It is stinking hot today! At 22C early this morning, about 7:00 a.m., it was still bearable out of doors, not pleasant with the high humidity, but bearable. We sat out with our morning coffee until about 9:00 a.m., when the temperature rose and it started to feel oppressive. Attila still took forays into the garden to harvest vegetables, and will be out there this evening to water the garden. Drought conditions again, all of our rain tanks are empty and we will be relying on municipal water until we get some decent rainfall.
It is lovely inside the house. The thermostat is set to 23.5 C (74.3F) which is very comfortable, even with all the heat and humidity generated as canning session after canning session proceeds.
On Thursday I canned Dilly Kohlrabi, to total almost two dozen jars now. I love the stuff. This morning six jars of Zucchini Pineapple were canned, and this afternoon six jars of Coleslaw were canned. The zucchini, the cabbage, and the carrots came out of our garden.
We are dehydrating kohlrabi leaves again this weekend, out on the back porch. The dehydrator doesn’t have to work very hard to stay warm at the set temperature.
Mist Cottage is in chaos. During preservation season there are full jars cooling, or drying, empty jars waiting. Mountains of vegetable scraps are created. Boxes for equipment are piled everywhere, as is the equipment itself. And still, meals must be made from scratch using the small spaces we manage to clear on the counter.
We finally found some peaches in stock at the grocery store. We arrived early to look for them, just after 9:30 a.m., before the heat of the day set in. We had to venture into the store to find the peaches, as when we order them, they are gone before our order is fulfilled. Because we are up to our necks in garden vegetables, I stored the peaches in a cooler bag on the floor of the bedroom, the only unoccupied flat surface in the house! The refrigerator crisper, and three large coolers in the basement, are full to bursting with vegetables harvested from the garden.
Ginger continues to settle in. He is GRUMPY in the morning! He does not meow, he yowls, as he follows me around the house when I arise for the day. This doesn’t last very long, he eventually jumps onto my chair to take advantage of my first break of the day. Some days he has a long wait, and he lets me know that “we are not amused”. Attila says he is enjoying “the lap of luxury”. AND something I didn’t know, some cats fart. Ginger is a farter, the happier he is, the more he farts, and he is happiest cuddling with me on my lap. He is lucky he is so cute!
The results of my biopsies have been located, and the only issue detected is Gastritis. What a relief!!! Gastritis is not fun, but it is manageable. And so I begin to look at strategies to address it.
Attila is feeling better, But his cough is awful. His blood oxygen level this morning was 100%, so whatever is causing the cough is not affecting his lungs’ ability to process oxygen.
So that is us, OK for the moment. We aren’t enjoying this heat wave. I hope all is well with you.
Worldly
Weather
Updated on Sat, Aug 6, 4:55 PM
33 °C
FEELS LIKE 41
Partly cloudy
Wind 16 SE km/h
Humidity 63 %
Visibility 25 km
Sunrise 6:00 AM
Wind gust 23 km/h
Pressure 101.7 kPa
Ceiling 9100 m
Sunset 8:26 PM
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Hi, Maggie! Glad to hear about the gastritis diagnosis, given the alternatives. From personal experience, I’d like to recommend Pepcid Complete to you. I did a lot of research before I started on it. It has the highest personal preference from users when compared to alternatives and it is prescribed for gastritis. There is a specific protocol for getting gastritis under control.
Quite honestly, compared to the extreme acid problem I used to have, Pepcid is a Godsend.
It’s been really hot and muggy here the last few days, too. I’m not surprised at the humidity though, as on Tuesday we had 62.6mm (2.5 inches) of rain in 12 hours! But amazingly the decking crew was true to their word and started our deck on Thursday, finishing it on Friday.
Very thankful for our air conditioning, the high temp today was 30 (85) with a humidex of 39 (102).
Oh wow, Attila is still doing garden work, despite being sick with the Covid. I hope he’s getting SOME rest. I’m glad you now know the cause of your torment and hope the diet adjustments are not too difficult to achieve. (I know I have much gastric distress if I consume gluten or wheat.) I’m also glad your AC is working to your satisfaction.
Hello Teri! Thank you for the info on Pepcid Complete, something to look into. Do you have a link to more information on the specific protocol for getting gastritis under control. The test results were given to me by the clinic nurse, there was no follow up. My nausea has diminished, and now it is triggered by overeating, eating hot sauce, and failing to eat on a regular schedule. Those things I can control, but it is easy to fall off the wagon, then I need to take something. The rabeprozol the doctors in this area keep prescribing for me is not something I want to take, so many issues with it! Dementia is one that isn’t even listed on the rabeprozol info sheet. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/can-heartburn-medication-cause-cognitive-problems-201603219369
It was terribly hot here yesterday, 33C, 41C humidex, and today is supposed to be even warmer. I do not enjoy this kind of weather. Wow, you got rain! We are in a drought situation here, requiring daily watering of the garden, and even then some of our plants are succumbing to the dryness and the heat. It is very humid too.
Congratulations on your deck install! Now to wait for weather sutitable for sitting outside. You will be ready. Air conditioning is great isn’t it!
Joan, Attila is pacing his time in the garden. Often, when I look out the kitchen window, he is resting in the shade. I am relieved to know what the nausea issue is about! Between the physiotherapy for the back pain, and the identification of the nausea issue, I have been gradually feeling better. What a relief. Knowledge is power, as they say. I am glad you know what irritates your system, gluten and wheat are everywhere!
We do like our new system. In the month of July our usage was down 17% over July 2021, so I hope this is indicative of an efficient system! You certainly need air conditioning where you live, I can’t imagine the heat there!
Hi Maggie. What a relief it must be to know what has been causing your health issues. And gastritis seems treatable. Yay! I hope Attila returns to full health soon. Ginger sounds like she’s settled in. Is she an indoor cat only? I had one cat who would periodically gift us with a fart LOL. I hope you get rain and some cooler weather! Hugs, Sandy and Milo the cat.
Hello Sandy. It is a real relief to have some answers! It could have been something quite serious, so gastritis is very good news. Attila improves day by day. Ginger is an indoor cat, the farts are quite a surprise, a new experience for us. Right now it is 33C outside, with a humidex of 43C, too hot for this girl. Tomorrow it is supposed to rain, with a high of 25C, and a humidex of 35C. I am looking forward to that. Hugs to you and Milo, from Maggie, Attila, and Ginger the cat 🙂
Yay- so glad the testing is getting you somewhere!
I don’t know if it will help, but the traditional honey and lemon can sooth a cough.
Cheers and good health to you both.
And Stinky too!
Hi, Maggie! Have you been tested for H. pylori bacterial infection causing your gastritis? If you do have it then that would have to be treated first. Otherwise, the treatment is basically the same as treating for GERD. Here are some articles for you to read.
https://www.healthcentral.com/article/the-difference-between-gastritis-and-gerd
https://www.rxlist.com/pepcid-drug.htm#dosage
https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/famotidine-oral-route/proper-use/drg-20072972
BTW, patient reviews of Pepcid say that the Maximum Strength Pepcid is NOT as good as the Original Pepcid AC Complete.
Oh, and you CAN take antacids when you’re taking Pepcid.
Thank Joannie! It took a very long time to find the diagnosis, but I think we have it now, knowing is so important. The honey and lemon are worth a try!
Hugs and good health to you and Mike and the furries!
Hi Teri! Yes, the tests were done by the surgeon, no H. pylori. It isn’t alcohol, I don’t drink. It isn’t from medications. Cause unknown. Might be stress, the pandemic hasn’t been easy to handle with years of almost complete physical isolation, and Attila working in a crowded setting the whole time. Also my brother died just before Christmas, and I did not get to see him for years due to the pandemic. Christmas wasn’t easy. Lots of stress to handle, so it could be stress related. The back pain is probably from an old injury, stress could have triggered that too, and the physiotherapy has helped tremendously.
Hi, Maggie! Actually, after getting rid of my GERD I realized that a pain I’d had in my back had disappeared. Now that I only have heartburn maybe several times a year, I’ve realized that a specific “back” pain is tied to irritation in a specific spot in my esophagus.
Who knows, maybe you’ll find that too.
That is interesting Teri! It all might have started in my gastrointestinal system. The back pain was at the site of a back injury in 1995/6, I was in physio for six months. It is a weak spot, that might have been triggered by the gastritis. Chicken and egg, which came first, who knows, as long as they don’t come again.