Measles Outbreak in a Recent year – Part 1 – Healthy Life 11

A measles infection (Image from patch.com/Shutterstock)

It was surprising that within four months, January to April, there were about 704 individual cases of measles in the America. There are about 22 states affected by diseases.

This is a big number since the US declared that measles was eliminated in 2000 (CDC, 2019).

What is Measles?

Measles is a disease that caused by virus (family Paramyxoviruses). Measles virus causes the potentially serious infection.

This disease is characterized by fever and maculopopular rash or rubeola, and it's more severe than rubella.

The disease is super contagious and highly transmissible disease.

The transmission of measles is by inhalation of large droplets aerosols from the infected person.

What are the symptoms of the measles?

Wild flowers, just for illustration.

The initial symptoms.

During the early phase, between one and four days, the symptoms develop an upper respiratory, such as runny nose and hacking cough, and also pink eye (conjunctiva).

Sometimes, the symptoms will not shown until one or two week, so that the person does not know that she/he already get contagious.

# To be continued to part 2

The Best Steakhouse in my City, Louisiana – Food 5

Raw meat, just illustration

We have dozen of good steakhouses in our city, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Some of them close to my neighborhood. Around 100 meter from my house.

What do they sell? Here are some of them:

- filet mignon
- cowboy ribeye
- t-bone cooked medium
- filet cooked medium rare
- the bone in ribeye.

Very fresh for my own standard, and the beef quality is approved by United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

So, we feel safe to consume it.

The steakhouses usually provide other products as well, such as Louisiana cuisines (jambalaya, oxtail soup), shrimp, Louisiana oysters, tamales and fried asparagus.

Steak and shrimp, credit to Louisiana Steakhouse

Few steakhouses are vegetarian friendly and have gluten free menus.

Some favorite menus are mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, crab cakes and cheese cakes.

However, it is said that the best steakhouse in Louisiana is in New Orleans, not in my city. Distance between New Orleans and my city (Baton Rouge) is around 81 miles (130 km).

Dickie Brennan Steakhouse locates in the French Quarter, 716 Iberville St, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130 provides the highest quality of prime beef.

This best steakhouse provides local tastes include jumbo Gulf shrimp, fried oysters and New Orleans Abita beer.

What is the best steakhouse in your state or country?

A Bouquet from Combinations of Flowers and Vegetables

Fig 01- Roses and vegetable

I am quite surprising that a kind of vegetable is combine with roses to make a bouquet. In term of colors, we may see:

- Green
- pink
- white
- and many others.

The color combinations look so pretty for me.

As far as I know that people mixed the flowers only, rarely from vegetable for bouquet. They choose variety of flowers, include:

- calla lilies
- dahlia
- gardenias
- peonies
- and roses.

Fig 02- Yellow rose with others

I love very red, yellow and white roses. I like white because the color could blend with other. 

Fig 03- Vegetable and roses

Red and yellow refer to warm feeling. Other colors are:

- pink
- burgundy
- peach
- purple
- green
- orange
- and blue.

I just know that green flowers in bouquet mean resilience, health and good fortune. Also, could mean renewal and optimism.

What are Your favorite flowers?

Mental Awareness and Vaccination – Healthy Life 10

Fig 01- A tree with purple flowers

Thank you so much for commenting and sharing your thoughts related to my post about Mental Illness.

- First Important Step to Know Mental Illness - Healthy Life 5

I appreciate it.

We are still in May, the awareness of mental illness month, so it is a good moment to be aware about our daily living activities and behaviors that affect our mental health

Prolonged isolation and prolonged restricted activities can lead to discomfort and depression.

Over a year we feel like live in the box, and now we can take a little “fresh air” since more people have been vaccinated.

Louisiana is less number of percentage of vaccination. In Louisiana, the number of people fully vaccinated is 1,438,154, and the percentage of population fully vaccinated is 30.94%.

Fig 02- The clusters of flowers

The rank of Louisiana from 51 states is 48/51. The highest percentage of its population fully vaccinated against COVID-19 is Vermont, 54%.

On May 15, Governor Bell Edward mentioned, “Following the new CDC guidance and in consultation with the LDH, I have revised the current proclamation to give anyone who is fully vaccinated the option to no longer wear a mask while indoors in most places.”

Fig 03- Flowers in the end of branches

But the restrictions are still the same in some places, such in government buildings and hospitals, wearing mask mandatory and distance.

Most Baton Rouge residents still wear mask even though in the places that mask is not mandatory anymore and the outdoors.

Governor Bell Edward brought up, “A growing number of studies on the COVID vaccines have shown the following:

-More than 90% effective in real-world settings at preventing mild and severe disease, hospitalization, and death.
-Effective against the variants currently circulating in the country and state.
-Those who are vaccinated are less likely to spread the virus.”

At the last, if prolonged isolation and prolonged restricted activities can lead to discomfort and depression, better get COVID vaccination. It might prevent our depression; vaccinated persons have more options for their life.

Green Bean and Papaya Delight – Food 4

Fig 01- Green Bean and Papaya Delight.

I went to the store and so happy to find the green papaya. This green papaya could be good to make Thai papaya salads, but the green papaya in coconut milk seemed a great choice.

I got a medium size green papaya and a can of leche de coco (coconut milk).

I kept the green papaya in the fridge.

Two days later, I was ready to cook the papaya. The green papaya was still green, and the skin had not changed color.

I peeled the skin; the papaya was still hard. I cut it into half. Oops, the flesh inside was turning to yellow-orangish ☹

I was thinking this papaya looked better for mixed papaya, cucumber, and jicama salads with crushed peanut sauce.

Unfortunately, I have no cucumber, jicama, or other vegetables to make that salad.

Fig 02- Cut green beans.

Okay, just kept it as a plan, the green papaya in coconut milk.

I sliced the flesh papaya thinly, put them in a pan.

Fig 03- Leche de coco

Fig 04- Slices of green papaya.

Then I added:

-water,
-crushed ginger, onion, and garlics,
-chili peppers (optional),
-and laurel leaves.

Bringing them to boil.

The color looked like more dessert than vegetable to me, so I added some frozen cut green beans and mixed all of them.

Looked better then!

I added leche de coco (coconut milk), a pinch of salt, and simmer for a while. Lastly, garnish with mint leaves! Looks great and tasty 😊

Have you ever tried this kind of food? What do you call it?

In Philippine, this recipe is called Ginataang Papaya, but the flesh of green papaya must be white color.

I showed this photo to the best chef in this town, Chef James, he called it, Green Bean and Papaya Delight.

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?