Pottering Around My Garden

 

As the warmer season arrives in the Southern Hemisphere, I love to do the garden tasks where possible just after the sun rises in spring and summer.

Watering, weed removal, culling shrubs, fertilising, clearing unwanted growth around the desired plants, lawn mowing, shaping plants.

Removing cobwebs outdoors from eaves of the roof and pergola.  Broom sweeping the courtyard.  Washing down the fence.  Making sure no drainage blockages in the manholes.

Then there is the barbeque.

The air can still be perfect, without the impending humidity.    The blooms may look half asleep or not fully themselves, but I can understand.    The flora need moisture, perhaps watering them after dawn makes more sense than when they are straining under the full blast of the sun at noon.

I feel the freedom to dispose of clutter, whether unwelcome growth in old pots, invaders surreptitiously embedding themselves under otherwise decent growth.   Freeing up the space also gives me a sense of releasing good Chi as opposed to negative vibes.  Cutting up dried roots, leaves and other unwanted growth is like freeing up the burden on each plant.

I also observe the progressive stages of how buds transform to flowers and fruits.
Minute beginnings of reproduction, they catch my eye and arouse my nostrils.   The care and detail the plant makes effort with impresses me.   Pollinators help the process, miniature petals are formed and then come the start of little stalks.  

#yongkevthoughts

The Life Force in Old Things

The Japanese and some south east Asians believe even non animate things have a spiritual presence.  I generally refer to it as a lifeforce.   Antiques and non antiques can absorb the influence of past human individual or groups who used such objects, especially when they use it on a regular basis, intimately or did develop a fondness with a specific tool, utlity, furniture or ornament.

Objects can remind the human heart or memory of various degrees of experience.  Such inanimate objects, still as they seem, are viewed by some as witness sentinels to happy events, arguments, upsetting differences or significant moments.

Whether such vibes are benign, positive or otherwise, overall we humans develop a respect for such crafted things, whether metal, wood, paper or fabric.

When we walk into a room laden with old things, it is more than aesthetic presence we feel.  The visual impression may strike us first in design and layout, but we also can be sensitive to the feel of their surfaces, the sounds of opening and closing drawers, the changing of colour at sunrise or at noon and the working of tools.

Some of us can sense the love of previous owners for the furniture or sculpture.  How certain objects have been polished, dusted, admired, moved or caressed can exude from its appearance.

Traders may
emphasis on the financial value of so called old things and collections,  rather than what is referred to above.  Values traded by collectors are saddled with history, fact, legends and hype. Rarity and upkeep loom large as to how prices are set and sold.

Reusing old things can be environmentally friendly. When an abode is to be demolished, there can be interesting salvages of door frames, carved windows, floor tiles, screens, floor boards and more.  Such items taken from soon to be destructed houses can then take a separate and secondary life of their own.

It is truly in what is in the eye of the beholder for so called things.  And may I add, the purpose for such items going forward in the future.

If they are decided to be of no future use or benefit, they can be dumped on the street side once the human owner passes away - they become fodder for landfill and forgotten burial.

I reckon each of us having or keeping such old things must take the responsibility to decide letting it go or preserve their use when we are still alive.   Once such items become the responsibility of third parties, the sentiment attached to such objects are mostly lost and forgetten.

Is there any difference in how we view objects landing in a polished glass display at a musuem or gallery - or gathering dust in a unkempt antiques shop?

#yongkevthoughts

Empty Nests, Faraway Reunions

 

Empty Nest Back Home - An Urge for Reunion Overseas.

What the parents in such cases discussed with me involves a hard but significant family decision. 

Some parents opted for Permanent Residency or PR (without giving up their citizenship of their country of origin) if they are convinced to move to where their adult off spring have migrated to.

If a parent has most of the children in the same foreign nation, this can increase the chances and odds of getting the PR.  Other parents pay an investment sum, or the adult children place financial back up for the parents,  to governments of countries which offer such options.

Those who relented with taking up a PR tell me of their underlying reasons.

- Evaluation of the empty nest syndrome - why have 2 empty nests, one in each country?

- Religious group and social networking viable in new land with adult age children and their own young families.

- Flexibility and financial capability of parents to travel back to their source country for sentimental, cultural, social and climate variation reasons.

- Bonding with the grandchildren when at a young age can attract migration of the grandparents, but these kids do grow up.

- Readiness at an elderly age to adapt to the climate and temperatures of the new land.

- Acceptance that the society and nation settled in can also change in parameters of reliability, safety and other attractive factors when they migrated.

Parents who decided to not migrate with their adult children have other reasons.

- Individuals  who are more set in their ways can find more challenges, especially with lack of pass time hobbies, loss of social networks and reluctance to adapt to norms of a different culture.

- Everyone must cook ourselves as eating out can be not so accessible or are more expensive to buy.

- Parents still have a strong network of siblings, other relatives and friends back in the country of origin.

- Baby boomers can find it hard to adjust to the demands on the body and health with different climates and temperatutes.

- Adult children and their own families can be found residing across different nations and continents.

- Parents realise they must truly want it for themselves as well to migrate - and not just for the adult children and their families.

- Inheritance matters, regulations and rules within the country of origin can underpin strong reasons not to migrate.

- Acceptance in the mindsets of the parents of the socio-political changes, conditions and restrictions in the country of origin.

What is the vision of elderly parents as to how they want to spend their golden years?  

What is in the hearts of adult children overseas as they begin different lives, off spring and careers away?

Advances in technology, mobility and communication across vast distances do reduce the gap between elderly parents and adult children no longer living together in the same societies.  Does distance make the heart fonder or forget?

The grandkids brought up in a country far away may also migrate themselves to other lands to seek fulfilment in their very own careers and adventures.

The old house may still be left standing,
with memories and echoes of when we were all together.
Hopes and dreams were built in the corridors and landings,
Achieved and realised far away in distant meadows of the here after.

#yongkevthoughts

Words

 Words can have emotion, but can be mere talk without action.

Choice of
words reveal more of those who utter them - and the listener has a choice to be informed, ignored, injured or inspired.

Perhaps it is more useful to realise the words that are not used, purposefully left out, rather than the words actually chosen, spoken and written, to size up the true situation.

Words articulated can have the effect of dried leaves blowing on a windy afternoon.  They can have no meaning beyond the utterance.

Other words expressed can remain in our heart or memory many years later.   Some of such words only make sense or implication many years later, for example when we deeply miss some one or catch up again.

What one says or writes can make the day more positive or delightful to another.    On the other hand,  when we receive unfairly construed negative remarks, we can be more determined to not lower ourselves to such toxicness.

Words, once let out, are never easy to detract.

Keeping silent at times says more than a gaggle of words expressed.

When in love, words exchanged are just an option.   Body language and expression can be more intense than verbal dialogue.

Intense emotions are shown by human beings without the need for words.

What I understand as the meaning of a word may not be understood in the same way by another we converse with.

Words utilised can be meant to bully, humiliate or put us down.   Communication can be worded in such a way to make us lose interest in reading everything -  and we should be triggered to be vigilant with such senders of such words.

Some achieve so much more with a minimum use of words. Others achieve not much in using too many words.

Words can bond us together, whether in a political catch cry, or in cultural and religious words of comfort, or simply in what we recall what our parents and siblings used to say to us.

Words recalled can take us back to a place, sensation or time from long ago.

Words can make us snap out from binding procrastination or make us reflect more before acting.

Words are indeed echoes from our way of thinking, inner selves and how the outside world treats us.

Carefully crafted words do  structure the way society runs, point to ideas and inventions, justify our choices and make the person we truly are.

Loosely used words lead to inclarity, informality and the dilution of a well trained and developed mindset.

Words used set the pace and tone for a culture.

Specific words are landmark posts in the journey of a lifetime.


#yongkevthoughts

Blood Test Outcome Acronyms

I offer some personal thoughts in several aspects of our body health as a lay person.  Please refer to a trusted medically qualified person if you have any questions.

BLOOD TEST OUTCOMES

I reckon best to fast for at least eight hours before going to pathology to get a blood sample from us for a full test or specific markers.  Some opine that not all blood test outcomes are affected by not fasting before.

Chloresterol

HDL - High Density Chloresterol or the Good Guy.

LDL -  Low Density Chloresterol or the Bad Guy.

Chloresterol to HDL Ratio - Upper ceiling of reading desired is 4.5. ( with ideal ratio of 3.5 to One)

Non HDLC is a measure of Lipids in our body, with 4.0 suggesting an upper ceiling.

Statins are widely prescribed to manage cholesterol levels, but non statin tablets are also available.   Side effects of statin intake include possible impact on liver function, pain on joints and muscles.

Glucose level in Blood

Levels oftwlen range from 70 to 100 mg/dL and levels above 126 mg/dL can suggest diabetes.

Blood Pressure Management

The target range is between a systolic or higher ceiling read of 120 and a dystolic or lower floor measure of 80.

As one gets older, should we still stick to this range, or allow higher systolic readings?

Beta Blockers are usually prescribed in daily tablets to be taken by a patient whose non medicine attempts at better lifestyle, less stress plus daily movement and exercise have not successfully optimised blood pressure readings.

The problem with manufactured prescription medicine often is dealing with side effects to the body of the patient trying to manage blood pressure issues.  These side effects can be in blurred vision, rapid pulse rates, diarrhea, overly low blood sugar and cold feet.

When one has unusually low body blood pressure, there is a risk of and incurring pains of having an insufficient supply of blood pumped to the heart (Angina Pectoris effect).

PSA Reading as an Indicator of Prostate Health.

Age increases the risk of having higher readings and monitoring is encouraged.

Level of Vitamin B12 is measured as it helps in the metabolism of the body's amino acids and fatty acids.

Folate or Vitamin B9 helps in DNA synthesis.

EUC/ LFT is a liver function test.

FBC is the acronym for Full Blood Count of the body, including for white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets.

HbA1c meaaures the average blood sugar over the past 2 or 3 months.  It is therefore an indicator of potential or actual diabetes.

Iron levels in blood.

Fatigue, poor concentration and anaemia are symptoms with lower than desired levels.

Triclygerides

This denotes the level of high fats in the blood, with a desired average of 2.5.

TfT levels measure the health of the body's thyroid function.

Vitamin D 

Vitamin D are fat-soluble compounds helpful particularly for increasing intestinal absorption of calcium and phosphate.

Bicarbonate levels can indicate potential kidney or lung issues. 

Urinary Micro Albumin point to the adequacy of protein count in the body. 

T Bilirubin parameters range from 4 to 20.  It echoes the health of the liver and is related to the yellow pigment in our bile.

ALT refers to Alanine Transaminase.  This measures liver health, which is impacted by side effects of specific medicines, excessive alcohol consumption and hepatitis infection.

OUTSIDE OF BLOOD TEST OUTCOMES:

Bowel Test Every Two Years

Samples of poo are placed daily in small tubes for three days and quickly submitted to the pathologist for examimation.

Fibres and texture in breakfasts of oats do help build up the roughage in daily intake for ensuring optimal gut health.

Nature's Produce as Medicine

We live in a commercialised society that brainwashes us on the intake of manufactured medicines and pharmaceutical supplements.  Medical treatment in the Western tradition has been accused of attending to relieve the symptoms instead of emphasising on the causes of ailments.  Are contemporary medical approaches meant more to generate regular revenue rather than evoke the Oath of Hippocrates?   I do not know a clear answer.

Our regular food intake can recognise more of Nature's abundance and generous ability to take care of ourselves.  Regular nutrition is more helpful than taking a daily handful of medicines that can have side effects and possibly interact negatively with each other.  

Whether it is natural food or prescribed tablets, be mindful to always everything ingested in moderation.

Magnesium is found naturally in seeds, nuts, green leafy vegetables and whole grains.

It is vital to maintain a healthy body immunity system, regulation of the body's blood sugar level and is helpful to both muscle and nerve functions.

Potasssium is an essential element that helps in the functioning of the body's heart, muscles and nerves.  It also is significant in transferring nutrients to the body's cells.

Movement, Muscle and Joints

Strength in specific muscles can be more significant to factor in body flexibility, agility and ability.

Depending on age, a human being has to pay attention to the fact that muscle loss can occur.  The ability to squat, balance and move up slopes gives overall confidence to maintaining the ideal posture, stretch and grip.

Eye Pressure.   The ideal reading is between 11 to 20. What is the link between overall blood pressure and eye pressure?   One should not experience too high or low a pressure reading of both kinds.

Minimising Build Up of Plaque for the Teeth.  Teeth are very tough and durable, but the challenge is to take care of its counterpart - the gums.   Taste and flavour are less experienced once teeth and gums deteriorate.   The overall softness of food taken in most contemporary societies - for example fillets, over processed texture and less biting of bones - no longer offers the crunch to maintain stronger teeth.

The dubious viability of many tooth pastes and a general taking of granted of the workings of our teeth also add to higher risks.

Across Australia, tooth care expenses are not covered by Medicare and so dental health is often neglected from childhood.

#yongkevthoughts