This weekend is going to be hot! A predicted 89 degrees ought to sprout anything left in the ground, which isn’t much. I’m going shopping Saturday at our local nurseries with my friend Lisa, who has willingly (!) taken on the difficult task of figuring out which landscaping plants would look good in front of my house. Lisa and Tim’s house is gorgeously landscaped with the most interesting trees, shrubs and plants. I’m certain that her talented aesthetic eye can figure out what will work. We seem to have developed some bare spots out front from the tons of snow that crushed and maimed bushes, and the rest is just chaos, so she will attempt to find some plants that can accent it yet not become another item on the salad bar for the deer.
I’m happy to report that I feel great. It is nice to be back to “normal” for awhile. All the stomach discomfort is gone, and I’m not tired any more. Maybe it is the Yogi Immune Support tea with astragalus that I’ve been drinking? If you have a chance, read about astragalus, an interesting Chinese root. This website at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/11570.cfm, has a search directory (you have to accept a disclaimer to use it) for herbs, botanicals, and other products. It is very interesting; a scientific/medical view of herbs and botanicals. I’m especially interested in the immune effects of astragalus, which is used in Chinese medicine in conjunction with Western chemotherapy to mitigate its side effects. It will be interesting to see what my blood counts look like on Monday.
For those of you who had trouble signing up to receive my blog, I’ve added a tool at the top of the sideboard that should help. I’m trying to learn all about this techie stuff, or it will leave me in the dust of the last century. I may be the last remaining person in the U.S. who hasn’t yet joined Facebook, but I’m learning all the time. I believe that is my true calling, a professional student. Have a wonderful weekend, and get out those flip-flops.
