Eating Alone In Half The Time

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Below is the original

Wasn’t going to eat (9:00 at night and could actually go to bed without dinner) – I know how well that type of thinking has worked for me in the past. Then I felt the paws of my cat reaching over from the top of the box next to my legs where she likes to sit when I’m on the computer. And these paws had claws. I told her ‘no claws’ and put the paws back where they had been. Again, the paws, but this time, in fact, no claws. Well I can’t resist that. It’s the little things in life that count. I ask her if she wants to eat, and she jumps down from the box. Perfect communication. So while I’m  forking stuff from cans and putting brewer’s powered yeast on top which she seems to like (other than the fact that it keeps fleas off of her and does a lot of other great things which I should also be taking advantage of), I am thinking of only one thing – feeding the cat, because I’m male and have just been told (by a female) that I have no multi-tasking ability. But, when I finish – yes I had actually finished – there I am starting to cut an onion. Well, one thing led to another, as it usually does, and I have just finished eating one the of the most ‘chef special’ dishes that I have had in a long time. In fact, so good that I have to write it down so I can do it again and take a photo since I have 1000 on my cell phone and that happens to be the limit. Don’t want to eliminate them until I’m sure the drop box has worked successfully and that the computer is not going to be totaled in my attempt to fix the constant deluge of popup ads which make life online miserable.

Have found the solution to that problem:

free very exact instructions on how to ‘Remove Pop-up Ads from Internet Explorer, Firefox and Chrome’  by Malwaretips.com  which is the first of other problems I have suddenly acquired:  automatic shutdowns (about 5-8 an hour), cursor disappearing all the time in the middle of typing, which means that I will be typing in thin air until the cursor finds its way back to the page and I have lost 2-3 sentences, non-responsive programs which I can only get out of by ctrl/alt (on the left) and del on the right meaning that I lose all of my tabs, sudden loss of internet sites with subsequent inability to open up any net-pages at all, inability to shutdown so that I have to pull the plug (literally since I have no on/off switch), etc.  I have a lot of patience. But it is bus drivers who amaze me. Infinite patience. They should be paid extra. How many time have you heard one of them swear or hit the horn? I heard my first today in a long time, and the deserving driver of the car had done a really stupid thing totally oblivious to everyone else.

But, back to the dish. As I was cutting the onion, a picture came to me of tempeh with the onions (sudden urge to increase my protein intake). Cut some thin slices and put them in with the already cooking onions – there really is no planning here. Thought of garlic, so added 6 cloves, and that was going to be it. Then I saw the swiss chard and cut it, followed by fortuitously seeing the mushrooms sitting there frozen in the freezer. Dumped them into the pan without defrosting, slicing, etc. Decided to add a small amount of spaghetti to give body to whatever I was making, and then started to add the spices: salt, turmeric, black pepper, coriander, sweet paprika and decided to add a small amount of Stevia (about 5 drops) to give it some hint of sweetness. Put the contents onto the plate since they were going to burn, and in the now empty pan added the spaghetti (which had been soaking in boiling water), the chopped up swiss chard, and some bits of cheese. Another 3-4 minutes until the chard had totally wilted and the cheese had almost melted (most of my cooking is ‘almost’ which means more nutrients, and a lot of anti-microbial spices as a result). Great! I get a really great dish once a week, which means 52 a year. Will add a photo when recreated – which necessarily means a lot of planning, and will probably not be done, so don’t expect to see a photo any time soon.

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BROCCOLI

Decided to get a lot of broccoli.

“What will I do with so much broccoli” I ask? “Put it in the fridge”, he says. To which I declined and put it back on the shelf. He said ‘It’s only (round figure here)’. I reconsider the broccoli and added some  swiss chard. “You like green I see”, he says. I found out later the Super sold the broc for half price. So this is only the tops of the broccoli with cherry tomatoes fried together in olive oil. Then, while basically still uncooked, I added an already cut slice of some unknown cheese with holes in it, and wondered what I would put on the other side of the plate. But, too much heavy thinking can spoil your appetite.

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It’s sort of cold here, and I have been using a small heater on the floor which has two coils (one for low, and two for high, no gradations, and no off/on button – have to pull the plug out of the wall. Probably the simplest contraption around. So I was sitting there looking in the general direction of the heater, when suddenly, there sitting in front of me, well, over to the side about 7 feet away, was a small something which by its shape gave cold or hot air, I didn’t know. And it must have been there for at least the last five years. How it got there, I won’t go into. But, if someone had shown me a facsimile of it and asked if I knew about this appliance, I would have said that I’ve never seen something like it. And I’m not going senile, except for the fact that I didn’t get the spelling of that last word correct.

Talk about blocking things out! And once I had figured out how it works and discovered that it was a heater AND a cooler, much better then the one sitting beside it and with an off and on button and gradations of heat, etc., I realized that it wasn’t because I didn’t need it. It had just been invisible. An example of our not seeing what we don’t want to see, have no use for, in a different shape than we would expect it to be, or for some other reason invisible (at least to us). And I’m sitting here warming myself and wondering what else in the house I haven’t seen. We don’t have to travel the seas to discover new things. All we have to do is actually look at what has been right in front of us all the time.

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An average day

Yeh, I was carrying too much and fell on the stairs. Fortunately up and not down. My cat likes to sit on my lap when I’m getting some sun for 15 minutes in the morning. She can’t settle down and those claws are sharp Someone has advised nail trimming but never declawing since that is like cutting off your toes). Also bought myself an ice cream (deserved it after the car accident) and biting into the cone, my front tooth fell out. Must go to the dentist). Got up from the computer to go to the kitchen with my dinner plate and soup cup in hand. Had my headphones on. Yes, attached to the computer. I’m looking at losing another of my best plates. But fortunately I looked down and saw the cord. Get so used to having the phones on, I think they’re a part of me. And, after the car incident, when I went to get my cappuccino and muffin, the coffee shop owner stood there looking at me and said “Are you OK?” Something he’s never said to me before. I thought I was doing OK, so I must have really looked shaken.

 

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Tempeh and Swiss Chard

This is without the spices which totally obliterate it.

Five stages

1. Decision time: had to get rid of (urr, use) the swiss chard. Great stuff. Cooks fast, tastes great (better than spinach) and has almost all of the nutrients of spinach, plus.

2. Instructions: just throw whatever is lying around after washing and cutting into the pan.

3. After slightly cooking the swiss chard together with diced stems, onion, and garlic, transfer to plate. Put in the tempeh, mushrooms, and the tomatoes in separate parts of the pan so the tempeh can brown.

4. photograph

5. throw what you see (together with the spices) back into the pan to reheat since it has gotten cold.

Google photos of swiss chard

 

If you haven’t tried tempeh, you must. It’s like tofu, but fermented the way the Japanese have used it for centuries. Much healthier for you than tofu. While you might find it in some supermarkets, it is always sold in health food stores. Has a slight nutty taste as against the non-taste of tofu. Use it the same way you would use tofu.

Except for one thing. I have discovered that fried together with apple slices is truly fantastic. For a comparison of tempeh with soy, see Soy Wars: Tofu vs.Tempeh

 

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Super Tempeh Dish      

Can be prepared in next to no time. The most costly being getting the hulls off the garlic and then, it’s nice to have the tempeh browned (which takes a lot of time) – it’s best if sort of fried crunchy, the thinner the better (the ones in the photo are too thick).

This is before putting on the spices which as usual obliterates the dish. However, when the spices are all mixed in, it sort of looks like the above but a lot grainier, speckled and whatnot. I could have taken another photo but the phone was charging. What better excuse to give when you’re hungry and have had it with taking photos which given my smart phone is just not going to come out anyway.

Only secrets here are:

chunks of apple to go with the tempeh

super thin sliced broccoli

1/2 tomato and tempeh fried in separate parts of pan and sidelined

greens, onion, garlic added to the pan and undercooked

noodles soaked in two changes of boiling hot water from the coffee maker before adding at the end

7 cloves garlic (that’s no secret after you’ve eaten it)

Spices: turmeric, black pepper, coriander, oregano, sweet basil (think), salt, dash soy sauce (which I forgot).

Google images of great looking tempeh

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PROBLEM of getting up during the night and how I solved it. Had a problem. There were nights when I would get up 6-7 times and other nights when I got up once. Because it’s cold here, that once is too much. Multiply that by 7 and you get the reason I had to find out why there was the difference between time A (which is most of the time) and time B.Well, last night was a time B. Out of nowhere after many nights of 7s, I actually only got up once. What was the deciding factor?

Chinese vegetarian

I thought it might be my daughter’s chinese vegetarian dish with rice from last night. Humm, that’s it. Nothing else. So, after this 1 minute bit of research during the day, I ate some more of my daughter’s dish at night.

Nope! Didn’t do it.

So the next night I stood there at the sink to guess what I might like to eat at 9:00 at night which wouldn’t keep me awake, I thought of a buckwheat pancake with oatmeal. Nothing particularly novel. And as I was preparing it, I realized that the one time night had been preceded with oatmeal which wasn’t fully cooked, either with the length of time or the amount of moisture, and it acted like a sponge as it expanded during the night. Problem solved. All I had to do now is wait to see if this logical reasoning actually solved the problem.

Made enough for 2 nights. Here are the ingredients: buckwheat (which is not a grain and easily digested with a minimal turning-to-sugar property of normal grains (carbohydrates), egg (free range), oatmeal, baking powder, salt (actually put it on after cooking), topped with butter, coconut oil, cinnamon, nutmeg, 7 drops of Stevia, a date (from the date palm) spread.

Results: Experiment failed. Got up 7 times.

Both the chinese vegetarian dish and the buckwheat pancake with oatmeal. They are now both reserved for when they might solve some other problem – like hunger.

Probable answer: Green Tea

Today I realized the commonality of the failed nights. I drank green tea (other teas might do it also) after 8:00pm, while on all the nights with numerous trips, I had had coffee much closer to bedtime. So everyone will say ‘We know that!”. Well, I wasn’t thinking and was starting to think I have a real physical problem. Solved, but I will try it a third time regardless of what I eat in order to test the hypothesis under different conditions.

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Keeping the Old Working

5 minutes to open up outlook express which normally takes 1 second. You know the feeling. And if not you either are lucky or you know someone who knows what they’re doing. Gives me plenty of time to think about where I’m going to spend my next vacation – right here where it usually is.

Most of our learning is by registering reactions which are usually very fast in coming. If we had to wait minutes or hours for things which normally take seconds, we would not learn very much, mostly because we have forgotten the context.

When you’re willing to wait for a long time before getting a reaction – that’s called science — or love.

But, what I’m experiencing right now is just an old computer.

 Concept Art: The beginning of winter

 Reality Art: cigarette, leaves, curb, photographer

If you want to deny yourself winter colds, fevers, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, cancer and a whole host of unpleasant things, this is the dish to prepare. Plus, it is really a taste treat. Made of some of the things you probably would normally try to avoid like quinoa, swiss chard.

My cat Attackit is doing great except she’s upset with something right now. But usually, time is passed just sitting and waiting for the next meal (A repeat note on her name: As a small kitten she somehow found her way through the window into my apartment which is on the second floor, and in the total commanding fury of small kitten fluff defending territory, threw herself at top speed toward a hugh tom which had also interloped. I’ve never seen a big cat move so fast conceding territory to something 1/8 his size.)
Fast forward three years – Now she’s looking for a place to pee in the flower boxes, and when I tell her she’s not to, she flicks her tail as if to say ‘wish you hadn’t seen that’. I told her to go in the catbox or go outside. Seems she’s done the latter – or at least is somewhere contemplating it.
 
Wrote to a friend a number of days later:
Attackit has apparently left me. After coming a number of mornings from long nights away, she would come to me for petting, purring, and eating which was followed by disappearing to only reappear the next morning. Did this three times. I think she was sort of telling me she had found a new home, and that was her way of breaking it to me gently. She was a great kitty. I will miss her. I just hope she is happy where she is.
No-Ney never leaves. So I guess that’s some form of compensation, but there are some things that are irreplaceable. Have tears in my eyes.
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Five Minute Omelet
Fast track to an omelet early in the morning after having fed No-Ney, the cat who gets what she wants, when she wants it, where she wants it by meowing and weaving in and out of my legs with constant purring. See, you can get what you want in life – it just takes using the right amount of meows, purrs, athletic dexterity, and singleness of purpose.
Of course, having the source or provider close at hand does help.
 
Procedure: Heat pan on low flame with sufficient olive oil to cover bottom. While heating, mix 2 eggs, a bit of water, some buckwheat flour and a small amount of baking soda (all carefully measured by eye) in a jar and shake, with the lid on of course. By this time, the oil is smoking. Pour and cover to cook while putting sunflower seeds, pecans, walnuts into a strainer to be rinsed with boiling water from the coffee maker. And by this time, the omelet is ready. All of about 5 minutes. What takes time is taking the pictures. Solution: take no pictures.

This is what it looks like with the spices which almost obliterate all. Of course, it would have been better if I had put the spices on before the nuts and syrup but that would have taken forethought, something I’m in short supply of early in the morning.
 

Couldn’t find the omelet so this is the same thing (eggs) in a different form (scrambled) after putting all the spices on top. Includes cinnamon (powdered), ginger (powdered form), nutmeg (powdered), salt – and since we’re defining types (granulated).
Would have used milk instead of water, but I’m trying to find out what I’m allergic to, and milk is the next on the list to leave out. 
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This isn’t pretty, but it gets the job done.

If you are on a low or non-sugar and a low or non-glutin diet, or trying to find out what is causing an allergic reaction and rash sort of thing, or on a ketogenic diet to lose weight, or trying to stem epilpsy, or want a power breakfast, or have run out of sugar and bread, or just like what you see, this is the breakfast for you.
 
Two eggs fried in butter with slices of goat cheese on top (no, I can’t find them either, but if I said they’re there, then they’re there), pecans, hummus with cayenne pepper and the regular spices turmeric, black pepper, thyme, oregano, salt.
 
I’m not going to say anything about the cayenne since I’ve covered it elsewhere, but it is absolutely amazing stuff. Just keep it in proportion to the hummus or tahini you have it in. Look it up or click here Cayenne Pepper  or here 17 Health Benefit of Cayenne Pepper 
 
And when we get to turmeric, it beats pharmaceutical drugs in preventing cancer

To see what else each of these these spices do, see The Healing Power of Spices
The spices of Asian cooking: Spices of Life

After that, you can see why I put so much of the spices on my dishes and why I add them after cooking. One of my dishes as an illustration:
                           Before

 
                                After

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A dark chocolate chip muffin.
The only thing that gets me out of the house each day for a 4 km walk. This gets me there – 2km. Then I have to get back home somehow.  Day before yesterday I cheated and took the bus. Wow, that felt good seeing all that scenery flash by.

Why I walk 4km each day

Had to show you the inside with the dark chocolate!

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Cauliflower?
 
Have resisted buying cauliflower because it seemed too big for one person. Then I heard someone say that cauliflower should be cut with a knife into small pieces. Just cut across the top. And the very next day I saw a small cauliflower — things sort of come together like that. Life is made up of things occurring in tandum.
Plus the fact that it does some amazing things for the body – just take a look at this for its health benefits and an amazing mashed cauliflower dish cauliflower
eggplant (cut into small pieces)
mushrooms
onion
green stuff
garlic if I had had it
turmeric
black pepper
thyme
basil
oregano
salt
coconut oil
Don’t cook it too much.

This has changed my thinking about cauliflower. Will actually buy it again – when I can find a small one.
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This is cheat oatmeal

There are things which should not be in there, But I added them in token amounts as psychological support to enjoying breakfast – 5 raisins, 1/4 cap maple syrup (and let me tell you, that’s next to nothing), but you’d be amazed how much I look forward to the next bite knowing there might be a taste of them. I am trying the no sugar, no grain diet – and really, it’s not as hard as I thought it would be. There are an amazing amount of things which I never thought of eating before which are actually quite good – like heavy (whipping) cream (unsweetened and no additions), lots of real butter, multiple eggs per day, lots of tomatoes, broccoli, sauerkraut, oatmeal, and the list goes on and on. It’s amazing the amount of stuff you really don’t require that we have based our life on – not only do we not need most of it, but because it gives so little of what we do need, we look for more and more as we try desperately to make up for whatever is lacking.  The keto diet basic principle: Instead of carbohydrates (sugars, grains, fruits),  get the body to start burning fat by giving it nothing but good fats, proteins, roughage and ….really does give all of the nutrients and roughage you need once you’ve made the transition. It’s making the transition that’s the difficult part psychologically, and just getting to the point where you have stocked up on what is really necessary without all of the sugars, fruits, and grains.
 
Ingredients: whey powder, pecans, walnuts, sunflower seeds, oatmeal, coconut oil, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg.
About 9 small drops of Stevia take up the rest of the necessary space in the taste department.

An excellent overview of protein powder and alternatives Is Your Protein Powder Toxic
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Doesn’t Everyone Eat Swiss Chard?
Found the photo for this dish. It was so out of focus that I can’t use it. But, the dish itself was incredible – for swiss chard. So I’ll talk about it anyway, and below give another rendition of chard with a better photo. 

This dish does 3 things which are very important:
First, it cooks all of the chard which otherwise would just sit there in the fridge and rot after the first few leaves are cooked. Swiss chard is one of my favorite greens, but have you had chard 3 times in a row?
Thought not?
Second, it uses the second half of the red pepper which would otherwise gather mold in the fridge.
Third, gave me a chance to pet the cat. Well, I didn’t have a third, and she didn’t come to me until I made  the smallest movement away from the desk in order to take the photo of the dish.

O.K., so after the photo, I shovelled it back into the pan with all the rest until I figure out how I’m going to keep two days worth of chard in the refrigerator. I’m running out of plastic boxes.
One of the great things about swiss chard is that the stems become tender and eatable, unlike celery, after just 3-4 minutes on the stove. Also, so as not to overcook the leaves and lose most of the vitamins, etc., another 2-3 minutes is enough. And it tastes great with onion and bell pepper with salt and whatever other spices you decide to put on it.
The process: I put the sliced onion and the cut bell (never have figured out the best way to cut a bell pepper) in the pan with some boiling water first (used the coffee maker to boil the water since I can never wait for that to happen), while thoroughly washing all of the chard, cutting the stems and leaves and adding them.
Spices: salt, pepper, thyme, sweet basil, oregano (didn’t have it), and za’atar.
Oil: 2 teaspoons of coconut oil, two heaping tsps pure butter.

 Another use for swiss chard

Includes: swiss chard, summer squash, tomato slices, some strands of spaghetti, and separately fried tempeh. It all disappeared within 2 minutes after this photo.
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Attackit came back today!!!!!
Gone for three weeks. She was suddenly there, acting sort of distant and unsure, so I almost thought it was another cat. When  I said “Attackit, you’re back!!!” and went toward her, she continued to act like a stray cat and wouldn’t let me touch her or even get close. So, I fed her and she disappeared, only to return about an hour later, all loving and as if nothing had happened. Almost as if she had been afraid of my reaction to her having left in the first place. Interesting… Can’t get out of her where she was all that time. But she’s much thinner. So dreams do have their down side.

 Notice: Recipes, such as there are, forthcoming when photos are available

Another Day 
‘Anyway’ should be my mantra – not ‘any way’ which would mean that I can do any thing, but ‘anyway’ with a sigh meaning something like ‘well, that’s the way it is, can’t expect anything more’. Just fell – again. That’s 2 times in the space of 3 days. Not good as an average type of thing. And I had good reasons for each, like I lost my balance putting on my socks, and the second time, I tripped over a box I had put there right in my normally traveled pathway, ready to be thrown out. I guess the box had to have its due. And the socks thing? I usually put on my socks first, so there I was lying naked on the floor with my socks on, wondering if I could get up. My age sometimes gets the better of me. And someone was passing in the hallway on the stairs outside my door, but due to my state of dress, there was no way I could call out for help. In any case, I did get myself up. And the second time, I was carrying breakfast – well that was the end of the oatmeal (that’s the second time in two days that the oatmeal has ended up on the floor. I wonder if I’m being told something), with the scalding hot coffee all over my face. Got up with the aid of the chair but couldn’t find my glasses. Finally found them on the top of a shoe box under the sideboard – in perfect shape. I swear I’m being looked after. That’s aside from my klutzy movements from which I cannot be saved. 
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Talking about getting up – was watching a child just learning to walk, with lots of encouragement from mom. He would fall down repeatedly and just get up with no problem and continue. That’s the way it worked. But once you have learned to walk, that’s when the problems start. Even then, it’s amazing how a mother’s kiss on the wounded limb solves everything and stops the crying for a four year old for whom falling was no longer the norm. That’s what it’s all about – expectation, and mom’s support. 
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The Dinner To Possibly End It All 
I’ve been trying to get myself to remember some cooked sweet potatoes that have been left in the refrigerator. Tonight was remember night. Opened the plastic whatever up and there they were, with little white spots on them. Can’t remember those from before. What to do?  
Step by step: and if you don’t see this comment, well… 
Cooked them again in its original water (should have added some onion and garlic to the mix for all of the antimicrobial stuff they contain) with some broccoli which, by the way, did not have any white spots. 
Once on the plate, put lots (and I mean lots) of turmeric on (with some black pepper to help in the digestive process) because according to one source it takes care of “antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, antioxidant, antiseptic, cardioprotective, hepatoprotective, nephroprotective, radioprotective, and digestive activities” problems http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92752/  
Added a layer of cinnamon because it fights its own corner of the world by taking care of different forms of bacteria, fungus and parasites http://www.herbwisdom.com/herb-cinnamon.html  For other medicinal uses for cinnamon.
Would have added oregano and thyme which guard against their own bevy of microbials and fungi but felt I had already covered the field.  
 
We’ll see. 
 
Update: the taste was not bad (with plenty of butter) and I’m still here. But don’t take this as the end-all of how-tos. Your white spots may be different from my white spots. But at least you know some of the spices which do have an anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral, anti-whatever effect and can be used whenever and however there is any question. That may be one good reason to put cinnamon on the top of a cappuccino – aside from the fact that it may solve some hard to handle health problems, it’s great – being slightly sweet and having its own unique taste. 
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Decided that I really may not have much time left. I pressed the blue dot on my phone-camera and it didn’t register. No matter how many times I did it, no click, until suddenly out of nowhere it reacted – I think my frustration level got high enough to register as plausible force. I will have to take the phone in to be checked, and if they notice me, maybe I’m doing something wrong. Always think positively.  This dish should not be emulated – tasted terrible. But at least I got some greens (swiss chard) which I haven’t had in 2 or 3 days – very bad. Maybe one of the reasons for the non-registry. I’m out of spices except for turmeric – if I live it’s because of that. Was going to cut up an onion but forgot – not much of a game plan in my cooking. Almost out of olive oil, so cooked it in water. Also, by the way, out of coffee. This living alone sucks. Added a tomato, and 5 cloves of garlic. Put half of the remaining butter on top of the finished product. Didn’t help in the taste department. 
Lessons: eat greens at least once a day 
                buy olive oil so you can fry stuff 
                buy coffee 
                find someone to live with, hopefully better at  
                  remembering things and better at cooking. 
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Just another morning until…
I was not putting the food down fast enough and the stray cat that I feed breakfast to each morning got confused – I’m giving her the benefit of the doubt. Like before when she bit me, it was because my petting her got in the way of eating – confused or not, she knew what she wanted. But for me, doing the same thing and expecting different results is a sign of insanity – to paraphrase a quote misattributed to Einstein – or my case a sign of stupidity. For other great quotes attributed and misattributed to Einstein, see http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein. So next time, I think I’m going to put the food down before opening the window.  
And as for the bite, I immediately put on one of the best and most immediate sources of stopping bleeding as well as providing instant antibacterial activity – cayenne pepper. Of course, let it bleed a bit to flush it out (usually not a problem as those teeth are sharp). 
And as for the cayenne itself, I could have used powder instead of flakes but then I wouldn’t have gotten the artistic effect I had on my arm. Carry plastic bag of the stuff in my pocket. It stops bleeding in 10-20 seconds or faster, and if taken as 1 teaspoon to a glass of warm water, will stop internal hemorrhaging in about the same amount of time. It is truly great stuff. And also for all the other things it does for you – it is an incredible herb. When half a teaspoon is taken in a glass of warm water on the occurrence of a heart attack it will stop the attack in its tracks. It is also very good for the pain of arthritis, ulcers and many other conditions: Natural News , Global Healing Center, BellaOnline   
This is one herb you want to know something about.  
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 Just Checking Him Out

Most of my dishes I’ll never try again. Not because they’re not good but just because I never seem to have the same ingredients when I want something for lunch or dinner, and my appetite gives me exactly 12 minutes to satisfy it. But this one was something which I will actually try my hardest to replicate, which means keeping it in mind when I go shopping next time, which I have done for oatmeal with nuts and seeds for breakfast for about half a year now, but for nothing else.
So, in lieu of a photo, here is a verbal description – Delicious.
That is a word which I would not normally use for a lentil dish.
And the ingredients:

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– that’s a symbol for pause while I went back and finished off the plate (it’s that good).
><
I’m back!

Ingredients:
lentils – as much as you think you’re going to eat, which depends on how much you can’t stand lentils, body size, size of hunger pangs, etc.
Boil in water while the rest is being prepared.
cut up and dice 1/2 red pepper, 1/2 red onion, 4-5 garlic cloves
some dried wakame (very good for the iodine which you may be low on causing all sorts of problems (check it out. You really may be low which is really not good for you). And if you’re pregnant – extremely important for the new baby in terms of IQ and a lot of other things (see the link below).
Put it all in when the lentils are done, (more or less) and add lots of coconut oil, and if the water has just about disappeared, a small amount of water and cover.
Cook for another 3-4 minutes; transfer to plate
Add salt, oregano, sweet basil (didn’t put it in but would have made it even better), turmeric (and I’m talking about at least a tablespoon or more, and not the way we usually use spices, which is something on the order of the way we use salt, which is just not enough), a small amount of black pepper to help in the digestion of the turmeric, and, if you have it, a bit of butter.

Resources:
Iodine in your pregnancy diet
http://www.babycenter.com/0_iodine-in-your-pregnancy-diet_667.bc 
7 Foods Rich in Iodine
http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/iodine-foods/

The great pick-me-up
Since lemon juice and apple cider vinegar are both so good for you for any number of reasons (from cleaning out, shoring up, keeping it going, destroying what needs to be destroyed and settling everything, what have you), I decided to mix the juice of half a lemon together with 2-3 tablespoons of ACV (that’s apple cider vinegar for those of us who don’t do so well with initials – can never get the hang of it), and 8 drops of Stevia to make a truly incredible cocktail before everything else in the morning. It tastes great. Then, since I can’t wait for that freezing part of grating frozen lemons onto whatever to add all of the extras which the peel of the lemon gives you, I just grate (on the large part of the grater) some of the peel on my oatmeal and nuts, under the cinnamon and maple syrup, and I figure that I’m ready for another day of disappointments (why not tell it like it really is most of the time) with the surprises which make life more than worth living. Which is why I know that I’ll come back in, after it’s all over. Which is maybe why I’m learning Spanish, because I certainly don’t plan on using it on this round.

She wanted more of the attention than the food
Although she didn’t turn that down either.
But immediately asked for more petting when she finished, before leaving me again for the night. I’m just very glad that she enjoys wherever she has found an alternative whatever.
I’m talking about my cat.
And I’m left with no-ney (short for No Name) who never leaves. When she doesn’t like the smell of the cat sand box, she digs up the flower pots to pee. And when I pet her, she constantly moves, turning to mock bite me, making her sound interspaced with purring. Whenever I move away from the desk she is immediately out of the delivery box which she has temporarily designated as THE sleeping place, and is weaving back and forth between my legs with her incessant meow, which in her case is maya-awwwwe. And when she is not waiting on the other side of the door to dart into the room I don’t want her in, she’s going out the window and up the sheer wall to my second floor porch to the part of the apartment which is off limits. And when I tell her that she’s “a pain in the a**,  but she’s a nice kitty” she doesn’t seem to hear either the disapprobation or the complement, and just keeps doing whatever is so exasperating, whether it’s sniffing the cat litter and then searching for a nice potted plant, or constantly getting between me and what I’m trying to do, if it’s on her level, wherever.

By the way
check out http://www.spellchecker.net/spellcheck/ for excellent spell checking (most of the time) and grammar checking. I’m not being paid for this advertisement, but I use it so often I thought I really should give something back. Haven’t used the grammar part, which is why I can get away with such grievous errors.

What to do about a flea infestation: As a public service

I’m talking here about a real flea infestation where an individual is constantly bitten by cat fleas. I have lived with a cat for 4 years and never before can I remember being bitten by a flea, even though she had them. This time is different.
These fleas which are causing the infestation I picked up outside from a spot where there were a lot of ‘homeless’ fleas. I know exactly where it was because they bit as soon as they landed. And there were a number, so that when I got home the pregnant ones gave birth and the others did their thing to keep the population going.

First off, there is a temporary solution in brewer’s yeast

Neutralizing of the flea problem for the cats
As for fleas on my cats, since the start of the infestation in the apartment, they were scratching a lot until I started putting about a level tsp of brewers yeast powder in their breakfast once a day, thoroughly mixed in, but making sure to put a bit of ‘untreated’ cat food on top, although the cats don’t seem to be bothered by it. The cats were really scratching, but after doing the above procedure each morning for about 3-4 days there was no longer any problem – no scratching (and I didn’t have to bathe them or do anything else). The fleas just can’t stand the taste or the smell of brewer’s yeast.

House cats not the usual source of infestation
I find that the only room in the house where I am not bitten is the porch (workroom) where my two cats sleep. Cat fleas really prefer cats – hence the name. From personal experience, house cats are not usually the cause of flea infestations. I have had my initial cat for years now and never been affected until now, even though she is allowed to go outside on her own. Also, during all this time, neighborhood cats have snuck into the apartment to eat whenever I’m not around. It would seem that most people pick up the fleas which become an infestation, as I did only recently, somewhere outdoors where the fleas can’t immediately find a cat, or in places where there is already an infestation.  

What to do so you can sleep and go out without fleas
So, what do you do when you have 100s of fleas, you are being attacked and it’s not just the normal fleas which every cat has? Until I get rid of them, I have developed a method for doing two extremely important procedures which enable me to sleep without being bitten by the fleas, and a way of getting rid of the fleas on me before I go out of the house.

How to go to bed without the fleas 
One thing to know is that fleas do not cling to skin, clothing, hair, etc. and slide or jump off when disturbed in the slightest way. It is claimed that fleas can jump 8 to 10 inches, according to some sources, and the height of the bed is 480 mm or about 18 inches which the fleas cannot navigate. These two pieces of information are important in understanding the following procedure which usually gives me a totally peaceful sleep during the night. First, if it is suspected that there are fleas in the bed itself, shake out the sheets, pillow case, and blankets. After a while, this is not necessary. The following procedure would appear to be a lot of work, but believe me, it works when you get it right. When wearing a nightgown or similar clothing, be sure to shake it out before putting it on. If lying down in house clothes, wearing loose fitting pants and shirts with short sleeves is helpful. If wearing socks, be sure that they are thick so that the fleas do not burrow through the material as easily, and also be sure to dust off your feet thoroughly with the socks or your hands when putting them on. As for me, since I work in the workroom with the cats, basically I just have to deal with the fleas in the bedroom, or other rooms I have to pass through to get to the bed. Just before lying down, run your hands over both arms and hands about 5-7 times, or just the hands if wearing long sleeves, although going over the long sleeves is also helpful. Then if there may be some in your hair, lean over and vigorously move the hands through the hair, and then do the hands and arms thing again. Then shake out the shirt or night clothes while on you, in particular lifting the bottom of the shirt or night gown up to shoulder level and then down before shaking it all out again. Then shake out the loose fitting pants about 40 times, then, take a step back and this is very important, go over your hands and arms again for any which have hopped off of the shirt and pants. Then sit down on the bed. When sitting down, be sure that your legs are against the bed so you don’t miss the bed while concentrating on the fleas and the procedure. Then, the critical part – while lying flat on the bed and your legs stretched out over the floor, brush your two feet over each other, and over the bottom of the pants and socks being sure to keep your legs level or just below the level of the top of the bed. If done correctly, there are usually no fleas left and is 100% effective. Sometimes it is not totally effective with 1 or 2 still remaining, but the more efficient the procedure becomes over time, the higher the percentage of success. Remember that this procedure has to be repeated after every trip to the bathroom during the night. It sounds like a lot of work, but it’s worth it. 
 
If, while lying there, there are leftover fleas on the hands, arms or lower legs, hold the effected limb over the side of the bed and brush the effected area off thoroughly, being sure to also brush off the hand or leg doing the initial brushing. Also brush off any part of the bed onto which a flea could have jumped. It may take one or two times to get effective at this, so do not give up. If I am bitten on the torso or upper legs, I generally suffer the bite and by not scratching find that the intense itching goes away in about ten minutes. However, if it’s more than one or two fleas, it might be necessary to get up and do the procedure again. 

Going out of the house without the fleas 
When going out, I can usually go out with almost no fleas, and in fact sometimes none, by adhering to the following procedure:  Wash the clothes, socks, etc. in soapy water and machine dry. Use a large plastic bag or cloth to put the clothes on near the door. Be sure to shake out the bag or cloth prior to transferring the clothes from the dryer. Wash the floor around the dressing area with water and some liquid soap. Be sure to wash the top of the baseboard and any other surface which might be a staging area. Take a shower, and if you suspect there are fleas in your hair, wash your hair. I have found that using a cat or dog flea comb can be helpful here. Go directly to your clothes, dusting off your legs and arms about 2-3 times before getting to the clothing area. It might be helpful to put apple cider vinegar on your legs up to the knees and on the arms. Dust off your feet and lower legs at a spot which is away from the door before putting on your socks and pants. Once you are fully dressed, dust off your lower clothes, socks, lower legs just above the socks, and arms before going out. Sometimes I can’t go into the coffee shop to get my cappuccino because my routine doesn’t work as well as most of the time.

One thing I have found is that fleas seem to be quite faithful and do not jump off if there is hair or clothing to wait in until the next meal, even if you have used all of the methods they can’t stand. So, any that make it through the procedure above will normally stay with you nestled in hair or under clothing until whatever you have used to neutralize yourself wears off. 
Part of this was added to Grandma’s Home Remedies http://www.grandmashomeremedies.com/cat-fleas.html Excellent site with many good comments.

Neutralize yourself (the other methods which give some extra protection)
Some methods which I have found helpful in dealing with a flea infestation. 
For myself, I put about a teaspoon full of brewer’s yeast into my own oatmeal in the morning. If I took an equivalent amount based on weight alone of me and my cat, I would have to take an amazing amount of brewer’s yeast – about 17 teaspoons (10 lbs weight of a cat to 175 me). I also drink about 2 teaspoons worth of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water once a day.  Adding a little bit of sugar or stevia can help get it down.
Vitamin B1 is very helpful up to a point. I have found that 4-5 100 mg B1 pills last about 5-7 hours at which time you start smelling good enough to eat again. They’ve just been sitting there waiting, wondering when dinner will be served. 
Also B complex has some B1 in it although not much. But every bit helps. If you become too inhospitable, they will remember and wait until the next passerby, hopefully a cat. 

Reduction of flea population 
I have found that putting 2-3 empty plastic cheese cartons under lamps about 4 inches above each one with some water and liquid soap is very effective, up to a point. The fleas are attracted by the light, and fall into the liquid drowning almost immediately and apparently somewhat painlessly because of the soap film on the surface of the water which cannot be navigated. The liquid soap used is a soapless soap called Dermapon which comes in a yellow plastic bottle. Other people have found other liquid soaps helpful. 
 
A lot of other methods people have tried would appear to cause some pain and dysfunction over time to the fleas, so I don’t want to use them. The first time I tried the soap and water, there were about 1200 fleas in the soapy water within a period of 7 days. I guess I really had it bad. After that, the numbers diminished quite rapidly. But there were always some too savvy to be attracted by the light. So bites continued but to a lesser degree. 

I don’t want to kill them. They have as much right to live as I do. But they constantly bite me, when they’re not biting the cats. And now they are all over. And I know that I must do something. Others suggest that I bomb the place – you know with anti-insect stuff, which all the web sites say doesn’t always work the first time. And where am I going to get all that money to have the professionals come again and again. Plus the fact that to die from chemicals would be one of the worst ways to go. Me and my cats would have to vacate for however long it would take until we could go back in and not be listed as some of the victims.

So there I am, deciding that the only way to do it is by a light over a number of bowls of liquid soap water in different parts of the house, where I am told they die instantly, almost mercifully without pain through drowning. I live alone or this could not have gone on as long as it has. Others say that it is almost as if I don’t even want to get rid of them. What do I want them for? And I beg off by saying that I just can’t do them in with anything which would cause pain or prolonged suffering. And the new spray which someone found out which would solve the problem? – In my mind it would cause a more catastrophic end than I find is justified for the fleas, for all other insects and even mice and rats. So it doesn’t just effect those with a certain physiological structure. By taking out the rats and mice, it could also take out my cats, and possibly even cause me problems.

Other possibilities
Of course the main goal is to get rid of the fleas entirely. There is also the possibility of using a vinegar spray on the floor which is a deterant to the fleas. Have not tried it, but for a good discussion of the use of vinegar, see http://fixfleas.com/vinegar-kills-fleas-effectiveness-of-vinegar-for-fleas/

Just ran across another method which I have also not tried yet. Will give the passage in full since it is short: Comment by Angelina in response to an article: “I found the solution to flea infestations when I discovered that my fleas had become resistant to commercial poisons. I cought (sic) several fleas and placed them into a container and then proceeded to find a household chemical that would kill them. This is what works best for me.  Mix four teaspoons of dish washing detergent and four shotglass full of rubbing alcohol with one gallon of water. Spray this mixture over your entire floor. Be careful with wood floors and test before using on valuable flooring. Your goal is to dampen all the rugs and flooring in the house at the same time, the flooring should be wet to the touch. I usually spray before bed or when I’m going away for a few hours to allow it to dry undisturbed. The spray drowns the fleas in about 30 seconds. You have to repeat the spray for a week to ten days to kill all the hatching eggs. This really works and is non toxic” source: http://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/natural-flea-control.aspx#ixzz2UDmhoNDz.”

Backup 

Below are two short, short lessons on  (1) a list of other words to use instead of always using the word ‘but’, and (2) a quasi rule to help decide where to put the emphasis in a word.

1. Do you want to find other ways to say ‘BUT’?

We often find ourselves using the word ‘but’ all of the time to

 express an opposite fact, action or feeling. However, there are many other words which can frequently take the place of ‘but’ and give you more latitude and variation in your speech, and writing.

 

Example of a sentence with ‘but’: I want to go, but I have decided to stay here.

The following are substitute expressions for the word ‘but‘ either used in the same sentence, or used to start a new sentence:

 

Usually used in the same sentence after a comma:

     example: I want to go, yet I have decided to stay here.

 

yet

although

though

whereas

except

even though

only

notwithstanding the fact that

but then

but for now

 

Examples: same sentence

    I want to go, although I have decided to stay here.
    I want to go, except I have decided to stay here.

    I want to go, notwithstanding the fact that I have decided to stay here.

    I want to go, but then, I have decided to stay here.
_______________________________

 

 

Other words for ‘but’ usually used to start a new sentence or after the punctuation marks ‘;’ and ‘:’

  Example: I want to go. However, I have decided to stay here.

 

however

nevertheless

nonetheless

then again

still

on the other hand

on the contrary

conversely

contrarily

alternatively

in contrast

anyway

still

in any case

anyhow

at any rate

 

Examples: For starting a new sentence

    I want to go. Then again, I have decided to stay here.

    I want to go. On the other hand, I have decided to stay here.

    I want to go. Nonetheless, I have decided to stay here.

 ___________________________________________________

 

 

 
 Woodworks – Sometimes the beauty is right under foot

2. WHERE IS THE STRESS ON SYLLABLES IN MULTISYLLABLE WORDS?

 

 We are often faced with the problem of where to place the stress in multisyllable words.

One quasi-rule may help in some cases depending on what figure of speech is being used: noun, adjective, or verb.

Basically the rule is as follows: If it’s a noun or an adjective, the emphasis is usually on the first syllable.

 

THAT’S IT. 
 

1. nouns and adjectives: emphasis is usually on the 1st syllable

 

Nouns:  table victory entrance number surface problem terminal capital

 

Adjectives: slender clever happy careful adequate

 

2. verbs: emphasis is usually on the 2nd syllable. Verbs: extol decide begin 

neglect receive complete inspect extend include  
 

Even words which are spelled exactly the same but have a different meaning as a noun, an adjective or a verb, place the emphasis on different parts of the word. Remember: first syllable for nouns and adjectives, second syllable for verbs.

 

examples:

record: They have a record (n) of every sale which they record (v) at the time of each transaction.  

 

present: He wanted to present (v) the present (gift) (n) to his girlfriend while her mother was present (adj)

 

import: the latest import (n) was something they had wanted to import (v) for many years. 

 

entrance (put under a spell): It was her idea to entrance (v) the audience with her unusual entrance (n) on stage. 

 

Warning: there are many exceptions to this rule.

 

___________________________ 

Example words taken from the following sources:
http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/23435/is-misplaced-emphasis-a-form-of-mispronunciation

http://www.englishclub.com/pronunciation/word-stress-rules.htm

Also see some additional two syllable words at:
http://www.grammar.net/same-word-different-meaning

http://www.righttrackreading.com/lesson71.pdf

 

 

Lentils and Chinese Pumpkin Noodles TOGETHER

The Essentials for reaching 100 years 

                THE 5 teaspoons of…

Alone

Just you and leftovers
When cooking for yourself and you live alone, and you have a lot of leftovers, or stuff just sits in your fridge or elsewhere for days, weeks or months, it might be wise to use a number of antiseptic and antibacterial spices (see below) on your food, just to make sure you make it through to the next day.

For extra caution, when you really have suspect food and that’s all there is, you might down some sodium bicarbonate (1 tsp) in a glass of water before the meal, or just dump it on the food itself. Aside from all of its other uses, it’s a great antiseptic and antibacterial. Aside: however, if you are on a high calcium diet or taking calcium supplements, you might be careful since sodium bicarbonate may cause problems if there is an overload of calcium in the body. Check out this reference http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_bicarbonate#As_a_cleaning_agent

Now to tonight’s dish
‘don’t mess with me’
Not shown for esthetic reasons, although the real reason is the camera is still not working.

 The dish? Highly suspect rice-lentil combination donated to the cause by my daughter four days ago and kept in my minimally performing refrigerator, together with some vegetables I had cooked two days ago, and some picante tomatoes, from a jar, which had a healthy layer of mold on one of the slices. Figured that cooking it all for 8-10 minutes would solve most of the problems. But to just make sure, I poured on a healthy amount of turmeric, thyme, oregano, basil, coriander and cumin, all antibiotics in their own right, when the stuff was finally on the plate. In other words, I took absolutely no chances, plus I liked the resulting taste. Then, I looked at the dish, and because it looked back, I took the cinnamon packet and poured a small amount on top since this is one of the best antiseptic spices in the world. I would have added some cayenne pepper, but I wanted to enjoy my meal.

Of course, all of this is not necessary in a clean, all-cooked-just-that-day, excellent refrigerated food storage, etc. kitchen. So, when your partner sets a dish in front of you, don’t automatically reach for the spice rack – very bad form.

Don’t overlook  the fact, that in most cases, the body can take care of most of these situations through its own microbial action. I just didn’t want to overload an already exhausted system which is keeping me healthy regardless of my environment. Also, I had started the whole heating process by frying a chopped up onion and the picante tomatoe slices before adding the rice-lentil-vegetable mix. I would have added garlic if I had had it since both onions and garlic have their own antibacterial action. If you want the full story on any of these, see http://www2.hawaii.edu/~johnb/micro/m140/syllabus/week/handouts/m140.8.3.html

List of everything I did to be sure my meal didn’t end up eating me
1 tsp sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) in a glass of water
frying or boiling for 8-10 minutes
turmeric
thyme
oregano
basil
coriander
cumin
onion
cinnamon
not used this time: 
    1 tbsp apple cider vinegar in a glass of water (for lunch)
    cayenne pepper (a lot used at lunch in hummus)
    garlic

 _______________________________

Bonnie Bassler studies how bacteria can communicate with one another, through chemical signals, to act as a unit. Her work could pave the way for new, more potent medicine.  

Six Very Important Rules To Master For Good English

1. Use of ‘s’ on verbs for he, she, it
Why say sings instead of sing. Always put ‘s’ or ‘es’ on the end of verbs in the present when speaking about he, she, or it (third person singular). He sings when he is happy. The dog barks when hungry. He does not want to go. She goes whenever she likes.  The meal stays hot in the cooker.
It is exactly the opposite of what you would expect. With all other persons and things,  the verb never has the ‘s’. This includes ‘ I, you, we, they’ in the present tense: I sing when I am happy. You cook when sad. We do nothing on our holiday. They sit for long periods of time. The cities heat up during the summer.

This is often difficult to apply when speaking about things or concepts which seem to involve plurals but are actually singular. Everybody says it differently (meaning each individual [every body]). The phone’s connection was bad (one phone possessive). Industry in the States changes rapidly (the word changes relates to the single concept of ‘industry’ and not to the noun ‘States’. On the other hand, ‘Industries in the States change rapidly’. The noun ‘Industries’ is plural and therefore there is no ‘s’ on the verb.

Be careful of verbs which normally end with an ‘s’: They stress the cat. Add ‘es’ to form the singular. She stresses the cat. But, the ‘They stress the cat’ stays the same.

The following are all incorrect:
Incorrect: The cat like his food.
Incorrect: She buy only what she want.
Incorrect: They wants many things.
Incorrect: The birds sings.
Incorrect: She have a bird and want get another.

Reminder:
Remember to use ‘s’ with he, she, it: he sings, she sleeps, it works.
But never use ‘s’ with I, you, we, they: I sing, you sleep, we work, they cook

______________
Other English Language Page Additons To Blog

 2. The verb ‘to be’ (am, is, are, was, were, to be) must be used in front of ‘ing’ verbs
When there is a verb with ‘ing’ on the end, there must be a verb ‘to be’ (am, is, are, was, were, will be) in front of it. And vice versa: when there is a verb ‘to be’, any verb connected to it must have ‘ing’. I am going to the party. She is, happily and with bells on, going with me to the party. It does not matter how many non-verbs are in between (she is going…). They were coming also. They will be driving with me. We are sitting this one out.

The only problem with ‘ing’ words is when they are really nouns and not verbs: I like singing in the shower. Hint: Try putting the words ‘the act of’ before the word with ‘ing’. If it makes sense, then it is a noun and does not need the verb ‘to be’ in front of it: ‘I like ‘the act of’ singing in the shower’ is a successful indication of a noun.
However, the sentence: ‘I am ‘the act of’ going to the party’ does not make sense. Therefore, ‘going’ is a verb and it must have ‘am, is, was, were, to be’ in front of it. Of course, if there is ‘the’ or ‘a’ in front of the word, then it is a noun.
Example: I feel like a talking puppet whenever she is around.

The following are all incorrect:
Incorrect: We swimming when we go to the lake.
Incorrect: I am see only what I want to see.
Incorrect: He is walk for 3 miles every day.
Incorrect: They are plan to go?
Incorrect: They looking for a good house.

3. Must have a pronoun in front of a single noun: usually ‘a’, ‘an’ or ‘the’
Always put something in front of a single noun. Usually it is ‘a’ or ‘an’, but it can be:  ‘the, my/your/his/her/its/our/their, this/that’. Plural nouns do not need anything, or they can have all of the above except for ‘a/an’. Of course, ‘this/that’ can also be used with a single noun, and it must be changed to ‘these/those’ for plural nouns.

Examples: I have a dog.
However, with plural nouns: do not use a pronoun:  I have dogs, or use any pronoun other than ‘a, an’: He is buying this shirt.

Exceptions: There are a small number of nouns which can be said without ‘a’ because they are considered to be processes and not single things: home, school, class, breakfast, lunch, dinner, bed: I am going to class, Do you want dinner? He is going to bed. I think I’ll have lunch.  Also, do NOT use ‘to’ in front of ‘home’: I am going home.  My daughter loves school.

Also, these words are considered singular but do not use ‘a’: sunglasses, pants, grass, hair: the grass is wet, his hair is short. She has long hair.
However, you can say ‘a pair of pants’, ‘a pair of sunglasses’, a head of hair, etc.

The following are all incorrect:
Incorrect: I am going to home.
Incorrect: They ordered meal.
Incorrect: They have a nice hair. (hair does not take ‘a’)
Incorrect: We are going to house.

Actually a pronoun can be used in front of all of these, but the meaning of the sentence and noun changes.
normally we would say: I am going to school. However, if you say ‘I am going to a school… then it is assumed that you might be talking about a special school (i.e. which specializes in cooking).

4. Put ‘to’ in between two connected verbs
In the present tense, when there are two verbs together, the second verb is always the root form of the verb, and there is a ‘to’ in front of it. I go to run when I get tired of reading. He goes to eat in a restaurant (remember the ‘s’ or ‘es’ on the verb in the present: goes). We want to sleep. He tries to work during the early hours.

This is not true with the verb ‘to be’ and a following verb with ‘ing’: She is buying food. They were getting bread. And it is not true of the modal verbs except for the modal verb ‘ought to’: The modal verbs: can, could, should, would, may, might, must, ought to, shall, will.

The following are all incorrect:
Incorrect: I want cook when I come home.
Incorrect: They always start talk when movie begins.
Incorrect: My dog starts bark when he is hungry.

5. Modal verbs
There are ten special verbs which are always used together with another verb, and is always the first of the two verbs. It modifies the second verb, and never changes its spelling.

The modal verbs: can, could, should, would, may, might, must, ought to, shall, will

Other special characteristics: Never use ‘to’ after  a modal verb (except for the modal verb ‘ought to’). Also, any verb used after these special verbs are used in root form – example: I might run to lose weight. Always use the root form of the verb, in this case ‘run’, and never runs, running, ran, etc.

Other words may be put in the middle between a modal and its main verb but the model and its verb are considered a pair. I can usually check (can and check are a modal and its pair). I must, if the time is right, go to the store (modal ‘must’ with its verb ‘go’. Also, the modal is often used without its pair verb: Yes, I must. But in these cases, the verb is always implied: Yes, I must go.

Other examples of a modal and its main verb:
He must go. She should run. The cat can play. They ought to sign the contract. I may come. You can go.

The modal must, can and will are used the most in English.
Examples:
I must go.
She must eat now.
We must talk to him today.
I can ask him.
They can buy the present here.
You will see her over the weekend.
The idea will be brought up at the meeting. 

So to repeat the rules about modals:
– always used as the first of two verbs
– modifies the status of the main verb which is paired with it
– never changes its form or spelling
– second verb is always in root form with no changes of tense
– the word ‘to’ is never used between the two verbs (except for ‘ought to’)

The following are all incorrect:
Incorrect: He should always thinking before he acts.
Incorrect: They must to be on time.
Incorrect: She cans swim.
Incorrect: I must to talk to the man.
Incorrect: He should says what he mights to do in the future.

6.  Using verb ‘to be’ and ‘ed’ instead of ‘ing’
You are correct to use the ‘ing’ form of a verb when using the verb ‘to be’: am, is, are, was, were, will be.
I am going
I am teaching
He is singing
My students are learning
The dog was eating
They were sitting
We will be coming late
 
However,
when you are using the verb ‘to be’ to describe a person’s feelings, ‘ed’ is added to the end of the verb and not ‘ing’.
Examples: ‘I am excited’ which means how you feel. You can say ‘I am exciting’ but that means that you are exciting to other people, and it does not relate to your feelings.
 
In the following, we can say I am interesting, disappointing, tiring, depressing, exciting, boring – but this says how the person is or appears to other people.  When it expresses how you or a person feels, use ‘am, is, are, was, were, will be’ with the ending ‘ed’: I am finished. She is tired. They are discouraged.
 
Other examples:
I’m interested
we are interested
she is interested
I’m disappointed
I am tired 
I am depressed
he is depressed
I am bored
they are bored

The following are all incorrect:
Incorrect: I teaching in the morning.
Incorrect: They were sing in school.
Incorrect: The dogs and cats singing outside the window.
Incorrect: Everyone on my team is frustrating.
___________

One sentence with examples of all 6 errors:
He tell me that I have get package at post office, but I must to have a notice. I am discouraging because the post office is ask for the notice, and I want give it, but I always forgetting it.

Correct
He tells me that I have to get a package at the post office, but I must to have a notice. I am discouraged because the post office is asking for the notice, and I want to give it, but I am always forgetting it.
___________

Answers to all other incorrect sentences in the lesson

Rule 1
The cat likes his food.
She buys only what she wants.
They want many things.
The birds sing.
She has a bird and wants to get another.

Rule 2
We are swimming when we go to the lake.
I am seeing only what I want to see.
He is walking for 3 miles every day.
Are they planning to go?
They are looking for a good house.

Rule 3
I am going home.
They ordered a meal.
They have nice hair. (hair does not take ‘a’)
We are going to the house.

Rule 4
I want to cook when I come home.
They always start talking when the movie begins.
My dog starts barking when he is hungry.

Rule 5
He should always think before he acts.
They must be on time.
She can swim.
I must talk to the man.
He should say what he might do in the future. Remember, no ‘s’ on ‘should’, ‘say’ or ‘might’ or ‘to’ since they are modal verbs.

Rule 6
I am teaching in the morning.
They were singing in school.
The dogs and cats are singing outside the window.
Everyone on my team is frustrated.

Contents
The other stuff is carrier. The herbs and spices are the real food.
Surviving a flea attack
Turmeric, ‘the mother of all spices’
Making the right decision for my kidneys
Knowledge of the future and the International Date Line

before the spices which obliterate it

 This isn’t what you think it is. It’s only the base.
OK, so this is the base for my real breakfast. As you know, if you have been following along here, I think that herbs and spices are the real food which we tend to either bypass totally by ignoring them, partially ignoring by sprinkling a small amount on as “taste” purveyors, or because they are part of some recipe we’re following. This is serious business. If you look up what each spice or herb I use below can do for you and the wide range of ailments, general good health and solutions to all sorts of problems they cover, you might begin to eat entirely differently. Which is not to say that you can use anything as a base – like a white flour, white sugar, and canola oil pancake which in and of itself will increase the possibility of diabetes, increase body fat, and downright starve the cells of everything they need to just barely exist because most of the nutrients needed for life have been processed out of the ingredients.
And yes, you lose some of the taste of all that delicious white flour and sugar. Which means that you need to reset your taste expectations to really gear up to eating healthily, and enter a whole new world of taste treats which you never knew existed. It’s incredible. Tastes which you thought only came with high priced foods in restaurants serving meals from foreign lands, sort of thing, become routine. So picture this, because I was too hungry to photograph after putting on all of the following.
The final egg/mushroom/red bell pepper/avocado omelet I ate was totally obliterated by the following spices which literally covered the dish so that you could not see what was under it – thyme, sweet basil, etc, really serious coverage of cayenne pepper (a heaping tablespoon), and a dash of sea salt and black pepper. With some coconut oil, that was one great breakfast. And the taste, with the base as pictured, was indescribably delicious.
_________________________

Another in the Saga of Surviving a Flea Attack using Brewer’s Yeast and Apple Cider Vinegar 

This was built in stages. I forgot to add the brewer’s yeast to the original, so poured it on top of the already cooked buckwheat pancake. Then because it would not taste so great, cracked another egg over it in order to seal it on and  deaden the taste. Then decided that walnuts and raisins would look great after I had already added the cinnamon and maple syrup.

Explanation: the brewer’s yeast does give a little lift to the buckwheat which otherwise is uninspired to do anything but sit there. But in this case, since I am fighting a flea attack, and fleas do not like the taste of brewer’s, I decided it had to be added. In fact, I had gotten up in the middle of the night because of the problem. Drank a glass of water with 2 tsp of apple cider vinegar in it, which they also can’t stand, and ate a fried egg with some brewer’s yeast on it.  Worked like a charm.

Tahini Eggs and Turmeric, ‘the mother of all spices’

Well, this did not have the expected effect of waking me up and endowing me with new energy. I had to go and lie down. After another 1/2 hour snooze, I struggled to my feet for my 4 km walk. That cappuccino in the middle of the walk does it for me every time. And linked with a dark-chocolate-bit-home-made-muffin (that’s the name of it) sure doesn’t hurt. We have to have some nudges and incentives in our lives to keep us going. Of course, I may look back on this era as the days and goals which kept me from becoming diabetic and losing my whatever.
So, what does this dish do for me? 
The healthy tan on the egg – 2 eggs with a small amount of water and some coconut oil – is due to the fact that I forgot it while doing other things. Forget what the other things were, memory not being at the top of my list of things to stay on top of these days. Anyway, that’s tahini in the middle with lots of cayenne pepper – which does so much good for you but is difficult to get down without the coconut oil – which is mixed in there with the water giving a nice smooth running tahini actually making the omelet taste healthy along with the thyme. and the turmeric, which is supposed to be a bulwark against Alzheimer’s as well as a booster of memory. And the other spices which do more or less the same thing – cumin, sage, rosemary and _____ I forget. Time to use more turmeric.

But now to describe the turmeric which has been called ‘the mother of all spices’ due in part to its wide ranging effects on the body – a fact which is summarized in this passage:
“Turmeric can rightly be called ‘ the mother of all spices’ . In fact evidence indicates that it is anti inflammatory, anti carcinogenic and anti diabetic to name a few of its health benefits. How turmeric exerts is manifold benefits is only starting to unravel as several labs around the world are investigating the molecular mechanisms of curcumin. Limited evidence suggests that turmeric and its active compound, curcumin, are effective for rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory diseases such as psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease (IBS), inflammatory eye disease and familial adenomatous polyposis. Other inflammatory diseases where turmeric might play an important role are neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis. Indeed these diseases are less common among people living in the Asian subcontinent, where people regularly consume spices.” http://ecoratorio.blogspot.co.il/2011/06/that-yellow-gold-no-not-that-one.html

Amaranth with spinach and mushrooms

I did it all wrong – at least the cooking of the amaranth. First, I should have read this article which gives the real lowdown on how to cook amaranth Oh well, it tasted great even though it had not fully cooked, and I didn’t pour off the water (because there was none left) to lower some of the non nutrient elements in the grain. Very high in protein and lacking some amino acids but is said to have been a major grain in the Aztec culture. So next time, I boil it in sufficient water, or pop it – which seems like too long and intensive a process to produce enough for one person, much less two (which I don’t have to worry about – now anyway. The ingredients added after the grain was fully cooked (or almost) and let simmer for another 3-4 minutes: red onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, spinach leaves, pecans, sea salt, za’atar, sweet basil, turmeric until mix is noticeably yellow in color. Drizzled a forkful of honey on top.

 Making the right decision for my kidneys

That black stuff is nigella sativa and it’s been there on the shelf for as long as I can remember. Never used it, until today – maybe a decision backed up by my decision to be sure that my kidneys were healthy and I reached for it sort of instinctively. I tend to do things like that. Don’t ask me where the instinct comes from. We all have it, and just tend to ignore it most of the time (but follow along anyway). Like today, I started to go around a tree in the middle of the sidewalk on one side and got the strong impression I should go around it on the other. Took the suggestion. Did it influence my destiny? All I know is that I’m still here. But, back to the present. And then just as instinctively, I reached for the coriander which I have tended to ignore for about 2 years now – maybe because it had sort of clumped together (I actually had to break it apart to sprinkle it on), but also because I felt I just didn’t need it. Now, with new focus, it seems to have gained some relevance. Most of the effect on kidneys for the nigella sativa is sort of tangential (what do they know?) as in this super article about nigella sativa which calls it black cumin, while most of the info for coriander is right on Clean your kidneys with coriander  (there must be an original for this but can’t find it).

Quinoa Splash

To continue the nigella and coriander saga, this is quinoa, the grain which is not a grain, with lots of garlic, onion, tomato and raisins, the afore mentioned spices plus Atlantic sea salt (real, no additives), butter, turneric (the mother of all spices), and of course, the avocado slices. Preparation: each added to the boiling quinoa depending on how many nutrients you want to lose in each.  

 
Knowledge of the future and the International Date Line
In one of my random thoughts – most of which are of absolutely no significance whatsoever, out of nowhere and with no relevance to my life or thinking at the time, I wondered where the International Date Line actually went and why. Two days later (and without looking for it) the answer came to me in the New York Times Blog which is delivered automatically each day to my email ‘The Border That Stole 500 Birthdays’  quote “The date line is the logical consequence of the so-called Circumnavigator’s Paradox” endquote, and a lot more. Truly magnificant article.

The great unanswered question – Was my random thought a precognition of a future event in an unordered cause and effect universe, or a part of a fixed and intrinsically intertwined unchanging universe producing cause and effect only through our limited perception of the whole, or was it simple serendipity among the chaos, or is the universe actually on my side? Of course, the fourth option is sheer megalomania, unless we figure that it took so long to answer because it was answering everyone else’s question first. But then we miss the incredible incomprehensibleness of the first two possibilities.

The rest of the photos are what a single person (vegetarian) can prepare in under 4 minutes (plus the wait for the cooking part which is usually about 5-10 minutes). If any of them don’t make instant sense, leave me a note.