Weather ~ Bruiser ~ Canadian Geese ~ Picture of the Day ~ Shingles ~ Slow Cooker Potato Bacon Soup ~ National Pie Day

Good 39º dark cloudy foggy raining morning. 

 

Yesterday stayed dark and cloudy. 

First thing in the morning when we get up Dude and Bruiser go out to do their "business". Then as normal here, they both come back in and when I finish my blog I get their breakfast. So, yesterday Bruiser decided to go on a "trip" and didn't come back for 3 hours!!! I was a total nervous wreck! Sigh..................... When he got back he ate his breakfast and then got comfy on top of my printer. 

(that is why I cover it with towels!)

 

Then I had some visitors... Canadian geese stopped on top of the barn for a visit. 

They haven't stopped on the barn in a few years! Wonder if these are the same ones who used to stop and have a snack of cracked corn. I know they live 10-24 years, so these might be my old pals! I would call them "goosey goose" and they'd fly down and have some corn. We'll see if this continues.

 

 

Picture of the Day .... National Library in China (WOW!)

 

 

 

Yesterday was "get a shingles shot day". Had one a few years ago but now my doc suggested the newest one. If you have had chicken pox, get a shingles shot!!!

 

Shingles is a viral skin condition caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), which is also the one responsible for chickenpox. This is why there is a possibility for the VZV to reactivate in the form of shingles for an adult who had chickenpox.

 

To be more precise, the virus affects the nerve cells and may stay dormant in the cells after the person gets over chickenpox, only to come back later in life. Some of the early symptoms of shingles include sensations such as pain and burning, which may also be milder numbness and tingling. Rashes and blisters would develop in the area several days after the pain.

 

In general, shingles last between three and five weeks. People usually get it only once, but that is not set in stone.

Singles may affect various areas of the body. The first symptoms may appear on the face, around the eyes, or on the ears. But it is not uncommon to get shingles on the chest, back, waist, or thigh.

Regardless of the afflicted body part, the burning sensation and tingling are followed by a red rash within five days of the first symptoms. Soon after, the rash develops into blisters that are full of fluid are localized into small groups. Like all blisters, they might ooze.

In about ten days, the blisters would become dry and crusted. In most cases, it’ll take about two more weeks for the scabs to be gone.

Unfortunately, there are some long-term problems associated with shingles. Most notably, post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN). This long-term side effect is characterized by an incessant pain which remains in the place where the rash/blisters had been. And senior people are usually more susceptible to PNH.

As mentioned, people who had chickenpox have a greater chance of getting shingles. The risk increases as one grows older since the body may struggle to ward off infections. Roughly 50% of the diagnosed patients are in their 60s. The likelihood becomes much greater as a person reaches 70 years of age.

Besides the seniors, people with a weakened immune system might also be prone to getting shingles. Cancer patients and those with HIV infection are at greater risk. The same goes for organ transplant patients who take immuno suppressants. But healthy individuals can get shingles as well, especially if the immune system is temporarily impaired. For example, prolonged exposure to the sun or cold and stress.

Luckily, there is no way to get shingles from the patient. However, there is a possibility to get chickenpox instead. So, it is a good idea to keep away from a person with shingles if you haven’t had chickenpox.

Slow Cooker Potato Bacon Soup

Servings: 8

 

 

• 3 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 32 oz. chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Add at the end:

• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 1/2 lb. bacon, sliced, cooked and drained

Slow Cooker Size:

• 5 quart or larger

 

1. Add the diced and peeled potatoes to the slow cooker. Pour over the chicken broth, add the garlic powder and stir.
2. Cover and cook on high for 5 hours or for low for 9.
3. When the cooking time is up add the cream cheese to the potatoes and broth. Blend the soup up with an emersion blender or you can put the soup into a blender in batches. Or you can even mash it with a potatoes masher then stir. I like to leave a few of the potato chunks, but it's fine to blend it up completely.
4. Stir in the pepper and the cooked bacon. Serve and enjoy! The soup will start to thicken if the lid is kept off too long. Add water or more broth if needed.

Historically this date...........

1556 – The deadliest earthquake in history, the Shaanxi earthquake, hits Shaanxi province, China. The death toll may have been as high as 830,000. HOLY COW!

 

1570 – James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, regent for the infant King James VI of Scotland, is assassinated by firearm, the first recorded instance of such.

 

1849 – Elizabeth Blackwell is awarded her M.D. by the Geneva Medical College of Geneva, New York, becoming the United States' first female doctor

 

1968 – North Korea seizes the USS Pueblo (AGER-2), claiming the ship had violated their territorial waters while spying.

 

1973 – President Richard Nixon announces that a peace accord has been reached in Vietnam.

 

1986 – The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducts its first members: Little Richard, Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Fats Domino, the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley.

2002 – Reporter Daniel Pearl is kidnapped in Karachi, Pakistan and subsequently murdered .

 

And births this date include....

1898 – Randolph Scott, American actor (d. 1987)

 

1919 – Ernie Kovacs, American comedian (d. 1962)

1951 – Chesley Sullenberger, Captain of US Airways Flight 1549, a flight that successfully ditched into the Hudson River

1957 – Princess Caroline of Monaco

1964 – Mariska Hargitay, American actress

All I know. Nuff said. Happy Hump Day. Ciao.

xo Sue Mom Bobo

National Pie Day was created simply to celebrate the pie.  It is a day for all to bake or cook their favorite pies.  Even more importantly, it is a day set aside for all to enjoy eating pies!

The first pies appeared around 9500 BC in the Egyptian Neolithic period or New Stone Age.

Fun Tidbit – Pie throwing:
Cream filled or topped pies are favorite props for humor.  Throwing a pie in a person’s face has been a staple of film comedy since Ben Turpin received one in Mr. Flip in 1909.

HISTORY

National Pie Day was created by the American Pie Council.  The American Pie Celebration began in 1986 to commemorate Crisco’s 75th anniversary of “serving foods to families everywhere”.