Month: November 2023
Today’s Poem: Let Me Arise by Violet Fane
Let Me Arise
Violet Fane
Let me arise and open the gate,
to breathe the wild warm air of the heath,
And to let in Love, and to let out Hate,
And anger at living and scorn of Fate,
To let in Life, and to let out Death.
Toenail Color and Your Health – 5 Things You Should Know
The color of your toenails can indeed be a window into your overall health.
Here are five things that changes in toenail color can indicate:
- Fungal Infection: One of the most common reasons for discolored toenails is a fungal infection. Toenails may turn yellow, brown, or even green in severe cases. Fungal infections often start as a small spot and grow to affect the entire nail. They can cause the nail to thicken, become brittle, and possibly separate from the nail bed.
- Injury or Trauma: If your toenail is black, blue, or purple, it might be due to an injury or trauma. This discoloration is usually due to blood collecting under the nail, known as a subungual hematoma. It can be painful and, in some cases, may require medical attention to relieve pressure.
- Nutritional Deficiencies: Deficiencies in certain vitamins and minerals can lead to discoloration of the toenails. For example, a deficiency in iron can lead to pale or white nail beds, while zinc deficiency can cause white spots on the nails.
- Systemic Health Issues: Yellow nails can sometimes indicate a more serious condition, such as chronic lung disease, rheumatoid arthritis, or diabetes. Additionally, extremely pale or white nails can be a sign of anemia or liver disease.
- Nail Psoriasis: Toenail discoloration can also be caused by nail psoriasis, which is a chronic skin condition. This can cause the nail to become yellowish-red and develop tiny pits or indentations. Nail psoriasis can sometimes be confused with a fungal infection.
It’s important to note that while changes in toenail color can be a sign of health issues, they are not always a cause for alarm. However, if you notice persistent changes or have other symptoms, it’s a good idea to consult a healthcare professional for proper diagnosis and treatment.
Source: ChatGPT
Joke of the Day: Joe Snoops on His Grandfather
Joe: “My grandfather is acting strange. Everyday at 3 he picks up the widow across the street and they take off. I followed them.”
Pete: “Where did they go?”
Joe: “The early bird special.”
Thinking Out Loud: It’s Time to Slay our Dragons
Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Cervantes work, Don Quixote.
“Fortune is arranging matters for us better than we could have shaped our desires ourselves, for look there, friend Sancho Panza, where thirty or more monstrous giants present themselves, all of them whom I mean to engage in battle and slay, and with those spoils we shall begin to make our fortunes . . . What giants,” said Sancho Panza.” Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote
Note: When we set out on our adventure we will have monstrous giants (metaphorically) to slay. Many of those whom we considered friends will not see what we are seeing on our adventure. Their minds are closed as stay behind their emotional barricades. The giants we slay may be our fear, pride, greed, or an unjust cause. If we are to be successful in our adventure, we have to slay our dragons.
Today’s Anagram – It’s Time to Exercise Your Brain
Today’s mind sharpening anagram is a two or three word phrase related to a health related topic. Can you unscramble the anagram to discover the two or three word phrase while exercising your brain?
Today’s Anagram:
Today’s Quote: Rise Each Time You Fall
If you don’t fall how are you going to know what getting up is like.
Stephen Curry
Poem for Today: The Vagabonds by Bliss Carman
The Vagabonds by Bliss Carman
We are the vagabonds of time,
And rove the yellow autumn days,
When all the roads are gray with rime
And all the valleys blue with haze.
We came unlooked for as the wind
Trooping across the April hills,
When the brown waking earth had dreams
Of summer in the Wander Kills.
How far afield we joyed to fare,
With June in every blade and tree!
Now with the sea-wind in our hair
We turn our faces to the sea.
We go unheeded as the stream
That wanders by the hill-wood side,
Till the great marshes take his hand
And lead him to the roving tide.
The roving tide, the sleeping hills,
These are the borders of that zone
Where they may fare as fancy wills
Whom wisdom smiles and calls her own.
It is a country of the sun,
Full of forgotten yesterdays,
When Time takes Summer in his care,
And fills the distance of her gaze.
It stretches from the open sea
To the blue mountains and beyond;
The world is Vagabondia
To him who is a vagabond.
In the beginning God made man
Out of the wandering dust, men say;
And in the end his life shall be
A wandering wind and blown away.
We are the vagabonds of time,
Willing to let the world go by,
With joy supreme, with heart sublime,
And valor in the kindling eye.
We have forgotten where we slept,
And guess not where we sleep to-night,
Whether among the lonely hills
In the pale streamers’ ghostly light
We shall lie down and hear the frost
Walk in the dead leaves restlessly,
Or somewhere on the iron coast
Learn the oblivion of the sea.
It matters not. And yet I dream
Of dreams fulfilled and rest somewhere
Before this restless heart is stilled
And all its fancies blown to air.
Had I my will! . . . The sun burns down
And something plucks my garment’s hem:
The robins in their faded brown
Would lure me to the south with them.
‘Tis time for vagabonds to make
The nearest inn. Far on I hear
The voices of the Northern hills
Gather the vagrants of the year.
Brave heart, my soul! Let longings be!
We have another day to wend.
For dark or waylay what care we
Who have the lords of time to friend?
And if we tarry or make haste,
The wayside sleep can hold no fear.
Shall fate unpoise, or whim perturb,
The calm-begirt in dawn austere?
There is a tavern, I have heard,
Not far, and frugal, kept by One
Who knows the children of the Word,
And welcomes each when day is done.
Some say the house is lonely set
In Northern night, and snowdrifts keep
The silent door; the hearth is cold,
And all my fellows gone to sleep….
Had I my will! I hear the sea
Thunder a welcome on the shore;
I know where lies the hostelry
And who should open me the door.
Substitute these High Glycemic Veggies with Low Glycemic Veggies
Vegetables with a high glycemic index (GI) typically raise blood glucose levels more quickly than those with a low GI. Here are five vegetables with relatively high GI values and five low-GI alternatives that could be good substitutes:
High Glycemic Index Vegetables
- Parsnips: They have a high GI, which means they can cause a rapid increase in blood sugar levels.
- Potatoes: Common varieties of potatoes have a high GI, especially when baked or mashed.
- Pumpkin: It tends to have a higher GI, particularly when cooked.
- Corn: Sweet corn has a relatively high GI.
- Carrots: Cooked carrots have a higher GI compared to raw.
Low Glycemic Index Substitutes
- Substitute for Parsnips: Turnips or Rutabagas – These root vegetables have a lower GI and can be used in similar ways as parsnips.
- Substitute for Potatoes: Sweet Potatoes or Cauliflower – Sweet potatoes have a lower GI, and cauliflower can be a great low-GI substitute for mashed potatoes.
- Substitute for Pumpkin: Zucchini or Butternut Squash – These have lower GI values and can be used in similar culinary applications.
- Substitute for Corn: Peas or Leafy Greens – Green peas have a moderate GI and leafy greens like spinach or kale are low GI options.
- Substitute for Carrots: Raw Carrots or Bell Peppers – Raw carrots have a lower GI compared to cooked, and bell peppers are an excellent low-GI alternative with similar versatility.
Remember, the glycemic index of vegetables can vary based on how they are prepared and cooked. For instance, the GI of carrots is lower when they are eaten raw compared to when they are cooked. Additionally, individual responses to carbohydrates can vary, so these are general guidelines rather than strict rules.
