I see trees of green
Red roses too
I see them bloom
For Me and You
And I think to myself -What a Wonderful World
I see skies of blue
and clouds of white
The bright blessed day and the dark sacred night
And I say to myself - What a Wonderful World
The colors of the rainbow
So pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people going by
I see friends shaking hands saying-- "How do you do?"
There really saying I love you
I hear babies cry
I watch them grow
They'll learn much more
Than I'll ever know
Then I think to myself --What a Wonderful World
YES, I think to myself... What a Wonderful World....
Is it a Wonderful World? I think it depends on how you look at it and where you fit within this world! It may or may not depend on what race, religion, gender or political views you may have. It does depend on how spiritual you actually are and how well you are able to accept what is happening in your surroundings. If you are a 'NEWS' junkie/addict you will likely view the world in a different way. I try not watch the 'News', or read the New York Times (except the Sunday Art and Leisure section) because I get depressed seeing and reading about tragedies, murders, oil spills, etc.
It is not that I do not care --because I do. Perhaps I would be empowered by this constant stream of news if I had the power to change the world and how people treat each other. I do my part, but I cannot expect to save the world. The same is said about the people I care for. I do my best to educate, care, listen to and treat people. I sometimes feel I didn't do enough--I take their pain, sorrow and even their death on my shoulders. I have been trying to let go of that because I am one person--I am not immortal. I am only human. I am Patrick...
Today's mantra: I am grateful and blessed today
A nut is the hard shelled fruit of some plants that have an indehiscent seed (meaning the fruit does not open on its own to release the seed). While a wide variety of dried seeds and fruits are called nuts in English, only a certain number of them are considered by biologists to be true nuts. Nuts are an important source of nutrients for both humans and wildlife.
A nut in botany is a simple dry fruit with one seed (rarely two). Nuts belong to the Family Fagaceae. Nuts used for food, whether true nuts or not, are among the most common food allergens. I encounter many peanut allergies. There are two types of allergies. Those which are immediate called IgE allergies. The testing for this can be either by skin or blood testing. There are also allergies which are delayed called IgG allergies. The testing for this is by blood. I do both testing for both IgE (immediate) and IgG (delayed). I often observe negative results for peanuts by IgE but positive results for IgG.
Remember the peanut is not a nut, it is a legume. It is grown in the ground. I observe many peanut allergies when the patient has a yeast problem. Peanuts and/or peanut butter contain yeast. Why? Peanuts as stated are grown in the ground, therefore there is fungus, which is mold. Yeast, mold, fungus...all are classified in the same group of living things. Think about what else can be yeasty that is grown in the ground? Yes, the mushroom is part of this group as well.
Some fruits and seeds that do not meet the botanical definition but are nuts in the culinary sense:
Almonds, Pecans and Walnuts are the edible seeds of drupe fruits — the leathery "flesh" is removed at harvest.
Brazil nut is the seed from a capsule.
Candlenut (used for oil) is a seed.
Cashew nut is a seed.
Gevuinanut
Horse-chestnut is an inedible capsule.
Macadamia nut is a creamy white kernel (Macadamia integrifolia).
Malabar chestnut
Mongongo
Peanut is a seed. It is actually a legume.
Pine nut is the seed of several species of pine (coniferous trees).
Pistachio nut is the seed of a thin-shelled drupe.
Several epidemiological studies have revealed that people who consume nuts regularly are less likely to suffer from coronary heart disease Nuts were first linked to protection against CHD in 1993.I encourage all my patients to consume nuts as a snack (except peanuts). Many clinical trials have found that consumption of various nuts such as almonds and walnuts can lower serum LDL cholesterol concentrations. There are recent studies that walnuts are better than other nuts. I prefer almonds. Although nuts contain various substances thought to possess cardioprotective effects, scientists believe that their Omega 3 fatty acid profile is at least in part responsible for the lipid lowering effect.
In addition to possessing cardioprotective effects, nuts generally have a very low glycemic index. This means that nuts generally are converted to sugar in the body at a slower level than other foods with a high glycemic index. For example grapes and watermelons. I frequently recommend nuts be included in diets prescribed for patients with insulin resistance (pre diabetic, also called metabolic syndrome).
Nuts have special properties. Because they contain fat, people get afraid to eat them. Yes, it is true if you consume bags of nuts there is a lot of fat. But it is the right fat, NOT saturated fat.In addition, the fats in nuts for the most part are unsaturated fats, particularly monounsaturated fats. This type does not elevate blood cholesterol levels like saturated fats. Nuts contain the all important fatty acids, linoleic and linolenic acids, which are critical for growth, physical and mental development, healthy hair and skin, blood pressure control, immunological responses and blood clotting.
For snacks I recommend patients to have a small handful - 1 ounce of almonds is about 14 almonds - not 30, or the large handful you want. Do not eat nuts like popcorn or M and M's.
Nuts also supply one of the best natural sources of vitamins E and B2 (riboflavin, an antioxidant), and are rich in protein, folate, fiber, and essential minerals such as magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper, and selenium.
After reading this who doesn't want a NUT. When I decided to write about nuts.. my first thought was the Barbara Streisand movie, Nuts which I enjoyed. The mother was portrayed by Maureen Stapleton. Rent it again. It is worth a Friday night with a bowl of nuts.
The needle craft above is not needlepoint. It is free style, not stamped cross stitch. Some rather buy a stamped (inked) canvas. I prefer freestyle so I can be creative and make different designs on the canvas. In this case I added a few extra flowers. This cross stitch could have been framed (without glass) or made into a pillow. A nice pillow for a country porch.
Photo credit: Rick Byrd
Song credit: Louis Armstrong
Pillow credit: Vasiliki
In memory of Jerry who always had a smile that beamed and a heart that glowed.
Until tomorrow...
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