Texas’ Rural Environmental Standards?

Posted on January 13, 2024 by Professor Taboo

Back in August 2023 I shared the national rankings by U.S. News & World Report of the Best U.S. States to Reside based upon eight metrics. My home state of Texas ranked only #35th overall among all 50-states; a ranking that is quite low based upon many rural, arrogant, and biased Texan attitudes here. And as most of you know well, the rural parts of Texas are heavily dominated by MAGA Republican politics. By the way, as a side note and not so coincidental, our Texas 21st Congressional District in the federal House of Representatives is led by (R) Chip Roy who is also the policy chairman of the radical House Freedom Caucus in Washington D.C.

This past Wednesday we received in the mail along with our Kerrville Utilities bill (water & sewage) for the month of December, a letter of disclosure, or as the City of Kerrville worded it, a letter of “Transparency.” This is what it said:

Now, returning to Texas’ national ranking of the “best” states to reside in the U.S., our ranking overall was 35th. But in the category of environmental protections, enforcement, and health-safety we sadly rank a lowly #40. In other words, our environmental care and protection, even for public health and safety, is in all honesty cow-manure! Why do we seem to NOT care for public health and safety and environmental protections? I’ll give you two guesses.

Mom and I live inside the unaffected area toward the top of that map. However, my sister lives down near the Kerr County Municipal Airport (red arrow), the area in yellow that IS contaminated. Granted, a running average of 0.010 mg/L of TTHM, which is equal to 80-parts per billion is nothing to be too seriously alarmed about, right? But here’s my three questions:

When could anyone wholeheartedly trust the MAGA Republicans, especially those who rule all the rural areas of Texas?
Are they divulging ALL the actual data in a correct, unbiased, transparent amount? And…
If all of Kerrville’s water supply comes from only two sources—the Edwards-Trinity Plateau Aquifer and the Guadalupe River, and BOTH are contaminated to some degree now or in the near future, then how will the rest of our water sources be exempt or unaffected?

Did you read the part of the Q&A second page about “What causes high TTHM levels“? It states:

Heavy rainfall can often introduce large amounts of organic matter, including grass and leaves, into the river water. When this organic matter reacts with chlorine during the disinfection process, it creates TTHMs. Additionally, when drought conditions and extreme high [hot] temperatures exist, the water becomes warmer than usual and requires more chlorine be used for disinfection.
— City of kerrville to its water consumers, jan. 10, 2024

The Hill Country of Texas and Kerrville over the last 2-years has experienced all of these climate events listed, except the extended heavy rainfalls, although these last two weeks we have had a steady flow of rainfall for about 12 out of the last 16 days/nights.

There has been another recent climate event contributing to our water contamination: high winds. And the high wind-gusts blow all sorts of pollutants and organic matter into our river which eventually reaches our underground aquifer. High winds also dry out already drought-ridden conditions. Examine these four tables below…

**2021** average wind-speed in grey, wind-gusts in red, Kerrville, Texas — *WeatherSpark.com*

**2022** average wind-speed in grey, wind-gusts in red, Kerrville, Texas — WeatherSpark.com

**2023** average wind-speed in grey, wind-gusts in red, Kerrville, Texas — WeatherSpark.com

**2024** average wind-speed in grey, wind-gusts in red, Kerrville, Texas — WeatherSpark.com

So for the past 4-5 days myself and Mom have suffered horribly from high levels of pollen, cedar, and other air-contaminates. I guess we may be dealing with water contamination soon enough as well. Yes, it is glaringly clear why Texas ranks at #40 out of 50-states in the nation for (poor) environmental health and safety. Surprise surprise.

Live Well – Love Much – Laugh Often – Learn Always – Be Environmentally Responsible!

Herb Gardener Extraordinaire

Posted on November 29, 2023 by Professor Taboo

I have picked up a new hobby these last 4-6 months. I love my new hobby. It brings me much solace and therapeutic benefits given my circumstances.

Because I spend a lot of my days and evenings in the kitchen making healthy recipes and meals for my Early Alzheimer’s Mom, that on her own she would live off of strictly potato chips, cheeses, almonds, walnuts, and cheese cakes or Blue Bell ice cream exclusively, grazing on these items all morning, afternoon, evening, and into the wee-hours of 1:00am — 3:00am, without pause, so I do this in the kitchen.

How is my herb garden coming along you ask? Well, I’d say for my very first late-summer, early-autumn seeding, rooting, and transplanting, I think pretty damn good. I have some viewers and followers (Arkenatan of A Tale Unfolds) who have been doing this sort of gardening for years and decades, and compared to them I am certainly a rookie learning as I go. For the most part, I must say that I’m fairing pretty well. And according to Mom and sister, when I use some of my various herbs in recipes for them, they are impressed and sometimes rave how good a gourmet chef I’ve become. There is nothing like super fresh herbs straight from your own garden to kitchen and table! Want to see my own home-grown herbs? Of course you do. 😉

*Named from top left tier to right, middle tier L to R, and bottom tier L to R images below*. My pitchers of liquid seaweed in background.

*Bunching Evergreen Onions, had to block the glare with hand.*

*More Bunching Onions, because they need “spreading” once 3″ — 5″ tall.*

*Cilantro that we use in many recipes, especially our Pico de Gallo.*

*More Mint (Spearmint) for my hot teas and recipes like Loin of Lamb or on crackers, as seen below.*

*Common Oregano*, *or Oraganum vulgare. New sprouts on the left.*

Then not pictured from my garden, but otherwise in two pot containers, my Basil Prospera F1, also known as Genovese or Basil Valentino, as pictured here:

Back in late September I planted Rosemary seeds (Rosmarinus officinalis) which grows and thrives very well here in Central Texas. But surprisingly and to my slight dismay my one little sprout—out of 4 or 5 seed-pots—died earlier this week. Grrrrr, can’t win them all, huh? I’ll try again in the Spring 2024. They should do alright for then and rooting/growing in my pots for the full sun summer.

Two of many recipes I’ve used these home-grown herbs for are my fresh Basil Pesto, Mediterranean Veggie or Margarita pizzas, or this one below, Creamy Chicken Pesto Penne Pasta with fresh spinach and sundried tomatoes:

*Creamy Chicken Pesto Penne Pasta with spinach & sundried tomatoes.*

Or this smash hit today, Rosemary & Olive oil crackers with my fresh Sweet Mint leaves, Rat Trap Cheddar or Danish Bleu Cheese (from Denmark), topped with cherry tomato halves. Compliment this appetizer with a glass of—my favorite red—like Mendoza Valley (Argentina) Malbec or a bold Cabernet Sauvignon to explode the flavors and fragrance in your mouth and nose, image below:

*My very fresh Sweet Mint cuttings, cherry tomato halves in container. Mom in the background in her usual spot on the couch enjoying her snack immensely!*

These last several months growing my herbs from seed have been wonderfully satisfying and a bit of therapy for my otherwise full-time/overtime Caretaking of Mom. I’d say it is coming along nicely, wouldn’t you? 🌱🌿

Live Well – Love Much – Laugh Often – Learn Always – Garden Lots

Crazy Like A Ray of Light

Posted on March 2, 2023 by Professor Taboo

“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time
to understand more, so that we may fear less.”
Madame Marie Curie

This post is somewhat random but inspired by friends and great music of 1990 — 1998, all incredibly popular, happy, memorable, and unforgettable years for me personally. Two of my favorites follow, with some musing commentary.

Yet, Seal’s hit song “Crazy” I find so apropos for humanity’s continued evolution, progression, and advancement IF—emphasis on if—humanity (you) is/are BRAVE enough to think and step out of their suffocating comfortable BOXES and move forward! Everything in existence and life is in constant flux; always changing at some degree of speed. We just need to become more adaptable daily, weekly, monthly… for the Universe’s and our planet’s frequent fast-balls or curveballs. Nothing in life, in existence stays the same, always forever. Never. It all eventually becomes antiquated, like all the world’s now very ancient religions. It is past time to move on from the Bronze and Iron Ages or Classical/Post-classical Ages and into the modern knowledge of 21^st and then 22^nd centuries. Otherwise, stagnation only leads to extinction, yes?

Celebrate, dance like Madonna to this advancing, second Renaissance Age that is knocking and trying to break free from the dead, decaying chains of the past! Like a ray of light speeds through space and time, its particles in motion do not need your approval, help, or opinion to exist, much less to move anywhere. Only gravity and Black Holes have that sort of power. 🤓

“Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.”
Brene Brown

P.S. I will soon be publishing my Part 4: A New U.S. Constitution, for those of you still following the series (chuckle). Apologies for the delay, but hey… life gets in the way sometimes. We have a lot less control of things than we like to trick ourselves into falsely believing, right? HAH! 😄

Live Well – Love Much – Laugh Often – Learn Always

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Omicron Ba.4 and Ba.5

Posted on August 18, 2022 by Professor Taboo

Since December 2019 I have been hyper-vigilant in following every single viral protocol and government mandate regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and its nonstop variants and subvariants. I’ve been glad to do so not just for my own health and safety, but also as a team-player in the ongoing war of national public health and safety for all Americans. Having played team sports all my life, I completely understand why it must be done; been doing it for over two years. I promote the basic ideals of being a TEAM player in this war against an invisible enemy.

For me it was a no brainer, right? January 21, 2020 that (invisible) enemy known as COVID-19 from Wuhan, China, was quickly spreading. There was no doubt whatsoever it was going to hit our U.S. ports of entry. Like a scourge never before seen in human history it was going to hit our shores, invade the lungs and bodies of millions upon millions of Americans and kill them—1,064,207 dead and counting. And as predicted, that’s exactly what happened. It still continues killing today and for the foreseeable future.

On August 8^th, 2022, over two years later in my fight against COVID, I lost my undefeated battle-record following a trip to Dallas, TX for my best friend’s Celebration of Life ceremonial funeral. With triple-digit temperatures in DFW and across most of the state of Texas during the entire month of July and into August, everybody was staying inside with A/C for any event or gathering between 10am and 10pm. This included my good friend’s ceremony. No one, not a single person there was wearing any mask or social-distancing despite the COVID Omicron subvariants Ba.4 and Ba.5 spreading like wildfire throughout the entire state.

This general apathy was true again Sunday night, August 7^th, at one of my all-time favorite Goth Industrial Steampunk EBM dance clubs, The Church. No masks anywhere, no social-distancing in the least. By Tuesday and Wednesday, Aug. 9^th–10^th, I had every single Omicron Ba.4 or 5 symptom listed and I tested positive Wednesday morning. I was deathly ill by then. That night I had hallucinations in my terribly uncomfortable, broken sleep. By that point in time I had already exposed my Mom and sister to the virus over 2 1⁄2 days.

Three days later while I was in my 7-10 day isolation, Mom tested positive. Only by the slimmest, luckiest margins my sister never tested positive the four days she was with us indoors helping with meals and basic daily tasks. Remarkable actually.

This past Tuesday, the 16^th, I finally tested negative and came out of my quarantine. I really had no choice because the last four days my sister could no longer come inside with us. The house was a mess, especially the kitchen due to Mom’s fatigue and severe dementia. I had to hit the ground running. Many daily tasks and chores had gone undone for over a week. Mom ends her quarantine this Saturday, Aug. 20^th, if she tests negative tomorrow.

Unfortunately, I still have a runny nose presently, mucus-phlegm congestion in my throat and chest, persistent coughing, along with fatigue after extended periods of physical exertion. Our family PPO practitioner has informed me that I cannot get reinfected by the same subvariant I gave to Mom. However, I can indeed get reinfected by any other variants and subvariants of COVID. Each reinfection raises my risks of long-term or permanent health problems with other bodily organs and systems. He also informed me that symptoms can persist for weeks or months after quarantine, possibly (but rarely) for the rest of my life. 😔 I can say this with utter conviction, breathing is more difficult now 3-4 days after testing negative.

I do not wish this virus on anyone. It is terrible and possibly damages your health systems long-term. And myself, Mom, and my sister, we are all fully vaccinated (2 doses) and fully boostered (2 more doses) and absolutely plan to get boostered next month for the Omicron subvariants. I can’t imagine what HELL we would’ve experienced had Mom and I not been maximally protected by those four Pfizer and Moderna shots.

Recently, most all U.S. states have dropped their entire COVID mandates and protocols despite the skyrocketing cases of Omicron infections across the nation. This is a massive mistake! Furthermore, I tried diligently to report my COVID infection as well as my Mom’s, but could not do so. Why? State governments now require that only clinically approved testing sites can report new cases to the county and state agencies, like the CDC. There are likely hundreds or thousands of new cases/infections not being reported because like us, we tested with At Home Antigen Test Kits. These positive results are not accepted by county and state databases. Hence, if your county health center reports for example only 10 new cases in a day or 23 new cases in a week, it is very wise to add maybe 15-20 more cases on top of that… give or take 50 more infected people. 🙄🤦‍♂️ That’s just a random guess on my part given our small populated area/county here in Kerrville. If you reside in a large metropolitan area, it’s wise to add a lot more cases to what public agencies report. Believe me, their numbers are far too low!

This biological war is by no means over, it’s not even in decline. As long as all of us refuse to declare war on COVID by abiding by protocols and mandates, wear masks, social-distance, stay away from large indoor crowds, and test, test, test… this deadly virus will just keep morphing into smarter, stronger new variants and subvariants. That’s simple cytology and biology folks.

Dementia Update

Posted on July 18, 2022 by Professor Taboo

As some of you know or have noticed over the years, I am unable to post on a consistent regular basis as I once did my first decade on WordPress. My commenting and participation on other blogs I enjoy following, sadly has become very limited as well. If you are fairly new to my blog, visiting, or browsing WP, the reason there are much fewer posts is due to my Mom’s Stage 5 Dementia, which is really now well into early symptoms of Stage 6 with fewer mixes now or crossover with Stage 5.

In my December 2021 post about her cognitive decline I listed and briefly explained all the various stages. As of 2022, it seems the general consensus of all the seven stages are known and what the adult children of parents with dementia, or early onset Alzheimer’s Disease, can expect. Here is Stage 6 according to Dementia.org:

Stage 6: Moderately Severe to Severe Dementia

“When the patient begins to forget the names of their children, spouse, or primary caregivers, they are most likely entering stage 6 of dementia and will need full time care. In the sixth stage, patients are generally unaware of their surroundings, cannot recall recent events, and have skewed memories of their personal past. Caregivers and loved ones should watch for:

Delusional behavior
Obsessive behavior and symptoms
Anxiety, aggression, and agitation
Loss of willpower

Patients may begin to wander, have difficulty sleeping, and in some cases will experience hallucinations.”

Mom shows all of those four bullet-points now, although three of the four on some days and then perhaps two of the four other days. But there is always at least two of four every single day. She definitely needs supervision at minimum 12-16 hours per day with some of that time (1-hr at most) a “check-in” or Q&A time sporadically with her throughout the day to gauge how she’s getting along.

Friends and neighbors sometimes ask me how I am doing, how I’m managing my own health and social needs. Apparently, Caretakers of elderly parents with dementia or Alzheimer’s are often overwhelmed in a period time if they receive no relief, no break for themselves and don’t become well-informed of the two diseases. Another thing I’ve heard from the support-group I attend once a month is that the role of caretaker is usually a thankless job/role. Since late-stage dementia is basically early Alzheimer’s Disease, Alz.org lists Ten Symptoms of Caregiver Stress. I currently tick 9 out of 10 symptoms. The biggest reason why? I’ve been going non-stop, no break, every single day and night as her full-time, live-in caretaker since mid-August 2021, or over 47-weeks straight with no respite.

Back in late April of this year I was supposed to get a much needed 6-day, 5-night vacation up in Dallas, my hometown where all my good friends still live. We had several plans made and fun, exciting things to do, dancing, umm… and maybe some drinking included! 😉 But here’s what happened that week/weekend that changed everything: In Memoriam to My Brother. Hence, no real vacation for me at all. I spent the vast majority of my time at the hospital sitting with James, followed by waiting (alone) in my hotel room some 4-5 days and nights for decisions and details about his funeral. I had no motivation to go out alone or with friends; I wasn’t great company then anyway.

So yeah, over 47-weeks now and still counting.

Meanwhile, Mom and I march on, day-in and night-out, fighting a cognitive disease that takes a little more brain-space from her than we can actually replace or take back. But we do have our victories here and there. That’s when Mom wants to celebrate big with either glasses of her Pinot Grigio or I make a pitcher of my world famous El Presidente margaritas, which have a good patada de toro to the ass or head, whichever it reaches first. Hah! 🍸🥳 These are our cherished good times and there will come a day when they aren’t possible. And so we enjoy them thoroughly, when we can, and at length for sure. “Do you know what I mean?” 😍