Veroniqque

Gallstones and Gallbladders.

2012-01-24T13:10:00.000-08:00

For the past year I had been having pains on my right hand side near my ribcage, and to the right and below. Sometimes in the middle of my chest it was a painful feeling. I was not sure what was wrong with me. Then over Thanksgiving, probably due to all the yummy food, I started having more intense pain. By the time Thanksgiving finished, a few days later, I had checked into the ER with pain.

While at the ER, the ER doctor determined that I did indeed have gallstones in my gall bladder. They referred me to a local surgeon, told me not to eat fats, and sent me home. The pain had subsided and I was ok with going home.

Instead of going to the doctor they recommended, I went to my regular doctor, and she recommended another surgeon. While waiting to see the doctor, I happened to mention in Facebook, to a friend about my health troubles. She told me she had a booklet that I might be interested in, that has a gall bladder cleanse. At first I was hesitant, but what did I have to lose? I was about to lose my gall bladder as it looked anyway.

As I began reading the brochure, I felt confident I could do the fast/cleanse. It was without food, but you had to drink four gallons of fresh apple juice over four days, so roughly a gallon a day, and also lots of water. Drinking these fluids keeps you filled up and was surprisingly easier than I had thought it would be. If I got hungry I just drank more. So I did it. Everything went well, not exactly as the brochure described, but close enough. I felt pretty good after the cleanse, and my pain had subsided.

Now, over two months later, I went back to the doctors to find out what my situation was and the results of the test. The pain has been less, as my consuming fats had also decreased. I had another test, that the surgeon wanted me to get done before visiting him. It was a Hida Scan or a cholescintigraphy.

After that test I got a call from the doctors assistant saying that everything looks great and that I do not have gallstones. I am not sure if I am cured, but I am not going to argue with the doctors and insist I have them still. I plan on doing the cleanse again also. I don't think it can hurt.

Obviously, I wasn't needing surgery yet. But what would have happened if I just listened to the doctors, and didn't try something natural? I have a feeling I might be without a gall bladder.

The moral of this story is you can't always believe what the doctors say, I highly doubt any of the doctors would have recommended I do this cleanse. My own family doctor, said it could not hurt. Not only, did it not hurt, it actually helped me greatly.

Gall Bladder Cleanse

I highly recommend this cleanse brochure and website to someone who is suffering from gallstones. Obviously you should consult your doctor first. Also, not all gall bladder symptoms are alike, and if the pain is so terrible, obviously, there may be no option but to remove. The gallstones size can determine how much pain you may be in. Tiny ones may block passages and this may be serious.

Good luck and healthy eating to you!

:-)

Grapes, vineyards, and grape growers in Sonoma county.

2012-01-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

Rows and rows of grapes.

Sonoma County Wine Grape Grower.

Beautiful bright red colored grape leaves.

Green grape leaves, black grapes, and red grape leaves.

As a child I lived for a short time, in Sonoma county, and still have family there. I love this area of California. The days can be hot, but for the most part, it always cools down at night due to it's proximity to the ocean and the bays. Sonoma county and the surrounding counties have lots of water, rivers, creeks, and lakes nearby, in addition, there are grape growers, and wine productions everywhere.

Beautiful symmetrical rows of grapes.

Green grass, and beautiful rows of grapes, Sonoma county.

Beautiful grapes in Healdsburg, California.

These are not young grape vines, these are very old. :-) Well taken care of also. The area I was in was pristine, clean, and very well manicured especially the grapes.

Sunset January 2011

2012-01-08T11:00:00.000-08:00

Recently I stumbled upon these old photographs of the sunset. It was a spectacular sunset! I just stepped outside the back door and took these shots. The colors are so beautiful and bright.

Fall Colors

2011-11-15T10:02:00.001-08:00

Virginia Creeper leaf on the grass.

Beautiful yellow leaves and the Trinity river front in the background.

I love this tree in the fall!

Blackberry leaves yellow, green, and reddish hue.

Blackberry leaf in the autumn sunlight.

We have had a very beautiful fall and early winter. Hardly any rain, except the first week of October. Since then it has been quite wonderful weather, sunny and even warmer days in northern California. The trees, and bushes are turning colors and I took some photographs to share with you.

Maple trees are so pretty in the fall.

Painting on Wood and Rocks

2011-11-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

Painting is always nice, and painting on other surfaces besides paper and canvas is nice also. All you need is some nice smooth rock or wood and voila you have a painting surface. What is wonderful about painting rocks and wood pieces is that sometimes the shapes are made for you, you paint what you see.

In the case below a friend had a piece of wood, and it was shaped like a watermelon.

I too have dabbled with painting rocks when I was younger and again recently while painting with some kids. Painting rocks, if fun and fairly cheap if you have rocks around, and paint already.

Naked Ladies bloomed and gone again.

2011-10-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

My favorite, the naked lady, these beautiful flowers are just amazing. So light and pink and a volunteer flower, that is just beautiful.

Now we have them in two locations in the yard and quite abundant. They are also known as belladonna lily, the naked lady, amarillo and amaryllis.

Phil in October

2011-10-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

Phil has been hanging about lots. Mostly making sure no other cats get on the porch or in the yard for that matter. He is a very protective kitty, not only does he protect his own house, he is watching out for ours too. What a trooper! :-)

I often see him sitting alert in the middle of the street, covering all bases that way. Many times though he is just hanging on the porch.

Sleeping in the sun.

Streeeeeetch after the nap.

Lovely Lavendar Roses

2011-10-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

I drive by these rose bushes often near an apartment building. The bushes are really tall and they look fairly old.

These are a beautiful light lavender color. I am not sure what type of rose they are. They are beautiful and they smell very fragrant also.

Wedding Flowers

2011-10-22T16:20:00.000-07:00

Wedding flowers, after the wedding.

Recently I went to a beautiful early fall wedding. We were lucky enough to be able to take one of the table bouquets home.

I was not the one to dump the arrangement outside, but came across it after a few days.

I liked how the colors looked in the dead grass, and the leaves of the hydrangeas were well preserved.

Beautiful dried flowers.

I love the color of this dried hydrangea.

I do love these purple color of the dried hydrangea.

You came to visit me.

2011-09-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

Dragonfly, Trinity county.

I think you know I wanted to be there. Thank you for coming and visiting me on your own. Love.

Dragonfly, Trinity river.

Red Hot Poker, Weaverville, California

2011-09-29T10:25:00.000-07:00

This flower is so distinctive and different from ther flowers.

Red hot poker is the name and it looks exactly as it sounds. As if you were to poke it into the fire.

My Pink Striped Bathrobe on Television, The Middle.

2011-09-27T12:56:00.000-07:00

I don't want a huge amount of television shows, I prefer movies. A couple that I do like in the main stream television, are the Middle and Modern Family.

Recently we were watching the Middle, and I noticed the lead actress, was wearing my bathrobe.

I have had this bathrobe for several years, and that show just came out fairly recently.

How do they get the wardrobes for those television shows I wonder? Has anyone else ever seen their bathrobes on television? Just a couple questions. :-)

Gardenia's in the Garden Tract, Shasta County

2011-09-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

This flower is a beautiful bright white, and smells absolutely fabulous. You can smell the fragrant as you walk by. It had so many blooms this year it was amazing. These were taken in July and the plant still has some blooms on it.

Our favorite thing to do is have mini vases filled with a few of these in a room. You will never need to buy air freshener again.

Gardenias grow well in Redding.

Gardenia

Flowered gardenia and budding gardenia.

Roses at Rollins lake Inn California

2011-09-19T08:00:00.001-07:00

Roses, color of fire.

I love this color of roses, they remind me of fire.

Rollins Lake Inn, located on Rollins Lake, close to Grass Valley, CA, has some beautiful grounds with gorgeous roses, such as these.

I particularly love these bright orange red roses, which look like fire to me.

Great job to whoever is taking care of the roses, they really looked nice while we were visiting the Inn.

Pink roes, and Rollins Lake in the background.

Roses at Rollins Lake Inn

Happy Birthday!

2011-09-17T12:49:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday!!!

Hope your birthday is filled with fun, family, love and joy!

Kitty and the Lizard under the car.

2011-09-17T12:05:00.000-07:00

Kitty and lizard under the car.

Lizard.

The kitty cat loves to entertain herself and enjoys recreational activities such as lizard chasing.

The actual lizard was never harmed in the activity. I am not sure, if the lizard itself was consenting to this game or not.

This is actually quite a large lizard. We have many of them around, but usually not quite this big.

Pink and White Oleander

2011-09-14T15:10:00.000-07:00

Pink Oleander

This beautiful pink flower is toxic is all it's parts, especially to animals.

Oleander is sually used for an ornamental plant. It grows very large, tall, wide, bushy, and blooms white and pink flowers. For years on Interstate 5, in northern California there was Oleander that was planted in the middle of the north and south interstate. Today it is being removed.

Pink Oleander

Nerium Oleander

Nerium Oleander, White

Hollyhock Volunteer in Redding, California

2011-09-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

Pink Hollyhock flower.

Hollyhock volunteer flower in Redding, California.

My Mom took this photograph. :-)

For two years now this pink hollyhock volunteer has been growing by the white picket fence.

A volunteer plant, means a seed came along via the wind or something and planted itself.

I love this flower and I love the fact that we didn't ask for it.

Petunias in Redding, Shasta County.

2011-09-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

Petunia's.

My mother planted these very pretty petunia's back in June. The dominant color was a bright purple. As they bloomed and re bloomed over the summer they changed colors.

Petunia's early summer bright purple and white.

Petunia's in August, light purple and white.

Now if you look the below the petunias are not nearly as bright of purple and the flower is predominately white.

Pomegranite Tree in Chico, Butte County

2011-09-07T12:49:00.000-07:00

Pomegranate blossom in the sun.

I love pomegranates, they are so delicious. I remember eating them when I was a child, and eating the seeds sometimes but not all the time.

Recently, I read the seeds are really good for you. Pomegranates in general are very good for you. Wonderful as an addition in salads.

Pomegranate just starting.

My friend has a pomegranate tree in Chico, California. The blossoms were just turning to fruit in early July.

The pomegranates are probably about ready now, and I should call my friend and see if they are ripe yet.

Pomegranate just starting and blossom dying off.

This is the tree which is quite dainty.

Garden Hebs, Shasta County

2011-09-03T13:27:00.000-07:00

This year I decided to plant some herbs to cook with. I planted English thyme, Italian parsley, and some regular Thyme. I had some chives which were already growing in a tiny clay pot for a couple years. Also oregano, which was in the same clay pot, but I replanted this year, to be with the parsley and oregano and it seems to be doing much better.

Thyme, chives, oregano, and Italian parsley.

Italian parsley growing in a pot.

I absolutely love having the fresh herbs on hand to cook with. They are great for adding to a sautee of vegetables, or roasting a chicken with herbs and garlic.

Hibiscus in Redding and Shasta County

2011-08-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

Hibiscus is a beautiful flower and plant. I love the white ones, and the purple ones for that matter. The neighbor has a bush which has been formed into a tree, and the flowers are up above. My mother's is more like a bush. Not quite as old as the neighbors, his tree must be 30+ years old.

Hibiscus is popular because it attracts bees and butterflies, also you may be more familiar with hibiscus as a tea. There are hundreds of varieties of the hibiscus flowers, and bush.

The hibiscus prefers a warmer climate. This is the technical name for this type of hibiscus, Hibiscus syriacus.

Hibiscus in Redding, California.

This year, right before the purple hibiscus bloomed, I stepped out the door, and I smelled coconut. I could not figure out where the scent was coming from. As it turns out it was the Hibiscus!

Hibiscus syriacus and Tonka truck.

Aunt Julies beautiful flowers, Trinity county, California.

2011-08-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

Pink Columbine

One of my aunts has some gorgeous flowers around her yard and garden. Lots of varieties and colors. Here are a few of my favorites. It's in Trinity county and very mountainous.

My aunt. takes very good care of all her flowers, and there seems to always be something blooming between spring, and fall. My mother, grandmother and aunts all do a wonderful job with their gardens.

Flowers are lovely and brighten your day, and your life. I am blessed to have aunts, and grandmothers, and my mother who all cultivate flowers, and enjoy them.

White Columbine

Daisy

Hollyhock

Dhalias that look like daisies, Trinity county, California

2011-08-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

My cousin's mother in law owns this house that has a nice garden, it's very old. It has huge old rose bushes, and huge fruit trees, and it is somewhat of a "garden of paradise".

I find all kinds of flowers here for photos. There is also a separate garden area, which actually someone has planted vegetables and herbs.

My cousin planted these dahlias which kinda look like a daisy of sorts. I never saw this flower before, but thought it was very neat.

Tigerlilies in Shasta County, Redding, California

2011-08-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

These tiger lilies bloom every year in the back yard and they are beautiful. I was looking on some sites, and they are an actual wildflower that grows quite easily in ditches throughout America. They do well in moist soil, thus the natural propagation in ditches.

They also have medicinal qualities which I did not know about. Apparently they can aid with congestion, and the nausea and vomiting associated with pregnancy.