.  The shopper brings his own reusable glass jars or bags, and buys just what he needs.  For example, you are baking a cake and don't often use sugar except for baking.  You can bring a reusable bottle and buy just what you need, maybe one or two cups of sugar.  The same for honey, vinegar, oats and other cereal, rice, even milk.

Dispensers in the grocery store would be filled with these items, and you would buy just what you need.  In many cases, the milk and other dairy products would come from a local farm, in glass bottles, which shoppers could then bring back to the grocery store on their next visit.  The goal is to encourage shoppers to buy only what they need.  This would cut down on waste from unused food and unnecessary packaging.

The Fillery will open soon in Brooklyn and there's another zero waste grocery store set to open in Vancouver.  Just when you thought there was no room for more grocery stores, along comes the zero waste store.  This is something I had never thought of, but it makes perfect sense.  Americans waste more than 29% of the food they buy.  Granted, a lot of this is perishable food, but not all of it.  I thow things like oil and old spices out all the time.  If I'd bought just what I needed, much of this waste would be reduced.

Will it be more difficult for the consumer?  Absolutely, but just as bringing one's own bags to the market became a habit, so will bringing one's own containers to buy just what you need.  It will take years to convert people to thinking this way, but those that are concerned about the mounds of garbage we produce, will make the change.  Think of the packaging on cereal, rice, crackers and cookies.  The packaging is recyclable, but wouldn't it be better if you didn't need the package in the first place?  Many markets have already incorporated bins, which allow you to buy only what you need, and save the packaging, except for the bag.  Great idea, as it saves money, creates less waste, and allows you to buy just what you need.  The zero waste grocery store is the logical extension of this, and I look forward to seeing one in our neighborhood soon.

Wild Foodie Tour Of Tijuana

I'm always on the lookout for new and interesting places of interest for my Newcomers group.  You know I love food, so a foodie tour was in order.  I had already done several tours in San Diego, so when I ran across Wild Foodie Tours, which does foodie tours of Tijuana , I jumped at the chance to experience it.  I was a little concerned that some women would balk at the idea, possibly being worried about their personal safety and the safety of the food.  Why am I such a skeptic?  22 of us went to Tijuana with our guide Albert Chan, and had a ball.

Albert is a young Chinese man, in love with Tijuana.  He loves the people and the culture, and his enthusiasim  is contagious.  We all met at the San Diego-Mexico border, and Albert took over from there.  After crossing the border on foot, Albert had arranged a local bus to pick us up and take us to our first stop.  It was an old, disheveled bus, in need of a little TLC, but it ran, and got us to our first destination.

The tour featured street food of Tijuana, off the beaten path holes in the wall.  It did not disappoint.  We first toured an open market, or bazzaar, which sold everything from clothes, shoes and pots and pans, to chiles, fruit and sweet candy.  We sampled some fresh fruit there, which was so refreshing.  Coconut, papaya, mango, and melon, sprinkled with a bit of chile powder for an extra kick, was delicious.  We then went on to eat marlin tacos, cervice tostatados, carne asada tacos, battered and fried fish tacos, a special fruit drink, and hot, homemade churros.  It was all delicious, and we came away stuffed.

Tijuana has changed over the last decade.  People are friendly and helpful, and Avenida Revolution, the main street, is cleaned up and looking prosperous.  It's fun to explore new places, or revisit places you haven't seen in a while, and doing it though food makes it all the more fun.

Why Are Pilot Whales Beaching Themselves?

On a remote stretch of beach in New Zealand, hundreds of pilot whales recently beached themselves, resulting in over 400 dead pilot whales.  Volunteers worked round the clock to refloat as many whales as possible.  They were able to return about 200 of them to the water, but more pilot whales came the following day.  Why?  That has the scientists stumped.  There are theories that they may be following a food source, or taking care of sick whales in their pod.  Neither of those theories make much sense to me.

It's really tragic.  New Zealand has one of the highest rates of whales beaching themselves in the world.  This was the third largest whale tragedy in New Zealand history.  The largest was in 1918, when 1,000 pilot whales beached themselves.  The cause of this remains a mystery.

Pickleball Is Everywhere

Ron and I spent a week in Phoenix with some of his high school friends recently.  One of them, Ian, is an avid pickleball player, and he was kind enough to take me to the courts for a little exercise.  We arrived one morning around 8am.  All eight courts were full, and there were people waiting at each court.  There is no separation between courts, so it's a little chaotic with balls often rolling onto the court, but you get used to it.  The people were friendly, and there were lots of good players.

The interesting thing is that the players at the courts in Scottsdale came from all over.  Pickleball is everywhere!  Anchorage, Cleveland, Minnesota, Canada.  The guy we met from Anchorage liked the game so much he went home to Anchorage and built a court in his front lawn.  You can imagine how many new friends he has.

A friend of mine here in Oceanside recently returned from New Zealand, where he and his wife introduced the game to his brother.  They loved the game, and now it will spread in a small New Zealand neighborhood.

Somebody asked me the other day if I thought pickleball would ever become an Olympic sport.  I quickly said "No,"  but on second thought I think that is possible.  With the speed at which the sport has taken off, it's entirely possible.  If badminton can become an Olympic sport, why not pickleball?

Trump Is Busy Signing Executive Orders

Since Donald Trump took office 11 weeks ago, he has been very busy.  Signing executive orders, making proclamations and memorandums, and shuttling back and forth between Washington, D.C. and Mar a Lago in Florida.  What has he actually done?

His goal is to make good on his campaign  promises.  Repeal and replace ObamaCare, build a wall the length of our southern border, ban Muslims from immigrating to the U.S., rebuild our military, get rid of TPP and renegotiate other trade deals, and drain the swamp.  These, I believe, were his major promises.  Let's see what he's done so far.

He has made 45 executive orders and dozens of proclamations and memorandums.  The proclamations have to do with things like declaring national Greek day, National Heart Month and National School Choice Month.  The 45 executive orders are more significant.  His first major order was to stop immigration to our country by Muslims.  The first order was rejected, so he went back and rewrote the Muslim ban.  It too, was rejected, and it appears it will be settled in court.  Trump promised to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.  That hasn't worked out so well.   Another executive order dismantled Obama's climate change protections.  It included being able to dump coal into rivers that are used for drinking water.  This act will set us on a path of climate destruction, not to mention that the rest of the world is working to clean up the environment.  We will be out of step with the rest of the world.  Another major executive order that Trump has revoked is Obama's fair pay and safe workplace order.  Companies no longer have to disclose if they've violated Fair Labor Standard Act, Occupational Safety and Health Act, Migrant Agriculture Worker Act, or National Labor Relations Act.  This will negatively impact women.  He has also ordered funds to be cut for sanctuary cities.  Is this even legal?

No matter where you stand politically, you've got to admit that President Trump is off to a rocky start.

As for draining the swamp, I don't think he's done that either.  He's filled the swamp with millionaires and billionaires, most of whom have NO experience at the job they are now doing.  To quote Trump, "Things are a mess."  I come home each night and watch a new episode of As the World Turns.  It's a never ending soap opera, with intrigue no one could make up.  Let's keep our fingers crossed that level heads prevail, and no rash decisions are made.  The grownups must come forward and lead.

What Is Narcolepsy?

Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder that affects the control of sleep and wakefulness.  It usually appears in young adults, ages 15-25, but it could appear earlier or later.  It is often undiagnosed for years and consequently, untreated.  The reason for this is that the symptoms of narcolepsy  are also symptoms of various other diseases.

Symptoms of narcolepsy include falling asleep during the day, hallucinations, and sleep paralysis.  The latter is a temporary inability to move or speak.  After a sleep episode, the patient comes back to normal function quickly.

Doctors are not clear on the cause of narcolepsy, but they feel that the chemical hypocretin in the brain may have something to do with it.  Normal sleep patterns involve first a light sleep, then a deeper sleep, and finally, REM (rapid eye movement) sleep.  In a narcoleptic patient REM sleep occurs right away.

The result of narcolepsy is that the patient is often tired all the time.  The patient is usually treated with amphetamine like stimulants and/or antidepressants.  Additionally, patients are told to avoid caffeine, alcohol, nicotine and heavy meals.  And to take regular naps during the day and exercise.  At this time there is no cure for narcolepsy, and as you can see, very little treatment.

Texas Roadhouse Comes To Oceanside

In the early 1990's when we started spending summers in Del Mar, we discovered a wonderful restaurant in Solana Beach, called The Roadhouse.  It was right where Starbucks and 31 Flavors are now, on Lomas Santa Fe.  It eventually closed, but another restaurant with the same name, The Roadhouse, opened in San Marcos, and was popular there until about 2016.  Although neither of these restaurants were part of Texas Roadhouse chain of 500 restaurants, they were similar in so many ways.  Hot biscuits with honey butter to start (If you haven't filled up on peanuts while you're waiting), steaks, ribs, and all the fixings.  Really great value.

Ron and I decided to try the new Texas Roadhouse in Oceanside one Friday night, but only if we could get in without a long wait.  I called there, and discovered that although they don't actually take reservations, you can call ahead, tell them what time you will arrive, and have little or no wait.  That's what we did, and we were seated 5 minutes after checking in.

The help and service is outstanding.  The young men and women are friendly and efficient.  If you're a first time visitor, your server will explain the menu to you.  We told him we were not big eaters, and he made some suggestions.  For $25.99 we had a 10 oz. ribeye steak and about 5 large baby back ribs.  The meat is choice, but was very flavorful.  The entree included two sides.  We got steak fries and a caesar salad.  I ordered wine, and Ron had a soda.  The total was $35, and we left feeling full and satisfied.

Texas Roadhouse house lots of tempting appetizers, like stuffed potato skins, fried dill pickles, chili and fried onion rings.  The restaurant attracts all kinds of people, but the night we were there I noticed a large number of under 35's.  It's very affordable.

It's not Ruth's Chris or Morton's, but you don't pay those prices either.  It's good value, for good food, with nice country music playing in the background, sawdust on the floor, and all the peanuts you can eat.  We will go back again.

Facts About Sleepwalking

I'm reading a book called The Sleepwalker.  It peaked my interest about this condition, and I wanted to find out more.  Sleepwalking, or somnambulism, is a parasomnia.  A parasomnia involves undesired events that come along with sleep.

Sleepwalking occurs most often during the first third of a night's sleep.  This is the slow wave cycle of sleep.  It is seen most often in children, who usually out grow it.  It seems to be hereditary too.  The length of sleepwalking is usually 5-30 minutes, although it can go longer.  It also can occur in adults, although it is not as common.

Eyes are usually open during sleepwalking, but have a confused, glassy look to them.  In young children, sleepwalking usually involves just walking around the room, possibly walking into the parents room, or sitting up in be.  In older children and adults, actions may involve crude, strange behavior, like urinating in a trash can, moving furniture, climbing out a window, or driving a car.  It can also result in hostile and violent behavior.

When I was a teen, I had a good friend who lived next door.  She was a sleepwalker and talker, and I recall my sleepovers with her as bizarre.  I don't remember her sleeping at my house too often.  I usually went to her house, and without fail, every overnight was unique.  She would sit up in bed, usually late at night just after we had turned out the lights, or early in the morning, just before getting up.  She would talk about her parents, boys, school, etc.  I would ask her questions and she would answer.  It was almost like she was hipnotized.  Our little talks would go on for awhile, maybe 30-45 minutes, then she would just wake up.  I hadn't thought about this childhood friend for years, until I started reading The Sleepwalker, which is about an adult female sleepwalker.  I don't recall telling anyone about these strange happenings when I slept over, it  was just too weird.

Today, there is a large body of research on sleep and sleepwalking, and children and adults can get the help they need.  The biggest concern is that they may hurt themselves, or in rare instances, become violent and hurt someone else.  Luckily, there is help for those that suffer from somnambulism.

Noodles You'll Love At Shan Xi Magic Kitchen

At the end of March I went with my Convoy lunch brigade to Shan Xi Magic Kitchen for some outstanding noodles, among other great dishes.  We try to visit a different Asian cuisine each month, and this visit was to a Chinese noodle shop.  It was delicious.

It's located at 4344 Convoy Street, in a nice, clean strip mall.  Our waiter spoke no English, so we needed the hostess to help us order.  She made suggestions, and we were so happy with what we got.  Our favorite dish was Bin Bin noodles.  It was a vegetarian dish of hand made ripped noodles, about 1 inch wide, with a delicious broth with bean sprouts on the bottom, and topped with fresh chopped garlic.  It was delicious.  Another one of our favorite dishes was eggplant, peppers and potatoes.  Fantastic.  We had another dish that was a soup with (again) wide hand made noodles, beef and vegetables.  Delicious, deep flavored broth made this a winner.  Finally, we had dumplings filled with pork and cabbage.  They were good too, but the other dishes were outstanding.

For $12 a piece, including tax, tip and drink, this was quite a bargain.  At any price it was a winner, and the two hours of conversation was priceless.  I will be back sometime soon to try some of the many other dishes, that were so enticing.

Veterinary Specialists For Animals Lead To Greater Longevity

I was driving down Convoy Street in San Diego one day recently, when I noticed an "Eye Care For Dogs" sign on a store window.  I said to myself, "Now I've seen everything."  When I went home and researched eye care for dogs (in fact all animals including birds), I realized I was uninformed on this specialty.  It's  so popular that there are clinics all over the country, just for the eye care of your pet.  They are state of the art, some even with heated operating tables.  They treat glaucoma and numerous diseases involving tear ducts, among other diseases.  My question is, how does a dog read the eye chart?  (just kidding).

There are animal clinics for pets that need specialists, like orthopedics or neurology, as I know only too well.  When my pit bull mix Barney was 15 and could hardly walk, he went to Veterinary Specialty in Carmel Valley for $5600 worth of back surgery for bulging discs.  The surgery was successful, and Barney lived relatively pain free for another 4 years.

More recently I have had dental work done on Pepper, although not by a dental specialist.  There are clinics that work only on teeth cleaning and oral surgery for animals, but in my case I had a regular veterinarian do the work.  He had cleaning and 5 extractions (ouch) for a total of $650!  I originally had scheduled the dental work to be done at the vet I have been using for the past 10 years, but when I was told the cost would be over $1,000.00, I started looking elsewhere.  I found a new local dentist that I like very much, who did the exact same work for much less.

Veterinary care is similar to human care today.  There is a specialist for everything.  Your regular vet (the internist) will take care of most typical issues, but for everything else he or she will refer you to a specialist.  Specialists are often very expensive, and unless you have pet insurance (I don't), it will cost you big bucks to be treated by one.  I've got Pepper on a special diet (Hills Science Diet) that is supposed to prevent plaque build up and a regimen of teeth brushing a few times a week.  I will do what it takes to not put him through another dental trauma.  The positive side to all of this is that our pets are living longer, healthier lives, like my Barney who lived to be 19.

Easy Homemade Jelly Donuts

I never attempted making donuts at home because I thought they were difficult to make.  When I found out how easy they were to make, I just had to try them.  My first effort was strawberry filled donuts.  Delicious and hot, right out of the fryer is the best way to eat them, but they're good any time.  Here's the easy recipe.  You can try different combinations as you become more comfortable working with yeast and frying food.

Ingredients

1 Cup warm water
2 1/4 tsp yeast
3 T. sugar
1T. brandy
1egg
lemon zest
1 1/2 tsp oil
3 cups flour

Dissolve the yeast in water, add all the other ingredients.  I did the whole thing in a zip lock bag, which made it super easy.  Seal the bag, then use your hands to mix (knead) the mixture.  (The dough is inside the bag at this point.  Place the bag of dough in a bowl of warm water for 30 minutes.  Then, take the dough out and place on a floured board.  Roll out and us glass or cutter to cut the doughnuts.  Do not cut a hole in the middle.  Just cut circles.  Let the cut dough circles rest for 20 minutes.  Then, put some oil in a fry pan, and place the dough in the pan, frying for about 1 minute, or until golden brown, on one side, then turn and do the other side.  Remove from pan and drain.  Then, put jam or other filling in a bottle with a plastic tip on top, and make a small hole in each donut and squeeze in the filling.  Dust with powdered sugar, and voila, you have delicious homemade donuts in no time at all.