Junre 20, 2010 Father's Day

JUNE 20, 2010
FATHER'S DAY


The Father of the United States : George Washington
The Father of Genetics: Gregor Mendel
The Fathers of DNA: James Watson and Francis Crick
The Father of Botany: Theophrastus (Greek philosopher)
The Father of Taxonomy/Botanical Nomenclature: Lenaeus
The Father of Alyssa and Gregory Fratellone: Patrick Fratellone
The Father of Patrick and Paul Fratellone: Pasqualino Fratellone
The Father of Pasqualino Fratellone: Leonardo Fratellone
The Father of All-- Your Higher Power or GOD

Life Lessons
From www.poemsource.com

You may have thought I didn't see,
Or that I hadn't heard,
Life lessons that you taught to me,
But I got every word.

Perhaps you thought I missed it all,
And that we'd grow apart,
But Dad, I picked up everything,
It's written on my heart.

Without you, Dad, I wouldn't be
The man I am today;
You built a strong foundation
No one can take away.

I've grown up with your values,
And I'm very glad I did;
So here's to you, dear father,
From your forever grateful kid.

By Joanna Fuchs

"A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty" - Unknown

This is one of the first times I have not been home for Father's Day to celebrate with the children. I never missed a Father's Day when my own dad was living. I was born on Father's Day in 1960. Ironically my brother was born on Mother's Day in 1961.

There is not a day goes by that I do not think of my parents. At last weekend's 50th birthday celebration, my mind meandered into many thoughts. I guess that was my VATA being, not the PITA self. (We will discuss this in the future.) I tried to hold back tears, but they flowed. When I had to stand up and thank everyone--I had to first thank God, and all the guests. But in reality the one person who needed the most thanks whom I did not forget is Rick.

Over the years, Rick's mom and dad, Nancy and Fred have become my parents. It seems like we all have known each other for more than 25 years. They make me feel so comfortable. I am their son, which makes me smile. No one could ever take the place of a parent, and they do not try to. Actually Nancy always reminds me how proud my mom and dad would have been if they were living. Both were present at that 50th celebration, as they are with me each and every day. I owe my beloved, Rick, so much-- more than I could ever type in words or phrases.

There was a lot of learning today. In the summer, individuals worry about two things. 1) What if I get bit by a tick? and 2) How do I avoid and treat poison ivy/oak/sumac?

On Fire Island where Rick and I volunteer in the Doctor's House Cherry Grove we see both very often. The family for poison ivy/oak/ and sumac is Anacardiacea . These plants are also Toxicodendion or Rhus family. The skin lesions are thus called Rhus dermatitis (inflammation of the skin).

There are three other related plants which were a surprise to me--pistacchio, cashew and mangos. With the exception of the pistacchio-there are many sensitivities/allergies to the cashew nut and the mango. In the mango it is the white oil after you peel a freshly picked mango. I do not think you will ever see this in the cashew nut. Why you may ask? Beacuse I learned it is in the shell and honestly I have never seen a cashew with a shell. Most if not all of the cashew are without shells, or peeled. I cannot even describe the fruit with the shell at the bottom where the cashew lies in. The oil in the poison ivy/oak or sumac is called urishiol. The oil is int he plant all year long, so do not think that you cannot get poisin ivy in the winter, because YOU CAN. There is a species of sumac that is edible, called tasty sumac- the red fruits can be made into sun tea. This is called Staghorn sumac or Rhus typhina.

There are some remedies for poison ivy/oak/sumac. I learned today that drinking raw goat's milk or eating the bud of the plant in early spring are both ways to desensitize yourself. Why a goat? Goats eat poison ivy et al.

If you encounter these plants on your skin- first wash WITH SOAP -do not worry if the water is hot or cold. Also wash all your clothes in the soap also. There are two things that make these rashes worse. One is spicy food and the other is fried foods.

Are there natural remedies? Yes there are. The two photographs below are jewel weed. It is an annual plant. Grab some, crush the whole plant in your hand , and spread this pulp mess over the affected area. As you can see below these are impatiens. NOT the typical ones you get from Home Depot as I thought they were the same. I asked our professor, and those in gardens are different than the jewel weed. But I will try some from the Fire Island house gardens if anyone gets poison ivy.

There are two herbs mentioned from the west coast: 1. Grindelia (gumweed) and 2.Uba santa (Erudictyon) Both must be applied topically as a tincture or linament. The other remedies are powdered clay applied topically. You can add Peppermint Oil to the clay to soothe the pain and itch. Anything that draws the oil out is what is needed. Slippery Elm powder can be used. I remember putting soil or mud on a bee sting when I was younger. It seems to me this is the same principle. Remember those oatmeal baths! You can try a rolled oats bath. You want to avoid secondary infections from scratching. For those individuals who are generally "pissed off" that they got poison ivy in the first place, our mentor suggests nervines like California poppy, skullcap, valerian, and chamomille. He also mentioned very strong licorce tea. It was a beautiful peaceful weekend especially the first aid remedies.

Impatiens (pronounced /ɪmˈpeɪʃənz/)[1] is a genus of about 850–1,000 species of flowering plants, widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere and tropics. Together with the puzzling Hydrocera triflora, this genus makes up the family Balsaminaceae. Such a situation is highly unusual, and phylogenetic studies might reveal that Impatiens needs to be split up; some of its species might be closer to Hydrocera than to their presumed congeners.

Common names include impatiens, jewelweeds, and, somewhat ambiguously, "balsams" and "touch-me-nots". As a rule-of-thumb, "jewelweed" is used exclusively for Nearctic species, "balsam" is usually applied to tropical species, and "touch-me-not" is typically used in Europe and North America.

The two photographs above are of poison ivy.
For those who do not want rahses, avoid the woods--especially those on Fire Island --the Judy Garland Memorial Park otherwise known as the Meat Rack

Until tomorrow...