Just looked Saladino up. It must be him. I’ll take Jed Fahey’s research any day over Saladino’s claims about veggies, especially broccoli. Yikes.

Broccoli, especially broccoli sprouts, are potently anti-carcinogenic. I’d be curious what their source is claiming broccoli is carcinogenic. It’s odd but some people have experienced improvements in their health problems while eating a carnivore diet for a period of time. You can find articles online explaining the theories. However, it seems your parents are using what they’ve read or seen as an excuse to eat a lot of meat.

My kids always ate a hot breakfast before school—a portion of protein, cooked veggies and some fruit. Lunch was homemade and was similar but sometimes included bread. They grew up eating mainly meat, fish, dairy, veggies, fermented food and fruit. Some of them went through phases where they ate more junk food, especially with teen friends, but they were also eating well at home. They are all adults now and eat mostly healthy meals.

Wow! A real sink in a potting shed would be a dream to have. Lovely!

Put in all the alpine currants last week after removing the scraggly yews. It looks so much better. That garden also got a batch of liriope. The second batch arrives tomorrow or Tuesday. I will be planting four batches total. Then in early fall, I will pop in white and purple fritillary bulbs for the sort of effect linked here but without the daffodils, maybe a few hellebores: https://www.dutchbulbs.com/product/Meleagris_Fritillaria_Mix Planted the honeywort seedlings outside finally. Mixed them in with hostas and alpine columbine. Both have that beautiful blue-gray foliage. Hope they like their new homes. Planted a small rock garden with wax begonias-orange flowers and dark foliage, coleus-Sky Fire?, yellow loosestrife, blue lobelia, Kentucky Blue Star, Alpine Columbine and some large-leaved blue hostas, small ferns and unshaped boxwoods. It looks cheerful. Well, it makes me cheerful because they are all out of the house and finally planted! All of the trees are dropping their zillions of seeds. Mulch was just delivered and once the majority of tree seeds have been raked up — what fun! — that will go down. This seems to be best to do around the beginning of the second week for the areas I garden.

If she paid for the rental and someone was trying to take it from her, then she could be on the hook to replace the bike. In Chicago a Divvy bike costs $1200 to replace. I have rented a Divvy bike often in Chicago and would be upset if after just renting it, someone else tried to take it away from me.

As a partly native American who grew up on a reservation, I feel uncomfortable/guilty calling myself an Indian outside of the reservation because it’s not PC; however, on the reservation, where NAs and mostly white people live together, most people use Indian and the signage also has messages that use the word Indian. Example: “Welcome to the Blackfoot Indian Reservation.” We also say rez which I won’t say around non-reservation people because it upsets them. If you were to visit our reservation, though, feel free to say Indian and rez because most don’t care.

Drip irrigation systems take a bit of time to set up but once you do, they are great. Years ago I used to have a timer on my spigot which worked well. Some of them have multiple hose attachments and timers, iirc, in case you need more than one. Planted liriope spicata today all day long. I’m only about 1/4 of the way done. The liriope looks good but plants are over $3 each in a flat of 32. I ordered some bare root plants that are a tad more than $1 each. That’s better. They should arrive next week. Hope they survive the mail! Alpine currants going in this weekend. When it’s raining. At least they won’t need much water. The site is all ready so hoping it’s an easy job. Snagged some nice native plants for $7 each. I will plant those tomorrow. I am going to take a picture of the ‘Black Truffles’ lobelia for y’all. They have grown a few inches already and are looking so good!

There is some evidence that they can remove heavy metals, phytoremediation. Maybe more.

Here’s a xeriscaping resource https://www.highcountrygardens.com/. I like a lot of what they offer but many won’t grow well where I am. Removed 10 yews today. Took 2 hours. My trusty all steel, one-piece narrow spade makes very short work of this kind of work — and transplanting. Highly recommend. The area looks better already because they were so poorly pruned for years which just makes me smh. So out they went. Alpine currant ‘Green Mound’ will replace them. They should arrive by this weekend. Groundcover going in tomorrow, I hope. Very easy, reliable liriope. Put in some gorgeous lobelia ‘Black Truffle’ yesterday. It’s a plant that likes water so I created a reservoir under it to hold more water. It does drain but slowly. Such a beautiful plant and hummies love it. I’ll intersperse them with Northern Prairie Dropseed and maybe a gold carex, not sure which one, and something else. Not sure yet. I’m thinking honeywort maybe. Or maybe ‘African Bride’ Love-in-a-Mist. Two of my ligularias did not make it through winter unless they’re just taking their time. Darn. All of my divided epimedium made it. They did not all appear to have made it but all of them are flushed out now. Yay! Moved some clumps of allium that were planted in the wrong spots. The flowers are great but the foliage is blech and needs to be tucked away. Took out some odd iris reticulata. The foliage is so odd. I saved them but have to figure out what to do with them now. The flower is light blue and would look good in a patch of dark ajuga, maybe, if the flowers don’t bloom at the same time. Spraying neem oil on boxwood for emerging psyllid bugs. This will be a chore for a few weeks. Indoors planted some tuberose bulbs. They smell so good. Sweet pea vines are also indoors and doing well. They are also very fragrant. That’s it for this week.

If there is still a place near Bozeman/Belgrade around $135 per night, I would highly recommend reserving it especially if they have good cancellation policies. Bozeman in summer tends to be expensive. We will be there in June and made reservations downtown back in February. Even then many of the summer dates at other vacation rentals and hotels were taken and prices were high. The drive from Belgrade to YNP is a bit of a drive. You'd want to get an early start to avoid sitting in the entrance line. If you drive from Belgrade to YNP, pack food from there and take it along. YNP is, imo, underwhelming. We usually go to YNP with a former neighbor who was a forest ranger there. He's now a spry, active man in his 90s and still knows a lot of the hidden areas but you'd have to really know the park to see them or pay to see them. It's a great way to see the area, though. Bozeman has a lot to offer itself, hiking-wise, even right through town. Nearby Hyalite Canyon is beautiful. Thursday and Sunday evenings, Bozeman Hot Springs has musicians play by the outside pools. It's not cheap but is definitely relaxing. You could also check to see if any of their cabins are available for rent. We've stayed in them before and thought they were comfy, and you get into the Hot Springs for free. Restaurants around Bozeman are pretty good too. Montana Grizzly Encounter, mentioned above, is well worth the money. It's run by a family we know and they have some funny stories about a rescued grizzly bear (caged) one of them would drive around in the back of this truck. You'll learn a lot about bears in general such as how to be safe. Bears occasionally do run through some of the towns such as Bozeman.

That's cool!

Some things to consider: Summer will be busy in Yellowstone and you’ll have to deal with crowds and traffic at certain points. Summer is often Fire Season in all of the states around Yellowstone. It’s usually at its worst in August but sometimes July, too. You will want to check online sites for current fires. All of those states do a good job keeping drivers safe from fires. They will temporarily close roads if necessary and reroute traffic. As you enter WY after leaving SD on I-90, you’ll start to drive on some desolate stretches. Make sure your tank is full and you have extra water in your car just in case. Your cell phone might not have coverage for stretches, either. If you drive SD to WY and then up to MT, you will go through the Crow Reservation which is also desolate until you get closer to the small city of Billings, MT. You do not want to wing it out there hotel-wise because there just aren’t a lot of hotels. Many of the hotels will be booked and not just in the Yellowstone area. Campsites too. The towns I’d stay in are Rapid City SD, Sheridan or Gillette WY, and between Bozeman MT area to Yellowstone entrance.

Chicago has so many excellent restaurants, it’s hard to narrow it down, but here are a few of my favorites: Velvet Taco on State Street in the Gold Coast near Mariano Park (aka Viagra Triangle :)). It’s a chain that makes unique tacos, sides and strong drinks. Eat upstairs where you might be able to nab a window seat and people watch. This one is a lot more fun than the other Chicago locations. Via Stato for the lunch special. Located in the Embassy Suites Hotel on State Street in River North. Their pizzas are my favorite in the city. Ingredients are excellent and the crust is super thin and crispy, light, so you don't feel like you’ve eaten a ton of dough. I also like their BLT. For the special, you’ll also get a salad or soup and a small wedge of dense chocolate pie with candied orange and whipped cream. The bread and olive oil is superb too. Ask for a small plate of parmesan to go with it. Afterward, go across the street to explore the boutiques that are surprisingly affordable and where you can browse without being pestered. Cafe Ba-Ba-Reba for tapas. Go to the one on Halsted just north of Armitage in Lincoln Park. They are usually hopping, have a decent happy hour and tasty tapas and sangria. DePaul is nearby. North Avenue, south, has Crate&Barrel, CB2, Apple, etc. and theaters. Lula Cafe on Kedzie and Logan Blvd. in Logan Square for brunch although they also serve dinner which is probably just as good. Everything is amazing. Waits can be long on weekends. For brunch, m. henry in the Andersonville neighborhood on North Clark, north of Wrigley. The m stands for Michael, one of the owners, who is often there. Known for their homemade granola, bliss cakes (pancakes, mascarpone, berries and granola) and brunch dishes. I like the dandelion, shallots and fontina cheese omelet. Afterward, check out the cool plants at Gethsemane Garden Center, one block north, and then head south on Clark for about a mile to see the curated vintage stores and other small shops. Then get in your car or walk to Gene’s Sausage Shop about a mile away in Lincoln Square. Gene’s is loaded with all kinds of German and other European foods. The second floor has a good selection of drinks and non-perishable food and then above that, a rooftop floor where you can sit out and have a crispy brat and beer or whatever else they’re selling which are especially good as cool weather sets in. Lincoln Square, about a mile or so long, is also fun to explore. Old Town Folk Music, a fantastic and unique music venue, is also there. Dove’s Luncheonette in Wicker Park, west of River North on Damen just south of North Avenue. Drive or take an Uber. Everything they make is outstanding. My favorite is the Chicken Fried Chicken. Dove’s is a diner with limited seating so get there early or while you’re waiting, walk around the neighborhood which is very young and hip. Afterward, explore the neighborhood shops and sights and maybe go for a walk on the 606 elevated and landscaped bike/pedestrian path. If you need a hotel, the Robey would be a fun place right in all the action. At night you could go to the Violet Hour for cocktails. They are considered one of the best cocktail lounges in the US. eta: Revival Food Hall in the Loop around Clark and Adams. This is where I go after visiting the Art Institute. There are numerous food vendors, all unique and excellent, and it’s a lively place to sit and enjoy a meal. My favorites are the Fat Shallot, Danke, Smoque, Art of Dosa, LaShuk and Minahasa. Hours are mostly daytime—lunchtime to early dinner. The area is kind of quiet at night.

A lot. Clothing is my weakness. I loooove clothes. I am a minimalist with everything else, though. I would guess maybe 400 tops and pants. I do wear everything, though, and what I don't wear goes to our local charity where it gets resold locally, to my knowledge. I've seen some of my donations on the sale racks there and one time I even saw someone in town wearing a unique shirt that I had embellished. lol I have a lot of baseball caps, too, which I wear when working outdoors.

I am going to try the cooking method. Anything to get rid of them or at least reduce their numbers!

Heating soil for a period of time would probably work, too. I was going to do this but then I read a thread on a horticulture forum that was confusing and made me change my mind. Apparently, if the heat is too high, that can cause problems? Maybe read about it for temp and time instructions. @kbutton has done this successfully so there you go! I am curious why potting soil is not sold dry, too. Maybe there’s a benefit to the moisture? Anyone know more about this? I’m thinking of opening my big bags of potting soil in our basement, spreading it out on trays and just letting it dry out during winter — hoping that would kill the fungus gnats. If you decide to repot, carefully rinse the roots well. Eggs and larvae will likely be there. Good luck!

A lot of potting soil mixes are contaminated with fungus gnats because they are loaded with organic matter that they eat and it's moist. One way to begin killing the larvae that are in the soil is to allow the soil to dry out completely for as long as possible without killing the plant or stressing it too much. The gnats crawling and flying above the soil are no longer eating, just mating. Keep using the yellow stickies during this time to catch the adults. One adult will lay about 300 eggs in the week or so that they are alive and above ground. If you can catch even one, you're preventing lots of future gnats. Add about an inch of sand on the top layer of soil in the pot at the same time because flying gnats want to lay their eggs in the moist soil, not dry sand. Small jagged rocks would work too. You can buy both at places like Home Depot. They're usually indoors around the fertilizer and seed starting section. Water from the bottom if you can so that the top layer of soil dries out more quickly and discard any water in saucers after watering. This process takes awhile to work, at least a month or longer, of cycles of drying out and watering but I have found it to work fairly well. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Mosser-Lee-5-lbs-Desert-Sand-Soil-Cover-1110/204370350 Another option is to use beneficial nematodes. You can buy these from a company called Arbico. They don't harm humans or pets. I have not used them but I think you'd want to find out if the soil needs to remain moist for the nematodes. Again, you'd have to give it some time as they kill the larvae in the soil. https://www.arbico-organics.com/category/pest-solver-guide-fungus-gnats You can also buy small plants that eat adult fungus gnats. I wouldn't use these exclusively if you have a severe infestation but you could grow them to help control future problems. https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/plants-kill-fungus-gnat-problem-36976874 I have not been able to get the mosquito bits or hydrogen peroxide soaks to work at all. After you stop seeing the gnats, you might want to water your plants using a rooting hormone in case the gnats were eating the roots. Some of my plants had severe damage that took a few years to correct because so many roots had been eaten.

I think if he could tweak what he has built already, then it would look more finished. The vertical support boards are just a tad too slender looking. They could be beefed up with a few more boards or some type of an exterior column wrap. Or, he could replace them with a larger board. Then, the horizontal board could maybe be moved up a bit but it's not too bad where it is now, either. Might want to add some diagonal supports at the top to help keep it a little sturdier -- where the vertical posts meet the horizontal boards. Then add the top boards. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Hampton-Bay-Spencer-Hill-10-ft-L-x-12-ft-L-Steel-Gazebo-GG-11076-AAP/317140622

Make a playlist of the popular music from her youth, her teens and 20s, and see if she would like to listen to it while you are with her doing other activities. Ideally, you’d want to find artists and songs that she liked when she was young. If she is okay with listening to it, keep track of the ones that she likes and then use those to make another playlist. Music has an affect on memory but it needs to be music that is meaningful to the individual. https://www.brainandlife.org/articles/how-music-affects-memory-in-dementia/ Because she’s hearing impaired, maybe she could wear headphones while listening.

Microalgae are capable of sequestering large amounts of carbon. A British company, Brilliant Earth, has created and tested microalgae-sequestering facilities and they are expected to roll out soon. The process is pretty cool and appears to be environmentally friendly. https://www.futuretimeline.net/blog/2022/05/10-algae-carbon-capture-technology.htm

I live in the Chicago area and have used public transportation for over 30 years — CTA trains and buses as well as Metra trains and Pace buses. When crime occurs on public transportation, it often happens quickly and unexpectedly. Or, the vehicle is packed and no one intercedes because they are scared, shocked or unaware. Or, a group of criminals does not allow the victim to leave. There is no time and/or no ability to reach an emergency button. In some of the cases no one responded to the emergency call or the victim was seriously injured, raped or dead by the time help arrived and the criminal escaped. I follow the crime daily and fairly closely and some of the criminals are repeat offenders so I guess they are able to continue using public transportation. I don’t know the official policy.

This past month I’ve seen bees and a few butterflies/moths while working outside and even an older dragonfly. Lots of birds, some very plump, possibly because everyone feeds them around here.

This past week was too cold and rainy to do any planting. I did divide and transplant some ajuga and sedum. Both seem happy. Indoors I have about 250 plants that are ready to go outside but most of them will need warmer temps. My tuberous and wax begonias are huge! I hope they transplant okay. I have about 30 sweet pea plants indoors that are over a foot tall that I’m thinking of just growing indoors. I like them in bouquets. I will have to create a few planters first. In a few days, I can finally place my big order for shrubs and other perennials through a service that deals directly with nurseries. They have great deals and the plants have never disappointed in the past. In the meantime I cleaned the shed thoroughly and sharpened some of the tools. Everything is ready to go. Just need some warmer temps!

Yes, I know how much protein is in the food I eat and I try to aim for a certain amount per day. I'm not vegan or vegetarian but my diet is mostly a variety of vegetables and a small amount of fish, usually Alaskan salmon, and also eggs and some dairy. For protein intake (and fasting research), I follow longevity researcher Valter Longo's recommendations. The following link is a short summary of what he recommends. He has also written a book. https://www.valterlongo.com/daily-longevity-diet-for-adults/