Text 10326, 227 rader
Skriven 2008-07-10 23:13:10 av Janis Kracht (1:261/38)
  Kommentar till text 10255 av Ruth Haffly (1:396/45.28)
Ärende: summer gardens in ny                                     [1]
====================================================================
Hi Ruth!

> my parents kept (and still have) cats and dogs--just what I don't need
> but have enjoyed having around.

Same at our home before my parents sold the house in Warwick.. Several cats
(usually at least two), and sometimes two dogs but normally one .. My dad
really liked irish setters so we seemed to always have one around (g).  My mom
was not the type to remove all the allergens from the house in that respect. As
long as her housecleaning service came (or her teenage daughters like me (g))
did the cleaning, there didn't seem to be a horrid problem for her.  I don't
know much about the 'types' of asthma, but like some other diseases, there are
'types' or levels of it seems... When my kids were growing up, we always had
pets as well, even through my daughter's asthma.. so I think her problems were
not as much 'pet-dander/hair related' as food related -  since she grew out of
it as I said, at about 12yrs. old.. It's funny though, I think I mentioned to
you before.. when Toby rubs against her, or gives her a doggie kiss, she gets a
rash though :( So there is some reaction going on.  Our other lab, Priscilla,
doesn't bother her at all .. that I find interesting.

>> > But, they get plenty of attention whenever I visit a place that has

>> That can be a good fix :)

> Yes, so your dogs my get some attention. (G)

Pricilla is a good dog and she loves attention :)  Toby can be a PIA (laugh)
He's so shy though, he'll probably run upstairs with my son and hide (grin).


>> That's not great either.. no wonder you don't like coffee.. that would

> I just don't like the taste.  But, if I were having an asthma attack &
> couldn't get my regular meds, a cup of strong coffee would back it off a
> bit.

Tea always worked better for my daughter.. Our pediatrician said it had more
theophylline in it than coffee, but I don't know if that's really true.  He was
an old german doctor who moved to this country late in his life.. great
pediatrian.. he was the first pediatrician I had that took babies' blood
pressure.. this is going back about 30 some years :)  He'd worked with my mom
at a local clinic and that's how I had met him.. I can hear him now advising me
about my daughter's asthma.. "Mrs. K, please give your daughter a cup of weak
tea with 1 teaspoon honey and 2 teaspoons lemon juice - and if that doesn't
help, open the window in her room and put her head out in the cold night air!!"
(g).

> I've never tested that but it is medically proven.

Sure, Coffee, tea, chocolate.. they all have bromides.

>  I have tested
> the chocolate/asthma interplay--when I was having a flare up some years
> ago, I was craving chocolate all the time. A visit to the doctor
> confirmed a flare up and that the craving for chocolate was my body
> needing something like theophyline--chocolate has theobromines, which
> are related.

Yes, a small amount.. I think tea has the most of the lot though.  I'd have to
check, but that's what I'm remembering now.

>> little..helps some.. at least I'm not as dizzy as I was.  It'll
>> probably take a few more weeks to get that drug out of my system ...

> Hopefully the worst will be out of your system by the end of the month.

I do seem to be over the worst now.. the strength is back in my right leg which
is outrageous only in that a drug that was supposed to stop spasticity in my
legs made everything else about 100X worse.. Oh well.. it's the third or fourth
one they've tried on me, and they all do the same type thing - it's just this
one was the worst!  But it's how they work.. they make your muscles weak to
stop the spasticity.. too bad you can't walk like that (bg).  I'll stick with
coffee and beer - (grin).. Seriously, beer relaxes the muscles more than
anything else.  As long as I don't overdo it (grin).

>> It's a good sweet bread - I've never made it with whole wheat though.
>> If you do make it, let me know how it comes out.. :)

> I will-don't know if I'll try it this fall or not; depends on how
> ambitious I am and how my health is.

I can understand that one.  We're used to living like that for the most part..
Sometimes it just has to be that way.

>> anywhere else. I believe she'll be going to rehabilitation (again) in
>> a few days. But at least we know now what the problem was..

> It's good to hear that the problem was found, and rather quickly. I read

Yes indeed..

> on another message that she's not having chemo but will she have
> radiation?

Probably not.. after the recent surgeries, I have a feeling they don't want to
do any additional therapy.. when the doctor opened her up, he did notice that
all her organs looked healthy and good. Ultimately I'm sure it will be up to
her, but I have a feeling she'll go with no other therapy.

>That doesn't have as many nasty side effects; the biggest
> one I've been fighting is fatigue.

Same with my son who also had to have radiation therapy (and surgery to remove
the cancer).  He's still exhausted by the simplest of things. It's been a few
years since his therapy but his 'exhaustion' isn't as bad as it was early on
right after the treatment.. he still mentions it though, so I know he's still
feeling it - when he goes for longish walks, that kind of thing. So take it
easy and keep eating good food and maybe your exhaustion won't be as long
lasting as his seems to be. That's one thing I'd like to get through to him (g)
(good food, not junk (g)). Though he and his girlfriend did ask me about the
grass-fed meats that I've been buying so I think they are trying to eat better.

>  The last 3 weeks or so of the
> radiation I had this spring I had some skin irritation but that cleared
> up fast once the radiation ended.

Yes, that part usually would heal up pretty fast, at least it did for my son.

>> I'm sure.. moving to somewhere the allergens aren't works for a short
>> while, but it catches up with you.. That's what happened to me at

> To some extent, it does help. But, I've lived in the south east before
> so I'd ben exposed to a lot of the allergens before we oved to Savannah.
> It's the same as if we do go back to the south west; having lved there
> before, my body will pick up quicker on the allergens.

The humidity though, I would guess would just mean you'd have to stay indoors
more than not. My mom lived in Baltimore for a while and the humidity there
made her asthma so much worse.

>> least, in Kentucky.. the firt year we were in Louisville, all my
>> allergies to outdoors things were 'gone'.. by the second year, they
>> were back :(

> You probably enjoyed that first year. (G)

Oh yeah.. I even mentioned it to my doc in Manhatten at one of my checkups back
then.. everything was better.. my walking, my balance, the works.. I told him
the only thing I could figure was Louisville didn't have 'something' NYS had
'growing' outdoors :)  Then of course the NEXT year..  Oh well.. :) Finally
though, we decided to move back to NY - it was the best decision given the way
the heat was getting to me in Louisville. That turned out worse for me, than
the allergies.

>> Chocolate is great - rocky-road is good too.. Cherry vanilla is also
>> great haha Butter pecan.. Ah, I guess I like a bunch of them :)

> Chocolate, peppermint, chocolate, strawberry, chocolate,......... notice
> a trend?

:)  We don't do that much chocolate around here since so many are allergic to
it.. I still make chocolate cakes and ice cream on occaision though.. I don't
have any allergies to it :)

> I was thinking about with the remodel job that they would have put a
> dishwasher in.  But, Mom didn't want to give up one of her cabinets so

I've known people who felt that way.. I could never think that way (g).

> it was a no go. By then, 4 of the 5 were out of the house and she didn't
> think it to be a neccessity.  Even with just 2 people I consider it to
> be needed.

I've always needed one.. either it was the kids (and all the dishes they could
generate), or later, after they left home it was all the cooking I was doing
(g). I was 24 when I first got MS, and it hit really badly the first 2 or 3
years.. 'Telescoping legs trick' (g), hands that wouldn't hold onto anything..
various and sundry parts not cooperating.. vertigo..The kids were 2 1/2 and 5
yrs. old.. that dishwasher was quite a necessity and still is :)

>> > Same here. If I can control the amount of heat that goes into it, I
>> like > it better.

>> Yes, in Louisville the korean chef would always come out to the table
>> and ask how hot we'd like the food - I miss that :)  This korean

> Nice!

Yes, he was a great fellow.  We really enjoyed eating there a lot.


> We were asked at the little place we went to a couple of months ago.
> But in HI we always went to little hole in the wall places that do a
> good volume of business, mostly take out, and have the sides pre done.
> The meat is always cooked fresh but the sides are rather generic and
> kept in a steam table. Not always high class eating but you got a lot
> for your money and it was good.

They sound like great places, for sure.

>> Yes, though not sure how the tomatoes will fare.. the plants have
>> flowers so that's good.. but I haven't seen any tomatoes yet.. sad :(

> In time. I think my dad's tomatoes are just beginning to set fruit. The
> cherry tree has gone bonkers in production this year tho.

My grape trellis is going to be loaded this year.. you can tell just looking at
it so that's good ;)  The tomatoes should have time to ripen.. given the heat
we've had recently that won't be a problem most likely.

>> > Are you freezing peas
>> > or just eating them as they come ripe?

>> Both.. :)  I plant them very heavy and get a great crop usually.. so I
>> freeze the bulk of them, but always have some in the Frige for salads,
>> or for stir fry.  Sugar snaps are good after they've been frozen, but
>> are no where near as good as they are right off the vine.

> But, at least it beats supermarket "freshness". (G)

It does, mostly the taste is so great in everything from the garden.. the
potatoes are one of the most incredible for noticing so much flavor.  I dug up
enough 'new potatoes' for parsley-potatoe the other night.. ooh they were so
good :)

> We had rhubarb in the early days of the garden, yellow wax beans later
> on as "nibbles".

hehe.. that's neat.. :)  My greenbeans should be about ready to start picking..
I planted two types as I normally do.. bush beans and vining long greenbeans..
Tomorrow I hope to plant some Italian greenbeans.

Take care,
Janis

--- BBBS/LiI v4.01 Flag
 * Origin: Prism bbs (1:261/38)