Future Baby

     I watched a long video today, that my buddy sent me, that made me feel much better about what I'm doing to avoid this virus. I'm not going to link the video, but I will summarize it. It's from a doctor in NYC that is on the front line there. It was talking about how easy it is to not catch the virus, if you do the right things. First thing is of course, wash your hands. He did add that when you open a door use Purell. I don't have that, so I'm sticking with my gloves and spray bottle of alcohol. Basically once I'm done with whatever activity I'm doing out in about, I spray everything down with alcohol including the gloves, take them off, and spray my hands down again. He also mentioned not touching your face. This is where I fail a bit. During this whole thing, I'm not wearing contacts, because the eyes are a sensitive area to contract the virus, that means I have to wear my glasses, which means that I'm constantly adjusting my glasses. I do keep it to using a knuckle to do it, so that it isn't a contact point where I've touched anything else, but it's still risky, and I don't touch my face until after I've sprayed down. Then biggest thing he mentioned is that you need prolonged contact to contract it, so just picking something up may not be enough to really transfer the virus, but still play it safe and sanitize after touching things. He did mention that a way to help you from touching your face was to wear a mask. I know, medical personnel really need the masks, but he says that it is actually a good practice to wear the non medically cleared masks. I have a friend making me a couple right now. They won't completely stop the virus, but they will help out greatly. It keeps moisture away from orifices which is key. The more you can keep from touching your face and keeping those orifices away from potential moisture, you will be safer.

     I may be a bit on the extreme side for wiping down door knobs after a delivery comes, and wiping down garbage and recycling bin handles before and after I wheel them down to the curb. I also wipe down the mailbox when I check the mail, and spray all the mail down and put it in quarantine for a minimum of a day in the garage. I'm doing every thing I can to not contract this virus and pass it on to my mother. Still, I see way too many people out and about. When I went to the grocery store yesterday, I saw far too many cars on the roads, and they were loaded with multiple people. The grocery store was rather mild and empty of people, so they were all going other places, which means that it was essential travel. Florida had a big jump today of over 1000 confirmed cases, and I saw an article yesterday from a local source where one hospital is seeing 1 new case every hour. These cases aren't being reported as confirmed, because there is no testing. They are simply telling the person that it is obvious that they have Covid-19 and then sending them home. That means Florida is vastly underreporting how many cases they actually have. If that holds true for every hospital in this county, that means there are over 500 cases a day. That article was written a few days ago, which means 1500 cases. Florida is only reporting just under 7000 cases statewide at this point, with the bulk of them in south Florida. Those numbers don't add up with reality. I told you the other day that Florida was about to explode with this, it may already have, but we don't have the tests, or the local government in place that is willing to do mass testing to prove the actual numbers. Once again, stay home people. The only way to stop this virus is to not be a part of the spreading of it.

     On to the garden. I did a bunch of repotting today. I used up the last of my grow bags, so I'm in need of more. I'll be ordering some in a few days. I can wait a while for now. I'm just about out of soil, so I couldn't fill the grow bags if I had them anyway. The nursery is open during this time and I could go and get some, but that would mean leaving my mom alone at home, and that is touch and go even for early morning grocery shopping. More on her and her constant talking to herself later. I do have one picture for you of the Aji Rainforest peppers. I finally have a couple of them starting to ripen and I'm really looking forward to tasting these. They have a unique look and a unique color when they are ripe. Most pictures show them as red, but it's a reddish orange, that is rathe pretty.

     I have 4 plant with ripening peppers right now, so I'm going to have some good tasting sessions coming up. None of them are superhots, so I doubt I'll make an videos for them. I will let you know how they taste though.

     Ok, now for the moms. She is doing great physically, even her physical therapist says so. She went for a pretty long walk with her yesterday, and they even stopped half way and did some leg exercises, but her mind, is not doing very good. When she isn't focused on a task, she is talking to herself. In her mind, she is talking to a group of women that are there with her for treatment. She also blames them for everything she does or doesn't do as well. It's incredibly frustrating, because the chatter back and forth with herself is endless. It usually has to do with going to bed or not knowing what she has to do. a normal conversation goes like this. "I want to go to bed. Me too. I think I'll go, are you coming with me? Yes. Ok, let's go." She stands up and starts to move. "Where did you go? Aren't you coming with me? What is wrong with you? Why aren't you saying anything to me right now? Answer me. ANSWER ME!". I tell her that no one is there, and that she can go to bed if she wants to. That's when she will tell me that she was right there, I don't know where she went. She was just there. I may end up losing my mind. It's not fun to be around someone that has gone insane, and dementia is part of that. Since I can't take her out, she is cooped up in the house. When I explain to her why, she understands it, but it's only for a few minutes, and then the questions begin again. I may try taking her for a drive just so she can get out of the house, but I can't stop anywhere, and let her get out and walk around, it's just too risky at this point. I'll just keep dealing with it. I have slacked on my meditation lately, so I really do need to get back to that, but I've been still sleeping somewhat late, lately, and that needs to change so that I can have that time I need for all my morning activities, including meditation. It will be a massive help in the long run, in keeping me sane.

     It's time for Favorite Song of the Week. This is a song that just came out today, and I found out about it because of a recommendation for a sort of vlog video from this band. I love them because of how weird they are. They are from South Africa, and they are a rap singing duo. They've been around for a while, but I don't think they've gotten the exposure that they deserve, because they put out some really good music, they are just weird, and as I said before, I love that about them. This is Die Antwoord with their brand new song that came out today "Future Baby".



     Oh yeah, their vlog video was about social distancing and staying in the house. So if they can do it, you can to. Peace in and goodnight.

Things Are Going To Get Worse

     Dementia sucks. I'm sure you already know that, but the moms has taken a turn for the worse. She is no longer the forget 5 year old mental aged person that asks questions over and over. Now she is the child mentality that battles everything, and is talking to herself constantly. I'm talking full conversations, that I can't translate. I understand the words she is saying, but I have no idea what they are about, because they always pick up middle of the conversation. She has also started turning towards the nasty side of things, and yelling and accusing. The first time was during breakfast a few days ago. She argued that she had eaten everything and when I walked over and pointed out what was on the plate, she yelled that someone else already ate it and spit it back on her plate. That wasn't the case at all, but that is where she is at most of the time now. She has also decided that she wants to nap and sleep all day. Today was a bit different, I was able to keep her up, because she had to wait to see her grandson. He was going to hang out in the backyard on the other side of the garden, so he could visit with her. This also gave me a chance to get her out into the sun for a change. That is also something that she doesn't want to do anymore. No going outside. Her most common reason, is that it's too cold out there. If I tell her that it isn't, she usually laughs like she knows I'm lying about the weather, just to get her to go out and trick her or something. I honestly don't wish anyone to go through this with a family member. I can no longer feed her the way I was, because she doesn't want to eat most of the time, so I think because of the way they fed her out the facility, and even though I'm feeding her very healthy meals, they aren't the same for boosting her mental capacity, and it is sending her further down the rabbit hole. Remember people, sugar is the enemy. I'm not saying get rid of it all tougher, but try to limit sugar consumption to maybe once every couple of days. Once a week would be even better.

     Ok, a couple of garden moments. This first one is a very small Chocolate Cherry Sunflower blooming. I wish it were full size, so you could really see how magnificent this flower really is, but these have struggled to grow to their full 6 foot size. This one is only about a foot and a half tall. The one in the front yard is about a foot taller, but it is starting to bloom as well. It will be slightly larger than this. I think it might be due to the uncommonly hot weather we are getting here. It's throwing everything off.

     That is just the early stage of the bloom, so it will get a little better, but it's still going to be undersized. The two next pictures are of scotch bonnets growing. The first one is this really cool looking pod, that I hope continues on with this shape. If it does, I'll get seeds from it and plant them in hopes that I can get a whole plant of this shape, just like the ones I'm growing now, are the from another pod from the same plant with a cool shape. The second picture is on the very same plant, which is the original scotch bonnet that I planted last fall. It is so odd, that these are on the very same plant. This one is on the pointy side, and really gnarly looking, with that spiky flesh. I won't get seeds from this one, but it will be fun to eat.

     Pretty cool huh? This is only two on the plant, there are others with all kinds of different shapes, but those two stand out the most.

     I forgot to tell you about a movie I watched on Disney +. It's called Star Girl, and it stars Grace Vanderwal. She was the young woman that played ukulele and wrote her owns songs winning America's Got Talent a few years ago. It's a real enjoyable family friendly movie, that is worth a watch if you are looking for something fun that is a little more family oriented than Tiger King. Yeah,  I watched that too, and it's a train wreck. I will not recommend that for the family, but it is also worth a watch.

     I'm 4 episodes in on Picard, and it's everything I hoped it would be. It is so good seeing my favorite Starfleet captain back on the screen. It almost has me wanting to keep the service for when the next seasons comes out, but with this virus going around, there is no telling when a new season actually will come out. Production on all new shows for everything has basically been halted until this is all over, so get ready for lots of reruns. I am going to give the other Star Trek show a try, it has a former member of The Walking Dead as the captain, so I'm very interested in seeing it for her. If you watched TWD, she was Sasha, the one that committed suicide so that she could bite Negan's face off when he opened the coffin she was in. Epic scene in that show for sure.

     Lots of artist are putting out tons of free stuff. NIN put out two albums for free, Jake Shimabukuro just released a download of one of his concerts. J.R. Richards released a free track for people, and I know there are others out there that I don't even know about. The artists of the world will keep us sane during all of this, so appreciate them for what they give. This is also were I get on my high horse and tell you to stay home again. Florida is about to explode with cases, due to things not being shut down, and the people here thinking that since they are off work, they can treat it like a vacation and just hang out on the beach all day. I have to run errands tomorrow, and I've been spending the greater part of the last few days figuring out just how I'm going to go about the day keeping things sanitized and myself free of the virus. I have a plan, it's not foolproof, but what it is if you don't have a full hazmat suit. I'll figure it all out, and stay as far away from people as I can.

     I'm out for the night, going to watch an episode or two of Picard and then prepare for The Walking Dead. Oh yeah, they have already announced that they can't finish their season finale, and that it will be a one off episode later during the year, so their current season will finish one episode early, which will be next Sunday. Just a little information for the brain. Stay home and stay safe. Peace in and goodnight.

Chili Chocolate Anyone

     Well, as things get better, they often tend to get worse. That is the rollercoaster of dementia. the lows are extreme, and my mom lost a lot from this latest stay in a facility. That period of time where she knew who I was is gone. There are tiny glimmers of memory, but they are very small at this point. The sundowners has gotten much worse, and makes the evenings very difficult. She is often confused when I wake her up for dinner, and always thinks it's breakfast, which she then picks at for a while and says that she ate everything on the plate. Mind you, she may have only taken one bite of food at that point. That's when I have to say that there is more there and point it directly out to her, then she will get into it for a few more minutes, and once again say that she ate it all, or that she is a little person and can't eat very much. That's when I have to put the food on the silverware for a couple of bites, which is literally half of what I put on the plate, and convince her to eat it. That is the only way I get her to eat half her dinner at this point. Breakfast and lunch are much better, but still a constant reminder that there is food on the plate. This is a typical breakfast for my mom.

     That's peanut butter toast with walnuts, and berries. That is a small tea saucer that it is on, so you can see, it's not a very big breakfast. I'm hoping that her appetite gets better, but I know that not wanting to eat is part of dementia, so it will always be a struggle.

     I made more of my chili chocolate last night. I used the moruga powder that my buddy gave me, and it's freaking hot. I'm not sure if I lost some tolerance from dealing with this cold, but this chocolate is on fire. It actually gave me the hurps today from two small pieces. I put a little more monk fruit than last time, since I didn't have much left in the bag, so it all went in. It was probably about 3/4 of a cup instead of the 1/3 I put in lsat time. That only made the chocolate a little grainy, but it's still good, and as I said, freaking hot.

     I finally got my black velvet nasturtiums to bloom. They each have a bloom on them, with one being bold and actually having two. I thought the color was going to be a lot more rich on these, but I think the flower is rather pretty regardless of not having that deep dark center that bleeds into the red.

     It supposed to be almost black in the center around the yellow, and maybe other blooms will have that as it matures, but the red is vibrant and really does stand out amongst the minty green of the leaves. Nasturtiums are usually pretty prolific flowering plants, so I'm really hoping this beings to explode with buds.

     Oh, the physical therapist and occupational therapist came to see the moms today. They both said she did really well. She's very responsive, but tires easily, so they are going to focus on her endurance. We did discover that what she is calling pain in her left side, is a confusion of weakness. The PT finally got to the bottom of it today when she starting saying that she was in pain while walking. The therapist asked where it was hurting and she could only say her left butt, and then when the therapist went more into it, that's when she confirmed that it is her feeling of weakness on that side, which is really odd, because her right side was the whole reason she is in this situation.

     Oh well, I'm going to go watch Picard now. CBS all access is offering a month free, so you can have a chance to see it, so I signed up to watch it all and then cancel before the payment kicks in. It's still a good price, but there is nothing else really on there that I want to watch, maybe the Star Trek that they made. I'll give it a chance after I watch Picard if I have enough time. Have a good weekend and stay home. Remember, my offer still stands if you want to go out and galavant around. Message me, and I'll give you my address so that I can punch you in the face for being stupid and putting me and my moms life in jeopardy. Peace in and goodnight.

I Will Punch You In The Face

     Things are starting to fall back into place in the house. It's still not the same, and probably will never be, but it's settling down. My mom visited with the therapist today, and she mentioned how strong my mom was, and that she was going to focus her energy on weening my mom away from the walker in the house. She said that it could be more of a hinderance and fall risk, since it is all new to her rather than an aid. She did say she would reevaluate that idea later on if it seemed like the walker was a definite need. Getting my mom to eat is still a challenge, but I've managed to get her to eat a full breakfast and lunch, and at least half of dinner. Still very small portions, seem too much for her in the evening. I do my best to load her up calorie wise in those first to meals, and focus on more nutrient dense foods in the evening. I did get some of the worst possible advice from the nurse that came yesterday to see her. We will only get one more visit from the nurse, but this advice was just plain bad. I mentioned the difficulty in getting my mom to eat, and how she had lost even more weight while in the facility, and she said to feed her lots of peanut butter, bananas, and ice cream. My mom does get plenty of peanut butter, but I refuse to make it every meal. Peanut butter has anti-nutrients that actually block nutrient absorption, so it can thicken the meat on you, but it will leave you very unhealthy if that is all you are getting. Bananas are pure sugar. She mentioned how good it was for healthy skin, which is just plain wrong as well. This was after commenting how good my mom's skin was. That is due to the diet a generally feed her. I've studied a lot about nutritional health, and what certain foods do and don't do. Trust me, bananas as a healthy fattening tool, is not a good thing. Ice cream was just ridiculous. I could feed my ice cream and she would be just happy doing that, but once again, pure sugar. Sugar will destroy your skin as well as a slew of other things within the body. I of course have a keto ice cream that has no sugar in it, but I keep it to nightly dessert. She also told me how this oncologist told her how she fattened up cancer patients, by feeding them anything they wanted. Listen, that is great if they are terminal, and you just want to comfort their final days, but if you want to try and turn things around, that is the worst possible thing you can do. Cancer feeds off of sugar. The absence of sugar in the body actually diminishes cancer cells. If I am ever unfortunate enough to get cancer, I will surely being doing a protocol of no sugar, and lots of intermittent fasting. I won't go into the ins and outs of that, but studies have shown great results for cancer patients utilizing these two eating habits.

      Speaking of eating habits, mine have been very odd lately. In an effort to preserve food during this whole isolation and quarantine, I have been fasting more, and sticking with 2mad and omad for the most part. This has lead to me losing more weight without even trying. I can tell you the numbers, since I did them this morning. I've been missing my weigh ins lately, since I really don't see much of a need for them much anymore. I weight in at 147, which is a 4.5 lbs loss from my last official weight. The worry of that would be that I'm losing muscle with all that fasting I've been doing. That is where the other two measurements come into the mix. My weight to height ratio is out of this world now. I've destroyed the .48 measurement that I was craving. I pulled a .477, by losing an entire half inch on the measurement. I checked body fat with the calipers, which of course aren't as accurate as I would like, but that's all I have. I'm still hitting that 14.9, which I'm labeling as in the 15% area. Even though it's reading the same, the appearance is quite a bit different, with much more definition in my midsection. I still need to add more muscle, and that will come. Today was the first day that had a semblance of normalcy for working out. I still have a nagging cough, but this is something that has always happened when I've gotten colds or flus. I get a persistent cough that is triggered my an irritation in my throat whenever I eat or drink. Colder foods and fluids are worse than warmer ones. That's where I am now, but it doesn't affect my physical ability anymore. The muscle will start packing on soon.

     Ok, garden time. I've failed at the broccoli, but it isn't all my fault. The natural environment has gotten in the way. I noticed this morning that my broccoli had buds on it, and sure enough, they bloomed. That is a bad thing. The hotter temperatures are what did them in. Broccoli likes it to be in the 60's and 70's, and it was of course a much hotter winter here in Florida than ever before. That has spurred the florets to flower. The good news, is that I can harvest the seeds from the flowers and try again in the fall. The bad news is, that the flowers make the florets unpalatable. It's a bit of a bummer, but they are pretty little flowers, so there is that.

     I'm not real sure if I'm going to try and harvest the seeds though. I may just let them run their course and pull them and plant more peppers. I have much better luck with peppers and tomatoes. I already have new tomatoes on the new plants. It's an exciting time in the garden, despite the few failures. You have to take the good with the bad, and that's how I'm taking it.

     Let's get to this virus now. I'm hearing rumblings that the self isolation is going to be lifted around Easter, which no expert agrees is the right time. They all say much more time is needed to beat this virus, so please stay at home, and don't listen to the people saying that sacrifices of loved ones lives need to be made. If you choose to leave the house and spread this virus, please, contact me, I'll give you my address, and since you are going to kill my mom and myself, I want you to come to my house so I can punch you directly in the face. I want to get my shot in before you take me out entirely. Don't be selfish, and save yourself the black eye or bloody nose, and just stay home and listen to the medical experts on all matters pertaining to this virus. I thank you in advance for not having to hurt my hand on your face.

     Alright, Favorite Song Of The Week time, and this one goes back to one of my all time favorite bands. It's really just one guy, but it's a band in name. This was the first industrial song that I ever heard, and gave me a love for the genre of music, and began my whole goth phase. This is by none other than Nine Inch Nails, and the genius talent of Trent Reznor. I give you one of the greatest songs of all time. Here is Nine Inch Nails and "Head Like A Hole".



      Yes, Trent has changed quite a bit since that debut album, but haven't we all? Remember to stay at home and stay safe. Peace in and goodnight.

If I Had Hair, I'd Pull It Out

     This weekend has been frustrating. My moms has definitely changed with this latest stay in a facility, and it's not good. She is constantly talking with this sing songy whiny voice, that just isn't her at all. Today after dinner, which was the first time she managed to eat most of her dinner, she didn't have that whiny voice. I honestly can't take that voice. It almost brings me to anger, cause I feel like it is some weird hold over from the facility so that she could con them into leaving her alone, and get out of doing the things she needs to do. She has also taken to rising later, which isn't that big of a deal, and I'm hoping to use that to my advantage tomorrow. More on that in a  bit. It's the going to bed in the middle of the day, and then early at night that is causing frustration. The nap isn't a big deal, except that it keeps her up when she decides it's her time to go to bed, which is much earlier lately. She then calls out for me every hour on the hour until around 8 PM. Usually it's the woman in the bed next to her that needs help. Yeah, there is no woman in the bed next to her. She is having dreams about the facility and her dementia won't separate them at this point. The first two nights it was fear of Covid-19. That got the news turned off real quick, and I've gone to cable shows that are more informative or movies, to avoid that nightmare. This has gotten so much harder since her stay in that facility. She knows who I am now, which I always thought would be the case when she had distance from me. I knew it would spur the memory to a small sense of reality, but that is the only good that has come out of this. She doesn't want to eat, and it's a struggle each day to eat. Her weight is down 5 pounds from when she went in, and her doctor already wanted her to gain a little weight back. I'm going to have to learn some tricks, and stick with some calorie dense foods to help her put a little weight back on. I have to make sure they are nutrient dense foods as well, so that she has her energy. I may have to temporary go higher than usual for her on the carbs. I already had her on a more low carb diet than keto, because of her toast and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but I may have to add some rice and potatoes in there as well, on top of the keto friendly veggies that she already, kind of eats. Once again, her eating habits have turned to a spoiled 5 year old at this point, so it's ice cream before hot dogs kind of attitude. Oh yeah, trying to ply her with ice cream as a dessert does not work at all. She just begins crying when I tell her she has to finish half her meal in order to have the ice cream. I didn't have kids for a reason, and now I'm living the nightmare of having them, it's just that this kid is a fully grown adult woman in her 80's. I'll figure this out, it's just going to take a learning curve on my part. Like I said, tonight was so much better than the last few nights, so it could be the start of something.

     This is the slow cooked pork butt that I made for dinner. We only ate a quarter of it, so it will be good for meals throughout the week. She did enjoy it, and managed to eat about 3/4ths of what was on her plate. It was paired with sauerkraut, and roasted brussel sprouts, with some pieces of a Jemez Pueblo pepper. That pepper is really mild in heat, and has a wonderful fruit juice flavor to it. It was a great meal, topped with ice cream of course. Yeah no one has raided the keto ice cream at the grocery store yet, so I can still get a little sweet fix after dinner.

     Speaking of the grocery store, I have to go tomorrow, and I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to do it. See, I don't want to touch anything, cause the nitwits around here, aren't practicing the whole social distancing and isolation thing. I do have a plan, but it isn't foolproof. I have nitrile gloves, for working on Saki, yeah it's still not able to start right now, and I have a spray bottle of denatured alcohol. I'm planning on bringing all that and a clean rag with me, to spray and wipe down the cart, and then wearing the gloves so that I don't touch anything. The real problem comes when I finish loading up my groceries, which could be contaminated or not, and the put the cart away. I have no idea what I'm going to do with the gloves. Maybe, I'll just walk back up to the garbage can near the entrance of the store to throw them away and walk back to the car. That sounds like as good a plan as any. I'm also planning on going first thing in the morning while the moms is still asleep, and the store is at its cleanest. They have been shutting down early each night to restock and deep clean the stores each night. Monday will be good also, because on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, they are limiting the opening to the elderly and most vulnerable for an hour to allow them to shop with as little fear as possible. Once again, I want to thank you misfits for "sticking it to the man" and "I'm not isolating myself, cause this is just a flu" for me having to take all these precautions, so that I don't catch and carry it to my mother, you half wit Neanderthals that refuse to take responsibility for anyone other than yourself. I would use stronger language, but I've made it a point to keep these posts as clean as possible, but know the it starts with f and ends with being the sexual appendage of an ape.

     I can confirm that I've lost more weight, without trying mind you. It's not something I wanted to happen, but this cold has done a number on me. I don't have official numbers right now, because I forgot to weigh in on Friday, and I won't have another weigh in until Monday. I did weigh myself today after eating lunch and I was in the 147 ranger, which means first thing in the morning was probably around 145. I did take measurements, not at normal times, and they are all the same. Waist is where it has been, and body fat percentage with the calipers is still in the 15% area. I say area, because they are fat calipers, and they only true way to measure that out is a DEXA scan. That is the only true way to get accurate measumrents in body mass, fat, and bone density. They also cost a lot of money, so calipers will have to do. I am noticing more definition in my torso, so even thought the calipers are reading the same, I don't think they are telling the truth. I have finally been able to do a few exercises and I don't feel weak in them, so I don't think muscle loss is where the weight has come from. It's either water weight, or body fat, either is acceptable to me.

     One garden picture for you tonight. This is an Acoma Pueblo. It's going to be a big one. right now it's around 5 and half inches long, and an inch and a half in diameter. It should ripen to red, and it's said to be sweet with very mild heat, and a thick skin. It should be a good roasting pepper. If it get's to full size, I may be able to stuff it, but I think it will more than likely be a massive popper instead of  stuffed pepper. The sad part is, that it is the only pepper on that plant. There is a new flower just a little above that, so I'm hoping for a second one, but It may just be real confortable where it is, so it is more in growth mode than fruiting mode.

     I did rip out two of the cherokee purple tomato plants today. They were dying off and not fruiting anyways. I'm clearing them out, so that I can put more Scotch Bonnets in that area. I have a whole other two areas for tomatoes now, and with what I've learned from the cherokee purple I'm using it on the new areas. More room, better support and a much more reliable feeding schedule. I already have a few baby tomatoes on two of them right now. I just gotta keep the tomato thieves away from them.

     Alright, I'm out of here. Remember to stay safe, and stay home. The second one will make the first one true. Peace in and goodnight.

I'm Off My Game

     I have been completely off lately. It's not just the cold either, I'm going to place part of the blame on the elderberry syrup. The carbs in that have wrecked me. I have had very odd cravings, of chips, and fries, and just junk food all around. I have not given in of course, and know what it is. Those carbs have thrown my gut biome off quite a bit, and it's going to take some time to get it back to normal. Despite feeling tired and very lethargic today, the cravings have been held down to a minimum, which is a good sign that I might be finally rounding the corner on all of this. I'm still sleeping longer and longer hours, which I don't exactly want to do. I did manage to get out of bd by 6:30 this morning, but the was just barely. I had to lay there for about an hour before I had the energy to finally rise up out of bed. The good news is, that the moms is sleeping in, which gave me a chance to just sit in the living room in peace and quite and nod off a couple of times before she finally got out of bed as well.

     Yes, the moms is home and doing great. She's moving around even better than I thought she would be. I've been keeping on her about using her walker around the house, and she has been keen to do so, so far. Today was also, "meet the therapy staff" day. For the next few weeks, she will have a few visits by a nurse, physical therapy, and occupational therapy. They actually wore my mom out a bit, so when she was ready for bed, it was one of those things where she drug herself into her room. She'll sleep good again tonight as well, so I may get a little extra time to myself, and I'm hoping that more of this cold will be gone. I'm still at a mild cough with congestion, which is really the worst part of it. That is the reason why I don't want to do anything. I just don't have the lung capacity to get things done with a high level of energy. I'll be so glad when this is over. I had the chance to avoid all this, but I wanted to test the limits of my body, and my body broke. I guess it was about time.

     Ok, most recent garden photo time. This is the Sunflower in all it's glory. I have a second one open, and a few more are beginning to form buds, even one of the very small Chocolate Cherries is starting to bud.

     I really wish it was full size, and I don't have any idea on whether or not it will continue to grow. From what I've generally seen, that once it flowers, the growth process stops or at the very least slows, so it may have topped out at around 4 feet or less. The tallest two are nearing the 5 foot mark right now. The limit off their height is 10 feet, so I doubt any of them will get there at all, but It's been so fun growing them, and watching them make it to this point. They are beautiful in their simplicity. That one above is edible, so at some point, I may have to cut it down and give it a try just to see what Sunflower truly tastes like, and not just the seeds.

     Remember to stay safe everyone, and please stay at home and not go out. It's not just about you. I make very limited trips to and from the grocery store, and if I get sick, because some schmuck just had to go out for drinks, or meet friends at the beach, and they passed me by in the grocery store. I may just go ballistic. I don't know how I would quarantine myself away from my mom to keep her safe, and take care of her at the same time. It would be an impossibility. So keep that in mind when you feel the need to go for a "hang", and then remember to go, well I was going to get rather rude there, and I think you get the point. Peace in and goodnight.

We Are In For A Big Surprise

     Tomorrow if finally the day that the moms comes home. I didn't get a call changing the time yet, so it still stands at noon. I'll be expecting a call tomorrow, but if none come before 10:30, I'm heading out the door. The house is ready for her, and so are the dogs.

     My energy levels are still on the low side, but I'm getting there. Today was just a throat tickle and occasional cough. I did make a run to the grocery store, which was almost pointless. The good news is, that the stuff I wanted no one was going for. I know you would be thinking that I would be going for meat, eggs, cheese, cause I'm keto, but you couldn't be further from the truth on that. I get the majority of my meat from Butcher Box, and I pick up some extra stuff in a month or so supply around the same time. I still have a few weeks of meat left. I grab a carton of eggs when I see them on sale, so I have a month's worth of eggs already, and I rarely use cheese, so that is covered as well. Good thing too, cause those areas were slim pickings in the grocery store, as well as all dairy, bread, and frozen food sections. Of course the paper products aisle was completely empty at this point. Once again. Keto, so bathroom visits aren't anywhere near as often as you normal people. I have probably 2-3 months supply of TP in one 8 pack. I don't need hundreds of freaking rolls to get through this. What I was more in need of was, nuts, and veggies, and berries. Guess what the store had an abundance of? Just those things. People are passing over the fruits, veggies and nuts, for all those processed comfort foods. I guess being vegan doesn't count when you have to stay home and make your own meals. I was able to have my pick of berries, and get all my leafy greens and cruciferous veggies. I don't think I will have any worries during this whole thing about getting my nutrient dense foods.

     Here is what I predict within a year. There will be a population boom, and a massive obesity problem the hits this country like a tsunami. Right now, people are wanting to stay in shape, because they think that is the one thing they can control, but it's difficult to keep the energy up to do at home bodyweight workouts. Eventually the effects of the comfort foods that they are eating to calm their nerves will take its toll on them, and they will get lazier and lazier. They will develop bad eating habits in a short period of time due to the "convenience" and "ease" of making these bad for you  meals. That will lead to more stress, and the other thing we Americans love to do when under stress besides eat, is have sex, which will lead to that population boom. This country is going to be one giant mess when this is all over, mark my words.

     It's time for Favorite Song of the Week, and like I said a few weeks ago, I'm going back to my goth days. This was one of the first industrial bands that I fell in love with. They were full of angst and self hatred, which was all me. There was also the fact that they took a ton of their elements from old school hip hop and R&B, which as you know was part of the world my musical tastes came from with my love of funk and disco. This too me, was just a newer grittier version of all that. It railed against the establishment and screamed out that I wouldn't conform to "normal". I will tell you know that this band isn't for everyone, but this is really good stuff, and if you give it a try, you'll start to hear why I liked it so much. Here is Skinny Puppy with their hit song "Dig It".



     Next week I'll share with you the not only, the first industrial band I ever heard, but the first song I heard as well. Still to this day, it's one of my all time favorite songs and albums. I'm out, I'll give you the welcome home update on Thursday, so that you can see how the moms has settled in. Peace in and goodnight.

Stop Being A Douche

     My eating has been way off the charts this past week, due to the elderberry syrup I've been taking, and it shows. I should be taking my final dose tonight and then I'll be done with that. It's a glucose syrup, so it's pure sugar so that it gets into my blood stream faster, but with it having 8 grams of carbs per serving, I'm way over my carb allotment for the day. I will be so glad when things are back to normal. I will be able to eat normal, workout, sleep, and all that other good stuff. I've been sleeping a lot. I know I said this was a cold, but I do think it's something more. I'm down to a throat tickled and cough, with some minor body aches, and an occasional mild fever. It's acting a lot like a flu, but it isn't following the standard course of the flu.

     Enough about that, lets go on a little rant. If you are one of the people that is still going out to bars and restaurants right now, cause you need a stress relief from this whole "virus thing" grow up. I've been basically living in seclusion for 9+ months now. It can be done, and you won't miss anything. If you need a drink that bad, have it at home. You aren't just risking your life, you are risking everyone's life around you. Do you just simply not care about those around you? And for all the hoarders, cut it out. Even in the direst of situations in other countries the things that managed to stay open were, hospitals, pharmacies, and grocery stores. You'll be able to get your freaking toilet paper. Oh, and what underlying problem do you have that you need months worth of toilet paper to last you. Eat healthier.

     Ok, rant over. Just wanted to get that off my chest. Listen I get it, I know that this is the first time people are actually cooking food for themselves and others in a long time. That is one of the benefits of my lifestyle. I make clean healthy dinners every night. It is possible, and yes, it's going to be work. Trust me, you will get through this.

     What to do with your time? Well there are a lot of things. First, what interests you? That should be your first choice. If you like to read, then do that. Art, do that. Working out, this is a great time to go on YouTube and find calisthenics videos to do bodyweight workouts. Don't let your current environment hold you from being all that you can be. Take advantage of what can be the most "you" time you may get in your entire life. See if you can learn that thing you've always wanted to learn. There is no reason why you couldn't.

     I'm also going to recommend Hunters on Amazon Prime. I just started watching it today, and would be right now, if I wanted to skip writing this and miss The Walking Dead, but I gotta have something to do for the next couple of days while I'm still getting over this "cold". Which also reminds, and I can't believe I buried the lead on this one. The moms is coming home on Wednesday. They wanted to keep her longer, but I talked them down to this Wednesday. I know they have a good protocol in order for entry into the building, but mistakes happen, and it takes one person sliding past the screening process to infect everyone in that building. She is walking 100 feet with her walker now, but there is also the fact that she hasn't seen or heard a family member in 4 days now, and it has to be causing her dementia to go into overload.

     I only have one picture from the garden today. My first sunflower is starting to bloom, and It's super cool. I've never seen a sunflower bloom, so this is all new and exciting to me.

     This is still undersized and stands only a little over 3 feet tall. I'm hoping the bloom doesn't stunt it's growth. This particular variety is supposed to be up to 10 feet tall, and the head of the flower is around 14 inches. It's going to be big.

      I'm calling it a night. I'm actually staying up late tonight, because of TWD. I've been hitting the sack around 8 o'clock lately, so trying up til 10 is probably going to really do me in. I've also been sleeping until 8 as well. I wish I could say it was uninterrupted sleep, but that would be a fantasy. Lately I've been making it to 3-4 o'clock before being awoken by cough or the bathroom, so that is a good sign. The first few nights, I was up every hour on the hour. It was excruciating. Peace in and goodnight.

I Only Have A Cold

     I wanted to start off tonight, by thanking the person who left the comment on the last blog post. It was labeled unknown, so I don't know who you are, but thank you. It's been a rough couple of days. I'm right in the middle of this cold, and yes it is a cold, not Covid 19. I've checked the symptoms with how I'm feeling, and there is also the fact that I'm feeling better today. Yesterday was the worst of it, but every 4 hours I've been dosing with 2 aspirin, 3000mg of Vitamin C, and 10 mL of elderberry. I still have a cough, and my core temperature is fluctuating, but I'm past the fever stage. There are still some minor body aches, but that has drastically improved since yesterday. I felt good enough to hit the grocery store today, and was shocked when I went down the pepper goods aisle. The toilet paper rush is a real thing, and I don't understand it.

     I get that people are worried that they are going to be isolated, but how long do you really expect it to last, and since you are home, if you run out of toilet paper, there is the option of a shower. I mean, come on people.

     I did decide to stay away from visiting my mom, but since the governor declared a state of emergency, the facility has locked down, and I couldn't see her anyway. I did call to see how this would affect her possible discharge, but they said it wouldn't at all. They would just leave me outside and bring her to the front with her paperwork. This was good news. I am concerned that she doesn't get to see any friendly faces though, this is not good for her or her mental state. If everything is going well, she should be discharged tomorrow. I'll call tomorrow morning to confirm, and if she isn't, I'll find out the earliest day they will let her come home. Her in that place with no one visiting is a worst case scenario. I just have to try to limit it to as short a time as possible.

     With myself being sequestered in the house, I've only been out to water the garden and what not. That is of course, not counting going to the grocery store today. The garden is doing well, and I finally had my last two cans from the pepper in a can challenge to sprout. It has take than a month for these two, and they were supposed to be the ones that sprouted early, since they aren't superhots, while the other two are.

     Since the first sprout poked out they have gone insane and all the seeds in there are sprouting. That picture was taken this morning, and there are 2-3 more sprouts per can at this point. The front two of course. The other two have already fully sprouted, and I've trimmed back the extra seedlings so that there are only one in each can. I'll have to do that with the other two as well, but I'll wait until a front runner shows up as the strongest seedling.

     With this illness taking over for the last few days, my appetite has been minuscule, which means I'll be losing weight, which is not intended at all. I have been making sure to get in protein, so that I don't start breaking down muscle. I've worked to hard to get to where I am now, to let it all slip away because of a little cold. I actually feel like making a meal tonight, but it's going to be very simple and small. I'm thinking a small serving of bacon, eggs, and some berries. It's sounding very good right now. I haven't tracked anything, but I'm sure I've only had 2000 calories over the last three days.

     That's it for tonight. I'm going to it back and watch this weird movie on Netflix called Freaks. I'm about a half hour into it at this point, and it's just weird. Peace in and goodnight.

I Lost Fat And Gained Weight.

     Alright, the results are in. Most of the numbers remained unchanged from what I told you on Sunday. The waist measurement stayed a quarter inch under my previous low, my body fat remained at a 1% loss, but my weight fluctuated. I weighed in yesterday morning on my official weigh in day, which is when I retook all the other measurement as well. I tipped the scale at 150.4, which put me at a 1.2 pound weight gain. I always weigh myself first thing in the morning, so that is absent food or water, which makes it more of a true weight. I don't think I was retaining water, so I'm sticking with the gain. That means that I managed to put on muscle and lose body fat. You know, that impossible thing, that most people tell you can't happen. I do have pictures, but the lighting was off, so it actually looks like I'm leaner in the before photos, but if you look closely at where my abs meet the waistline of my pants, you can see the difference. I made sure to where the exact outfit so that it wasn't a trick of different clothing. The only things that are different are the lighting, which was during the day and not the evening, so I'm washed out, and the camera was in a slightly different position It is very difficult to get the same exact shot without leaving the camera sitting in one location, but this is the best I could do, and it's pretty close. So here is the photo evidence.

     This is the first one. If you look you will notice more definition in my lower ab area. That is where I probably lost the biggest portion of fat. I'm getting closer with each time I push the limits of how I eat. When I say push the limits, it's really not a push, it's just trying something new. This time it was a path that was not defined, it was a natural progression based on my past experience. The goal was to eat less fat so that my body would utilize more of my body fat as fuel as opposed to dietary fat, and I'd say that it worked.

     Once again, you can see that the line along my abs, goes all the way down now, instead of stopping around the belly button area. That has been a big problem area of where my fat is deposited. It's one of those most common problem areas. I also tend to store fat under my arm pits, which is what I call the biggest flaw in my appearance, it's way my chest looks like it sags a bit. I'll get rid of it, but 15% clearly isn't the number where that will be gone. That brings me to the new goal, which is now 10%. That is a far ways off from a 1% drop. This is going to take a lot of hard work and discipline, which is going to be slightly derailed for a very short limited amount of time. I'll get that and way in a second. I have one more shot for you, and it's the cheeseball shot. Yeah I had to flex it out and be a douche. I'm a man after all, gotta show off the guns, even if they are more like peashooters

     I still have such a long way to go, but this journey is worth it. Ok, not to the derailment. I told you how I went to my buddies house for some backyard grilling. It was a real good time, but his wife and daughter had a cold, and I may have contracted it. I woke up this morning and after a few hours, I began having a tickle in my throat and a minor cough. Feels like a cold too me. On my way home from visiting the moms, I stopped and got some Vitamin C, and Elderberry. I immediately downed 3000mg of C, and doubled up on the dose of Elderberry. I'm going at this with both barrels. I also gave it an effort to burn it out, by putting three massive habaneros in my taco meat tonight. After I dished out the dogs portion, I put the habaneros in, and it was a little scary. It nearly looked like it was 1-1 habanero to meat, but I was all in.

     I sent that picture of the peppers to my buddy and joked that is a Chef's knife with them. It is a parring knife of course, but those are massive habaneros. I'll know tomorrow if my mega dose and pepper burning method has worked. I do plan on dosing myself one more time right before bed.

     Speaking of peppers, and yes I know that I always am, I did some more potting and organizing yesterday. My buddy gave me 13 more pepper seedlings, and two more tomatoes, so I had some work to do. I put a few of the larger plants in grow bags, and moved all the grow bags to a new area.

     The dogs are not happy about those bags being there. That was one of their lounge spots, but the peppers need room, and they have the entire rest of the yard. Most of those are flowering and fruiting right now. The carrot which is the plant right in the front is the only one with a ripe pod on it. It has great flavor, but the wall is too thick, which makes it difficult to eat. It might be good for cooking with, which I will try out tomorrow. I'll pick that one and dice it up and add it to my meal to see how it pans out. If it doesn't make the cut, that is one pepper I won't have to grow again. Oh, I did a count and have 91 unique varieties of peppers right now. That isn't counting the few that I have doubles and in some cases 4 plants of. The doubles are ones that I know are good, and plan on growing a bunch of those. those are the orange habaneros, and the scotch bonnets. I do have some growing pods on the bonnet right now, so I'm excited about having more of those to eat.

     That's the current set up, and it will change as the plants get bigger and need more space to grow. I am in need of more grow bags though. I have a few more 10 gallon bags, but that is it, and I'm currently low on funds, for more, so it's a good thing it should be a while before they are ready. I had to buy some compost and soil to repot, and have a bag of each left, so I can fill probably 2 or 3 more 10 gallon bags. 

     Oh, whatever has been eating my strawberries is now going after the nearly ripe tomatoes. I have two more that have been chewed on, hanging on the plant right now. This is getting annoying. I've only had 2 of the 15 strawberries that I've grown and one of the 6 tomatoes that have ripened. I need to find a way to scare whatever it is off. I want to actually eat what I grow. I don't think it's a bird, since they haven't gone after the peppers at all. Bird like peppers, and they are a natural transport to keep peppers growing, so it's clearly not them. I think it is a rat or something like that. I'll catch that little sucker in the act one of these days.

     My 30 days is up, and I went back on Instagram and Twitter today, but my desire to spend a lot of time on there is gone. I've already decided that Facebook is going to wait, at least until tomorrow, and I might go a day or two longer. I was thinking about reaching to my crush and taking another stab at going on a date, but since she has kind of ghosted me, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Maybe it was the aspect of getting rejected yet again, that kept me from doing it. Well, that and it seemed pointless to try, considering that my free time may be up soon. If things go as planned, the moms should be coming home Friday, but I have my doubts. The dementia is getting in the way, and she argues with the therapists about doing the exercises, so her progress is slow. This is a bit of a bummer, but we will find some way through it.

     Oh yeah, I forgot to mention how this cold thing is going to derail my progress. The elderberry syrup is derived fro a glucose syrup, so that right there throws me out of ketosis. That means I'm going to have to be very careful of what I eat around the time that I take it. The glucose is pure carbs, so I have to limit my fat around that, so it doesn't get stored. This could be a good thing though. I will have to limit my fat intake ever more for a few days at the least. I'll get through this, but the original plan was to go ever more strict for a little while. I was going to cut the berries out entirely for a week, to see how I felt. The berries are my largest source of carbs, so taking them out, puts me at a very low level for carbs, probably under 10 grams again. It's been a while since I've gone that low. I would also be sticking to my 20-30% lower on fats. All of this would theoretically cause me to burn even more fat, but instead I'm going to be at a higher carb intake for a while, so I may just try some carb cycling for a month since I have to go down this path anyway. Once the cold is gone, I would raise my carb intake to around 100-150g, for a couple of days at a time, and then dropping them down to my normal levels. I would also have to watch my fat intake and at the minimum, cut it in half on higher carb days. This is a practice that is used by a lot of people, and it is said to be one of the truest ways to get excessive shredded. I think my current path is a saver way to do it, but since I have to eat the carbs in that syrup, I may as well take a stab at it. I'll of course let you know how everything works out, with pictures as a follow up. Today's photos will serve as the before, and I'll take another set around April 10. Which reminds me, that is also the time I'm going to be doing my quarterly 72 hour fast. Anyone up for it? It's easiest for most people to do the majority of it during the weekend, so I'd start on April the 4th, and go through to the 7th, although I may just run it through to the 8th. Just seems like a good day to break a fast, and I want to do it as clean as possible. That means cinnamon tea, bone broth then a small meal about 2 hours later. That meal will more than likely consist of lean meat and some cruciferous veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, and what not). I'm all ready for a full body reset, and that seems like a great time to do it. Especially if I'm a couple of weeks off an illness, and closing out a carb cycling month. Actually, that sounds like an amazing plan. This is going to be epic. Peace in and goodnight.

It's Going To Be A Good Day

     I'm writing this early, because I have plans later, to grill out with my buddy. That alone is going to make it a good day, but I started this morning feeling exceptionally well. I can't remember if I ate the Bulgarian Carrot before or after Thursday, and I'm too lazy to check, so I'll just tell you about it here now, and if I'm repeating myself, then too bad. It's a good day, and I'll do what I want.

     Those are the two that I picked, there is still ripe one on the plant. I ate the creepy curly one there, and it shocked me. The heat level is supposed to be somewhere between 5000-30,000 SHU. I can tell you that based on my experience, it was much hotter than that, and maybe closer to 100,000. It had a nice sweet citrusy flavor to it, and a very thick wall. There has been some debate on the heat level of this pepper, with people agreeing with me, that it is hotter than it's said to be. I'll see if that was just an anomaly when I eat the other one. There is always the potential that it was a freak pepper, and had a higher heat, but I don't think so.

     I have several other plants that are producing right now, with more peppers to taste, and I have two good sized pods on the Bonnet, which I will always be excited about. It has such good flavor. I think the next one that will be ready to taste is either the Rainforest, which have a few full sized pods, or the El Rito, which was a plant that was on deaths door, and is now covered in peppers. The fact that I brought it back from the brink makes me super excited about that one.

     I got the pepper can stands done, and I'm taking my buddy his today. I used a semi gloss polyurethane on them, so they don't have that clear coat shine like the book cases. I figured a semi gloss would be better considering they are going to be used to hold soda cans and spend most of their time outside. These are still rush jobs, but I think they came out pretty well. If I ever make more, I'm going to be real precise with them, and get them exact.

     I have to show you last night dinner. It was pretty amazing, and I'm rather proud of myself of coming up with the whole presentation. This is a top sirloin steak with a garlic butter glaze, and topped with my own type of caprese salad. It was habaneros, grape tomatoes, kalamata olives, olive oil, and italian seasoning. I put the extra on the side with the bacon wrapped asparagus. Enjoy the food porn.

     I do have a shot of the caprese on it's own, which tastes really good by itself. I had thoughts of just putting it on some leafy greens as a salad, but the steak was calling for it a little more.

     Before I forget, which I've had a habit of lately. Here is my short review of Birds of Prey and The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn. Yes, that is the full title of the film. In as few words as possible, I loved every moment of it. I think Margot Robbie does a fantastic job as Harley, the psychopathic villainess with a heart of gold. The soundtrack also build on the female empowerment of the movie. It was full of female artists with heavy hitting songs that weren't the typical ballads. If you get a chance go out and see it. It's unapologetic in it's attack on the norm.

     I got some new numbers for you based on the way I've been eating lately. These aren't official because the 30 days is not up for another few days, but basically I've maintained my weight. Even after those bad days of bloat based on the eating that lemon pie, I've leveled off at 149.2 lbs. My waist measurement fell back to where it was and even dropped another quarter inch, that puts me at a solid .485 for my waist to height ratio. The most surprising number was my body fat measurement, This was really unexpected, and it is with calipers, so there is a plus or minus to it. I began with a measurement of 16.9% body fat. I marked in on Friday at 14.9%. With the inaccuracy of calipers, I'm thinking it is more like 15.5%, which puts me on track for hitting my 15% mark in due time. I will take photos on Tuesday morning which will officially be day 30. This 30 days has been a big change for me, not just physically but mentally as well. I seriously recommend doing something like this for yourself. You don't have to do 30 days, I understand that an be considered extreme, but give yourself a day at the very least to take care of yourself. Eat really clean that day, take a moment to invest in your mental health, and do something you love doing. You may end up surprising yourself and realizing that you really like doing that, and might just do more than a day.


       Now for the reveal of this photo. I got one guess in the comments of that post. It was about the nose ring. That was a wrong guess. The nose ring has been around for a few years. I have no idea if anyone tried leaving comments on the Facebook post, since I haven't been on there and don't plan on going back on until Wednesday at the earliest. Anyway, lets get to it. I told you that it was a subtle change based on something I used to do in my goth days. Then though I over did it to scare people away. I've begun wearing a very subtle amount of eyeliner. I don't want the gothic rock star smudge anymore, so I'm keeping it real clean and neat. It's just enough to make a very small difference in my appearance, but it's a change that I really like a lot. I've never tried to be normal, despite looking that way for most of my life, and I really don't plan on trying to now, especially since I'm getting closer and closer to the body I've always wanted. Hard work and perseverance to pay off, and anything is possible if you want it enough. If you can't see that by looking at that picture, then you haven't seen the changes that I've made to go to that from this.

     I'll have the official numbers on Tuesday night with a few photos. I have to get ready now, cause I'm going to visit the moms early today so I can get to that little backyard grilling later. Peace in and goodnight.

Today Was A Good Day

     I had a rather rough night last night. Between Morty and just my own head, I was awake every hour within the night. I finally got out of bed at 6:30, feeling pretty miserable. Things changed during the day though. I'll get to all that, and my short review of Birds of Prey which I forgot on Tuesday.

     Things began taking a turn during my meditation, which was in the light of day, which bothered me, but that's what I get for rising as the sun instead of before it. That relaxing feeling that falls over me during my meditation definitely was a game changer today. I decided last night that I would just waltz into a 24 hour fast, but mid-morning a called an audible on the play so that could taste a new pepper.

     That is the Jemez Pueblo, which is actually supposed to be about twice that size. Since the plant is still small, that is the reason for the small sized pods. I decided to try that small one on the right. I didn't bother looking up what it was supposed to taste like, cause I didn't want to be influenced by what I read. I did remember that it is supposed to be around 5000 on the SHU, which puts it a little more mild than a jalapeño. I bit the end off first, so that I could get all the flavor and none of the heat, but it had a little sting to it. It was very sweet, and as I ate the rest of it, the flavor came to me. It was very much fruit flavored, like fruit punch. It did pack a little bite to it, but it was very mild. The real surprising part of it, was how long that mild burn lasted. I still had some heat 20 minutes after eating it. It was quite enjoyable. I highly recommend getting you some Jemez Pueblos if you ever get the chance. Not exactly the kind of pepper you come across everyday, so you'll have to hope you know a pepperhead like me, that can give you one.

     That was another step on what is a really good day. I've always had this need to change my appearance in some way. When I was younger that would be cutting my hair differently. There was one semester in high school that I didn't wear my hair the same way. I started out the semester with long hair that fell to the middle of my back, by the end, It didn't even reach the nape of my neck. When my hair went away, I turned to growing the facial hair differently. That lead to my 3 year beard growing phase, and then shaving it off entirely without warning. Since then, nothing has seemed to thrill me with changing my appearance, until of course, I was able to lose wait and complete change my appearance. This brought out my need to be different again. That need brought back some old tricks I used to do back in my goth days. Back then I wore black nail polish, lipstick and what not. It wasn't all the time, and it was just something to be different, and to feel different. Well the nail polish is back, but this time, I'm going with some color. Right now, my nails are a bold purple, which have been quite the hit with the ladies. I've gotten several compliments on the color. Which is a bit odd for me. I didn't do it for anyone other than myself. I'm selfish that way, but I do appreciate the compliments. This past week I found another old trick, but refined it, and I'm loving the subtle change. Back in the early days, it wasn't subtle at all, and was very pronounced, and it was more of an antisocial thing more than an attention thing. I wanted people to think I was weird and leave me alone. Oh yeah, I do realize I haven't tole you what it is, and I'm not going to. Not yet anyway. I posted this picture today on Instagram. I know, no social media, how do you do that? I can post it from photos in my phone without actually going on Instagram. Technology is amazing. Back to the picture. I posted this photo with the caption. It took nearly 49 years, but I'm finally beginning to be happy with who I am. I've gotten a few wonderful comments, and sadly I can't respond to them, unit I go back on social media next week. I'm still thinking about taking an extra week away from Facebook. The picture doesn't mention the subtle change I've made to my appearance, but you now know that there is something different. I want you to see if you can figure out what it is. Here is the picture, let me know what you think it is in the comments, and I'll reveal all on Sunday.

     Of course, the whole day wasn't good, but I didn't let the small stuff bring me down. I visited my mom, and she was doing really well, and very alert, despite me having to wake her up. Her new roommate on the other hand, is a pill. Since the second I got there, it could have began sooner, she was calling out for Amanda. I think Amanda is someone she used to live with, but she doesn't realize that she doesn't live there anymore. When my mom would respond to her, she would just yell "Amanda" louder. My mom took it in stride, and tried to be helpful to her, but she is a bit gone, far more than my mom is.

     On the way home, I planned on hitting up the grocery store, and then Lowe's for some polyurethane to finish off the pepper can stands. That was when I realized I forgot to bring my wallet, so none of that was going to happen. I was hitting the grocery store, to get some meat to make for dinner to break my fast with, yeah I know I technically broke it with the pepper, but I looked at the benefits of the pepper and weighed them against the possible damage it could have caused of actually breaking the fast. That left me with only one option for breaking my fast. Oh, the reason I needed fresh meat, is because I didn't plan properly and all the meat is frozen or in the process of thawing. Little pro tip. Let me thaw complete before cooking or it will be very very tough. I ended up breaking my 24 hour fast with my breakfast salad and a little protein magic. Sunwarrior, just released a new protein shake with greens. They only have it in a trial size right now, so it's really cheap. I mixed that with the Warrior Blend, to boost my protein intake. That shake mixed with the 2 cups of leafy greens I have in my salad, put me on the high end of my greens consumption for the week, so it was a win win. Eat healthy people, it feels so good.

     Oh, before I go. I potted the rest of the peppers, minus a couple that aren't ready to pot yet, and this is what the pepper area looks like now.



     As you can see, I decided to repot the Bulgarian Carrot, despite the peppers not being ready. I figured I would chance it at this point, since I now have a decent idea of what I'm doing. The big bag next to it, is the Aji Colorado that I planted from a seed, from a pepper that my buddy game me. I remember it being pretty good, but not exactly how it tasted. There are a couple of small pods on it right now, and a few flowers, so I'll be tasting it again real soon. I didn't bother counting today. I'll save it for tomorrow, but I believe there are around 50 varieties of peppers there. I will need to space them out as they grow, but for now, that's as good a place as any.

     That's it, I'm out of here now. Peace in and goodnight.

Less Fat On Keto?

     Where to start. I guess I'll start with getting bak to the meditation game. I only skipped that one day, and despite it really not having an impact like I thought it would, I still feel better doing it each morning. It is just such a relaxing way to start each day, so the last two days were meditation mornings, and I do believe that this will be something I do for the rest of my life. I'm also back to no sugar. I haven't had any since that lemon pie, and even though there are some things that have minimal amounts of sugar in them, I haven't had any. I won't be as strict as I was for the 100 days, but I'm definitely going to keep it to a bare minimum.

     I watched a video today from Thomas DeLauer, who is one of the experts on Keto that I follow closely. The video today is the second time he did a video on some thing that I came across naturally. The first was Mediterranean Keto. I was doing that for a couple of months before he made a video on it, I just didn't call it that. I just saw it as eating very clean Keto. This time it is doing a low fat version of Keto, which as you know I have been doing for a couple of weeks now. Maybe it's a few weeks. Anyway, he documented his results and they are very apparent. This could also be that his body is reacting to a new and cleaner way of eating. His way differed from mine a little. He only lowered his fats for 2 days out of each week, and he would follow each of those days with an IF day of 16-18 hours. He would lower his fat intake on those two days by 50%, and raise his protein intake by doubling it, and sometimes going a little over the double. I didn't go that far with my fats. I lowered them about 20-30%, and kept my protein moderate with the occasional protein load day, which was normally when I would have a big workout day. He dropped 1% in body fat, and gained 2.5 pounds. I'm currently at a 2.5 pound gain with my body fat staying the same, and I've been eating that way daily while mixing in IF when I feel like it. I basically do 18-6 every other day, and throw in a 24 hour when I feel like it. I probably should have had it more scheduled and planned out, so that I could document exactly what's happening, but that was never my plan. It is just a newer way of eating even cleaner than I have been. Minus that one day with the lemon pie of course. I can say without a doubt that I have gained a half an inch on my chest to back measurement and a quarter inch on my arms. The legs are lagging behind, but the men in my family have always had slender legs, which are tough to put muscle on. I'll get there though. I have also noticed quite a bit more definition in my waist area. I'm seeing more of that V taper in my lower abdominals. It's all happening, and I'm getting closer and closer to the body I want.

     With that out of the way, let's talk a little about the garden. The first Bulgarian Carrot is ripe, but since there is a third one ripening, I'm waiting until it's ready before I pick any of them.

     You can clearly see the ripe one, but the one next to it, is the third pepper getting ready. You can see the faintest amount of orange in it. It has a lot more in it now. The odd curly pepper is up towards the right hand corner, behind that other pepper. I'm wanting to transplant that one into a grow bag, but I'm waiting until it's done fruiting, but it keeps producing buds and pods. I may have to just suck it up and transplant it before it's done fruiting. I'm really hoping that this is a tasty pepper. I'll let you know.

     The Dahlia has several more blossoms on it, and they are just as pretty as ever. I got this picture just to share, because it's too good. You can see the Jemez in the background, which is still slow to ripen. One of them is ready, but that second one is still pretty dark at the top. I'm sure it will be ready in the next day or so. That's a mild one, with heat less than a Jalapeño, so it's going to be a challenge to figure out what to do with them.

     That is such a gorgeous flower. So rich with color. I'm so glad I got that plant. I have one more photo to share with you. My favorite artist offered up a free print again a few months back. I had forgotten about this one, until he sent out an email saying it was on it's way. This is an image from one of my favorite Tim Burton films. It's Edward Scissorhands.

     I really need to find some frames for these prints I have most of them still in their protective sleeves, and I want to display them. It's just going to take me getting off my butt and doing it.

     Speaking of butt. I went to the mall today so that I could see Birds of Prey. Yes, I finally gave in to my urges and went to see it. I'll give you the review after this little story. I was walking around checking things out before the movie started, and I noticed a woman walking the other way on the other side of the large aisle in the mall. What I noticed about her was her long brown hair. Seems to be a thing for me. I always notice long brown hair. Anyway as I turned my head to get a better look at her, I noticed she has on rather short and tight shorts. Not what grabbed my attention, but it wasn't a bad thing. It was just a very short moment as I turned my head and then turned it back to focus on where I was going. Across the way, I heard some guy call out to me, "I noticed that too." My first thought, was what was he talking about, then it hit me. He was talking about her shorts. I didn't even bother to acknowledge him, and could only think, "Way to be creepy dude." He thought he was having some male bonding moment, that we would both laugh about, but that's not where my head was at all. He was behind her, either because that was the way he was going, or possibly for the sole purpose of being creepy and watching her walk the entire way. Either way, I wasn't down for a creepfest bonding episode, and I complete ignored him. I'd hope that he got the point of why I didn't respond, but he probably thought he wasn't obnoxious enough for me to hear him. Lesson of the story, don't be that guy.

     Time for Favorite Song of the Week, and although February is over, we are going one more week with the Love, diversity, unity, and understanding theme. This is a song that came out just 4 days ago, and it's a great and fun song. I don't hide from the fact that I'm a Lady Gaga fan, proud as can be, and when she puts out a new song, I'm there for it, and this was no different. This song has a throw back sound to Born That Way. I guess you could argue that she is rehashing the hits, but sometimes you can take inspiration from the past, and I think that's what she did here. Her is Lady Gaga, with her brand new song "Stupid Love".

     I'm looking forward to the new album coming out. I'll be there for that as well. Before I leave there is something I keep forgetting to talk about, and that is my social media black out. I have 8 more days, before I am going back on social media, and this 30 day break has been fantastic, but that's not what I want to talk about. It's funny how desperate social media platforms are to keep you in the fold. I get daily emails telling me what I'm missing. Facebook is the biggest purveyor of the emails. Remember when Facebook said they would no longer send emails to notify you of anything. That's a lie if you take some time off. They send me at least one email a day about a specific post someone has posted, and then they send me a daily email to tell me just how many notifications I've missed, as well as how many messages I have. I find it quite hysterical. Twitter sends occasionally emails, but they do that whether you are active on the platform or not. Instagram has even gotten into the game and sent me "what I missed" emails as well. This all comes down to, these companies need us far more than we need them. If you get the feeling that there is nothing you can do to change what is going on with these platforms doing bad things, just take a week off, and see just how much they want you back there. If the majority of people took an extended break from using social media, the would crumble under they inactivity, and cave to honest pressure to change their tactics. Anything is possible, you just have to take action to make it so. I've learned that through this whole Keto journey, and can apply those lessons to pretty much anything in life. Peace in and goodnight.