Free household cleaner and other stuff.

Brad likes to have a glass of a lemon and garlic drink (Details below) in the mornings, so I was making it and didn't want to waste the lemon peels, I also had some left over mandarin oranges from Xmas which were a little worse for wear, as you might imagine in mid January. 

So I cubed the oranges...

cut off the ends of the lemons,

peeled all the lemons,

all of it into the jar

Lastly fill jar with water and add lid.

1/2 gallon jar

Place in cool, dark place for 2-3 weeks, strain, pour into a spray bottle and you have an excellent cleaner for everything from counters to toilets -- and it would have all just gone in the bin, so I count that as free.

Homemade ACV

I made 2 massive Apple Cider Vinegars 4 weeks ago, they will be 'ready' tomorrow so I pulled them out to the counter so I don't forget to strain and bottle it all. ACV is super healthy and useful for a ton of stuff but that's another post altogether, we use most of it for our chickens so they don't get 'sticky butt' (1Tbsp/Liter of water).

Turmeric root

While getting the lemons and garlic today at the health food store I came across Turmeric root.... well, I already have Ginger going so.... I grabbed one and will plant it tomorrow also.

* Lemon & Garlic drink information: 

Multiple useful cardiovascular effects have been discovered including enhancement of fibrinolytic activity, lowering of blood pressure, reduction in cholesterol, and triglyceride.[14] The results showed that combination of garlic and lemon juice significantly reduced serum TC, LDL-C, and blood pressure.

Lemon & Garlic drink recipe:

6 peeled lemons

30 garlic cloves

blend with 1/2C of water

Put in large pot with 1 Gallon water

Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 7 minutes. Strain into container suitable to keep it all in the fridge. Drink 8-12oz each morning.
 

Specialist appt

Had my appointment with the specialist on Friday and all is well. He does not want to change my dosage as it seems our family doctor got the dosage right the first time which is highly unusual and he was very impressed with my doctor.

He is sending me for more bloodwork which we will do Tuesday when I go for my in person appointment with the family doctor. This bloodwork is just precautionary since I told him about the other issues I have been having and he didn't want to deal with 'probably nothing', so he wants to make sure and obviously -- I'm good with that.

The specialist did say my TSH being 3.2 is great as it should be between .5 and 5, and while he could adjust it to bring it down to 1 -  I'll live longer at 3 so he wanted to leave it alone.

This makes me very happy as it will allow me more time to torment my wonderful husband. :D

Gotta go in next week

Had my Dr appointment yesterday (via telephone) and he wants me to go in next week so he can physically check all my issues... (feet, leg and breast). This is scheduled for Tuesday which means we will have to make 2 trips to Salt Spring next week as we go every Friday for Brad's massage and to check our mail.

He tells me that my Thyroid blood work numbers are perfect from last friday's taking.

My FT4 which should be between 7 and 15 was 3 and is now 15
My FT3 which I didn't take note of at the time is now 3.2
My TSH which should be between 2 and 5 was 124 and is now 3.17

We discussed my issue with this extra weight and he thinks that by the end of the year, I should be back to normal which is what they said at the beginning of all this. I will be holding him to that - and I know where he lives. LOL

Aah, the wonders of getting old.

We essentially spent the day on the deck yesterday, just chilling out waiting for our 3pm Dr call. Brad took Robbie for a walk but otherwise we just hung out at home all day.

Tomorrow is my appointment with the specialist who will decide what to do with my prescription dosage.

Wild Friday night on Salt Spring

 Firstly, its been raining for about 18 hours....

The presents under the tree are definitely wet

But my decorations are not running!

You may recall that I painted them with washable kids paint and because we live in the amazon (not literally) I coated them with Mod Podge to protect them from all the rain. It worked - so far.

Last night Brad and I went to see Fantastic Fungi (please pronounce with a G not a g - some things are really annoying)... I remember a couple of years back. some American friends (they still read the blog - they tell me) wondering how accepting Canada is. Well, up here in Canuck country - and especially on Salt Spring Island - the trees, plants and mushrooms are people too. Everything/everyone is accepted here.

This was actually a pretty good movie and no its not about mushroom people but about how mushrooms are the earth's medicine. That fauna communicate via a root system that interconnects much like the 'internet'..."as above, so below" comes to mind. The links below will take you to news reports from 'Main Stream Media'  for any argumentative types....

Apparently mushrooms (the magic kind, actually) have been scientifically proven to aid in depression, PTSD, and other such neurological issues (in limited - ie 2-3 doses).

Turkey mushrooms are proving to eliminate cancers, etc.

There are many health benefits of mushrooms, available in our back yard since we live in such a wet environment, especially this time of year.

Anyway, not a movie that is likely to be a big hit in LA for example but here on Salt Spring - it brings in a crowd. The theatre was about 85% full last night and this is the 2nd run of this movie here, it was played for about a week a couple of weeks ago but due to popular demand...... for another 4 nights.

Only on Salt Spring