Life has many adventures and paths, I choose to share my ideas and writings, hopeful to make the world a better place with deep thoughts about many varying ideas. Be kind to all living things.
Do you enjoy carbonated beverages? What do you call that sweet drink? Pop, soda, something else?
BY ADRIANNA MACPHERSON/AUG. 12, 2021 2:52 PM EST
Have you ever wondered where the term came from or what inspired the fizzy beverages?
The term soda came about in around 1767 with carbonated water. It was carbonated with Co2 otherwise known as carbon dioxide. It was bottled in glass jars closed with a cork.
It was originally made by pharmacists. They had this job due to their experience in chemistry and medicine. Torbern Bergman was a Swedish chemist and mineralogy. He became a professor of Chemistry at the University of Uppsala. You might wonder what Chemistry has to do with carbonated drinks. Carbonic acid dissolved with water becomes CO2, you will see bubbles and hear a fizz sound. Phosphoric Acid, is a chemical that can add sharp flavor and burning sensation when consumed. Most of the acidic flavor comes from this. Caffeine was added due to its stimulant effects.
The word Pop came from a British poet in 1812 because of the sound it made when the cork was pulled out.
Dr Pepper is the oldest American Major soft drink. It was sold in1885 in a corner drugstore in Texas.
1951 and 2018 Photos by Fred Marlar and GH, The Texas Collection, Baylor University
Soft drinks were defined between hard drinks like distilled spirits, liquors and non alcoholic drinks. To help curb the heavier drinking. It was thought to be healthier than hard drinks.
Depending on where in the world you are from might be what you call your non alcoholic carbonated beverage. In much of the United States it is called Soda, however in some southern states it is called Coke (after the Coca-Cola brand). In some northern states and Canada it is called Pop.
The name Coke is the shortcut of the form of the company that made some of the carbonated drinks Coca-Cola. This company was well known for their dark Caramel-like soda that contained cocaine. In 1894 a bottle contained 3.5 grams of cocaine. The pharmacist used the drug in many medicines so they deemed a small amount in beverages to be safe
It often amuses me where my blog topics come from. We where talking about soda in my home and before I knew it is was suggested as this weeks topic. If you have a topic that you would like me to cover feel free to share and I will do the research. Take care of yourself as we come up on the holidays. If you need tips for holiday stress. Holiday Self-care has some good tips.
My adventures in the new house bring me to creating a crafting room
I had a peg board I was using for my workbench tool storage. At this time I don’t have a workbench so I watched some Youtube videos on how to make your craft room more organized and user friendly. I really want to have a silver and black place to hang my stuff up. I went to the Dollar Tree and found some great silver acrylic paint.
I normally prime most things before trying to paint them. This time I did not, I think the pegboard is some kind of press board, it just soaked up my acrylic paint. I tried a small roller that was not working. Then I tried a brush. That too was not working. I was giving myself heck for not just taking the time to prime the board. So I sent out my family member to buy some metallic spray paint. Took the board out with large cardboard to spray on and still it misted on to our walking stones. At this point I’m frustrated and it is close to freezing temperatures. So I did my first coat that was not very even because I was getting cold. I left it outside to air out and dry some.
When it was brought in the house it smelled so bad, I didn’t even want to use spray paint. It did get in the holes of the board and covered it. I will need another coat of paint and maybe it will look better.
If you’re new at crafting then you will do a lot of learning and make handfuls of mistakes. I will take some paint thinner to the walkway and hope I can get the silver paint off. Here is a painting pegboard link, I found this while working on the blog not before the project. I was in to much a squirrel brain to stop and do things right.
Keep learning, keep trying. If you learn new tips, it might be worth writing them down in a journal so you can look back on it. Have a great week.
Have you had one of those weeks where things felt heavy and grim?
Friends came to my rescue after a particularly hard week. I’m trying to recall some to share.
Laughter is very good to help you get out of a sad or rough emotional state. It helps flood us with oxytocin (it is an empathy hormone) and dopamine. So much so that the cortisol in the blood gets overrun causing it to decreases leaving us feeling better.
Although we all have a different sense of humor most of us release powerful happy healing hormones. Laughing can help open your airways. Expand blood vessels and add oxygen to the blood. The benefits of laughter.
There are times when laughter is not advisable, such as after certain surgeries. If you have had surgery, grab a pillow a hold the pillow over the incision and then try to laugh gently. The hormones are still good for you, laughter helps to change pain, still might hurt but might be just what you needed.
If you’re having a hard emotional time or you just need a quick pick you up, find things that make you laugh is good for the soul. Taking care of yourself can be hard but if we can make life more fulfilling or help a smile turn into a laugh, that is the sparks of joy. I find humor in some really dark places.
Have you ever moved? Whether you bought or rented, I’m sure some of you have run into some kind of challenges being in a new space.
Common things that can be easy or more complex can happen. The plumbing has a block or leak, mold on walls or mold on window sills, an appliance stops working or is not working well, flaking paint.
Pests making your home theirs, the free loaders! Moving in getting the benefits of free warm living. This is unless you get to your new space and the temperature drops below freezing only to find out some or all your heating is not working. Better get cozy to the rat that moved in because you both are going to need warmth…
3D rendering of a smiling cartoon mouse in a mugshot. By Sarah Holmlund
What do you do when things have water where water should not be? Find the closest water shut off. If you’re in an apartment and renting you might need to call the landlord, and hope you don’t have a slumlord.
3d render image of an interior of a flooded laundry. By tiero
If you have a leak in a washer, toilet or sink there is likely a shut off around the unit. Older ones don’t always have a designated shut off. So you will need to know where the main water shut off is. Turn off the water and call in the right people for the job. If you have the skills and you own your place go ahead and fix it. If you rent and know how to do the task at hand call the landlord and get verbal permission. I prefer to get written permission. Then you have something to show if it comes about that this person said this.
Read manuals to things in your home or search them on the internet. You will likely have makes and models on many things in your home. Test out your fuse panel, you might need to cut power to something quickly , that is so hard when things are not labeled or miss labeled. You really are better knowing what to turn off, the time before your dishwasher needs electrical troubleshooting. Getting zapped really sucks.
The other problems you might run into is service backlogs, it could be winter and you could be without heat for many weeks. Have an emergency back up plan. You could also have appliance or parts shortages. It is not as easy as “oh the appliance is not working, let’s buy a new one”. Somethings like hot water tanks will have a business name and phone or other contact incase repairs are needed. You can also call the manufactures with the make and model they sometimes will trouble shoot with you.
Things to know where they are in your place are water shut off points, gas shut offs and the fuse panel. Have emergency contacts for your gas and water companies. Know who to call if you have any problem. Have your home insurance papers in a safe place above floods, have a small book with your policy numbers and makes and models in it. Makes it faster to share information.
Hope your week is not filled with things not working, know this too should pass, if it does not you can move to the woods and move in with a squirrel. Think they would be as shocked to see you in their tree as you are to see them fall into the house from the chimney? Make the best of this long weekend.
It lowers our heart rate and encourages our bodies to make calming hormones. Provided they are not annoying or sounds or sound that scare us. I love to hear the owls and frogs at night. Someone I know loves the sound of rain on the tin roof.
We become less hostile and we start letting go of anger. Breath in though your nose and though your mouth nice a slowly.
If you have the availability to get out in nature it will amplify the benefits nature has on your brain. Breathing in fresh air and taking time away from your electronics will let you shut off. It slows our neurotransmitters down. When that happens it relaxes us.
Binaural beats was first scientifically proven in 1963 by Gerald Oster. This happens at 10 hhz and causes the brain to release beta endorphins, growth factors gut peptates, acetylcholine, vasopressin, serotonin. This helps us heal, relax and sleep well. You can also get tracks with alpha waves, can protect the brain from the effects of aging and increase the brains ability’s in studding. They could help you in learning 5 times the content.
Enjoy the sounds of nature. Learn to bring happy neurons together.
If you want to share what sounds in nature you enjoy, I would enjoy reading it.
Have you enjoyed a farmers market, I have been to many. So many fresh and wonderful things.
I love the ones that have live local musicians. I feel that it brings a community together.
There is a farmers market near where I live every Saturday from 9 till 3 I think. The sign said earlier I think that is so the vendors can set up all their wares.
Tips on going to your first farmers market. Bring about $40 cash.(I have a little more of a stash with me. I will use the remaining money next time) Modern times many of the sellers have the chips that hook to their phones but some are still cash only.
Get there early as the fresh produce goes fast.
Having time to spare, talking to the people is what brings a sense of community. Some of them are quite the story tellers. Smell the air, so many wonderful things have been brought there to sell. Pet the pets, smile at the old and young. Bring in a bag or basket to carry out your finds. Be prepared to walk about the market and the parking is sometimes far.
Look through the whole market if you can before buying, different people sell things for different prices. Some have things I enjoyed more than others and don’t mind paying more.
Other things that you can find at different markets, gin and other alcohol, meats, fish, wooden crafts, leather crafts, handcrafted jewelry, toys, microgreens and pet outfits and treats. Care products, handcrafted soaps and lotions, clothes, mushrooms, oils, Gluten baking. Soups and other prepared meals. Fresh candy and fudges. Some very fun creative art. So much more.
I would love to read what you enjoy about Farmers Markets.
Supporting your local crafters and farmers helps your neighbors and people around you. It helps to have sustainable communities. Hope your week brings many smiles.
Are you a hot beverage person? Does your coffee keep you from harming others?
I finally unpacked my espresso/beverage maker. So you might want to sit down with a cup of happiness and read through this week’s blog! Drink your beverage and no one gets hurt!
Found this on the internet. I could not find the artist. If you know who’s art this is please let me know I will add the credit.
I have learned to make a good espresso (just the fine ground I used a dark roast), and a latte ( with milk and espresso not foam) still working on the cappuccino (espresso, milk and foam) Wondering the differences between Latte and Cappuccino?
It takes practice to make all the drinks.
Tools for the beverages
Coffee/tea or other beverages
Coffee machine or French press
Milk or milk substitute
Sweetener, simple sugar, non sugar options
Measuring spoon
Cups
A place to store tea and coffee discards
Tamper
Working with my homemade Cashew milk has taught me a few things. I need to strain my milk after making it, not like when cooking with it. It seems to separate at the temperature I enjoy my drinks at. I order extra hot when I go out to enjoy beverages, they’re still often too cold.
I have been trying to learn how to foam the non-dairy milks. I tried a commercial oat milk and my homemade cashew milk. On two different days I made London Fogs with vanilla simple syrup. I love the dark colour of the one I made, the use of one part dark brown sugar and two parts white sugar. The next batch of the syrup I make will use some vanilla beans and infuse the blend. I will also be working on a sugar free syrup. Being able to share nice drinks with my diabetic people and those that are on no sugar lifestyles is very important to me.
Ingredients for my simple syrup, the container with the nib end is my syrup
Some of the tips I learned to make a good espresso is to prewarm the cups and don’t tamp the coffee too hard. It did not work as nicely.
My beverage bar still needs a few things. I need a thermometer, some fancy measuring spoons and a tall spoon to stir in the goodness.
In the near future I will be making hot beverages with eggnog.
We enjoyed some hot steamed apple juice drinks at the local coffee shop. Mine had house caramel sauce and my partner’s had rooibos tea and whip cream. I forgot to ask for it extra hot. I keep thinking I can make that at home just the way I love it. It will be so fun learning to make all the new drinks.
What drinks do you enjoy at your local coffee place. Do you make any hot beverages at home? If so, how do they differ from what you buy at your local coffee place?
Have you ever looked at something and wondered, how does this work? If you have been reading my blog for sometime. You might realize a few things, I’m good at fixing things and getting in some interesting learning curves.
So our new home has a bidet, I know the concept behind the device is to rinse your behind. Hence why I in fun call it a butt wash. Standing in front of the toilet, I started wondering how this works and what the little symbols mean. Having a base idea does not give you the knowledge. Having never used one or seen one besides in a catalog I decided to turn the dial. I was smart I put the lid down thinking it would use the water to spray you after using it to void.
Well! There is water spraying under the seat. To my horror my leggings are getting soaked! In my shock I’m trying to turn off this crazy spraying water. The floor is wet as am I. I am embarrassed.
I feel the need to tell you about the bathroom itself, it is this weird little converted closet that they turned into a bathroom. When you sit on the toilet you can’t see the symbols, your arms almost touch the walls. So not a ton of room to move while you’re being accosted by cool water. I did not see the symbols till I took a photo for the blog.
Me being who I am, I cleaned it up and then proceeded to tell my family. How they don’t bust seams laughing at me is bewildering.
So If you have a butt wash, aka bidet, my guidance is to sit firmly on the seat before you test out the service. If you have a good system I read you don’t need to use toilet paper and it is more sanitary than wiping with paper.
I hope this week’s blog made you smile. If you have learned something the wrong way feel free to share!
I have seen many that don’t have the resources to stay as clean as they would like. Don’t judge them, you can see if hygiene products would be helpful to them if so make them a personal care kit. That is small and fits in a back pack. They are many community resources. Some community buildings have public showers and some have ones wheel chairs can be brought in to. There are many food banks that will let you pick out personal care products. Many places have services to help people meet their basic needs. Being clean is a basic human right, many don’t have the opportunity to take good care of themselves.
Washing involves being able to have access to water and an ability to have basic cleaning tools.
Basic tools:
Soap
Toothbrush
Floss for in between your teeth
Cloth or something to scrub your body.
Towel to dry yourself
Nail clippers
Brush or comb
Toilet paper or a way to clean after the bathroom. You can use a container with some warm soapy water too.
A way to wash your clothes.
Shaving gear (razor, soap or shaving cream)
Shampoo and conditioner
Menstrual cup, pads or tampons
Thinking about this as I write this blog, that is a lot to carry if you are not living in a stable home.
Is something that dentists recommend to do twice a day. I had to be taught by my dental hygienist as an adult how to floss.
Brushing your teeth helps to scrub off plaque and massage your gums. It also keeps bad bacteria down that can cause tooth decay. When I did not have a toothbrush I used a wet cloth to wipe the front and back off my teeth. It is better than not cleaning to brush your teeth. You need a small amount of toothpaste on the wet toothbrush. They use the example of the size of a pea.. Not everyone knows what a pea looks like.
Shampooing and conditioning your hair can be done with or without a shower. You will want to wet your hair all the way through to wash it. If you have a dirty job or greasy hair you might want to clean your hair once or more a week. With long hair it will be hard to wash often. If you have fine short hair you might only need to use an amount of shampoo the size of a dime or if your hair is long or really thick you might need to quarters worth.
You would rinse your hair after shampooing really well, put a small amount of conditioner in your hands, less than used for the shampoo, then rub your hands lightly so it coats the palms of both hands. Using too much can make your hair lifeless and flat. I will sometimes use a comb to get it all the way through my hair. With long hair start an inch or 2 away from your roots and apply between your hands down to the ends of the hair. If you have really short hair you can try to go a bit always from the ends. Learning how long to leave the conditioner in before rinsing with water is a trial thing. About 1 to 2 mins for a regular conditioner and longer for the deep treatment ones. Those ones often come with their own instructions.
Washing your full body is kinda a personal choice, some people clean more than once a day other wash a couple times a week. If you have heavy body odor or if you’re having a menstrual cycle, if you have bowel or bladder challenges or a job that makes you feel grungy, shower more. You can spot wash with a cloth and soap and water your armpits or other areas that need refreshing. Soap and warm water can dry your skin out if you’re bathing or showering lots.
Clipping your finger and toe nails is an as needed thing pending on how fast they grow, personal preferences to what length you enjoy. I recommend cleaning your nails daily with soap and a nail brush. So much bacteria and germs build under the nail. When you clip toenails they recommend cutting them straight across to help reduce the chance of ingrown nails.
Shaving/hair removal, whether it is your face or all over shaving is very personal choice
photo taken by me, Electric razor, wet shavers and a wax hair removal.
You can search YouTube for tips that suit you.
If you are going to shave you can use razors, or electric razors. If you’re using a wet razor or straight classic razor you will want to warm and wet the skin, then lather it with gel or shaving product. Only use regular soap if that is all you have, it can dry and irritate skin with its harsh ingredients. Electric razors can be done on dry skin before your washing.
Wax you will follow the instructions on the product. Having a warm bath or a nice wet warm towel applied to the area you want to remove hair is often more gentle than just ripping it off cold dry skin. It gives the follicles time to relax and expand. Not all products are to be used with water that is more a sugar wax thing.
Keeping body odor down might mean the use of deodorant/anti perspirant, crystal deodorant, or you can apply talcum powder. Some people have medical problems that make them sweat more or smell less then they want no matter what products. This might be something the doctor can help with. Always wash your areas you are applying products and put it on clean dry skin. Be mindful of heavy perfume and chemical products. Some can harm you and the scents can be very hard on anyone around you with scent allergies or that get migraines or other adverse health problems from any scents.
Menstrual products can be complicated to buy, knowing the right products for your body can be so frustrating. Menstrual cups can be very helpful if you don’t mind inserting a cup into your vaginal canal. They are easy to clean and are way more convenient than caring around pads or tampons that you need then be able to dispose of in a sanitary way. Whatever your choice of products, read the package. If you’re buying for someone else, find out the brand they like or take a photo of the package. If they don’t know what they need try to gently find out if they need ones for heavy or light flow and if they need something for nighttime. It is normal to buy menstrual care products for others. It is just part of life!
I hope that this week’s topic gave you some ideas on personal care. Have a safe week, now that we are getting settled into our new home I feel I will be able to get back to weekly topics. Recovering from Covid and getting settled has left me a bit drained.
In the midst of the last part of our trip. The day we were to take the Ferry over to stay at an airbnb.
No matter how careful you are Covid lurks.My partner and I tested positive for Covid.
We used a rapid test to see if we had Covid. The instructions are in very small print. So we used our cell to take a photo of it to be able to read it clearly. The text has some flaws.
The full kit. The test is in the green foil pack.
First step, wash your hands. Then open the test you get a small tube holder, some liquid, a vial, a lid and a swab. You need to open the liquid and put it in the vial. Open your swab with only touching the plastic end. Now the torture part, you can do it yourself or have help. Lean your head back and put the stick slowly into your nostril till you reach the notch on the swab. This notch is about the distance between your nostril and ear. Hold it in there for 5 seconds then press your nostril closed with a finger. Turn the swab with the nostril closed 70 degrees. Take your finger from your nostril and slowly pull out the swab and repeat the process in the other nostril. Once you’re done that step you put your snotty swab in the vial with the solution. Stir it around and leave it in the vial for 2 mins. When you’re done squeeze the swab in the plastic vial and get the liquid out as you remove it. Put the used swab back in the plastic you took it out of. Put the cap with the white part on top of the vial with the spout out. Open the test cartridge and drop 3 drops into it, wait 15 long mins and if you have two lines you know you have Covid. I told my partner we have gone to a whole new level of romance, matching Covid tests..
This is the swab in the vial with the liquid and the unused Covid test the cap for the vial.
Once your 15 mins is up put all the stuff back in the fold and dispose of it in the trash. Wash your hands with good warm water and soap. If you are helping another person wash your hands between steps, you can wear medical gloves too.
This is what a positive Covid test looks like you drop the 3 drops in the cycle
I feel bad it has been 2 weeks since I did a blog post. Things were very busy with my move. Friday we get the keys for our new place. Take care. If you get Covid please rest as much as you need. It is a very harsh virus. The physical pain my body is in is really hard. My left lung was so painful I needed to use my inhaler.
This is where it starts 
