Grass in Our Yard during Hot Summer

Fig 01- Lawn mower is starting to work

Type of grass that grew on our lawn seems tolerate to:

- heat
- drought

The grass also need low maintenance only.

We cut grass down almost routinely:

- every three weeks during spring
- two weeks during summer.

You may know that higher temperature together with length day light causes grass grow so fast.

Thus, we need to increase frequency to mow our lawn from every 3 weeks to every two weeks or even every 10 days in the middle of hot temperature.

Because of too heat, F 106 or C 41 degree, we delayed to cut our grass at front and back yards for a while.

41 Celsius degree is not only too hot, but also might dangerous for our health.

Fig 02- Thick and tall grass, but covered by wild weed.

Then, storm and hurricane came. We faced windy and rainy for more than a week.

Fig 03- Our front lawn after grass cut.

Branches fell down everywhere.

Blackout made live inconvenient.

Grass grew uncontrollable.

Grass looks thick and tall than usual.

We observed our grass covered by wild weed. Ugly looking. After finding a proper time, then we clean our lawn.

By the way, how many times a month that your grass cut during summer?

Do You Know about Golden Kiwis Fruit? - Food 3

Fig 01- Golden kiwi

I familiar with green kiwi fruits for long time, but recently, I saw yellow or it is said as “golden” kiwis.

What make me to pay attention is about its skin. Compared to green kiwi, the golden ones have no hair, quite smooth.

When I bought it, few characteristics of the golden kiwi fruit are:

- Flesh is yellowish
- there are seeds, but not so many
- sweeter
- smaller core in the middle

Don’t worry so much, both green and golden kiwis are identical in respect to:

- amount of calories (110 calories)
- protein
- fat
- carbohydrates

Fig 02- Kiwi fruit brand

However, since golden kiwis are sweeter, thus, sugar content little bit higher compared to green ones.

Fig 03- Slices of kiwi fruit

Both green and golden kiwis grow well in the New Zealand. Kiwis, we consumed here in the USA, come from this country.

It is said that both green and golden kiwis are non Genetically Modified Organism (GMO).

They are natural cross breeding. So, it is a great news.

Interestingly, I hardly find green kiwis in groceries such as Wall Mart and farmer market recently.

I wonder whether the golden overtaken the green kiwis. I eat both, actually.

If you ever taste, what do you prefer: green, golden or both kiwis?

Is Strawberry Greek Yogurt Good For Health? - Healthy Life 9

My own menu, strawberry Greek Yogurt

I make strawberry Greek yogurt for my own purposes, for breakfast or for small dessert in the middle of day.

Breakfast is combination of yogurt and strawberry, while mixture of yogurt, ice cream and strawberry for middle of day for dessert.

Strawberry is one of my favorite fruits. Its riches of:

- antioxidants
- fiber
- and vitamin C.

It is good to regulate blood sugar, lower blood pressure and improve immune system.

I believe that most of us consumed yogurt, but you might not notice the different between Greek yogurt and Others (regular yogurt).

Greek yogurt involves the process to take out the whey, a lactose liquid (a natural sugar).

Greek Yogurt contains lower sugar, suitable for diabetic patients.

More strawberry than yogurt

Just to let you know that 150 gram (5.3 oz) of Greek yogurt is an excellent sources of:

- 150 calories
- 11 gram of
- Calcium
- Vitamin D

Some health benefits of consuming of Greek yogurt are:

- Calcium improves bone health
- Lower blood pressure
- Lower risk of type 3 diabetes.

In addition that Greek yogurt has probiotics that good for gut health. Probiotics from specific bacteria such as Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus casei could improve digestive functions by balancing presence of bad microorganism or bacteria.

Bad bacteria in the gut responsible for diseases such as constipation or diarrhea, skin conditions, weight gain and other health conditions.

Have you tasted Greek yogurt or mixed of Greek yogurt and strawberry?

Oyster is One of Favorite Seafood in Louisiana – Food 2

Fig 01- A Louisiana oyster dish

Marine products contributed US$ 1.8 billion in to Louisiana state economics. The products include:

- sea foods
- fisheries
- shellfish

In term of production, Louisiana is second largest after Alaska. Louisiana catches 1.3 billion pounds of marine creatures, while Alaska produced 5.3 billion pounds of seafood.

Oyster is one of my favorite seafood. Louisiana oyster has different taste compared to other oysters.

Louisiana oyster is quite like meat texture with “fresh earth” (earthy) flavor. Just to remind you that Louisiana oysters are harvested from Gulf of Mexico.

Other oysters which live in the ocean let’s say Pacific and Atlantic are different in tastes than Louisiana oyster.

The tastes could be saltier and sweeter.

Fig 02- Oyster just harvested from public sea in Louisiana

Prices of Louisiana oyster dishes are range from US$ 9.00 to US$ 12 per six oysters, depend on kinds of restaurants.

I think price for raw oysters is quite cheap, US$ 30 for a 100 pound. It is mean that US$ 0.3 for 1 pound, contains 2 to 3 oysters per pound.

I often eat oysters in US$ 12 restaurants where I can eat everything available menus: fish, oyster, chicken, noodle, pizza, fruits, cake, ice cream and etcetera.

Fig 03- A fishing boat to harvest oysters

Public may harvested oysters from Gulf of Mexico, Louisiana in certain seasons. Oyster could be found in the areas such as:

- Shallow tidal zones
- Sub tidal zones.
- Estuaries
- Brackish water

Open season starts in September and closed in April. Louisiana authority in this case “Wildlife and Fisheries Commission” may decide to close or open the areas based on biological data.

Finally, have you taste an oyster?

What do you think about th taste: sweeter, salty or earthy?

Do You Know a Sign of Bipolar Disorder? - Healthy Life 8

Illustration of Bipolar Disorder,

credit to Cleveland Clinic Health Essential

Bipolar disorder is “a brain disorder” relates to daily activities where moods may swing highly from low to high. Lower level refer to depression periods, while higher mood refers to mania periods.

In addition to moods, irregularity in activities and energy lead to unable cope with difficulty in daily live.

The exact caused of bipolar disorder is not known yet. However, the causes are suspected from internal and outside factors.

Hormonal imbalance in the body could trigger this mental diseases. Outside or environmental factors that may cause disorder include mental stress, abuse and traumatic events.

As reported by National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) in 2017 that “The average age-of-onset is about 25, but it can occur in the teens, or more uncommonly, in childhood.

The condition affects men and women equally, with about 2.6% of the U.S. population diagnosed with bipolar disorder and nearly 83% of cases classified as severe.”

Flowers in the garden

How many of 2.6%?

The number should be: 2.5% x 350 million = 9.1 million of USA population affected by bipolar disorder illness.

When the people ever experienced depression, mania and Hypomania, then they might develop bipolar disorder. Many signs of people enter early bipolar disorder such as stop (difficult) sleeping and loss focus.

They might not know, but the patients stop sleeping day by day will face severe conditions later on.

If patients or family bring the patient to see a doctor (family doctor), then the doctor may refer to the psychiatrist for treatments.

Reference

NAMI. 2017. Bipolar Disorder. Retrieved From:
Www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-Health-Conditions/Bipolar-Disorder

Summer, be aware with Traveler's Diarrhea – Healthy Life 7

People at the beach

Yes, many parts of the world are facing trouble pandemic in this Summer.

However, do you have any plans to travel abroad?

Getting ready to visit the nice places and enjoy the local culinary, but...have you ever have stomach flu when you enjoy traveling?

It does annoy you and sometimes it ruins your traveling schedules.

You are not alone, that happened to me, and many of us. In every 10 person, 3 to 7 person have this experience.

This stomach flu causes loose or watery stool, also known as diarrhea, and it's almost common in travelers. This stomach flu is called the Traveler's Diarrhea (TD).

Why do you get stomach flu when travel?

When I traveled to the warmer area and an area with poor public hygiene, that easy for me to get infected the stomach flu.

These areas do not have access to plumbing and latrine, so you can imagine that the amount of stool contaminated and more accessible to flies.

Sunset in the tropical area

Whenever an area has lack of safe water. electricity frequent to black out, and lack refrigerators will increase risk to the stomach flu.

The stomach flu is caused by many pathogens from contaminated water, prepared food, and utensils. Bacteria is the most commons cause, such as E. coli, Campylobacter jejuni, Shigella, dan Salmonella.

Viruses, such as norovirus also contribute to the somach flu. Parasites is less common.

How do you know that you got TD?

Knowing the symptoms, such as suddenly I have loose stool or watery stool, bloating, urgency using bathroom, vomiting, belly pain, tired, and fever.

When this symptoms mild, it goes away, but when severe I need to call health care provider.

How does you prevent TD?

I always make sure do not eat food from unknown sources, do not put ice in drinks, and only drink sealed bottle water. Avoid to eat raw fruits and salads, raw meat, selfish, and unpasteurized milk or yogurt.

I always carry traveler size of alcohol sanitizer, tissue, and liquid soap in my purse. Some medications for TD prophylaxis are always along with other cases.

Family Saga and Meaning to be a Good Person – Part 2 - Reading 1

Andrew Ridker, The author of The Altruists.

You may read the first part:

- The Rainbow Before Evening : Family Saga and Meaning to be a Good Person – Part 1 - Reading 1

I read all through the book. I did not see any funny and smart.

I just felt piety to those characters, seems they are not mature, not smart and wise about life. “Am I loosing the sense of humor?”

I was thinking that I was stressful, my anxiety level was getting higher. I was about frustrated because I also had to google some terms from this novel that I was doubt about the definitions and the concepts.

This book was wrote by a millennial author, a young man in her twenties. It is his novel.

Since I review another book which is Altruism:

- The Power of Compassion.

Finally, I agree that The Altruists is super funny and super brilliant.

Flowers in the city garden

This novel is ironic and tragicomic about moral life, and the concepts how to be a good person with the naïve thought.

The author fascinated about two differences. We can see how two generation, between baby boomers and millennials, between dysfunctional family and campus life, in this novel. He gives the readers good measurements of compassion.

The author is very smart, even the characters seems kind of un-mature persons, but he created their personality exactly like in the theories or concepts that we learn either in the Sociology Class or in the Psychology of Personality.

The terms in the book are also terms in the textbook, and some concepts might from his faith.