The Crab Chronicles

Notes from the Sickbed

No, I have not fallen off the face of the earth.

For most of the month of August I have been dealing with a nasty virus, and now on top of the lingering effects of that I am dealing with an ear/sinus infection. I went to the doctor a couple of weeks ago and she did a thorough exam [noting the stopped up ears] and drew 5 vials of blood. She called me the next day and said "You have a virus."

Great.

No medications for me.

That was two weeks ago. I have been diligent about eating right, walking, drinking tons of water, etc. Last week I felt pretty good until Friday night and then the  ear infection hit, and I felt horrible. Headache, drippy nose, ears hurting, sore throat, etc.

Today I spent most of the day on the couch. My sweet neighbors walked Lola for me, and another neighbor picked up the prescriptions my doctor called in. Thank God we have such wonderful neighbors. I am truly blessed.

Michael and my cousin Lesleigh have visited with Mother, although today they were working and I was miserably sick all day, so she didn't get any visitors, which I hate.

I'm hoping that once the medications kick in, within 48 hours I will feel much better. Lord knows I couldn't feel much worse.

I unearthed this old photo of my parents the other day and thought it was worth scanning in because they both look happy and relaxed. On the back, Mom wrote May 15, 1987 "Over the Atlantic" -- it was her first trip to Europe. She and Dad were going to see my brother, who had been stationed in Germany. He was an Army Captain. Right before they left -- like, on the way to the airport -- Dad made Mom stop at his office and sign an update Will. He was a wills and estates trust banker so he thought of that. Timing was bad. Mom hates to fly. However, they had a great time, and Mom, who is not good with languages, loved communicating with the Germans in pantomime. I'm sure they thought she was the funniest American they'd ever run across..

UPDATE:

Started taking my medicine yesterday and I feel a lot better today [8/29]. Still not 100% -- about 50%, and still need a lot of rest, but an improvement over yesterday, for sure.

A Few Thoughts on the Eclipse

Facebook is lit up with everyone frantically saying "Where can I buy eclipse glasses?!" and I am not all that interested. I get that it is an exciting scientific phenomena and all but I just can't work up any enthusiasm for a few minutes of darkness during the day tomorrow.

Tomorrow afternoon it will be 91 degrees here, and partly cloudy. With 30-60% cloud cover, there may not be much of the eclipse to see, even if one is standing outside and looking up..

I remember the 1984 solar eclipse really well because I was in college and my Creative Writing teacher took us all up to the roof of the building and we looked at the eclipse. I don't remember if we had "glasses" or not, in all honesty. I remember wondering why it was such a big deal. My Writing teacher was Coleman Barks, who has since become pretty famous as the poet who re-introduced the west to the poetry of Rumi. I love Coleman -- a unique and brilliant man. I talked to him on the phone almost ten years ago when I was looking for a publisher for my first book, and he remembered me and was very encouraging.

According to the 11 Alive story  about how Atlantans acted that May eclipse day in 1984, "Adults shared moon pies and moonshine with each other." Only in the South, y'all.

Of course, if you're scratching your head trying to remember it, FYI, that 1984 eclipse was only visible here in the Southeast.

We are not in the direct path of the eclipse here in Atlanta (only about 97%) but folks in North Georgia are, and the traffic heading up there was horrific on Friday, as the local news reported. They interviewed a lady who drove down from Maine to see it. Probably the last time she will ever come to Georgia in August, unless she likes 90 degree temps with 90% humidity.

Part of my disinterest may be due to the lingering virus I am still dealing with. Felt okay last Thursday and Friday and then yesterday I felt horrible all day - headache, chills, nausea. Today, just feel listless. Sinuses are acting up. Feels like I have the flu. Doctor tested everything and pronounced me fine last Tuesday except for the blood test which indicated I have a virus. To add to the fun it's like 95 degrees here today. Michael is at the grocery store for me, thank goodness.

There was an eclipse in 1979 and I have absolutely no memory of it. I have wracked my brain trying to figure out why I have no memory of it. Finally, I read the article about it. it was only visible in the Pacific Northwest. DUH.

Talked to my brother last night. He is even less enthusiastic about the eclipse than I am. He is working all day tomorrow. I asked him if Columbia is in the direct path and he didn't even know. It is. There is a website about it. It notes: "Throughout the long weekend of August 18-21, 2017, attractions, cultural institutions, hospitality and retail businesses in Columbia, S.C. – the total solar eclipse capital of the East Coast – will host more than 120 special eclipse-related events leading up to and during nature's grandest spectacle." My brother will not be attending any of those events, I can promise you. 

We come from a family that tends to take weather and scientific phenomena pretty casually. My father always said "I never let the weather make my decisions for me." Of course, he lived in the south all of his life so there were only a few times the weather was even interesting. He would show up to work even if there were 12 feet of snow on the ground. He thought staying home was for sissies, and I don't think he ever did. One time he had to park his car a good ways from the house, when he and Mom lived on the lake and it was snowing like crazy, but he had been at work all day. He used to call me up early in the morning on snow days and say "Be outside in 20 minutes. I'm picking you up and you're going to work." We worked in the same building for 6 years. I never missed work due to snow, even though I wanted to! Knoxville usually shuts down and everyone stays home when it snows, just like Atlanta. I was usually the only female in the office, though, on those snow days. I learned every single job at the office because of that, well, except for actually being an attorney...

I was fascinated to learn that the next solar eclipse is not until 2045. I will be 83 years old, if I am still alive. Right now, my mother is 83 years old. My son will be almost 50, which is hard to imagine.

I plan to keep Lola inside tomorrow and watch out the window, see what my backyard looks like during an eclipse. I am not planning on looking up because I don't have any eclipse glasses. I will watch the news later and see it, though.

I don't let eclipses make my decisions for me...

 

Teach Your Child to Cook

One doesn't usually think of mid-August as being a great time to make cookies, at least not here in the South where it's 900 degrees on a typical August day, but yesterday Michael decided to make chocolate chip cookies and I encouraged it.

His moped broke down and he was bummed about that.

He said he wanted to make the cookies BY HIMSELF so I let him, although I helped him gather the ingredients and I offered advice. He bought the chocolate chips and really did everything else by himself. He was a little OCD about the clumps of brown sugar in the batter but I assured him it wouldn't matter in the final result.

My brother loves pecan pie. When he was a teenager, he told Mom he wanted to learn to make them. We always use my aunt Myrt's recipe and it's not complicated. So he literally memorized the recipe and now if he's called on to go to a potluck (which happens frequently, as he has a lot of friends) he can make the pie and take it. It's always a hit.

Hopefully Michael will be able to do that one day, although I don't expect him to memorize the chocolate chip cookie recipe. It's always on the bag.

In general, I think boys need to learn to follow a recipe and cook, as much as girls. It's really, as he said, simple -- if you want to eat really well, learn to cook.

Amen.

 

I have had a stomach bug for a few days and really felt awful, but I am a lot better. I was able to sample a couple of cookies last night, of course.

I have about decided that with Mom in the rehab place and me going there every day, getting exposed to a lot of germs, that's where I am picking up these little bugs I keep getting. Normally I stay at home most of the time. I hate crowds. I avoid movies, plays, concerts, sporting events -- anyplace where there are lots of people. Just don't enjoy crowds any more.

So from now on, when I go see Mom I am going to wear latex gloves, and strip them off when I leave the facility. May sound silly to you but I think it will work. I wash my hands fairly often but apparently not often enough.

Mother is improving, slowly. At 83, she's not readying herself for marathons. Getting out of bed alone and walking to the bathroom is the main goal right now.

We all miss her terribly. Michael goes to see her on days when I can't go. He is great with her.

One day he is going to make some young lady very happy. He loves to cook, doesn't mind cleaning, loves his mama and Granny, is great with kids and old folks -- just so many reasons he is a treasure.

I just threw this in here because I think it's funny. Lola sleeps everywhere, paws splayed out with wild abandon. She could win a prize as a champion sleeper. You might think her comatose, but then watch her leap up and charge to the window if she hears a dog outside. The resultant barking GET OFF MY LAWN INTRUDER -- that's what I think she's saying in Dogtalk -- is ferocious.

When it gets dark and the walkers are gone she reverts to comatose dog.

Potassium and Magnesium

Mother has been in the rehab facility for just over a week now, and is adjusting to the new routine pretty well. I miss her very much and the house seems terribly empty. I haven't lived alone in years so it's a big adjustment for me.

I am trying to pay more attention to what I eat, and to eat more healthfully.

About a week before she went in the hospital, the doctor tested Mother's potassium and magnesium levels and they were very low. Because she had been vomiting and having diarrhea she had hypokalemia. She didn't want to go to the hospital and get an IV, so the doctor prescribed supplements. I had a mortar and pestle someone gave me years ago so I got quite expert there at grinding up the enormous supplements and mixing them with some yogurt, which was easier for her to swallow.

I have always been faithful about taking multivitamins but most vitamins do not have anywhere near as much potassium or magnesium as humans need in a day.

I started researching the effect that potassium has on the body. An article called Why Is Potassium Important in the Diet? was fascinating.

"Classified as an electrolyte, potassium also regulates the electrical activity of your heart, builds protein and metabolizes carbohydrates. However, potassium becomes more important in your diet as your body ages. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010, a potassium-rich diet can decrease high blood pressure and may also reduce your risk of kidney stones and bone loss."

Mom has suffered from leg cramps and cramps all over her body, for years. My brother and I also get cramps, but not as much. I seldom get them. My brother found a supplement called No Salt that is basically pure potassium. If you get leg cramps a lot, consider switching from salt to No Salt.

Or better yet, just eat more foods high in potassium.

Bananas aren't the only foods high in potassium. Black beans have quite a lot. Salmon and avocado also are champs. Potatoes star in the potassium universe. In fact, if you have been sweating a lot, or dealing with diarrhea, and you want a quick feel-better food, eat a bag of potato chips, to replace your sodium and potassium.

Magnesium is also critical to good health. This article was really fascinating, Should You Be Taking Magnesium Supplements?

This article also was very informative, Magnesium: Health Benefits, Facts, Research

"Magnesium deficiency, especially prevalent in older populations, is linked to insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, coronary heart disease, and osteoporosis."

Shrimp, almonds, and sunflower seeds have lots of magnesium.

The list of magnesium benefits is quite long. It's good for your heart. It helps with PMS symptoms. Most interesting to me is that it helps with anxiety symptoms and helps one sleep.

So I have been consciously trying to make sure I get enough potassium and magnesium in my diet every day. I started keeping charts listing every food I eat every day, then adding up the potassium and magnesium mgs at the end of the day.

First, though, I made the chart below, which lists a lot of foods I eat every day. I am consciously trying to add a cup of black beans to my daily food intake, because they are so healthful.

I am not a doctor or a scientist, but if you get leg cramps, suffer from anxiety or sleep issues, or PMS, I urge you to take an hour and do some research on potassium and magnesium. Try to add in these healthful foods to your diet, and be aware of what you eat.

I don't drink sodas or alcohol, and haven't for years. (I use a little wine in cooking, but I don't think that counts.) I try to limit my sugar intake -- one day I hope to eliminate it entirely. I also find that avoiding bread is a good thing for me.

Just becoming conscious of foods and how they make you feel is important as you grow older. I feel good after I eat a banana or a cucumber. I feel yucko after I eat ice cream or chocolate. So maybe I am finally maturing in my food choices -- I am trying to, anyway. I want to feel good, and eating foods that help me to feel better, and avoiding foods with no nutritional value helps me feel better, in general.

UPDATE: Mom is slowly getting better in rehab, and I go see her every day..

POTASSIUM AND MAGNESIUM

FOOD	POTASSIUM 4,700	MAGNESIUM 320	PROTEIN
1 cup black beans	611	120	15
Banana	422	32	1
Egg	63	3	6
Prunes (3)	210	10	2
Spinach	167	23	1
Greek yogurt	240	15	15
Almonds ¼ cup	191	75	6
Green beans 1 cup	209	20	2
Chicken 3 oz.	357	32	25
Salmon 5 oz filet	719	44	40
Avocado 1 cup	708	35	3
Raisins 1.5 oz [small box]	322	90	1.5
Zucchini 1 medium	514	18	2
apple	260	15	1
Chickpeas 1 cup	447	78	14
potato	897	34	4
Peanut butter 2 tblsp	208	34	8
Cucumber 1 cup	150	14	1