Earthy Views

Family Foods

November 4, 2021November 3, 2021 Earthy Views

Growing up we all had different foods. Some had homemade food, some had canned. We all hold memories for what we had. I know families that foraged and families that had little. This week’s blog was inspired by a video on Great depression/recession foods. This was a time when there was an economic downturn. Many goods were in short supply from about 1929 to 1939. Foods and supplies were rationed and people had to become thrifty and creative. My grandparents were born in the later part of that crisis. Having many people in your family makes you more thrifty.

During this pandemic we have seen shortages in goods also so some of the old ration food have made a comeback. I have made a modified egg drop soup you learn to make what you can with what you can get. I recall being gifted zucchini. I made many wonderful things with very little. When my family was small I made a lot of vegetarian foods. We made dried bean dishes and fresh veggie dishes. We had to make a large block of cheese last all month, that is all we had money for. I would make stir fry with lots of fresh veggies. Toad in the hole was one that was enjoyed. That was bread, buttered on both sides with a hole cut in it. You would fry an egg in the hole of the bread. I remember using the cut piece as a crunchy dipping piece. As a kid my grandma would make me a poached egg and soldier sticks. That was toast cut in strips and you could dip it in the egg. My mom made fried egg sandwiches with ketchup. I loved that. I made something like this too for my family. I called them Mumwitches. They were made with a bagel and fried egg broken, then I would put the cheese on the egg in a hot pan and melt it. Sometimes I would put one slice of meat on them. I also made muffins, with fruits, carrots or other ingredients. My partner jokes that I can make a gourmet meal with 3 items. I roll my eyes at him and tell him that it is crazy I need spices!

My childhood had many foods, I was blessed with many good cooks. My grandma used to put me on the counter to watch her cook. Very talented woman, she cooked for 9 people every day. When I lived there we only had 3 at home.

We had many soups and yummy homemade bread, fresh grown foods from our garden in growing times and the winter we enjoyed canned foods.

Food seemed to be something very important in our lives. We made candies and baked goods. We had frozen fruits washed, cut and packed into zip bags.

When my family lived at home we cooked many homemade soups, we liked international foods. When we were chatting about the food they remember and enjoyed, they liked my squash and the carrot ginger soup

I remember going to my bigger family meals. There were so many of us. Grandma and grandpa had 7 kids. I think all of them had partners and 1 to 3 offspring. We worked together. In the summer we had many barbecues. My grandpa was known for his Rotisserie chickens. Grandpa had metal welded water dip trays for the bottom of the barbeque, it made things tender, keeping in the flavors and moisture and keeping them going slowly without burning. Family would bring side dishes to share. Special meals were made for the vegetarians in the family.

Food memories seem to fill that emotional place for many. In countries all over the world food family and rituals are what gets us through the hard times. Sometimes foods don’t bring fond memories. What foods bring back memories in your life. Have you made foods that have comfort to your families? Have a positive week filled with food and goodness!

Reducing stress

October 28, 2021October 27, 2021 Earthy Views

So many of us have the tools to reduce stress, This is something I work on and forget to practice sometimes. Knowing something and not using it does not help.

We need to use our skills before we are stressed to know how they work and feel.

If you are in a constant state of stress it can have negative effects on your health, it changes our hormones. Please get help if you have tried the things below and they are not aiding in the calm

Distraction helps to redirect the stress energy, it can also help with the stress of pain. When using distraction it should be used as a temporary focus, not become a 24/7 thing. I use gaming and chores. My garden is also a great distraction.

Watch a funny movie/show, laughter is medicine

Turn on music that inspires you to feel happy.

Healthy deep sleep can help to reduce stress. Too much sleep can become a hurdle in doing brain work if you are so stressed, sad or depressed that you sleep all the time or have so little sleep that you are sleep deprived. Many different studies make different claims to what is the right amount of sleep. Some say 6 some say as much as 10 hours in a 24 hour time frame.

Teas that can help lower stress

Lavender – May Help Improve Sleep, may offer a natural remedy for pain, lessens menopausal hot flashes * Be mindful it should not be used with people that have low blood pressure; it helps to lower blood pressure.

Camomile, reducing inflammation, helping with sleep and relaxation

Lemon Balm, may boost your cognitive functions, reduce seasonal allergies, help with gut and digestive problems, help reducing headaches

Plants can have the ability to bring calmer feelings and better health.

Supplements

Ashwagandha, an evergreen from India. I once read it was used for stressed mothers in tribes. I have used a stress complex with this in it for years to help deal with a busy brain that found so much stress.

Valerian, sedative on the nervous system. Promotes good sleep, helps to reduce anxiety. Not suited for people with liver problems, pregnant or nursing parents or children under 3.

Passionflower, help with insomnia, pre surgery stress, aid in withdrawal.

There are so many teas, herbs and plants that can aid in stress reduction. I could not cover them all in this week’s blog, I try to keep this to something you can read while drinking a hot beverage. I don’t want to lose my readers with a topic that is too long. If you have any questions feel free to post. I will do my best to answer your questions and comments.

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, is a technique to help with stress, anxiety, additions, fear, panic attacks, pain and other things that block our psychiatric paths in our brain. It helps you to rethink, redirect and refocus things and ideas that create stress for us. CBT is a process of learning and practicing your new tools, it is a lot of working with knowledgeable trained people to redirect the negative impacts of or harmful thinking.

Breathing when you breathe deeply it helps to open muscles, to allow the clean new oxygen in and as you breathe out old negative air leaves. There are many styles of breathing. Because we are all different we need to find a style that benefits us.

Square breathing (box breathing) inhale for the count of 4, hold the breath for the count of 4, exhale for the count of 4 and rest for 4 more.

Breathing can be very helpful if you have asthma. People with the stress of asthma can try blocking one nostril and breathing gently until you lungs feel full then breathe out the air slowly and change to block the other nostril then repeat the breathing with only one nostril blocked at a time. If you need other breathing you can look up breathing to reduce stress.

Exercise, if you are someone that likes a good workout, that is a great time to do your routine. If you have health conditions, or are new to being physical, take things slow and easy. If you have a physiotherapist or a trainer you can have some guidance. If you don’t have someone to oversee how you and your body are working, try light stretches or look up chair yoga

Eating regular healthy meals helps by keeping blood sugars levels stable. Keeping healthy low sugar foods in your body helps the body to reduce stress hormones. Sometimes if we struggle with food sensitivities or eating disorders food can create stress. This is when your mind needs someone trained in your food challenges. Try to have a little something that you know will not make you feel worse.

Water helps to hydrate you. A hydrated body is one that is processing better, it helps reduce the toxins that build up as well as lets vitamins and nutrients flow to all the organs including the brain. We are made up of a lot of fluid so we need non sugar and caffeinated beverages to function and heal . If you are on a reduced fluid intake, find out how much water you can safely have a day. Try to have 8oz or one cup every 1 1/2 hours. If you are up for 12 hours that should get you about 8 cups of water a day. You can have more and if you are active or it is hot have a 8oz to 10oz every hour

If you are going to take any natural stuff to help reduce or cope with stress, take time to talk to your medical professional and let your pharmacist know too. Many things we take such as tea and herbal medication can have contraindication (bad effects) when taken together.

Take time to relax, enjoy life and enjoy fresh air. I would love to read about how you have learned to reduce your stress. We need connection, stress is very hard to manage. Sharing might help someone through the stress they are going through. Send a note about what makes you laugh or smile. Hope your week goes well.

The story Of A Rose.

October 21, 2021October 20, 2021 Earthy Views

In September we went for a trip to the beach. It was sunny and there was a breeze, a little cool but nice. I was out for a walk, relaxing, and to take some photos.

This photo was taken by me on Sept 3, 2021

On the beach I saw a scattered floral arrangement. It seemed out of place on the beach, scattered with random passersby. I started to do what I do… and think. Was it an arrangement to remind of someone’s time here on earth?

Did someone get married on the beach and then left without their flowers?

This bouquet told many stories.

Looking long from many angles I noted a lone rose floating on the Ocean, the beauty and freedom of that rose. Peacefully floating. Did someone have a boat wedding and the flowers fell over?

Did a human pluck out the rose and toss it as a sign?

This photo was taken by me on Sept 3, 2021 The rose.

Did a passing crow or seagull like the flower, decided to take it and then dropped it? We will not ever know the truth of the bouquet that sat alone on the beach.

This photo was taken by me on Sept 3, 2021 Resting Rose.

Have you ever walked by something that seemed out of place? What things have you seen and did you wonder what the story behind it was?

Hope your week holds beauty.

What to expect when diagnosed with heart problems.

October 14, 2021October 13, 2021 Earthy Views

When you find out you need to see a heart specialist, you might have mixed feelings about this. In the feels you might not know what to expect, this can add stress. If you have the not so calm route of ending up in hospital due to your heart not being right, this can be a bit more scary. Take a breath (even a small one if that is all you can do) grab your beverage to enjoy as you read. Relaxing is very important when you’re learning to live with heart health.

If you did not start at a hospital with your heart, sometimes you have symptoms, sometimes they find it because of other things. The Doctor, General Practitioner or Cardiologist might order blood work. Sometimes they want to have you fast for 8 to 10 hours prior to getting the blood work done. Fasting means nothing but water, no candies, food or gum for the time before the blood work. It is best to ask if it will be fasting, not all blood work needed for heart diagnosing is fasting.

If you have an arrhythmia (abnormal heart beat) they may want you to do an ECG or wear a holter. An ECG/EKG can be done in the office or at the hospital. A holter is a device you are sent home with for the time they think it will take to detect the problem. Special instructions will come with wearing the holter. Like no showers, baths or getting them wet when you are hooked up. They start with 24 hours and sometimes the doctors need you to do them for more time.

A stress test is another test that is ordered when doing a diagnostics. A stress test is a supervised test that asks you to wear activewear and a loose fitting top or one that buttons up in the front. This is because they will need to put a wire harness on you that is hooked to the monitor. This will show them what your heart is doing when you’re active. You might be wondering what else happens when you’re doing a stress test. You will be on a treadmill that starts slow and then slowly raises speed and inclines. It can be a little scary or weird, the techs let you know what things are going to change. Most have two bars to hold on to. There are side bars and a front bar. Do your best, talk to the technician and share how you’re doing. If you have any fears or physical changes please let your technician/doctor know. You will also be wearing a blood pressure cuff to see how your blood pressure is as you’re being

There are other ways to test and look at your heart. There are many forms of imaging, they can do ultrasounds, CT scans, MRI, Arthrography. Some of this group of tests can involve contrast dyes that need to be injected. If you need a test with dyes there will be lots of instructions, please read over the instructions for your test. If dyes are used, drink lots of water before and after to help flush the dyes out of your body. They need to put the dye in through an IV( Intervascular treatment). They may also do a Oxygen (O2 sensor) reading with a little monitor that goes on the end of your finger.

If you have learned about your heart problem due to ending up in hospital. You might be confused or healing. So your cardiologist might be doing healing and restorative management. You may be having to take medications, or doing a follow up after surgery. You may have had parts replaced, parts fixed or improved with stints, new valves or a pacemaker. If you are in a place of recovery or discovery you need to take in the special instructions. You have a new chance at living a healthier life with a happier heart. It will be a lot of change and hard work. Sometimes you might need to rest more, be off work, change your eating and exercise habits. You might need to check your blood pressure at home more then once a day. You may be referred to a heart health group. Keep notes on how you feel, time of meds and blood pressure readings.

When you see your doctor they might use a stethoscope or other equipment to explore what is going on. They might listen to the arteries in your neck and hear how the heart sounds. They are trained to know about arteries that go in to your heart through your arms legs and neck. Please bring many questions. Talk about medications and other life changes that might be needed.

If you have had surgery you might need to wait a bit to be in a tub, shower or other water. Always let your doctor know any herbs, vitamins or alternative over the counter medicine or supplements. There are many things including grapefruits that have dangerous side effects when you have a heart or other medical condition.

Try to reduce your stress, rest when you need to, even doing small things that you think are ok and easy might be more tiring and more of a struggle then you thought. Be kind to yourself. Asking for help is safe and ok. Your health is worth it. Your body will let you know. You might struggle getting out of bed or the short walk to the bathroom. Laundry can be hell. Putting wet stuff from the washer to the dryer can be too much strain. You might have a time of not driving.

You may have dealt with heart health with yourself or others. If you have not ever experienced hearth complications here are some warning signs.

Fatigue or weakness.
Dizziness or lightheadedness.
Fainting or near-fainting spells.
Rapid heartbeat or pounding in the chest.
Shortness of breath and anxiety.
Chest pain or pressure.
In extreme cases, collapse and sudden cardiac arrest.

When you are having heart symptoms they don’t have to be dramatic and noticeable. They could be subtle like feeling off or like you ate bad food with may be a heavy arm. Many people brush it off and go to bed with some digestive aids. Please call a medical adviser or 911 or Emergency number in your area if you have the following

Chest pain or discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center or left side of the chest that lasts for more than a few minutes or that goes away and comes back. The discomfort can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain.
Feeling weak, light-headed, or faint. You may also break out into a cold sweat.
Pain or discomfort in the jaw, neck, or back.
Pain or discomfort in one or both arms or shoulders.
Shortness of breath. This often comes along with chest discomfort, but shortness of breath also can happen before chest discomfort.

Please read this heart attack link. gives you a check list for males and females, symptoms can really differ. Other symptoms of a heart attack could include unusual or unexplained tiredness and nausea or vomiting. Women are more likely to have these other symptoms. Learn more about women and heart disease. My female family member was not even 60 when they had a heart attack, they felt off with symptoms that did not fit what they thought a heart attack looked like.

I hope you and your family stay healthy. If this means learning to live life with new hearth challenges. I hope you have a supportive community outreach program. Feel free to share your exspeances

Help pet’s with disabilities

October 7, 2021October 6, 2021 Earthy Views

Do you have a special needs pet? I’m not an expert but I have helped many and seen others deal with pets who need aids. Your snail might need a crutch and that is okay.

This little fellow can get around again! Duck with wheelchair

Over my life I have owned many different varieties of pets. Currently I have a dog that is a Jack Russell likely Spaniel cross. His special needs are due to muscle deterioration on his back legs, this makes his legs drag. This brings risk of injuries. Remember not all pets look like they have a problem please ask if it is ok to come close to any kind of pet.

Our dog has taken to getting up so early, I’m often getting up at 5:00 am to get him out for a walk after he has his food and medications. The vet wants us to feed him more, so he has transformed into a Hobbit. (Second Breakfast!). Due to his other health problems he can only eat small amounts at one meal without having a digestive upset. Owning a pet with special needs often means sacrificing things that others may not need to worry about. Like sleep! Who needs a full 8 hours? Sometimes your pet needs more time put away to aid them, plan for the unexpected.

Ways you can support a pet that can’t use all their legs. Be gentle with limbs and joints, use smooth motions when moving them. Our dog knows how each one of us moves him and will aid us in his movement by lifting a paw as we support his chest and ribs.

Support to stable him to get the boots on.

If they are like our guy and can walk with the front paws you can use an old scarf or a folded towel under their body to help lift the back end.

We bought rubber coated booties from the pet store so his paws don’t get scraped and bleed. Because of the weakness when standing I always try to keep a hand under him when taking off the booties. I would recommend having 2 sets in case they get wet. You don’t want to keep them in wet gear, they can develop infections on their feet. The brand that worked Best for getting on and off with an unstable pet was rcpets, we did try others but they were harder to put on when his feet were bad.

The top ones are the new pair, the lower ones were a learning curve.

To help our boots last we put them on upside down to have the bigger rubber part covering what drags. We tried the other way and they did not last as long or protect the top of the foot. We have thought about baby socks for the house do to noise of the clicky nails on the floor wears on my mind.

You can use baby gates or other barricades at danger points like stairs.

If they have become weird and scroungy, put garbage and anything food like behind closed doors or with objects on top of the lids. If they chew your bluetooth be mindful of glue fiascos. You can read about that ordeal in my blog post. “Strange reasons you’re not on time”

We use a rubber mat in the tub to help with traction and a handheld shower head. I used to put towels on the bottom of the tub for him to shake. Now I just dry him with the towel and blow dry the rest.

Not sure where to get this heavy rubber. a family member gave it to me that worked in construction.

Buy a good bed for them to lay in or make one from old pillows. Sometimes joints get stiff and sore. If he wants on the couch we lift him on and off. You can buy or make pet ramps. We also lift him in and out of the vehicle. I read about a bearded dragon that needs ramps due to limbs that did not work well. The internet is full of good solutions. So read up on the aids out there for your pet.

If your pet has bowel or bladder problems you can try to pad/paper train them on the floor if you are unable to train them or their condition does not allow them to move to a designated area. There is washable underwear. You can also buy washable hospital pads or use old towels with plastic under them so you can toss it in the You can buy the pads online on Amazon or medical supplies place, Walmart and other such places often have the smaller ones.

You can get wheelchair aides for your pet. I thought about making one out of PvC piping. The commensal made of metal can range in price $200.00 and up.

DIY pvc dog wheelchair I think you could modify this for other pets.

DIY Metal dog wheel walker This one could work for a larger dog too.

If they have neck or back problems you might want to raise their food and water dishes.

Our neighbor had a deaf puppy. It needed more than that family could do with three kids. When you have a pet with specials needs, you become their air human. They can live mostly normally lives.

If you have a blind or deaf pet, they have to be watched in and out of the home.
Don’t move things in the home.
Don’t startle them
If they are deaf learning hand signals
Take extra care not to let strangers approach your pet without guidance
Have ID for pets with special needs. So someone can reach their vet or family if they get lost. Not the special needs. So a dog medical alert kind of deal!

Learning to live with a deaf Dog

Many years ago I had a special needs chicken, Hopeful was her name. She grew too fast for her body to hold her weight. I had to make her little leg splints. She lived in the house and I had a small outside enclosure for the grass, she was at risk of predators because of her limited abilities to move on her own. She was a good cuddler.

This little one splayed leg. Not what mine had but the leg aids what what I liked.
How to Fix Splayed Leg or Spraddle Leg

All animals with special needs need love, understanding and routine. Being angry at them makes it harder on all of you. They need more supervision. I have had times when I’m so mad at our dog. I want to tell him to pack his things and move out. I told my family to treat him like you would an aging well loved family member.

My ideas are ideas/guidelines to talk with your vet about, work out a plan that works for your pets’ condition. If you have had a pet with special needs I would love to read your creative ways of supporting your pet.

Music For Moods

September 30, 2021September 29, 2021 Earthy Views

Wednesday and the rain is coming down. The pandemic is really taking a toll. Might be time to put on some tunes.

I think this is who the credit goes to Vectomart -Fotolia

Music can affect the way our brains work and perceive the world around us.

It can have a powerful influence on our brains and hormones.

I’m very eclectic, that just means I value a wide variety of different music styles. As I scrambled to find a blog topic and dealing with life stresses, I found myself drawn to some old school tunes, country, Meatloaf and some Beatles, then searched on youtube rainy day songs..About 3 songs in and singing with my earbuds in I started to feel better.

Singing music you enjoy raises our dopamine in our brain, this is the chemical that tells the brain you are feeling happy, it also helps to reduce physical pain. University studies showed a 9% increase in dopamine when people listen to music they enjoyed. Music ‘releases mood-enhancing chemical in the brain‘

I was reading a small study done with males and females where they tested the hormones of both. The music they did not like changed many of their hormone levels in a negative way, where as the music they enjoyed it affected them in a positive way. Influence of music on steroid hormones and the relationship between receptor polymorphisms and musical ability: a pilot study

They encourage pregnant women in labor to put on music to help them through the process, it can help them reduce pain and stress. When unborn babies are exposed to music throughout the pregnancy they too can have long lasting benefits.

Putting on sad music when you are already down can put your mind in a worse state. Music is used forever to promote different emotions. Like when you want a scary movie and you know when the bad parts are coming the music instill a chill in your spine.

Many parts of the world use music to heal the heart and soul. Af r ica has used music for longer than dated in European travelers documentation. I remember in elementary school having an African children’s choir come and perform at our school. The energy of the music filled me with happiness. The one in the link is similar to the choir that sang at our school

People use music to meditate and find balance.

How do you relate to music, what music makes your heart happy. Is there time you put on certain types of music to help bring out your feelings?

Happy 1 year of being a blogger and seemingly good ideas.

September 23, 2021September 22, 2021 Earthy Views

Let’s celebrate together! I have published 53 posts and have 54 followers, most of whom I don’t know. I have added one post every Thursday morning. I’m so enjoying my journey of sharing and hopefully helping people learn new things and enjoy some cool topics. I am grateful for all that have read my blog and have followed it.

It will be awesome to see what the next year brings. Thank you to the friends that inspired me and cheered me on. I might give credit to my more than awesome proofreader and partner, I am blessed with encouragement when I have writer’s blah.

Some weeks I did not know what to post, I got my ideas together and then put them typed them out even when I did not feel so good. Please share with me topics that you might enjoy reading in the future. It would be nice to read what topics of mine you have already that inspired you.

Ok now that this thank you is done, on with the seemingly good ideas. As people that know me well I have a whole storyline of such ideas.

From reading my past blog topics you may know I’m a gardener. Now is the last of the season where all the seeds I have collected need to be separated from the stalks and other plant matter.

I have tiny catnip seeds that are hugged into their dried flower stalks very tightly. Up till now I close my hand loosely around the flower head and spin the stick working out the seed with the spinning motion hitting my hand.. It is a slow process. I was like I have a salad spinner that would do that on a larger scale on one stalk at a time. I stuffed all the stalks in, put the lid on and pulled the tab that spins this thing like mad.

Good thinking, till I see small black seeds shooting all over the floor.. Sigh.. The spinner has an opening on the side that is not meant to be there. SO I guess it worked but I will likely have small black seeds (smaller than a ballpoint pen head) all over. I’m sure I will still find them up till the time we do a final clean to move..

This is some of the seeds I had swept up, If you look at the green, you will see the gap

Thankful for brooms and dustpans

Have you had any seamily good ideas that kinda worked? Maybe you have some good tips on getting seed out of the pods. Looking forward to your life or gardening tip

Take care till you read again.

How check your tires and dealing with problems.

September 16, 2021September 15, 2021 Earthy Views

In the midst of my busy week I went to check in my vehicle and my tire was flat. Sigh..

If you have not fixed a tire then I have some guidance. Just a heads up, it is dirty work.

So knowing where your spare tire is can be a good thing to know before you need to use it. The fastest way to know is to check the internet. So put in the year and make and model of your vehicle and spare tire. That will likely bring up videos. It’s best to do this before you are out there without the knowledge, or worse find out you might not have a spare. I recommend practicing taking out the spare tire before you have a flat, make sure it is in good shape and has enough air pressure. You can check it with a tire gauge

My spare is mounted under my vehicle, it is a pain and it is such a challenge to get it out.

The spare tire and the jack under the frame. So dirty, =(

Checking your tires often is a good idea, looking for cracks, bulges, bad wear areas, foreign objects and low pressure. If you have stones in the treads you can get them out with a flat head screwdriver, be careful to not gouge your tires. Scoop under it and work it out of the treads. If you have anything sharp in the tire or the sidewall is heavily cracked you might want to put on your spare and take it to a shop to inspect it. You don’t ever want to drive on a flat. You risk wrecking the rim or other parts of your vehicle or potentially being in an accident. If you have any non risk based concerns, it might be an idea to drive to your local tire shop and just ask if they could take a quick look at the possible problem. You can call the shop ahead of time to make sure they have your tire in stock. You will need the numbers and letters on the side of the tire. Here is what the numbers on the wheel mean

It is also advisable to rotate or change out your tires for the seasons every 6 months. Rotating your tires prolongs the mileage and it slows the wear on one spot..

If you are away from home find the closest safest place to pull over. Safely pulling over with a flat or blow out. Hopefully it is well lit, if you have safety equipment including a light and bright vest get that ready before you start changing the tire. You want to reduce the chance of being hit. If it doesn’t feel safe for any reason please call roadside assistance of someone trusted.

Left to right tire iron, rod to lower my spare tire and the jack

Put your equipment out and on the side that needs changing. Loosen the lug nuts but don’t fully remove them, they can be hard to get off if you have had your tires off in awhile. Then put your jack under the frame near the wheel and slowly jack it up. Once it is off the ground enough to get the tire off, take off your lug nuts and place them out of the way. Sliding the wheel off is not normally hard but the wheel is heavy and a bit awkward. Grab the spare and put it on. This part was hard for me to line the holes on the wheel with the lug nut posts. My neighbor stepped in to help. Thank you… even though I felt bad that I struggled to do it.

Put on the lug nuts just enough to get each one on. Then start to tighten tighten them. When you get them on and snugged up lower the jack and then tighten them up. Each vehicle has specs on how much they should be tightened to be safe. That is called the torque. There is a special tool available called a torque wrench that will tighten to the proper tightness. In the meantime, tighten as much as you can with your body weight. If you are really light you might need a hand or a roadside service. It is well worth the money If you have health concerns you might not wish to take on this task. You can call a tow truck driver.

Hope your week is safe, hope to read if you had a chance to check your tires. Have you ever had to change a tire?

Strange reasons you’re not on time

September 9, 2021September 8, 2021 Earthy Views

If you’re like some of us humans you have been late one time or another. This week I was later than I wanted to be for starting work.

Let me start with the weekend. My meathead senior dog stooped to an all time crap deal. I was upstairs so he was left downstairs in the same house. Who thinks the pet will do bad things when your so close. He decided to grab my ear tooth (bluetooth headset) in his mouth. When we came down my partner heard the noise and clapped his hands and the dog dropped the bluetooth. He broke the rubber part of that keeps it on your ear.

My broken left earbud. Thanks dog =(

Because I use it for work daily and I have tried many different styles of bluetooth with no luck I was like I need to fix this. A new one will take weeks to get here! I tried fixing it the night it happened. It worked a few hours then came apart. Because I fixed it with contact cement. One step I forgot was to put some on both sides of the break.

So on Tuesday this week before work. I was like oh this will only take a few minutes. So I grabbed my glue and a bright light. Applied contact cement on both sides. When I went to pick the jar up and put the lid on I noticed some had spilled. No problem, just grab a tissue and wipe off. At this point I was getting in a sticky situation.

See the left over glue on the outside, lucky that was not my skin remains.

So I toss the tissue and think ok now to just put the lid on, my hands were getting tacky and sticking to the jar, more spilled. I was feeling like I needed another adult. So I call one over, explaining the problem. Then he said hand me the glue. I was getting frustrated and said I can’t hand it to you, I’m stuck to the jar! I’m not sure if he wants to laugh or not. All I want is a way out of the sticky mess. I ask my partner to look up how to get this glue off.

By this time my fingers are sticking together and my hand is still stuck to the jar. No I don’t have a photo of this part due to my hands being stuck to the jar.. Rolling my eyes.

More had dripped. Thinking this is a never ending problem. I get my hands unstuck, wipe the rim of the jar, the lid is put on for me then I use the recommended means for removing the glue from my skin.

I feel living with me does not have many dull days. Tips to get glue off your skin.

After gluing one hand to the bottle best to invite someone else for try two!

Hope you were not in a sticky mess this week. It might be a relief to read others stories for being late.. Have a great week. Just wanted to give you an update the contact cement did not hold the bluetooth together so the next type in line was Lepage super glue. It seems to be holding.

Late Summer Gardens

September 2, 2021September 1, 2021 Earthy Views

If you grow food, you might know different years come with success and failure. This year in my part of the world we had a heat dome, smoke and more bugs then I could deal with. This is one of my late fruits of all the work.

Sugar Baby watermelon. Photo taken Sept 1 2021 by me.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Heat Dome weather front “Summertime means hot weather — sometimes dangerously hot — and extreme heat waves have become more frequent in recent decades”. Sometimes, the scorching heat is ensnared in what is called a heat dome. This happens when strong, high-pressure atmospheric conditions combine with influences from La Niña, creating vast areas of sweltering heat that gets trapped under the high-pressure “dome.” Definition used from National Ocean Service

Many of my plants had struggled.

In late March my seedling got sick in the house garden. I do try to grow all year. So I plant small cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and other crops to get a good start before summer. I was so sad when everything got sick despite peroxide spray treatments and good air flow.

From my grape vine. Photo taken Aug 31, 2021 by me.

Some of the plants that did well were my grapes, which were picked On Aug 31 2021. I’m not sure about the weight of them yet. We have had so many potatoes, currants, pac choi and onions. One of the onions was as big as my hand. I had a couple of my watermelons survive and now I have late watermelons. Our night temperatures are at 11°C or 51.8°F and daytime highs at 22 to 25° C or 71.6 to 77° F. Last year we had 3 watermelons around Oct 10 2020. So maybe we will have some this year too. I planted the seedlings in the community garden on July 1 2021, I started them in clear cups months before then.

I hope to make up for beans being eaten by something other than us, greens that burnt or bolted due to the heat dome and powdery mildew. My plant’s health was weakened by the strange conditions.

A few weeks back we planted fall crops of beans, beets, peas, carrots, onions, pac choi and greens. We will see if much comes up. Some have come up and we will see what does well. I feel the need to tell you carrots were planted 3 times over the season and only one came up. Because they take about 70 days to grow we will not be planting more this year.

Happy planting please tell me what challenges and success you had growing food.